Chapter 49: So Stupid

“Date?” Xiu nearly tripped over himself.

He looked at the kitten in his arms. “Who taught you that word?”

Wen Chu naturally couldn’t expose James and the others, so he looked at Xiu with his round eyes. “Isn’t two people going to an amusement park a date?”

Xiu: …

So Wen Chu misunderstood the meaning of “date”.

Xiu breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time, an inexplicable disappointment rose within him.

It shouldn’t be like this. Wen Chu is just a mass of fog who understands nothing. I shouldn’t have any further feelings for him.

Being considered a friend by Wen Chu and invited to go out together is already very good.

[Current Favorability: 70/100]

Xiu suppressed those unreasonable emotions and asked softly, “Why did you suddenly think of going to an amusement park?”

Wen Chu glanced at the favorability panel, then said, “I saw Teacher James’s notes today. The amusement park he designed before is especially beautiful. I want to go play with you.”

So it was James.

Xiu understood. “When do you want to go? I’ll take you—also, this isn’t a date. Don’t say things randomly in the future.”

Wen Chu looked wronged. “Oh.”

Just as he was thinking about when to schedule the amusement park trip with Xiu, a familiar female voice suddenly rang out from ahead. “Sir.”

Wen Chu looked up. It was Minnie.

By this time, they had arrived near Xiu’s stone tower. There was no one around, and Minnie had obviously been waiting specifically for Xiu. After Xiu stopped, she quickly said, “Sir, good news.”

As Minnie spoke, she opened her palm, revealing a transparent blue ore.

With the advantage of his position, Wen Chu saw Xiu’s expression change almost instantly.

But Minnie couldn’t see it. She said excitedly, “We found the whereabouts of the Hearts of Steam hidden by Claude. They are at the Winter Jasmine Amusement Park. We sent someone to verify it today. Look, this is a Heart of Steam. There’s a whole train’s worth. James is already installing Hearts of Steam for those robots in the warehouse.”

So this is the Heart of Steam they were talking about.

Wen Chu watched Xiu’s face getting paler and paler, blinking desperately to signal Minnie to stop talking.

Unfortunately, Minnie was already dazzled by the massive amount of Hearts of Steam about to be obtained. She continued to speak endlessly: “Our plan is to arrange for the children to fake their deaths in the Central Plaza the day before Divine Birth Day, and attack the orphanage the next day. While causing a commotion, we will send a team to the Winter Jasmine Amusement Park. Are you interested in coming to the park to take a look?”

Minnie gave herself a thumbs up in her mind.

Not only did I report on work, but I also conveniently invited Xiu for Wen Chu.

Xiu did not answer.

He paused for a long time before saying, “Okay.”

Then, without giving Minnie any chance to ask further questions, he carried Wen Chu back to the stone tower.

Creak—

The wooden door of the stone tower was closed.

The lighting in the small tower was very poor, with only a small window on the third floor. Although Wen Chu and Xiu had installed many kerosene lamps one after another, it was still dark and oppressive during the day when the lamps weren’t lit.

As Xiu closed the door, the room darkened.

Wen Chu looked uneasily at Xiu under the black robe, not understanding what was wrong with him. He spoke carefully, “Xiu…”

Xiu snapped back to reality, took off his hood, and forced a smile at Wen Chu. “It’s nothing.”

He had just been happy that Wen Chu was willing to be closer to him, only to be told the next moment that this was actually just part of the Rebel Army’s plan. His mindset was a bit unbalanced.

According to the original development, the Rebel Army wouldn’t have discovered the hiding place of the Hearts of Steam at this time. This could only be the butterfly effect brought by Wen Chu.

Wen Chu’s departure last night was probably also related to the Hearts of Steam, and inviting him to the amusement park was likely to advance the Rebel Army’s progress.

This makes much more sense.

Xiu took a deep breath and forced a smile at Wen Chu. “I moved the things from the truck in and organized them this morning. See if anything is missing?”

Wen Chu looked up and scanned the furnishings in the room, only to realize that the room had changed drastically.

The original bed was hung with curtains, and the bed was covered with the egg-print sheets he had carefully selected. His little cat nest was placed by the bed.

From the bed to the shower stall to the small coffee table on the first floor, everything was there. The second and third floors were piled high with various supplies.

Purified water, water purifiers, oxygen tanks, various seeds… there was even a large bookshelf filled with books, ranging from math enlightenment to pig raising manuals, covering every field.

