Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Jie Linyuan's brain rapidly weighed the pros and cons, replaying the surveillance footage in his left eye at 64x speed in reverse, scrutinizing for any slip-ups he might have made since last night.

He knew the best strategy for the current situation and understood what Wu Yin wanted: for him to capitulate, endure, and still greet with a smile despite seething inside. Jie Linyuan's right eye was bloodshot, his mouth tasted like rust, his heart pounding furiously, while his mechanical left eye glitched under the strain.

Smile, apologize, brush him off. Jie Linyuan bent down, one hand supporting himself next to Wu Yin…

He opened his mouth, then suddenly didn't want to comply, overwhelmed by a strong sense of injustice and resentment. Covering his sore and dry right eye, he complained bitterly, "Wu Yin, what I hate most is being controlled! I am a human, not a machine, what right do you have to treat me this way!"

Wu Yin was slightly taken aback. He certainly perceived the grievances in Jie Linyuan's words, like a big white bear bullied outside, whining and sobbing as he returned home, yet awkward and too proud to lose face.

The air was silent for a few seconds, followed by a soft sigh, fleeting like a wisp of cloud in the sky, vanishing in a blink.

Wu Yin ceased his influence on the parasitic entity inside Jie Linyuan, raised his hand to caress his cheek, soothing the swollen black veins, his tone becoming genuinely gentle, "It was you who disobeyed first, just a small lesson. Why do you feel so wronged?"

Jie Linyuan grabbed his hand, feeling like he was holding a cold bone. He raised his eyes, red almost to the point of bleeding, his light lashes fluttering like butterfly wings due to emotional turmoil and pain: "What did I do? It was Yang Mo who recklessly exposed my identity, you don't blame Yang Mo, why punish me for it?"

“……”

Wu Yin closed his eyes, took a deep breath, grinding his teeth, "Is this your well-considered explanation?"

Upon witnessing this subtle gesture and tone, symbolizing suppressed anger, Jie Linyuan's hope against hope vanished completely.

It's over, he lost the bet. Jie Linyuan rarely panicked. The outcome was not as he had hoped. Wu Yin had merely used a pretext of addressing him incorrectly to deceive him, leading to the scenario he least wanted - Wu Yin knew everything.

An awkward silence spread. Jie Linyuan, daring not to push his luck further, knelt on one knee in front of the swivel chair, allowing Wu Yin to step barefoot onto his shoulder. The dirt from Wu Yin's feet stained his clothes as he lowered his head, awaiting judgment.

After a long struggle, Wu Yin bit his lower lip hard: "I'll give you one last chance to explain."

Normally, according to his temperament, Wu Yin wouldn't have given Jie Linyuan even the initial chance to explain. It would have been parasitism, suicide, end of story - who cares about your reasons? Let alone now, swallowing his own words, acting like a principle-less buffoon. If he ever uttered similar absolute statements in the future, they would carry no credibility whatsoever.

…But what else could he do?

Wu Yin thought, what else is there? Other than giving chances over and over, what can he do with Jie Linyuan? Really let the parasite inside Jie Linyuan devour his sanity? Or parasitize Jie Linyuan himself, and work nine to five to make a living?

He definitely couldn’t fix the game console battery, that's for sure.

And only Jie Linyuan remembers the exact location of the trailer outside the base.

…Am I being spoiled by Jie Linyuan? Wu Yin suddenly thought, could this be the most sinister plot of this cunning, deceitful rabbit? Truly malevolent!

……

When Xia Yangyan and the pharmacist returned, not only did they bring a large bucket of warm water, but they also managed to find a pair of worn and dirty slippers, a significant improvement over running barefoot on the ground.

To their surprise, Jie Linyuan, who had previously been indifferent and aloof towards the girl, was now sitting on a low stool, carefully applying iodine to the cuts on her legs. The girl, without any shyness, boldly rested her legs on Jie Linyuan’s knees, enjoying his attentive care.

Xia Yangyan, moved by this 'fatherly and daughterly' scene, put down the bucket, scooped some water into the pharmacist's basin, and asked softly, "Little sister, would you like your brother to wash your face for you?"

"I'll do it myself." The girl leaped off the swivel chair, shuffling in oversized slippers to the basin. She vigorously scrubbed her face, washing off the ludicrous, age-inappropriate makeup. Beneath it, her features were... not particularly attractive – withered and gaunt. It was hard to imagine how those buying her could be so heartless.

"What do we do next?" Xia Yangyan didn't want to return the girl to her father, akin to throwing her back into the fire. Yet, he was at a loss about what to do with her. Playing the hero for a moment is easy, but taking long-term responsibility for someone is much harder.

Xie Linyuan remained silent, quietly waiting for the “girl” to speak and decide her own fate.

