Before hearing the latter part of Wen Xin’s words, Canary felt this was a bizarre and absurd question.
—Didn’t the young man see their panic and helplessness when facing Number One and Number Seven?
Canary even suspected that Wen Xin was subtly warning them to recognize their place and behave obediently as mutants.
But when he met that unwavering gaze, he suddenly believed in the other’s sincerity.
The answer required no thought.
Feeling conflicted, Canary said, “No, we won’t.”
They had come seeking refuge, naturally hoping their protector would be as strong as possible.
Wen Xin looked at the boy for a moment, then turned to the little fox.
The little fox tilted its head. “Yip?”
Why are you looking at me?
Seeing the little fox’s clueless expression, Wen Xin patiently asked again, “What about you? Will you?”
The little fox blinked in confusion, suddenly realizing that Wen Xin had been addressing “you all” rather than just “you.”
This… was strange.
The little fox had always been accustomed to following others’ instructions, obediently doing whatever he was told, serving as a perfect tool.
For those who knew him well, like Number One and Number Seven, they would directly target Canary upon meeting, never thinking it was the little fox who came up with bad ideas.
Or perhaps they believed he wouldn’t have any ideas at all.
Feeling curious, the little fox also shook his head.
Wen Xin could tell they weren’t lying, at least not at the moment.
He felt temporarily relieved. “Second question: If you don’t find the person you’re looking for, where do you plan to go next?”
They had said they just wanted to borrow a place to rest and would leave once they found the person they were looking for.
This was the excuse Canary had given when he first met Wen Xin.
He hadn’t expected the young man to remember it until now.
The “person” they sought was Number One, whom they had already found. But Number One was angry; not tearing them apart was already merciful.
Perhaps they could ask this seemingly kind human in front of them… Would he agree?
Canary pursed his lips. “I don’t know.”
Wen Xin: “You don’t know?”
“Maybe we’ll go to the seaside to find someone else,” Canary thought hard, frowning uncertainly. “If we can’t find them, we’ll keep looking for others… There’s always somewhere to go.”
Having left the base and needing to avoid being hunted, without human identification, and lacking the protection of the strong.
Canary counted the few options available and found them pitifully limited.
This indescribable feeling of confusion was like standing on a bustling street with the little fox in his arms, surrounded by towering buildings. Each looked solid and spacious, capable of providing shelter.
Yet each one kept them out.
Wen Xin noticed the bewilderment in the boy’s eyes and paused. “I see.”
After speaking, he took out a vacuum bag for storing quilts from the cabinet, then glanced at the boy who hadn’t moved. “Do you recognize a broom and dustpan? They’re on the balcony; could you bring them over?”
“The guest room has been cleaned before, so it’s not very dirty, but there’s some dust on the windowsill. Be careful not to inhale it.”
…
Just like that, Canary and the little fox found themselves following Wen Xin in a daze, helping with the cleaning.
By the time they finished wiping the windows, Wen Xin had efficiently made the bed.
Considering the weather turning cooler and the temperature dropping quickly, he added two more layers of quilts. The pristine white bed looked soft and fluffy.
Wen Xin said, “Until you find the person you’re looking for, you can stay here. It might be a bit simple, but it’s fine for resting.”
Then he carried the dirty water out.
Standing in place, Canary was stunned for a moment. Instinctively, he followed behind the young man, asking incredulously, “Wait a minute, you’re just willing to take us in like this? Aren’t you going to ask more questions?”
“Ask what?”
“Ask who we really are, why we came here, or ask us…”
In fact, even Canary didn’t know what Wen Xin should ask.
He had been walking on a tightrope for so long, always feeling like a sharp knife was pressed against his neck, thinking that Wen Xin shouldn’t accept them so easily.
Wen Xin looked at him calmly. “Even if I asked, would you tell me?”
Canary stopped abruptly.
It wasn’t a matter of willingness; he simply didn’t dare reveal to a human that they were mutants, especially since the base was still aggressively searching for them.
Wen Xin just smiled and ruffled the boy’s hair. “Since you don’t want to say, then don’t.”
The touch on his head was brief. Canary stood still.
At that moment, even he didn’t know what he was thinking; he only knew that when he came back to his senses, his chest was filled with an indescribable emotion.
During dinner, Wen Xin asked for Canary and the little fox’s names.
One was called Ninety-Nine, the other Twenty-Seven—they didn’t sound like names but more like laboratory identification numbers.
Wen Xin mentally filled in some guesses about their identities but didn’t show it and didn’t pursue the matter further.
After dinner, he called Canary over, planning to take the boy out shopping.
Canary’s heart jumped into his throat.
When they arrived at the shopping mall, he was stunned to find that Wen Xin genuinely wanted to buy him new clothes, with no intention of selling him off.
In the evening at the mall, an adult and a child walked into the youth clothing section.
The sales assistant glanced over casually, and her eyes lit up instantly.
In her career, she rarely encountered such pleasing sights, especially since these two were handsome in different ways—the younger one was cool and aloof, the older one was refined and handsome.
Especially the adult; when he looked at people, his brows would naturally relax, softening the sharp angles of his jawline. His gentle demeanor made it hard to look away.
Wen Xin said, “Hello, I’d like to buy some clothes for the child. Do you have any recommendations?”
The sales assistant beamed with enthusiasm.
With such live models right here, of course she had recommendations—plenty of them!
As a result, under her enthusiastic guidance, Canary gritted his teeth and tried on no fewer than seven or eight outfits, with more than a dozen still waiting.
He was overwhelmed. “Isn’t this enough?”
Wen Xin, however, was gradually experiencing a new and indescribable joy.
He had no direct experience interacting with children and originally thought he shouldn’t be perfunctory; if he was going to buy clothes, they should fit properly.
Now, watching Canary try on new clothes, various styles matching together, each one bringing a refreshing handsomeness—it was incredibly addictive.
With sales soaring, the sales assistant was all smiles. “Besides autumn wear, we also have this year’s new winter collection…”
Wen Xin’s eyes showed interest.
Canary: “!”
By the time Canary tried on the last outfit, his hands were trembling. Ignoring formalities, he grabbed Wen Xin’s sleeve and pleaded, “Sir!”
Seeing Canary’s anxious and tense face, Wen Xin had to regretfully stop.
Before Canary could breathe a sigh of relief, he heard words that made his scalp tingle.
Wen Xin said, “We’ll take all the ones you’ve tried on. Please help us with the packaging.”
Canary: “!!”
On the way home, under the hazy night sky, the bright moonlight and street lamps intertwined, illuminating the road clearly.
The boy asked apprehensively, “Did that cost a lot of money?”
Outside the base, everything required money to buy. This was the most profound lesson Canary had learned along the way.
Wen Xin noticed his unease and didn’t say anything like “You don’t have to pay me back.”
Instead, he freed up a hand to ruffle the boy’s hair. “When you grow up and start earning money, you can pay me back.”
Wen Xin didn’t arrogantly think that humans could control the world, but he couldn’t deny that humans were everywhere in this world.
In his view, Xiao Hei and the others could only turn into cats, with no choice in the matter, but the boy could turn into a human, giving him an advantage for survival.
If they couldn’t avoid it, it would be better to integrate into society sooner.
Hearing this, Canary felt extremely conflicted, even sensing a bitterness.
Yes, the young man had no idea they were mutants; he simply treated him as an ordinary child, thinking he still had a future to look forward to.
But then, Canary also felt a bit strange.
Wen Xin could communicate normally with Number One and the others and assumed the little fox could understand his words… Did he really know nothing?
Soon, Canary stopped doubting and pondering over this question.
Because Wen Xin was truly an unusual human.
