Chapter 8: Grandmother
Lin Huaichen secretly gave Yu An a look, signaling him to hurry up and take the money away.
Yu An didn’t understand Lin Huaichenâs eye signal. He stared at him blankly with his large eyes, asking innocently, “Papa, are your eyes uncomfortable?”
Wen Xun looked at Lin Huaichen with leisure, waiting for him to provide a reasonable explanation.
Lin Huaichen pretentiously rubbed his eyes. “Mhm… the wind got in my eyes.”
In reality, the old father’s heart was weeping.
Yu An: “???”
He looked at the tightly closed doors and windows. Where was the wind coming from?
Wen Xun glanced at Lin Huaichenâs tragic and mournful expression and understood instantly. The corners of his lips quirked up slightly as he pretended to know nothing and told Yu An, “Since no one wants this money, An-an can take it. Put it in your piggy bank and save it up.”
Yu An was pleasantly surprised. “All for me?”
“Itâs all yours.”
Yu An happily hugged Wen Xun and thanked him crisply, “Thank you, Papa!”
Lin Huaichen looked as if his parents had died. He pulled Yu Anâs small hand, bringing him close. “Baby, thank me too.”
Yu An thought Papa Lin was being weird today, but since Papa said so, he also said thank you to Lin Huaichen, who then pulled him into a hug.
Lin Huaichen kissed Yu Anâs soft cheek, his voice somewhat choked. “Itâs okay, baby. Papa loves you.”
Yu An: “…”
Sure enough, Papa is very strange today.
Yu An had gained a lot today. All three thousand yuan of Lin Huaichenâs money was exchanged for small coins and put into Yu Anâs piggy bank. Hearing the sound of the coins falling into the bank one after another, Yu An was beyond happy.
Lin Huaichen leaned listlessly against Wen Xun. Looking at the joyful little cub, he only felt that human joys and sorrows were truly not the same.
After staying in the Lin manor for a few days, Yu An had become familiar with most of the people. The sense of awkwardness from being a newcomer was gradually disappearing. At least he wouldn’t turn crimson just by talking to someone.
Yu An didn’t have a lively personality; fortunately, Wen Xunâs personality was very similar to his.
The two of them spent their days in the art studio, with Wen Xun teaching Yu An how to draw. Most of the time, the only sound in the studio was the “shasha” of the sketchpad.
And as soon as Lin Huaichen got home, he would drag the two homebodies out for a walk. After coming back, no one liked to move except him. Since then, Lin Huaichen had gone from being disliked by Wen Xun alone to being simultaneously disliked by both his wife and child.
Every time they saw him come home, Yu An and Wen Xun would start to purse their lips.
“By the way, baby, we haven’t told our parents about An-an yet.” One day before going to sleep, Lin Huaichen suddenly remembered. He hurriedly sat up and nudged the nearly asleep Wen Xun. “Weâve adopted such a cute baby; shouldn’t we tell them?”
Wen Xunâs sleep was disturbed, and he let out a few whimpering protests. He vaguely remembered there was such a thing. He closed his eyes and fumbled for his phone. “Then I’ll call my mom now.”
Lin Huaichen was about to say there was no need to be in such a hurry, but Wen Xun had already dialed his mother’s number. His voice was soft and clingy. “Mom, Lin Huaichen and I adopted a baby. Do you want to come see him?”
The female voice on the other end was gentle and refined. “Of course. When do you have time? Your father and I will come together to see your child.”
“Anytime is fine. I haven’t been working lately.”
“Then I’ll come the day after tomorrow. Are you still living at Blue Moon Bay?”
“Mhm.”
Wen Xun chatted with his mother for a few more minutes before hanging up, closing his eyes, and falling back to sleep. Lin Huaichen, who was also talking to his own mother, lowered his voice.
Mother Lin: “Of course Iâm coming to see my precious grandson! When? When is A-Xunâs mother going?”
“The day after tomorrow.”
“Then I’ll go then too.” Mother Linâs tone couldn’t hide her excitement. “I can see A-Xunâs beautiful mother again! This time I must take more photos. She is truly f*cking beautiful; she looks amazing.”
Lin Huaichen silently lowered the volume and stole a glance at Wen Xun. He advised tiredly, “…Mom, please don’t scare my mother-in-law when the time comes.”
The next morning, Yu An was visibly stunned for a moment when he learned his grandpas and grandmas were coming to see him. Grandma… The familiar address pulled Yu Anâs memory back to that late night. The little guy’s bright eyes dimmed slightly.
“An-an?” Wen Xun bent over to look at him. “Whatâs wrong? Are you unhappy?”
Seeing Yu An with his head lowered, Wen Xun pursed his lips and began to doubt if calling their parents over was the right move.
An-anâs nature was always reserved. To the little guy, both sets of parents were strangers. It was normal to reject strangers coming into the home.
Yu An shook his head. His small hands gripped Wen Xunâs clothes as he slowly buried his face in his lap. He explained seriously, “Iâm not unhappy. I just miss my grandma.”
Wen Xun had read Yu Anâs file. This childâs grandmother died at the hands of a Xenogenic. The clean-up crew had erased most of Yu Anâs memory, leaving him with the psychological suggestion that his grandmother had died of natural causes.
Wen Xun stroked the back of Yu Anâs neck, giving him an immense sense of security. “Life, death, illness, and old age are unavoidable. An-an can learn to slowly accept it.”
