Chapter 51
Soland wanted to explain, but Yu An simply couldn’t hear it. Immersed in his grief, he wouldn’t even let Soland hold his little hands, tucking them into his chest to hide them. He sobbed and cried, looking utterly pitiful.
Ling Xingcheng watched the anxious Soland, suspiciously wondering in his heart: Could it be that this humanoid Xenogenic really isn’t the one Yu An is familiar with, and was replaced?
“An-an.” Ling Xingcheng cupped Yu An’s tear-stained little face. “Do you really not know this person?”
Yu An sniffled. “Anyway, anyway he is not Soland gege.”
“I really am Soland, An-an.” Soland wanted to cry but had no tears. “Look at my face. Have you really forgotten me? Back then, you were the one who picked me off the cactus. Have you forgotten that too?”
Yu An stopped crying, his mind racing. It seemed there was such a thing. But if this was Soland gege, then who was the one before?
Ling Xingcheng’s gaze darted back and forth between the two. Soland transforming from a Xenogenic into a human in front of everyone, along with those eyes that were almost identical to Yu An’s—any observant person could spot the anomaly.
Wen Xun and Lin Huaichen must be hiding something.
Sure enough, several Institute staff members were already whispering among themselves. “This Xenogenic’s eyes look so much like the Lin Family’s Little Young Master’s. They… they even look a bit similar.”
“What nonsense are you spouting?! That is the Lin Family’s Little Young Master! Think before you speak, otherwise you won’t even know how you died.”
“But they really look alike… Of course, I don’t mean that the Little Young Master is also a Xenogenic.”
The researcher had a very strong desire to survive. The moment Ling Xingcheng’s gaze swept over, he instantly shut his mouth and hid behind his companion.
Ling Xingcheng lowered his eyelashes. Looking at the little guy who was inexplicably resisting Soland in every way, he formed a plan. “Old Zhuang, since An-an doesn’t know this Xenogenic, you can take him away.”
Ignoring Soland’s shocked expression, Ling Xingcheng picked Yu An up and decisively cut ties with Soland. “Just discuss the follow-up directly with his dad. We’re leaving first.”
Soland couldn’t believe it. “An-an… you don’t want me anymore?”
Yu An’s feelings were complicated, his mind a mess. He tilted his head away from Ling Xingcheng’s embrace, pressing his lips tightly together, not knowing how to face this unfamiliar Soland.
Zhuang Yexing had long since noticed something was wrong, but he hadn’t pointed it out on the spot. Leaving aside Yu An’s thorny identity, as long as Ling Xingcheng and Xu Yening were present, they wouldn’t allow him to do anything to Yu An.
Adults know that they have to read the room when they speak, and Zhuang Yexing knew how to play dumb too.
“Since the origin of this Xenogenic is unknown, I’ll take him back to the Institute first.” Zhuang Yexing played along with Ling Xingcheng’s words, but when he turned to face Soland, he appeared extremely awkward. “Um… why don’t you come back with me first?”
Soland: “No.”
Zhuang Yexing stood awkwardly in place, at a loss for a moment. Soland wasn’t an ordinary Xenogenic; his strength was ridiculously high. If he treated him like other Xenogenics, he would probably be swatted to death with one slap.
“An-an, why don’t you persuade him?” Zhuang Yexing sought outside help again. “If he comes with us, he won’t bother you anymore, right?”
Yu An remained silent, his eyes rimmed with red.
Suddenly, a voice dripping with schadenfreude rang out. “Soland, since An-an doesn’t want you anymore, just go back. I will keep him company.”
The moment Ling Xingcheng heard this voice, it was like a puppy having its tail stepped on. He instantly glared over with eyes full of fury, his voice squeezed from his throat. “Chausier, you still dare to show your face?!”
Chausier sat on the railing of the outer corridor, bright moonlight spilling over Him, painting a picture of breathtaking, stunning beauty at first glance. Several researchers stared in awe, nearly drooling.
