The sky was a murky gray, but they were in no hurry to leave.
After getting out of the water, Yun nimbly climbed ashore and headed toward a small nearby building, leaving Li Xi alone, squatting on the rock in the water.
A moment later, Yun came trotting back, carrying a bag of fish food. He unceremoniously shoved it into the cub’s hands and pointed at the water’s surface, asking loudly if he wanted to eat fish tonight.
The child’s eyes were bright. Li Xi hefted the somewhat heavy bag of fish food and nodded.
One was responsible for feeding, the other for catching.
As dusk deepened, the intersecting glass tracks became congested with a dense swarm of flying vehicles moving slowly. Red taillights flickered on and off; originally traveling in the same direction, they parted ways at the intersections, heading toward their respective destinations.
Li Xi watched them, his thoughts drifting for a moment.
Just now, Yun had asked him why he had such an illness, if there was a cure, whether his mental strength was related to the sickness, if he would get better…
He withdrew his gaze, looking down at the fish that were gradually gathering, listening in silence.
The habit of not speaking wasn’t something that started yesterday. Yun was used to it; he didn’t get angry and quickly changed the subject, asking if he wanted fish soup or grilled fish.
Li Xi remembered the night he had just returned from the research institute. There had been a dish of fish soup on the dining table. He didn’t have a large appetite, so almost the entire dish had ended up in the other child’s stomach.
Squatting in a spot where the water couldn’t reach, he casually released a small fish and finally drawled out two words: “Soup, then.”
Startled by the sound, Yun turned his head. He didn’t say anything about the escaping fish; his entire attention was captured by another fact. The cub had actually responded.
He had thought the other party wouldn’t acknowledge him with a single word today.
What he had done earlier was indeed a bit out of line for a male cub. Bringing him to the water without a word, acting crazy, and even threatening him.
Yun thought that if it were any other male, they certainly wouldn’t let him off easily for such reckless behavior. He would likely spend the next few days in a dark, windowless confinement room.
The confinement room was too dark—no windows, no sound, no food, nothing. There were only four tightly sealed rock walls emitting a bone-chilling cold, constructing a prison where not a single ray of light could penetrate.
He had replayed all the happiest memories he could find in his mind, but his heart was still filled only with fear.
The last time he fought with a male cub, he had been thrown in there once. Yet he was the one more seriously injured; it clearly wasn’t his fault.
He had tried his best to satisfy and endure the male’s demands, so why were they still so relentless?
He couldn’t help but resist, and in the end, he received a punishment he would never forget.
They said a satisfactory explanation had to be given to the male cub.
But the male’s parents were not satisfied and took the matter to the Male Cub Protection Association. In the end, he didn’t know what method his female father used to resolve the issue.
He didn’t understand much of the inner workings, but he figured his female father must have given up a lot to save him.
Just like that strange male cub who bit him—not only could he not be angry, but he had to offer an apology with a pleasant face. Even though he didn’t think he was wrong, he was forced to apologize.
There was nowhere to seek justice.
Yun pulled himself out of his memories. Feeling depressed, he suddenly dove into the water, swimming toward the deeper area.
At the end of summer and beginning of autumn, it got dark earlier and earlier. The orange-red sunset faded silently, replaced by a murky gray.
Night fell, and the temperature grew cooler. Before Li Xi could even feel the cold, Yun suddenly emerged from the water, abandoning his nearly-caught prey. Half-forcing and half-coaxing, he made Li Xi wrap himself in his school uniform jacket to ward off the invasive, chilly night wind.
Li Xi wasn’t cold, but there was a child who had been soaking in the water for half the day and was currently playing with reckless abandon.
Female worms had powerful physical constitutions and rarely got sick throughout the year, but the child was still just a young cub.
Li Xi picked through the dozen or so fish, finally keeping two plump ones and releasing the rest one by one.
Yun watched the whole process but never spoke to stop him. It was as if even if the cub threw away all the fish he had worked so hard to catch, he wouldn’t say a word.
Because right now, he didn’t dare say anything to provoke the cub. What if he brings up my crazy behavior from earlier?
What if he settles the score later?
