Starting Kindergarten
He Ruge lay in bed, starting to recall the plot he had written. He wrote about sweet stories—no super family members, no dramatic exes. The biggest obsession of the female lead was her enormous inheritance.
The money-loving female lead began to despise Mr. Tentacle Monster. In this regard, He Ruge was the same. However, Mr. Tentacle Monster was covered in the radiance of money from head to toe. Whenever the tentacle male lead wanted to pat the female lead’s head or poke her cheek, he would take out a freshly minted grandpa bill.
The female lead had a special piggy bank for saving money. Every time the tentacle male lead wanted to play with his Earthling pet, he would consciously take out a grandpa bill and put it into the female lead’s piggy bank, earning himself the chance to “pet her head.”
Their interaction pattern was “our fate wasn’t originally intertwined—it’s all thanks to me spending money.” In their daily interactions, the relationship between the alien caregiver and the Earthling pet transformed into that of an old father and a prodigal daughter, and later evolved into a romantic relationship.
He Ruge believed that his relationship with Mr. Xi was transitioning towards a father-son dynamic. Maybe in a while, Mr. Xi would return to his star. If Mr. Xi didn’t return to his star, they could continue in the father-loving-son model. He Ruge was willing to grow up and take care of the elderly Mr. Xi.
Anyway, their relationship would never turn into a romantic one.
After all, this wasn’t a danmei novel.
He Ruge was incredibly glad he wrote a romance novel, and besides, octopuses were hermaphrodites, so there wouldn’t be any terrible situations like Mr. Xi suddenly becoming Ms. Xi.
If he guessed right, this body should be six or seven years old. According to the subsequent developments, he should be arranged to go to elementary school. In the beginning, the female lead was directly the most lavish and prettiest school bully in elementary school.
Elementary school courses were very simple. He Ruge pondered whether to hide his talents and be the top of the class or openly strive for the top spot in the whole school.
Immersed in the fantasy of being first in his grade, He Ruge fell asleep unknowingly. In his dream, he turned into a mermaid, and on the shore, a big white tiger looked eagerly at him, saying every day:
“Grow up quickly. Do you like me yet?”
At the same time, red patterns suddenly appeared on He Ruge’s legs, eerie like blood.
The changes in He Ruge’s demonic patterns were recorded by the attribute panel:
【Friendly】: He Ruge thinks you are a cute and gentle good foster father, affection +50
【Awakening】: Part of He Ruge’s demonic pattern has appeared. Please patiently protect your little mermaid.
His gaze lingered on “cute and gentle good foster father” for a full minute. The emotions in Xi Guican’s blue eyes were so complex that even he couldn’t decipher them.
Xi Guican sighed meaningfully while supporting his forehead. He remembered that before He Ruge had an accident, the degree of paternal love had reached an astonishing 98%. He didn’t expect that now, as if returning to the past, or even worse, because now paternal love was only a pitiful 50 points.
Moreover, were “cute” and “gentle” really words to describe him?
Cute was fine, as He Ruge had praised him like that before. But the word “gentle”… Where did that come from?
Must be a bug.
Xi Guican thought that he and the word “gentle” were worlds apart. The gentlest person he had ever seen in his life was He Ruge.
Tonight, when Xi Guican read fairy tales, he was also imitating He Ruge’s tone. He thought He Ruge was really a very gentle person. Even people like him could imitate He Ruge and also be associated with the word “gentle.”
Xi Guican exited the game and stood up from the game cabin, walking to another game cabin.
A young man with black hair lay quietly in the game cabin, his face flushed, as if he would wake up the next second.
Xi Guican looked down for a long time. He reached out, and his large palm almost covered the young man’s face. This same large hand could once cover little He Ruge’s face, and now it could still cover He Ruge’s face.
His stern face softened, and Xi Guican whispered, “Your face is so small.”
The sleeping youth couldn’t respond to his lover.
Xi Guican kissed He Ruge’s forehead, a deep and affectionate kiss.
“Even in the game, I dare not kiss you. I’m afraid that one kiss will deduct all my affection points.”
His low voice revealed a sense of grievance. At this moment, he wasn’t Marshal Xi with an imposing presence, nor was he the gentle and mature Mr. Xi.
“He Ruge, please make He Ruge like me soon, even if it’s just paternal love.”
The game’s task for him was to reach 100% affection.
