Chapter 26: Don’t Go Around Being a Dad to Everyone
Feng Qizhou held the baby, facing the cabin window. He raised the baby’s hand and waved. “Baby, we’re leaving. Come on, say goodbye to Mommy.”
The baby could only cry and laugh, making a few out-of-tune sounds.
She looked out eagerly, craning her neck forward, wanting to get a little closer to her mother.
The helicopter’s rotors spun, and the aircraft lifted off the ground. Xue Yu waved from below and shouted, “Safe travels!”
Feng Qizhou looked down. His eyesight was far superior to that of an ordinary person. He could still see Xue Yu’s round, clear eyes, devoid of any cunning—such a simple, honest child.
As soon as the helicopter left, Zhou Siyan rushed to the side of the car door. “Where’s Xue Xiaohai?”
Xue Yu also ran over to check.
Mo Li unzipped his camouflage-brown military equipment bag. As soon as the zipper opened, a childish voice popped out from the bag: “Wow!”
The baby thought they were playing the peek-a-boo game.
Zhou Siyan leaned down to look into the bag.
The baby was hugging her little seahorse, her eyes darting back and forth between the three adults, grinning.
Zhou Siyan lifted the baby out of the bag, lowered his head, and touched his forehead to the baby’s. He was on the verge of tears. His daughter had been hiding so obediently in the bag, thinking they were playing a game, completely unaware that this world did not welcome her.
Mo Li placed a hand on his own abdomen and said softly, “The child will have to live a life of hiding like this from now on.”
Xue Yu’s heart also ached. She held the baby’s small hand, not knowing what to say.
The atmosphere suddenly turned sad. Xue Yu rubbed her face with both hands:
“Why are we so sad? Every child has their own destiny. Since she’s been born, we’ll work hard to raise her.”
“Besides, our child had a spirit body before she was even born. With such a heaven-sent fierce girl, what do we have to worry about!”
Zhou Siyan kissed the baby’s face. “Xue Xiaohai, your mom says you’re a heaven-sent fierce girl. Do you like that title?”
The baby started playing the peek-a-boo game again, covering her eyes with her two small hands and then uncovering them a moment later. “Wow!”
The three adults laughed along with the baby.
Xue Xiaohai found it interesting and played it several times.
Xue Yu touched her chin, frowning in thought.
Zhou Siyan was worried she was overthinking things and secretly nudged her elbow. “Don’t think too much. If we work hard, maybe one day we can get a residence permit for the South Continent Safe Zone. Then we can move there with the baby and won’t have to hide.”
Xue Yu turned to look at him. “Huh? I wasn’t thinking about that.”
Zhou Siyan: “Then what were you thinking about?”
Xue Yu looked at Xue Xiaohai, who was still playing the peek-a-boo game, and said solemnly, “I was thinking, are we teasing Xue Xiaohai, or is Xue Xiaohai teasing us? That’s a question worth pondering.”
Zhou Siyan’s originally solemn expression instantly softened, and the sad atmosphere in the car improved. He got into the car with the baby. “Then you can ponder it slowly. Mo Li, you drive.”
“Okay.”
Mo Li first gathered all the toys that were hidden under the seat, then went to the driver’s seat to drive.
Xue Yu and Zhou Siyan sat in the back with the baby. Blueberry, Heimei, and Xiaoxue continued to squeeze into the passenger seat, playing their stacking game.
The off-road vehicle headed towards the Yaga Safe Zone. They planned to replenish some supplies there.
Mo Li took a slightly different route, not the one Xue Yu and Zhou Siyan had taken before.
The scenery outside was magnificent. On the endless desert, there were scattered shrubs, trees, and withered yellow grass.
Occasionally, they could see cheetahs and hyenas. The overall landscape was like the African savanna during the dry season.
Mo Li had probably chosen this scenic route to alleviate the sad atmosphere from before. The car’s speed also slowed down considerably.