He also pondered another question: how exactly did Wu Yin manage to parasitize this unfamiliar little girl? Spanning the distance from Zone C to Zone G, could Wu Yin's parasitic ability really be controlled solely by will, with no physical limitations whatsoever?

"Building 26 in Zone C," the girl finally spoke. "I have family living there."

After a moment of thought, she added, "It’s my mother."

This disjointed way of speaking... Could the little girl have some intellectual issues? Xia Yangyan frowned, feeling even more disgusted by the man who sold her for money.

Xie Linyuan, however, knew that this information was deduced by Wu Yin. Combining it with the curses from the man who chased her – threatening to kill her if she ran again – he surmised, "So, you ran to Zone C to find your mother, but then got caught and brought back, right?"

"Yes."

"Were you beaten up badly?" Xie Linyuan asked, not sure why he posed this question. It seemed to be a mix of schadenfreude towards the unpredictable little ancestor's misfortune and some underlying irritation and hidden anger.

Wu Yin shook his head. "These injuries were already there," he said, lifting his arm. "Apart from the marks from sticks and whips, there are also bruises, pinch marks, bite marks... She's been 'fed' harshly. That must be really uncomfortable."

Xie Linyuan: "......"

Xia Yangyan also coughed awkwardly. "Little sister, are... uh, are you hungry?"

A sensible little girl would likely shake her head at this moment, not wanting to be a bother. But what kind of person was Wu Yin? He immediately nodded vigorously: "I'm hungry. Are you offering to feed me?"

Xia Yangyan: "......"

He looked up at Xie Linyuan, who spread his hands indicating he was broke: "I've given away all my survival points. I won't get today's wages until tomorrow... Right, lend me a couple of meal tickets, will you? If Wu Yin finds out there's no dinner tonight, he'll throw a fit."

Xia Yangyan: "......"

Wu Yin: "......" What kind of image have you painted of me out there?

Eventually, Xia Yangyan dug into his own pocket to treat the girl, Xiao Mei, to lunch. He then spent the afternoon with her and Xie Linyuan at the patrol office, where Xie Linyuan dealt with quarrels while they played chess and card games. Xiao Mei showed great interest in these brain teasers, listening attentively to the rules but making no progress in three hours of play.

As night fell, Xia Yangyan, who lived in a six-person dorm of the employment team, couldn't take Xiao Mei back. He left her in Xie Linyuan's care. "By the way, don’t you live in Building 26, Zone C? Can you check where her mom lives? If her dad comes asking, I'll help you out."

"Don’t worry," Xie Linyuan assured him, taking the girl's hand. "I'll handle it."

Xia Yangyan waved goodbye, watching them walk away, then suddenly turned back.

"Brother Yangyan!" she called out loudly, her voice sweet against the backdrop of a crimson sunset. "Thank you!"

Xie Linyuan got goosebumps all over his arm, almost as if he wanted to shake off Wu Yin's hand like it was something dirty.

But to his astonishment, Xia Yangyan actually fell for it, rejuvenated as if he'd been injected with adrenaline. He excitedly waved back, "Xiao Mei, I'll come to see you tomorrow and bring you something delicious!"

The “girl” smiled even brighter, turning her head and triumphantly tilting it at Xie Linyuan, puffing her cheeks in triumph.

Xie Linyuan: "......"

——Idiot.

……

In the evening, Yang Mo, Qin Yue, and Lao Hu returned home exhausted from work, only to find an extra mouth to feed in their already cramped three-room flat.

The real Xiao Mei sat timidly in the corner, hugging her knees like a frightened little mouse, shyly curling her neck. Meanwhile, Wu Yin lay on the sofa playing handheld games, utterly lacking empathy. He even placed his long, straight legs on Xie Linyuan’s lap, asking him to massage his muscles.

This bionic body had been lying in bed all day, and its muscles and bones had turned soft.

Jie Linyuan's palm was hot and dry, his fingers strong, kneading Wu Yin's flawless, cool, and pliant skin. Occasionally, his hand would lift and hover, moving indecisively. Sometimes, it was hard to tell who was taking advantage of whom.

Yang Mo and the other two immediately averted their gaze, adopting a 'see no evil' stance, and instead focused on a small mouse in the corner of the dining room.

"Jie, what's going on with this girl?" Yang Mo asked loudly.

"Picked her up in Area G. Her father used her as a tool to make money," Jie Linyuan replied without lifting his head, "Her mother seems to live in the same building as us, but she's too scared of me and Shiwu to say anything."

Qin Yue, puzzled, asked, "A tool to make money? She’s so young, what could she..."

Mid-sentence, realization dawned on her, and her cheeks flushed with anger. Yang Mo was also shocked, "She, this..."

