If I Protect Her… I’ll End Up Like My Father

Stopping on a stretch of green grass, Ye Qing unconsciously looked up at the moon emerging from among the thick clouds.

As if deliberately arranged, the dense dark clouds only gathered around the moon’s edges rather than obscuring it.

The moon reflecting its light, along with the surrounding clouds tinged with moonlight, created a scene of unique charm.

Ye Qing took a deep breath of the cold late-night air, then lay down comfortably on the soft grass that prickled his back slightly.
It was autumn after the summer vacation, and the park at night was indeed a bit cold.
The open park continuously invited the night wind to sweep through.
He was wearing only his school uniform, and having rushed out of the house, he was also wearing slippers that offered no warmth.
Beside him lay an empty can of coffee.
The two little ones were playing and chasing each other not far away.

Under this peaceful atmosphere, his mind, artificially sharpened by the caffeine, once again fell into thought.

Why did Mom say those things? Why bring up Dad again? Why tell me to give up?
And why did Master entrust Nozomi to me?

Connecting all these dots, the answer that emerged was this:
If I want to protect Yue Chenlian, I will have to face something as terrifying as the beast Dad encountered back then.
That’s why I need a weapon.
That’s why, after hearing my answer, Master entrusted Nozomi to me.
That’s why Mom, afraid of losing me like she lost Dad, wanted me to give up.

But what does any of this have to do with Chenlian?
Because she’s a Variant? But even if she is a Variant, as long as she isn’t identified as one, she’s just an ordinary person.
Once she passes the blood test, Chenlian can live a normal life as an ordinary person.

What Yuxuan and I want to protect is Chenlian’s normal life.
So that Chenlian can live happily without any worries.

So that nothing can ever destroy Chenlian’s normal life again.

For that, even fighting against the inspectors is something we’re willing to do.
That is what we want to protect. But what does that have to do with the beast Dad encountered?

I can’t figure it out!
Why does Mom want me to give up just because I chose to protect her?
Why did Master entrust Nozomi to me just because I chose to protect her?
Because they know something I don’t?
Because they know what kind of future the choice I’ve made will face?
What has Master been doing since she retired?
And what did she say to Mom? What exactly did she say to make Mom react that way?

Ye Qing suddenly gave a bitter smile toward the sky.

In the end, all of this is still an unsolvable mystery.
Just like the mutation itself, there’s no other way but to see it with your own eyes, to investigate it yourself.
But I don’t think Mom would tell me anything. And Master didn’t say anything either.
Is the reason they won’t speak because they don’t want me to know the truth?

In the end, I still know nothing! Though the questions have increased!

“Heh heh!”
Ye Qing let out a dry laugh and sat up.
‘I’ll just have to take things as they come.’
He picked up the can and stood up, brushing off all the grass stuck to his back.

Fortunately, today was Friday, so there was no rush.
But he didn’t really want to go home too early, because he didn’t want to face Mom right now.

‘But either way, I’ll have to face her eventually. She’s still my mom.’

“Xiao Fei! Xiao Bai!”
Ye Qing called out to the two little ones, preparing to head back.
Hearing their master’s voice, Xiao Fei and Xiao Bai both ran to Ye Qing.

He had stayed in the park for quite a while. When he got home, it was already 11 o’clock.
The lights in the house were already off. Mom had clearly gone to sleep.
After the two little ones returned, they became much calmer and found places to rest on their own.

He turned on the living room light. On the table was a note:

Ye Qing, since you’ve made this choice, Mom won’t stop you.
But you need to know that you are Mom’s only family now.
I hope you will treat the choice you’ve made with the utmost care.
Don’t make the same mistake your father did.

After reading it, Ye Qing crumpled the note into a ball and threw it into the trash.
Not because he didn’t want to heed his mother’s words, but because looking at them hurt.

Letting out a slight sigh of relief, Ye Qing dragged his tired body, grabbed his clothes, and went into the bathroom.
The hot water washed over his body, easing his tired spirit and muscles, making his mood feel much lighter.

‘I need to get up early tomorrow. I have to go check on Yuxuan’s condition, and then… and then… and then what? Fine. Take things as they come. Take things as they come.’

He thought about this as he rinsed his hair.

‘Anyway, tomorrow is Saturday. Since I have nothing to do anyway, going to keep Chenlian company wouldn’t be bad.
Should I bring her something? Like a novel? A game console? Ah, no, no, no! Those probably aren’t suitable for Chenlian right now.’

While Ye Qing’s conscious mind was thinking, his subconscious was automatically going through his daily routine of washing his body.

‘Come to think of it, what kind of knowledge does she have in her memory right now?
Normal conversation seems fine. She can use everyday things too.
But she doesn’t understand the deeper meaning of what I say. Ah, no, no, no! That’s black history!’

Ye Qing shook his head vigorously.

‘But she didn’t know what shock meant, or what delayed meant either.
Meaning she doesn’t know words that aren’t commonly used?
Or is it that she has some impression but isn’t sure what they mean?
Either way, I’ll just have to observe slowly.
Speaking of which, in her current clueless state, I really can’t let her go out alone, can I?
She’s a beautiful girl to begin with, and she has natural pink hair.
Hey, does natural pink hair even exist in this world? Fine, it does now!’

‘Tomorrow is Saturday. Come to think of it, Sister Fuzi said the inspection would happen within this week.
So it’s either tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, right!?’

Ye Qing paused at this thought.
‘So soon? Isn’t this already right in front of us?’

‘What if the swap fails? Fight them?
If it’s just five or six armed police officers, I could handle them alone.
But, right, Chenlian’s ability—wasn’t that teleportation?
If she could master that ability, wouldn’t she be unstoppable?
We wouldn’t even be able to catch her. We’d probably chase her for decades without success.
Come to think of it, was that unintentional? Or intentional?
Mm~ judging by how it was used this time, it was probably unintentional, given her emotional state at the time.
But if it can be used unintentionally, it should also be usable intentionally. We just don’t know what triggers it.’

‘Fine. There’s no way to figure this out by just thinking.
As for countermeasures, Sister Fuzi and the others have already thought them through.
All that’s left is the scenario if it fails.’

Ye Qing turned off the showerhead, dried his body, put on his clothes, and walked out of the steaming bathroom.

‘Tomorrow, I need to bring Nozomi with me.
I’d also like to bring Xiao Fei to show Chenlian. Maybe Xiao Fei might even recognize Chenlian.
But I can’t have him running on the ground while I ride a bike above him, and I’d still have this big sword on my back. No matter how I look at it, I can’t bring him along. So, forget it.’

Ye Qing used a hairdryer to dry his hair, then flopped onto the bed.
He picked up his phone to check the time. It was 11:40 PM.
He set the phone’s alarm for 7:30 the next morning, then put it aside to charge.
He adjusted his sleeping position, pulled the blanket up to his stomach, and closed his eyes.

‘I’m tired enough today. Time to just sleep.’

Physical and mental exhaustion quickly pulled Ye Qing’s consciousness into the dark abyss.
Soon, he had fallen into a deep sleep.