The floor was covered with whole pieces of Persian carpet, and soft mats were laid on the stairs connecting each floor. There were even wooden boards nailed to the wall in a scattered pattern next to the wall lamps, going all the way up from the first floor, serving as a cat climbing frame.

Wen Chu had only intended to take a casual look, but he was stunned after seeing the furnishings clearly.

This is a bit too complete.

Complete enough that this place doesn’t look like a home at all, but a well-prepared doomsday fortress.

“Is it okay?” Xiu’s somewhat nervous voice came.

“Is it a bit too much?” Wen Chu chose his words carefully.

Xiu prepared so many things for him; if he said it wasn’t good, he would be ungrateful. But this was just too weird.

Wen Chu couldn’t help but add, “With so many things, the two of us won’t be able to use them up in a lifetime living here.”

Xiu chuckled softly. “If we can’t use them up, then keep them for the next life.”

Wen Chu stopped talking. He stared at Xiu up and down for a while.

Xiu was still the same, blonde hair and blue eyes, with no expression. It was hard for Wen Chu to see anything wrong from his face.

Wen Chu could only give up questioning.

Forget it. Even if something is wrong with Xiu, at most it means he had a change of heart and doesn’t like me. That’s a small matter.

Since coming to this world, he had maintained his life span very well. Now, with so many oxygen tanks supporting him, if Steam City was overthrown, there would be more clean air.

He could live here forever, pestering Xiu until eternity, until Xiu liked him.

—After suffering a loss in the previous world, Wen Chu had planned it out. In the future, he would keep his life span stuck at ninety-eight years. Before getting together with Xiu, he wouldn’t leave the world no matter what.

Even if the System came to yell at him, it would be useless.

Thinking of his plan, Wen Chu’s mood became very pleasant. He patted Xiu’s clenched fist with his paw, where the candy he gave Xiu was still held.

“Xiu, taste it. Do you like this?”

Xiu slowly unfolded his fingers.

The candy in his palm had melted slightly from the warmth. Xiu peeled off the wrapper and put the sticky candy into his mouth.

Sweet, greasy, strawberry-flavored.

Only Steam City could produce such fancy candy; even white sugar was scarce on the ground.

But Xiu only felt the candy in his mouth was sweet to the point of bitterness.

He lowered his eyes, meeting the kitten’s expectant and greedy gaze, and tried hard to say, “…It’s very delicious.”

“Great!” Wen Chu was very happy. “If you like it, I’ll buy it for you all the time in the future.”

He still remembered what Xiu said: to like someone and become partners with someone, you have to understand them.

He felt he was understanding Xiu.

Xiu liked pitiful things, cute things, and liked candy. When they went to the amusement park, he would also know if Xiu liked amusement parks.

Wen Chu wagged his tail in an excellent mood.

Xiu looked at Wen Chu, feeling the candy ball slowly melting between his lips and tongue, and remembered the fog that slowly melted in his mouth last night.

The desire that had been suppressed with great difficulty rose again.

If only Wen Chu were human.

Or if he were also a mass of fog.

That way he could cross the barrier of species, teach Wen Chu how to mate and love, and with Wen Chu…

No, if that were really the case, he would probably scare this barking kitten away directly.

Crack—

Xiu bit the candy in his mouth into pieces.

“You don’t need to buy it,” he said. “I will help you prepare everything.”

All the candy, all the necessary supplies.

This stupid cat who was greedy but still gave him the only candy—if he didn’t leave a little more for Wen Chu, Xiu was worried that Wen Chu would be destitute on the streets when wandering alone.

Wen Chu didn’t understand. He blinked his eyes and tentatively said, “Then I’ll give you money?”

Xiu raised an eyebrow. “Where did you get money?”

Wen Chu: …

The source of the money can’t be explained clearly at all.

Wen Chu whimpered, “Just wait a bit longer, I’ll be able to earn it soon.”

Stupid brain, hurry up and think of how to explain where the money came from.

Xiu poked Wen Chu’s little cat head amusingly. “So stupid, and you still want to earn money?”

“I’m not that stupid,” Wen Chu rebutted in a small voice. “I learned all the physics today too.”

saying this, he started reciting things like “F buoyancy” and “Archimedes” to Xiu. Xiu carried him into the room, placed him on the bed, and listened quietly.

