Volume 3: Deep Blue Sea
Because of the rare absence of any pressure, Shu Xun slept exceptionally soundly. When Shu Xun woke up, Ye Jian had already gotten out of bed. Rubbing his eyes, Shu Xun yawned and crawled out from under the small blanket. With a slight tilt of his small body, he glanced toward the living room, but due to a limited angle, he didn’t see Ye Jian’s figure.
Standing on the soft bed, Shu Xun stretched in a long lazy yawn, bending his small body into an arch to fully wake up. His bright big eyes looked particularly spirited. Stepping on the soft mattress, Shu Xun neatly folded his little bedding, resembling a square tofu block. Then, he placed the bedding neatly beside Ye Jian’s pillow. Finally, he patted the small blanket with his chubby hands to make it look a bit fluffier.
After arranging the bed, Shu Xun, with short steps, walked to the edge of the bed and jumped onto the floor with a soft thud. He continued with his small legs towards the living room. There were still a few shallow pits on the bed left by his stepping, slowly recovering their smoothness.
After being processed by the household cleaner, the room, which was a mess last night, had been restored to order. Even the damaged furniture had been replaced with new ones, likely purchased by Ye Jian after getting up. Miraculously, the new furniture Ye Jian bought was almost identical to the previous ones. If not for Shu Xun’s keen observation, he would almost think that the furniture had been restored. Shu Xun pulled his hair, realizing that Ye Jian was obviously not someone who stuck to routines. He seemed to enjoy exploring new things. Otherwise, why would he buy the same or almost identical furniture twice?
Finally figuring out something, Shu Xun smiled, his big eyes curved, marveling at the delicacy and gentleness beneath Ye Jian’s cold and stern demeanor.
When a person is in a completely new environment or facing new things, they subconsciously feel tension and vigilance. This is an instinctive response for all living beings. Some people may not show it prominently, and some may even ignore this vigilance. This room was Shu Xun’s first nest in this era, and he had explored every corner of it in search of an exit. He was quite familiar with it. Shu Xun didn’t know if this was what they called the “nestling syndrome,” but seeing the room almost unchanged, he found it hard to feel a sense of unfamiliarity.
As soon as he stepped into the living room, Shu Xun saw Ye Jian’s tall figure in the kitchen area. As soon as Shu Xun entered the living room, Ye Jian sensed it, turned to look at the little person standing by the bedroom door, and pointed to the bathroom. “You should be ready after washing up.”
Shu Xun walked towards the bathroom, following Ye Jian’s instructions. During this period, besides occasionally washing his face in the kitchen sink, Shu Xun mostly used spiritual power for cleaning. Although it was a bit wasteful, he couldn’t find suitable cleaning tools. When he entered the bathroom, Shu Xun saw a small platform next to the washbasin, suspended just below the edge of the mirror. Following the platform diagonally downward, he noticed a set of steps embedded in the wall, seemingly added recently.
Following the suspended steps with agile leaps, Shu Xun reached the small platform above and discovered that the equipment there was surprisingly complete. There were mini toothbrushes, towels, and even a wide-mouthed cup with a peach pattern engraved on it. A towel was draped over the edge of the cup, and as Shu Xun tiptoed to take a look inside, she found warm water, realizing that it was probably a bathing tub.
In the kitchen, Ye Jian, who had already prepared breakfast, waited left and right but didn’t see the little dumpling coming out. Looking at the well-set breakfast on the table, Ye Jian waited for a while and finally stepped into the bathroom. There, he saw that the wide-mouthed cup he bought was covered in foam. A certain little dumpling had stretched both hands and was leaning against the edge of the cup, enjoying it. With narrowed eyes, he hummed a tune.
Ye Jian: “…”
Sensing Ye Jian’s arrival, Shu Xun, slightly surprised, spoke up. “Is it time to eat?”
Ye Jian expressionlessly nodded. Shu Xun seemed puzzled, wondering if time had passed too quickly or if Ye Jian’s movements were too fast. The temperature-controlled “bathing tub” combined with the peach-scented shower gel satisfied Shu Xun immensely. It made him feel that he could maintain this bathing method in the future, which was much more comfortable than using spiritual power to clean.
Quickly finishing his ablutions, Shu Xun swiftly headed to the dining table. Then, using a chair, he hopped onto the table. After taking a close look at the breakfast on the plates, Shu Xun’s movements slightly paused. Ye Jian sat across from Shu Xun, eating his breakfast with an expressionless face.
Shu Xun silently gazed at the small fish on the white porcelain plate, then silently began to eat. Midway through, he raised his small head, causing Ye Jian across from him to pause his actions. “If it’s not tasty, you don’t have to eat it.”