Yu An shook his head, his voice muffled. “No, Papa. Grandma… Grandma was eaten in one ‘aw-woo’ bite by a very scary monster. I saw it.”
Wen Xunâs hand froze. His eyes widened slightly as he looked at Yu An in disbelief. “An-an… you know how Grandma died?”
Yu An nodded and sniffled. “I know. Grandma told me to hide in the wardrobe. I saw everything. It was all blood… Grandma was eaten…”
The childâs childish voice made Wen Xunâs entire body turn cold. He never expected Yu An to still have those memories.
His only relative had died a tragic death before his eyes, and Yu An had been so small. How had he struggled through this painful memory all these years? The thought alone made Wen Xunâs heart ache terribly.
“Itâs okay now. Don’t be afraid; we are here.” Wen Xun could only soothe Yu Anâs emotions over and over, his hand gently patting his thin back. “Itâs very safe here. An-an doesn’t need to be afraid.”
Yu An gradually relaxed, leaning into Wen Xunâs arms and peacefully sensing the warm aura from him. The cold terror of that night seemed to be mostly dissipated.
That night, Lin Huaichen and Wen Xun stayed in Yu Anâs room for a while as usual, telling him a bedtime story. Once Yu An was drowsy, they turned off the lights, leaving only a warm yellow bedside lamp for him.
Back in the master bedroom, Wen Xun told Lin Huaichen what happened today. “…How can An-an remember those things? Did the clean-up crew back then not use [Zhenmeng] on him?”
[Zhenmeng] was a C-rank mental ability that could change the memories and perceptions in a human brain. It was the primary method used by clean-up crews to hide the existence of Xenogenics.
Lin Huaichenâs gaze was also solemn. “Impossible. The clean-up crew wouldn’t make such a stupid mistake. Furthermore, Yu Anâs records show that during a series of questionings, he indeed treated the elderly woman’s death as a natural occurrence. There were no issues.”
“But An-an clearly remembers the scene from that night. He saw the Xenogenic and even remembered its appearance.”
“Baby, don’t worry yet.” Lin Huaichen pulled Wen Xun into his arms, soothing him. “I will handle this. Don’t worry. Actually, I suspect it might be An-anâs personal constitution. After all, the effect of [Zhenmeng] varies from person to person, doesn’t it?”
Wen Xun pressed his forehead against Lin Huaichenâs shoulder and nodded silently.
Lin Huaichen kissed the top of his head. “An-anâs examination report hasn’t come out yet. I’ll have them do another test for ability residue. We’ll just wait for the results.”
On the first day he arrived, Lin Huaichen and Wen Xun had taken Yu An to the hospital for a check-up. At the time, they only said he was malnourished; more specific information was still being tested.
Wen Xun inexplicably thought of the Xenogenic that threw treasures to Yu An. Although that Xenogenic had vanished, according to the investigation of the professionals sent to the waters, its rank was very high. So why hadn’t it attacked them then?
Wen Xunâs intuition told him the issue likely lay with Yu An. His eyes were dark as he looked up and met Lin Huaichenâs gaze. “…Don’t let the people at the research base know about An-anâs physical data.”
Lin Huaichen: “I understand.”
As the arrival of both sets of parents drew near, Yu An inevitably became nervous. On Wednesday, he spent the entire day by Wen Xunâs side, occasionally asking worriedly, “What if Grandpa and Grandma don’t like me…”
Wen Xun patted his head. “They won’t. Theyâre looking forward to your arrival very much.”
It was the parents of both sides who had suggested they raise a child. Originally, they planned to adopt one from a relative’s family, but Lin Huaichen and Wen Xun liked none of them. They had delayed all these years until Yu An came along. How could the two sets of parents not like him?
Yet Yu An was still uneasy. No matter how Lin Huaichen and Wen Xun coaxed him, it was no use.
Until the day the parents arrived. Yu An watched as a gorgeously dressed woman swept through the door with great energy. Her appearance was about sixty percent similar to Lin Huaichenâs. Her aggressive features made her appear noble, imposing, and superior.
Yi Ruxing casually tossed her expensive handbag onto the sofa. Her gaze swept between the two novice fathers and landed on Yu An, who was hiding behind Lin Huaichen.
Her gaze was truly scorching. Yu An dodged backward in discomfort. Remembering what Papa had taught him, he endured his fear and called out tremblingly in his milky voice, “Grandma…”
Yi Ruxingâs expression softened instantly. She gave a hearty “Aye~” and stepped forward with her long legs, directly scooping the little guy out from behind Lin Huaichen. She held him in a practiced embrace and kissed Yu Anâs small face twice with great intensity, leaving two clear lipstick marks.
The warm sensations on his cheek came one after another. Yu An was kissed into a daze, staring blankly at Yi Ruxing, his two small paws tucked into his chest as if he had nowhere to put them.
This obedient, “please bully me” pitiful appearance made Yi Ruxing unable to let go.
Unable to resist, Yi Ruxing lightly nipped his small face twice, her tone intoxicated. “Baby smells so good. Let Grandma kiss you. One more kiss~”
Yu An tilted his head back to dodge, a shy red appearing on his porcelain-white face. He guarded his face, weakly protesting, “Grandma… Grandma, no kissy…”
Yi Ruxing said brook no argument, “Iâm going to kiss you! Someone this cute was born to be kissed by Grandma!”
In just a few seconds, several more lipstick marks appeared on Yu Anâs face. The little guy’s expression went from shy and reserved at the start to “unmoved by world affairs.” He had evidently already become accustomed to being kissed.
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