Part 4
Lin Huaichen gently patted Yu An’s back, and Yu An gradually quieted down, falling back into a deep sleep.
The Xenogenic was already dead. Arbiters took its corpse away to investigate the cause of its sudden death.
Ling Xingcheng walked to Lin Huaichen’s side. Looking at Yu An’s sweet sleeping face, he gave a snort and poked Yu An’s small head. His strength was very light, and Yu An didn’t even feel it.
“Little liar. Said you went to the garden to find your brother. Was I in the garden?”
When Ling Xingcheng learned Yu An had gone into the garden to find him, he had been stunned. He began to wonder if a Xenogenic capable of camouflage had turned into his likeness to intentionally lure Yu An into the garden.
When he saw that A-rank Xenogenic, he dismissed the idea. Blue Stick Insects were very common A-rank Xenogenics; they could only extend their limbs infinitely and did not have the ability to camouflage.
So why would Yu An go into the garden knowing there was a Xenogenic? Ling Xingcheng couldn’t figure it out and could only wait until Yu An woke up to ask.
On the way back, as Lin Huaichen carried Yu An, they ran into Fu Yunshu and the other children. The kids gathered around, looking at Yu An with nervous expressions.
Lin Huaichen lowered his voice. “Rest assured, he’s just asleep.”
The children all sighed in relief at the same time.
Liang Xingsang was the first to step forward. He bowed to Lin Huaichen. “I’m sorry, Uncle Lin. It was my fault for not protecting my younger brother.”
Liang Xingsang’s sense of responsibility was very strong. When he saw Ling Xingcheng rushing over from the front hall, his first reaction was to wonder who the “Ling Xingcheng” was that Yu An had seen. Then, thinking of the Xenogenic in the garden, he assumed Yu An had been fooled by the Xenogenic.
But as the big brother, he hadn’t stopped Yu An. He was overcome with guilt, his head lowered.
“It’s not your fault. The younger brother was being mischievous.” Lin Huaichen patted Liang Xingsang’s head and looked at the other children. “It’s very late now. Follow your families back. Children must go to sleep early.”
The servants were quick to find the families of the children. The parents spoke a few words with Lin Huaichen, understood the general situation, and took their children away.
Director Liang frowned upon hearing the Xenogenic had died suddenly. “Send the corpse to the Base first. Let Old Rong take a look.”
A ghostly voice came from behind him. “I’ve already looked. He died from mental exhaustion.”
Director Liang was startled. He turned around to see Rong Shili as if he were seeing a ghost. “Why are you here too?!”
Rong Shili held Rong Chuyu’s hand, his expression helpless. “I’ve been here all along. Your son was just playing with my daughter.”
Director Liang rubbed his temples. “Sorry. I was shouted at until I was dizzy by those old fogies.”
“It’s fine. Next time the old men come, you just keep taking the lead. Just don’t let them bother us.”
Director Liang: “…”
Rong Chuyu held her father’s hand and suddenly tilted her head to look at Fu Yunshu. The Fu parents had also been called over. They stood expressionless before Fu Yunshu. The atmosphere of this family of three was pointlessly suffocating.
Soon, Fu Yunshu bid farewell to Wen Xun. The Fu parents followed behind him as they left. Once they reached the small alley outside the Lin estate, Fu Yunshu turned to face his parents. “Snow Snake, go ahead.”
A snow-white, slender small snake crawled out from Mother Fu’s neck. In an instant, the Fu parents collapsed to the ground, their life status unknown.
The crystal-clear little white snake was covered in blood. It flicked its tail with disgust, speaking in human language. “I don’t like this method of control. It makes me all fishy. It’s disgusting.”
Fu Yunshu’s gaze was dark as he used a handkerchief to wrap up the little Snow Snake and stuffed it into his pocket. “Next time, I’ll do it myself.”
Right as Fu Yunshu turned around, he saw Rong Chuyu at the mouth of the alley. Rong Chuyu ignored his stiffened expression and squatted beside the Fu parents. “Are they dead?”
“…No. They’ll wake up in a bit.”
Rong Chuyu saw his nervousness and gave a reassuring smile. “Rest assured, I’m not my father. I have no reverence for human life. Even if you really killed them, I wouldn’t think there was a problem.”
Fu Yunshu looked at her coldly. “What do you want to do?”
