“Uncle, how are you ever going to take care of a baby if you’re like this…”
ʕっ•ᴥ•ʔっ
The emotion crystal was fully charged with energy at the concert with tens of thousands of people. If there was one thing Earth had the most of, it was definitely people.
Yuyu had spent a year or so on Cang’ai Planet to accumulate enough emotional energy, but on Earth, she had gathered it in just half a month.
Unable to wait until the live stream ended, Qi Youyu had Xiaohua create signal interference, swapped out the live stream feed, and lay on the carpet tinkering with her light brain.
Yan Xingli, who was getting a break thanks to the child, couldn’t contain his curiosity.
“Is the Little Fish fully charged?”
“Mm-hmm.” Yuyu’s eyes curved into crescents. “Little Fish is full.”
Her light brain had also regained its video call function.
Yan Xingli fiddled with her soft little pigtails, his expression half-joking as he asked, “So, does that mean you’re going home soon?”
That way, he wouldn’t have to live in fear or painstakingly support a little money-eating monster.
Qi Youyu looked up: “I don’t know.”
For some reason, Yan Xingli felt a slight sense of relief.
“I want to talk to Mom and Dad.” Qi Youyu’s short finger tapped open the contact list. “They must miss me a lot.”
“You’re going to call your parents?” Yan Xingli pushed himself up from the floor. “I’ll give you some privacy, then.”
Yuyu stopped him, tugging at his sleeve. “Uncle, you’re the ancestor of my mom, dad, grandpa, grandma, and great-grandma. They really like you.”
Hearing this long list of relatives made Yan Xingli’s scalp tingle.
Just imagining a few old folks calling him “ancestor” gave him a heart attack.
Yan Xingli refused the child again, solemnly. “I’m going to go brush Qianjin’s fur. You go ahead and make your call.”
Before the child could respond, he fled.
Sitting by the bay window, Yan Xingli brushed Qianjin’s fur absentmindedly, his gaze uncontrollably drifting towards Yuyu, his ears perked up for any sound.
A transparent holographic screen projected into the air. After a few seconds of waiting, the image flickered, and a man and a woman appeared clearly on the screen.
“Baby!”
“Mom! Dad!” Qi Youyu jumped up excitedly. “Where have you been?”
The background of Qi Youyu’s parents looked like a tropical rainforest, with tall trees everywhere. They wore silver full-body protective suits and large transparent helmets.
Limited by the screen, Yan Xingli couldn’t gather much useful information.
Qi Youyu’s mother had a very gentle voice. Her amber eyes were round and bright, looking exactly like Qi Youyu’s.
“Baby, Mom and Dad are doing research on Earth. It’ll be a while before we can come home.”
“Is our Yuyu missing Mommy and Daddy again?”
Just then, a gentle, clear male voice chimed in. Qi Youyu’s father’s face almost filled the entire screen:
“Baby, are you outside? Where is this?”
Qi Youyu: “I’m on Earth.”
The couple paused for a moment. Qi Youyu’s mother chuckled: “Did Mommy’s baby build herself a little spaceship?”
“Yes, yes!” Qi Youyu was thrilled that her parents guessed correctly instantly. With a wave of her little hand, a small spacecraft appeared above the living room.
The child pointed proudly: “Look, it’s called Little Fish. I built it myself.”
“…”
The young couple on the other side of the screen turned to stone. The moment they snapped out of their shock, their smiles faltered.
“Baby, are you really on Earth?” Qi Youyu’s mother grew anxious. “Then what about our video calls in the morning? How long have you been there?”
Qi Youyu explained everything.
For the past half month, all their video calls had been handled by Xiaohua using an AI version of Yuyu.
The realism of the AI Yuyu had even fooled her scientist mother, Qi Youyu. The audacity of the deception was astounding.
Listening from the side, Yan Xingli couldn’t help but clench his fists. Those two little rascals really needed a good scolding.
The young couple, upon learning the truth, almost fainted from anger.
Xiaohua apologized sincerely: “Mr. and Mrs. Yan, I’m sorry. As you know, I can’t refuse Yuyu’s requests. My duty is to protect Yuyu and accompany her as she grows up happily and healthily.”
