Yu Ce, unaware of Taro Ball’s thoughts, sat down on the corridor, the moonlight shimmering like water around him, and adjusted his robe.
He tried hard to make sense of everything that was happening here. Yu Ce couldn’t shake the feeling that the system had concealed something crucial from him.
Like why he in this world would have children with Shen Tanqi.
Was it because he coveted the Shen family’s glory?
Impossible. He knew himself too well; that was absolutely impossible.
And why was the Shen Tanqi in this world so different from the Shen Tanqi he remembered, almost like a different person altogether?
Yu Ce couldn’t understand, and it gave him a headache.
He turned his head to look at Taro Ball, who was still angrily picking up stones from the ground, and suddenly chuckled, “Stop picking them up. With your current cultivation level, you’ll never hit me.”
Taro Ball’s eyes widened, and he casually threw a stone at Yu Ce, saying, “Don’t underestimate me. I’m at the Nascent Soul stage.”
Yu Ce slowly raised his hand and casually caught the stone, murmuring, “I know, that’s why I said it.”
“You…!” Taro Ball gritted his teeth.
His way of speaking was just like his real father’s.
This detestable fake father.
Yu Ce lightly patted the steps beside him, gesturing for Taro Ball to sit down. Seeing the child unmoving, he had to speak up, “I have something to ask you, come.”
Taro Ball turned his face away, huffing, “Why should I listen to you?” He was only here to supervise this impostor for his daddy and father, to prevent him from doing anything harmful to everyone.
Yu Ce rested his chin on his hand, gazing at him deeply, inexplicably feeling that this kid really resembled him.
Not just in appearance, but also…
His stubbornness.
He reached out and pulled the little Taro Ball to sit beside him. “At least I’ve been your ‘father’ for half a day. Come, chat with me for a while.”
Taro Ball struggled to break free, and the handful of stones he had gathered slipped from his grasp, scattering on the ground. He said angrily, “Why are you like this?”
Yu Ce was speechless for a moment. Even though he wasn’t good at dealing with children, he could tell that Taro Ball was genuinely upset this time. After a pause, he silently picked up the stones from the ground for Taro Ball.
After picking them up, he opened his palm, showing a hint of apology, and softly said, “Here, take them back.”
Taro Ball looked at him, watching as he bent down to pick up the stones he had dropped, and pursed his lips before accepting them.
“Are you a bad person?”
The child couldn’t hold back the question burning in his heart any longer.
Upon hearing his words, Yu Ce pondered for a moment. He bore the mission of eliminating these two children and Shen Tanqi. So, he should be a bad person.
Thus, he nodded slightly. “Mm.”
Seeing him nod, Taro Ball’s last shred of hope was also extinguished. He yelled angrily, “How can you use my father’s face to be the bad guy!”
Yu Ce was stunned for a moment, whispering, “What do you mean?”
“My father is the best and kindest person in the world. By using his face to do bad things, you are tarnishing his reputation.” Taro Ball threw the stones from his hand at him.
This time, Yu Ce didn’t dodge.
The stones hit his head, neither painful nor itchy. Yu Ce slowly picked up the stones from his body, one by one, and handed them back to Taro Ball.
Taro Ball was surprised. “What are you doing?”
Yu Ce softly said, “Returning them to you.”
“Are you trying to tease me like a child?” Taro Ball looked at him perplexed, as if he wanted to open his head and see if it was filled with the same mush as his real father’s.
Yu Ce shook his head and said, “You said your father is the kindest person in the world, and I’m the bad guy who deserves to be punished.”
Taro Ball was speechless. He sat dejectedly beside Yu Ce, resting his chin on his hands and said, “But you don’t seem like a bad person. Can you stop doing this in the future?”
He could sense that the person in front of him had no trace of evil, and his spiritual energy was pure and righteous. Why would such a person do bad things?
Yu Ce watched him quietly and asked a question unrelated to what was asked. “I want to hear about them.”
Taro Ball looked at him, puzzled. “Who?”