Rong Chuyu smiled faintly. “I want to follow Uncle Wen Xun and serve as a researcher for the CAF Project. But I need a test subject. You’ll help me, won’t you?”
…
Klold, hidden in Yu An’s pocket, poked His small head out to look at Lin Huaichen and Wen Xun. He saw from Soland’s memories that the two were sincerely good to Yu An.
Even knowing Yu An’s non-human identity, they treated it calmly, loving him as their own biological child.
There were no such responsible elders among the Ushatos. Klold was well aware of his clansmen’s conduct; He considered it a great kindness if they didn’t lead Yu An to commit murder and arson.
Klold was very at ease with Lin Huaichen and Wen Xun. He prepared to leave. [Soland, switch back.]
[…] No reply.
[…Soland?]
In the Temple, Soland only had time to open His eyes for one second before the powerful strength within Klold’s body overwhelmed Him. Poor Soland had no power to resist and collapsed, fainting directly.
Failing to get a response from Soland, Klold could not leave this body. He was taken back to the room by Lin Huaichen along with Yu An.
Matters outside were handled by Ling Xingcheng. Lin Huaichen and Wen Xun focused entirely on caring for Yu An. Wen Xun went to get Yu An’s pajamas, while Lin Huaichen held the sweetly sleeping Yu An and used a wet towel to wipe his body.
Klold crawled out from the laundry basket and stood at the bathroom door, watching Lin Huaichen bathe His child and secretly learning.
When He raised Chausier back then, He had simply grabbed Him by His tentacles, swung Him in the water twice, and then lifted Him up to shake Him dry. He actually needed to use a soft towel to wipe away the water? Klold felt He had seen everything.
Lin Huaichen carried the naked little Yu An out, gently placing him on the bed. Wen Xun walked over with cat-themed pajamas, dressed Yu An, and then tucked him in under a small quilt.
During this, Wen Xun and Lin Huaichen noticed the little octopus’s burning gaze. But as they had always lived in peace with it, they didn’t care about “Soland’s” abnormality tonight. They lit the small bedside lamp and slowly closed the door.
After they left, Klold crawled to the side of Yu An’s pillow. He gazed at the boy’s sleeping face. After a while, He also grew sleepy, leaning against Yu An as He fell asleep.
Soland’s body was too weak to bear His strength, hence He often felt drowsy.
The next morning, Yu An woke up and opened his eyes. He was met by the little octopus sleeping on his pillow. The little octopus had wrapped its tentacles around itself, looking like a round small ball.
As he looked, a food item popped into Yu An’s head: Octopus balls.
“Pfft—”
Yu An amused himself, covering his mouth so the laughter wouldn’t escape and disturb “Soland’s” sleep. He moved gently, went to the bathroom to wash up, and changed his own clothes. When everything was done, “Soland” was still sound asleep.
Today’s Soland seemed to really like sleeping. Yu An observed this because every time he woke up before, Soland had already woken up early. He had never seen the octopus sleep in.
Today was the first time “Soland” had overslept.
Maybe He was tired last night, Yu An thought. He nodded his head and didn’t disturb “Soland,” going downstairs by himself.
The grand banquet of the previous night had ended. The Lin estate manor had returned to its usual solemnity and peace. In the dining room, the family was already eating. They were very surprised to see Yu An awake.
Ruoyi was nibbling on a fried dough stick. She picked Yu An up and placed him beside her. Auntie Liu went to the kitchen to fetch a bowl of porridge for Yu An. Before starting to eat with his small spoon, Yu An said thank you to Auntie Liu.
Ruoyi said, “Your papa said you wouldn’t wake up until after eight-thirty. I thought I wouldn’t get to see you before I left.”
Yu An looked at her, reluctant to see her go. “Is Auntie leaving today?”
“That’s right. I’ve already played truant for a day. If I skip another day, our secrets won’t be kept.” Ruoyi bit into a bun with a look of misery. “Sigh, I don’t want to go to work.”
Yu An couldn’t yet empathize with the hardships of a “corporate slave.” He only knew that Auntie was unhappy right now. He pushed his favorite milk toward Ruoyi. “Auntie, drink milk~”
Ruoyi took a sip and returned it to him. “Wine tastes better.”
Yu An was curious. “What does wine taste like?”
Ruoyi glanced at Lin Huaichen and Wen Xun, covered her mouth, and whispered to him, “It tastes very good. After all, one drink can drown a thousand sorrows. Wine is naturally a good thing. I’ll sneakily take you for a drink next time.”