Zhou Siyan held the baby, his head always turned to look out the window.
Xue Yu glanced at him, only seeing his perfect jawline.
“So irresponsible, not even taking care of the child,” Zhou Siyan suddenly said for no reason.
Xue Yu felt guilty, thinking he was referring to her. She coughed a couple of times and silently took the baby from Zhou Siyan’s hands, lifting her up for a kiss. “Oh, Mommy’s good baby, you’ve gotten so much heavier.”
The baby laughed and reached out to grab Xue Yu’s face.
Xue Yu dodged and made a funny face at the baby. “Naughty girl, why are you grabbing me? Should I bite your hand off?”
Zhou Siyan stared out the window and said again, “No sense of responsibility at all.”
Xue Yu felt even more uncertain. She brought her face close to the baby’s. “Alright, alright, you can pinch, but only pinch, no grabbing, okay? We can’t develop bad habits.”
“No sense of responsibility,” Zhou Siyan repeated inexplicably.
Xue Yu braced herself and asked, “What are you talking about?”
Zhou Siyan pointed to a cheetah passing by outside. It was a mother cheetah with three cubs. His tone was serious:
“Look at those cheetahs. Only the mother is with the cubs. The father is a real piece of work, not even taking care of his own wife and children.”
Xue Yu breathed a sigh of relief. At least he wasn’t talking about her.
She righteously agreed with him. “You’re right, so irresponsible! Single-parenting, that’s not acceptable.”
Zhou Siyan straightened up and took out a tissue to wipe the baby’s drool. “Xue Xiaohai, Daddy will always be with you as you grow up. I will definitely not be like those animals outside.”
In the driver’s seat, Mo Li couldn’t help but glance at Zhou Siyan in the rearview mirror. Do all men become this talkative after having a baby?
In the evening, they arrived at the Yaga Safe Zone. This was a gathering place for all kinds of old, weak, sick, and disabled wanderers, a scattered camp with no organization or discipline.
This place was very chaotic. Zhou Siyan had Mo Li stay in the car to take care of Xue Xiaohai, while he and Xue Yu got out to buy things.
The two of them first walked towards the restaurants.
They encountered a few teenagers playing on a swing under a baobab tree. There were both boys and girls.
A vine hung from a high branch. They would grab the vine and swing out more than ten meters. They were very brave.
They walked a few more steps.
Xue Yu sniffed the air, trying to identify which restaurant’s food was better.
“Over there, the one on the right. I smell stir-fried dishes. Zhou Siyan, let’s go buy from that one.”
Zhou Siyan: “Okay.”
After walking a few more meters, Zhou Siyan seemed to have made some kind of decision. He turned around sharply and walked towards the teenagers playing on the swing.
Xue Yu didn’t know what he was doing and ran back to catch up. “Zhou Siyan, what are you doing?”
Zhou Siyan didn’t reply and walked straight to the baobab tree. He looked around at the several grimy-faced teenagers. “Whose children are you?”
The teenagers were intimidated by his aura and lowered their heads, picking at the dirt under their nails.
A braver girl stepped forward and said, “We’re from the north. We were kicked out of our original safe zone and have been wandering here.”
Zhou Siyan: “Where are your parents?”
The girl: “My mom is selling water at the water station.”
Zhou Siyan then looked at the precarious vine on the baobab tree and lectured them seriously:
“Why are you still not home so late? Your parents are very worried about you.”
“How can you play with a vine like that? If you fall, how heartbroken would your parents be?”
“Why aren’t your parents looking after you? Haven’t they taught you about safety? Stop playing and go home.”
These teenagers were all wild children. Their parents didn’t care about them. It was a miracle they were even alive.
They looked at each other, then at Zhou Siyan, winking and covering their mouths to giggle.
Zhou Siyan continued calmly:
“Swinging like this is very dangerous. You can’t play like this. The medical care in this safe zone is so poor. If you get hurt, what will your parents do? They will be heartbroken.”
