Chapter 43: I Exist Because of You

Wen Chu floated on Xiu’s chest, not noticing the small movements of Xiu’s hands.

The moment Xiu finished speaking, Wen Chu, taking advantage of being mist, burrowed directly into Xiu’s clothes.

The black mist quickly flattened out, completely covering Xiu’s entire chest.

Xiu hadn’t expected Wen Chu to cover such a large area of skin right away. His whole body trembled, and his hands clenched even tighter.

Inside the clothes, Xiu’s body was fully exposed to Wen Chu.

Xiu’s body was also pathologically pale, but not frail. It wasn’t even much different from the previous world; the muscle lines were fluid, and the rise and fall of his chest were exceptionally distinct.

Wen Chu took a big bite—Ah-woo.

All the thick mist covering Xiu’s chest began to gnaw at the same time. Almost instantly, layers of thick mist were eaten clean by Wen Chu, revealing the pale skin underneath.

[Lifespan +24h]
[Remaining Lifespan: 5 days 18 hours 21 minutes]

As his lifespan increased, Wen Chu grew a size larger. The thick mist that had been obediently covering Xiu’s chest spilled over a little, spreading to his waist and abdomen.

At the same time, the skin that had just been gnawed clean began to turn red rapidly.

Inside Xiu’s clothes, Wen Chu couldn’t see Xiu’s expression. He could only feel Xiu tremble violently again, followed by a whirlwind of motion.

Xiu, who had been sitting upright on the edge of the bed, collapsed directly onto the bed and curled up.

“Xiu, what’s wrong—”

Wen Chu was startled and sent a wisp of mist out of the collar to look at Xiu, but lost his voice upon seeing Xiu’s condition.

The usually cold and gloomy Evil God was clutching the bedsheet tightly, his blonde hair scattered messily on the bed. A bright red flush had risen on his pathologically pale face.

Xiu’s lips parted unconsciously, panting violently and soundlessly, his pupils losing focus.

He didn’t even notice Wen Chu coming out of his clothes. He raised his hand and bit down hard on the back of his hand, curling up even tighter on the bed.

How could…
Lost it directly.

Xiu tried hard to cover his lower body, but the damp, cold sensation couldn’t deceive anyone.

All the black energy was suddenly eaten away, leaving him exposed unexpectedly. Rubbing against his clothes, Xiu only had time to bite his lip hard to stop himself from making a sound.

Even clenching his palms was useless.
The reaction couldn’t be suppressed at all.

…Why hasn’t the black energy covered back yet?

Xiu raised his hand tremblingly, biting the back of his hand hard, attempting to use pain to stop his reaction from happening again.

He was so confused that he completely forgot Wen Chu was a cloud of mist.

Even if he curled up into a ball, the mist could drill into countless tiny cracks and see the truth.

After a brief moment of astonishment, Wen Chu looked down and instantly understood what was wrong with Xiu.

Xiu’s place for mating had reacted prematurely.

This was a very normal reaction. Wen Chu had even used tentacles to help Xiu touch it before, so he didn’t think there was anything wrong at all. Without thinking too much, he directly sent out a cloud of mist to grip Xiu’s wrist.

The mist forcefully moved away the hand he had bitten until it bled.

“Don’t bite yourself.” The youth’s voice rang in his ear, as if someone was speaking right next to him.

Xiu trembled again.

He wanted to put his hand back and bite it, but even with force, he couldn’t move it. Looking up, he found his wrist was tied to the newly bought bedpost by the mist.

“Wen Chu…” Xiu forced himself to speak, wanting Wen Chu to let him go.

Before Xiu could get angry, Wen Chu asked first: “Xiu, why are your pants wet?”

Xiu’s transparent blue pupils widened, and panic bordering on terror appeared in those usually calm, dead, dim eyes.

Discovered.
All his reactions were discovered by Wen Chu.
Doing this to a cloud of mist… simply like a pervert.

“I… Mmph.” Just as Xiu opened his mouth, he felt a coolness on his lips.

It was the damp, cold mist covering his lips.

“Did I make you wet just now? My mist form seems to uncontrollably dampen people.”

While speaking, Wen Chu slowly deepened into Xiu’s mouth.

Kiss.

