The Picked-Up Little Tentacle Begs Me to Take Responsibility 9

Chapter 9

The pollutant was transparent, its insides clearly visible, yet Shi Xu still wanted to dissect its head, to see if it actually had a brain, and if so, what it was thinking.

The black cat a few days ago had been surprising enough. Now, there was this mannequin.

Shi Xu discovered his capacity for surprise was greater than he thought.

“What are you doing? Where did this mannequin come from?”

The pollutant stared intently at Shi Xu’s fingers undoing his tie, recalling the pleasant sensation of being tapped by it. It fidgeted, barely containing its excitement, yet feigning composure, “Wife, I… became… human.”

Shi Xu paused, then chuckled, mimicking the pollutant’s tone, “You became human?”

No one would mistake this mannequin for a real person.

He immediately realized the pollutant wanted to become human.

Why would a monster have such a desire?

Before pondering this, Shi Xu had a more pressing question. “Where did you get this?”

Pollutant: “Clothing… store.”

Shi Xu: “You bought it?”

The pollutant stammered, “…No.”

Shi Xu: “…”

As he suspected, the pollutant didn’t understand transactions.

“Return it immediately.” He realized another issue. “You didn’t wreck the store, did you?”

The pollutant quickly shook its head, confessing, “No, the store… closing down… not open. And… I listened… to Wife. No one… saw me. I… hid… carefully…”

Clever, but misdirected cleverness.

Shi Xu said coldly, “Just because they’re closing down doesn’t mean you can take their things. Return it.”

The usually obedient pollutant hesitated, staring at him.

From Shi Xu’s perspective, being stared at by a taller-than-him mannequin was unsettling, making his scalp crawl.

The pollutant hesitated, then asked softly, “Wife… not like?”

Shi Xu walked past the mannequin into the living room, tossing his tie onto the sofa under the pollutant’s expectant gaze. “There are countless mannequins like this. If I liked them, I’d have to like them all.”

The pollutant shook its head vigorously.

No!

Wife can only like me!

It felt a pang of regret. It had carefully chosen this particular mannequin from countless others.

It was the tallest. Shi Xu was 5’11”. This mannequin was over 6’2″. A husband shouldn’t be shorter than his wife.

Broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs, and abs. Although its face was stiff and its gaze vacant, it had a good figure. It was convinced Shi Xu would like it, but…

Shi Xu observed the pollutant’s reaction. The mannequin’s eyes, originally black and lifeless, were now gold-rimmed and bright, dimming only when the pollutant felt dejected.

A pollutant, more emotionally expressive than many humans, its feelings reflected in those dazzling, sun-like eyes, drawing attention, making it impossible to miss its shifting emotions.

This pollutant was so eager to become human. Why?

Shi Xu smiled, beckoning the pollutant. “Come here.”

The pollutant’s emotions seemed controlled by Shi Xu. With a slight shift in his demeanor, its eyes brightened, instantly appearing before him.

Even with his strong mental fortitude, Shi Xu was unnerved by the eerie mannequin.

He pointed at its chest. “I didn’t tell you to come so close. Keep a one-meter distance.”

The gelatinous substance covering the mannequin’s lips shifted downwards, simulating a frown.

Reluctantly, the pollutant obeyed, stepping back. With this movement, Shi Xu’s finger lost contact with its chest.

The mannequin had no flesh, bones, or heart, yet the pollutant could feel the warmth and touch of Shi Xu’s fingertip. It cherished the sensation, imprinting it onto its being, savoring it later, soothing the anxiety of Shi Xu’s absence.

[Heehee, Wife touched me… This must be a pre-courtship signal!]

The pollutant made no sound, its thoughts hidden from Shi Xu.

His gaze settled on the mannequin’s bright red lips. After the pollutant moved away, he stepped closer.

It was a 600-meter walk from the gate to his house. Shi Xu’s body carried a chill, his breath warm against the mannequin’s lips.

The pollutant stared at his approaching face, its non-existent heart racing.

Shi Xu, slightly shorter, tilted his head back, cupping the mannequin’s chin, his thumb tracing its lower lip.

It wasn’t as hard and cold as he expected. The soft, gelatinous layer made it feel like he was touching the pollutant, not the mannequin.

Strangely, in previous accidental touches, the pollutant had been cold. Now, it was burning hot.

Unfazed, Shi Xu closed the distance. Just as his lips were about to touch the mannequin’s, he spoke, “If I kiss this, I’m kissing the mannequin, not you. Can you accept that?”

