Chapter 123: The King of Trash
Wen Ling buried his head in Cheng Ge’s shoulder, clutching his clothes. He muffled his sobs, letting out an occasional hiccup, and soon stopped crying altogether.
“How did you get so hot?” Wen Ling touched Cheng Ge’s forehead, his voice very muffled.
“How did it come to this?”
Cheng Ge thought it would take longer to comfort him, but Wen Ling composed himself surprisingly quickly.
His eyes were still very red. He pressed his cool lips against Cheng Ge’s forehead for a moment. “Then wait for me, Cheng Ge. I’ll walk as fast as I can.”
“Okay,” Cheng Ge smoothed Wen Ling’s hair and pointed outside. “Just keep heading in that direction. You’ll make it out soon. Remember to leave markers and watch where you’re going. I’ll be waiting for you.”
“I know.”
Wen Ling didn’t look back as he left. Cheng Ge watched him until his tall, thin figure became tiny, like an ant, until he finally vanished from sight.
The childish vulnerability Cheng Ge had managed to coax out that morning was instantly crushed back into reality.
Wen Ling seemed to have become a high-strung adult again, no longer needing Cheng Ge to process his emotions, no longer stubborn, but acting with perfect logic to do what was necessary.
Just like the night before, he seemed to have grown up overnight, a heavy weight pressing down on him. He was mature in a way that didn’t even seem like Wen Ling anymore.
Cheng Ge drilled the wood for another few minutes, but he finally reached his limit. He clenched his fists tight, closing his eyes as he leaned against the wall.
[I’m done for. It hurts so damn much! I can’t take it anymore!!]
[001, we’ve been through a lot together, can’t you give me a discount!? Can’t you give me a painkiller at a ‘friend price’?]
001: [I can.]
Cheng Ge: [Huh?]
Despite his shock, Cheng Ge immediately swallowed the painkiller that appeared, fearing 001 might take it back. Only after swallowing did he ask: [Aren’t you going to talk about your system rules anymore?]
001: [No, the Host has enough points. Current balance is 1.6 points.]
Cheng Ge: [?]
[Where did those come from?]
001’s voice sounded even more robotic than usual: [Wen Ling’s favorability has reached 100%. Would the Host like to return to the original world?]
[No, no, didn’t we agree on this before?]
001: [I am just following procedure.]
Cheng Ge: […]
001: [Procedures must be followed, otherwise it will be detected.]
001: [Now, please be prepared.]
Cheng Ge: [How long will it take?]
001: [That depends on the progress of the other instance.]
Cheng Ge nodded as the pain gradually subsided. His mind began to race. [Wait, where did the two points come from? Even if favorability is at 100%, shouldn’t that only be one point?]
001: [The Host completed the hidden task: “Shifting Wen Ling’s emotional perception.” One point was added.]
Cheng Ge frowned: [What does that mean?]
001: [Simply put, in Wen Ling’s heart, you have surpassed himself.]
Cheng Ge’s heart skipped a beat as he sat in a daze.
001: [To explain: when Wen Ling previously pushed the Host into the water, one of his thoughts was for you both to die together. At that time, the limit of his affection was that you were as important as he was.]
[But now, if you both fell into a river, he would definitely ensure your rescue first.]
[Because in his heart, you are more important than him.]
Cheng Ge was still a bit stunned. […Why?]
001: [?]
001: [What do you mean ‘why’? Although the concept of placing another above oneself is illogical to some, the system detects that you also place Wen Ling above yourself. Furthermore, your perception shifted even earlier than his.]
[However, the system finds it difficult to pinpoint the exact moment this happened. If I had to guess…]
[Stop, stop right there,] Cheng Ge felt uncomfortable, even repulsed, at being seen through so clearly. [Don’t analyze me. I know what I’m doing.]
001: [Understood. Though the system knows you haven’t the slightest clue.]
Cheng: […]
001: [On a non-system note, you and your wife are a good match.]
Cheng Ge: […Thanks. Now, if you’d be so kind as to give me a fever reducer.]
001: [0.8 points.]
Cheng Ge rolled his eyes: […Fine, exchange it.]
Cheng Ge sat and rested for a while, lifting his pant leg to check his injury. It looked even worse than the day before, having turned a dark, sickly purple.
