Welcome Home (Part Two)

Xue Ci was actually quite surprised that the Fragment returned unharmed.

These two messages, which looked very much like sexual harassment, really ruined the atmosphere.

Xue Ci was a little reluctant to talk to anyone and continued to open the game interface.

But messages kept popping up one after another--

[Don't you like 190cm? How much would you need?]

[Would it feel more comfortable if it was upturned?]

[Baby?]

[Baby, pay attention to me.]

After each time he provoked her, Fragment would say things like "I was wrong" or "Pay attention to me," probably because she knew he would soften his heart.

Ke Xue Ci has always been a soft-hearted child.

He exited the game and slowly swiped his finger up to view the messages.

The warm, wet touch stuck to him, and the next second, he felt his fingers being kissed.

...?

Xue Ci pressed her fingers inside the pillow.

Message continues--

[Baby, you smell so good.]

I really want to kiss you right now.

Xue Ci's ears turned red from his words. She pursed her lips and cautiously sent him a message: [No, you can't.]

She really knows how to act cute.

[Wife, what else do you want? My body is all for you. I read in the information that I can also get beads inserted, it'll feel like heaven, what do you think?]

"..."

This is getting more and more outrageous.

Xue Ci quickly changed the subject: [How are you doing now? Have you collected all the Fragment? Is it complete now? What about the Quick Transmigration Bureau? What about Little Eleven?]

He asked many Fragment, and I answered Yiyi.

The main god, fearing and coveting the power of the virus, wanted to destroy some of the Fragment in the last small world so that the remaining power could be used by him and the Quick Transmigration Bureau.

The Virus Fragment spoke casually, but Xue Ci knew—this was a very difficult battle.

Otherwise, it wouldn't have taken so long to appear.

Fortunately, the ending was good. The Quick Transmigration Bureau underwent a complete overhaul and reform. 11's indenture was nullified, and he submitted his resignation. Now, like the Fragment, he is also being embodied.

What will 11 look like?

Fragment: [dog.]

Xue Ci's eyes lit up instantly.

Little Eleven wants to turn into a puppy.

He wants to get a puppy!

Xue Ci was overjoyed and started opening shopping apps to buy dog food, a doghouse, and other items, no longer replying to Fragment's messages.

I should have just left it at that.

It seems they're still more concerned about number 11.

Of course, the Virus Fragment weren't just jealous of dogs; they were also involved with a group of people in the school who were secretly eyeing them.

Xue Ci immersed in joy. She lay on the bed, her legs involuntarily sticking up and swinging in the air.

The tips of several roommates' ears were suspiciously red as they stared at their phones, occasionally glancing towards Xue Ci's bed.

Banned groups are rebuilding at an alarming rate, more troublesome than mangy dogs.

[Something felt off tonight; it felt like I was chatting with someone.]

[He was so happy, his lips were curved into a smile, and his legs were even sticking out.]

[Damn it, which jerk is trying to lie to my wife?!]

[Is there a traitor among us? Otherwise, how could the group have disappeared so suddenly?]

[There are still so many photos inside that I haven't saved yet! Can someone send them to me?]

[Do you have any photos of SXC's calves? Last time he wore shorts to the court, I just glanced at him and I was... you know.]

[Disgusting, send me a copy.]

[private.]

[Were his shorts really short? So short you could see his genitals?]

The group has been banned again.

Xue Ci felt the other person covering him with a blanket. Puzzled, he turned to look. "I'm not cold."

[Baby, your legs are so beautiful.]

Xue Ci: "..."

He pursed his lips and pulled his legs back under the covers: [Do you want to touch me?]

[I do want to. But your roommates are looking at your legs.]

[All three of them are in.]

Xue Ci: "..."

He buried his face in the pillow, embarrassed and unsure what to say.

Another message popped up. "[I want to kill them.]"

Xue Ci, a sigh escaping its mark.

He felt that he would have a long way to go in the future, and that this was a society governed by the rule of law, so he might need to teach the other person a lot.

*

The Fragment consumed a lot of energy during the Quick Transmigration Bureau, and it will take about ten days to reconstruct their physical form.

During this period, it would occasionally pop up messages to harass Xue Ci.

For example, when Xue Ci is eating, she will say that the baby's tongue and mouth are so red from being scalded by the soup, and that it must be very soft to suck on.

When she's seriously solving a problem, she'll make sarcastic remarks to men who try to chat her up.

