Chapter 260: After Returning Home (Part 2)

Chapter 260: After Returning Home (Part 2)

"Qin Yu, what a pity."

"Yeah, he turned into an anomaly. Those eyes..."

Ji Xinghai came to the dormitory to pick someone up. This place was filled with psychics who had come from the military, and Qin Yu had also lived here after leaving the army. It was said that many of them were his former comrades.

The narrow corridor, standard four-person room, and the clean bed had few personal items on it.

As they walked down the corridor, eyes pretended to glance casually at their path.

It seemed wherever they went, there were these cautious and secretive whispers, layering restrained pity upon him, extinguishing the flames again and again.

Ji Xinghai looked back at him. Qin Yu's face showed no change, as if he didn't care.

Anomalies and humans had a barrier between them. Apart from their most cherished things, they cared about nothing else. Perhaps Qin Yu didn't care either, not caring about those gazes that were actually mourning another person through him.

As they walked, Ji Xinghai slowed down half a step.

"A Qin, how about going abroad for studies with me?"

Qin Yu was puzzled. Because of their special contractual relationship and the orders from above, it was inevitable that they would go together to another civilization.

"I'm seeking your consent," Ji Xinghai said seriously.

"Of course, I will go with you."

With the promise, Ji Xinghai's eyes sparkled, and his pace quickened: "Then we'll still be partners. So, to build our rapport, come to my house."

"...I have a dormitory," Qin Yu wanted to say.

But Ji Xinghai had already decided: "We're moving your things now."

No one could stop Ji Xinghai's whims, so a few days later, Qin Yu appeared at the Ji family home.

Then the small three-bedroom apartment gained an extra pair of slippers, an extra toothbrush and toothpaste, two more towels... Father and Mother Ji liked him very much, almost wanting to adopt another son.

Qin Yu vaguely guessed what had happened because the old leader who had been urging him to return to the military was suddenly called away.

Also, ‘Qin Yu’s’ former comrades and other people he ‘remembered’ but had become irrelevant left his life.

However, in contrast, the study abroad plan was confirmed, and it was only the two of them.

Later, someone delivered the ‘XXX Civilization Study Abroad Details,’ requiring him to sign as an independent individual rather than saying, "Because you are a state-trained officer, you must follow orders."

"I apologize, Mr. Qin. My previous attitude was problematic. Here is your new ID card."

He couldn't quite describe the feeling, but it was a genuine acknowledgment of the difference.

"I like this feeling," he thought.

Time flowed like notes, and every day brought new things. Suddenly, one day, ‘The Hunger Game’ emerged.

As a co-branded holographic game by the Hungry Academy, it hadn't even officially launched yet but was already causing a sensation in the gaming community. Even the experts who had previously analyzed it said that once JiuZhou released this game, they would go bankrupt to buy it.

Not for any other reason, but to test their initial ideas.

Many others were curious if, with the strategies they had already obtained, they could survive until the end in this perilous survival game.

It should be relatively easy, right?

Even if they couldn't match Ji Xinghai, they should at least get a passing grade.

"Huh, everyone seems quite confident?" Ji Xinghai read the bold claims on the game forum, his lips curling upward.

"Should we tell them that this isn't just a co-branded version, but a true miniature of the real Hunger Game? Even without the penalty of a drastic drop in mental strength upon death, death remains terrifying, not something that can be freely turned off or stopped."

Qin Yu remained noncommittal.

In fact, to accommodate players, the game could adjust pain sensitivity to a minimum of 60%, and there was a safety feature that automatically logs out players when their mental strength drops by 30%.

But he still didn't think players with a dismissive attitude could easily pass.

Many randomly selected students who initially performed poorly could make it to the end, not because the difficulty was low, but because they desperately caught up with the game. Didn't those people see the effort they put in?

But he just thought about it; the players would understand after experiencing it firsthand.

Actually, Qin Yu was curious about when Ji Xinghai had contacted the Hungry Academy and why he changed his mind to create a one-to-one simulation of ‘The Hunger Game’ when the original plan wasn't this.

"Huh? You didn't know?" Tatta looked at him in surprise. Then this mischievous senior smiled mysteriously: "Find out yourself."

"Someone said you don't deserve the ‘Hero of the Republic’ badge," the master said, kindly revealing the secret.

"You should let him discover the truth himself," the master smiled at Tatta: "Next time, listen to him."

Qin Yu stood there for a long time.

This time, both he and Ji Xinghai received the ‘Hero of the Republic’ badge, but there were always some voices online.

Some said Ji Xinghai couldn't succeed without Qin Yu's assistance, making Qin Yu's title well-deserved. Others said Ji Xinghai could reach the top without Qin Yu, making Qin Yu merely a sidekick who got the badge undeservedly.

Qin Yu didn't take these words to heart because he believed that even without him, Ji Xinghai could still make it to the end, so he indeed rode the coattails.

"Does Xinghai care about these?

"Because of me?"

Due to the appearance of ‘The Hunger Game,’ the Hungry Academy's past exam videos became popular again. Many passing videos could be found online, with Ji Xinghai's being the most watched, far surpassing the second-place in attention.

But Ji Xinghai secretly watched Qin Yu's gameplay videos.

Qin Yu looked at the human "Qin Yu" on the screen and then glanced at the engrossed Ji Xinghai, finding the scene before him oddly peculiar.

"A Qin, want to watch with me?" Ji Xinghai made room. "Watching from outside your current identity gives you a different feeling."

"This is still me," Qin Yu said. All the memories remained intact; although it was hard to empathize now, he could always revisit them when he wanted to.

"No, this isn't you."

