Chapter 181 - Stranger
Inside the warehouse, the storm of emotions had begun to settle.
Yunfeng leaned against the cold wall, his body sore but his mind momentarily at peace. His eyes wandered until they landed on the little girl he had rescued earlier. She was sitting beside his bag, a small form curled protectively around something.
Curious, Yunfeng walked over, quietly, not wanting to startle her. As he got closer, he saw the movement in her lap—a tiny, fluffy monkey with big eyes, twitching ears, and a long, curled tail. It was nuzzling into her palm, letting out soft squeaks as it rubbed its head against her fingers.
"Hey," Yunfeng said gently, kneeling beside her. "Isn’t he cute?"
The girl looked up at him. For the first time since he’d pulled her out of that wrecked store, she gave him a tiny, shy nod.
"You can have him if you want," Yunfeng offered with a warm smile.
Her eyes widened. "Really?" she whispered, clutching the monkey closer.
"Yeah. He likes people who are kind. Looks like he’s already chosen you."
She held the monkey to her chest, her lips parting in wonder. The little creature made a chirping noise and nestled deeper into her arms, its tail wrapping lightly around her wrist. Yunfeng noticed it—how her shoulders had relaxed, how her eyes sparkled now with something gentle. Until this moment, she had been quiet, curled up in the corner like a shadow. But the monkey... he’d changed that.
Yunfeng reached into his pocket and pulled out a slightly crumpled bag of trail mix. "You can feed him, you know," he said, opening it and picking out some dried fruit.
He handed a few banana chips to her, and she slowly held them out to the monkey, who sniffed them excitedly before nibbling from her hand.