Chapter 600 Important Matters
Although I don't know why the topic gradually shifted from confirming the life or death of Zhu Jiu's body to me and Zhu Shi entering an intimate moment, we both went with the flow.
However, taking things any further was probably too early. We simply pressed ourselves together. I was doing as Xiaowan encouraged, and I could feel Zhu Shi tentatively reaching out, but in the end, it seemed to only touch me lightly. The tip seemed to taste something very soft and moist, and then it withdrew like lightning.
Zhu Shi blushed so much it looked like she was about to explode. Like a startled fawn, she jumped up from the floor, shoved the door open, and fled in panic, leaving me, still wanting more.
Ma Zao glanced in the direction Zhu Shi had fled, then looked at me curiously, before asking Xiao Wan, "Can I continue what Zhu Shi didn't finish with Zhuang Cheng? I want to try too..."
Xiao Wan said very seriously, "This atmosphere might not be appropriate right now. Sister Mazao will become a meal replacement."
As she spoke, she looked at the empty doorway again and sighed with worry. "Zhu Shi is still a child. She's clearly behind schedule. She should at least be more proactive. Oh well, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. We can make her catch up on the lessons she missed this time next time."
"Why do you talk about something so inappropriate for children as if you're studying hard and making progress every day?" I complained.
While I say this, I certainly want to continue. However, I'm not in such a rush that I feel I must start immediately. Zhu Shi needs time to adapt, and this training was originally intended to smoothly prepare for the final, main stage. I have enough patience to proceed step by step, and sooner or later, Zhu Shi will completely become one with me.
Moreover, I also enjoyed this feeling of being pushed closer step by step. Little by little, each time, I was actually pushing the distance between myself and Zhu Shi. Watching Zhu Shi, who was full of common sense and had a strong sense of shame, persuade herself to lower her bottom line and accept my increasingly deeper intrusion under various legitimate reasons, I felt a kind of joy that was completely different from when I was with Ma Zao, a joy that I could not tell others.
It was a primal, instinctive pleasure, and even I felt a strange, unsettling emotion about it. This was clearly similar to, yet the opposite of, my feelings for Asahina. If my feelings for young Asahina were a forbidden attraction, then my feelings for the beautiful Ichishi were a different kind of forbidden attraction.
To be frank, I know very well that Zhu Shi doesn't like me—she considers me a very good friend and partner, but there are no feelings beyond friendship. In the foreseeable future, at most we can become confidants, but it's impossible for us to become lovers. Precisely because of this, I feel a sinful excitement about this forced situation formed under various reasons.
Zhu Shi must have sensed my excitement too, because as she ran away, she gave me a resentful look.
However, it wasn't a look of rejection. What I sensed was a mixture of resentment and tacit approval. She tacitly approved of my continued intrusion into her life. This became an unconscious temptation—she certainly hadn't expected her attitude to have such an attraction for me.
Will genuine love truly arise from this desire of mine? I will refrain from commenting at this time.
After a while, Zhu Shicai finally returned to the room, his face still flushed. And when he met my eyes, the color of shame and indignation seemed to revive.
"I'm sorry, but... this is my first time, and suddenly... suddenly it's so difficult..." She touched her lips.
I didn't know how to comfort her for a moment, so I said in a serious tone, "This is my first time too."
"Oh, I see..." she said, at a loss for words.
"Let's continue next time," I said.
She lowered her head shyly: "Mmm..."
"Could this be... a new kind of track?"
On the other side, Xiao Wan seemed to be lost in strange thoughts.
-
As evening approached, we returned to the residence at the Luoshan headquarters. To celebrate my return with the little bowl, we decided to gather together for a proper meal.
The gathering was held in the atrium, with tables and chairs moved there.
Lu Chan also returned to the mansion to congratulate me on my return and report on the recent situation. He even took charge of the cooking. Zhu Shi and Old Master Zhu are completely incapable of cooking. Ma Zao, limited by her past life experiences, although she somehow knows how to make desserts like soufflé, can hardly make any normal dishes. My cooking skills are only passable. The most skilled cook here is the all-around talent Lu Chan, who possesses the ability to create "possibility clones."
