PTGWD Chapter 44: Incomparably delicious

Fang Xingzhou’s heart skipped a beat.

Li Xuan was even prepared to help him catch the jar, but after two seconds of silence, Fang Xingzhou merely furrowed his brows slightly, locked eyes with the densely packed eyeballs for a moment, and then directly reached in, grabbing a handful of eyeballs and holding them in his palm.

Li Xuan: ?

The eyeballs seemed to sense a terrifying aura from him and were even more frightened than he was. They let out sharp squeals, scattering and fleeing inside the jar.

The eyeballs in Fang Xingzhou’s hand struggled frantically, feeling surprisingly warm to the touch, as if they carried human body heat, and were incredibly slimy. The thick black liquid around them resembled the blood of some unknown creature.

Fang Xingzhou held them like this for about half a minute, confirming that they posed no threat.

Then, under Li Xuan’s astonished gaze, he put the eyeballs back, took a tissue from the table, wiped the slime off his hands, and asked, “What is this?”

Li Xuan: “…”

“…You didn’t even know what it was, and you still put your hand in?”

Fang Xingzhou: “I didn’t sense any danger from them.”

Li Xuan: “Even if they’re not dangerous, they look so disgusting. Isn’t it better not to touch them?”

Fang Xingzhou didn’t quite understand the logic: “Is there a connection between being disgusting and not being able to touch them?”

“…” Li Xuan was stunned as he watched Fang Xingzhou calmly reseal the jar. He couldn’t help but ask again, “Are you really not interested in joining the Institute? With your mental stability, I think you could easily win this year’s Top Ten Special Management Award.”

Fang Xingzhou carefully put the jar back into his bag: “Thank you, but my job is already busy enough.”

The waiter came to serve their tomahawk steaks, and the two paused their conversation. Li Xuan, recalling the image of Fang Xingzhou squeezing eyeballs with his bare hands, felt his stomach churn at the sight of the blood on the steak. Fang Xingzhou, however, took out a knife and fork from the utensil box and began eating normally, seemingly unaffected by the bizarre creature.

“So,” he took a bite of the steak, “what are these eyes?”

Li Xuan: “They’re just eyes. They floated ashore in the shallow waters after a tide, initially looking like eggs from some large marine creature. Fishermen tried to catch them to sell, but when they pulled up their nets, they found that the ‘eggs’ were all eyeballs, which drove them insane on the spot.”

Fang Xingzhou nodded.

“Later, these eyeballs were taken under the management of the Unconventional Research Institute. After studying them, we found that aside from being disgusting, they posed no threat. They might indeed be eggs from some ‘creature,’ but we have no clue about the parent organism. These eggs, having been removed from the deep-sea environment and the care of their parent, have never successfully hatched.”

“Mr. Lu might know,” Li Xuan added. “He’s very knowledgeable in this area, and our researchers often consult him.”

Fang Xingzhou: “They don’t look very appetizing—no flesh, no blood.”

Li Xuan shook his head: “No, the most nutritious part of a fish is its roe. It’s an excellent supplement during pregnancy. Our chief physician, though unmarried, is quite authoritative in the field of mystical nutrition.”

Fang Xingzhou looked at the bloodstains on his knife, and his appetite inexplicably improved.

He smiled and said, “Thank you. I’ll pass them on to him tonight. If there’s any further need, I’ll contact you.”

Li Xuan slowly exhaled in relief.

“That’s great, Dr. Fang,” he said. “I’ll be waiting for your message.”

Then, he sat in his chair, watching as Fang Xingzhou, with a hearty appetite, leisurely finished the entire steak and drank two cups of expensive coffee.

When they parted, Li Xuan stood up, hesitated for a moment looking at the hand that had held the eyeballs, and out of politeness, finally extended his hand.

Fang Xingzhou, however, took half a step back and did not shake his hand.

