The Picked-Up Little Tentacle Begs Me to Take Responsibility 48p1

Chapter 48 Part 1

Shi Xu, lost in thought, felt a small hand on his chest, a soft voice calling, “Little dad.”

His eyes softened, his voice gentle. “Yes, good boy.”

Sui Sui loved being called “good boy,” snuggling closer, his eyelids still heavy with sleep, murmuring “Little dad” repeatedly.

The childish voice, filled with affection, warmed Shi Xu’s heart, the small body in his arms filling the emptiness within him, as if nothing else mattered.

“Sui Sui… likes… little dad… so much… Little dad… protects… Sui Sui… Sui Sui… will also… protect… little dad!” The drowsiness vanished from his face, his eyes fixed on Shi Xu. “Little dad, we’ll… always be… together… Just us.”

“Xiao Xu, we’ll always be together. Just us.”

When his brother said those words, Shi Xu hadn’t thought much of it. Now, with his memories returning, he understood.

His brother meant “just us,” excluding their sister. He knew she would choose Ah Cheng, so he didn’t include her in their future.

Now, Sui Sui said the same thing.

Just us, him and Sui Sui.

His unfulfilled wish, thought to be lost forever after his brother’s death, was now being offered by someone else.

The curtains swayed in the breeze. The heater was off, but the wind wasn’t as cold as it should have been, perhaps because of the warmth of the child in his arms.

His eyes softened, his arms tightening around Sui Sui.

…

SSS-class pollutants didn’t need to eat, but they occasionally needed to rest.

Before evolving into SSS-class, Gu Sui slept often, preferring slumber over consuming his own kind. His evolution was slow, but it was his preferred method.

After Shi Xu went to bed, he fed Little Black, then dozed on the sofa.

His nap wasn’t long. When he woke up, Shi Xu was still asleep. He didn’t disturb him, going to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Shi Xu had a long night. Gu Sui wanted to make him something nourishing, choosing dishes that were complex and time-consuming. Even with his tentacles’ assistance, he was still busy until nightfall.

When dinner was ready, Shi Xu still hadn’t come downstairs.

He went upstairs quietly, knocking softly on Shi Xu’s door. No response.

Shi Xu was a light sleeper, easily awakened by the slightest noise. He should have been awake by now, scolding him.

Strange.

He knocked again, calling his name. Still no response.

He knew Shi Xu didn’t lock his door at home. He cautiously opened the door.

The unlit room was dark, but Gu Sui could see in the dark. He immediately saw Shi Xu on the bed, Sui Sui in his arms.

Shi Xu’s breathing was even, as if he were still asleep. The moment Gu Sui opened the door, the child in his arms opened its eyes.

Two golden lights appeared in the darkness, staring at him intently.

An unsettling aura filled the room, directed at Gu Sui.

“Sui Sui?” he called softly.

Sui Sui didn’t answer, giggling instead, his childish voice chillingly different.

Gu Sui instantly knew something was wrong, rushing to the bed, ignoring the strangely giggling child, shaking Shi Xu awake.

“Shi Xu!”

Shi Xu woke up, confused by Gu Sui’s worried expression, then he heard Sui Sui crying.

His attention shifted to the child, now crying pitifully on his stomach.

Seeing him look over, Sui Sui reached out to him, his voice choked with sobs. “W-Little dad…”

Shi Xu: “What’s wrong?”

Sui Sui glanced at Gu Sui, then said between sobs, “Big dad… he… he bullied me…”

Gu Sui, stunned, then enraged, “You’re lying! I never bullied you!”

Sui Sui trembled, hiding his face in Shi Xu’s chest. “Wuwuwu… Big dad… so mean…”

Shi Xu hugged him protectively, glancing at Gu Sui disapprovingly. “Gu Sui, why did you bully him?”

Gu Sui’s anger turned to grievance. “I didn’t!”

Sui Sui extended his right arm. Under the light from the hallway, they saw the bruises on his arm, clearly not self-inflicted. There were only two adults in the house. Shi Xu had been asleep, so it had to be Gu Sui.

Shi Xu frowned, his voice cold. “Gu Sui, why did you do this?”

Gu Sui, confused, repeated his words. “Why did I do this?”

He didn’t know what he had done. Why was Sui Sui accusing him?

“Waaah, Sui Sui… doesn’t want… to see… big dad… Wuwuwu… little dad, Sui Sui… only wants… to be… with you…”

Gu Sui sensed danger. His instincts were rarely wrong. Shi Xu banished him. “Go outside. Don’t disturb us until you understand what you did wrong.”

“Crack.”

The sound of Gu Sui’s heart breaking.

He didn’t argue, leaving obediently, thinking Shi Xu would talk to him later, that he could explain.

But he couldn’t understand why Sui Sui would lie.

He didn’t get a chance to explain. After returning from the theme park, Sui Sui became Shi Xu’s shadow, clinging to him constantly, preventing Gu Sui from getting close. Whenever he entered Shi Xu’s two-meter radius, Sui Sui would cry, complaining about Gu Sui’s “bullying,” and Shi Xu, believing him, continued to ignore Gu Sui.

Gu Sui was both aggrieved and uneasy. Not only had Sui Sui changed, but so had Shi Xu.

It seemed like Sui Sui was obeying Shi Xu, but in reality, Shi Xu was obeying Sui Sui.

He remembered Shi Xu’s story about his sister and the golden egg. His sister had changed after finding the egg.

Now, Shi Xu had a golden egg, and he had changed too.

