Chapter 38 Part 1
The little black cat froze for a moment, then rushed to the shattered golden egg. It was empty. It anxiously pawed at the fragments, searching for any sign of its “baby.”
Nothing!
Absolutely nothing!
Where was its baby?!
Its pupils trembled, tears welling up in its eyes.
Wuwuwu, it failed to protect its baby! It was eaten by something!
Dejected, it felt a weight on its back. Before it could react, half of its body was pinned down. It meowed, then felt a small, soft hand grab its ears, a childish babble echoing above it.
It flipped over, then froze, its vulnerable tail captured in the small hand, its gaze fixed on the creature pinning it down.
…
Shi Xu and Gu Sui smelled an unusual scent before even entering the house.
Wary, they opened the door, greeted by the little black cat, which jumped into Shi Xu’s arms.
It hadn’t done this since Gu Sui warned it against being too clingy with Shi Xu.
Covered in transparent slime, its blue eyes wide and frantic, one paw clinging to Shi Xu’s pants leg, the other pointing down the hallway, it meowed incessantly.
Gu Sui tried to pull it away, but it resisted, clinging even tighter to Shi Xu’s leg, its meows escalating into a high-pitched wail.
Shi Xu stopped Gu Sui, glancing at the slime on the cat, still hesitant to touch it. He bent down slightly. “What’s wrong?”
“Meow, meow, meow…”
He couldn’t understand cat language. He looked at Gu Sui, who finally stopped trying to pull the cat away, focusing on its frantic meows.
After a moment, his initial confusion turned to delight. “Really?”
He turned to Shi Xu, his voice filled with excitement. “Wife, our… baby… is born!”
Shi Xu: “???”
Wasn’t it already born?
The living room looked like a tornado had swept through it, furniture overturned, the windows shattered, shards of glass everywhere, half of the golden eggshell lying beside the broken coffee table, its contents missing.
A golden-haired baby sat naked behind the white sofa, its small hands clutching something, its back moving rhythmically, chewing sounds echoing in the room.
The cat, still clinging to Shi Xu’s leg, pointed at the baby, meowing frantically.
Gu Sui translated, “He… says… that’s… the baby!”
Hearing the commotion, the baby turned its head, its golden eyes lighting up upon seeing Shi Xu. It dropped the black fragment it was chewing on, crawling towards Shi Xu at an impressive speed, hugging his other leg.
“Eyah~” Its chubby cheeks pressed against Shi Xu’s leg, its bright eyes filled with adoration. “Eyah~~~”
“…What is it saying?” Shi Xu asked Gu Sui, who was equally stunned.
Gu Sui, acting as translator, replied instinctively, “Dad.”
He immediately realized his mistake, meeting Shi Xu’s amused gaze.
He pointed at the baby. “Baby… calls you… Dad.”
He pointed at Shi Xu. “You… are… my Wife.”
Shi Xu chuckled, bending down and gently stroking the baby’s soft golden hair.
The egg had been the size of a soccer ball. The baby was also about that size, the smallest baby Shi Xu had ever seen, its body surprisingly chubby.
Most newborns were wrinkled, but this baby was plump and adorable, with naturally curly golden hair, the same shimmering gold eyes as Gu Sui, its mouth forming a heart shape when it smiled, revealing two tiny teeth.
A baby hatching from an egg was strange enough. A newborn with teeth wasn’t that surprising anymore.
The baby grabbed Shi Xu’s finger, its tiny hand barely able to curl around it.
The small hand seemed to capture his heart as well.
He didn’t know if it was human, but it looked like a human infant.
He had never found human babies endearing, but this one… was strangely cute, making him want to touch, to squeeze, to kiss its soft, chubby cheeks.
He finally understood how Gu Sui felt about him.
He couldn’t resist kissing the baby’s forehead. The baby froze, then let out a happy squeal.
“Eyah~” It grabbed Shi Xu’s hand, bringing it to its nose, sniffing the familiar, comforting scent, giggling, then opening its mouth, about to bite his finger. Gu Sui quickly pulled Shi Xu’s hand away.
The baby’s eyes widened, looking at the smiling Shi Xu, then at the frowning Gu Sui, tears welling up as its gaze fell on the finger Gu Sui held, then spilling down its cheeks.
