Chapter 23: Dad’s Birthday
“Is this considered a small windfall?”
When Xiao Xiao returned home, he was still thinking about it, and a sense of security welled up within him.
Over three hundred points—in the face of this city’s malice, he now had a fairly substantial buffer. As long as he didn’t cause trouble or make a fuss, it would be enough for him to live comfortably here for several months.
Sticking his head out the window, he could see the three vicious dogs crouching on the wall, staring at him.
They had just accompanied him through a crisis, yet mysteriously returned to the courtyard, with only a few patches of fur appearing singed by fire, otherwise completely unchanged.
This couldn’t help but make Xiao Xiao feel the magic of this city.
It seemed he should reward them somehow. Looking at the intelligent eyes of the three dogs, Xiao Xiao found himself considering whether he should buy some hot dog sausages to feed them.
However, just as he was about to act, the neighbor’s little girl came out carrying a dog bowl, which contained several bones full of meat. The three dogs immediately became excited.
Xiao Xiao let out a sigh of relief—the neighbor had rewarded them for him.
Yet, watching from afar as the three dogs happily fought over the bones, Xiao Xiao couldn’t help but feel a stirring in his heart.
Although these three vicious dogs did indeed have impressive combat power, they were just ordinary vicious dogs. In their confrontation with the suffocating corpse, they only showed biting and pouncing attacks, without displaying any other special characteristics.
However, their loyalty far exceeded Xiao Xiao’s expectations.
It seemed that from the perspective of their loyalty alone, this deal was already quite worthwhile.
So, could he help strengthen them a bit?
The idea suddenly popped into his head, but Xiao Xiao found it difficult to make a quick decision: strengthening was too expensive, costing a full hundred points.
Moreover, after strengthening, the effects are also unknown. The probability of obtaining three vicious dogs with special abilities is extremely low. More likely, the three vicious dogs would suddenly mutate and have to be disposed of.
Of course, if it succeeds…
Xiao Xiao couldn’t help but feel a little anticipation in his heart. Although he wasn’t a gambling addict, it was hard not to imagine the joy of a successful gamble…
That night, after waking up, Xiao Xiao unusually slept soundly.
With this substantial accumulation of points, there’s no need to worry about malice from this world for now, and besides, the next day was originally a rest day anyway, with no work to consider, so the sense of happiness was overflowing.
However, when he yawned and stepped out of the bedroom door the next morning, he found himself somewhat awkwardly frozen in place.
His mother, who would normally be at work at the mall by this time, was actually in the living room, basking in the sunlight streaming through the window, her hands covered in flour as she wrapped dumplings.
“Did I wake you?”
When his mother saw Xiao Xiao come out, she immediately said with a smile: “I finally have a day off today, so I’m making dumplings for you to eat.”
Xiao Xiao found it somewhat strange. Today shouldn’t be the time when Mom was off work. It was his own dock that had Mondays off each week, but it wasn’t really appropriate to ask about it.
During this period, he had been trying his best to avoid contact with this “mom,” but now that he had already gone out and run into her, it wouldn’t be right to turn back directly. He could only silently let out an “mm.”
He walked to the water dispenser and poured a cup of water, then felt it wasn’t quite enough, so he poured a second cup and placed it beside her.
Mom glanced at the water cup he had placed beside her, and her expression actually seemed somewhat pleased. She said with concern, “There’s some fruit I brought back yesterday over there. Go wash some and eat it yourself.”
“Why did you wake up so early today?”
“……”
“It’s already past ten…”
Xiao Xiao thought to himself. But compared to his previous self who lived without day or night, this was indeed considered early, wasn’t it?
Sitting by the sofa all along felt somewhat awkward, so after turning on the TV and sitting for a while, he washed his hands and sat down next to them to help wrap dumplings.
Even if she truly only had the image of a mother, he wasn’t quite used to enjoying things so confidently and without reservation.
“My son has really grown up.”
Mom looked at the dumplings Xiao Xiao had wrapped, which weren’t particularly pretty in appearance, yet the more she looked, the more she liked them. She smiled and said, “You sit over there and rest. Just keep me company and chat with me.”
“You work so hard on weekdays. Can your body handle it?”
“……”
Xiao Xiao only hummed in response, remaining silent and continuing to help with his hands.
Around noon, Mom cooked dumplings, and mother and son sat by the dining table watching TV, eating quietly.
Mom seemed to have something on her mind. As the meal was nearly finished, she suddenly spoke in a casual manner:
“Your father’s birthday is today. You used to hate going out, but now that you’re working, you should at least come along and sit with us this evening.”
“Dad?”
Xiao Xiao suddenly froze for a moment.
It had been a long time since he had seen him, and they had no contact at all.
Four years ago, he had already had a child with another woman, divorced Mom, and formed another family.
