Chapter 14: Hungry
Under Yu An’s expectant gaze, Fu Yunshu drank the cup of water. The warm water flowed down his throat, and the warmth gradually spread to his limbs, as if even his ice-covered organs were slowly melting.
Fu Yunshu set the cup aside. “Thank you…”
“It’s okay.” Yu An shook his head. After delivering the water, he sat back down on his small stool, watching the chirping researchers with his chin in his hand, waiting for Wen Xun to finish work and take him home.
Fu Yunshu didn’t leave immediately either, sitting on the hospital bed and watching Yu An. Yu An could naturally feel Fu Yunshu’s gaze, but he didn’t dare turn his head to meet it; he wasn’t good at chatting or speaking with people.
“Can you come with me to change my clothes?” Fu Yunshu spoke tentatively, his dark eyes watching Yu An without blinking. “I don’t want to go alone.”
Fu Yunshu was six years older than Yu An, only nine this year. His face was pale after suffering the torment of a mental power riot, and with his eyes lowered, he appeared even more pitiful.
Yu An felt awkward about refusing. “Okay, I’ll accompany you.”
Since he had agreed, he had to act immediately. Yu An quickly walked to Fu Yunshu’s bedside, waiting for him to get up and go change.
Fu Yunshu’s body temperature had returned to normal, and his strength had returned, but his body was still stiff. He had to move slowly down from the bed.
Yu An was terrified he might fall and hurriedly reached out his hands to support him. But he was too short, reaching only to Fu Yunshu’s waist. Seeing his intention, Fu Yunshu placed a hand on his shoulder and used the leverage to stand up.
“Walk slowly. Falling hurts a lot,” Yu An instructed with a small, worried face, like a fussy little adult. “Where is your room? If it’s too far, we can let an uncle help you get your clothes. We don’t have to go.”
He was just a small child, and Fu Yunshu was only a few years older—and a patient at that. In Yu An’s understanding, patients should be cared for and could appropriately ask adults for help.
Fu Yunshu looked down at Yu An. From this angle, he could see the child’s face with its touch of baby fat, his long curled lashes, and those crystal-clear lake-blue eyes.
“No need. My room is right next door.”
When Wen Xun finished answering the researchers’ questions and turned around to see the two little ones supporting each other as they left, he was surprised for a moment. “Since when did An-an become so close to Little Fu?”
Rong Shili watched the whole thing with a smile, teasing, “Your kid knows how to look after people. He’s much more human than you were when you were small.”
Wen Xun gave a proud “Hmph” and shot a threatening glance at Rong Shili. Rong Shili couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, I’ll stop talking about you. That child is going to Little Fu’s room; aren’t you going to stop him?”
Both of them knew exactly what was in the room next to Fu Yunshu’s.
Wen Xun didn’t care much. “It’s fine. It’s only an A-rank Xenogenic. It can’t cause any infection in my child.”
Yu An’s average mental threshold was above A-rank and fluctuated; at its highest, it could reach S+. Normal Xenogenics posed no threat to him.
But would a normal child have such a high mental threshold? Wen Xun knew it was impossible. Even Ling Xingcheng, who was hailed as a child genius, only had a mental threshold at the B+ level when he was three.
There was definitely something unusual about Yu An. An outrageous but practical suspicion was slowly taking shape in Wen Xun’s mind.
Rong Shili was shocked by Yu An’s mental threshold. He looked around and lowered his voice. “He has such a high mental threshold at only three years old. You’ve found a treasure!”
Wen Xun saw through his intentions at a glance and said indifferently, “Whether this child participates in the CAF Project in the future is up to him. He can choose the life of an ordinary person, or he can choose to continue dealing with Xenogenics.”
Wen Xun looked up at Rong Shili. “Help me give the child an examination later. Don’t leave any trace in the Base’s system…”
Rong Shili was someone Wen Xun trusted. To avoid trouble, the fewer people who knew about the anomalies on Yu An, the better. Since Rong Shili was a doctor and his laboratory was equipped with the most advanced medical equipment, he could provide more information than an outside hospital.
