Chapter 58

Outside, the Zhan family knocked loudly on the rental door, questioning why Zhan Mu was so extreme, why he was so profit-driven, and why he was avoiding his family...

Zhan Mu sent a message to his parents saying: It’s late today, go home and have some sleep. My small rental house can’t accommodate you. See you tomorrow.

He also wrote: You can't solve my problem anyway, so why be hypocritical?

Then he deleted it with a sneer.

Zhan Mu looked at his rental house and felt very tired. He was oppressed, suppressed and ridiculed by too many voices. The feeling changed from suffocation to numbness, and pain filled his heart like a tide.

He held his breath and bit his back teeth stubbornly. Although he said nothing, tears still fell.

But Zhan Mu knew that even if he couldn't make a fortune by destroying the Hongchang Printing Factory, he would definitely not starve to death based on the current situation he had worked so hard to build.

He remained silent for a long time, until his expression became empty and numb, and then Lu Chao turned into a human again.

Zhan Mu looked at him, and he saw his eyes sparkling, but his expression seemed dissatisfied. He said, "You..." But in the end, he hesitated and said, "I'll stay with you. I won't leave. I'll face it with you."

Zhan Mu was stunned for a moment, and had not yet recovered from his previous panic. He saw colorful lights flashing around Lu Chao, and he turned into a person with long hair. At first glance, it was difficult to tell whether he was a man or a woman.

Yes, he is very good-looking. He looks very handsome in men's clothes and very beautiful in women's clothes. What's more, Lu Chao is a dead person, just a digital life, so he has no gender. He only needs to make slight adjustments to his appearance, and others will just think he looks good.

"..." Zhan Mu then remembered that two days ago, he was angry and vented his emotions, scolding Lu Chao for not turning into a woman so that he could save face in front of outsiders.

Lu Chao was actually willing to do that.

"Are you sympathizing with me or..." Zhan Mu said this subconsciously, with thunder and lightning in his head. He didn't even know how he should view him psychologically if he really accepted him.

"No, no." Lu Chao suddenly grabbed Zhan Mu's hand, lowered his head, and kissed the back of his hand. He said, "I know you, and you don't have to despise me... Ever since I became a digital life, I don't know how to be a complete person, but I do know one thing - the more you live, the more you want to live, and the longer you live, the less you want to die."

"Zhan Mu, I don't want to live like this. You too, right?" Lu Chao looked at Zhan Mu, seeming to be choking, and more like trembling.

Lu Chao felt strength and courage in the man before him. It wasn't about money or sex; he simply wanted to be with him, no matter how long it took. That was all.

"Thank you." Zhan Mu said softly, but the dry field in his heart was finally filled with spring water, and he felt warm and relieved.

Lu Chao could be trusted because he was already dead, and even he had nowhere to go and risk everything, while Zhan Mu knew that he was the only person he could rely on.

Zhan Mu closed his eyes and replied, "You should also turn back into liquid and get some sleep first. We'll talk about it tomorrow. When my store's business picks up and I have money, I can just leave here and I won't have this kind of trouble anymore."

"Money, money is something that can change people beyond recognition." Zhan Mu suddenly frowned and closed his eyes, swallowing back the grievance that came to him. He laughed: "But I can't be without money, because in this world, people respect their clothes first and then their lives... I must have money."

He bit lightly, but with complete determination. The situation he couldn't leave was like a prison to him.

-

The next morning, Zhan Mu noticed something unusual at the entrance of his printing shop. Furthermore, he also noticed that the people in the surrounding neighborhoods, including those passing by, were all looking at him with a deep, indescribable gaze.

I'm so greedy, right?

Zhan Mu thought so in his heart. He ignored the gazes of others, but felt desolate in his heart.

I am such a hungry ghost.

I want too much. In order to make money, I will do anything. Even if others don't offend me, I still hate them so much. Just because others slightly reveal their sense of superiority, I regard them as enemies and hate them to the core.

Zhan Mu was actually unsure. He just walked forward numbly, even at a loss. Then, Lu Chao reached out and took his arm. It was just such a simple hand-in-hand. Zhan Mu turned around and saw the long-haired Lu Chao smiling at him, feeling extremely relieved.

"Come here, come here." When Zhan's mother saw him coming, her eyes were red, as if she had already understood the whole story from someone else's mouth. Zhan's mother almost choked with tears and said, "We have called the police. Don't be afraid, it's okay..."

Then, she saw Lu Chao next to Zhan Mu, the cyber data man, who had long hair and looked neither male nor female, with a chilling smile on his face.

At this moment, Zhan's mother felt that Zhan Mu was so strange.

It's as if I never knew he was this kind of person.

A homosexual?

Oh no, that cyberdata man isn't really a human at all. He can transform into Zhan Miao, then into a man. Now, he has long, androgynous hair. So, is he, the one Zhan Mu likes, a fake deformed child?

"Mom, I'm fine." Zhan Mu went to hold his mother's hand, conveying warmth and also seemed to convey peace of mind.

But Zhan Mu found that his mother's hands were extremely cold.

Zhan's mother shook her head subconsciously, as if in resistance, or rather, unwilling to accept. She looked at Zhan's father, who was smoking a cigarette, a rare occurrence for him. He looked tired, his eyes bloodshot from a sleepless night.

