Chapter 3: The First Encounter
While Yu An squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the invading monster to leave, a massive, translucent organism slowly manifested beside him.
With the descent of the indescribable Lord of the Ushatos, a nearly terrifying pressure spread out. The monsters lurking nearby, coveting Yu An, scattered in all directions.
Before the slender arm could even get close to Yu An, it was reduced to dust, vanishing inch by inch under the suppression of that formidable power.
Monday was already scared out of its wits. It shivered with its tail tucked between its legs. Although it couldn’t see the existence hidden in the void, a sense of dread far more horrifying than anything before made it bury its head into Yu An’s neck in fear.
Hearing no more movement, Yu An tentatively opened his eyes. That strange arm had indeed vanished without a trace. The little child let out a sigh of relief, patting his frightened companion.
“It’s okay now. The weird thing is gone.” Yu An softly comforted the shaking dog. He had grown accustomed to monsters popping out from time to time, and now that it had disappeared, sleepiness surged over him.
Yu An let out a yawn, his round eyes misting over. He placed the puppy by his pillow and stroked its head. “Don’t be scared. Time to sleep. Goodnight, Monday~”
Monday didn’t dare say goodnight. It circled around in fear for a long time before discovering that when it huddled at the foot of the bed, the dangerous aura directed at it lessened significantly. Thus, the puppy aggrievedly curled up at the foot of the bed and slowly fell asleep.
Yu An’s sleep quality had always been excellent. His soft cheek pressed against the pillow, and his pink little mouth opened slightly. His tranquil and adorable sleeping face could melt the heart of any onlooker.
Suddenly, a tentacle gently poked Yu An’s face. The cotton-like sensation made the Lord of the Ushatos freeze for a moment before poking him again.
The massive figure gradually shrank until a tall, handsome man stood by the small bed. He possessed a pair of frigid, lake-blue eyes. He leaned down slightly, scrutinizing the fair and tender little cub on the bed.
This cub was entirely different from any other cub he had ever seen. The tyrannical aura unique to the Ushatos race was completely absent in this little guy. He didn’t even have the black patterns used for mental attacks; he was as white as a handful of snow.
In short, he was so harmless and soft that he didn’t seem like an Ushatos cub at least.
The man frowned slightly. He extended a slender finger to gently touch Yu An’s cheek. Black textures spread across the back of his hand, forming a stark contrast with Yu An’s fair, smooth face.
Lacking a sense of security, Yu An curled into a small ball, his thin eyebrows furrowing. After his cheek was touched several times, he let out a few small whimpers. Instinctively, he reached out and hugged the thing disturbing his sleep, pinning it to his chest.
A familiar scent gave Yu An an unprecedented sense of security. He rubbed his soft face against the man’s hand and murmured, “Grandma, huggie…”
[…]
The Lord of the Ushatos widened his eyes. Feeling the warmth from his hand, he stared in astonishment at this audaciously bold little cub.
In the past, no matter how mischievous the cubs of the clan were, none dared to act so presumptuously before him. The suppression within their bloodline made those cubs naturally fear him. But this one… actually dared to hug him?
The Lord of the Ushatos looked down at Yu An. He didn’t pull his hand away immediately, but sat quietly by the bed. It was only when the surrounding space could no longer withstand his power that he slowly vanished.
Before leaving, he slit his wrist and fed the surging blood into Yu An’s mouth. This cub appeared malnourished, and the blood of an adult clansman could provide him with the necessary nutrients.
[Grow up quickly…]
Upon waking up, Yu An knew nothing of what had transpired during the night. He stretched with great vigor, feeling refreshed. Suddenly, he noticed a sweet taste in his mouth. He smacked his lips a few times, trying to remember if he had eaten candy before going to sleep.
Could he have eaten a piece and forgotten?
Yu An couldn’t recall, but he didn’t dwell on it for long. He headed out with Monday. Monday had a plastic bag hanging from its head to hold scavenged bottles, and it circled Yu An with exuberant joy.