I had no intention of seeing him. The entire world had transformed into a writhing monster, and beneath those familiar faces, who could say what was hidden?
Facing her mother at home and their usual interactions often brought Xiao Xiao moments of sudden realization.
But that father… Xiao Xiao couldn’t think of any reason to go out of his way to call a monster wearing human skin “dad.”
Now, he had actually forgotten about it entirely, and that “dad” didn’t seem to have called to notify him of anything either.
But mother took the initiative to bring it up, and it seemed she actually hoped he would go.
He could even sense that complex emotion—not wanting him to get too close to the man who had abandoned them, yet unwilling to sever the bond between the child and his father.
After a long while, he only let out an “mm.”
But this attitude actually made mother feel better, as if Xiao Xiao’s reluctant demeanor satisfied her greatly.
“Ever since he married that woman, he’s been ignoring us both. And because you didn’t go to university, he even refused to give you the tuition he promised.”
Mom rambled on: “But he’s still your father after all, and you’re his eldest son. It’s only right that you go see him on his birthday.”
“I’ve already called him, and he said he really wants to see you.”
“However, dress nicely when you go. That family looks down on people—they’re all snobbish and won’t give anyone a proper look.”
“……”
Xiao Xiao didn’t really want to go in his heart, but he agreed anyway.
Perhaps it was because he knew those people were monsters in disguise, yet he still wanted to see how well they could play their roles.
After finishing his meal and washing the dishes, he returned to his bedroom to browse the internet, learning about this world’s information through forums, until his mother came to knock on the door in the afternoon, when he changed his clothes and went out.
The address was given by his mother. Xiao Xiao simply took the subway directly there, and didn’t even make a single phone call during the journey.
But when arriving at a classically decorated and exquisite restaurant in the upper city district, he still recognized at a glance the man sitting in the middle of the crowd, with slicked-back hair and an outstanding temperament and bearing.
The two exchanged glances from a distance, and the man seemed somewhat embarrassed. After a long moment, he merely nodded at Xiao Xiao.
Xiao Xiao walked over and also nodded at him.
The man didn’t say anything affectionate, and Xiao Xiao was spared the awkwardness of calling out those two words to the monster.
Father seemed somewhat uncomfortable, merely smiling while entertaining the other guests, while pointing to a corner nearby and gesturing for Xiao Xiao to sit there.
Xiao Xiao felt no displeasure, simply sitting down silently and observing everything around him with a cold gaze.
Among the guests who had come, there were those who recognized Xiao Xiao, and from time to time someone would sigh and pat him on the shoulder, saying to his father: “This must be your eldest, right?”
“My goodness, it’s been years since we last met, and you’ve grown so much. Just like your father when he was young—quite handsome.”
“……”
Sitting next to Xiao Xiao was a woman who appeared to be only in her thirties, accompanied by a chubby little boy dressed in a very fashionable Western style, who was Xiao Xiao’s half-brother in this world.
The woman seemed somewhat displeased, rolling her eyes while others were praising Xiao Xiao, and she never spoke to Xiao Xiao at all.
Even his father was busy entertaining the guests the whole time, and only after everyone had taken their seats did he find a moment to say a few words to Xiao Xiao: “It’s been four years, and you haven’t even given me a call.”
“Has your illness gotten better?”
“……”
Xiao Xiao nodded and said, “It’s almost better.”
Xiao’s father originally didn’t seem to want to talk much with Xiao Xiao, but seeing that Xiao Xiao hadn’t taken the initiative to speak to him throughout and responded coldly, he became somewhat displeased and furrowed his brow, saying:
“Your mother told me that after you got sick that time, you’ve been hiding at home playing games and haven’t even stepped outside?”
“What kind of talk is that? You’ll waste away if you stay cooped up too long.”
“If things really don’t work out, why don’t you go find some work at the company these next few days, it would be good to…”
“……”
Before he could finish speaking, the woman beside him suddenly pulled a long face. She raised her voice and turned to a friend next to her, saying, “Zhao Ge, I heard your child got into university?”
“Ouch, that’s her own hard work paying off……”
A friend beside her immediately laughed and spoke up, drawing everyone’s attention away, and the topic came to an abrupt end.
“This is way too real……”
After awakening in this world, Xiao Xiao had witnessed far too many bizarre and grotesque things. Now, watching the undercurrents swirling beneath this small birthday celebration, she felt something different.
Surrounded by a group of disguised monsters, he had no intention of competing, only silently observing everything.
It was Xiao’s father who, seeing Xiao Xiao’s silent and distant demeanor, felt an inexplicable irritation in his heart. Noticing the woman constantly giving him signals, he found an opportunity and spoke up:
“By the way, since you’re here today, it’s quite convenient actually. Go tell your mother when you get back.”
“That old house in the upper city district has been there too long and is inconvenient to live in. You and your mother should move out soon. I’ll help you rent a better place.”