When Wen and the butler returned from outside, the first thing they saw upon stepping off the flying vehicle was a female worm waiting at the door. It was the driver sent to pick up and drop off the two cubs.
Wen stopped, his brow furrowing with a faint sense of foreboding.
The driver was sighing and pacing. When he turned and saw the Master nearby, the expression on his face relaxed with a sense of relief.
Seeing this, Wen started to get nervous instead. He really didn’t want to hear the female worm say anything else regarding his cub.
The butler, who always followed behind him like a shadow, sensed his shift in mood and offered a low-voiced consolation: “Yun knows his limits.”
Wen glanced at him and gave a cold snort, too lazy to respond. What kind of character Yun has—as his female father, how could I not know?
He doesn’t even know how to give a useful consolation.
“Bo,” Wen said, looking at the driver hurrying toward them. His flat tone gave no hint of his current mood. “You protect Yun too much.”
Bo smiled slightly and asked back in a low voice: “Don’t you protect him very much as well?”
This sentence subtly kicked the ball back.
Wen choked for a moment, the frustration stuck in his chest. He retorted dissatisfaction: “Didn’t you see me punish him?!”
Seeing this, Bo felt helpless and could only smile and agree: “Mm, blame me. I protect him too much.”
Wen wanted to say more, but the driver had already reached them. He unobtrusively hid the displeasure on his face, returning to the cold demeanor he showed to outsiders. Simultaneously, the smile vanished from Bo’s face, and he stepped back half a pace to stand silently behind him.
“What happened?” Wen kept his voice as calm as usual, but Bo, who had followed him for years, heard the subtle worry.
From the female worm’s incessant chatter, Wen learned the whole story.
Yun had taken the male cub to the lake behind the main residence.
The female worm said that from a distance, it looked like the male cub was soaking in the water.
Hearing this, Wen’s heart gave a violent jolt. He turned to go find them. Before he had gone a few steps, two small, wobbling figures appeared on the narrow pebble path, holding something in their arms.
At the end of the road, Li Xi and Yun were both clutching two fish. The fishtails flicked from time to time; perhaps because they were fed too well, the weight was a bit much for the cub Li Xi, and they slipped and were picked up several times.
Li Xi stumbled along the way, his clothes and hair wet, plus the smell of fish all over him. He felt regret in his heart for why he had agreed to eat fish.
After Wen saw everything clearly, his anger flared up.
He narrowed his eyes and warned Bo behind him: “If you dare stop me again and help that brat Yun, I’ll dispatch you to a remote planet to handle affairs!”
“Huh?” Bo was stunned and instinctively blurted out, “I haven’t even done anything yet?”
“So, what do you want to do?” Wen pointed ahead and spat out a sentence through gritted teeth, “Maybe you should pack your things and get out to a remote planet tonight.”
“…”
Bo looked with sympathy at Yun, who didn’t know what was happening and still had a silly, happy grin on his face.
Wen walked up to the two cubs. He first took the fish from Li Xi’s arms and tossed it back to the silent Bo. Then he took off Li Xi’s wet school jacket, revealing clean clothes underneath. Only then did his stern expression soften slightly.
Having done all this, he finally turned his gaze toward the other cub who was radiating silliness. Looking at the fish that weren’t dead yet and were flopping around with all their might, he laughed out of anger and said coolly: “Are you planning to sleep with them tonight?”
Yun instinctively protested: “I don’t want to sleep with them, I want to sleep with Li—”
Halfway through, he felt a light poke on his back, and his voice cut off.
Li Xi timely interrupted the child’s thoughtless words. The uncle in front of him was clearly fishing for information; if the rest of the sentence came out, he would likely get a scolding.
So, he rarely took the lead in the conversation, pointed at the fish, and said: “Eat it.”
Yun didn’t catch on immediately, but he nodded and repeated: “Right, eat it!”
Wen gave Li Xi an unreadable look, feeling a wave of emotion in his heart. This was a very intelligent male cub.
He didn’t say anything more and led Li Xi back. I’ll save some face for my own brat.
Back at the spot, Yun realized something was wrong a beat late. Holding the fish, he asked the worm standing with him blankly: “Uncle, does Female Father not want to eat fish?”
