Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Changes in Hei Dan

From that day on, Ji Huan noticed a transformation in Hei Dan – he began to "cling" to him.

As mentioned earlier, Hei Dan was a quiet infant. Despite mastering the "essential skills" of a human baby under Ji Huan's Spartan-like training, at his core, he was still an emotionally... how should one put it?

Ji Huan didn't want to use empty adjectives, but that was precisely how Hei Dan felt.

Grandfather couldn't see, but Ji Huan was acutely aware: Hei Dan regarded him and Grandfather with the same indifference as he did a milk bottle, a can of formula, or a bowl of vegetable puree.

Hei Dan seemed like an entity that didn't belong in this world, living in his own realm. No one knew what he was thinking, or perhaps he wasn't thinking anything at all. Under Ji Huan's tutelage, he had learned to express himself through crying or laughing, but that was the extent of it.

Whether it was crying or laughing, none of these were interactive means of communication. Ji Huan still felt like he couldn't connect with Hei Dan. It was also why he couldn't teach Hei Dan how to communicate.

But after that fateful night, Ji Huan suddenly realized that everything had changed.

Hei Dan started initiating "communication" with him!

The next day, while feeding Hei Dan after doing the laundry, the baby offered Ji Huan the milk bottle.

Given that Hei Dan had never done anything like this before, Ji Huan was taken aback. He glanced specifically at the baby bottle in Hei Dan's hand: it was transparent, 300 milliliters in size, with a green sticker attached to it, and still contained half its milk.

It couldn't be that he wasn't full.

Confused, Ji Huan looked back at Hei Dan, only to find the little one staring at him intently. After a moment, Hei Dan offered the bottle again, and Ji Huan reflexively took it, noticing that Hei Dan's gaze remained unwaveringly fixed on him.

Could there be something wrong with the formula? Did it taste different from before?

Half-believing, half-doubting, Ji Huan unscrewed the nipple and took a sip of the milk inside. Just as he was about to conclude that it tasted the same, he heard a "whoosh-whoosh" giggle. His gaze shifted from the bottle to Hei Dan's face, and to his surprise, he saw the baby laughing.

He quickly checked Hei Dan's diaper: it was dry.

As Ji Huan's hand still rested on Hei Dan's bottom, it suddenly became wet – Hei Dan had unexpectedly urinated on him.

And then Hei Dan laughed even harder.

With one damp hand hanging limply, Ji Huan was utterly perplexed.

Three hours later, when Ji Huan gave Hei Dan water to drink, the same scenario unfolded again, and then during dinner...

As Ji Huan held the baby bottle, Hei Dan gazed at him intently, and when he took a sip, Hei Dan would smile. After three times, Ji Huan seemed to understand what Hei Dan was doing: he was sharing his food with him.

"Hei Dan, what on earth do you think about every day..." Ji Huan frowned slightly as he looked at Hei Dan, who was giggling after forcing another mouthful of infant formula into his cousin's mouth.

However, Grandpa had said that Hei Dan's behavior should be encouraged. He advised Ji Huan to not only accept the food but also show great joy whenever Hei Dan offered it. For someone like Ji Huan, who didn't smile easily, this was the most challenging part. Fortunately, Hei Dan didn't have high expectations; a slight upward curl of Ji Huan's lips seemed to satisfy him as a smile.

Well, they were quite an awkward pair of uncle and nephew. (-_-)

If one could consider that change normal, then the other was bordering on surreal.

On the first night of his sick leave, Ji Huan suddenly woke up in the middle of the night.

He felt like he was being hugged!

He was lifted off the bed with great force, his armpits supported!

Ji Huan abruptly opened his eyes and saw someone before him.

The person's face was shrouded in shadows, and Ji Huan couldn't make out their features, only discerning the outline. Below the high cheekbones, the sides of their face were chiseled like a sculpture, and their lips were thin.

Then, those thin lips drew closer and closer to Ji Huan!

He watched helplessly as the person's face approached him, so close that he could feel their breath on his skin.

Dangerous —

Ji Huan abruptly snapped open his eyes, his forehead glistening with a sheen of cold sweat.

Only then did Ji Huan realize that everything had just been a dream.