Li Xuan was taken aback, retracted his hand, feeling somewhat awkward. Thinking Fang Xingzhou was still upset about the fake report, he sincerely said, “I’m really sorry. We truly didn’t anticipate that the report would hurt you. Due to the nature of our work, we are indeed less sensitive in emotional matters. Next time, I’ll bring the author of the report to apologize to you in person.”

Fang Xingzhou never wasted emotions on trivial matters. He said, “No, I’m not angry. I didn’t shake your hand because it’s better if we avoid physical contact. He would smell it when I get back.”

Li Xuan: “Who?”

Fang Xingzhou: “My lover.”

Li Xuan: “…”

He understood and also took half a step back, following Fang Xingzhou downstairs. As they walked, he couldn’t help but feel something was off and muttered, “…This sounds like… we’re hiding something from Mr. Lu.”

Fang Xingzhou: “It is something that shouldn’t be seen. If Lu Jianyu finds out, he’ll definitely throw a tantrum.”

He used the term “throw a tantrum,” but by human standards, it was clearly more than just a simple tantrum.

He might really swallow him whole, like the unfortunate queen ant.

Li Xuan immediately distanced himself by three meters and walked briskly in the opposite direction: “Goodbye!”

“Goodbye.” Fang Xingzhou smiled slightly.

….

The eyeballs obviously couldn’t be delivered to Lu Jianchuan in a jar, as that would be equivalent to telling him that he was collaborating with the Institute.

After work, as Fang Xingzhou drove home, he kept pondering this issue.

How could he make the eyeballs appear on the dining table in a reasonable way?

From the moment he got on the highway to the moment he got off, he couldn’t come up with a suitable method. Fang Xingzhou opened the car window, slightly furrowed his brows, pressed his aching temples, and glanced at his phone’s surveillance feed while waiting at a red light.

Lu Jianchuan was moving towards home at a speed of 100 kilometers per hour, whether in a car or running on his own, it was unclear. It seemed he wanted to get home before Fang Xingzhou returned from work.

He called Lu Jianchuan.

The call was quickly answered, with the sound of wind rushing through the phone, scattering Lu Jianchuan’s voice: “Darling, what do you need?”

Fang Xingzhou frowned deeper: “Don’t engage in strenuous activities during pregnancy.”

Lu Jianchuan sounded guilty: “Huh? No strenuous activities, I’m just taking a walk in the subway.”

Fang Xingzhou: “…”

The location showed they were in the suburbs, where there were no subways.

He sighed inwardly, deliberately sending him away: “Are you almost home? Could you stop by the market and get some scallions and ginger for me?”

“No problem,” Lu Jianchuan, who had probably spent the whole day wreaking havoc at the snake farm, sounded unusually energetic, “I’ll be home in fifteen minutes.”

Fang Xingzhou hung up.

As soon as he hung up, a sudden realization struck him.

—As a human, perhaps he didn’t need to come up with a reason.

Simply placing the eyeballs on the dining table was the most logical approach. Being overly cautious would only raise suspicions.

He floored the accelerator and sped home.

Lu Jianchuan had been sent to the market, so the house was empty. Fang Xingzhou habitually glanced at the roses as he entered; they were blooming beautifully, indicating that his husband was in good health today.

He felt slightly relieved, took the jar to the kitchen, and poured all the eyeballs into a bowl.

Once out of the dark environment, the eyeballs instantly opened, their slit-like pupils darting around wildly. Upon seeing Fang Xingzhou, they let out soft, sharp squeals and scattered towards the edges of the bowl, threatening to escape everywhere.

Fang Xingzhou acted quickly, immediately covering them with a deeper bowl.

The eyeballs inside jumped desperately, like stranded fish, but couldn’t reach the edge.

Fang Xingzhou stared at them for a moment, pondering how to cook them.

Lu Jianchuan seemed to prefer raw food, so sashimi would be the best choice. Today, Li Xuan mentioned they might be eggs from some unknown marine creature, so they might have a fishy smell. He could use yellow wine to remove the fishiness, and the wine itself was an excellent energy source.