“So pretty.” Gu Yixing marveled at Chausier’s beauty and asked Yu An, “He knows Soland. Do you know Him? Who is He? Wait, His eyes are the same color as yours.”
Yu An, Soland, and Chausier standing together—if someone said they had no relation, anyone with eyes and decent vision wouldn’t believe it.
At the very least, Fu Yunshu and Gu Ersheng noticed the clues. Only Gu Yixing remained foolish, persistently asking Yu An about their relationship.
Unable to bear it any longer, Gu Ersheng pulled his silly brother over. “Stop asking.”
Gu Yixing paused, then lowered his head, muttering aggrievedly, “Is this a secret? Fine, I didn’t know. I’ll stop asking, but don’t be so fierce. I am your older brother, show some respect to your older brother…”
“It’s nothing I can’t say.” Yu An suddenly spoke up. He looked Chausier up and down, confirming it was still the original Chausier, and let out a huge sigh of relief. “His name is Chausier. He is… He is an older brother of mine.”
Gu Yixing: “You sure have a lot of older brothers.”
Yu An thought about it carefully. “…I guess I do have quite a few.”
Mainly because he couldn’t figure out generations. Anyone older than him but looking very young, he generally called “Brother”.
Last time he met Wen Xun’s friend Fu Yin, Yu An also instinctively called him “Brother”, which stunned Fu Yin before he burst out laughing and corrected him to call him “Uncle”.
In truth, Yu An didn’t know how many “Uncles” were mixed among his “Good Brothers”. Since they didn’t correct him, Yu An just kept calling them “Brother”.
Chausier was the brother who appeared the least, but every time He did, He brought delicious things for Yu An, always at the forefront of feeding the cub. This time was naturally no exception.
A shiny pink stone was tossed over. Yu An caught it instinctively and smelled a pleasant strawberry scent. “Smells so good.”
Chausier was satisfied with the cub’s reaction. “I snatched it from a plant-type Xenogenic. Eat up.”
“Hey! Are you blind to me?!” Ling Xingcheng, thoroughly ignored, was fuming. “Chausier! Look at me!”
Chausier finally spared him a glance, furrowing His slender eyebrows. “Who are you? I don’t know you.”
Ling Xingcheng stumbled in anger, his raised hand trembling. He stammered “You” for a long time, barely able to speak. “You, you look at my leg! You kicked it! You reduced me to this pathetic state, and you actually forgot who I am?!”
Chausier’s brain wasn’t great, and His memory was extremely limited. Since He couldn’t recognize Ling Xingcheng at a glance, He didn’t like forcing His brain to think. “Stop yelling, it’s so noisy. If you keep yelling, I’ll hit you.”
S-so arrogant.
Everyone present inadvertently shared this thought. Looking at Chausier’s impatient demeanor, it seemed He really might fight Ling Xingcheng. And listening to their conversation, Ling Xingcheng’s broken leg was likely caused by this beautiful person.
Truly, you can’t judge a book by its cover.
Ling Xingcheng… Ling Xingcheng was furious but dared not speak. With his current strength, he really couldn’t beat Chausier. If he were to be brutally beaten in front of so many people, he might as well move to another world.
Chausier flipped off the railing, walked straight to Yu An’s side, squatted in front of him, and gently wiped the tears from the little guy’s face with slender fingers. “If An-an doesn’t like Soland, then just throw him away. I will stay with you.”
Chausier had coveted Soland’s position for a long time. Now that Claude had left and Soland was facing the predicament of “falling out of favor,” Chausier finally saw His opportunity.
Soland was devastated. “Don’t cause trouble at a time like this! Brother, I’m begging you, hurry up and clarify for An-an. I am Soland, and Soland is me.”
Yu An looked at Chausier, waiting hesitantly for His answer.
Chausier nodded. “Yes, he is Soland. But for the past few years, the one keeping you company has been the Boss, not him.”
Yu An was bewildered. “Boss? Who is the Boss?”