Rong Shili knew Wen Xun had his reasons and didn’t ask further, nodding in agreement.
On the other side, Yu An followed Fu Yunshu down the corridor, passing various researchers. Both sides of the corridor were filled with small rooms containing humans as well as various Xenogenics.
Researchers with paper and pens stood outside the glass walls, recording a series of things, while other researchers carried small buckets to feed the Xenogenics.
These were things he hadn’t seen when following Wen Xun earlier.
Yu An was terrified to death, yet he couldn’t help but fix his gaze on these Xenogenics. The next second, he swallowed his saliva and touched his small belly. So hungry…
The Xenogenic closest to Yu An was a wild boar with tusks and fiery red fur. It was “huffing and puffing” as it ate raw meat from a bucket. Suddenly, a dangerous feeling of being targeted by a natural predator struck it, making its hair stand on end.
The wild boar’s fur bristled all at once, and it looked up to meet Yu An’s gaze.
Yu An was startled by its terrifying appearance and stepped back in fear. Fu Yunshu noticed this from the corner of his eye and instinctively reached out to pull the child behind him. “It’s okay, don’t be afraid. It can’t get out.”
Soland stood on Yu An’s shoulder, looking at the boar as if it were a dead object. How dare it scare my cub. Truly deserves to die. I’ll eat it later.
Even a single trace of the powerful aura of an Ushatos could frighten an ordinary Xenogenic into mental instability.
The wild boar was being targeted by two Ushatos simultaneously. Even if the first was only a cub, the mental attack it suffered still left it in a daze. It began mindlessly slamming its head against the wall; before long, its head was a bloody mess.
This surge of hunger came strangely to Yu An. He didn’t know what was wrong with him; clearly, this little piggy was so ugly, so why was he thinking about eating it?
Yu An gave the boar a gloomy look and was startled by its strange behavior of hitting the wall.
The child timidly reached out to grab Fu Yunshu’s clothes, hiding behind his back, his voice trembling. “Can I hold your clothes? I’m a bit scared.”
Fu Yunshu’s gaze was deep as he stared at him. After a moment, he nodded silently, thinking to himself that kids are just timid; once they’re scared, they have to cling to someone.
Seeing Yu An following closely behind him, relying on him completely, a secret sense of protectiveness surged in Fu Yunshu’s heart. He intentionally slowed his pace to accommodate Yu An’s small steps.
The researchers at the monitors noticed the boar’s anomaly and dispatched staff to check the cause. The staff passed by Yu An, never suspecting that the issue lay with this child.
Fu Yunshu’s room was fifty percent larger than the average room, furnished only with simple furniture. He went into the bathroom to change, while Yu An waited outside.
Yu An observed the simple room. It was separated from the Xenogenic room next door by only a single layer of tempered glass. In a pile of snow, Yu An saw a Xenogenic submerged within.
It was a half-human, half-snake creature with the appearance of a youth. It was entirely snow-white; even its hair and eyelashes were white. Its silver-white snake tail blended into the surrounding snow.
The little white snake had its eyes closed, coiling around itself as if hibernating. The dense scales on its tail glittered under the lights like an exquisite piece of art, but there was a striking scratch on its arm, which ruined the overall beauty.
It was the first time Yu An had seen such a beautiful Xenogenic, and he was momentarily transfixed.
Soland interpreted Yu An’s staring at the Xenogenic as hunger. [Cub, are you hungry? How about I go find some food for you?]
Soland had been greatly surprised on the way here.
Food. There was food everywhere, and it was even kept in rooms. It was like a buffet; he just had to go and take it. Soland had already decided which Xenogenic to catch for the cub.
Yu An indeed had a brief moment of hunger just now. His inherent mindset told him he should be eating rice, and the food made by the auntie at home was the most delicious. “Not eating that. I want to go home and eat.”
“Are you hungry?” Fu Yunshu had finished changing and walked out, just in time to hear his mumbling. He took a chocolate bar from a drawer and tossed it to him. “I only have this. Do you want it?”