Halfway through Wen Chu’s recitation, he looked up and found that Xiu had taken off his black robe and started unbuttoning his shirt.

Wen Chu was so scared he forgot his lines directly. “What, what, what are you doing?”

“Didn’t I promise you before? If you go to school properly, I’ll let you eat,” Xiu looked calm.

Wen Chu: “That’s what was said, but…”

But Xiu is being a bit too proactive!!

The development of things shouldn’t be like this. It should be that after I finish reciting, Xiu pats my head, I take the opportunity to propose eating Xiu, Xiu refuses, I act pitiful, and Xiu agrees.

How did we skip so many steps and go directly to agreeing??

Not just this time, but the previous few times were also like this.

At first, Xiu’s behavior could be attributed to his successful act of being pitiful when he went out, but now it was obviously very wrong.

Wen Chu even suspected if something was wrong with himself, and his ideological policy of “be obedient and act pitiful” wavered a bit.

But when he looked up and saw Xiu taking off his clothes expressionlessly, Wen Chu felt that Xiu was definitely the one with the problem.

The clothes fell to the ground.

Wen Chu retreated backward. “Should we talk…?”

Xiu advanced. “What is there to talk about? Just letting you eat.”

Wen Chu: QAQ

Save me, save me, save me.

Xiu seems to be broken somewhere.

But I can’t see where he’s broken, and I can’t fix him even if I wanted to.

The Evil God’s pale, slender hand grabbed the little black cat retreating in cowardice. A faint smile appeared on that cold face. “How will you grow up if you don’t eat me?”

Saying this, he placed Wen Chu on his chest.

Black mist still lingered on Xiu’s body. Lying on his chest, Wen Chu could feel the cold skin under the black mist.

And the turbulence accompanying his breathing.

Wen Chu: …

Wen Chu poked the System after a long time: [My ability to transfer life span is effective on Xiu, right? Including resurrection.]

System: [Theoretically speaking, yes.]

Theoretically? What about practically?

Wen Chu’s heart was half at ease, but not completely. While worrying, he honestly turned into fog.

Xiu could foresee the future. Wen Chu’s most reasonable guess at the moment was that Xiu might know he would be seriously injured or even die at some point in the future to destroy the world.

But he could treat Xiu.

Even if Xiu became like Claude, he could bring Xiu back to life.

Thinking this, Wen Chu opened his mouth and bit Xiu.

Xiu offered himself voluntarily; if he refused again, it would be too unreasonable.

Watching Xiu’s skin turn red again, and seeing some fluctuation finally appear on that divine face, Wen Chu, relying on his fog form, carefully rubbed against Xiu’s cheek.

Death cannot make Xiu leave me.

And apart from death, I won’t give Xiu any possibility of leaving me.

…

The days that followed were plain yet fulfilling.

Many seedlings sprouted in the vegetable patch in the backyard one after another, entering the rosette stage and starting to grow leaves.

The ten cabbage seeds Xiu bought back then had all survived without exception.

Wen Chu went to school every day, helped Xiu farm, ate Xiu, and was occasionally dragged by Minnie to meetings in the middle of the night.

He was always too lazy to listen to those messy long speeches. Each time, he separated a small ball of black fog to turn into a human shape and sleep below, leaving his main body in the stone tower.

Either organizing the small tower with Xiu or sleeping with Xiu.

Wen Chu never found a suitable time to take out the box of gold coins under the bed, so he could only let the gold coins stay hidden there temporarily.

Under Xiu’s tireless feeding, Wen Chu’s life span also grew steadily, reaching one and a half years directly, turning into a ten-catty (approx. 5kg) little cat.

If there was anything special, it was probably that the supplies in the stone tower were increasing, and Xiu bought all the candies on the market.

Milk candy, fruit candy, gummies, hard candy, chocolate…

All produced by Steam City, pollution-free.

After eating the first bite of candy, Wen Chu was amazed. From then on, he would cup his face every day, distressed about which candy to eat today—Xiu was worried that fog would also get tooth decay and didn’t allow him to eat too much.

“…So you came to find me in the middle of the night just to ask me whether hazelnut chocolate or milk candy tastes better?”

Minnie, with dark circles under her eyes, looked at the black fog in front of her and said in despair, “Do you know that tomorrow is Divine Birth Day and we are going to start the operation?”

“I know,” Wen Chu said casually. “Isn’t my task just to help you revive a dead seedling? It’s a small matter.”

