Chu Si was momentarily taken aback and asked, “Um, sorry, who is Xiao Hui?”
Fu Yuchuan hesitated for a moment upon hearing her question. Xiao Hui had been clamoring to come back with him since meeting his father at the airport in Country M yesterday. He wanted to bring Xiao Hui along, but for Chu Yan, he was still a stranger. Moreover, with the sudden appearance of a child, he wasn’t sure if the other party could accept him and Xiao Hui. So he didn’t want to come over rashly. At least, he wanted to make a good impression and a good start.
However, the spiritual energy in this world was originally thin, and Xiao Hui was too young. He guessed that at this moment, Xiao Hui probably couldn’t even be bothered to maintain a human form.
The chubby cat’s meaty paws clung tightly to Chu Yan’s pants legs. It meowed a few times towards the door. Chu Yan seemed to sense something, picked up the little creature attached to his leg, walked to the door, and asked, “Is this your cat?”
“Meow, meow, meow, meow, meowu!”
—Daddy, I’m a brave white tiger divine beast, very powerful! I’m not a weak little cat!
Fu Yuchuan stood at the door. When he saw Chu Yan, his body instinctively tensed. His gaze moved from the slightly damp tips of his hair to the familiar eyebrows and eyes. He restrained the throbbing and the burning acidity welling up from deep within and nodded, speaking softly, “Yes.”
Chu Yan carefully examined the young man in front of him once again. Suddenly, a name flashed through his mind.
—Fu Yuchuan?
Chu Yan furrowed his brows slightly, finding all these recent events a bit too bizarre and coincidental. “Mr. Fu?”
Fu Yuchuan was surprised that Chu Yan could recognize him. He glanced at his son, who was happily nestled in Chu Yan’s arms, and nodded, “I didn’t expect Mr. Chu to know me.”
Chu Yan walked over, intending to return the chubby cat to him. However, to his surprise, the little chubby cat refused to let go. Its furry paws clung tightly to Chu Yan’s clothes, and its light brown pupils were filled with reluctance and sadness.
“Meow, meow, meow.”
—I want to be with Daddy.
Fu Yuchuan warned with his spiritual consciousness, “Come with me first. I’ll bring you back later.”
“Meow, meow, meow, meow.”
Tears slowly gathered in the chubby cat’s light brown pupils. It shrank its short neck, but its two paws still didn’t let go. Its furry tail rubbed affectionately against Chu Yan’s hand.
Chu Yan’s sister, Chu Si, noticed that something was wrong. What’s with this chubby cat? Its behavior suggested that her brother was its owner.
Fu Yuchuan sighed softly, looked up at Chu Yan, and said, “I’m sorry. It seems… he doesn’t want to go back with me.”
Chu Yan didn’t pursue the topic further but instead asked, “Mr. Fu, have we met before?”
It was indeed strange how Fu Yuchuan had reacted when he saw Chu Yan just now, and the cat’s unusual attachment to him raised some suspicions.
After a moment of silence, Fu Yuchuan finally nodded slightly.
Chu Yan’s sister, Chu Si, sensed the unusual atmosphere and quickly said, “Brother, I’ll go back to my room to read.”
Chu Yan agreed with a nod, gently placing the chubby cat on the ground. He stepped aside to let Fu Yuchuan into the room.
The uneasy chubby cat followed behind Chu Yan, occasionally reaching out with its little paws, trying to scratch his trousers through the air but failing to keep up with Chu Yan’s steps.
As Chu Yan sat on the sofa, the chubby cat obediently crouched beside him, its round head nuzzling against Chu Yan’s waist, displaying an intoxicated expression.
“Meow, meow, meow.”
Chu Yan reached out and scooped the cat, which had been fidgeting next to him, into his arms. The cat immediately behaved, and as Chu Yan pondered, he furrowed his brow slightly and asked Fu Yuchuan, “Why is this cat acting so…”
Before he could finish his sentence, the chubby cat in his arms moved uncomfortably. From the pads of its paws, there came a sensation of warmth and tenderness. Almost instantly, Chu Yan felt the once relaxed and soft body of the cat stiffen, and its fur seemed to stand on end, even with its tail going straight.
The next moment, he saw the fluffy white, chubby cat in his arms transform into a naked little child. The milky-white skin was incredibly soft, and the two furry paws turned into small hands with cute little dimples. The child covered its face, revealing two round, light brown eyes, looking at Chu Yan with a blush on its face, as if feeling embarrassed.
Chu Yan, who witnessed all of this, remained relatively calm. If an ordinary person saw such a scene, they might have immediately thrown the child out.
Fu Yuchuan, noticing Chu Yan’s composure, breathed a slight sigh of relief. He used his magic to dress his naked son and sternly warned, “What’s the matter with you? If you scare Dad, he will never acknowledge you again.”
Chu Hui was frightened by Fu Yuchuan’s warning, nodding weakly. Realizing his fault, especially after losing his face in front of his dad just now, he looked up at Chu Yan with a somewhat listless expression. However, noticing that his dad was also watching him, he immediately perked up, widening his eyes and slightly pursing his lips to start acting cute.
Even the majestic divine beast had no qualms about acting cute. In fact, he hoped to appear even cuter to Chu Yan.
Chu Yan realized that this was the child who had followed him at the airport yesterday, calling him dad. His gaze hardened as he felt things were getting increasingly complicated.
However, he gradually pieced together some clues, speculating that all this must be related to the worlds he had previously been involved in. As for which world specifically, he recalled the cat form of the child from earlier, which remarkably resembled the tiger form of Lu Ran from a distant past. However, that was a long time ago, and he wasn’t entirely certain.