Xiao Wan seemed to have absorbed all the cooking skills from Zhu Jiu's memories and volunteered to go into the kitchen. Lu Chan learned about Xiao Wan's background from Old Master Zhu and casually agreed.
At this moment, Zhu Shi suddenly hugged Xiao Wan from behind. To onlookers, it looked like an older sister protecting her younger sister. She looked at Lu Chan warily and said, "No, no, you need to stay away from Xiao Wan."
"Why?" Little Bowl asked curiously.
Lu Chan was also somewhat puzzled. He looked at the small bowl, as if he had realized something, and then coughed, saying helplessly, "No, wait a minute, Zhu Shi, I think you have quite a few misunderstandings about me..."
Zhu Shi glanced sideways at Lu Chan and said, "What misunderstanding? Last time you took out your phone in front of me, I happened to catch a glimpse of it. Don't think I haven't played that game; your phone wallpaper is..."
"Ah—the soup in the kitchen has boiled, I have to go back right away!"
Lu Chan suddenly made a loud noise and hurriedly walked towards the kitchen.
I remember there was a clone of him doing the processing in the kitchen.
Although Xiaowan didn't end up cooking, she did help by bringing out the cooked dishes.
Incidentally, there are no servants in this mansion. During my absence, Ma Zao was the only one there most of the time, and later only Zhu Shilai kept her company, as she doesn't like strangers in her living space. She can easily handle cleaning and other chores with her power of return, which is much more convenient than hiring someone to do it.
Mr. Zhu also sent a message to Chang'an informing him of my return.
Chang'an has now transferred to Luoshan Demon Hunter Academy, becoming an extremely rare Luoshan student who possessed a high level of power upon enrollment. Master Zhu asked him to come over after school, but he skipped class and came to the mansion to see me.
His appearance was almost identical to when they last parted. That's understandable, considering it had only been a little over four months. But his demeanor seemed more confident, or to put it bluntly, more reckless. One might suspect he was relying on his superior abilities to live a life of unbridled success at Luoshan Academy, a life straight out of a web novel. It was truly enviable.
"You little rascal, what did I say to you in the text message?!" Old Mr. Zhu exclaimed, his beard bristling and eyes wide.
"Haha, I'm just in a hurry to see Acheng..."
Chang'an scratched the back of his head and grinned foolishly. Then he saw a small bowl with a plate of stir-fried vegetables being served, and his eyes widened in surprise.
"Who is that child who looks exactly like Zhu Shi when he was a child?" Chang'an suddenly turned to look at Old Master Zhu.
The lecturing suddenly stopped, and Mr. Zhu fell into an eerie silence. I had no choice but to explain to Chang'an on Mr. Zhu's behalf.
Xiao Wan placed the stir-fried dishes on the table and smiled at Chang'an. Chang'an looked as if his worldview had been struck by lightning, his expression one of disbelief, his gaze shifting back and forth between me and Xiao Wan, who were responsible for explaining.
After a moment, he managed to stammer out, "My mother reappeared after gaining the attributes of a loli daughter!?"
“You and Zhu Shi really are siblings,” I said.
Unlike Zhu Shi, Zhu Jiu was not Chang'an's biological mother, and their relationship was not as close as Zhu Shi's. Chang'an also processed and accepted Xiao Wan's existence more quickly and easily than Zhu Shi. Finally, he looked at Xiao Wan with a complex expression, and Xiao Wan looked back at him with deep emotion.
“Chang’an, don’t worry about me so much,” Xiao Wan said. “I am only here temporarily. If all goes well, I will disappear in the near future. At that time, Zhu Jiu will definitely wake up.”
“…Hmm.” Chang’an responded awkwardly.
"There's something Zhu Jiu has wanted to tell you for a long time. May I say it to you on her behalf?" Xiao Wan said.
"What did you say?" Chang'an asked.
"Could you call her 'Mom' to her face after she wakes up?" Xiaowan asked.
