CHAPTER 668: NOIR (2)

After two full months without further news from the police station, little Noir was officially available for adoption.

In fact, there had been a couple of families who inquired about Noir. After all, he appeared so quiet and well-behaved, with such an exquisite appearance to boot. Who could resist not giving him a new home? Alas, the director had no choice but to turn down those queries, citing that the child was just temporarily staying here due to some unforeseen circumstances and his parents might come looking for him soon.

But with no traces of the so-called parents after Noir had been missing for so long, both the director and the police came to the same conclusion—it was likely that poor little Noir was an abandoned child.

Driven by sympathy and heartache, the orphanage director was especially careful and strict when choosing a new family for Noir.

The night before he was supposed to depart, the director personally packed his belongings for him, which was not much to begin with, and advised him a lot—he had to be more proactive, listen to his adaptive parents’ words and tried his best to get along with them...

With each sentence she said, little Noir simply gave a nod, his expression never changing throughout.

Looking at him like this, the director could only sigh before reaching out to ruffle his hair, feeling quite sentimental for some reason. "It doesn’t matter if you never remember your past," she said softly. "Now that you’re going to a new home, it’s never too late to create more memories. So be happy, little Noir... I’ll miss you very much."

The boy’s clear emerald eyes stared at her, taking in every shift of her expressions with apparent curiosity and puzzlement, like a newborn cub who knew nothing of the world.

"Miss..." he echoed with his head tilted, "You will miss me? Why?"

The director had gotten used to such questions after a prolonged interaction with Noir and thus she explained with an amused expression, her tone as patient as ever, "Missing means... you want to see the other person again. Once you join your new family, it will be difficult to come back here. But of course, that’s not a bad thing at all," she hurriedly added, fearing that she would implant the wrong idea into the naïve boy’s child. "From tomorrow onwards, Noir will have new parents. They will replace me to be your guardian. No matter what you encounter in the future, they will have your back. I’m happy for you, but at the same time, I will also miss you... understand?"

Noir tilted his little head further as if turning the thought over in his mind. And after a long pause, he only gave an, "...oh."

How could she not tell at a glance that he hadn’t understood a single word she said? Feeling both helpless and worried, she couldn’t resist ruffling his soft hair again, saying, "Alright, it’s time to go to bed! We can’t have Noir looking sleepy tomorrow, can we?"

The next day came in a blink of an eye, and Noir’s adoptive parents came to bring him home.

They were both entrepreneurs with decent income and savings. Due to a past accident, the wife had a weaker constitution and they had been trying for a child for a couple of years to no avail. After a thorough discussion, they finally decided to adopt a child, and the wife straight up fell in love with Noir at first sight, insisting on adopting him no matter what.

Upon seeing little Noir dressed smartly like a little gentleman, she could no longer suppress the maternal love in her heart. Squealing, she praised the boy to high heavens, leaving the latter dazed from the enthusiasm.

"Thank you so much," the husband offered a deep bow, smiling happily, "We will definitely take care of him well." He shot a glance at his wife and future son, his gaze exceedingly gentle.

The orphanage director saw the adoration in their eyes for little Noir and felt relief from the bottom of her heart.

On that clear and beautiful day, she saw Noir off with a bright smile on her face. Only when the car passed through the gate and disappeared down the road did she finally sigh and wipe the moisture away from the corners of her eyes.

She thought she had handled Noir’s matters nicely, and that it would be quite some time before she could see him again.

Alas, never could she have foreseen that a shocking development would happen not even three months later.

Little Noir, the quiet and well-behaved boy she had taken care of...

He was returned to the orphanage.

***

Such a case was not unheard of, but still uncommon nonetheless.

To say that the director was shocked would be an utter understatement. "M-May I ask why...?" she asked, her trembling lips betraying her anxiety.

The sudden news was no different than a lightning bolt striking her right on the head, filling her with utter disbelief. She could not for the life of her figure out why the couple who had appeared to love and adore Noir so, would end up abandoning the boy so soon.

Furthermore, their condition seemed off.

The wife was pale and haggard as she was held in her husband’s arm, her swollen eyes indicating that she had most likely wept for days before coming to such a hard decision.

Although the director could sense that the situation was not optimistic, she still tried to appeal, "Is there a problem with Noir? Yes, his learning ability might be a little slower than his peers, but I can assure you that there’s nothing wrong with him health-wise. He’s also a quiet boy, but—"

The husband raised a hand, signaling for her to stop speaking. "I’m sorry," he rasped, glancing outside the window where Noir was seen sitting on the bench, staring off at a distance. "We’ve already made up our mind. We will relinquish parental rights and dissolve the adoption." In his arms, the wife buried her face in her hands and sobbed, prompting him to whisper consoling words to her.

"But why?" The director still did not give up pressing for answers. "There must be a reason for this, right? Noir will surely be sad by your decision..."

The husband shook his head quietly, sighing.

After a while, he spoke, "That boy, there’s something... unusual about him." A trace of fear lingered in his eyes as he whispered, "He makes us scared—terrified."