Chapter 9: Director Zhou, You Wouldn’t Want Anyone to Find Out About Your Pregnancy, Would You?
The road ahead was flat, so Xue Yu set the vehicle to autopilot.
To prevent the seahorse and the black panther from getting into any more situations that were too awkward to watch, Xue Yu sat in the driver’s seat holding her seahorse, while Zhou Siyan sat in the passenger seat holding his black panther.
The atmosphere inside the quiet cabin was strange.
The SUV had excellent soundproofing. Even when traveling at high speed, no engine noise could be heard from inside. For a moment, the only sounds in the car were their breathing.
Xue Yu looked down at the seahorse in her arms. The seahorse’s blue-and-white head kept twisting to the right, its deep blue eyes filled with a mournful sadness.
Then she looked at the black panther in the passenger seat. The panther’s jet-black head was similarly twisted to the left, its golden eyes brimming with sorrow.
Xue Yu’s gaze drifted upward to Zhou Siyan.
He was sitting perfectly upright, his fair, refined features completely still, his eyes fixed forward in a meditative pose.
Suddenly, Xue Yu felt that she and Zhou Siyan were like villains who had cruelly separated a pair of star-crossed lovers.
The seahorse and the black panther in their arms were like a pair of ill-fated young lovers, gazing at each other with longing, so close yet unable to embrace.
It was too pitiful, too cruel!
Evidently, Zhou Siyan also felt this tangible wave of sorrow.
He turned to look at Xue Yu and said, “It’s probably fine to let them play together. They’re just kids, after all.” He paused slightly, then added, “Well, it’s up to you.”
Back at the military academy, Xue Yu had taken some courses on spirit bodies. A spirit body was a projection of its master’s spiritual world. They were loyal only to their master and rarely developed external emotions. It was best for different spirit bodies not to interact. If they did form a bond, the stronger one would unconsciously transfer spiritual power to the weaker one.
Xue Yu stroked the beautiful seahorse in her arms. She couldn’t bear it either.
She poked its crown with her finger. “Playing is fine, but none of what you were doing just now. Coming out and immediately getting into stuff that’s not suitable for children. Have you no shame?”
The seahorse nuzzled Xue Yu’s palm and let out a soft “whimper,” its large, deep blue eyes looking utterly pathetic.
Xue Yu leaned forward and placed the seahorse on the back seat.
Zhou Siyan also let go of the black panther in his arms. With an agile movement, the panther squeezed through the gap between the passenger and driver’s seats and slipped into the back.
The two animals immediately pressed against each other like lovers reunited after a long separation, huddling close.
The black panther was a mature, long-established spirit body, much larger than the seahorse. It curled around the seahorse in a protective posture, its thick, dark tail wrapped around the seahorse’s body. Its barbed tongue continuously licked the blue scales on the seahorse’s back, as if helping it acclimate to its new environment.
Xue Yu could hardly bear to watch. She disengaged the autopilot and took control of the steering wheel herself.
Zhou Siyan broke the awkward atmosphere. “Aren’t you going to give your spirit body a name?” he asked.
It only then occurred to Xue Yu that she was supposed to name it. Her lips moved as she thought for a moment. “Let’s call it Rice,” she said.
Zhou Siyan: “Why?”
Xue Yu: “Because I want to eat rice.”
Zhou Siyan: “Be serious. Once you name a spirit body, it’s set. It’s very difficult to change it later.”
Xue Yu pondered for a moment. “How about Noodles? What do you think?”
Zhou Siyan: “Why?”
Xue Yu: “Because I want to eat noodles.”
Zhou Siyan repeatedly folded the leather gloves in his hands. “Why don’t you wait until after dinner to think about it properly?”
Xue Yu: “That works.”
Around six in the evening, the road ahead began to show signs of severe desertification. The grassy plains gradually faded away, and it seemed they were entering a desert region.
Zhou Siyan looked at the map. “Let’s spend the night here and leave tomorrow.”
“Alright.” Xue Yu parked the car.
There was still one fish left from yesterday’s catch. Xue Yu suggested they open a can of vegetables and cook it with the fish as a side dish, with compressed biscuits as their staple.
Zhou Siyan, of course, had no objections.