His chest felt heavy, and he discovered that Hei Dan had somehow climbed onto his chest at some point. It was unclear how he managed it, but the little creature had even nestled into Ji Huan's t-shirt. Since he couldn't see the familiar white ringed eyes, Ji Huan assumed Hei Dan was still sleeping. However, something was off this time – the creature was sniffling and whimpering in his sleep.

Did Hei Dan have dreams too? It seemed like a nightmare.

As he pondered this, Ji Huan gently shook Hei Dan awake. The moment he roused the creature, Ji Huan felt a warmth spread across his chest.

Hei Dan had wetted him again.

Unabashed by the incident with his uncle, Hei Dan showed no hint of embarrassment or joy. Clinging tightly to Ji Huan's palm that supported him, the little creature was on edge with anxiety.

Distracted by Hei Dan's antics, Ji Huan put aside thoughts of his earlier dream. He quietly took the creature to the bathroom for a quick clean-up before gently carrying him back to bed for a nap.

And then he had the same dream again.

This time, the stranger's lips were almost touching his neck, allowing Ji Huan to see more clearly. He could even discern the other's teeth.

Perhaps it was the moonlight, but the man's teeth were exceptionally white and sharp, appearing almost inhuman.

Ji Huan also noticed the man's Adam's apple.

It was a man.

After having the same dream twice, Ji Huan was perplexed. What did it mean to dream about a man in the middle of the night, especially one who held him tightly?

Scratching his head, Ji Huan looked down and found Hei Dan curled up on his chest once more, whining softly, only to urinate again.

Ji Huan: ...

Awakening Hei Dan, Ji Huan, having tidied up both of them skillfully, decided against going back to sleep. He also kept Hei Dan from sleeping, offering him a bottle of milk instead. Watching the baby gradually calm down with his milk bottle, Ji Huan fetched a few small toys to play with him. Among these toys, Hei Dan seemed to favor a green frog plushie the most. The reason was simple: the entire frog was green. Ji Huan would wave the frog in the air, and Hei Dan would stretch out his tiny paws to grasp it. According to Wang Xiaochuan's mother, such games could help develop an infant's sensory skills.

Inevitably, Hei Dan managed to catch the green frog after some effort, which visibly delighted him. His white-ringed eyes fixated on the toy in his hands as he played with it for quite a while.

The game might have been entertaining for Hei Dan, but for Ji Huan, it quickly became monotonous. Before he knew it, he had drifted off to sleep.

And then, he dreamt again.

This time, the dream took place in his own room. Ji Huan found himself playing with that same green frog, doing so with extraordinary concentration, to the point of leaving him speechless.

However, the genuine joy he felt within him was undeniable, warm and comforting, filling him with a sense of contentment he hadn't experienced in a long time.

Ever since his sister left, Ji Huan lived in constant worry about his grandfather and Hei Dan. He fretted over his grandfather's deteriorating health and feared that Hei Dan might become even more peculiar. Each day was fraught with anxiety. This soothing feeling of warmth and stability was something he could only recall experiencing when his sister was at home.

Ji Huan silently savored the tranquility that the toy frog brought into his life.

And then...

He saw himself.

He witnessed "himself" sitting beside him. When he looked over, that "himself" offered a stiff smile in his direction.

Although the appearance was somewhat vague, Ji Huan would never mistake himself. However, that "himself" was dressed in a green T-shirt and green shorts, an outfit Ji Huan was certain he didn't possess in his wardrobe.

In that instant, upon seeing himself, Ji Huan suddenly felt a bit hungry, followed by a deep sense of happiness welling up within him.

It was a monotonous dream, yet the emotions it evoked were serene and joyful. Amidst this tranquility, Ji Huan slept soundly until the warm rays of the sun woke him as the dream concluded.

Black Egg was playing beside him.

The tiny, dark-skinned figure was naked, with Black Egg leaning against him, engrossed in playing with a large green frog plushie.

Every now and then, Black Egg would glance at him. Upon looking again, their eyes met just as Ji Huan opened his own.

And then, Black Egg smiled.

At that moment, Ji Huan suddenly understood what had happened in his dream the previous night:

Probably... perhaps... he had seen Hei Dan's "dream," right?

After sharing a milk bottle, Hei Dan had also shared his dreams with him... hadn't he?

This was the second change Ji Huan had discovered in his relationship with Hei Dan since that day.