“Your father,” Yu Ce glanced towards the room where the candlelight still flickered, and murmured softly, “and your daddy.”
“Oh,” Taro Ball pondered for a moment, organizing his thoughts briefly before starting to speak, “My father is from the dragon race, and my daddy is human. They are both very kind and gentle people. My father hunts demons and upholds justice, always helping those in need, making the demon clan tremble at the mere mention of him…”
“What about Shen Tanqi?” Yu Ce didn’t want to hear Taro Ball praise himself in this world; it sounded odd. He was more interested in learning about Shen Tanqi in this world.
Taro Ball brightened up when he mentioned his daddy, “Daddy is even better to us. When my brother and I argue, daddy teaches me how to make my brother stop being mad at me. He’s the first person who told me to be a child when I’m sad, to cry if I want to, and be cute if I feel like it.”
As he spoke nonstop, Yu Ce could almost see how Shen Tanqi in this world treated them.
“Daddy also cooks for us often, plays with us, and supervises our homework…” He paused and looked at Yu Ce quietly, “My father and daddy are very good people. Please don’t hurt them.”
Yu Ce’s eyes dimmed slightly, remaining silent.
He couldn’t figure out whether Taro Ball’s image of Shen Tanqi was overly idealized or if this world’s Shen Tanqi was truly like that.
He is so different from the Shen Tanqi he knew.
He couldn’t figure it out.
Yu Ce looked down at the sword in his hand. This sword had no name. It was the one others had left for him while he was ostracized after entering the sect.
But on the day he received this sword, he vowed that it would only be used to eliminate evil and demons, never for any other purpose.
If Shen Tanqi is a good person, not the Shen Tanqi he knew, could he still use this sword to pierce Shen Tanqi’s heart?
Yu Ce asked himself honestly, and he couldn’t. Facing those clear eyes, he had no way to confuse this world’s Shen Tanqi with the one he knew.
That thing called the system had told him he lived in a book, where he was the male lead. If he failed his mission, the plot of the book would be altered, and his entire life would change.
Therefore, he would disappear forever from this world.
If that were really the case—
Yu Ce lowered his eyelashes, looking at the child beside him who was eagerly awaiting his answer.
He thought, if that were really the case—
A male lead like him probably wasn’t very likable to begin with.
Cold, stubborn, and inflexible.
Disappearing from this world might be for the best. The male lead of this book should be a strong, gentle father, with a kind and understanding partner, and two lively and adorable children.
Not someone like him, whose life was dull and who should never have been a male lead.
After a long moment, Yu Ce stood up, ruffled Taro Ball’s soft hair gently, and whispered, “Thank you.”
Taro Ball looked at him in confusion, “Thank you for what? Are you still planning to be a bad person?”
After all that he had said just now, how could this person not have listened at all?
The moonlight fell on the snowy ground, casting dancing shadows of trees, obscuring the expression on his face.
He paused slightly, his back turned to Taro Ball, and whispered softly, “Not anymore.”
Taro Ball stood up joyfully. “I knew you wouldn’t be a bad person.”
Though he didn’t understand why, Taro Ball just felt strongly that the person before him was surely very kind, just like his real father. No, he felt that this person was his father.
The man chuckled lightly without turning back, slowly walking away.
Just before he left, he waved to Taro Ball.
“Goodbye, son.”
His voice was so soft, as if it could melt into the wind and drift away.
The wind blew, and Taro Ball couldn’t hear clearly. He anxiously asked, “What did you just say?”
However, a gust of wind passed by, and as Taro Ball blinked, rubbing his eyes from the fine sand, the man’s figure had already disappeared from where he stood, leaving no trace of his presence in this world.
The child stood stunned in place, holding a handful of small stones in his palm. It was as if the person had never been there, leaving no mark of ever existing in this world.
Taro Ball pursed his lips, suddenly feeling inexplicably sad. As if talking to himself, he whispered softly,
“Goodbye, father.”
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