Every time Yu An placed a bottle into the bag around its neck, Monday would wag its tail happily, and Yu An would also crinkle his beautiful eyes with a smile.
The combination of a human toddler and a puppy picking up empty bottles attracted many people’s attention. Many adults, their hearts fluttering at the cuteness, took out their phones to snap photos, instinctively moving closer to the little ones.
Sensing more and more adults around him, Yu An’s small hands nervously gripped the hem of his shirt. This reminded him of the day the short-haired sister brought him back after his grandmother died; everyone who heard the news had come to gawk at them.
Their expressions were either full of pity or mockery, their unconcealed stares fixed directly on little Yu An. Yu An felt restless and ill at ease under those gazes, yet he couldn’t hide or escape them.
Since then, he had been terrified of having gazes gathered on him. Yu An pursed his small lips. Once he finished picking up the nearby bottles, he began to trot away on his short legs, calling out to the dazed puppy, “Monday, let’s go home.”
The puppy immediately followed at his heels, the plastic bag on its neck swinging back and forth.
For several days, Yu An took Monday around the neighborhood to collect bottles. He put half the money he earned under his small pillow and used the other half to buy ham sausages for the dog.
But the money needed for three meals a day was far more than the one or two yuan he made daily. Yu An could only watch helplessly as the money under his pillow dwindled.
The little guy sat on the bed gloomily. In front of him were a few ten-yuan bills. He counted them one by one: “One, two, three… six…”
There were only six left. Yu An was a little illiterate; he only knew a few numbers in his head, mostly learned from the people around him. But since he could count the number of bills, it only meant that his money was very, very little.
Yu An hugged the puppy dejectedly, his soft, milky voice dropping low. “Monday, we’re so poor. We won’t be able to afford food soon. Our tummies will be hungry.”
The puppy wagged its tail thoughtlessly, its entire body radiating happiness.
After another five yuan earned from selling bottles to Grandpa Wang, Yu An bought ham sausages for the dog as usual. He sat on the edge of a flowerbed wearing a white short-sleeved shirt. His exposed arms were thin, lacking the baby fat typical of children his age.
Watching Monday happily eat the sausage, Yu An was infected by its joy and smiled contentedly. Two small dimples appeared on his dusty face, and his lake-blue eyes sparkled.
Suddenly, he saw a calico cat leap out from the bushes. The cat elegantly licked its fur, scanned the crowd, and walked with a clear goal toward a young woman.
“Meow~” The cat pinched its voice, letting out a sweet, cloying cry. It flopped onto the ground, exposing its soft belly. “Meow~”
Yu An understood the cat’s meaning: [Two-legged beast, do you want to raise me?]
Sure enough, the woman shrieked at the cat’s cuteness. She tentatively reached out to pet its head, and the cat obediently looked up, actively nuzzling her hand.
“It’s so good!” The woman boldly picked up the cat and said excitedly to her companion, “It’s coming home with me! I have a cat! I’m going to be Hajimi’s mama!”
The woman happily walked away with the cat, unaware that on the other side, a child was watching her with longing eyes.
So, that’s how you find a mama? Yu An’s not-so-bright little head turned the thought over and reached a conclusion. So, his papa and mama hadn’t come to find him because he hadn’t gone to find them?
With this thought, Yu An immediately grew excited. His darting eyes scanned the people nearby, stopping instinctively when they landed on a person wrapped up tightly.
That person wore a hat and a mask. Long black hair peeked out from the hood, and a pair of beautiful, clear black eyes was also staring at him.
Long hair, pretty eyes—these two traits made Yu An assume this was also a kind, beautiful sister. The big and the small stared at each other through the crowd for a few seconds. Then, Yu An summoned his courage and ran toward that person on his short legs.
The moment Yu An approached, the two people who had been following Lin Huaichen and Wen Xun simultaneously heightened their vigilance.
One of them, a teenager with dyed red hair and a lollipop in his mouth, pushed back the brim of his baseball cap. He nudged the person next to him. “Is this the future Crown Prince?”
