Xiao Tian, who was staring at the surveillance screen in the security room, suddenly sneezed loudly.

"Hey, are you catching a cold? Stay away from me, don't infect me," Lao Quan said disdainfully as he covered his mouth and nose, afraid that germs would infiltrate his respiratory system from the air.

"I don't think so," Xiao Tian rubbed his slightly stuffy nose, feeling a bit dizzy. Could it be that he caught a chill while working the night shift the previous night? Yesterday, he already had some signs of a sore and dry throat, and today he had a runny nose.

Xiao Tian turned his head to look at the unfamiliar suit jacket hanging on the wall. It had mysteriously appeared after his night shift the night before, and he had only noticed it when he woke up. He didn't know who had draped it over his shoulders, and the owner of the jacket hadn't come to claim it yet.

The jacket felt exceptionally smooth to the touch, and there was a string of English labels sewn into the collar. Xiao Tian felt that he had never touched such fine fabric before, and it must have been quite expensive. The owner would definitely come to retrieve it, and when that happened, he wanted to express his gratitude to this kind-hearted person.

But who could it be?

Xiao Tian wondered if it might be the boss, especially since he had seen the person that night. However, he also felt that it was unlikely because he and that sophisticated man who drove the luxury car were worlds apart. It didn't make sense for them to be connected in any way.

Regardless of who it was, Xiao Tian was grateful. Few people had been this kind to him in the past.

"Catching a cold? Why don't you take a break and rest?" Lao Wang asked. Despite his somewhat unapproachable appearance, he had a warm heart and was a good person.

"No need, I'm fine," Xiao Tian shook his head. Nowadays, seeing a doctor costs at least several tens of dollars, and they might put you on an IV drip for any minor ailment. With his meager salary, he couldn't afford to get sick. This month, he had already been swindled out of five hundred yuan by Pang Hu; it was becoming impossible to make ends meet. He'd just go home and get some sleep after work.

"It's almost time to finish work. Who's on duty tonight?" Lao Quan, as the boss, asked Lao Wang.

"Xiao Tian, don't go out for some fresh air. You go to the back door, and I'll cover the front," Lao Wang looked at Xiao Tian again before making the arrangements.

"Alright, let's get to work," Lao Quan stretched lazily, stood up, adjusted his pants, and strode out.

"Thank you, Lao Wang," Xiao Tian expressed his gratitude to Lao Wang.

"It's just a work assignment; no need to thank me," Lao Wang said as he prepared to go on duty.

When it was time to finish work, the front gate was still bustling.

All sorts of cars were exiting, and Lao Wang was outside conducting the customary vehicle inspections.

After about ten minutes, the bustle began to subside, and a black 6888 sedan pulled up.

As soon as Lao Wang saw that it was Director Li's car, he immediately cleared the way, saluting him respectfully.

The car pulled up to the security room but stopped.

The window rolled down, revealing Li Yicheng's handsome face. He glanced at Lao Wang and his eyes betrayed a hint of disappointment.

"Hello, Director Li," Lao Wang quickly added.

"Mm," Li Yicheng responded indifferently, then leaned out the window to look inside the security room.

Lao Wang was a bit unsure of what this young master was looking for.

"Is Lin Tianran here?" Li Yicheng's line of sight was blocked, so he couldn't see clearly inside the security room. He asked Lao Wang by the side of the car.

"Huh?" Lao Wang didn't expect the young master to ask like this suddenly. "He's inside, he's inside. I'll call him out for you."

"Wait!" Li Yicheng hadn't had a chance to stop him, and Lao Wang had already shouted loudly.

"Lin Tianran! Come out quickly!"

"Coming!" came the response from inside.

Li Yicheng nervously watched the door of the security room. A slender figure limped its way out, moving awkwardly and slowly. But in Li Yicheng's eyes, it was oddly endearing.

"Is it you?" Xiao Tian was slightly surprised, then turned to look at Lao Wang. Didn't Lao Quan say that this car should never be stopped? How come Lao Wang stopped it?

"Hello, I'm Li Yicheng," Li Yicheng stared at Xiao Tian without blinking, as if he couldn't get enough of looking at him.

"Oh... I'm Lin Tianran," Xiao Tian replied hesitantly, a little shy under the intense gaze. "Is there something you need?"

Actually, he was a bit frightened because he had never had a conversation with someone like this before. People of such status were unapproachable in his eyes. As a low-level employee, how could he converse with someone like that?

Li Yicheng noticed his lack of confidence and timidity. He didn't want to scare him, so he spoke even more gently, "I came to retrieve my jacket."

"Ah, it's you," Xiao Tian exclaimed. Although he had thought about it, he had quickly dismissed the idea that the owner might be Li Yicheng. So being recognized by the owner was surprising.

Have you ever seen a boss give his security guard his jacket? It was simply unheard of.