Almost forgot, Xiu is always evasive about the reaction of the front mating organ. Before, when I touched it, he wouldn’t speak for a long time.
Xiu was scared out of his wits just now.

Wen Chu tried to use a kiss to comfort the Evil God who had been forcibly pried open like a clam shell, forced to reveal his reaction.

Xiu hadn’t realized this was a different kind of kiss yet. He only felt too much water being fed into his mouth, all surging to his throat.

Almost filling him up.

He wanted to swallow but was afraid of accidentally eating this cloud of mist, so he could only keep his mouth open and accept it all.

“Sorry for getting your pants wet. Just change into a new pair later, okay?” Wen Chu glossed over the matter with a relaxed tone.

Xiu whimpered and nodded indiscriminately.
Right, right, that’s it, just change a pair…

“Then can I take another bite?”

Wen Chu asked politely.

“I can wash your clothes for you. Let me take another bite, okay?”

Xiu opened his eyes blankly.

The mist covered his body intermittently—a patch on his chest, a patch on his wrist, a patch in his mouth—so much so that when Xiu opened his eyes, he couldn’t find anyone to make eye contact with.

He could only focus his gaze on the kerosene lamp not far away. Physiological tears blurred the lamplight into a hazy halo.

Like blinding holy light.

Xiu nodded in a trance.

Eat.
Eat me clean.

If this shell, this dirty shell, still has use at the last moment, then I hope I can be used to feed Wen Chu.

Xiu even wondered, after the black energy on his body was eaten clean, where would Wen Chu eat next?

Would he need to eat his flesh? Or drink his blood? After all, this mist’s way of growing seemed so evil and strange.

Just suppressing his hand now required such strength; once fed, would it become a disastrous existence?

That didn’t matter anymore.
The world was heading towards destruction anyway.

And if possible, he wanted to become Wen Chu’s nutrients before the destruction, cleansing his own sins in such an escapist way.

“Xiu?”

Getting no response at all, and seeing Xiu’s obviously wrong expression, Wen Chu asked uneasily.

The blonde god’s gaze finally focused a little.

Black mist permeated his wrists, mouth, and collar, as if some unknown evil spirit was dragging him to the gates of hell.

Xiu opened his mouth, trying hard to lift the tip of his tongue, and spat out vague words.

“…Eat.”

It didn’t sound like indulgent consent.
It sounded more like an invitation from a fallen god to sink together.

Wen Chu was a bit at a loss.

Shouldn’t Xiu be agreeing while scolding him with disgust? Why was he suddenly indulging him so much?
Does acting pitiful really work this well?

While feeling uneasy, Wen Chu ate the black mist on Xiu’s chest again.

It must be the black energy’s fault. The system said this is Xiu’s resentment. If I eat more of the resentment on Xiu, will the Xiu of this world stop being so weird?

Thinking this, Wen Chu took another big bite.

[Lifespan +24h]

“Mmn…”

Xiu finally couldn’t help letting out a low, hoarse sound.

The black energy covered him again moments after being cleaned. Seeing this eyesore of black energy, Wen Chu couldn’t help asking again: “Can I… take one more bite?”

Definitely the last bite.

“Yes.” Xiu’s voice was hoarse.

The pants were ruined anyway; maybe being eaten a few more times would desensitize him.

Thinking this, Xiu raised his other still-free hand and stroked the thick black mist buried in his chest like stroking a kitten.

“You need to save up more lifespan, grow a bit bigger. Save up ninety-nine years of lifespan soon, otherwise…”

If one day he wasn’t by Wen Chu’s side.

“It would be too dangerous for you alone.”

Wen Chu stared blankly at Xiu.

He finally realized belatedly—
It wasn’t because he acted pitiful; it was that the Xiu of this world seemed to be a bit broken from the very beginning.

[What happens if I eat all the black energy on Xiu?]

Wen Chu asked the system abruptly.

[Nothing will happen. Once you save enough lifespan, you can go to the next world.] The system said calmly.

[Will he not turn into a normal person? Does it not matter if this world is destroyed?] Wen Chu was very puzzled.

The system paused.

[Doesn’t matter.]
[Your survival is the most important thing.]

Wen Chu stopped talking.

From being bullied by the system at the beginning to now, he could keenly realize the evasive tactics the system often used when avoiding his words.

