Ch 24 – Parental Concern

“I think you should make a video call to express your feelings,” Yu Xi said.

“I can’t, my father is very busy with work,” Curtis said with a wave of his hand.

“W-what are you teaching him?” Tau was terrified. He reached out to grab Yu Xi’s arm, but Kersz stopped him.

Tau looked up and saw that Kersz was wearing a particularly eerie smile. He was clearly excited.

“Dear cousin, our didi is teaching this young master about love, ah ~” Kersz grinned toothily in a way that made him look incredibly ferocious.

“But he is your father. Perhaps you should contact his secretary first, and then speak to him if he has time,” Yu Xi said.

“Oh~” Curtis had an epiphany. “Right, right, I can ask if he’s busy first.” 

Yu Xi nodded.

Curtis: “You’re really smart.”

Yu Xi smiled shyly: “Thank you for the compliment.”

Tau: “Wait a minute, this isn’t the proper way to do it.”

Kersz covered Tau’s mouth: “Cousin, stop your drunken babbling.”

Curtis took a couple of deep breaths and straightened his back, but he didn’t last long, and soon slumped over again.

Curtis suddenly threw himself into Yu Xi’s arms: “I don’t dare!”

Kersz reached out to pull Curtis away, but it was Tau’s turn to stop him.

“I understand~ I understand.” Yu Xi patted the child’s head with tender affection. “You’re afraid of getting a negative response, but you really want answers, don’t you?”

“Even if your working relationship isn’t entirely pleasant, you still have a parent-child relationship, and you want to know if there is still any love between you.” Yu Xi was quite a good hand at comforting others. “Muster up your courage, and then you won’t have to guess anymore. If your family still loves you, then tell them your grievances. And if they don’t, you can have a good cry right here.”

Curtis looked up at Yu Xi and felt that he was backlit by a glowing light: “You’re a really good person.”

Yu Xi was very touched: “Thank you for praising me as if I’m a human being.”

Curtis: “Huh?”

Why did Yu Xi’s response seem a little strange? Was this normal? What…..what had Yu Xi said again?

Curtis was very drunk, and his thoughts immediately veered off track: “I feel like you’re glowing.”

Yu Xi let out a sound of surprise, then turned around and pointed to a lamp behind him: “The light is coming from there. Your vision is impaired.”

Curtis: …..

So there really was a light, ah.

Curtis was in a daze for a moment, and then he sniffled: “Even the light will linger for those who have love in their hearts.”

“So cringy, ah,” Kersz said to Tau in a low voice. “Has the kid always been like this?”

Curtis began to cry, and Yu Xi was quick to comfort him with a hug.

But with someone comforting him, Curtis just sobbed even harder.

His cries were choking and desperate, and he felt like he couldn’t breathe.

Finally, in a fit of anger, he opened the communication app. In his drunken state, he forgot his original intention to call the secretary first, and instead called the Supreme Governor directly.

Tau was so frightened that he almost stopped breathing.

The video call quickly connected, and the Supreme Governor’s voice sounded from the other end: “What is it?”

The Supreme Governor quickly noticed something amiss with his youngest son’s surroundings: “Curtis….”

“Eeeeeeeh.” A bizarre sob interrupted what he was about to say.

The Supreme Governor froze briefly. Then he saw that his youngest son was nestled in the arms of a man, and his brow furrowed even more deeply: “You’d better have something important to say, calling at a time like this. Otherwise…..”

“Eeeeh, eh, eh…..” Curtis’s sobs rang out again.

The Supreme Governor’s brow could not possibly furrow any deeper. He could only express his growing confusion by pursing his lips.

“You can do it, Curtis.” Yu Xi’s voice was strangely energetic and upbeat.

Curtis sucked in a deep breath, then shouted: “You don’t love me! You don’t love me, eeeh, eh, eh!”

“You only love my older siblings! You never take me seriously. What am I to you? Am I even your child?” When Curtis got to this point, he was so heartbroken that he tilted his head up and wailed.

“You had better sober up before talking to me again.” The Supreme Governor started to hang up on him.

“You’re going to abandon me again.” Curtis’s voice was exceptionally sorrowful. “You’ll leave. You’ll leave and never come back.”

The Supreme Governor: …..

“How can anyone be so heartless?” Curtis asked Yu Xi. “Have you ever met such a heartless person?”

Yu Xi sighed: “That’s how it is with those in positions of power. The higher they climb, the more heartless they become.”

The Supreme Governor, who held a position of power: “Who are you?”

“Oh, I was dragged over by your son to drink after I saw him fighting with someone,” said Yu Xi. “Hello~”

“Now you want to know about him?!” Curtis was suddenly furious, and pointed at Yu Xi while glaring at the Supreme Governor.

Yu Xi: “Huh?!”

