Will Drawing the “Wife Card” Turn Me Into the Group’s Favorite? 50

Chapter 50: Curly Hair

As night fell, Tang Yu’an lay in the unfamiliar bed, pulling the covers over his head.

A faint smell of smoke lingered, its source unknown. He assumed no one else cared; drug use here was as common as drinking water.

Tomorrow remained uncertain, his heart filled with anxiety, unable to sleep.

If he failed… he would be trapped here, a tool with no dignity, no chance of escape.

He closed his eyes, trying to relax, but a sound from outside his door startled him.

He opened his eyes, sitting up, alert.

It seemed to be coming from outside, faint but distinct.

Unable to see what it was, he cautiously approached the door, holding a metal rod.

He opened the door, and it was the black cat, scratching.

He picked it up. It wasn’t electrified. He noticed a white collar around its neck, likely F’s way of suppressing its ability.

Good, no more electric shocks.

“Why are you here?”

He petted its head, intending to take it back to F, but the cat jumped down and burrowed under the covers.

So familiar.

The small body moved around under the blanket, as if it had come to life.

Just then, F appeared at the door: “It seems to like your scent.”

“Scent?”

I’m not wearing any perfume…

F yawned: “It insisted on coming here, I couldn’t stop it. Just let it stay with you for now… I’ll come get it when I need to recharge something.”

She started to leave, then turned back, hesitating, then asking: “Are you… going to steal Six’s shipment tomorrow?”

Tang Yu’an looked at her, surprised. Iron Hand had been alone when he gave him the instructions. He didn’t think he valued F enough to share such information.

F waved her hand dismissively: “Don’t look at me like that. It’s obvious. He’s been after that shipment for a long time, but they have a history, so he hasn’t been able to get his hands on it.”

Tang Yu’an, realizing she was giving him a hint, quickly asked what he should do.

F told him to stay away, not to get involved.

“But then I’ll fail the mission, and I’m still poisoned.”

F told him Iron Hand wouldn’t let him die, but Six might.

He was known for mutilating his enemies, leaving them to suffer.

As she left, she pinched his cheek: “Better a captive than a corpse, poor thing.”

After F left, Tang Yu’an felt even more apprehensive.

The cat, sensing his anxiety, jumped on him, seeking attention.

He made it a bed with a cushion, but the cat insisted on being on the bed, so he let it curl up in a corner.

Surprisingly, the small animal’s presence calmed him down.

If all else failed, he still had the system. He could exchange health points for the antidote.

He drifted off to sleep, but his dream was cold and bleak.

He was back in his childhood, walking aimlessly down the street, holding his dead dog in his arms.

He had named it Xingqiu, meaning “planet,” because it loved spinning around.

Whenever he said, “Xingqiu, you’re the best dog in the world,” it would wag its tail happily.

His parents wouldn’t let him keep a stray dog, so he would sneak out to feed it regularly.

Xingqiu would always be hiding in a corner, rushing over to lick his face when he arrived.

But today, he couldn’t find it.

Perhaps it had wandered off, he thought, so he searched, asking everyone he met if they had seen a small, cute, yellow dog.

They all said no, until an old man basking in the sun mentioned a group of children throwing rocks at a dog. The dog almost bit them, so they threw it in the pond and drowned it.

Tang Yu’an stared blankly for a few seconds, a soft gasp escaping his lips.

He ran to the pond. It wasn’t deep, but for a small dog, it was like an ocean.

He retrieved Xingqiu, holding its lifeless body, and walked back to the old man, asking if he had seen who did it.

The old man said he hadn’t been paying attention, just a few children about his age.

Tang Yu’an didn’t press further, turning to leave, but the old man stopped him.

He asked if the dog was his, what its name was.

After hearing the answer, he clicked his tongue, shaking his head: “Child, you gave it a bad name, too big, it couldn’t bear it, so it died.”

Tang Yu’an remembered those words, holding Xingqiu close as he recalled their first meeting.

You were so small back then, he thought, like a little moving mound of dirt.

I should have named you Little Mound, maybe you would have lived.

He walked past bustling streets, past vendors’ stalls, ignoring the curious glances of passersby.

