Chapter 48: A Date Invitation

Xiu quickly reached out to cover his chest.

Ignoring the painful itch caused by the friction of the clothes, Xiu said with a pale face, “Get out.”

But this time, Wen Chu didn’t listen to him. Instead, he intensified his efforts and squeezed his entire self in.

Relying on the fact that he was fog, Wen Chu completely disregarded Xiu’s strict defense, drilling through countless tiny gaps to reach Xiu’s chest.

The icy, damp fog stuck to the Evil God’s body, which was feverish from being overly sensitive.

Wen Chu was shocked again. “You aren’t wearing anything underneath either?!?”

Xiu sat up, his patience exhausted. He turned the kerosene lamp on the bedside table to its brightest setting and tugged at his black robe. “Get out quickly!”

For the first time, Wen Chu disobeyed Xiu, clinging to him relentlessly. “Is this how you go out? Why aren’t you wearing clothes? You…”

Wen Chu’s voice stopped abruptly.

Because he saw a faint blush on Xiu’s pale face—a color that only appeared when he was being eaten.

Even the base of his neck was red.

Xiu squeezed the words out through his teeth, emphasizing each syllable: “Get. Out.”

Wen Chu chickened out and rolled away briskly.

But he didn’t roll far. He continued to float leisurely beside Xiu, persistently questioning, “Is this really how you go out? Do you mean usually when you wear the black robe, you actually don’t wear anything underneath?”

Wen Chu felt more and more sour as he spoke.

How can Xiu be so lewd?

When I eat him, he pretends to be so good for so long, yet he just casually goes out wearing nothing?

If I had known, I wouldn’t have helped the Rebel Army. I hate all the rebels who have seen Xiu.

Xiu was adjusting his black robe. Hearing Wen Chu’s outrageous words, his hand shook, and he almost pulled the robe off.

“I don’t,” Xiu tried to keep his voice calm. “Only today.”

“Today? Why today?” Wen Chu stared at Xiu dead on.

In the short time it took to say this sentence, Wen Chu had imagined almost all the worst possibilities.

Is there some shady deal with someone? Or is it to meet someone he cares about?

“…Because you ate too many times,” Xiu’s voice was very small.

Wen Chu was stunned. “…Huh?”

It was already hard for Xiu to speak of it, but being questioned by Wen Chu like this made him feel like his face was about to burn up.

He pulled down his hood in self-abandonment and roughly tore open the collar of his cloak.

His long golden hair cascaded down, and Xiu’s chest was exposed. Wen Chu finally saw clearly what the other person looked like now—

Those full but not exaggerated muscles were no longer their original pale color. Even surrounded by thick black mist, Wen Chu could still see through the mist to the bright red underneath that looked almost… raw.

Not only the exposed skin, but even further down, the waistline hidden in the black robe was red.

Xiu’s entire upper body looked as if it had just been ravaged by someone, as if touching it again would break the skin.

Wen Chu started stuttering directly. “You, you, you, you…”

“You ate it,” Xiu said, smashing the pot to pieces. “Because you ate too many times, now it hurts as soon as I touch clothes. I can’t wear clothes. Satisfied?”

Wen Chu instantly lost the imposing manner of his interrogation and poof, turned into a coward.

He knew Xiu in this world was sensitive, but he didn’t expect him to be sensitive to this extent.

“Does it really hurt?” Wen Chu began to feel guilty.

Xiu turned his face away. “En.”

He didn’t want to mention to Wen Chu the other sensation that was harder to endure than pain.

Reaching this step was already Xiu’s limit; his sense of shame was crumbling.

To expose his ugly desires any further—Xiu couldn’t do it, and he didn’t want to defile the ignorant fog like that.

Wen Chu didn’t know Xiu’s thoughts; he really thought Xiu was in pain.

Maintaining his fog form, he floated over and gently touched Xiu’s body.

[Life Span -10h]
[Remaining Life Span: 19 days 17 hours 54 minutes]

With another transfer of life span, Wen Chu’s remaining life span dropped below twenty days. His entire fog mass shrank by half, and all the marks on Xiu’s body disappeared with it.

Xiu watched the fog shrink again, his pupils constricting slightly.