There were no dry branches to be found in this area. Xue Yu took out the coal ore she carried with her—the very same kind she mined every day. When heated, it acted like charcoal and could be used for warmth and cooking. A single palm-sized piece could burn for a day and a night.
Xue Yu lit the coal ore and placed her clay pot on top of it.
Meanwhile, Zhou Siyan went to get the barrel of water from the trunk. “After we eat, let’s use this water to wash up,” he said to Xue Yu. “Tomorrow we’ll reach the safe zone in Yaga, and we can restock on water there.”
Xue Yu went over to help him carry the water. “Your body’s in a delicate condition. Leave the heavy lifting to me from now on.”
“It’s no trouble.”
Xue Yu poured a basin of water, planning to use it to wash her face and hair later. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew past from behind her.
A blue blur flew by. The seahorse, which had been in the car, swooped over and jumped into the basin. It clearly loved the water, curling up and blinking its wet eyes at Xue Yu.
“Hey! What are you doing? I need to use this water,” Xue Yu said, rolling up her sleeves to fish it out.
“The seahorse is a water-type spirit body. It’s natural for it to like water,” Zhou Siyan said. “Just let it play in the basin. We can be a bit more frugal with our own use.”
“Alright, fine.”
Xue Yu dragged the basin to the side, letting the seahorse soak in it.
The black panther came out too, lying down next to the steel basin with its tail dipped in the water, its two eyes watching the seahorse gently. The seahorse poked its head out, and they touched mouths, licking each other.
One black, one blue, huddled close together, their colors a stark contrast against the desert backdrop.
Xue Yu’s eyes lit up. “I’ve thought of a name for my seahorse!”
Zhou Siyan: “What is it?”
Xue Yu: “Let’s call it Blueberry.”
Zhou Siyan: “Because you want to eat blueberries?”
Xue Yu nodded cheerfully. “That’s part of it. But Blueberry is a great name! My seahorse is blue, and from a distance, it really does look like a blueberry.”
Zhou Siyan: “Blueberry, Blackbrow… sounds like a couple’s name.”
What’s wrong with a couple’s name? Did I step on your extreme conservative toes? Xue Yu thought. But she understood. Extreme conservatives were vehemently opposed to this kind of intimacy; the slightest hint of ambiguity could make them jumpy.
“Then I’ll change it. How about Dragonfruit?” Xue Yu suggested.
Zhou Siyan: “Let’s stick with Blueberry.”
Xue Yu shouted toward the seahorse, “Hey, you thing! From now on, your name is Blueberry! Remember, you’re Blueberry! Xue Blueberry!”
The seahorse flew up from the basin as if floating in the sea, drifted into Xue Yu’s arms, and nuzzled her face, indicating its acceptance of the name.
The black panther came over too, tilting its head and rubbing against Xue Yu’s arm, seemingly also satisfied with the name.
“Can I pet Blackbrow?” Xue Yu asked Zhou Siyan.
“As long as it doesn’t mind.”
Xue Yu stroked Blackbrow’s head. “You little rascal, you’d better behave. Stop rubbing all over Blueberry. No funny business, you hear me!”
Blackbrow curled its tail around Xue Yu’s hand and placed it on its own swollen belly.
Xue Yu had actually noticed something was off with Blackbrow’s stomach for a while now, but she had never seriously discussed it with Zhou Siyan. She gently stroked its belly and turned to ask him, “Is there something wrong with its stomach?”
Zhou Siyan stirred the fish in the pot with a pair of chopsticks. “I only know that there’s something parasitic inside it. I’m not sure what it is specifically.”
“And you’re not doing anything about it?” Xue Yu’s eyes widened.
“I suspect it’s the same as me. It’s also pregnant.”
“Then what do we do?”
“We’ll find a spirit body specialist to take a look when we get to the South Continent.”
Xue Yu’s head throbbed. How could a spirit body get pregnant too? Did this mean that when they got to the South Continent, they’d have to get an abortion for Zhou Siyan and for Blackbrow? She wondered how much the abortion fees would cost.
She turned to Zhou Siyan again. “So how did Blackbrow get pregnant?”
Without looking up, Zhou Siyan calmly stirred the fish in the pot. “Isn’t it obvious?”
