I Said It Was a Catfish Photo ABO Chapter 55.1

Chapter 55: Yu Shi Doesn’t Look Much Like His Parents… part 1

Xie Ren looked at him and asked, “What’s wrong? Have you heard of this place?”

Yu Shi’s consciousness snapped back. Feigning composure, he shook his head, “No.”

Xie Ren couldn’t hide his excitement. “Did you hear what he said? My mother is still alive! She’s right in Zone 9!”

He immediately began making plans, “Once the matters with Sundial are handled, I’m going to apply for a transfer to Zone 9. This time, I will definitely find her! But that laboratory was a bit strange. When I went there last time, it was already abandoned, and all the precision instruments had been moved…”

He muttered a few more sentences. Yu Shi’s expression was grim as he said, “Have you ever thought about why Zhang Xin didn’t tell you earlier, but instead chose to leave this voice recorder?”

Xie Ren paused, thinking it over before replying, “Probably because my uncle didn’t want to tell me. I can tell he doesn’t want me to lose my own life over this.”

“It’s also possible… he’s afraid that if you keep investigating, you’ll be in danger.” Yu Shi bit his lip. “Xie Ren, this might not just be a family matter. It could involve other things.”

“Do you know something?” Xie Ren frowned, asking.

Yu Shi replied, “I just think your uncle wouldn’t harm you. Since he didn’t tell you, he must have his reasons.”

Xie Ren was quiet for a while, then let out a breath. “Whatever the reason, now that I have a clue, I can’t just ignore it. Didn’t you tell me yourself? My mother would understand me, and she’d expect me to find her.”

For a moment, Yu Shi couldn’t find the words to argue. Looking into those dark, damp eyes, he swallowed the warnings that had reached the tip of his tongue.

It was true. He had run around for so many years for the sole purpose of finding his mother.

Yu Shi couldn’t bear to tell him that once you entered Duomen Laboratory, the chances of coming out alive were extremely slim.

He shook his head, unwilling to recall that terrifying place any further.

The voyage was long and tedious. Yu Shi didn’t speak much for the rest of the trip. Xie Ren thought he was worried about how to explain things upon returning, and repeatedly assured him that he would explain the situation to the Sovereign and help clear him of any suspicion.

Yu Shi didn’t offer any extra explanations.

As they passed through Zone 6, he couldn’t help but voice his concern, “I wonder how 9527 is doing. Its battery should be completely depleted by now, sending it into hibernation mode.”

Xie Ren comforted him, “Once we get back, I’ll immediately send people to search for it.”

“Where did Yu Zhizhi go?” Yu Shi asked.

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“To avoid being tracked by signals when I came, I left it with Sun Xiaoyun. It’s already back in Sundial.”

Yu Shi realized he hadn’t even brought Yu Zhizhi with him; that required immense resolve. He shook his head, “Taking such a huge risk to come find me, you really are…”

He trailed off halfway, unable to continue. What exactly was he? He couldn’t think of the precise adjective.

Was he really clumsy? Was he really foolish?

Xie Ren was neither clumsy nor foolish. He knew perfectly well what kind of situation he would face once he returned.

Xie Ren cheekily finished the sentence, “I really am capable, bringing a Senior Researcher back completely intact. If they know what’s good for them, they should be giving me a commendation.”

As he spoke, he was half-squatting on the floor, tilting his face up with a hint of looking for credit.

He really did look quite pleased with himself.

Yu Shi thought to himself, if you attached a tail to him, it would probably be wagging from side to side right now.

He really was like 9527.

When 9527 acted cute, it would also wag its head and tail to ask for a pet.

Xie Ren probably liked being pet too, right?

Thinking this, Yu Shi acted on it.

He reached out and patted Xie Ren’s head. It was a gesture akin to a reward or encouragement, just like how he patted 9527 and Yu Zhizhi. Xie Ren’s hair was short and stiff, prickling against his palm and making it itch.

Xie Ren’s gaze instantly changed. He stared at him unblinking, his expression tinting with an aggressive and possessive undertone.

“Yu Shi, are you treating me like a puppy?” His voice was hoarse, addressing him directly by his full name.

Yu Shi smiled. The smile was very shallow, but the warmth reached his eyes.

“No, you’re much more lovable than a puppy.”

Fireworks went off in Xie Ren’s world, bursting in the sky with a bang, bang, bang, dazzling and colorful.

Yu Shi said he was lovable!

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Yu Shi said he was lovable!

Good heavens.

The corners of his mouth lifted uncontrollably, his ears and cheeks flushing red. Letting out a weird yelp, he turned and dove straight into the hibernation pod.