“Sorry,” Wen Chu didn’t notice the subtle change in Xiu’s expression. He apologized sincerely, “I didn’t know. I made you suffer all afternoon. In the future, I will treat you after I finish eating.”

Xiu frowned. “How much life span do you have left?”

Wen Chu didn’t expect Xiu’s first question to be this. He paused for a moment before saying, “Nineteen days.”

Xiu sighed.

Wen Chu looked at him, puzzled.

The next second, the black robe fell to the ground entirely.

Xiu was fully revealed in front of him.

Wen Chu was so scared he shapeshifted. “What’s wrong??”

Xiu sat on the bed. “Eat.”

He looked at the small ball of fog and added, “You are only allowed to eat the upper body.”

Wen Chu floated to Xiu’s side in a daze, hesitating. “For me to eat? Are you really okay?”

Xiu was being strangely generous.

Impatiently, Xiu gathered a ball of fog and placed it on himself. “If I tell you to eat, then eat. Didn’t you spend life span to treat me? Then eat it back.”

At the current rate, who knew how long it would take for Wen Chu to save up 99 years of life span.

He was anxious. He hoped more than anyone that Wen Chu could grow up quickly and devour him completely.

Wen Chu hesitantly took a small bite of black gas, observing Xiu’s expression at the same time.

[Life Span +15min]

The tip of the peak was cleared. Xiu pursed his lips, but no expression of pain appeared.

So Wen Chu ate a big mouthful with relief.

At the same time, he separated a wisp of black gas and bound Xiu’s wrists.

“Don’t pinch yourself,” Wen Chu emphasized.

“If you feel uncomfortable, tell me, and I’ll stop. If you want to bite something…”

Wen Chu thought for a moment, separated a ball of fog, solidified it into a long strip, and brought it to Xiu’s mouth. “Then you can bite me.”

Xiu looked at the thick black cylindrical object touching his lips. Although he knew Wen Chu meant well, he couldn’t help but think crookedly.

But the next moment, he didn’t have time to think much.

Because after Wen Chu took a tentative taste to confirm there were no problems, the entire mass of fog covered him.

His entire upper body was wrapped up again.

“Mmph…”

Xiu couldn’t help opening his mouth, and the gag Wen Chu had specially solidified for him slid into his mouth.

Lord Evil God’s thin lips were forced open like this, no longer able to hide a single moan.

And below, the real organ couldn’t perform any of its original functions; it just spat out water like it was half-broken.

Even refusing Wen Chu would result in being eaten until he broke down, let alone indulging him.

…

[Remaining Life Span: 51 days 19 hours 28 minutes]

—

The next day, eight o’clock.

The morning sunlight shone through the small window on the third floor into the poorly lit small stone tower, illuminating the blond man’s face.

Xiu opened his eyes slightly, looking at the sunlight in a trance.

It’s morning.

I actually survived last night.

He thought that under such an invitation, Wen Chu would at least start gnawing on his flesh. As a result, Wen Chu was still eating the black gas.

Over and over again. After he was completely broken, Wen Chu would transfer life span to him, and then repeat.

Wen Chu kept his promise and never spread to his lower body. But by the end, Xiu had completely lost sensation in his lower body, only remembering that he was constantly spitting water.

The bedsheet was naturally unusable, and even the mattress was ruined. Fortunately, he had gone to Minnie in advance to prepare three truckloads of daily necessities, and dug out a new sheet and mattress after it was over.

Faint shouts from morning training came from outside the door. Xiu blinked and came back to his senses.

Class started at nine.

He reached out and shook the little black cat sleeping soundly on his chest. “Wen Chu, wake up. It’s time for school.”

Wen Chu was having a beautiful dream of laying three hundred eggs with Xiu. Suddenly hearing Xiu’s voice, he opened his eyes blankly. “…Xiu?”

Xiu didn’t have a big belly like in the dream; his waist was still lean and powerful. He picked Wen Chu up with one hand and carried him off the bed.

“We have to continue class today.”

“Oh… oh.” Wen Chu was absent-minded, his eyes glancing at Xiu from time to time.

Xiu put Wen Chu aside, put on his inner clothes again, and pulled on the black robe. Turning his head, he saw the little black cat staring at him blankly.