Chu Yan turned to Fu Yuchuan. “Yesterday, this child called me dad. Can you please explain what’s going on, Mr. Fu?”
Fu Yuchuan looked directly at him, contemplating how to answer his question in a way that would be easier to accept. After a moment, he nodded slowly and began, “Yes, my child… is also your child.”
“He saw you at the airport yesterday, but it was too crowded there, not convenient for discussion. So, he followed you back. I originally planned to tell you gradually, but Xiao Hui really missed you… I’m sorry for not informing you earlier.”
Chu Yan then asked the crucial question, “What’s your relationship with Lu Ran?”
Since they share the same form, does that mean Fu Yuchuan is Lu Ran? But then, how did this child come about?
Fu Yuchuan looked at him, saying, “You could say that, but that’s only a part of it. However, Lu Ran is indeed the part closest to my true self.”
Chu Yan seemed to grasp some understanding. Although he had no substantial relationship with Lu Ran, there were connections in other worlds. If what this man said was true and everyone from those other worlds was part of him, then this child would indeed be his own.
Turning his head to glance at the little child sitting next to him, swinging two short legs and dressed in a yellow onesie with a duck design, Chu Yan suddenly felt a headache coming on.
“Daddy,” little Chu Hui blinked his eyelashes like a small fan, his eyes resembling high-quality glass gems, and his little voice sounding tender.
Even Chu Yan himself had to admit that this child really looked a lot like him.
After Fu Yuchuan finished speaking, he continued to gaze at Chu Yan. His eyebrows, which had been furrowed from the beginning, never relaxed.
Chu Yan glanced at Fu Yuchuan. The man was sitting upright on the couch, looking serious and tense, almost like he was at a negotiating table. Chu Yan knew that Fu Yuchuan was waiting for his response, but what should he say?
But did Fu Yuchuan need him to take responsibility? After all, this was different from the worlds in the books. Even if everything seemed absurd and bizarre, Chu Yan didn’t think Fu Yuchuan would be that kind of person. Why did he come today, and what kind of attitude did he hope Chu Yan would display?
Although Chu Yan could find familiar aspects in him, the abrupt transition to this stage made it challenging for him to accept.
Seeing Chu Yan struggling with a conflicted expression, Fu Yuchuan thought to himself that he shouldn’t have revealed everything so suddenly. It was normal for Chu Yan to find it difficult to accept.
“Daddy, can Xiao Hui sleep with you tonight?” The little white tiger didn’t understand the atmosphere between his dad and his mom; he just instinctively wanted to be with Chu Yan and hoped that Chu Yan could like him as much as he liked Chu Yan.
“Xiao Hui, what’s your name?” Chu Yan asked.
Hearing his dad talking to him, Xiao Chu Hui immediately nodded vigorously, afraid that Chu Yan didn’t see it. “Yes, I’m called Chu Hui. Daddy, do you think my name sounds nice?”
Chu Yan was caught off guard by the sudden appearance of a three-year-old son, and his emotions were quite complex. He absentmindedly nodded and then raised his hand to ruffle the little boy’s head.
Fu Yuchuan wasn’t worried about his son in this situation. Chu Hui used to get agitated if anyone touched his head, but the power of a white tiger was far from cute and harmless, as he demonstrated. If Fu Yuchuan hadn’t reminded Chu Hui not to casually show his claws, many people might have been deceived by his appearance and accidentally hurt by him.
So, Fu Yuchuan didn’t expect his son to be so good at being cute in front of Chu Yan, but he considered it a good thing.
Fu Yuchuan, although not worried about Chu Hui, was concerned about his own future.
“Daddy, can Chu Hui sleep with you tonight?”
Chu Hui, aware that the topic had shifted, brought up his request again.
Chu Yan didn’t answer him immediately but instead turned his gaze to Fu Yuchuan. “Mr. Fu, what are your thoughts?”
Before Fu Yuchuan could respond, Chu Yan continued, “Currently, I don’t have any plans to start a family, and perhaps it won’t be in my plans for a long time. How do you intend to arrange Chu Hui’s identity?”
Fu Yuchuan was prepared for the possibility that Chu Yan might need time to accept the situation, but he didn’t expect the other party to be so cold and direct in rejecting him after learning about his identity.
Could it be that, in those worlds, Chu Yan really didn’t develop any feelings for him?
His expression changed slightly, and he asked in a low, hoarse voice, “What do you think?”
Chu Yan turned to look at Chu Hui, the little boy. “I can accept the child, even though it’s quite unexpected. However, Mr. Fu, since you’re here, I believe you understand that those worlds we experienced were nothing but a fictional game and deception. I won’t take it seriously, and I assume you won’t either, right?”
After hearing Chu Yan’s words, Fu Yuchuan’s initially softened expression involuntarily turned cold. He stood up stiffly and asked, “What if I say all of that is true?”
Sensing the emotions he had unintentionally revealed, Fu Yuchuan restrained himself and spoke calmly, “For you, it might be deception and lies, but for me, all of that is real.”
After saying this, Fu Yuchuan paused and looked at Chu Yan with a multitude of inexplicable emotions in his eyes. “Perhaps those were just games in your eyes before, but I hope you won’t think that way anymore.”
He genuinely experienced the joys, angers, sorrows, hopes, and disappointments that those worlds brought through this person. Regardless of what those worlds meant to Chu Yan, they were undeniably unique experiences in his long and mundane life.
So, no matter how it was in the past, he hoped that from now on, Chu Yan could treat him the same way he treated real people, not as a game character.
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