Fang Xingzhou poured yellow wine over the eyeballs, then cut a lemon in half and squeezed the juice into the bowl. The eyeballs’ squeals grew even more piercing, so light yet capable of causing ear pain.

He placed the noisy sashimi in the sink, covered it, and began preparing other normal ingredients.

Ten minutes later, Lu Jianchuan returned.

Fang Xingzhou had finished making two servings of tomato and egg noodles, blanched bok choy, and seaweed tofu soup.

Lu Jianchuan: “Honey, I’m back. Here’s the scallions and ginger you asked for.”

In the span of a few words, the sound rapidly approached from the entrance to the kitchen. Fang Xingzhou picked up the bowl, before he could turn, the person had already hugged him from behind, and cool lips pressed against his cheek, then moved toward his lips.

Just as the kiss reached the corner of his mouth, before he could even ask for a proper welcome-home kiss, Lu Jianchuan’s expression suddenly vanished. His face went blank, a faint red hue tinged the edges of his pupils, and he stared fixedly at Fang Xingzhou, his nostrils flaring wildly.

For a moment, Fang Xingzhou felt an overwhelming sense of terror. Even though it wasn’t directed at him, it was enough to send a chill through his entire body.

Fang Xingzhou stared unblinkingly at Lu Jianchuan, his voice tense, carrying a hint of excitement he hadn’t even realized himself: “…What’s wrong?”

Lu Jianchuan spoke in a strange tone: “A fishy smell… What did you come into contact with today?”

Fang Xingzhou’s fingers trembled slightly. He breathed rapidly, leaned in closer, and gently kissed Lu Jianchuan’s lips, making up for the welcome-home kiss. Then, with a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, he extended the hand that had held the eyeballs to Lu Jianchuan’s nose: “I was making fish roe sashimi earlier. Maybe I didn’t wash my hands properly.”

Lu Jianchuan quickly grabbed his wrist, pressing his nose against Fang Xingzhou’s palm, sniffing carefully.

The more he sniffed, the deeper the red in his eyes became. His cold palms secreted a sticky liquid, making it hard to tell whether it was sweat, digestive fluid, or saliva.

“Sashimi?” His pupils were almost vertical.

“Yes,” Fang Xingzhou maintained a calm tone, “let go of me first. I’ll bring the dinner out. We’re keeping it simple today—noodles and sashimi.”

Lu Jianchuan’s chest heaved, clearly struggling to suppress his instincts. His eyes quickly scanned Fang Xingzhou’s body: “Were you hurt by the sashimi? Where did you buy it? Who’s the seller?”

Fang Xingzhou said, “Let go.”

Lu Jianchuan instinctively released his hand.

“We’ll talk while eating,” Fang Xingzhou’s gaze fell on Lu Jianchuan’s abdomen. The weather was getting hotter, and today Lu Jianchuan was wearing a black T-shirt, making it easy to see his belly twitching incessantly. Their child was clearly growing restless. “It’s just ordinary sashimi from the seafood market. Take the noodles out, or they’ll get soggy.”

Lu Jianchuan took a deep breath, picked up the tomato and egg noodles and the bok choy, and turned around. Out of Fang Xingzhou’s sight, his eyes spun rapidly before finally locking onto the sink.

The sink was eerily silent. Ever since Lu Jianchuan returned, the “sashimi” hadn’t made a single sound.

Fang Xingzhou lifted the lid and glanced inside.

All the eyeballs were huddled together, trembling.

He carried the soup in his left hand and the sashimi in his right, following closely behind to the dining table. He sat down across from Lu Jianchuan, placing the sashimi on the side closer to his lover.

“You might like it,” Fang Xingzhou said.

Lu Jianchuan stared intently at the “eyeballs” in the bowl, unable to believe that these items from the mysterious world had appeared in his and Fang Xingzhou’s love nest.