He pulled the pant leg back down and continued drilling his wood. Drilling for fire felt stupid and laughable, but with a broken leg, he had nothing else to do, and the moment he stopped, an overwhelming sense of unease would wash over him.
Cheng Ge: [Is Wen Ling safe?]
001: [Generally safe. The Host has asked this six times in the last twenty minutes. Barring any accidents, this will remain the answer for the next few hours. There is no need for concern.]
Cheng Ge was extremely worried, as was only natural: [I told you, you wouldn’t understand. Besides, are you getting impatient? Aren’t you a system?]
001: […]
Knowing Wen Ling was safe for now, Cheng Ge tried his best to calm his mind and wait for him to return.
The mountain path was uneven, likely full of pits and obstructed by trees. A round trip would take quite some time.
Cheng Ge expected to see him the following day, but to his surprise, Wen Ling returned that very afternoon.
Wen Ling came running back, panting heavily. His hair was a mess, he looked disheveled, and he was clutching a cooking pot with plastic bags hanging off the sides.
“Cheng Ge…” Wen Ling’s eyes were filled with unmistakable fear and panic, his voice trembling as he spoke.
Wen Ling set the pot down beside Cheng Ge and knelt on the grass mat to embrace him. His face was covered in sweat, and his moist eyes pressed against Cheng Ge’s shoulder as he remained silent.
Cheng Ge gently patted Wen Ling’s back, trying his best to wrap his arms around him. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m here, I’m right here. What happened?”
Wen Ling still refused to speak, simply clinging to him. His body was tense, curled up slightly.
“Did some small animal bully you?” Cheng Ge’s voice was soft.
“Wen Ling?”
“Xiao Wen?” Cheng Ge gave him a tiny shake.
“Baby?”
“Xiao Wen, talk to me. Don’t keep it inside.”
“…I… I couldn’t find anyone. I searched and searched but couldn’t find a village…” Wen Ling sobbed. “What should we do? I almost got lost. I… I almost didn’t make it back to you…”
“I kept looking for the markers, I kept looking for them. I was so scared… I thought I’d never see Cheng Ge again…”
“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. You’re back now. I’m here.” Cheng Ge pressed his face against Wen Ling’s, then wiped his hands and touched Wen Ling’s skin directly to soothe him.
Wen Ling nuzzled against the crook of Cheng Ge’s neck. “Mm, you don’t seem as hot. Are you feeling better, Cheng Ge?”
“I’ve been better for a while,” Cheng Ge stroked Wen Ling’s hair and squeezed the back of his neck. “It’s okay, it’s okay. If we can’t find it, we won’t look for now. It doesn’t matter.”
“Once I’m feeling better tomorrow, I’ll help you look. It’s okay. It’s not your fault.”
Cheng Ge pulled Wen Ling to a sitting position and rubbed his knees. “Don’t keep kneeling; your knees will hurt.”
Wen Ling nodded, his expression still full of grief, his eyes watery as he tried to hold back his tears.
“What’s in that pot you were carrying?” Cheng Ge changed the subject.
“When I was looking for the markers on my way back, I found a river. I found these things there. I didn’t know if they would be useful, so I just kept picking them up. I even filled the pot with water.”
Cheng Ge kissed Wen Ling on the tip of his nose and his cheek, teasing him, “You’re going to become the King of Trash soon.”
Cheng Ge felt a pang of sorrow thinking about how Wen Ling had been terrified while searching for his way back, yet still forced himself to scavenge for anything that might be useful.
He felt both sad and pained for him.
Cheng Ge took Wen Ling’s hand and rubbed it. “Let me see what our Xiao Wen picked up.”
“This pot is very clean, and the water is clean too.”
“I washed it.”
“How impressive.”
“I used a brush to wash it.”
Cheng Ge smiled at Wen Ling and began to rummage through the bags. Inside was a laundry brush, plastic bags, a small baby basin, a mineral water bottle cut in half, and some glass marbles. They were all old and worn, but they were barely usable.
“Are there small fish, too?” Cheng Ge noticed two tiny fish at the bottom of the small basin and was quite surprised.
“They were stuck in a bag, so I just brought them back together,” Wen Ling described while pointing at a plastic bag. “I don’t know if we can eat them.”
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