The racing sensation in the pollutant vanished, replaced by a plummeting feeling.

“No!” it cried.

Wife is mine! Even a mannequin I possess can’t take advantage of Wife!

Shi Xu threatened, “If you don’t return it, I’ll keep it.”

The pollutant: “!!!”

“I’ll listen to Wife! I’ll return it now!” The mannequin stiffly ran towards the door, disappearing in a blink.

Shi Xu: “…”

He rubbed his temples, sinking into the sofa, closing his eyes.

He valued peace and quiet. During his downtime, he wanted to be left alone. He never thought he would keep a pollutant, let alone allow this noisy creature to remain in his personal space.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes, straightening up. He grabbed his laptop from the coffee table, checking the browsing history.

Unsurprisingly, he found several searches: [How pollutant become human]

He clicked on a website. An expert offered a blunt, callous answer: Are you kidding? Pollutants should be eliminated, not given the chance to become human! That would endanger the world!

Another website’s response: Stop that terrifying thought! Even if pollutants could become human, I wouldn’t want to be friends with them. The thought of those disgusting things looking like humans is horrifying!

The remaining answers were similar: I’d call the Anomaly Management Bureau immediately to eliminate it!

The light from the ceiling lamp and laptop screen illuminated Shi Xu’s face, his light-colored eyes filled with an unreadable emotion.

…

The store the pollutant had raided was only a ten-minute drive away. At the pollutant’s speed, the round trip should have taken only twenty minutes.

A running mannequin was too conspicuous. To avoid being seen and causing panic, the pollutant had taken a circuitous route, taking half an hour to return.

The villa was quiet. Shi Xu had fallen asleep on the sofa.

Without his permission, the pollutant obediently remained divided. The jellies crawled onto the sofa, surrounding Shi Xu, stopping just a hand’s reach away, no longer daring to touch him.

Wife said sexual harassment would anger him, so it had to restrain itself!

But its intense gaze remained fixed on him.

Shi Xu was a light sleeper, easily awakened even by someone’s gaze, let alone this burning stare.

He slowly opened his eyes, met by the jellies surrounding him. They trembled excitedly upon meeting his gaze.

“Wife, I’m back.”

Shi Xu blinked, his mind clearing quickly. Ignoring the greeting, he asked, “Did you return it?”

The pollutant replied obediently, “Returned it. I listened to Wife. No one saw me, and I didn’t break anything.”

Shi Xu then asked, “Why do you want to become human?”

At this question, the jellies trembled even more, not from fear, but excitement.

“You said… you won’t… date… a pollutant. If… I become… human, then… we can… date!”

Shi Xu paused, grasping an answer: the pollutant was excited by the prospect of dating him.

Immediately after, the pollutant asked shyly, “Wife, will… you… date me?”

He still couldn’t understand. It was just a hypothetical scenario.

Why was it so excited by mere imagination?

Was dating him that appealing?

Even he found himself boring.

He couldn’t locate the pollutant’s eyes among the many jellies.

Unable to see them, he felt a strange unease, wanting to avoid the topic.

He was capricious and cruel.

He had initiated the conversation, and now he abruptly ended it, offering no hope.

“You can speak much better now. You should be able to answer my questions, right?”

Disappointed by the lack of a direct answer, the pollutant deflated as Shi Xu changed the subject. The jellies slumped onto the sofa, looking like they were playing dead.

“What are you doing?” Shi Xu asked.

The pollutant replied guiltily, “I… can’t… speak.”

Shi Xu: “…” Then who was I just talking to?

He pressed a jelly flat, threatening, “Behave, or I’ll throw you out.”

It was a casual threat, but it hit a nerve.

The pollutant immediately complied. “I can speak! Wife, don’t throw me out!”

“…” Shi Xu understood.

This pollutant was clever. It knew that after answering his questions, he might abandon or eliminate it, so it chose to feign ignorance.

A smile touched Shi Xu’s lips, his voice lightening. “In the rift, you entangled me but didn’t kill me. Why?”

The pollutant exclaimed, “I would never kill you!”

Shi Xu was taken aback. “Then why did you entangle me?”

“Because… I like you! Because… I want you! Because… I want to keep you with me forever!” The pollutant’s voice grew louder with each declaration, stunning Shi Xu into silence, his smile fading.

The eyes he couldn’t find before suddenly appeared, staring intently at him, as if they had never looked away.

The gold-rimmed eyes were filled with sincerity and fervor.

“But… you didn’t want to… so I let you go. You… don’t like… the abyss, so… I came out… to see you, to… be with you… always.”