This affection didn’t specify which aspect it referred to.
In the game, Xi Guican couldn’t directly tell He Ruge the truth because the truth was too bizarre, and He Ruge wouldn’t believe it. He would only lose trust in the game, and the worst result would be He Ruge hiding in his own world and no longer trusting anything in the game.
Now the game’s worldview combined with the serialized novel “Your Exclusive Lover” and He Ruge’s trust. He Ruge had a natural closeness and trust towards his serialized novel. Only in this way could he believe in the game world.
Otherwise, once He Ruge suspected everything was fake and refused to open up to the mental realm, Xi Guican would lose his only chance to communicate with He Ruge.
Because He Ruge’s condition was very serious, his mental realm was like a dilapidated house on the verge of collapse. Only the homeowner could open the door. If outsiders tried to force their way in, the entire house would collapse. Xi Guican was the only one who could knock on the door.
When He Ruge’s affection reached 100%, he would believe everything Xi Guican said.
Right now, all Xi Guican could do was roughly follow the outline of the novel and interact with He Ruge. For example, tomorrow he would give He Ruge a small piggy bank, the most frequently appearing prop in the novel. Giving this piggy bank to He Ruge would make him feel more familiar.
However, Xi Guican didn’t have to follow every detail of the plot. For example, in the book, the female lead went to a private elementary school, but Xi Guican would arrange for He Ruge to attend “Guican Ruge” school.
“Guican Ruge” was the orphanage he and He Ruge plan to build on Seventeen Star. In reality, “Guican Ruge” hasn’t been built yet. It’s easy to build houses in the virtual world, so Xi Guican imported the blueprints designed by He Ruge into the game and arranged for the toddlers of Land Class 1 to log into the game tomorrow.
For the toddlers, this was a novel virtual game classroom experience, getting an early taste of studying at “Guican Ruge”. What’s more attractive was that Teacher Little He will appear in the virtual game classroom!
Although it’s the Little He teacher who has lost his memory, the toddlers are still eagerly looking forward to it. Even Zhi Zhi, who was taken away by Fu Xi, heard the news and actively wanted to sign up.
He Ruge woke up. Before he opened his eyes, his hand naturally reached for the pillow. After groping around with his small fleshy hand, He Ruge blinked and opened his eyes. When he saw the luxurious children’s room, he realized that he had crossed over.
He had become a little brat, the kind without a phone.
The morning sea breeze blew through the wind chimes and curtains. He Ruge turned his head to look at the blue sky and the sea outside the window.
The anxiety of not being able to touch his phone was cured by the clear blue color. Just thinking about not having to painstakingly write anymore, and after Mr. Xi leaves, he can inherit enough money to spend for a lifetime, He Ruge suddenly felt that he had lost his goal in life.
Actually, being a freeloader isn’t bad at all.
It’s really great.
He Ruge crawled back into bed, yawning softly. However, when he saw the red marks on his ankle, all thoughts of sleep fled.
He Ruge was extremely anxious, suspecting that he was terminally ill. He ran out in his pajamas, slippers on his feet, sprinting up the stairs. Halfway there, bright military boots suddenly appeared in front of him.
Then his body was suddenly lifted into the air, as Xi Guican picked him up.
“What’s wrong?” Xi Guican asked with concern.
At such a close distance, He Ruge could see his own face reflected in those blue eyes.
Just like when he saw the sea in the morning, the feeling of anxiety in his heart was replaced by another feeling when he saw Mr. Xi’s blue eyes.
He Ruge found it difficult to describe this feeling. It was a feeling he had never experienced before—it felt like when a child is sick and a parent carries him to the doctor.
As an orphan, from childhood to adulthood, no one had ever carried He Ruge to see a doctor.
Not a single person.
“My foot has grown something strange.”
He Ruge pursed his lips, pointing to his ankle. Xi Guican held him with one hand, securely, and lifted the cuff of He Ruge’s little pants, carefully examining his condition.
Xi Guican’s arms were really strong, firm like they were made of iron, very dependable. Even if He Ruge’s hands didn’t grasp anything, he didn’t have to worry about falling down.
It was just a little bit of a loss.
This must be what they call a sense of security.
If we were to liken their current situation to the relationship between a pet and its owner, then He Ruge must be like a little kitten with a skin disease, finding security in his caregiver’s embrace.