He seemed to be in a bubble, detached from the world.

Until a familiar voice called out. He turned and saw Chen Fei, the boy who had saved him.

The boy ran over, asking why he was wet again, didn’t he know he would get sick?

Since that day by the lake, they met occasionally. Chen Fei had dropped out of school, so Tang Yu’an taught him what he learned in class, and Chen Fei shared his stories, as if he had traveled the world, but he had never even left the city.

For children, this city was their universe, vast and full of wonders to explore.

Tang Yu’an held Xingqiu closer: “My dog… is gone.”

Chen Fei, not good at comforting people, stammered, unsure what to say, so Tang Yu’an continued.

“It’s getting colder, so I wanted to build it a small shelter. I didn’t have any money, so I collected some wooden planks and asked the store owner for some old cushions… I was ready, I was all ready…”

Chen Fei, after hearing what happened, was furious, grabbing his hand and pulling him along.

“Where are we going?”

Chen Fei said: “This city isn’t that big, there are only so many families with children. We’ll search every house until we find the culprits!”

He said he would teach them a lesson.

He stopped midway, asking Tang Yu’an: “Can you fight?”

Tang Yu’an shook his head.

“I thought so… It’s okay, just remember, aim for the nose. Break their nose, and they’ll be too scared to fight back!”

Waking up the next morning, Tang Yu’an’s mind still echoed with those words.

But looking at his own fist, then imagining the others’ cybernetic enhancements, he felt it was a futile effort.

He took the sleeping cat to F, who was already awake, adding to her tattoos while listening to death metal.

Seeing him, she greeted him cheerfully: “Good morning, my little newbie and portable charger!”

Tang Yu’an wasn’t offended by “newbie.” He was well aware of his own limitations, his performance before Iron Hand all an act.

The cat was sleeping soundly, not even stirring when he put it down.

“Excellent sleep quality, like it’s dead,” F commented. “By the way, what’s its name? I can’t keep calling it ‘cat’.”

Tang Yu’an said it wasn’t his cat, it just followed him.

F urged him: “It’s so attached to you, it’ll probably follow you anyway. Just give it a name.”

Tang Yu’an felt a heavy responsibility.

After two minutes of contemplation, he whispered to the cat: “From today onwards, your name is Mimi.”

F: “…Did that really require so much thought? Even ‘Charger’ is better than that!”

Tang Yu’an said: “A small name is easier to live with.”

F mumbled something about superstition, then pushed him into a swivel chair, draping a white cloth around his neck.

“I’m giving you a haircut. Don’t move, or I’ll call you Mimi too.”

Tang Yu’an: “?”

“I don’t need a haircut…”

F ignored him, retrieving a pair of scissors from a drawer.

He tried to escape, but his wrists were suddenly restrained by metal cuffs.

F said smugly: “These were torture devices, I repurposed them into a barber chair.”

Tang Yu’an said dryly: “Your business… seems a bit hostile to customers.”

“I don’t usually use them. It’s just… to prevent you from running away… Don’t blame me, it’s Iron Hand’s order.”

Tang Yu’an was surprised: “He asked you to give me a haircut?”

F started snipping at his hair: “He wants you to blend in, you’re too conspicuous.”

That made sense. After confirming it wasn’t a complete shave, he relaxed.

But after a while, he added: “Don’t shave my skull either!”

F sounded disappointed: “Such a perfect face, what a shame he’s so boring.”

Tang Yu’an: “…”

This was a new one, but to protect his skull, he would accept being “boring.”

The haircut was quickly finished. It wasn’t much shorter, just styled and slightly curled.

He touched his bangs, not used to the curls. F stopped him: “Alright, little lamb, time to choose your outfit.”

She pulled out a trunk from the corner, dumping the contents onto the bed.

“Pick something.”

Sequins, chains, loud patterns, and unconventional designs, guaranteed to turn heads, perhaps only acceptable on this planet.

Tang Yu’an looked through the clothes, finally picking up a piece of fabric.

F’s eyes lit up: “You’re choosing that?”

He had a bad feeling: “Is… isn’t this a scarf?”

F scoffed: “Never seen one before? It’s a bellyband.”

Tang Yu’an: “!”