The system wasn’t willing to tell him what would happen if he ate all the black energy on Xiu.

Then start with Xiu.

Wen Chu whispered in the ear of the dazed Xiu: “Xiu, your body is so red.”

“Is it because I ate the black energy, so you were hurt?”

Xiu closed his eyes tremblingly and nodded, deceiving himself and others.

“…Yes.”

He didn’t want the innocent Wen Chu to come into contact with all this.

Wen Chu, however, buried himself in Xiu’s chest and silently clasped the other’s waist.

Ah—the same reason as the wet pants.

Then he isn’t hurt.
But a more ambiguous reason.

Xiu is so sensitive in this world.

Wen Chu chose not to expose it, but instead continued to pretend to understand nothing.

If he exposed it, he couldn’t continue to be this intimate with Xiu.

He lowered his head, took a big bite of black energy, and cleaned Xiu again.

Xiu’s skin not only turned red but even became more turbulent, as if it would burst and spray something at any moment.

It seemed like it would break if not treated.

Wen Chu softened his voice: “Then Xiu, let me treat you first before continuing to eat.”

Saying this, without waiting for Xiu’s answer, he directly transferred ten hours of lifespan to the other party.

[Lifespan -10h]

The bloody bite marks on Xiu’s hand disappeared, and the red marks on his body vanished into thin air.

As if all sensation was instantly drawn away, Xiu was even a bit bewildered.

He looked at the small cloud of mist on his wrist: “What did you do? How much lifespan did you use?”

Wen Chu deftly avoided the topic: “A tiny bit. Let me eat a few more times, and I can eat it back.”

Saying this, he opened his mouth again.

The black cat’s sharp little teeth gnawed again.

.

Wen Chu ate five times in a row until the mist on Xiu wasn’t so thick before stopping.

His lifespan was pulled to ten days, and he turned into a cloud of mist that could cover Xiu’s entire upper body.

And Xiu, let alone pushing him away, didn’t even say a word of refusal.

Throughout the whole process, he just trembled and ejaculated (“she”) time and time again.

Even tolerance shouldn’t go this far.

The deeper the contact, the more Wen Chu felt that the Xiu of this world was indeed too strange.

Like the statue in the Central Plaza, like an exquisite porcelain vase filled with hidden cracks.

In places he didn’t notice, the porcelain vase was leaking water continuously through the cracks.

Why was Xiu like this?

Wen Chu only ate from the chest area. After finishing, he turned into a little black cat and obediently nuzzled Xiu’s cheek.

“Xiu, I’m full. I have ten days of lifespan now. Let me wash your clothes.”

Xiu came back to his senses very slowly, looking away almost panic-stricken, avoiding eye contact with the little black cat’s innocent eyes.

“I’ll do it myself.”

Xiu’s trailing note was short and hurried.

He rolled out of bed wretchedly, ignoring how suggestive his current appearance was, quickly put on his black robe, and prepared to go outside to wash up.

His house had no running water; he had to go to the bathhouse outside to bathe.

Wen Chu turned into a cloud of mist, floating beside Xiu, insisting: “No, we agreed I would wash them for you.”

Xiu stumbled when getting out of bed, pursing his lips: “I didn’t agree with you, and you don’t need to mind. This is the reward I promised you.”

“—Go back.”

Xiu finally lowered his voice, his attitude very firm.

Wen Chu could only stop.

Actually, he could sneakily follow Xiu to watch him bathe, but that would have no substantial effect other than making Xiu avoid him more.

Wen Chu sighed and floated back.

Xiu wouldn’t even let him wash clothes; Xiu really didn’t like him.

Disliking him so much, yet indulging him to this extent, even not resisting when he covered Xiu’s entire upper body at the end—this was very unreasonable.

You know, in the last world, it wasn’t until he was about to die that Xiu agreed to his mating request.

He was alive and kicking in this world.

Wen Chu floated back to the stone tower, silently dug out the oxygen tank, replenished himself with some clean oxygen daily, and began to think about why Xiu became like this.

Because he brought the Heart of Steam to this world?

But this was a good thing. The Heart of Steam was utilized by humans to become like this. If Xiu was dissatisfied with the status quo, wouldn’t it be fine to support Minnie’s rebellion and change the dynasty?