Skin diseases were contagious to humans, so would this strange red mark on his leg infect Mr. Xi? Would Mr. Xi abandon him because of his illness and go back to the orphanage to adopt another child?
His mind was filled with all sorts of messy thoughts. Perhaps the writer’s mind always wanders unusually fast.
Just as He Ruge was imagining being sent back to the orphanage, the man’s deep voice interrupted his random thoughts, “Don’t worry, this is a normal condition that occurs after eating spirit stones. I have it too.”
“Spirit stones?” He Ruge looked puzzled.
“A special thing from my hometown, eating them can strengthen your body.”
Xi Guican said without changing his expression.
He Ruge thought that this was probably a specialty of an alien planet, although his writing hadn’t mentioned it. However, it was quite normal for a planet to have its own specialties.
He Ruge once again convinced himself and happily went to wash up, change his clothes, and have breakfast.
After breakfast, Mr. Xi told him that they were going to kindergarten today.
Although there were some differences between the senior kindergarten class and first grade, He Ruge could still accept these small-scale changes in the plot.
The small backpack was prepared early. The backpack was shaped like a cartoon character with a face, and to be honest, He Ruge felt that the backpack was quite ugly, but its uniqueness made it charming.
Sitting on the bus to kindergarten, He Ruge kept his head down, looking at the backpack.
“Do you really like this backpack?”
Mr. Xi said, “The character on this backpack is the protagonist of an animated series. If you like it, we can watch ‘Thomas and Friends’ tonight.”
He Ruge nodded and agreed. He was a bit bored, unzipping the zipper and finding the backpack empty.
Although the backpack was bought, the stationery was not prepared. This plot was written by He Ruge. If the plot developed truthfully, He Ruge would feel quite reassured.
As they passed by a stationery store, Mr. Xi took him to buy pencils, erasers, and notebooks. The stationery store had piggy banks for sale, one of which was a cat-shaped piggy bank. Mr. Xi asked if he wanted it.
The protagonist of his novel, the squid-like male lead, had also asked the money-loving female lead this question.
He Ruge shook his head and pointed to the beckoning cat piggy bank next to it, saying, “I want this one.”
He liked cats more.
After Mr. Xi paid, He Ruge held onto the beckoning cat piggy bank. He touched the piggy bank, hoping it was a real little kitty.
Ah—today, He Ruge also really wanted to raise a little kitten.
He Ruge didn’t notice that every time he touched the beckoning cat piggy bank, Mr. Xi’s face would darken by a degree, as if a rightful wife was glaring at a shameless mistress.
They soon arrived at kindergarten, where the main color of the house was pink and blue, with golden stars hanging under the eaves. He Ruge walked while looking up at the stars, nearly tripping over an unidentified creature on the ground. Luckily, Mr. Xi scooped him up like pulling a radish.
Caught off guard, He Ruge looked puzzled as he lowered his head to see the perpetrator on the ground—
A hedgehog with a rose on its head.
It was the largest and clingiest hedgehog He Ruge had ever seen. It had chased He Ruge all the way here, forcing He Ruge to hide in Mr. Xi’s arms and not dare to come down.
If he was touched by this hedgehog, he would definitely bleed.
He Ruge wasn’t sure if it was his illusion, but he always felt that Mr. Xi was very happy when he held him. But later, when he saw the forlorn expression on the hedgehog, He Ruge’s heart softened. He patted Mr. Xi’s shoulder with his little hand, indicating that Mr. Xi could put him down.
Under the expectant gaze of the hedgehog, He Ruge walked up to it with short legs. Carefully, he used his fingertips to poke the hedgehog’s nose. The hedgehog’s eyes instantly squinted happily, and it bashfully used the rose on its head to rub against He Ruge’s palm.
He Ruge was amused. In the other’s body language, he tentatively took the rose and found that the hedgehog smiled even more happily.
“Thank you for the rose.”
He Ruge sighed inwardly, feeling that this was a very empathetic hedgehog.
Taking the rose, He Ruge looked up at Mr. Xi. Although Mr. Xi still had an expressionless face, He Ruge felt that there was a hint of unhappiness in his blue eyes this time.
Why did he suddenly change his expression?
Can’t figure it out.
Little Theater:
Xi Guican: That brat gave my wife roses again.
Xi Guican: Angry!