"That night, I came back to work and saw you sleeping at the desk. It was chilly, so I covered you with my jacket," Li Yicheng admitted generously. In reality, he had longed to close the gap between himself and Tian Tian urgently.

Li Yicheng felt a bit wronged. Although people change as they grow up, that little boy who used to follow him around like a little tail had now grown into a tall man of 1.86 meters. His face had completely lost the childishness of his youth. However, Tian Tian didn't recognize him, and he felt a slight sense of disappointment.

But well, Tian Tian had never known that the little boy from back then was the son of this factory's owner. It was understandable that he didn't recognize him, even if he looked familiar. Thinking of this, Li Yicheng felt his spirits lift.

"Thank you, Director Li," Xiao Tian felt uncomfortable under this man's intense gaze. He quickly limped back inside, retrieved the suit jacket hanging high on the wall of the security room, folded it, and handed it to Li Yicheng.

"Returning your suit jacket," Xiao Tian still didn't dare to look directly into those intense eyes. He hoped the other man would take the jacket and leave soon; otherwise, it would be too awkward.

Li Yicheng caught the suit jacket outside the car window. His hand brushed against Xiao Tian's hand, startling Xiao Tian, who quickly withdrew his hand.

"Don't be afraid of me," Li Yicheng smiled at him, as gentle as winter sunshine.

Watching the car drive away, Lao Wang finally snapped out of his dumbfounded state. He felt that what had just happened contained too much information, and he, as an old man, was having a hard time accepting it.

Fortunately, Director Li didn't trouble them further, which was the best outcome.

As the car drove on, Li Yicheng couldn't get Lin Tianran's image out of his mind.

Why is he so thin, with no flesh on his face at all? It's as if he could be blown away by the wind.

Tian Tian must be having a tough time.

Seeing Tian Tian limp as he walked made Li Yicheng's heartache. Although he had known about his disability for a long time, seeing it in person filled him with guilt and pity.

But there was no need to worry; he was still alive. He had come back and found Tian Tian, and from now on, he would take responsibility for him and take good care of him, sparing him from any more hardships.

However, Tian Tian seemed timid and somewhat self-conscious. He shouldn't rush things; scaring him would be counterproductive.

Take it step by step, build a relationship with Tian Tian, and get to know each other little by little.

"Ah-Choo!" Lin Tianran sneezed again.

"Alright, everyone who should go off work has left, you should go too," Lao Wang patted Lin Tianran on the shoulder. Tonight's shift was taken over by Lao Quan, so they could also go off work.

"Oh, okay," Lin Tianran shivered. What's wrong with him? His body was suddenly experiencing alternating chills and fever. Could it be a fever?

Lin Tianran planned to go home, take a hot bath, and quickly wrap himself in a blanket for a nap.

Viruses and such, just roll away, don't bother him.

After lying down, Lin Tianran fell into a deep sleep.

He had a long, long dream. In the dream, he saw his childhood, the little shadow that used to follow him around like a little tail, calling him "Tiantian" over and over again.

He dreamed of them playing together, building sandcastles, catching dragonflies, and throwing stones together. In the dream, they were inseparable and incredibly happy.

They started playing hide and seek. This time, it was Little Shadow's turn to hide, and he had to find him. He searched and searched, looking everywhere, but couldn't find Little Shadow. He became sad and started crying.

He cried and cried, not knowing how long he had cried when Little Shadow finally bounced out on his own, ran up to him, and teased him with a smile. Little Shadow said he was back and, like an adult, comforted him by patting his head.

However, why does Little Shadow seem to have changed?

Lin Tianran was puzzled in his dream.

Lin Tianran woke up, and it was already a little past nine in the morning the next day.

He touched his forehead and was relieved to find that his temperature was normal.

Lin Tianran couldn't help but admire himself. With sheer determination, he had managed to suppress the onset of a severe cold that was about to strike. He had saved himself a considerable sum of money in medical expenses. That was really great.

However, Lin Tianran was not aware that a fever is, in fact, the body's way of rejecting viruses. By suppressing it repeatedly, the virus remains trapped in the body, unable to be expelled properly. Eventually, it might explode like a time bomb, causing severe damage.

But that's a story for another time. When that happens, there will undoubtedly be much anguish.

"Knock, knock, knock."

On the seventh floor, the door to the CEO's office was knocked on by Manager Fang.

"Please come in," as usual, Li Yicheng's voice came from behind the door.

"Mr. Li, here are Lin Tianran's documents," Manager Fang said. True to his reputation, he had completed the task that Li Yicheng had assigned to him in less than two days.

"Okay, you can leave for now," Li Yicheng nodded in satisfaction. He felt that if the opportunity arose, he would definitely need to promote Manager Fang. Not only did he perform well in investigating Lin Tianran, but his overall approach to handling matters also put Li Yicheng at ease. Manager Fang was a smart individual who handled things with tact and knew when not to pry into things that weren't meant for questioning, making him a leader's trusted asset.