The middle-aged man looked up, unexpectedly meeting Lin Huaichen’s gaze, and immediately lowered his head in trepidation.
Getting no response, the red-haired youth repeated impatiently, “…I’m talking to you. Do you have basic manners?”
The middle-aged man could only whisper, “Likely so. The Patriarch and Mr. Wen came here specifically for this child.”
The red-haired youth looked at Yu An with interest. “The kid is pretty cute, but he doesn’t match this couple. They should be paired with a little devil child—the kind that causes trouble all day.”
The middle-aged man didn’t dare join the discussion. The red-haired youth talked to himself, eventually getting annoyed again. “…F*ck! This is so boring. I should be at the most dangerous place in the world hunting Xenogenics, not here watching the ‘Emperor and Empress’ search for their relative.”
The middle-aged man smiled apologetically. “The mission from the Base is to protect them. This is quite relaxing; there’s no danger.”
The red-haired youth sneered. “One of those two is the number one S-rank existence, and the other is ‘Absolute Immunity.’ The two of us protecting them?! What a joke. They just want us to act as cameras to monitor them.”
The middle-aged man gave an awkward smile. This youth was different from him. An S-rank big shot could evaluate other big shots at will, but he was just a minor pawn brought along to make up the numbers.
On the other side, Yu An successfully ran to Wen Xun’s side. He grabbed the hem of his clothes with a small hand, tilted his little head back with effort, and used all the courage he had gathered to say: “H-hello… can you be my mama?”
“I’m very easy to raise. I don’t eat much. I can also pick up trash to earn money. I can make five yuan every day…”
Yu An finished his words stutteringly, his face slowly turning pink. Seeing that the person remained silent for a long time, the little guy began to feel like retreating. He slowly let go of the hem of the clothes.
At that moment, a soft chuckle caught Yu An’s attention. He looked to the side and saw a very tall, handsome uncle. The uncle’s hand was resting on the long-haired “sister’s” shoulder, his eyes filled with obvious amusement.
The uncle squatted down to eye level and patted Yu An’s small head. His voice was deep and pleasant. “He’s a boy, so he can’t be your mama. But we can be your papas. Are you willing to come home with us?”
Yu An widened his eyes in confusion, peeking at the tightly wrapped “sister.” He instinctively put a finger in his mouth to bite it, tilting his head. “A boy?”
Wen Xun gave a soft “Mhm” and took off his hat and mask. His exquisite and brilliant features were exposed to the sunlight. The corners of his eyes were slightly upturned, creating an intense sense of pressure during a silent stare.
Yu An stared at Wen Xun for a few seconds. The little guy felt a bit scared. He took a few small steps back, looking around like a startled animal, ready to find an opportunity to run away at any moment.
A child’s unease is easily detected by adults. Wen Xun’s hand at his side twitched, but he didn’t step forward. Instead, he nudged Lin Huaichen, signaling him to hurry up and coax the child.
Lin Huaichen smiled and bent down to pick Yu An up. The child was very light, possessing almost no weight in his arms. “Didn’t you say you wanted to go home with us? Why are you running away now? A little kid shouldn’t break his word.”
Yu An hadn’t been held like this for a very, very long time. He stiffened his body in discomfort, not daring to touch Lin Huaichen’s expensive, tidy suit. His voice was weak and tiny. “N-not breaking my word.”
He was just too scared.
Lin Huaichen had his own way of fooling children. Unlike his usual tone with subordinates, his voice was much gentler and more patient with a child. “Then what’s your name? Can you tell me?”
Yu An blinked and answered obediently, “It’s Yu An.”
“The ‘Yu’ from Yumeiren, and ‘An’ from Anxin?” Lin Huaichen pretended to know nothing, stroking the child’s fuzzy head. “You truly are a beauty in the making. It’s a very nice name.”
Yu An didn’t know which characters made up his name. Hearing Lin Huaichen speak with such conviction, the little guy looked dazed but nodded along. “Mhm, name… nice.”
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