“Waaah—”
It cried loudly, then instantly quieted down when Shi Xu picked it up, its tiny hands clutching his clothes, afraid of being dropped, its chubby cheek nuzzling his chest contentedly. “Eyah~”
“What is it saying?”
The question went unanswered. Shi Xu looked at Gu Sui, who was scowling. Seeing Shi Xu’s gaze, his expression softened slightly, reluctantly translating, “Baby… calls you… Dad.”
Shi Xu poked the baby’s cheek, creating a small dimple. The soft, squishy texture was addictive.
Gu Sui felt a pang of jealousy, glaring at the baby, wanting to poke holes in its face.
He regretted bringing that egg home. He had hoped to gain favor through the baby, but it was stealing Shi Xu’s attention instead.
Babies were prone to drowsiness. This one was no exception. After playing with it for less than half an hour, it yawned, falling asleep.
“It’s asleep. Put it down,” Gu Sui said, his voice laced with jealousy.
Shi Xu nodded, carrying the baby upstairs. It slept soundly, not clinging to him. He watched it sleep for a while, returning downstairs ten minutes later.
Gu Sui followed him upstairs, waiting by the door. The moment he emerged, Gu Sui embraced him.
He was getting used to Gu Sui’s closeness, no longer instinctively pushing him away.
Gu Sui buried his face in his neck and shoulder, his voice muffled. “Wife, now that… we have… a baby… you don’t… love me… anymore?”
Shi Xu: “…”
It sounded like a cheesy line from an old drama.
He didn’t want to discuss this, but he still answered. “I don’t recall ever saying I love you.”
Gu Sui lifted his head. “Then… say it… now.”
Shi Xu: “Are you being unreasonable?”
Gu Sui pouted. “Why… do you… like him… so much?”
Shi Xu raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you say he’s our child? Of course I like my child.”
Gu Sui: “…”
He was the one who brought the egg home, forcing it onto Shi Xu. He couldn’t argue with that.
So he continued to be unreasonable, burying his face in Shi Xu’s shoulder. “I don’t care. You can only love me.”
Shi Xu endured for a while, then pushed him away, heading downstairs. Gu Sui quickly followed, trying to reason with him.
“It’s okay… if you… don’t love me… My love… is enough… Wife, I… only love… you…”
“…” Shi Xu’s teeth ached from the cheesy lines.
Before, the slightest bit of attention would cheer Gu Sui up. Now, he had evolved, no longer needing reassurance, his clinginess intensifying.
This change started after their intimacy.
Shi Xu thought, he had truly gotten himself into something.
But it was his own fault. He chose this pollutant. He had to accept the consequences.
Returning to the messy living room, he didn’t start cleaning immediately, asking Gu Sui to question the little black cat.
After a long, convoluted conversation, Gu Sui relayed the information.
The cat had seen low-level pollutants during its time as a stray, even witnessing other cats being consumed, so it knew what those creatures were.
This time, it and the golden egg encountered a high-level pollutant. If not for the egg, it would have been killed. Recalling the incident, it still trembled with fear, showing a rare display of vulnerability towards Gu Sui, even rubbing against his hand, hoping the powerful being would protect it in the future.
Its assumption was correct. Shi Xu searched the living room, detecting a faint pollutant aura behind the curtains.
With only a cat and an egg in the house, and the windows and doors closed, the pollutant wouldn’t have entered to attack them. It would have targeted stray animals instead.
Unless it intended to ambush them upon their return, but Shi Xu felt it was after the cat or the egg.
He asked the cat, “Have you been attacked by a pollutant before?”
Gu Sui translated. “No, I… lucky.”
Shi Xu: “Have you seen that pollutant before?”
The cat shook its head.
Shi Xu concluded, “Then it was after the baby.”
Gu Sui suddenly leaned closer, his face a familiar picture of grievance. Shi Xu sighed. “What is it?”
Gu Sui: “Don’t… call him… baby.”
The endearment was too intimate.
Shi Xu chuckled. “Should I call you baby instead?”
Gu Sui shuddered, his excitement evident. “Okay! I’ll… call you… baby… too~”
Shi Xu, again assaulted by the cheesiness, pinched Gu Sui’s chin, forcing his smile away.
“We’re discussing serious matters. No nonsense.”
Gu Sui mumbled, “Okay,” thinking, this wasn’t nonsense.