Because making words appear in a growing seedling was too difficult, Minnie directly found a dead cabbage seedling, printed words inside it, hid it in the Central Plaza, and asked Wen Chu to revive it tomorrow.

Minnie: …

In these days, she joined forces with the leader of the Southern District, investigated the new patrol schedule, laid out the layout in secret, and the Allen brothers improved the latest generation of steam robots… Are so many magnificent events that could almost be written into history books not as important as a piece of candy in Wen Chu’s eyes?

“Hazelnut chocolate,” Minnie said casually.

“Okay, thank you.” Wen Chu thanked her sincerely and prepared to float away.

Just before floating out of the window sill, the small ball of black fog stopped abruptly as if remembering something.

“By the way, about tomorrow’s operation—”

Minnie perked up, thinking Wen Chu was finally going to offer some guiding opinion.

Wen Chu: “Remember to pay.”

Minnie: “…”

Minnie: “Okay.”

Seeing that Wen Chu was about to leave again, Minnie couldn’t help but ask, “How are things… with Sir recently?”

“Hm?” Wen Chu made a puzzled sound. “Just the same as before. I’m still chasing him.”

Minnie: “No, I’m asking when you plan to tell Sir that you are actually human.”

It was too difficult to contact Wen Chu as a cat. Sir’s protection of the cat could be called strictly guarded.

Every time she wanted to pass a message to Wen Chu, Minnie could only entrust James to tell Wen Chu quietly in class.

Wen Chu was firm. “I won’t let him discover I’m human.”

Minnie: ?

“Why?” Minnie lost all sleepiness. “If you don’t tell him you’re human, how can you possibly chase him?”

Even for interspecies love, you shouldn’t jump directly to such a weird species as fog, right?

Mentioning this matter made Wen Chu a bit sad. He sighed, “No choice, I’m too ugly. My human form is not even as good as a cat.”

After he turned into a cat, except for the very beginning, Xiu hadn’t been fierce to him.

Minnie almost doubted her ears. “Who did you say is ugly?”

Wen Chu: “I am ugly.”

Minnie pointed to her own rough skin. “Is it possible that even if the whole world were ugly people, it wouldn’t be your turn to be ugly?”

This wasn’t even a matter of aesthetics. What Minnie appreciated least was slender and weak looks, but even so, she had to admit Wen Chu was good-looking.

Wen Chu’s beauty was objectively flawless. Every inch of his features seemed to have been carefully measured, transcending gender and humanity.

To be honest, Minnie felt Wen Chu’s looks were exquisite to the point of being creepy.

Normally, a slender and weak beautiful boy like Wen Chu would most easily arouse evil thoughts or protective desires in people’s hearts, but Wen Chu was different.

Recalling Wen Chu’s appearance again, Minnie only felt a chill down her spine from terrifying implications.

Being good-looking to this extent can really make people afraid.

Wen Chu couldn’t believe it. He stopped leaving and transformed into human form on the spot, leaning close to Minnie’s face. “Really? Did you remember wrong? I look like this.”

Minnie was creeped out by his stare and retreated repeatedly. “Really, really. If I’m lying, I’ll write my name backward from now on. If you don’t believe me, go ask someone else.”

Wen Chu was skeptical. “I’ll go ask.”

After saying that, he turned into fog and flew away.

Minnie shouted from behind, “Don’t forget to come back tomorrow! You still have a mission; I’ll pay you!”

By this time, Wen Chu had flown far away and didn’t hear her words at all.

Minnie clung to the window and looked for a long time, finally sighing and returning to the room to collapse on the bed.

What is going on every day?

Meanwhile.

Wen Chu had already gone to the System to demand an explanation.

[You said I was ugly.] Wen Chu stated the fact.

System: […]

Wen Chu accused: [You lied to me.]

The System’s voice was as cold as always, but at this moment, it carried a hint of guilty lack of confidence: [I said you looked messy back then.]

Wen Chu didn’t speak, just flew directly into the Allen brothers’ room.

James and Claude were still researching the steam robot when they suddenly felt someone tap their shoulder.

“What’s wrong?” Claude turned to ask James.

Then he met James’s baffled gaze. “Why did you tap me?”

The two were silent for half a second, then jumped back simultaneously like startled rabbits.

Claude quickly pulled out his gun and fired randomly without looking. James took out a Heart of Steam from his pocket to install into the steam robot.