Or was Minnie also bad?

Thinking here, Wen Chu suddenly remembered the weird feeling he sensed from Minnie today.

It was originally just a little weirdness, but now it was infinitely magnified.

Wen Chu had a good memory. He began to recall Minnie’s words word for word.

She said—

“I want to have everything they have too.”

Wen Chu shivered.

Indeed, still a bit strange. He needed to go check Minnie’s bedroom again.

Yesterday he toured the entire courtyard, but mainly focused on what furnishings were in other people’s rooms, not paying special attention to Minnie’s room.

Looking carefully again might yield something.

No sooner said than done. Wen Chu quickly jumped out of bed, about to float out the window, but remembered Xiu getting anxious when he couldn’t find him. He paused, and finally only split off a small wisp of black mist.

His main body turned into a little black cat and continued to stay on the bed waiting for Xiu to return.

The small ball of mist split off quickly floated through the window and arrived at Minnie’s bedroom.

As the leader of the Rebel Army, Minnie’s bedroom was on the top floor of the main building.

Revisiting the old haunt, Wen Chu drilled into Minnie’s bedroom through the door crack, hiding in the shadows, moving slowly while observing seriously.

The bedroom was very simple, just with a few more clothes and books. Except for an extra solid wood desk, it looked no different from other bedrooms.

Minnie was at the desk writing a letter to the leader of the South District.

Wen Chu took a look. It was roughly about Catherine’s illness and John being taken to the welfare institute, wanting to use them as topics to start cooperation with the South District, and mentioning their plan to have the children fake their deaths in the Central Plaza to incite conflict.

He already knew these things. Wen Chu didn’t take it to heart and continued to move sideways.

He moved to Minnie’s bedside and saw an open book.

The book had things written like “Constitutional Monarchy of the Louis Era” and “Distant Feudal Monarchy.” Wen Chu didn’t understand these technical terms, only seeing that Minnie had made quite a few notes under the “Feudal Monarchy” section.

Analyzing the compatibility of Feudal Monarchy with the City of Steam.

Just as Wen Chu wanted to take a closer look at what “Feudal Monarchy” exactly was, his main body left in the stone tower keenly sensed movement outside the door.

Xiu was walking back.

Wen Chu instantly couldn’t care about that much anymore. He quickly flew out of Minnie’s room and returned to the stone tower.

The kerosene lamp was still lit in the stone tower. Wen Chu flew very fast, waiting on the bed for a few seconds before Xiu came in with wet hair.

Upon seeing him, a trace of embarrassment flashed across Xiu’s face quickly, then he sat down as if nothing had happened and picked up the black cat on the bed.

“Why still this size?” Xiu frowned at the cat that was only two palms big.

“I condensed myself a bit. Only got heavier, didn’t keep getting bigger,” Wen Chu explained. “Otherwise, if I grow too big, others will suspect.”

Xiu weighed him; indeed a bit heavier.

Turned into a solid little cat.

After confirming Wen Chu was fine, Xiu relaxed, stood up, and went to extinguish the kerosene lamp.

“Good. Let’s sleep.”

The oil lamp went out.

Wen Chu’s cat eyes glowed green in the night. He stared straight at Xiu who came back to sit on the bed, thought for a while, and then asked: “Xiu, can you predict the future? Is that why you informed the infirmary in advance today that Boiler Room No. 21 would explode?”

“Something like that,” Xiu said casually.

He obviously didn’t want to continue this topic, answering very briefly.

Wen Chu lay on Xiu’s chest and continued to press: “Then do you think the future with Minnie as the leader of the Rebel Army is good?”

Xiu lowered his eyes and glanced at the black cat: “Why ask this suddenly?”

Wen Chu said guiltily: “Just curious.”

Fortunately, Xiu wasn’t suspicious. He looked at the window with those pale eyes that seemed to see through everything.

“It’s not a question of who is the leader.”

“It’s that this era has gone wrong from the root.”

Minnie’s feudalism, James’s idealism, Claude’s mechanical supremacy, even John’s money supremacy, Dorothy’s gentle reformism… It was never a problem of a certain individual.

History is pushed forward by the masses; a hero cannot save an era.

None of them were wrong; only this era was wrong.

It was his intervention that gave this era technology inconsistent with the level of civilization development, causing such a twisted situation.