After being repeatedly rejected and banished because of Sui Sui, Gu Sui couldn’t take it anymore. At this rate, Shi Xu would forget him. He couldn’t let that happen. He had to do something, like sending Sui Sui back to the world rift.

Severing their connection might bring Shi Xu back to normal.

But it was easier said than done. He had to take Sui Sui without harming Shi Xu, a near impossible task.

If he didn’t use his full strength, he couldn’t take Sui Sui. If he did, he would inevitably hurt Shi Xu.

Seeing Shi Xu’s protectiveness towards Sui Sui, jealousy consumed him, a gnawing emptiness in his chest.

That was his Wife, his and his alone!

No one could steal him!

…

One night, he snuck into Shi Xu’s room again, trying to take Sui Sui.

Shi Xu, anticipating him, turned on the lights the moment he entered, illuminating his guilty face.

“Wife…” he whispered.

His grievance had been building up, his usual cheerful facade gone, his vulnerability exposed, his eyes reddening as he looked at Shi Xu, hoping for comfort.

Even a simple pat on the head, or a gentle caress, would be enough.

Anything but this cold indifference.

“Wife…”

His plea was interrupted by Sui Sui’s cries, perfectly timed, always pulling Shi Xu’s attention away just as he was about to soften towards Gu Sui.

Sui Sui clutched Shi Xu’s shirt, his eyes even redder than Gu Sui’s, his golden eyes, the same color as Gu Sui’s, filled with tears, his pitiful appearance tugging at Shi Xu’s heartstrings.

“Wuwuwu… Little dad… don’t go with… big dad… Big dad… bad… Little dad… promised… to always… be with… Sui Sui…”

Gu Sui said anxiously, “Shi Xu, something’s wrong with him! Can’t you see?”

Shi Xu’s eyes were vacant, as if in a trance, Gu Sui’s voice fading, only Sui Sui’s cries reaching him.

“Wuwuwu… little dad… Sui Sui… only has… you…”

“Little dad, we’ll… always be… together… Just us…”

After days of enduring this torment, Gu Sui snapped, unable to restrain himself any longer, knowing he would inevitably hurt Shi Xu, but minimizing the damage was his priority.

He had to free Shi Xu from Sui Sui’s control.

Before his transparent tentacles could reach Sui Sui, they were severed by a sharp blade.

Gu Sui stared at the sword in Shi Xu’s hand, hurt evident in his eyes, his voice trembling. “Wife, are… you… really… going to choose… him… over me? Is he… more important… than me?”

Shi Xu’s light-colored eyes, usually warm and inviting, were now cold and distant.

He had reverted back to the Shi Xu from before they met, or even earlier, before his friendship with Qi Yu, the cold, obedient machine who followed his father’s every command without question.

Devoid of emotions.

Sui Sui, nestled in Shi Xu’s arms, his childish face strangely mature, sneered. “Choose him over you? Were you ever truly together? Even with a human disguise, you’re still a pollutant. You know what Little Dad hates the most, don’t you?”

Gu Sui didn’t look at him, but he heard every word. “Little Dad hates pollutants. You forced him to be with you.”

Gu Sui: “No, I didn’t force him! I won his heart! He chose to be with me!”

Shi Xu even proposed to him! Although it was to spite Shi Yan, he hadn’t broken up with him after Shi Yan’s death. He could sense Shi Xu’s affection.

It couldn’t be fake!

“Shi Xu!” He called his name, trying to reach him.

“Really?” Sui Sui’s small hand caressed Shi Xu’s cheek. “Little dad, did you really choose to be with this pollutant?”

Shi Xu’s unfocused eyes stared blankly ahead, his lips moving slowly, guided by Sui Sui. “No.”

Gu Sui’s eyes widened, tears welling up, his already broken heart shattering further.

Even though he knew Shi Xu was being manipulated, the words still hurt.

Sui Sui giggled. “You heard him. You forced him. He doesn’t want to be with a monster like you.”

“I’m a monster? Aren’t you the same? A monster too?” Gu Sui’s fists clenched, wanting to tear the child’s face apart.

“But at least Little Dad chose me.” Sui Sui hugged Shi Xu’s neck, kissing his cheek, smiling. “He promised me, he’ll always be with me. Just us, without you. So…”

He grabbed Shi Xu’s right hand, the sword pointing at Gu Sui. “Little dad, kill this monster that forced you.”

Having already decided to take Sui Sui, Gu Sui still couldn’t bring himself to hurt Shi Xu, dodging his attacks, not fighting back.

His eyes, filled with sadness, searched Shi Xu’s face as he dodged.

“Wife, violence… is wrong… We can… talk… Don’t do this…”

“When you’re… calm… you can… punish me… however… you want… Just… please…”

Please don’t look at me like that, like I’m nothing, like you’ve forgotten me.

The thought was unbearable.

“Wuwuwu… Wife…”

The blade grazed his cheek, a shallow cut, blood mingling with his severed hair.

Sui Sui, sitting on the bed, clapped his hands, laughing, not afraid of the violence, even enjoying it, encouraging Shi Xu.

“Little dad, you can do it! After you kill him, we’ll be together forever! I promise!”

Shi Xu’s attacks intensified, forcing Gu Sui to defend himself. If he continued to let Shi Xu attack him, he would die.

His own death didn’t matter, but he didn’t want Shi Xu to regret it later.

“You have two choices: you die, or Little Dad dies,” Sui Sui’s voice echoed, a chilling whisper from the depths of hell, pushing Gu Sui to the brink, the taut string threatening to snap.