Looking silly.

Xiu walked over, picked up the cat, and weighed him. He had gotten heavier again.

Before, lifting Wen Chu felt light and airy; now, lifting him felt like at least a kilogram.

“Let’s go. I’ll take you to the classroom.” Xiu carried Wen Chu out, instructing, “I’ll pick you up after class today too. If you understand the lesson and want to leave early, don’t run around. Come find me directly, understand?”

Wen Chu nodded. “Understood. I will definitely listen to the class properly.”

He was a fog who kept his promises. Since he ate Xiu so many times last night, he would study hard today to earn it back.

Xiu glanced at Wen Chu again, obviously not reassured.

But he couldn’t let Wen Chu stay illiterate.

Xiu reached out and pushed the door open.

The three large trucks outside the door came into view.

Wen Chu thought Xiu hadn’t discovered he had sneaked out, so he tried his best to look surprised. “Xiu, why did you bring so many things back?”

Xiu sneered.

Little liar. You clearly saw them when you went out last night.

He lowered his eyes. “They are all for you. Since you are going to school, I’ll organize them.”

Wen Chu corrected him. “You can’t say that. This is our home. The things you bought are for both of us.”

Xiu walked past the three trucks with Wen Chu, expressionless. “None for me. There is only one of everything.”

Wen Chu made an “Eh” sound and stopped talking.

He knew where his gold coins should be used.

He would buy a copy of everything Xiu bought for him, exactly the same, for Xiu.

The vegetable patch in the backyard was still lively. Although everyone knew this was Sir’s vegetable patch, they couldn’t help but come to admire the seedling.

“Did Little White grow three millimeters taller today?”

“Why do I feel like the soil next to it has changed a bit too?”

“Sir is truly great; he can actually grow cabbage…”

Xiu tightened his hood. Today he didn’t take the back road either, carrying Wen Chu and walking quickly to the classroom.

By now, the children had finished breakfast and were arriving at the classroom one after another. Many were playing in the yard.

Seeing Xiu again, the children no longer had their previous panic. Instead, they peeked curiously at this gentleman who hid himself strictly in a black robe.

They had all seen it—the seedling in Sir’s vegetable patch.

Xiu bent down and gently put down the little black cat in his arms.

“Meow.” Wen Chu barked obediently at Xiu and wagged his tail at him.

Xiu nodded and left.

Wen Chu was used to Xiu leaving impatiently. He swaggered into the classroom on his little cat legs and found his exclusive seat.

“The cat jumped on the podium again,” Dorothy exclaimed.

Katherine was burying her head in previewing, looking at the chemistry book she couldn’t understand at all, almost shedding tears again.

Hearing Dorothy say this, Katherine also looked up at the little black cat sitting properly on the podium.

She said in a trance, “Do cats have to come to the classroom to learn math, physics, and chemistry every day?”

Dorothy: …

Her new deskmate seemed to have gone silly from not understanding math, physics, and chemistry.

Dorothy sighed and patted Katherine’s head to comfort her. “Don’t think about the textbook. Teacher James must still be in a bad mood today. Don’t forget we are going to give him the winter jasmine flowers together.”

Winter jasmine?

On the podium, Wen Chu pricked up his cat ears.

He remembered that the amusement park the Alan brothers mentioned yesterday was called Winter Jasmine Paradise. Was there any connection between the two?

Just as Wen Chu was puzzled, he heard Dorothy’s small gasp. “The teacher is here.”

Wen Chu looked towards the door.

He saw James walking into the classroom with a smile, holding a lesson plan in one hand and a large jar of candy in the other, sweeping away yesterday’s decadence.

The students in the classroom quieted down, obviously not figuring out how the teacher had suddenly walked out of the grief of losing his brother.

Finally, Dorothy took the lead and placed a small yellow paper flower on the podium.

“Teacher,” Dorothy looked up at James. “This is the winter jasmine you like. We all hope you can cheer up soon.”

Following her action, the children in the classroom also stood up one after another, took out paper flowers identical to Dorothy’s from their desk drawers and pencil cases, and placed them on the podium.

“Teacher James, although I hate chemistry, I like you.”