Ji Xinghai shook his head and said seriously:

"From a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly, there’s a process of breaking down and rebuilding during the pupal stage. It might seem like just different stages of the same species, but for that butterfly, it’s no longer the same individual. If I had met such a Qin Yu, I might not have been interested in knowing him at all."

Qin Yu guessed that Ji Xinghai was simply expressing his thoughts, but in a certain sense, he was saying: any other time, it wouldn’t be you.

For creatures of the dark, this uniqueness was enough to become an obsession: others saw human Qin Yu, but you saw the anomalous creature Qin Yu.

Late at night, Qin Yu lay in bed, unable to sleep. He listened to the breathing on the other side of the wall, a sound that had accompanied him through many places, making him feel safe no matter how complex the environment.

But tonight, he couldn’t fall asleep.

"He is loved by everyone; how can I monopolize him?" The dark creature churned with wicked thoughts. If only there were no locks named rules and morals in his heart, if only he could ignore others' wills, he might act like a dragon.

Yet he was a monster who bound himself.

He despised and yearned, tossing and turning until dawn.

The door was knocked on several times. Ji Xinghai, in his pajamas, rubbed his eyes at the door. "A Qin, I want to eat the steamed buns downstairs, and the tofu pudding should be sweet."

Ji Mother, past the 'darling phase,' took a deep breath. "How lazy can you get?"

But Qin Yu had already grabbed his phone and headed downstairs.

The experiences as a human had left indelible marks on his soul, so Qin Yu remained as steady and taciturn as ever, expressing his feelings through meticulous actions.

In life and career, in every aspect, he willingly took on all the detailed tasks, organizing and summarizing them before handing them over to Ji Xinghai. Just like in their academy battles, whenever Ji Xinghai needed information, Qin Yu provided it, and whenever Ji Xinghai wanted to do something, Qin Yu prepared everything.

But as the days of departure drew near, even Qin Yu’s tranquil world stirred with undercurrents.

Subtle jiuZhou people felt unworthy and would never confess their love. But passionate foreigners didn’t care about the outcome; they expressed their feelings freely, seeing rejection as an experience.

So, upon hearing that Ji Xinghai would embark again, someone traveled far, arriving by plane with flowers, to express admiration to the child of civilization.

Sunglasses hid the emotions, but Qin Yu’s nails dug into his palms. The monster without a heart seethed with murderous intent: it would be easy to snap that slender neck.

"Sorry, your flowers are beautiful, but I cannot accept them."

The boiling murderous intent was instantly pacified, but the restlessness remained.

Would he reject the next one too? A treasure naturally shines; who wouldn’t love it? He couldn’t lock it away or bear to see it claimed by others. And Ji Xinghai wasn’t an object; he was free and powerful, capable of deciding his own life.

"We are bound by a contract; even failure would bring joy."

Having made his decision, Qin Yu meticulously groomed every strand of hair. He just needed a chance to speak, accepting whatever the outcome might be.

However...

Virtual mech battle, lost.

Ring toss game, lost. 2D fighting game also...

Suddenly, a soft touch brushed against his cheek, and Qin Yu’s eyes widened in shock.

Ji Xinghai, holding the game controller, smiled. "Sorry, you smell too good, so I couldn’t resist tasting you. Do you mind?"

No, he didn’t mind.

Please do it again.

At the Ji residence.

"Are you sure?"

Wei Lan, known for solving major cases, had keen eyes and had long noticed their unusual way of interacting. But Ji Xinghai, due to his experiences, was different from most, and Qin Yu was an anomalous creature, so ordinary theories didn’t apply. Wei Lan hadn’t pointed it out, but they had figured it out themselves.

"We’ll be fine; please don’t worry, Mom and Dad."

Ji Xinghai, who had been acting silly, now sat very seriously beside Qin Yu, his smile conveying certainty and determination.

And Qin Yu, realizing the situation, sat upright, every cell shouting: look at me, I’m worthy, please trust us.

What could Ji Father and Ji Mother say? They weren’t old-fashioned, and after experiencing so much, they had come to understand that what mattered was their children’s happiness. The one walking with them until the end wasn’t parents or children but their chosen partner.

"I thought you’d be more oblivious."

Qin Yu’s recent distress was clear to these experienced observers. Ji Xinghai, on the other hand, had acted silently and decisively.

Indeed, Wei Lan had no doubt that the initiative had always been with their child, while Qin Yu was the honest one.

Ji Xinghai’s eyes curved in satisfaction. Discovering the signs meant acting first, right?

"Dad, Mom." Qin Yu stood up and poured a small glass for each of them. Why hesitate now? Seal the deal firmly, leaving no room for regret.

"Hmm, should I take a sip today?" Ji Father looked at Ji Mother. On such a joyful day, a small toast?

"Drink, pour me a full glass too," Ji Mother smiled, her eyes misty.

Their child had just returned and found a partner. Thankfully, the partner was of good character, observed closely for so long.

Happy, drink!

Only Jijiang was clueless, but seeing Qin Yu bring over a stack of its favorite fruits, freshly washed, the little snake happily coiled around them.

Dad is very happy today, so it's also very happy. As for why he's happy, it doesn't care at all.

Uncle Ji and Aunt Ji drank themselves into a stupor. When they woke up, the house had been cleaned, and on the table was a 'Hero of the Republic' badge, which Qin Yu had received upon his return.

Under the badge was a note: Thank you, Dad. Thank you, Mom.

Next to it was another person’s handwriting: Thank you, Mom and Dad. Love you ~

Uncle Ji and Aunt Ji leaned against each other: "Did we just gain another son?"

"Maybe? I always worried that after we’re gone, he’d be alone again. Now it’s good; Xingxing will have company from now on."

"I wonder when he developed a taste for it. That rascal didn’t show any signs at all."

"He’s had good taste since he was young, like me."

"No, like me."