Qi Youyu’s mother pushed her husband’s face aside and leaned closer to the screen, speaking urgently: “Baby, send us your coordinates right now. Mom and Dad will come pick you up immediately.”
Qi Youyu opened her mouth to give coordinates. The young couple’s expressions froze momentarily, their eyes meeting quickly.
Qi Youyu’s father spoke: “Yubao, tell Dad, did you go looking for our ancestor?”
Yan Xingli’s brow twitched violently. Sensing impending doom, he put down the cat and prepared to sneak away.
The child happily turned the camera, and his figure, caught mid-stride with his rear end sticking out, was projected onto the screen.
“Mom, Dad, I’m at Uncle’s house. Uncle is our ancestor!”
The child ran over happily and grabbed Yan Xingli’s pants. “Uncle, look! My mom and dad are above your head!”
Yan Xingli looked up, his eyes meeting those of the young couple in the holographic screen.
Darkness flashed before his eyes. How was a twenty-five-year-old ancestor supposed to greet his younger descendants?
Just say “Hi”?
Or maybe, “Hello, granddaughter/grandson”?
Either way, it felt weird.
As Yan Xingli’s brain stormed, he kept his face taut and didn’t speak.
Qi Youyu’s father and mother, however, showed no awkwardness. His direct descendant, Qi Youyu’s father, immediately said:
“Ancestor, you’re truly in the prime of your youth.”
“I am your fourth-generation descendant. My name is Yan Cheng. Thank you for taking care of Yuyu.”
So Yuyu was his fifth-generation descendant. Yan Xingli decided to treat this like acting. He forced himself to stay calm and addressed the man on screen, who was likely a few years older than him, with a steady tone:
“You’re welcome. It’s nothing.”
Qi Youyu’s mother: “Ancestor, I’m Yuyu’s mother, Qi Feizhu. Yuyu has probably caused you a lot of trouble, right? Sorry about that.”
Yan Xingli felt like a nervous homeroom teacher talking to a student’s parent. Although he had a lot he wanted to say, he remained politely restrained:
“Mrs. Qi, don’t worry. Yuyu is very well-behaved.”
Qi Youyu put her hands on her hips and chimed in: “Yes, I’m very well-behaved.”
Seeing that their daughter was well-fed and cared for under the ancestors’ roof, her face had clearly rounded out, Yan Cheng and his wife relaxed.
Just as they were about to chat more with Ancestor Yan Xingli, the ground beneath them suddenly trembled slightly. Then, a deep, drawn-out bellow slowly resonated.
The sound was like a muffled thunderclap from deep underground, carrying a penetrating power that could transcend time and space.
Hearing this sound, the four across generations were startled. Qi Youyu tilted her head, pressing her chubby ear closer to the light brain.
“Dad, what was that sound?” The child’s dark eyes were full of wonder.
The young couple exchanged a glance for two seconds, coming to a silent decision. Yan Cheng smiled softly:
“Yubao, that was the roar of a dinosaur.”
Yan Cheng and Qi Feizhu stepped aside in unison, revealing a large area behind them. What first came into view was a vast, sprawling marshland.
And not far away, a colossal figure, like a moving mountain range, slowly ambled out from a dense coniferous forest.
It was a Diplodocus, a creature previously only found in sci-fi movies and museums. The setting sun cast a glow on its grayish-brown skin as it leisurely munched on the tender leaves at the treetops.
Watching it contentedly nibble leaves, Yan Xingli could only think of a giraffe.
“Yubao, this big fellow is called a Diplodocus. It loves eating plants and is the gentlest giant among the dinosaur groups,” Yan Cheng said.
Yan Xingli’s pupils constricted in shock.
Dinosaurs! Were they in Jurassic World?!?
Not only was he shocked by this news, but the child beside him was equally astonished.
Qi Youyu’s little mouth was slightly agape. She recalled the dinosaurs from her children’s picture books. Struggling to contain her excitement, she whispered:
“Mom, Dad, so you’re visiting the dinosaurs’ home.”