Sometimes, when Xue Ci gets annoyed, she'll switch to flight mode.

The Fragment have no physical form and no sound, so as long as Xue Ci doesn't look at her phone, it's completely helpless and can only keep sending money to attract her attention.

Xue Ci looked at the amount, which resembled game currency, and felt a little scared. "[You didn't take someone else's money, did you? That's wrong; you'll get arrested.]"

Fragment: [This is my savings for getting married. I've also prepared a motorhome. If you're interested, I can also take the civil service exam.]

Xue Ci surprised—where did you learn all this?

[No need, these are all yours.]

Xue Ci puffed out her cheeks, full of confidence. "I'll earn a lot of money in the future too."

My wife is amazing.

The kitten, with a proud expression, rested its chin on its hand. "[Are you going to be able to conjure up something this weekend? What about 11? Will it come out with you?]"

[Around Sunday morning.]

Xue Ci nodded: [Then what should I call you? Do you have a name?]

[I have a number, it's a mobile phone number.]

Xue Ci then remembered to check the other party's number; it was a very long string of numbers, somewhat like a birth date.

Were you born on this day?

[no.]

[Um?]

[This is the day I met you.]

Xue Ci didn't know what to say, and her cheeks gradually flushed.

Sure enough, they had met before.

This date... was when he was six years old.

It turns out they had met back then.

It's unfair that the other person always remembers him. Although Xue Ci is slow to realize things, he has a strong sense of empathy. If he were in the situation where he was thinking about someone but they didn't remember him at all, he would also be very sad.

No one could remain unmoved by such unconditional love, let alone such a soft-hearted kitten.

Xue Ci made a last-minute trip to her hometown in the countryside over the weekend.

He spent his childhood at his grandmother's house, an old house with green tiles and red walls. The garden was once very well maintained, but now it is empty and overgrown with weeds.

Xue Ci felt a pang of disappointment and decided to make time to come back and visit more often in the future, so that the house would not fall into disrepair.

The room was fairly clean, except for the dampness typical of the Jiangnan.

The Fragment can now be input with sound, Xue Ci, too lazy to type on her phone, said, "This is my room."

He pushed open the door. The bedroom wasn't small, and the bed, desk, wardrobe, and floor were all covered in a layer of dust.

The dust was quickly swept away, and a thick blanket was even placed on the ground.

Xue Ci sat comfortably on the blanket.

His memories of elementary school and earlier are completely blurry; he can only recall them through objects.

Photo albums, clothes, comic books, textbooks, toys... the elderly person had everything neatly packed and wrapped in plastic bags.

Xue Ci through the photo album; each photo had a date written at the bottom, arranged in order.

Looking at it this way, the adults did indeed take many photos of him back then.

[Baby, you're so cute.]

[Like a little girl.]

Xue Ci immediately covered the photo.

He knew that the other person had seen the photo of him wearing a skirt with pigtails.

In the upper right corner of the album, a child is holding a windmill and smiling shyly at the camera.

Even with the blurry image, you can still see the baby fat on Xiao Xue Ci's cheeks; they're so tender they look like you could pinch water out of them.

"It wasn't my choice to wear it," Xue Ci coughed, her expression a little haughty. "Besides, I look great in this, so don't laugh at me."

[No joke, I was just thinking, whose kid is so cute, with such a soft face? I really want to pinch their cheeks.]

Xue Ci was pleased with herself and raised her face, asking, "Do you want to pinch me now?"

I'm going to die.

How can they be so well-behaved?

It's a shame he hasn't grown arms yet.

Xue Ci felt a gentle breeze brush against her cheek, but then ignored it.

The photo album was quickly flipped to the day they met.

He did take a photo that day—a picture taken at the entrance of the city's amusement park, with colorful balloons in the background.

In my hand is...

Xue Ci lowered his eyes; in his hand was a robot.

Vague memories crept into my mind intermittently.

He remembered that it was the first time his parents took him to an amusement park. A little boy walking in front of them accidentally dropped a toy, which looked very expensive.

Xiao Xue Ci go of her parent's hand, picked up her toy, and chased after them. "You dropped your thing!"

The boy turned around and said, "Oh, this is what I don't want."

Xiao Xue Ci was stunned.

Because even if his toys are old, he'll keep them at home; he won't just throw them away like this.

He paused for several seconds before saying, "Then you should throw it in the trash can."