Bo found it inconvenient to say much and gave a light cough.
Yun: “Huh?”
Bo: “…I don’t want to go to a remote planet.”
Yun was dazed: “Huh?”
Just as Yun was struggling to understand the meaning of that sentence, the optical computer on his wrist vibrated slightly. A sentence appeared on the screen:
Come to the training ground at 4:00 AM for a random homework check.
Yun: “?!”
I haven’t trained once during these few months at the Jonah family!
Yun abandoned the fish and clutched the female worm’s pant leg, his eyes welling with tears: “Butler Uncle, help!”
Bo said nothing, offering only a polite smile.
When Li Xi came out after washing up, there was unsurprisingly another cub in the room.
The small figure was facing away from him, curled up in a chair with his chin on his knees, focused on a starship model in his hands.
Curious, Li Xi leaned in to watch for a while. There were many scattered pieces of different sizes and shapes on the desk. The model was starting to take shape, but the child placed a piece somewhere and with a crash, a corner of the model collapsed.
Yun instinctively reached out to steady it, but in his haste, he accidentally knocked into another part, and more than half of the model collapsed.
He stayed in that reaching position, staring at the ruined starship model for a long time without moving.
The sound of Li Xi moving startled him. He dropped the pieces and irritably clutched his head, let out a low wail. A moment later, he turned his head and saw Li Xi standing under the light, his eyes half-hidden under his hair, flat and expressionless, without any sign of mockery. For some reason, he blurted out a nonsensical sentence: “You’re blocking my light.”
“…?” Li Xi looked at his shadow, which was quite a distance from the model, and fell silent.
How can this even affect him?
Li Xi’s mentality wasn’t that of a five-year-old; he couldn’t possibly take a little kid seriously. To be honest, very few things could cause an emotional stir in him. His expression didn’t change as he dropped two words: “You build.”
With that, he turned and left briskly, leaving that area to the child who was in a foul mood because the model was destroyed.
“…”
When Yun realized what nonsense he had just said, he felt terrible, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to vanish into.
May I ask, what am I making a scene about!
May I ask, what am I being so difficult about!
Thinking back to his madness during the day, his conscience hurt a little now.
He was a female worm; he had the responsibility to protect males. He should be indulgent toward males, he should…
He absolutely could not be like this in the future. The worm talking nonsense just now wasn’t him.
Not me, not me, not me…
On this side, Yun clutched his head and muttered quietly to himself, repeatedly brainwashing himself, while Li Xi was already lying in bed, leisurely exploring the functions of the optical computer.
Under the sparse stars and bright moon, Li Xi was sleeping hazily when he heard rustling nearby. He forced his eyes open a crack and, by the dim moonlight, saw the child leap out of the half-open window and disappear into the night.
Li Xi thought for only half a second before his body made the best choice for him. He rolled over, pulled up the blanket, and went back to sleep.
After all, it was the child’s own home; nothing should go wrong.
Early the next morning, Li Xi appeared on campus wearing his black-and-white school uniform. Before leaving, his small cloth bag had been haphazardly stuffed with some unfamiliar foods by the other child.
The moment he appeared at the classroom door, the thought of turning around and leaving popped uncontrollably into Li Xi’s mind.
Why was everyone looking at him with such expectant and burning gazes?
Li Xi remembered that when he first met them, the classmates’ eyes were hot but somewhat restrained, but now every single one of them looked like they wanted to pounce on him…
This was very strange.
All along the way from the school gate to the classroom, there were countless gazes peeking at him. A female worm even suddenly blocked their path—specifically, the worm stood before Li Xi bashfully and shyly, stammering out his intention:
—Asking for Li Xi’s communication ID.
Li Xi didn’t react for a moment and habitually remained silent, which scared the female worm into thinking he was unhappy, making him fluster.
Fortunately, the child beside him found an excuse to send the female worm away.
In the end, Li Xi even deliberately stayed half a step behind the child, using him to block the gazes from all directions. He endured it with his head down all the way to the classroom, thinking he would be liberated soon. But the moment he appeared at the classroom door and saw the situation inside, he knew the hope in his heart was shattered.