Yu An’s attention was instantly captured by the chocolate. His eyes lit up, and he nodded like a chick pecking grain. “Mhm! I want it. Thank you, Brother.”
Usually, Wen Xun and Lin Huaichen wouldn’t give him too many sweets, and the amount of chocolate was controlled to at most one small piece a day. Now, he had an entire unopened bar in his hand; Yu An was overjoyed.
He struggled to tear open the packaging and broke off a small piece to put in his mouth. The chocolate was sweet with a hint of bitterness, slowly melting and leaving a rich, mellow flavor.
Yu An ate two pieces, then looked up to see Fu Yunshu watching him. After thinking for a bit, he broke it in half and held it out. “Brother, you eat too.”
Fu Yunshu: “I don’t eat chocolate. Keep it for yourself.”
Yu An let out a disappointed “Ah.” He looked at Fu Yunshu hesitantly, not wanting to eat alone. He coaxed, “Chocolate is very yummy. Brother, take a bite.”
When a child acted spoiled, it was even harder to refuse.
Fu Yunshu took the chocolate from Yu An’s fair hand, tossed it into his mouth, and expressionlessly chewed and swallowed it. “Mhm, it is very good.”
Yu An smiled sweetly. He knew no one could resist the charm of chocolate. Having given half to Fu Yunshu, he focused on enjoying the other half.
Meanwhile, Fu Yunshu continued to watch Yu An. He had many brothers and sisters, but every one of them wished for his death, and Fu Yunshu couldn’t wait for them to die off too.
He had thought all younger siblings were such unpleasant existences, but Yu An’s appearance broke that perception.
Fu Yunshu had to admit that he liked a younger brother like Yu An—harmless, soft, and reliant on him. He wanted Yu An to be his brother.
But soon, Fu Yunshu’s gaze dimmed. Yu An’s father was Uncle Wen Xun. He lived such a happy life; why would he ever come to his own disgusting home?
Fu Yunshu’s mind was filled with a thousand thoughts, calculating how to make Yu An his brother, while Yu An focused on enjoying the delicious chocolate. The room was silent, yet it appeared harmonious and beautiful.
Wen Xun stood outside the door, watching the two children interact. For some reason, he felt it was quite good to let these two become friends. Yu An usually had no peers to play with, and Fu Yunshu was closed off from the outside, always alone.
He never expected these two children to get along so well. After standing outside for a while, he knocked on the door. “Little Fu, An-an, can I come in?”
Yu An stood up and said excitedly, “It’s Papa!”
Fu Yunshu opened the door and nodded politely. “Uncle Wen Xun.”
Wen Xun patted his head. “How is your body?”
“Much better.”
“That’s good. Don’t do that again next time.”
Fu Yunshu’s body stiffened. He knew Wen Xun was aware of what he had done. Meeting Wen Xun’s concerned gaze, a surge of guilt rose within him, and he lowered his head. “I’m sorry.”
Yu An walked to Wen Xun’s side, held his hand, and looked at the two of them in confusion. “Why is Brother apologizing to Papa?”
Wen Xun glanced at Fu Yunshu and patted little Yu An’s head. He told him, “Because Brother did something wrong and has realized his mistake.”
Yu An didn’t know what Fu Yunshu had done wrong, but since Papa said so, it must be that the brother had made a mistake. Disregarding all possibilities, Papa was definitely right.
Seeing Wen Xun about to take Yu An away, Fu Yunshu lowered his eyelashes and pretended to ask casually, “Will you bring him over again tomorrow?”
There was a clear sense of hope in Fu Yunshu’s eyes as he looked at Yu An. It would be great if he could see him tomorrow too. Meeting his gaze, Yu An thought of the sweet chocolate he had been given and smiled sweetly at Fu Yunshu.
Why does this kid love smiling so much… Fu Yunshu appeared outwardly calm and unmoved, but his earlobes turned red at a visible rate.
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