“Claude. He’s been occupying Soland’s body. Have you never seen His true form?”
Yu An shook his head.
Chausier was confused. “But you’ve been to the Temple.”
Soland abruptly interjected, “He passed out from lack of oxygen back then. He didn’t see the Boss.”
Now Soland had a general idea of what happened. He thought he had just taken a nap, but in reality, a long period of time had passed, and during that time, it was Claude accompanying Yu An.
Now that Claude and he had returned to their respective bodies, Yu An acutely realized the “core” of this body had changed, and found it hard to accept.
But Yu An’s little brain didn’t spin that fast. He was still struggling with what Soland had easily figured out. Left with no choice, Soland had to tell him, “I know where the original… that Soland went. Don’t ignore me. Let me go back and explain it to you slowly, okay?”
Yu An hesitated. Meeting Soland’s incredibly earnest gaze, his heart wavered, and he nodded.
Soland was overjoyed. He hugged Yu An, nuzzling against his soft cheek over and over again. “I knew An-an was the best.”
Yu An’s cheeks flushed, barely managing to find the feeling of interacting with Soland when he was little. Meanwhile, Chausier beside them pouted, very unhappy.
His grand scheme to take over had failed.
Chausier grievously tattled to Claude. [Boss, couldn’t you take Soland away too? Him staying here will only get in my way.]
The distance to the Temple was vast. Chausier waited a long time before receiving Claude’s reply.
Claude: [The fool shouldn’t laugh at the idiot.]
Chausier: […]
Claude: [How is little Yu An right now?]
Chausier: [He was crying non-stop just now.]
Claude: [Why?]
Chausier: [You left, and he refused to acknowledge Soland. He kept insisting that Soland isn’t Soland, crying so heartbrokenly.]
Claude fell silent for a long time. After a while, a soft chuckle transmitted over. [This little guy was actually able to tell the difference. It seems I still underestimated him. By the way, don’t let the other humans know your identities, especially little Yu An’s.]
Chausier looked bewildered, His suspicious gaze sweeping over everyone present. [But I don’t know if they know or not…]
Claude: [Then erase the memories of every human who might possibly know. Do not leave a single one. While you’re at it, grab a few Great-eared Rabbits to patch up the spatial rift.]
Chausier firmly committed Claude’s words to memory. He felt everyone was suspicious, bearing the brunt of which was Zhuang Yexing, because this man kept staring at Him and Yu An. It was hard to ignore that burning gaze.
In the blink of an eye, Chausier appeared before Zhuang Yexing. Zhuang Yexing was startled, unable to utter a single word of his interrogation. The moment his gaze met Chausier’s lake-blue eyes, all thought processes in his brain ceased.
All memories regarding Yu An and Soland vanished in an instant. The forced erasure of memories left Zhuang Yexing’s eyes vacant, like a puppet on strings.
Fu Yu, who was closest to Zhuang Yexing, was completely bewildered, but he clearly saw Zhuang Yexing’s anomaly. Danger alarms instantly blared in his head—he had to get away from this weird person!
Fu Yu had only come here to grind some experience, making it easier to enter the Institute’s higher echelons later. He had no intention of losing his life here.
He turned and ran, but Chausier was faster. He grabbed his neck, yanked him back, and expertly deleted his memories. The now dull and foolish Fu Yu stood side-by-side with Zhuang Yexing.
Yu An was shocked and quickly blocked Chausier. “Brother, what are you doing?”
Chausier: “Deleting their memories. Otherwise, they’ll know you are also a little Xenogenic.”
The other few people: “…”
Great. We didn’t know before, but we know now.
Wen Xun had instructed Yu An long ago not to expose his identity. Since Chausier could delete memories, Yu An wouldn’t stop Him. Chausier placed him beside Soland and swiftly went about catching people to erase their memories.
When encountering disobedient ones trying to resist, Chausier wasn’t exactly a patient Xenogenic. He’d just deliver a slap to beat them into submission before forcibly deleting their memories.