The boy, called by his parents and in a hurry to leave, said, "Then please throw it in the trash can for me, thank you, little sister!"

"..."

This wasn't the first time Xiao Xue Ci had been mistaken for a pretty little girl. He puffed out his cheeks and walked unhappily to the trash can.

This is a very new toy; it looks like a robot, except one of its arms isn't very flexible.

Xiao Xue Ci patted its head, and just as she was about to throw it into the trash can, the robot started singing, wishing her a happy birthday.

"It's not my birthday." Xiao Xue Ci her eyes. "Is it your birthday?"

Xue Ci's parents caught up and saw that he had picked up someone else's toy and couldn't bear to throw it away. They assumed he liked it and said, "Mom and Dad will buy you a similar one, okay?"

Xiao Xue Ci her head. "I want this one."

He hugged his mother's waist again. "Today is its birthday, let's not abandon it, okay?"

Who could resist such a kind little dumpling?

Xiao Xue Ci happily took the robot home, and his parents helped him reattach the somewhat inflexible arm. From then on, the robot sat on his desk, accompanying him to school and as he grew up.

Then, we parted.

It was just an ordinary singing robot with outdated programming, but a certain string of data within it grew wildly powerful after being nurtured with heartfelt love.

It devours everything and roams everywhere, trying to find its master.

As Xue Ci brought the robot home from the countryside, the Fragment's body appeared.

[I'm so nervous, Xiao Ci.]

The man's magnetic voice seemed to be right next to Xue Ci, and Xue Ci could feel his breath as he spoke.

It's tingling and numb.

It's very itchy.

Xue Ci was much calmer than the other person and comforted her, "It's okay, it doesn't matter what you look like."

As soon as he finished speaking, a tall man slowly appeared in front of him.

It was an extremely handsome face, with a high nose bridge and a cold, aloof expression.

It was strange; although it was a completely unfamiliar face, Xue Ci felt a strange sense of familiarity, probably because they had spent so much time together.

He stared at the other person until the other person's shoulders tensed slightly.

Even his voice carried a subtle tension.

"Wife."

That was the very first thing he said.

Xue Ci was too embarrassed to correct him, and politely replied, "He's very handsome."

The man's heart finally calmed down. His body was still in its early stages, and he dared not move. He just stared straight at Xue Ci.

The two stared at each other in the living room.

A dog's bark broke the silence, Xue Ci snapped out of her reverie, exclaiming with delight, "Is that 11 here?"

He ran to the door following the sound, and behind the door, on the ground, was a cardboard box—inside was a puppy.

It looks like a puppy that's just been weaned after only one month.

Xue Ci's eyes lit up: [Yiyi?]

Woof woof!

[Host, sob sob!!]

Woof woof!

[11 no longer needs to work for others! 11 is a free spirit!]

The sounds were automatically translated in her mind, Xue Ci fulfilled her childhood wish—to understand the thoughts of her pets.

He brought 11 back, soaked the dog food to soften it, and took out the dog bed that had been dried and softened in the sun.

"From now on, you'll be my little puppy!"

The tail of number 11 wagged like a propeller, and its body soared into the air in excitement.

Once the puppies are full and have drunk their fill, they can snuggle up in their doghouse and sleep soundly, no longer needing to worry about performance issues like before.

The man, who had been ignored the whole time, suddenly blurted out, "If I'd known, I would have turned into a dog too."

Xue Ci turned around and looked at the other person in disbelief.

"But even looking like this, I can still be your dog."

"..."

Even though Xue Ci was used to hearing the other person say things like that, she still felt uncomfortable. "Do you want to go to the supermarket together?"

Can you cook?

I'm hungry.

The two went to the supermarket together, and the man still retained his excellent cooking skills from his little world.

Xue Ci, who eats in the cafeteria every day, enjoyed a decent dinner.

In a good mood, he decided to let the other person stay for the time being, pointing to the remaining two rooms and asking, "Which room do you want to sleep in?"

"Won't I sleep with you?"

Men are really good at pestering. Xue Ci was worn down and finally let him sleep on the floor in her room.

It was still early, so the two washed up and went to bed.

Xue Ci lay on the bed and noticed that the other person was staring at her. Suddenly, she realized something.

He hugged the doll, sat cross-legged on the bed, and looked soft and docile.

"When... did you start liking me?"

Xue Ci wasn't a narcissistic person, but she sounded a little uncomfortable when she asked this question.

"From the day you brought me home."