Shu Xun shook his head abruptly. “It’s delicious, but I don’t want to eat rare species in the future.”
Ye Jian remained silent for a moment. “Alright.”
Shu Xun nodded his small head. “Mm.”
Shu Xun didn’t know if Ye Jian would use all the fish in the entire fish tank for cooking if he didn’t say anything, but now it seemed highly probable. In this unfamiliar world, if someone is willing to extend a helping hand to you, you’ll discover that the world can be beautiful and full of novelty. If not, you’ll continue to linger in anxiety and a sense of rejection, especially when you lack enough power to stand at the pinnacle of this world, making survival even more challenging. This unease and rejection will gradually deepen until it freezes, becoming difficult to thaw.
In fearful uncertainty, encountering a pair of hands willing to reach out is how fortunate and precious it can be. Because that simple gesture grabs hold of your entire small world.
Shu Xun felt fortunate to have encountered Ye Jian. Like the recognition yesterday, after the previous chaos, there was a faint calmness, seemingly without a trace of surprise. Whether it was Ye Jian or himself, they both naturally shook hands again and introduced each other. Sometimes in life, there is an inexplicable intuition that certain people temporarily separated will meet again, so when you do meet, there’s no surprise in your heart; instead, there’s more of a feeling: look, we meet again.
After breakfast, Ye Jian sat on the sofa, using his brain to process official business, while Shu Xun sat beside him, examining the tablet he had modified.
During breakfast, to ease the subtle atmosphere, Shu Xun voluntarily shared the story of his origins. When he mentioned being a treasure-seeking mouse, he even proudly puffed out his small chest.
Ye Jian remained expressionless, with a mind full of question marks. Clearly, in an era where strength was paramount, the general couldn’t fathom why Shu Xun was so proud of being a mouse. What kind of creature is a treasure-seeking mouse? A unique race from ancient Earth? The king among mice? Or was it just because the name sounded good?
As for Shu Xun’s explanation of traveling through time and space, Ye Jian understood it as encountering an unstable space-time point. Although the probability of this happening was extremely low, even with only a few clear cases in the vast universe, the reasons behind it remained unexplored. However, it had been confirmed to occur.
Seeing Ye Jian’s expressionless face, Shu Xun thought he had already grasped the preciousness of his species. After all, the literal meaning and his experiences in the game world were enough to illustrate the luck and intelligence of the treasure-seeking mouse. So, he happily skipped over the detailed explanation of the treasure-seeking mouse and turned to an intriguing introduction of Northeast.
General Ye Jian’s attention was quickly diverted by the Northeast dialect. Apparently, he didn’t place much importance on the strength of Shu Xun’s race. In this era of highly developed technology, everything was becoming realistic and data-driven. Abstract concepts like luck were now relegated to probability theory. Thus, Ye Jian missed the opportunity to delve into the details of what a treasure-seeking mouse was.
As time passed, two hours later, it was nearly ten in the morning. Bright sunlight streamed through the glass, bathing the sofa. Shu Xun had unconsciously shifted positions, moving from Ye Jian’s side to behind him, enjoying the sunlight himself.
Shu Xun’s eyes were fixed on the screen of the tablet, blinking very rarely. His chubby face showed seriousness and dedication as if he was engaged in a crucial task. Finally, the little figure jumped up in an instant, and his childish voice was full of excitement. “I did it!”
Ye Jian, facing away from Shu Xun, raised the corner of his lips, silently retracting the assistance of his mental power. He repaired and erased traces of the little creature’s inadvertent activities, then withdrew from the information database, continuing to scrutinize work-related materials with a serious expression.
At the same time, in the chat software, continuous inquiries came from a noisy person, and this person was none other than the founder of StarPlay Entertainment: Meng Muyu. He didn’t belong to the military and had a mysterious background. “Winter’s End” was also one of the games developed by his team, and even the upcoming “Deep Blue Sea” was under their development. Initially, Ye Jian thought Meng Muyu might be a formidable opponent due to his strength, but after getting acquainted, he realized he was just a chatterbox. Ye Jian expressed that every conversation with him was quite unbearable.
Just like now, the person who was initially reluctant to help but had to do so persistently asked who had tampered with network information and why their mental power was so special.
Meng Muyu was so anxious on his end that he felt like scratching the wall. When Ye Jian initially sought his help, Meng Muyu was surprised why Ye Jian would take such a risk. The virtual network of the universe was not managed by a single race but collectively by major races for fairness and perfection. Therefore, regardless of your identity, tampering with the virtual network was not a simple matter. Once exposed, ruin and disgrace were inevitable, and even one’s own race, faced with several major races, could not choose to shelter the wrongdoer.