Yu An had only ever drunk milk; he hadn’t drunk wine yet. “But my papa said I have to be eighteen to drink. I’m only three; I can’t drink.”
Looking at his serious little expression, Ruoyi laughed. “That works too. I’ll take you for a drink once you’re eighteen.”
Seeing the aunt and nephew whispering and the smile on Ruoyi’s face, Wen Xun didn’t need to think twice to know they weren’t talking about anything good. He tapped the table. “Ruoyi, An-an, hurry up and eat.”
The two heads that were huddled together separated, and they obediently drank the porridge in their bowls.
Everyone was leaving today. After Yu An finished eating, he ran outside to see them off. As soon as he walked out the gates of the Lin estate, he saw two teams of people facing off aggressively.
One side was clearly foreigners, with various hair and eye colors. They were holding weapons and speaking an unintelligible foreign language.
Lin Huaichen frowned. “What is this for?”
“They’re here to fetch me!” Ruoyi jumped out. “They’re probably afraid I’ll leak Country A’s Base secrets, so they specifically came to take me back. Perfect—following them back saves me the trouble of trying to sneak back myself.”
Wen Xun was shocked. “You snuck here?”
“Yep. Otherwise, the research base wouldn’t let me leave. I almost had to swim across the Pacific.”
Wen Xun: “…Then you should just leave with them. I don’t want to go to customs to fish you out.”
The group of foreigners were indeed there to fetch Ruoyi. Once they had her, they left without a moment’s delay.
After the relatives left, Yu An’s family of three also left Kyoto, returning to the villa at Blue Moon Bay. Life returned to its original state, as if everything from that night had been a fleeting dream.
Wen Xun still brought Yu An to the Base often. However, he was rarely placed in Fu Yunshu’s small room anymore, but in Fu Yin’s Botanical Garden. Liang Xingsang, Gu Yixing, and Gu Ersheng were all in the Botanical Garden.
The Botanical Garden had swings, slides, and even a treehouse—everything a child could want. At first glance, it really looked like a daycare center.
Time flew by in a flash. In the blink of an eye, Yu An was now eight years old. The little fellow, whose features were gradually maturing, was even more beautiful. A child raised in the love of his family, his brow now held a bit more confidence and liveliness.
He still followed Wen Xun to the Base every morning and went home in the evening, spending the whole day in the Botanical Garden learning or playing with his companions.
One afternoon, he and Gu Ersheng were carrying a box of fruit to the research zone. The iron gates of the Botanical Garden slowly opened. Yu An was carefully carrying the box when he suddenly caught sight of a person curled up and shivering in a corner.
Yu An gave Gu Ersheng a look. The two put down the box and slowly walked to the person.
It was a youth who appeared to have just reached adulthood. His hands covered his head, and one sob followed another. Yu An and Gu Ersheng exchanged a glance, and the latter gave the person a light kick. “Hey, who are you?”
“Aaaaaahhh!”
The youth let out a startled scream and looked up at them in a panic. Seeing it was only two children, he let out a sigh of relief and leaned against the wall, panting.
Then, for some reason, he hurriedly grabbed the hem of Yu An’s clothes and raised a face covered in tear tracks. “It’s all monsters here. They’re all man-eating monsters… Do you—do you know where the exit is? Take me away, please!”
Translator’s Note:
- Green Tea Bird (绿茶鸟 – Lǜchá niǎo): Remember, “Green Tea” is slang for someone who acts innocent to manipulate. Little White used it to deal with Soland!
- Teddy (泰迪 – Tàidí): Wen Xun calls Lin Huaichen a “Teddy” (Poodle) because of the slang associating the breed with being hyper-sexual. It’s a funny, slightly spicy jab between the couple.
- Octopus Balls (章鱼小丸子): Yu An’s comparison is adorable and typical of a hungry kid!
- The “Dirty Child”: Mother Fu is still the worst. She didn’t even recognize her own son’s friend was the “Little Prince” everyone was there to celebrate!
- Klold’s Parenting: Klold learning that you have to wipe a baby dry instead of just shaking them like a wet dog is peak comedy.
- Time Skip: Our little An-an is now eight! I’m excited to see how much he’s grown. Who is this mysterious terrified guy? Find out next time!
Stay warm and happy reading!
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