"After you left, I searched everywhere for you and stayed by your side the whole time."

"Later you went to the Little World."

In fact, the Virus Fragment cannot pinpoint Xue Ci's world with perfect accuracy.

Therefore, each encounter takes a huge amount of time; however, their time dimensions are not the same.

Xue Ci was stunned.

How long exactly?

Even such a cold string of data would endure a tedious and lengthy wait for him.

"You must really, really like me." Xue Ci pressed her face against the doll. "Are you going to pursue me?"

"Um."

I will keep pursuing you.

"My existence is for you."

These words sounded cheesy, but Xue Ci really enjoyed them.

"However, I'm somewhat popular."

"She's still a bit difficult to pursue."

The man certainly knew. He had pursued this opportunity for so long, so naturally he wouldn't give it up.

There was an extra person in Xue Ci's house. This person would walk the dog and quietly type on the computer, and would transfer money to Xue Ci every time there was a deposit.

He pursued it very seriously.

Xue Ci gradually began to rely on him.

The leaves outside the window turned from green to yellow, then withered and fell completely. A layer of white snow settled on the branches.

Xue Ci was born in winter, and on this birthday, he took a man to an amusement park.

The reason they were so fixated on the amusement park was because it was where they met.

The week that followed, they celebrated the Spring Festival.

Xue Ci hadn't had such a lively New Year in a long time. The house was decorated with bright colors everywhere. After having New Year's Eve dinner with her husband, she took him to the balcony to watch the fireworks.

11 grew very quickly, and squatted down beside them.

Xue Ci urged him to make a wish, "You can set your birthday on this day!"

"Um?"

"Wishes made during the Spring Festival are very likely to come true." Amidst the vibrant colors, the boy smiled gently. "However, you don't need to make any wishes related to me."

"Because no matter what it is, I'll help you achieve it."

This isn't just sweet talk; it's a heartfelt expression of concern and affection.

The man's heart was pounding. That night, he pestered Xue Ci, asking if she wanted to try his body.

Xue Ci tried to pull her hand away. "No, no need..."

"If it doesn't work well, I'll improve it."

"OK?"

"Honey, I have a nice perky bottom, and my nose is very straight."

"It will make you very comfortable."

During the Spring Festival, Xue Ci stayed in her bedroom the entire time.

After school started, the group chat was in an uproar.

[Was sxc deceived by a bad man? I saw red spots on his neck!]

[What red spots! Those are mosquito bites!]

Are there mosquitoes in winter?

[And I noticed his lips are red too... Oh no, I'm heartbroken! Who! Who was it?!]

[What do you know? How could an innocent wife kiss? Her lips must have been too sore, so she bit herself!]

[It's more accurate to say I bit him.]

A group of men started arguing behind each other's backs, but they hesitated to ask questions until Xue Ci's roommates finally managed to get them to come out camping.

The weather in April is perfect for a spring outing, Xue Ci agreed without hesitation.

The day before departure, he happily carried the suitcase prepared by the man, took 11 with him, and left.

The campsite was in the mountains, and the afternoon temperature was comfortable. Xue Ci followed the others along the path for a forest bath.

Someone suddenly reminded him, "Xue Ci, there's a suspicious old man staring at you from behind."

Um?

Xue Ci immediately understood who this suspicious person was.

Sure enough, all those claims of being completely at ease and that the house would be kept safe were lies.

They still followed.

Xue Ci deliberately slowed down and separated from the main group.

He turned around and looked at the familiar figure.

The man who was discovered froze.

Xue Ci secretly curved the corners of his lips into a smile, slowing down even further, waiting for the other person to catch up with him.

But the man seemed to think he was angry, and kept a respectful distance from him.

Xue Ci finally turned around and waved. "You're so clumsy."

"Come here quickly!"

The wind ruffled the boy's hair.

The man quickened his pace and walked resolutely toward him.

The sunlight dances, fallen leaves, new buds, flowers, and nameless insects... all things live and breathe, decay and rebirth, in an endless cycle.

Everything was simple and pure.

Therefore, the ending of the story couldn't be simpler.

A knight swears to be loyal to his beloved until death.

and--

The princess's adventure continues.

Author's Note:

Therefore, the ending of the story should be that simple.

So, goodbye, Xue Ci.

I'm giving out small red envelopes in this chapter. Thank you all for your continued support.

A knight swears to be loyal to his beloved until death.

--From the Knight's Declaration.