Zhan Mu didn't know that his parents had a restless night last night, discussing matters concerning him at Grandma Zhan's hometown.

They came to the conclusion that Zhan Mu had a mental problem, or perhaps a sexual orientation problem. It was probably due to excessive phone use. He should be sent to a mental hospital, or perhaps a rehabilitation center. Perhaps an internet addiction treatment center would be fine too?

Yes, an institution for internet addiction treatment. It must be like this!

Young people today are simply over-playing with their phones, exposed to too much cultural dregs, leading them to dress strangely and even engage in homosexuality. How can this be allowed?!

Zhan's father and mother looked at each other, as if they understood each other tacitly. When they looked at Zhan Mu, the meaning in their eyes turned into pity, even heartache, and a kind of self-confidence that came from the bottom of their hearts for the best of their child.

Lu Chao even continued, "It's okay, uncle, aunt, Zhan Mu can handle this matter, and I will always be with him, I..."

Zhan's father and mother's expressions suddenly became extremely ugly.

"Who are you?!" Grandma Zhan roared, "Do you, a liar, have the right to speak here?!"

"Zhan Mu, come here. Let's go home first." Zhan's mother pulled Zhan Mu's arm with a nervous attitude. His car was parked next to the street. The tentative feeling made Zhan Mu subconsciously afraid, but he still followed obediently.

Lu Chao looked embarrassed and wanted to follow, but Zhan's father glared at him coldly and whispered, "This is none of your business. You're just an electronic babysitter, do you really think you're a human being?"

Lu Chao became furious when he heard this. He immediately realized what Zhan Mu was about to face, so he rushed over to stop him. However, Zhan Mu had already sat in the back seat and the door slammed shut, leaving only his frightened face.

Zhan's mother yelled, "Press it! Press it! That electronic nanny has gone crazy!!"

The neighbors were still confused, but Grandma Zhan was the only one who acted decisively. She grabbed a pen from the printing shop and stabbed Lu Chao in the neck.

No blood.

Lu Chao struggled to turn around, his expression twisted in disbelief and pain. He felt so pitiful. Not only had he died once physically, but he also continued to suffer mental abuse. He hadn't chosen to be like this. Why was it so difficult to obtain true human rights?!

What kind of terrifying existence could be the invisible giant hands that transformed themselves into digital life?

Almost instantly, the fluid could no longer support him, and Lu Chao turned into a small fluid cube. As a digital life, he was sent back to the desperate game.

On this side, Zhan Mu was terrified and his hair was numb. His father sat in the driver's seat, his mother also fastened her seat belt, and the engine roared incessantly, which seemed to imply a huge change in his life.

"Where are we going?" Zhan Mu asked.

"Home." Zhan's mother said firmly, "Where do you want to go?"

"Really?" Zhan Mu felt inexplicably frightened. This was the first time he felt that his parents were not so trustworthy.

"What on earth do you want to do?!" Zhan's father, who was driving, suddenly roared, "Who on earth are you now? That electronic nanny..."

Zhan Mu made a prompt decision: "He is not my babysitter! He is a person! A living person with memories!"

"You're crazy!" Zhan's mother yelled with red eyes, then she ripped a tissue to wipe her tears. She choked with sobs and pain, "What on earth has our family done wrong in the past two years... Your sister jumped off the building, and you, you're even more of a psychopath. Others buy mannequins as if they were nannies or housekeepers, but you bought one... I'd be ashamed to tell anyone about it. You're simply a fetal god!"

"It's not right in the head, it's really not right in the head." Zhan's father muttered, "The name is not good, Zhan Mu, a wooden head!"

Zhan Mu choked up. For the first time, he realized that the gap between people could be so huge that it was impossible to communicate or exchange ideas, like talking to a cow.

Even the explanation turned into a misunderstanding.

"I... Lu Chao is really a human being." Zhan Mu chattered non-stop, as if talking to himself: "He was originally a human, but was hit by a car and died, and turned into a digital life form... You have to believe me. Dad, Mom..."

"And my business is booming. My store will soon be doing better and better... Just trust me."

Zhan's father just looked at the road and said, "We are afraid of you."

Zhan Mu felt extremely cold and looked out the window. The sun was shining brightly, and the earth was covered in white. It was so bright that he couldn't open his eyes.

Soon, Zhan Mu discovered that his parents took him to a place similar to a school. He recognized it as a private institution specializing in helping people quit internet addiction.

"I'm not going." Zhan Mu was really scared. He curled up in the car seat and huddled himself in the corner. There was nothing but fear in his eyes.

"I'm not going, Mom. I really don't want to go."

Zhan's father and mother turned a deaf ear and walked to the trunk. Zhan Mu then saw that they had come prepared. The bags in their hands contained their winter clothes.

I didn’t take it home last time, but I managed to make do with it this time.

"Mom, I'll be making money soon." When Zhan Mu was captured by several big men in instructor uniforms, he was still arguing and explaining: "Please let me go back to do business! I don't like this kind of place, really..."

They walked further and further away, and Zhan Mu watched as his parents talked to a gentle man with glasses. His parents even hugged each other as if to comfort each other, and they were immersed in their touching feelings.

Zhan Mu knew that this winter would probably be extremely difficult to endure.