“How long have you known him?! You want to know his name after only meeting him once? We’ve known each other for so many years, but do you even know my name?!” Curtis demanded.

The Supreme Governor: “I’m the one who named you.”

Curtis was in despair: “You’d rather change my name than bother to remember what I used to be called.”

The Supreme Governor: ……

The Supreme Governor: “What did you used to be called?”

Curtis was in utter disbelief: “Fetus!! I was called Fetus! Everyone knows it except you! Have you ever truly cared for me?”

Yu Xi: “Woah!” This person was inebriated to a ridiculous degree.

The Supreme Governor said “Okay,” and hung up the phone.

Curtis couldn’t believe it.

He hung up? That heartless man hung up on him just like that?

He knew that man didn’t love him!

“This is outrageous!” Curtis clutched his head, his mind collapsing in on itself.

“Why don’t you rest for a while first.” Yu Xi felt that despite his good intentions, he had done something wrong.

“No, I still need to call my mom.” Curtis wiped his tears and rallied his spirits.

“Let’s not.” Yu Xi worried that he might start babbling nonsense again.

But Curtis had already sent the video call request, and the woman on the other side was quick to pick up: “Curtis? Is there something urgent?”

Curtis was devastated. He laughed loudly, but tears started falling down his face as he smiled: “You don’t remember either!! Even you don’t remember!”

The elegant woman with her long hair styled in a bun frowned. Her expression looked remarkably similar to the Supreme Governor’s before: “What are you talking about?”

“You cold-hearted woman.” Curtis’s lips trembled.

The woman’s eyes narrowed slightly: “I am your mother. You can’t call me that.”

“But you called me ‘Curtis!’” Curtis refuted. “You don’t remember that I used to be called Fetus either, do you? Hahaha, yes, yes, when have High Lords ever cared about such things?”

“Nobody remembers. Only I remember.” Curtis covered his face and fell apart alone.

The woman on the other side remained silent.

Curtis continued his melodramatic show, but Yu Xi was no longer holding him. While Curtis made the call to his mother, Yu Xi had quietly slumped down on the sofa, pretending to be drunk himself.

The High Lord also hung up in short order.

Curtis was left alone, crying and laughing about how life was not worth living. His words became increasingly incoherent, and he eventually passed out on the sofa.

Once he was unconscious, Yu Xi secretly extricated himself and exchanged glances with Kersz and Tau, who were also pretending to be drunk. They realized that they may have to leave quickly in order to avoid the people Curtis’s parents sent over.

In fact, Curtis’s theatrics just now had already caused quite a stir. But as long as they didn’t run into the people sent by his parents, they could just adopt different identities.

A capsule-shaped, 1.3-meter-tall robot waiter noticed that they were about to leave and slowly rose to its feet, saying: “Hello, our clubhouse member just listed your expenses under his name. Your departure marks the end of the service. I will deduct the amount from the member’s balance. Are you certain you wish to leave?”

“Member?” Tau realized that something was wrong. He looked at Kersz, but directed his words toward the robot: “Does that gentleman come here often?” 

This seemed to be another one of Kersz’s deliberate setups.

Yu Xi didn’t care about any of that. He just wanted to relax and enjoy the moment, and paid no notice to Kersz’s hidden agenda.

Besides, with Kersz’s nature, he was always getting into trouble anyway.

“Yes, Mr. Curtis is a frequent customer at our establishment….oh! Wait!” The robot suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

These robots lacked an emotion module, but their communication style was designed to be playful and cute in order to make people like them.

“What is it?” Yu Xi asked.

“The member’s membership card has changed,” said the robot.

“What changed?” Kersz became more alert. Were Curtis’s parents tracking him?

“The member’s Alliance identity card has been changed and synchronized. Mr. Curtis has now officially changed his name to Fetus.” A burst of colorful ribbons suddenly exploded from the top of the robot’s head. Then it stretched out two claw-like hands and began to clap.

The service here was very warm and welcoming.

A cheerful song rang out from within the robot, and it then congratulated the drunken Curtis on his name change, chanting “Fetus, Fetus” repeatedly.

“We just noticed that after Mr. Fetus broke down in tears, the Alliance system received two name change applications from very distant regions, almost one after another. They must have come from his parents.” A group of robots then surrounded Curtis, singing and dancing around him.

“Amazing! What a coincidence!” The original dancing robot then ran up to Yu Xi and his party and asked if they wanted to charge their purchases to the account..

“Yes, what a coincidence, ah.” Yu Xi chuckled, feeling a little awkward.

“Would you like to charge your purchases?” the robot asked again.

Yu Xi nodded repeatedly: “Please be quick, I have urgent business to attend to.”

---

T/N: As much as I love translating historical and cultivation novels, sometimes I just need one that’s really freakin’ weird. This is it. This is the weird one.

---

Consider donating via Kofi here.

Chapter 23 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 25