Wen Chu seemed to understand but didn’t: “So you want to destroy the world? Is supporting Minnie one of your steps to destroy the world? Then I support you destroying the world too.”

Xiu shook his head: “I don’t need your support, and you don’t need to help anyone. You just need to live well.”

Wen Chu blinked his eyes: “But I want you to be happy.”

“I exist because of you.”

Xiu withdrew his gaze, looked deeply at him with those transparent blue eyes, and repeated softly: “…Exist because of me?”

Is there really someone in this world who came for him?

“Of course,” Wen Chu affirmed. “I can only live by eating you.”

He needs to eat Xiu to live + He came here to be partners with Xiu = Xiu is the reason for his existence.

Wen Chu listed an equation.

So it was for eating.

Xiu couldn’t help chuckling.

“Alright, don’t think so much. Sleep. Wake up a bit earlier tomorrow; I’ll take you to school.”

Wen Chu wanted to say something else but was blocked by Xiu’s next sentence.

“Wake up early and go to school properly. Learn new knowledge and come back, I’ll let you eat,” Xiu said calmly.

Wen Chu was hit in his weak spot (“seven inches”), instantly silenced.

The new large bed was soft, and the quilt was thick enough; Wen Chu liked it very much.

But he still liked Xiu’s chest more.

Relying on being a little cat who knew nothing, Wen Chu lay on Xiu’s chest to sleep with confidence.

The cold Evil God slept on the cartoon bedsheet full of egg drawings that was completely out of place with him, holding the little black cat, feeling a bit of warmth after a long time.

The autumn wind was bleak.

But he had a little cat sleeping in the same quilt as him.

.

Next day, early morning.

“Bang bang bang! Bang bang! Bang bang bang!”

Urgent knocking sounded at the door, accompanied by Dorothy’s anxious voice: “Sir! Sir!!”

Xiu woke up with a start, holding Wen Chu.

He thought he had overslept again. Looking at the sky, he revealed a puzzled expression when he found the sun had just risen.

The knocking outside continued; Dorothy was still calling him.

“Sir! Come out quickly! Come out and look!!”

“Xiu…?”

Wen Chu was also woken up, stood up unsteadily, and looked outside the door.

“Did something happen?”

“Don’t know.” Xiu quickly put on his black robe and picked up Wen Chu. “But she is usually quite afraid of me. Looking for me at this time must be urgent.”

Wen Chu stayed obediently in Xiu’s arms, watching him open the door.

“Sir—!” Dorothy’s cheeks were flushed with excitement. At this moment, she couldn’t even care about being afraid of the cold and eccentric Xiu, her voice extremely loud.

“Sir! Your vegetable patch has sprouted seedlings! Come with me to look quickly.”

Xiu was stunned.

Wen Chu finally understood what happened and wagged his tail proudly.

Little Fog did this!

Xiu dazed for a moment, then quickly followed Dorothy’s steps holding Wen Chu, walking all the way to the vegetable patch in the backyard.

Dorothy said as she walked: “I got up early this morning to teach Catherine to preview in advance, otherwise she wouldn’t keep up with the progress. Suddenly I heard the big yellow dog barking behind the yard. I thought someone broke in, so I called a few adults to come together. Unexpectedly, when we walked over to look—”

Speaking up to here, they had reached the vegetable patch.

At this time, a crowd of people had already gathered by the vegetable patch, as if visiting some rare treasure. Even though the vegetable patch was surrounded so tightly that not a drop of water could trickle through, no one dared to set foot on this land.

Xiu’s arrival made them automatically part a path.

Holding Wen Chu, Xiu walked a few steps forward along the path made by the crowd.

So he saw it.

On the pitch-black, hardened soil, in front of the crooked, blackened chili seedlings, a touch of crisp, tender new green.

On the barren ground, pure seedlings grew out.

---

Author’s Note:

Wen Chu, in the end, still lost to being illiterate.
(Read more Marxist philosophy in the future, baby (Why did the black words suddenly turn red?))
As for Xiu, the most important thing for you now is to throw away the crazy melodramatic script in your head (Not throwing it is fine too; going on like this, once Wen Chu finds out, you will definitely be “ai cao” (fucked/loved) (or stir-fried)).