Chang'an nodded with mixed feelings. He looked at Xiao Wan as if he was about to say something, but Xiao Wan put a finger to her lips and smiled, saying, "Don't look at me, look at her directly."
"Hmm..." Chang'an could only nod.
If Chang'an were to persist like Zhu Shi, Xiao Wan might have no choice but to give in again.
It is said that Zhu Jiu treated Chang'an, who had never seen his mother since childhood and could not receive his father's love, as if he were his own son. Chang'an would occasionally mention Zhu Jiu when he was with me, especially after Zhu Jiu became a patient with amnesia.
Chang'an knows he is not Zhu Jiu's biological son, so he cannot accept Zhu Jiu's affection with a clear conscience. His inability to call Zhu Jiu "Mom" to her face is likely not because he dislikes her, but because he feels unworthy.
He probably actually wanted to call Zhu Jiu "Mom".
I suddenly felt that fate was playing tricks on me.
In a sense, Xiaowan is like a dream that Zhu Jiu wove for her daughter, a dream destined to end; while Chang'an, on another level, is actually a fleeting dream that Yinyue created by chance.
Zhu Jiu and Yin Yue have not only become mother and son, but have also had this unusual contact in such an unbelievable way, and even had this conversation. How unpredictable is fate!
However, just as Chang'an is not Yinyue, Xiaowan is not Zhujiu.
After the dinner began, Ma Zao sat to my right, while Zhu Shi was pushed by Xiao Wan to sit to my left. Perhaps the long separation had left Ma Zao with a loneliness that she still couldn't shake off; she ate only a few bites before quietly sitting in my lap. I held her petite, soft body like that, occasionally feeding her food as she leaned against me, watching her blush and obediently eat the food.
Seeing this, Xiao Wan reached out and patted Zhu Shi on the back. Zhu Shi was puzzled at first, but then realized what was happening. She picked up some food with her chopsticks and imitated me, bringing it over to me—and then put it into Ma Zao's mouth.
Mr. Zhu, who was standing nearby, suddenly spat out a mouthful of wine: "Pfft—"
"Sigh, thank you so much..." Xiao Wan looked at Zhu Shi with disappointment.
Zhu Shi then belatedly realized what was happening and gave an awkward smile, "Haha... so you wanted me to feed Senior Brother Zhuang? Why didn't you say so sooner..."
Lu Chan retaliated with a sharp retort: "Zhu Shi, you dare to criticize anime for having too many male protagonists who are like wooden blocks? I don't think you're any better yourself."
"I just... wait, how do you know what I said on the online forum!?" Zhu Shi looked horrified.
Chang'an casually replied, "Lu Chan has a 'possible clone' who acts as a hacker and is also responsible for protecting our intelligence. Last time, he suddenly sent me a text message reminding me that the female streamer I tipped online is actually a man using a voice changer..."
Zhu Shi couldn't help but laugh, while Old Mr. Zhu narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "You brat... what did you do with the pocket money I gave you?"
"……Well."
Chang'an's expression froze instantly. Seeing this, Old Master Zhu let out a sinister grin.
The scene then became extremely chaotic.
Looking at this lively and bustling scene, I couldn't help but think that such a large group of people eating and playing together shouldn't be anything special. Whether in this bizarre and wonderful Luoshan or in ordinary people's lives, similar activities are probably happening in many places right now.
This must be a very ordinary scene, part of the daily life I reject.
Yet, I felt a genuine sense of peace and joy at this ordinary scene. I even had the strange thought that I wished it could continue forever. It seemed that even outside of life-or-death adventures, I could find contentment.
What exactly is the adventure I seek...?
During the second half of the show, Asa left her seat midway, saying she was going for a walk to digest her food before returning. Looking at my empty knees, I thought of the promise I had made with Kobo in the past, so I also left my seat, wanting to catch up with Asa's retreating figure.
I hadn't gone far when I heard Xiaowan's voice behind me: "Brother Zhuangcheng, are you going to tell Sister Mazao the truth?"
(End of this chapter)
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