Chapter 33: Missing
Lin Huaichen and Wen Xun’s original intent was to let Yu An know what they were doing so he wouldn’t interrupt them next time. However, thanks to the “extra cargo” Rong Shili included, they had instead become negative examples of hedonists who shirked their duty to society.
Under Yu An’s pure, innocent gaze, both fathers felt a sudden pang of guilt. Lin Huaichen tried to salvage their image. “W-we definitely are not.”
“Um… we are discussing work at night. Yes, exactly. We’re just talking about work; we aren’t doing anything else.”
Lin Huaichen didn’t even believe his own words. He kept glancing at Wen Xun, urging him to say something before he died of embarrassment.
Lying to a child was a difficult task for Wen Xun. He opened his mouth, and then, deciding to just get it over with, he admitted it. “There’s no work. We’re making love. So, An-an, don’t message us during that time next time. We’re busy.”
Lin Huaichen’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. He stared at the brutally honest Wen Xun. Is… is that really something you can say out loud?!
Yu An accepted this perfectly fine. He nodded obediently with a giggle. “Okay! I won’t bother you next time.”
Uncle Rong had said in the video that making a baby was a very private matter and no third party should be present. As a thoughtful child, Yu An was naturally going to follow the rules.
Yu An couldn’t help but look at Wen Xun’s flat stomach. He asked expectantly, “So, Papa, when is the baby coming out?”
Wen Xun froze. “What baby?”
“The baby in your tummy.” Yu An gave him a look that said ‘How can you not know this, Papa?’ “Uncle Rong said you guys were making a baby in the room. When can the baby come out and play with me?”
Wen Xun took a deep breath, trying to keep his emotions stable. He forced a smile for the expectant Yu An. “There is no baby. Two men cannot have a baby. You will always be our only and most beloved baby.”
Yu An was disappointed for a moment. He really liked babies; whether at home or among his friends, he was always the youngest.
He was always the one calling others ‘Brother,’ and he’d never heard a baby call him ‘Brother’ before.
However, hearing Wen Xun promise that he was the only and most beloved baby made Yu An’s face turn red. He shyly hummed in agreement and gave Wen Xun a big hug. “I love you too, Papa.”
The baby topic was officially over, and Yu An’s two-day break was coming to an end. On Sunday afternoon, Yu An opened his small suitcase to pack for school the next day.
His suitcase was mostly full of food, including several cans of Wangzai Milk. Lin Huaichen helped him fold his clothes and suggested, “Your school sells milk. Why don’t you leave those here and just buy them there?”
He’d put tens of thousands of yuan on Yu An’s school card; buying snacks shouldn’t be a problem.
Yu An pulled out a bag of dried fruit and neatly arranged it with his milk. He explained slowly, “But we already have these at home. And you and Papa don’t like Wangzai or snacks. They’ll just go past their expiration date if I leave them here.”
Perhaps due to his childhood experiences, Yu An hated wasting things and cherished food deeply.
Lin Huaichen realized he had a point. He and Wen Xun didn’t care for snacks; they were only bought for Yu An. If he didn’t take them, they really might just get thrown out.
While the father and son were busy packing, Monday happily followed them around. Then, taking advantage of his small size, he suddenly hopped into the suitcase and looked at Yu An expectantly.
[Little Master, can you take me with you? I’m very small; I won’t take up much room.]
Monday didn’t want to leave Yu An. Especially since Claude and Little White could both follow him to school, he didn’t want to be left alone at the villa. He wanted to go to school too.
Yu An looked at the puppy conflictedly. He squatted down. “Can you get even smaller? Little White and the others hide in my pocket. If you want to come, you have to hide in there too.”
Monday’s eyes lit up. [I can! I can!]
The next second, the puppy’s body began to shrink until it was only the size of Yu An’s fist. It happily scrambled up Yu An’s leg, hooking its claws into his clothes until it reached the edge of his pocket.
Suddenly, a small tentacle smacked it right on the forehead. Claude poked his head out and issued a cold command.
[Go to the other side.]
There was no room for other Xenogenics in his pocket.
Monday let out a piteous whimper and immediately backed down, heading for the other pocket. Little White welcomed Monday warmly, flapping its wings to greet him. The dog and the bird happily shared the same pocket.
Yu An watched the three of them sort out their “living arrangements.” Worried about the solitary Claude, he peeked into his pocket. [Don’t you want to play with them?]
Claude gave a tired wave of his tentacle. [No.]
He had no interest in playing with those two idiots.
Yu An clicked his tongue. He had always thought Little White and Monday were ostracizing “Soland,” but it looked like “Soland” was the one ostracizing them.
When Lin Huaichen returned with some cream puffs and didn’t see Monday, he looked around. “Did Monday run outside?”
“He’s in my pocket.” Yu An stepped forward and showed the two little creatures to Lin Huaichen. “Can I take Monday to school tomorrow?”
Lin Huaichen had known Monday was a Xenogenic for a long time, but this was the first time he’d seen the dog use its abilities. He looked closer, curious. “Sure. Just be careful not to let your teachers find out.”
Yu An nodded solemnly. “I’ll protect them.”
Just then, Wen Xun walked over from the study, where he had been in a remote meeting. He was holding his phone, his brow furrowed. “An-an, your teacher is asking if you know where your classmates Wan Cen and Li Wang went. They never went home.”
Wan Cen was Yu An’s desk mate, and Li Wang sat in front of him; the two were best friends who often talked about monsters.
Yu An thought for a moment, and a sudden, ominous feeling struck him. “Did they go to Xiaonan Lane?”
Wan Cen had somehow heard there was a monster in Xiaonan Lane and was determined to go on an expedition. Yu An had overheard and tried to talk them out of it, but it seemed they hadn’t listened.