One by one, foolish dunderheads appeared. Of course, there were also those who tried verbal persuasion.
Gu Yixing scrambled to escape. “Ahhh! We are An-an’s good friends, iron-clad bros! Don’t delete our memories!”
Fu Yunshu: “There’s really no need.”
Xu Yening: “I am his uncle.”
Gu Ersheng: “Will you listen to our explanation?”
Chausier: “No.”
The four of them: “…”
No matter what the relationship was, in Chausier’s eyes, it was all fake. Ushatos was an extremely xenophobic race. As long as someone wasn’t a fellow clansman, they were a potential threat.
But even so, there was still a troublesome thorn.
“I don’t need my memories deleted!” Ling Xingcheng blazed with roaring flames, refusing Chausier’s approach, trying to reason with Him both emotionally and logically. “We all want what’s best for An-an, which means we’re in the same camp. You don’t need to delete my memory, I’m not going to do anything to him.”
Chausier scoffed. “You’re not a member of our clan.”
Ling Xingcheng: “I just won’t!”
Smack!
Chausier swung a slap, hitting Ling Xingcheng so hard his flames flickered.
Ling Xingcheng froze, then flew into a rage. “You hit me again!”
Seeing that the two were about to fight again, Yu An quickly went to mediate. “Xingcheng gege is very good, Brother, you don’t need to delete his memory. Xingcheng gege definitely won’t hurt me.”
With just one finger, Chausier pushed Yu An aside, acting profound. “An-an, you’re still young, you don’t understand anything. Humans are the most cunning. He’s mostly likely lying to you. Once you trust him, he’ll treat you like a lab rat and dissect you.”
Yu An clicked his tongue. “He wouldn’t…”
Chausier: “You don’t understand.”
Ling Xingcheng: “You understand? You don’t know sh*t! Your brain must be broken!”
Chausier glared at Ling Xingcheng. This human was definitely the most annoying of all humans, bar none.
And now he dared to insult Him?! Chausier was furious. He raised His foot to kick, this time aiming for Ling Xingcheng’s good leg.
Yu An broke out in a cold sweat. “Chausier gege!”
Thankfully, Ling Xingcheng reacted in time, extinguishing his flames and hopping to the side on one leg. It was just that his hopping looked far too comical. His red hair bobbed up and down, instantly switching Chausier’s mood, making Him watch in amusement.
“An-an, look, doesn’t he look like a big rooster.”
Yu An couldn’t laugh. He stiffly twitched the corners of his lips, holding onto Chausier without daring to let go, worried that He would laugh and then go kick Ling Xingcheng again. At the same time, he racked his brain thinking of how to persuade Chausier to give up clearing Ling Xingcheng’s memory.
“Um… Brother.” Yu An tugged at Chausier’s hand, looking at Him with big, beautiful eyes. “Will you come play with us from now on?”
Chausier naturally agreed, kissing Yu An’s little cheek. “Then I will find you delicious food every day.”
“In that case, you shouldn’t erase Xingcheng gege‘s memory. He plays with us often anyway. If… if Xingcheng gege tries to do something bad, you can just stop him then.”
Chausier pondered for a moment. It seemed this human named Ling Xingcheng held a lot of weight in little Yu An’s heart. Since Yu An wasn’t willing, then forget it.
Chausier: “Fine.”
Yu An was delighted, thanking Him crisply. “Thank you, Brother!”
But Chausier shot a glance at Ling Xingcheng, His eyes remaining dangerous. He hadn’t forgotten that this human said His brain was broken. Even though Claude often said the same thing, it didn’t mean He could tolerate a weaker human questioning His intelligence.
Chausier deliberately stood still, but as He brushed past Ling Xingcheng, He sneakily stuck out a foot. Ling Xingcheng tripped, hurriedly using his crutch to brace himself against the ground. The very next second, the crutch crumbled into powder.
Ling Xingcheng: “…Holy sh*t!”
Yu An gasped, covering his mouth in shock.
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