Over the next few days, with each other’s company, the tedious journey became quite interesting.

They were traveling against the orbital paths this time, so the scenery was the reverse of what Xie Ren had seen on his way there. He clung to the window, pointing out the locations of his photos to Yu Shi one by one.

“That’s where the supernova explosion happened,” Xie Ren pointed to a specific spot. “Encountering it is purely based on luck. When I was taking photos there, I kept thinking, if only you could see this.”

He turned to look at Yu Shi, gathering his courage to test the waters. “On my way to Zone 7, I was thinking of you the whole time.”

Yu Shi was intently looking out the window, his profile cold and beautiful, his lips pressed into a straight line. It was impossible to read the emotion on his face.

Xie Ren stared blankly. After a long silence, it slowly dawned on him that Yu Shi wasn’t going to reply, and a hint of disappointment flickered in his eyes.

It figured.

That was exactly the kind of person Yu Shi was—like the moon hanging on the horizon, visible but untouchable.

He turned his head back to the window and said, “Actually, that place…”

“What were you thinking about me?” Yu Shi suddenly spoke.

“Ah?”

Yu Shi looked at him with a smile, “Didn’t you say you were thinking about me the whole time? Thinking about me doing what?”

This phrasing was slightly ambiguous. On one hand, it could mean “Why were you thinking about me?” or “What were you wondering about me?”, and on the other hand, it could be interpreted as “What were you thinking about doing with me?”.

Driven by some inner ghost, Xie Ren interpreted it as the latter.

His mind instantly experienced a flash flood, conjuring up numerous indescribable scenes.

His instincts told him that if he told the truth, he would be dead meat. Blushing furiously, he stammered, “…Thinking about watching the scenery with you, and wondering if you were teaching classes. Just things like that.”

“Hmm,” Yu Shi nodded, and then delivered a sentence that would keep Xie Ren awake the entire night.

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“Me too.”

That night, Xie Ren tossed and turned in bed, as wide awake as if he had chugged two pounds of coffee.

His thoughts were in a chaotic jumble. Yu Shi said he thought about him too, thought about watching the scenery with him, wanted to know what he was doing at that exact moment…

It was impossible not to let his imagination run wild.

Xie Ren rolled over, burying his face into the soft pillow, his heart beating slightly out of rhythm.

At the very least, this proved that he held a place in Yu Shi’s heart, right?

Even though that place might just be “a rather special student.”

Thinking of this, he felt a bit deflated again. His mood was riding a rollercoaster.

He was beginning to realize that his feelings for Yu Shi were entirely different from before. The first time he saw his face, he only felt reverence and admiration. Later, as they truly interacted, it shifted from testing the waters to appreciation, and then to the inevitable birth of unspeakable desires.

Ever since Yu Shi had given him his pheromones, those desires had become unstoppable. At first, he thought it was just genetics acting up, trying to control his lust through feelings of guilt.

But then, on one perfectly ordinary night where everything was normal—he wasn’t in his rut and had no emotional fluctuations—he dreamed of Yu Shi. In the dream, he did what he had always wanted to do.

From that moment on, he knew his desires were growing out of control.

His feelings for Yu Shi weren’t admiration, and they weren’t respect.

He wanted to violate him, possess him, completely and utterly ravage him.

Xie Ren’s throat felt parched, his entire body burning hot. These symptoms, akin to a rut, had confused his judgment multiple times in the past.

But now he knew clearly: this wasn’t a rut. This was sheer lust.

Xie Ren rolled over again, facing the window. The blue planet was getting closer and closer; this voyage was coming to an end.

He traced the shape of the blue star with his hand, his inner restlessness shifting into joy.

Yu Shi… had a place for him in his heart.

As the Horus drew nearer to Zone 1, a signal connection was finally established. The starship was already 40% damaged. Heaven’s Punishment Command arranged a designated sea area for them to execute an emergency landing.

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Thanks to the preparatory measures, they weren’t thrown around wildly this time, and both successfully landed on the inflatable raft.

The moment they touched solid ground, Yu Shi was blinded by a camera flash.

Xie Ren immediately shielded him, frowning at the military journalist, “What the hell are you filming?”

The journalist was a non-commissioned officer, heavily startled by his glare, and quickly explained, “It’s not for the press! Higher-ups ordered us to record your landing process to send to the Commander.”

Xie Ren’s brows furrowed. Before he could speak, a fist slammed into his cheekbone in the very next second.

The person moved so fast they were a blur. Startled, Yu Shi instinctively tried to pull Xie Ren behind him, only to look up and realize the person who struck him was a General.

Xie Ren cursed, “Fuck! Are you fucking insane…”

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