Xue Yu looked down at the seahorse in her arms with disdain. “Was it you? Was it you! My god, sowing your seeds everywhere. Fine, you can earn the money for Blackbrow’s abortion yourself. I still have to take care of Zhou Siyan.”
The seahorse blew a bubble from its mouth, looking very pleased with itself.
…
After dinner, Xue Yu planned to quickly wash her hair and wipe down her body. Zhou Siyan, adhering strictly to his principles as an extreme conservative, moved to the other side of the car to give her privacy.
Xue Yu washed up quickly and changed into her only spare set of clothes. She left half a bucket of water for Zhou Siyan and called out, “I’m done! You can come wash up now.”
Zhou Siyan got his clothes from the car. Seeing Xue Yu still standing there drying her hair, he said calmly, “Don’t watch me.”
Xue Yu waved her hand dismissively and got inside the vehicle.
She waited in the car for a long time but didn’t hear any movement from him. She quietly lowered the window a crack and saw Zhou Siyan bent over, using the remaining water to scrub their clothes. He had even washed her underwear and hung it on the front of the car.
Xue Yu ran out. “You washed my clothes too?”
Zhou Siyan acted as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Am I not allowed to?”
Xue Yu gave an awkward smile. “Aren’t you a conservative?”
“The conservative code of conduct doesn’t say you can’t wash other people’s clothes.”
“Does the conservative code of conduct say anything about not getting pregnant?”
Zhou Siyan shot her a look that clearly said, You talk too much.
Xue Yu knew a little about the extreme conservatives. The faction was easy to join but hard to leave. Once you became an extreme conservative, you had to endure severe punishment from their internal church to revert to the liberal faction. You’d lose at least a layer of skin before you could leave the organization.
After hanging the clothes to dry, Zhou Siyan got back in the car.
Xue Yu ruffled her now-dry hair and saw Blueberry and Blackbrow snuggled together on the roof of the car, stargazing. She called out to them, “Aren’t you two coming back inside?”
They both glanced back at her, then ignored her and returned to their private world. Xue Yu shook her head. Love was a terrifying thing.
She got back into the car herself. Zhou Siyan had already made the bed and was sitting on the mattress, his expression grave.
“What’s wrong?” Xue Yu asked with concern. “Is the baby acting up again?”
Zhou Siyan unfolded the screen of his Cloudsound Box and showed it to her. A single message was displayed: “Director Zhou, you wouldn’t want anyone to find out about your pregnancy, would you?”
Xue Yu’s heart leaped into her throat, her mouth suddenly dry with anxiety. “Who sent this?”
“I don’t know. It’s an anonymous message.”
“How are you going to reply?”
Zhou Siyan closed the Cloudsound Box. “I’m not.”
Xue Yu paced anxiously. “Why don’t we skip resting and travel through the night? The sooner we get to the South Continent and deal with the baby, the better.”
Zhou Siyan lay down, his chest rising and falling with his breath. After a long silence, he finally said, “Xue Yu, do you think the two of us are capable of raising a child?”
“Definitely not!” Xue Yu said. “I can’t even support myself.”
“Does it not bother you at all that this is a living being?”
Xue Yu didn’t answer. She looked at Zhou Siyan. He was also very young, just twenty-three like her. She was certain that even in a peaceful place like Earth, neither of them was fit to be a parent.
Lying on his back, Zhou Siyan’s well-proportioned fingers undid his buttons one by one, revealing his entire body.
Xue Yu felt a strange sense of shyness and turned her face away.
“Actually,” Zhou Siyan said, “I’ve always known there’s a way to get rid of the baby quickly. I just didn’t tell you because I couldn’t bear to.”
Xue Yu turned her head back. “And you’re only telling me now?”
“I looked it up. The embryo formed by a seahorse spirit body is very unstable. If the parents have sex, it can destroy the embryo. If you truly hate it for being a half-breed, then get on.”
“Hehe, then here I come. You’d better brace yourself.” Xue Yu grinned wickedly, tore off her shirt, and pressed down on top of him.
Zhou Siyan’s eyes shot wide open. “You’re serious?”
Xue Yu cupped his head in her hands. “Of course. Lie still. We’re getting rid of this thing tonight, before anything else can go wrong.”