“Teacher, get better soon. We all missed you yesterday.”

“Teacher, I will definitely listen to class properly in the future…”

“Teacher…”

Wen Chu on the podium was submerged in paper flowers, and James stood dumbfounded on the spot.

His eyes quickly reddened. Looking at the desk full of flowers, after a long while, he bowed deeply to the childish faces below the podium.

“Thank you, everyone.” When James looked up again, he had recovered his calm. “I’m fine now. To make up for yesterday’s absence, I brought candy for everyone. Everyone can take one after class.”

Wen Chu poked his head out from the pile of paper flowers.

Seeing him, James smiled. “Of course, you get one too.”

Wen Chu tilted his head, confused.

What is candy?

A sound of inhaling came from below the stage. Wen Chu guessed this must be something very precious.

James put down the lesson plan and picked up a yellow paper flower from the podium.

“Today is the first class. Before class, I want to ask everyone, do you know why the flowers you folded are called winter jasmine?”

The students looked at each other. Only Katherine whispered, “My brother told me before that this is a flower grown in Steam City. It only blooms in spring.”

“Correct.” James smiled at her. “This is the plant that blooms earliest in early spring. Just as winter passes and the snow melts, that is when the winter jasmine blooms. It is a flower that blooms in spring, and it is also the most common flower in Steam City, so common that people might even find it tacky.”

“But I like it very much. I built an amusement park named after it because I hope that one day, real winter jasmine flowers can bloom all over the ground, and every corner of the world can be as affluent as Steam City.”

“The cold winter will eventually pass, and after the heavy snow, it will be spring.”

Thunderous applause erupted from below the podium. Wen Chu listened in a daze.

It was the first time he knew of the existence of this flower.

Wen Chu thought, Although I don’t really agree with the ideas of these people, compared to Minnie or Claude, I definitely prefer the future Teacher James talks about.

James put down the paper flower in his hand. “So, everyone must study math, physics, and chemistry hard. You are the future of the surface. Only when you grow up will you bring changes to the surface—so today we continue to learn mechanics. First, review the buoyancy learned in the last class. Everyone take out your notebooks.”

Wails filled the classroom below. Wen Chu also found a suitable position for himself to listen to the class.

Just then, James quietly took out an old notebook from his chest pocket and placed it in front of him.

Wen Chu leaned over to look.

On the title page of the notebook was written “Winter Jasmine Amusement Park Sketches.”

James whispered, “I was worried you wouldn’t be clear about the functions of the facilities in the park, so I found the notes from when I designed the park.”

Good person.

Wen Chu wagged his tail at James. Relying on the fact that the students below couldn’t see the situation on the podium clearly, he reached out his paw and pulled the notebook in front of him.

Decided. After understanding the content of today’s lesson, I will read the notes here and stay in the classroom for a full class properly.

James picked up the chalk and wrote on the blackboard while saying, “In the last class, we learned that objects immersed in liquid are subjected to buoyancy. We also learned Archimedes’ principle through experiments and know that the magnitude of buoyancy is equal to the gravity of the liquid displaced by the object…”

Wen Chu listened seriously for more than twenty minutes. When James turned his head, he was the first to meet the little black cat’s round eyes.

James couldn’t help laughing and said, “Now, let’s invite student Cat to solve this problem for us.”

Wen Chu: ?

He looked at the problem James had copied on the blackboard.

[A solid aluminum block with a mass of 540g is completely immersed in alcohol. The density of aluminum is… Find 1. The volume of the aluminum block; 2. The buoyancy experienced by the aluminum block when fully immersed; 3. After releasing, will the aluminum block sink or float?]

Good-natured laughter came from the classroom. Wen Chu temporarily put down the notebook he was about to open under his paw, picked up a piece of chalk in his mouth, and jumped onto James’s shoulder.

He wrote crookedly on the blackboard:

[1. 2×10^-4 m^3]

[2. 1.6 N]

[3. Sink] (Note: The characters for “Sink” 沉 are written split apart as 氵冗)

The classroom was dead silent.

James, whose intention was to liven up the atmosphere, also froze on the spot.

