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Tang Xuhai was thoroughly intrigued. He had been neighbors with Fu Shiwu for two years, but it was only in the past couple of months that they became truly familiar. However, he knew very little about Fu Shiwu's living situation in Tianjing Garden.
Fu Shiwu himself wasn't one for idle gossip. He, too, had limited knowledge about Tang Xuhai's circumstances.
Tang Xuhai grabbed Fu Shiwu and settled on the grassy patch, though not before checking if the grass had turned into spirits.
As they sat on the grass, the temperature dropped, thick clouds drifting across the sky.
Fu Shiwu continued, "Every New Year, we chat online."
Tang Xuhai found it odd. "No video calls, just text?"
"We've had video chats, but seldom," Fu Shiwu replied.
Tang Xuhai couldn't resist asking, "If you don't mind me asking, what exactly do your parents do? Even if they were making nuclear bombs, it wouldn't be this secretive, right? Keeping you away from home?!"
Fu Shiwu hesitated. After so many years, he had grown used to not expecting much.
"I don't remember clearly. It was quite remote, surrounded by desert, no neighbors nearby. I remember encountering sandstorms a few times when I was young, almost got swept away once."
He was too young at the time; what children remembered wasn't always reliable. Only a few vivid memories remained.
What he recalled was the vastness of the compound. He used to run around with short legs, not feeling lonely. Besides his parents who were researchers at the institute, there were other kids to play with.
Thinking back, they were probably children of other researchers. After leaving there for school, he never interacted with kids of the same age again.
Pondering this, Fu Shiwu furrowed his brow unconsciously.
He looked at Tang Xuhai, who was examining his face intently, smiled. It didn't matter that they hadn't crossed paths with those children again; wasn't he making closer friends now?
"What about your family?" Fu Shiwu asked.
"My family..." Tang Xuhai sighed, leaning back on the grass, arm supporting his head. "I'm the only one left at home. Both my parents are gone."
"Gone?" Fu Shiwu was surprised. Tang Xuhai seemed so resilient and outgoing; he hadn't realized both his parents were deceased. "I'm sorry."
"I stopped caring a long time ago," Tang Xuhai glanced at him.
Tang Xuhai's relaxed posture made Fu Shiwu feel a bit envious. He tentatively lay down, looking up at the heavily clouded sky, feeling a peculiar sense of tranquility from this angle.
Fu Shiwu secretly took a breath of relief, stretched, while Tang Xuhai seemed unaware of his minor movements, continuing, "My father was a martyr; my mom and I are from a military family."
"Your dad was in the military too?" Fu Shiwu curiously turned to look at him, but the long grass obstructed Tang Xuhai's face.
"Yeah," Tang Xuhai hummed, biting a thick blade of wild grass. With his movements, the grass swayed. Fu Shiwu was captivated; why did he lack that masculine touch?
"But later, my mom and I lived fine. My mom was a strong woman, very ambitious. She didn't really control me much. I got into fights and skipped school a lot when I was a student, quite wild." Perhaps the grass didn't taste good; Tang Xuhai wrinkled his brow and flicked the blade away. "When I was 16, my mom had a car accident and left me alone. We were estranged from my dad's relatives long ago, and my mom's side didn't want to deal with me, so I just joined the military."
"Oh..." Fu Shiwu blinked, not adept at conversations. Unsure how to respond, he sat up, fiddling with his pocket, offering a lollipop. "Take it."
"What?" Tang Xuhai turned, eyebrows raised. "You're giving me a lollipop?! Keep it for yourself! It's kid stuff."
This displeased Fu Shiwu. "You're the one fidgeting without cigarettes and making me do this!"
"You think I'm like you, needing sweets? I won't eat such childish things!"
Fu Shiwu snorted, unwrapped the candy, and put it in his mouth. "Fine, I'll eat it, you take the stick! You just need something to chew on; a stick should do."
Tang Xuhai couldn't believe it. This guy's becoming a bad influence! He used to be so innocent and naive.
Feeling like he set a bad example, Tang Xuhai extended his hand. "I'll take the candy, not the stick!"
"You've put it in your mouth; let's see what you do now."
Fu Shiwu smirked and pulled out another one.
"..." Tang Xuhai silently took it, tore it open, and popped it into his mouth.
It was fruity and very sweet.
"Eat, I've got a whole box prepared for you," Fu Shiwu said contentedly.
The sweetness overwhelmed Tang Xuhai's taste buds.
In this cheerful atmosphere, Tang Xuhai nonchalantly asked, "Do you remember what caused that psychological shadow of yours?"
Fu Shiwu, with a lollipop, had a small bulge on his cheek. He furrowed his brows, "I can't recall."
"If your parents didn't mention it, maybe it happened later," Tang Xuhai bit into the lollipop, crunching it.
Fu Shiwu tried hard to remember but drew a blank. Perhaps it stemmed from some childhood incidents, but memories sometimes conveniently disappeared for things one didn't want to remember, leaving only subconscious feelings.
"I can't remember," Fu Shiwu shook his head.
"Forget it then; it surely wasn't a good thing," Tang Xuhai sat up, patting his shoulder.
"Okay," Fu Shiwu nodded, feeling the same way.
At that moment, faint shouts came from the road. Both Tang Xuhai and Fu Shiwu's expressions changed, and they quickly stood up.
Tang Xuhai spat out the lollipop stick and said, "I'll check it out!" Then he sprinted.
Fu Shiwu, holding the candy, found it inconvenient to run, so without hesitation, he tossed it and followed suit.
They had thoroughly checked this area; finding an issue now was unexpected.
As they got closer, they discerned that the commotion wasn't out of fear or tension but filled with surprise.
"What's going on?" Tang Xuhai halted.
Fu Shiwu, catching up, pushed his glasses, feeling embarrassed about his earlier fainting, put on a straight face, and stared at the group. "What happened?"
He tried to erase the previous embarrassing incident, aiming to build a positive image. Unintentionally, his intensified demeanor affected others.
Those who hadn't witnessed this side of Fu Shiwu suddenly felt a surge of pressure emanating from him, making it hard to breathe.
Silence fell momentarily.
Fu Shiwu, puzzled
, asked again, "What happened? Why the shouting?"
Seeing the new recruits looking stunned and nervous, Tang Xuhai tried hard to hold back his laughter.
Wen Zhaoming discreetly wiped his forehead, then coughed lightly.
Others looked at him, and he calmly said, "We found a mutant plant nearby."
"A mutant plant?!" Tang Xuhai widened his eyes.
Fu Shiwu frowned; he hadn't sensed any clear danger before. "How could there be a mutant plant?"
"Perhaps it lacks the conscious intent to attack, but..." Wen Zhaoming's expression turned odd. "The territorial instinct of this plant is unusually strong."
Miao Jia observed Tang Xuhai and Fu Shiwu's expressions. Both wore serious looks. He hesitated to joke and spoke softly, "After Fu Ge left earlier, we packed up the cooking utensils and found a mature cornfield nearby. Wang Dan and Liu Peiqi thought to take some corn to cook or grill for later."
Liu Peiqi added, "Yes, but as soon as we plucked two corns, we were attacked."
The mutant plant turned out to be a corn!
Nobody had expected that among the present group.
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