Anger and killing intent overwhelmed his rationality. He was like a beast whose territory had been invaded, desperate to find a breach and kill the intruder, yet at the same time, the aroma of the sashimi made him secrete digestive fluids uncontrollably. His fragile human organs had long since turned to mush.

These were… the eggs of the blind deep-sea creature, Eunice.

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he reluctantly tore his gaze away from the sashimi and looked at Fang Xingzhou sitting across from him.

Fang Xingzhou was also staring at him unblinkingly.

“You said… fish roe sashimi?” he asked, his voice filled with disbelief.

Fang Xingzhou handed him a spoon, speaking in a light but firm tone that brooked no argument: “Yes, fish roe sashimi.”

From both a monster’s and a human’s perspective, these eyeballs had nothing to do with fish roe.

A suspicion arose in his mind. The blind Eunice occasionally surfaced after storms, using illusions to hunt unlucky fishermen. Perhaps, in Fang Xingzhou’s and the seller’s eyes, these really were just ordinary fish roe.

He tried to calm himself, forcing a smile, and said hoarsely, “Honey, what does the stuff in the bowl look like? My eyes are bothering me again, so I can’t see clearly.”

The smile on Fang Xingzhou’s lips deepened imperceptibly. He felt inexplicably thirsty and took a bite of the scrambled eggs in his bowl, his expression unchanged. “It’s just ordinary yellow fish roe. I added a bit of wine to remove the fishy smell and some lemon juice. I bought it from a reputable sashimi shop with a breeding certificate. It should be safe, so you can eat it without worry.”

If Lu Jianchuan had studied harder during his university years, he might have noticed the glaring loophole in Fang Xingzhou’s words.

No human doctor would ever allow a pregnant person to eat raw seafood. If they were unlucky enough to contract parasites, it could be fatal for both the mother and the fetus.

Not to mention, the sashimi even contained alcohol.

Unfortunately, for four whole years, he had devoted all his attention to dating Fang Xingzhou, even turning studying into a tool for their flirtation.

And so, he believed it. He slowly relaxed his tense shoulders, unable to hold back any longer, and excitedly took the spoon from Fang Xingzhou’s hand.

Fang Xingzhou: “Don’t you like it?”

Lu Jianchuan didn’t even have time to respond. He immediately scooped up a spoonful of eyeballs, using all his strength to resist the urge to devour the entire sashimi in one bite. He tried to act like a normal human, opening his mouth politely and stuffing the “eyeballs” inside.

The faint fishy smell mixed with the aroma of yellow wine exploded on his taste buds. The sashimi even squirmed in his mouth. With just a gentle bite, the fragile little things burst open, the sweet and briny delicious juice slid down his throat like freshly squeezed milk, directly nourishing the embryo in his belly.

After the juice was drained, the remaining flesh was surprisingly chewy. He could slowly savor it in his mouth, tasting the lingering sweetness. With every bite, the “eyeballs” weakly resisted, letting out a faint squeak, like living malt candy.

…The taste was absolutely divine.

It lacked the dull dryness of ordinary food and wasn’t as repulsively foul as the gluttonous feasts he’d had before.

For the first time in five months of pregnancy, Lu Jianchuan had eaten something truly, incomparably delicious.

A drunken haze clouded his pupils. Only after a long, savoring chew did he reluctantly swallow.

The spoon remained suspended in mid-air, the hand holding it trembling slightly. Beneath the table, his other hand had already involuntarily transformed into a tentacle, wriggling excitedly, eager to pour the remaining eggs into his mouth.

After a long while.

He finished savoring the first bite and reached for the bowl again with the spoon, his voice hoarse and melodious, like some dampened instrument.

“No, darling,” he finally answered Fang Xingzhou’s question, “I like it very, very much.”

 

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note from translater:

no,,my reading week,, is gone,,,nononononononononnnonooooooooooo