The teenagers laughed, pushing each other playfully. “Brother, have you been infected by a contamination factor? Why are you talking so strangely?”
Zhou Siyan: “You should call me uncle.”
A boy burst out laughing. “How old are you, twenty-something? And you’re an uncle? That’s hilarious!”
Zhou Siyan’s expression changed. “Whose child are you? So rude. Do your parents know?”
The boy: “Of course they know. My dad taught me to be like this.”
Zhou Siyan wanted to say more.
Xue Yu, listening from the side, was in agony, extremely embarrassed. She couldn’t take it anymore and pulled Zhou Siyan away:
“Let’s go. Why are you going around being a dad to everyone? You were never like this before. I’m really impressed.”
Zhou Siyan was unfazed. “What do you mean, ‘going around being a dad to everyone’?”
Xue Yu: “It means you like to act like a father to everyone, just like you did just now.”
Zhou Siyan was very serious. “I am a father. And swinging like that is really dangerous.”
Xue Yu forcibly pulled him away. “A reminder is enough. There’s no need for a long speech. Who wants to listen to you ramble on?”
Zhou Siyan was pushed along by Xue Yu, but he still looked back worriedly and shouted at the teenagers, “Stop playing! Go home! Don’t make your parents worry.”
After buying three meals and some new supplies, the two returned to the off-road vehicle.
Mo Li had woven the tentacles of his blue-ringed octopus into a circle and placed Xue Xiaohai on them, rocking her gently, like a swing.
He was teasing the baby with a plush toy, and Xue Xiaohai was laughing so hard she was drooling.
When Zhou Siyan got into the car, he was terrified. He quickly picked up Xue Xiaohai. “Is this octopus poisonous?”
Mo Li: “It won’t release venom if I don’t let it.”
“It’s still too dangerous. Don’t play like this in the future,” Zhou Siyan said, his heart pounding.
Xue Xiaohai reached out with both hands, struggling to go back to the octopus’s tentacles to swing. Zhou Siyan comforted her, “Baby, that octopus is too dangerous. We can’t play like that. Daddy will worry.”
Xue Yu handed a meal to Mo Li and gave him a look: Sigh, he’s a dad now. Let’s just humor him.
The Yaga Safe Zone was very chaotic. They didn’t spend the night there but continued to drive for another hour before stopping in a meadow.
The next day, less than two hours after they set off, their car was stopped by the Public Security Brigade.
Xue Yu looked over. It was the same Public Security Brigade they had encountered before, the one from whom Zhou Siyan had gotten some roasted pork for her and Mo Li.
Zhou Siyan took his trench coat and covered Xue Xiaohai in his arms.
Xue Yu was driving this morning. She turned to Zhou Siyan in the back seat and said, “Are they here for Yan Wantang? I saw her yesterday. I’ll go deal with them. You and Mo Li stay in the car.”
Zhou Siyan: “Can you handle it?”
Xue Yu: “Of course.”
Xue Yu opened the car door and got out, calling out to the Public Security Brigade captain, pretending to be very anxious. “Captain, are you looking for Yan Wantang? I saw her yesterday!”
The captain’s name was Wei Zhuangsu. True to his name, he looked very solemn and serious, with thick eyebrows and deep-set eyes, much like a typical righteous character in a TV drama.
He walked over and first asked, “Who is in the car?”
Xue Yu said, “It’s Director Zhou and a sniper, both your old classmates. I’m here with Director Zhou to investigate the whereabouts of Abominations. Director Zhou has been slightly infected and it’s not convenient for him to come out.”
Wei Zhuangsu looked into the car. In the passenger seat was indeed a man in a White Tower military uniform. In the back seat was Zhou Siyan, wearing a trench coat, his face pale.
“Director Zhou, how are you?” Wei Zhuangsu asked.