Old Hu, who had once mingled with roving, ruthless bandits and was thus desensitized to such matters, reached into his pocket and pulled out a pretty bow hair clip. Half of its bright diamonds had fallen off, but it was cleaned spotlessly—a trophy from his day’s scavenging, initially intended for Qin Yue.

But seeing the little girl now, he handed it to Qin Yue, suggesting she clip it on the girl.

Qin Yue snapped out of her shock, took the hair clip, and then pulled out a paper-wrapped package from her pocket containing two green peaches. She forced a smile, "Little sister, can you tell me your name? I have sweet, crunchy peaches for you."

The four men retreated to the left side of the hall, leaving the two women on the right side of the dining room to engage in their own conversation.

Wu Yin, yawning from too much sleep, leaned lazily on Xie Linyuan's shoulder, playing cards with Yang Mo. The deck was a collection of incomplete sets, scavenged by Lao Hu a few days ago from the trash. They had been washed and dried due to their foul smell, leaving the cards wrinkled but still playable.

Each player had a 'dog-head' military advisor strategizing for them, but Yang Mo and Lao Hu, even with Qin Yue added, were no match for Xie Linyuan alone. Wu Yin comfortably won several rounds, feeling pleased and finding everything agreeable.

Meanwhile, Qin Yue finally won over Xiao Mei's trust with sincerity. They sat in the restaurant, taking turns asking and answering questions. By the time Xiao Mei finished an entire peach, Qin Yue had almost entirely uncovered her background.

The naive little girl shared that her father had passed away and her mother entrusted her to an uncle in Zone G, promising to take her back once settled. Missing her mother, she overheard that her mother was living in Building 26, Room 1401 of Zone C, and made her way there.

However, upon seeing her, her mother seemed unhappy and immediately asked the uncle to take her back. Refusing to leave, the girl was punched by a man in her mother's room, hitting her head against the wall.

After that, she couldn’t remember anything, as if she had fainted, waking up later in Room 2702.

The child couldn't quite grasp what had happened, but the five adults around her instantly understood the grim reality: Xiao Mei's father had died, her mother had found someone else, and, finding Xiao Mei a nuisance, had abandoned her.

Jie Linyuan knew a bit more. Xiao Mei hadn't just fainted; her crying had drawn the attention of Wu Yin, who was headed to Area G for fun and had impulsively parasitized her.

"Sister, I want my mom," Xiao Mei cried, showing no gratitude for the food, no joy for the beautiful hair clip, only incessant tears. "Can you take me to find my mom? I miss her so much."

"But..." Qin Yue hesitated, biting her lip. She didn't want to crush the fragile heart of such a young child by telling her the truth – that her mother surely wouldn't want her. "Xiao Mei, please don't cry..."

"I want my mom..."

"Even if you don't have a mom, you still have brothers and sisters. Would you like..."

She abruptly stopped speaking, turning to look at Shi Wu, Jie Linyuan, Mo Ge, and Lao Hu: "Mr. Shi, Brother Jie, Brother Mo, Old Hu, can I adopt her? I'll support her with my salary. She can come to work with me during the day and sleep on the couch with me at night."

Over these days, Yang Mo had intentionally revealed his schizophrenia and, through various grounded and foolish actions, successfully changed his title in the eyes of Qin Yue and Lao Hu from Mr. Yang Mo to Brother Mo and Little Brother Mo, earning their trust and closeness.

In fact, before Qin Yue's return, Jie Linyuan had already told Wu Yin that she would surely want to adopt the girl, this little girl who slightly resembled Little Cloud in her brows and eyes.

However, compared to the strong and intelligent Little Cloud, this girl's character seemed somewhat lacking. Despite being five or six years older than Little Cloud, she couldn't face reality, or rather, refused to acknowledge it, only weeping and begging for her mother.

Everyone's personality is different; some are resilient, others are weak. In peaceful times, a warm family can accommodate such differences, but in these apocalyptic times, Xiao Mei's terrible background and naive weakness made it hard for her to survive.

Although Qin Yue seemed to be seeking everyone's opinion, they all tacitly understood that Shi Wu was the true head of the household. All eyes uniformly turned to him, waiting for his decision.

Wu Yin picked up a slice of peach from the coffee table, surprisingly finding it sweet. He took another bite and casually said, "Alright."

Before Qin Yue could express her joy, Wu Yin continued, "But you need to make her understand who her real benefactor is, who truly cares for her, and where her real home is. She shouldn't bite the hand that feeds her and run back to the mother she's been yearning for, seeking pity."

Jie Linyuan: "..."

Jie Linyuan: "I—"

"Got your explanation ready?" Wu Yin interrupted him, casting a sideways glance, blatantly speaking with a hidden message.

Jie Linyuan: "I need to think more."

"Take your time to think, we'll settle your account later. For now, immediately, deal with this annoying brat who keeps whining for his mother," Wu Yin said irritably. "It's driving me crazy."