Yan Cheng nodded with a smile. “Yes.”
Qi Feizhu was a nationally treasured spacecraft expert on Cang’ai Planet, while Yan Cheng was a paleontologist.
In this Jurassic world teeming with giant beasts, countless undocumented plants and animals could be seen everywhere. They would fill the gaps in their knowledge here, and many historical mysteries would be answered during this expedition.
A child’s face is like the June sky, changing in an instant.
Qi Youyu crossed her short arms and glared at the screen: “You went secretly without me.”
Yan Xingli silently added in his heart: Yeah, going secretly without your ancestor. Is that proper?
Qi Feizhu deftly shifted the blame: “I know, I wanted to bring you, but your father wouldn’t let me.”
Yan Cheng: “…”
Qi Youyu started kicking up a fuss: “I want to go! Take me with you!”
Yan Xingli: Staring intently .jpg
Yan Cheng tried to pinch the bridge of his nose but forgot he was wearing a helmet, so he ended up kneading his shoulder instead.
“Dad, does it hurt again?” the child asked.
Yan Cheng seized the opportunity to play the pity card: “Yes, Dad has to dig in the dirt every day, so my shoulder is sore again.”
Qi Youyu immediately raised her hand, looking eager: “I’ll help you dig! You go play!”
Yan Cheng was momentarily speechless at his failed attempt to sway her.
Qi Feizhu glanced at him, sighed, and put on a gentle motherly smile. “Baby, Mom and Dad have to get back to work. Can we talk later, okay?”
“Mom, Dad, are you going to steal dinosaur eggs?”
The couple was taken aback.
“No, no!”
“We’re not stealing!”
“That’s still a long way off.”
Qi Youyu gave them a suspicious look. “Really? You’re not going to steal eggs?”
“Really, really.”
Yuyu patted her little belly and instructed, “Well, okay then. You two behave yourselves at the dinosaurs’ home. Don’t scare them!”
After the call ended, the holographic screen disappeared. The shocking scene just moments ago felt like an illusion to Yan Xingli.
Holding his racing heart, Yan Xingli turned to look out at the bustling traffic and intersecting neon lights of the modern world.
After a moment, he looked at the back of the child’s round head: “Yuyu, are you going home?”
Yuyu: “Mom and Dad are coming to get me.”
Yan Xingli: “When?”
Yuyu propped her little chin on her hand, thinking. She looked up at her uncle: “My parents’ spaceship was built by the uncles and aunties at the Institute of Aerospace together. It’s much faster than my Little Fish. They might arrive tomorrow.”
The line of Yan Xingli’s lips slowly tightened. The relaxed expression he usually wore was gone.
“Uncle, I’ll stay until you finish your job.”
“No need.” Yan Xingli snapped out of it. “Going home is more important. I’m an adult, I can handle things.”
He crouched down and ruffled Yuyu’s hair. “You shouldn’t run off like that anymore. Even if you go out, you need to ask your parents for permission first. You might not be lucky enough to run into me again next time. The outside world can be dangerous.”
Qi Youyu grabbed Yan Xingli’s hand. “Will you cry when I go home?”
“Like this,” the child had learned from somewhere, crumpling her face, rubbing her eyes, and letting out a couple of fake sobs, “Boo hoo.”
“…” Yan Xingli didn’t hesitate for a second. “No way.”
Feeling rejected, Qi Youyu pouted: “Uncle, how are you ever going to take care of a baby if you’re like this…”
Yan Xingli thought to himself, he didn’t even have a partner yet, so why worry about the future?
The child shoved her hands into her pockets, let out a big sigh, and grumbled: “Looks like I’ll have to help you take care of your baby.”
Yan Xingli burst out laughing: “That’s way too far off. You’re worrying about nothing.”
“You’re laughing!” Yuyu shot her uncle a big eye roll, as if he were the naughty child. Her tone was full of exasperation. “It’s all for you! For my great-grandma! For your baby!”
Yan Xingli’s mouth opened halfway, then quickly closed again.
Ah.
So… he was going to have a daughter in the future?