Xiaonan Lane was a famous tourist spot in Kyoto, featuring ancient architecture from the last century. Despite being called a lane, it was actually a large commercial street with massive foot traffic.
Wen Xun passed Yu An’s information to Teacher Yao. Teacher Yao let out a heavy sigh. “We’ve already searched Xiaonan Lane, but there’s no sign of the boys.”
Wen Xun: “When did they go missing?”
“According to their parents, the boys didn’t come home Friday night. The parents assumed they were at a friend’s house, but when they didn’t show up, they started calling around and realized they were gone.”
Teacher Yao was exhausted. “Yu An’s Papa, thank you for the help. We’ll keep searching.”
After the call ended, Yu An hesitated before asking worriedly, “…Papa, Wan Cen said there was a monster in Xiaonan Lane. He and Li Wang went to find it. Will… will they be okay?”
“A monster?” Wen Xun’s expression turned solemn. “Near Xiaonan Lane… I’ll check with the Base. I haven’t heard anything about a Xenogenic in that area.”
However, if the two boys went missing there, the possibility existed. For safety’s sake, Wen Xun decided to notify the Base to send an Arbiter to investigate Xiaonan Lane.
Lin Huaichen suddenly thought of someone. “Boya has an Arbiter working there as a teacher. Liu Ming. We can have him check it out.”
Liu Ming was a B-rank Arbiter and was already a teacher at Boya. Having him go with the school staff would allow him to investigate the Xenogenic while protecting the civilians in case of an emergency.
Base Dispatch: “Understood. We will deploy Arbiter Liu Ming to Xiaonan Lane.”
Lin Huaichen and Wen Xun finished the arrangements, but Yu An remained on the sofa, restless. He was terrified that Wan Cen and Li Wang would actually get hurt. What if they really met a Xenogenic?
A regular person facing a Xenogenic was essentially facing a death sentence. Are Wan Cen and Li Wang going to die? Yu An dug his nails into his palms. He was still too young to handle the thought of death coming for people he knew.
Lin Huaichen saw Yu An’s anxiety and picked him up, kissing his head. “It’s okay. If it’s a Xenogenic, the Base will handle it.”
Yu An pressed his soft cheek against his father’s neck, his voice small and trembling. “…Are they going to die?”
Many Xenogenics were man-eaters.
Lin Huaichen and Wen Xun couldn’t give him an answer. It had been two days already; if those boys had truly run into a Xenogenic, the outlook was grim.
Lin Huaichen looked at the distracted little fellow. “An-an, do you want to go to Xiaonan Lane and see for yourself?”
Yu An looked up. “Can I?”
“Of course. Our An-an has lived in Kyoto so long and hasn’t even been to Xiaonan Lane yet. We can take this chance to look around and have some fun, right?”
Xiaonan Lane was a must-see for anyone visiting Kyoto. Yu An had lived here for years and hadn’t been once—that simply wouldn’t do.
Lin Huaichen was a man of action. He immediately prepared to take Yu An for a trip. He asked Wen Xun, “Coming with us?”
Yu An also looked at him. “Is Papa coming?”
Wen Xun shook his head decisively, looking as if Xiaonan Lane were some terrifying abyss. “No way. You guys go. Just make sure you hold onto the kid.”
The crowds at Xiaonan Lane were legendary. Wen Xun had gone once and had his feet stepped on five or six times in a matter of minutes. The smell of sweat and crowds in that place was one of his greatest nightmares.
Lin Huaichen didn’t push him. He hoisted Yu An up until the boy was sitting on his broad shoulders. “Let’s go! Time to take our An-an shopping at Xiaonan Lane!”
Yu An had never had such a high vantage point before. He nodded excitedly. “Mhm! Shopping! And finding Wan Cen and Li Wang!”
There was still some lingering summer sun at five in the evening. Wen Xun went to get sunscreen and a parasol, telling Lin Huaichen to lean down.
Wen Xun stood on his tiptoes to apply sunscreen to Yu An’s pale face, then rubbed the excess onto Lin Huaichen before handing the parasol to Yu An. “Open this in a bit. Don’t let him get a sunburn.”
Yu An’s skin was incredibly delicate; the harsh summer sun would wreck it in no time.
Yu An: “Okay!”
In his pocket, Claude listened to their conversation with a feeling of utter helplessness. An Ushatos cub getting a sunburn? If the other space-faring Xenogenics heard this, they’d laugh themselves to death. It’s absolutely ridiculous.
Yet, it was somehow the truth. Claude sighed. How is such a weak little cub ever going to survive?
Yu An didn’t understand the adults’ worries for his future. He happily followed Lin Huaichen out the door. However, Lin Huaichen was so tall and Yu An was so high up that he nearly brained himself on the doorframe as they left.
Luckily, Yu An reacted quickly and ducked. After realizing he was safe, he burst into a fit of clear, ringing laughter.
The near-miss nearly gave Wen Xun a heart attack. He barked at Lin Huaichen, “Pay attention to the kid! Don’t just focus on having fun yourself!”
Lin Huaichen waved a hand as his voice faded into the distance. “Got it! Don’t worry, honey, the kid is safe with me!”
You’re the biggest danger to him, Wen Xun thought crossly, unable to truly relax.
Translator’s Note:
- Monday (星期一 – Xīng qī yī): The puppy’s name literally means “Monday.”
- Wangzai Milk (旺仔牛奶): A very famous brand of sweet, canned milk in China, often associated with childhood.
- Xiaonan Lane (小南巷 – Xiǎo nán xiàng): “Small South Lane.”
Recommended Reads