Zhou Siyan was calm. “I’ve been infected by a contamination factor. I won’t get out of the car. Xue Yu saw Yan Wantang yesterday. If you have any questions, just ask her.”
“Alright.”
Wei Zhuangsu and a few team members moved a little distance away and signaled for Xue Yu to come over and talk.
Xue Yu walked over to him.
Wei Zhuangsu asked, “Where did you see Yan Wantang yesterday?”
Xue Yu: “On the abandoned highway number 8 to the south.”
Wei Zhuangsu: “What was her situation at the time?”
“She didn’t look very good, a bit wretched, but her spirits were still high. She was still smiling a lot,” Xue Yu didn’t reveal too much, just wanting to get it over with.
Wei Zhuangsu: “She didn’t do anything to you, did she?”
Xue Yu: “I ran as soon as I saw her. She didn’t catch me. And she said she was just taking a walk. It didn’t seem like she wanted to take my kidneys.”
Wei Zhuangsu nodded. “She’s wanted by the White Tower now. She took the organs of several leaders. The higher-ups are determined to get to the bottom of this. But Wantang is a very smart person. We’ve been chasing her for a long time but haven’t caught her.”
Xue Yu: “Yes.”
Wei Zhuangsu walked forward slowly with her. “Did you sleep with Wantang?”
The sudden change of topic caught Xue Yu off guard. “Of course not!”
Wei Zhuangsu said casually, “You know, Wantang has many girlfriends and boyfriends. This is what gives me the biggest headache.”
Xue Yu was clueless but could only agree. “Uh, yes, her social circle is quite wide. It’s indeed hard to catch her.”
Wei Zhuangsu: “Yes, you know, I dated her. We were even planning to get married, but Wantang only accepts an open marriage, which makes it very difficult for me. I’m a regular conservative and hope to maintain a one-on-one relationship. We’ve argued about this many times.”
Xue Yu thought to herself, Captain, I don’t really want to know about your PLAY.
She patiently replied, “Hahaha, that is indeed a problem. Incompatible values, it’s really hard to deal with.”
Wei Zhuangsu put his hands behind his back and shook his head. “No, our values are quite compatible. The main problem is that her boyfriends and girlfriends don’t know their place and always cause trouble in front of me. This makes it very difficult for me.”
Xue Yu: “Hehe, that is indeed difficult.”
Are you really here to hunt down Yan Wantang? Xue Yu had never known that this Public Security Brigade captain was so talkative.
Wei Zhuangsu didn’t care if Xue Yu wanted to hear about these things and continued at his own pace. “Besides being a bit promiscuous, Wantang is actually a very good partner. You know, I was with her for many years.”
Xue Yu: I don’t know!
Wei Zhuangsu looked at her. “Wantang is a very outstanding person. She was always at the top of her class in school. So, you really didn’t have a relationship with Wantang?”
Xue Yu was sweating profusely. “Sir, I’m straight.”
And I have a child.
Wei Zhuangsu looked straight ahead and continued to walk. “Sorry, I was being rude. Wantang is indeed very capable. After graduation, she entered the Air Combat Department and was expected to become the next head of the department. By the way, are you really not one of Wantang’s girlfriends?”
A row of black lines appeared above Xue Yu’s head. “Sir, I’m straight.”
Wei Zhuangsu: “Sorry, I was being presumptuous. In that case, I hope you will inform me in a timely manner if you have any news of Wantang in the future. There is a reward for reporting.”
Xue Yu felt that this Public Security Brigade captain was not very professional. No wonder Yan Wantang was still at large, brazenly walking her husband.
She smiled and nodded. “Okay, okay. I will definitely inform you in a timely manner if I have any news!”
The two of them had unknowingly walked a long distance.
Xue Yu was worried about her ex-boyfriends and the child. She quietly looked back and saw that only the black off-road vehicle was left in the distance.
“Captain Wei, where are your team members?”
Wei Zhuangsu’s eyes widened. “Oh no, let’s go back quickly!”