Just as the steam robot’s eyes lit up with blue light, its head was snapped off by a fair, slender hand.

Clang—

Brass gears scattered all over the floor. Unharmed, Wen Chu held the robot head in his hand and looked at the two innocently. “Why are you so excited?”

Claude slowly came back to his senses. “Sorry… why did you suddenly come to find us?”

James was still in a trance, looking at the gun in his hand, then at the steam robot that had tragically lost its head.

“Oh, nothing major.” Wen Chu casually threw away the head in his hand.

He dusted off his hands, looked at the two disheveled people in front of him, and revealed a smile he thought was kind. “Do you think I’m good-looking?”

Late night, under the moon, a beautiful white-haired boy who looked like a ghost appeared suddenly.

Plus monster-like strength and a body that bullets couldn’t harm.

Then, curving his round eyes like this, revealing an innocent smile, asking them if he was good-looking.

…This sounds like the opening of some bloody horror urban legend.

Claude nodded repeatedly, afraid that if he spoke a second too slow, he would become the next one to be decapitated. “Good-looking, good-looking, good-looking. The first time I saw you, I felt your appearance was too perfect for a human to possess.”

James finally came back to his senses too.

After all, he had taught Wen Chu and knew him a bit, unlike his brother who feared him.

James asked carefully, “Why do you suddenly ask this?”

Wen Chu chuckled.

“Because…” Wen Chu’s soft, harmless voice carried some gnashing of teeth, “There is a liar who has been lying to me from the beginning until now.”

James didn’t understand.

But Wen Chu didn’t give him a chance to ask further. After dropping such a sentence out of nowhere, he turned into fog and left.

Only the Allen brothers were left in the room looking at each other, along with the brass parts and bullets all over the floor.

James bent down and picked up a bullet from the ground. After seeing the bullet clearly, he said in horror, “Brother, look.”

Claude looked over, holding the steam robot’s head.

The incredibly hard brass bullet had been flattened by force, the front end expanded and widened like a mushroom.

—The bullet didn’t penetrate Wen Chu’s body at all.

“What exactly is he?” Claude asked in a trance.

James couldn’t answer either.

He thought for a moment and said, “Sir’s cat who is good at studying?”

While the two of them were in a trance, Wen Chu had already slipped out of the small courtyard.

He floated directly to the main city area.

Tomorrow was Divine Birth Day. As a day to celebrate the arrival of the God of Steam, this festival was similar to the New Year, and even the surface would have a day off.

Although it was late at night, there were still many people busy in the main city area, preparing celebration supplies for tomorrow.

Wen Chu avoided the Central Plaza with the statue of the God of Steam, where the most people were, and drilled into small alleys instead. Catching a person who was alone, he turned into a human and leaned in front of them to ask if he was good-looking.

The people he caught either ran away rolling and crawling in fear shouting “Good-looking!”, or their legs went soft on the spot and they knelt down stuttering that he was good-looking. One person, driven by the desire to survive, even trembled and praised Wen Chu’s appearance for more than ten minutes in one breath.

Every time Wen Chu got an answer, he would ask the System with a faint smile: [You said I was ugly?]

Everything made sense now. Why Xiu suddenly agreed to mate with him after seeing him, why Xiu lost his mind when he leaned close.

It turns out he wasn’t shocked by my ugliness.

At first, the System could still argue a few sentences. Later, it became more and more guilty, and finally, it gave up and surrendered in self-abandonment: [You are beautiful, not ugly.]

Wen Chu was still not satisfied and grabbed several more passersby to confirm before giving up.

On the eve of Divine Birth Day, amidst the lively festive atmosphere, an urban legend about the “White-Haired Beautiful Ghost” also began to spread.

Rumor had it that when walking alone at midnight, one would encounter an incredibly beautiful white-haired ghost.

He was a boy who died tragically of tuberculosis, with white hair hanging down to his waist. When meeting people, he would stand in the fog and ask, “Am I beautiful?”

If one unfortunately bumped into him, one must sincerely praise his beauty; otherwise, the white-haired ghost would reveal his true evil ghost face and tear off the face of the person who didn’t praise his looks.

…

Wen Chu didn’t know these rumors.

He had confirmed that he wasn’t ugly and was floating back at high speed.

At this moment, Wen Chu had only one thought:

Exactly how many detours did I take in chasing Xiu??

---

Author’s Note:
Wen Chu: ^^#