Only Wen Chu, after finishing writing, jumped back onto the podium lightly, put the chalk back, and opened the notebook James gave him with his paw.

He was going to look at the park blueprints now.

After a long while, Katherine spoke with a trembling voice.

“…I’m not even as good as a cat?”

James laughed dryly. “Haha… After all, it’s Sir’s cat.”

How can Wen Chu actually learn physics?? Did Sir teach him personally?

Whether it’s learning physics from scratch in twenty minutes or Sir teaching a cat physics, isn’t it a bit too weird?

Wen Chu: “Meow?”

Isn’t this very simple?

.

Winter Jasmine Amusement Park imitated the shape of a winter jasmine flower. With the Golden Stamen Ferris Wheel in the very center as the circle’s heart, it branched outward into six petals, six sections.

The green steam train and tunnel symbolized the tender sprout breaking through the soil; the rotating vine swing chair was the branching growth; the carousel under the semi-enclosed dome symbolized the bud ready to bloom; the blooming flower-shaped open-air theater was the full bloom.

In addition, there was rafting on an artificial river. Bee-shaped rafting boats flowed downstream, simulating the path of pollination; the end of the rafting was the seed exhibition hall and souvenir shop, another cycle of death and rebirth.

Each petal represented a different growth stage and had different amusement facilities.

Wen Chu looked at the diagram of colored lights drawn with colored pencils on the dome of the carousel. Originally he was just considering going to the amusement park with Xiu, but now he became more determined.

He definitely wanted to go play here with Xiu.

So beautiful. I want to take Xiu to see it.

After reading James’s design notes, the morning passed.

The bell for the end of class rang.

Wen Chu left the notebook on the podium to return to James, held the candy James gave him in his mouth, and walked out of the classroom swaggering under everyone’s respectful gazes.

At this moment, he was no longer just “Sir’s cat.”

He was “Sir’s cat who can solve physics problems.”

As soon as he stepped out of the classroom door, Wen Chu saw the familiar black robe.

Xiu!

Wen Chu ran over da da da.

Xiu came to pick him up from school.

The outer layer of the candy James brought was wrapped in colorful plastic foil. Wen Chu, having turned into a kitten, was only palm-sized and couldn’t speak with the candy in his mouth.

He flew directly into Xiu’s arms, lowered his head to place the candy from his mouth into Xiu’s palm, and looked up as if asking for credit. “I listened to class properly all morning today, and the teacher even gave me candy.”

“En.” Xiu looked at the sparkling candy in his palm and walked back holding Wen Chu.

He thought Wen Chu would be like last time, learning it in ten minutes, and was ready to pick Wen Chu up after a while.

But he waited outside the classroom for more than half an hour, and the kitten didn’t come out.

Was what they learned today too difficult?

With doubts in his mind, Xiu stood at the back door and peeked into the classroom.

Then he saw Wen Chu standing on James’s shoulder, writing the answer crookedly on the blackboard, winning applause from the whole class.

The kitten cocked his tail high and jumped back onto the podium, looking very happy.

…Without me, Wen Chu seems to live even happier.

True. After all, Wen Chu only approached him for life span; otherwise, they might not have met at all.

Xiu turned and left. Only when it was time for class to end did he dare to come to the classroom again.

Xiu clenched the glaring candy in his hand and asked softly, “Was class fun?”

“Fun.” Wen Chu was joyful. He patted Xiu’s hand with his paw. “Xiu, taste it. This seems to be delicious. I only have one; I’ll give it to you to eat.”

Xiu was stunned. “For me?”

“Yes.” Wen Chu took it for granted. “I’m going to raise you.”

Good things should be eaten by Xiu first.

He had a lot of money. He could just ask Minnie to buy him candy later to taste what it was like.

Xiu was speechless for a moment.

The candy wrapper had been warmed by his hand, and the kitten’s voice came from his arms.

“Xiu, do you like it?” Wen Chu asked carefully.

“If you like it, can you go on a date with me to the amusement park later?”

---

Author’s Note:
Cat: (Trying hard to hold back drool) (Pushes the candy to Xiu)
This chapter also implies the nature of fog creatures, their ability to infiltrate small spaces, and their lack of physical form which allows for unique interactions.​