C83 — The Changing System

“What?” Ye Yanzhi’s voice lowered further, tinged with a faint hoarseness. His breath, whether intentional or not, swirled around the nape of his neck. “Did I do something wrong?”

 

The person still seated on the counter didn’t respond. Lost in thought, his face flushed deeper. From the collar up, a striking crimson spread, tempting one to imagine the hue beneath the fabric.

Perhaps it too was flushed, steaming with a faint blush.

His face reddened, and he instinctively stretched his legs toward the floor, intending to step down from the counter first.

Ye Yanzhi’s throat moved slightly as he blocked his chance to dismount.

“Sit.”

Kou Dong wasn’t about to comply.

He wasn’t exceptionally tall, but certainly not short either—at 5’10”, he was considered average height for a guy. —But who knew what Ye Yanzhi had been eating to grow so tall? Maybe golden grains? Otherwise, how had he gone from being a palm-sized little guy to towering half a head above him now?

Sitting on the platform, he found himself eye level with Ye Yanzhi.

This eye contact was anything but welcome.

He wasn’t exactly a looks-obsessed guy, but facing someone who was genuinely his type—someone he’d just kissed…

No wonder his heart was racing like it was in a hundred-meter dash!

Kou Dong lowered his head first, averting his gaze.

“It’s not that I did anything wrong,” he murmured, his voice unexpectedly weak for some reason. Clearing his throat, he added, “It’s just… a good morning kiss shouldn’t happen like that.”

Ye Yanzhi’s brows furrowed slightly at these words, as if deep in thought.

“Is that so?”

After speaking, Kou Dong realized what he’d said.

—Holy shit.

What the hell had he just said?!

If Ye Yanzhi asked him to demonstrate now, would he actually hug the guy and kiss him?!

He desperately wished for a time machine—or Doraemon would do!

Ye Yanzhi leaned closer, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips.

“Then… Dad, show me how it’s done?”

Kou Dong nearly went crazy at the sound of that voice.

He pushed the approaching face away with effort, but seeing evasion was futile, he steeled himself and abruptly yanked the young man’s head toward him—

Then, with a death-defying resolve, he swiftly brushed his lips against the youth’s forehead.

Touch and go.

The touched skin felt instantly scorching hot, the heat spreading deep into his veins. Ye Yanzhi straightened up, one hand lightly pressed against the spot where they’d touched, his gaze fixed on Kou Dong.

“See?” Kou Dong stammered after pulling away. “That’s how it’s done. Just like in the TV shows… Not like you did it just now!”

After uttering those words, Kou Dong didn’t even dare linger. He shoved the other person away and bolted immediately.

He didn’t even glance back to see Ye Yanzhi’s expression.

How pathetic, Kou Dong thought, fanning himself. It’s not like he’d never kissed before…

When his little one was just a handful, he’d pinch his cheeks and kiss his face—perfectly normal back then.

So why did it feel so wrong now?

Kou Dong pondered carefully, deciding it wasn’t his fault.

It just proved the adult world was too filthy. How could a sweet-as-sugar romance game streamer like him handle it?

No wonder they called adults dirty.

Kou Dong desperately wanted to brainwash himself, just to see if the water he’d scrub out would run yellow.

Even when dinner was ready, he still felt uneasy. Ye Yanzhi, however, was completely at ease, calm and composed as he set out the bowls and chopsticks.

Kou Dong lowered his head and saw small chunks of tomato scattered across the noodles. He froze for a moment.

Mist swirled gently in the air.

The young man sat across from him, calmly adding a touch of bright red chili sauce to his bowl before mixing it in.

Kou Dong held his chopsticks, struck by an odd sense of déjà vu.

When had he experienced this before?

It hadn’t been that long ago—his memory was still sharp. He remembered a small kitchen, snow falling outside, steam rising from his bowl. Beneath the noodles, a fried egg gleamed gold, and beside him sat an elderly man smiling warmly.

Then it hit him. He looked up at the person in front of him.

—That was during his date with Ye Yan.

As though sensing his gaze, Ye Yanzhi lifted his dark eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

Kou Dong suddenly realized—now that his “kid” had grown up, he actually looked a lot like Ye Yan, especially when he raised his head like that.

Seeing that Kou Dong hadn’t looked away, Ye Yanzhi frowned slightly.

“It doesn’t taste good?”

“No,” Kou Dong lowered his head quickly, voice calm. “It’s very good.”

Inside, though, his thoughts tangled into a complicated knot. He felt awkward realizing he’d subconsciously linked his son’s face with an NPC he’d once dated—and, irrationally, a little upset by it.

Maybe it was just the game’s limited facial database… a few face types, mixed and matched until everyone looked half-related.

After the meal, Kou Dong pulled up the system menus again to check things more carefully—and was surprised to see a new “pet outfit customization” tab unlocked once Ye Yanzhi’s growth phase was complete.

Outfit customization?

He clicked in—and immediately understood.

Wasn’t this basically a Miracle Nikki-style dress-up system?

He should probably rename it Miracle Yanzhi.

 

He flipped through the options: not just ordinary suits and T-shirts, but even brightly colored dresses. One particular tailcoat caught his eye—it would look amazing on Ye Yanzhi, emphasizing that narrow waist and long legs.

And that sailor uniform skirt—short, cheerful, ridiculously cute!

Father Kou’s heart started itching to buy everything.

Unfortunately, when he tried adding items to his cart, he found out they cost achievement points.

With inflation running wild in this game world, he barely had enough left for a couple of item draws. Totally broke.

Where was he supposed to find money to dress up his “kid”?

He opened the system chat box and whispered:

[Can I take out a loan?]

System: “……”

After a long pause:

[No.]

[Don’t be so rigid,] Kou Dong pleaded. [Come on, let’s work something out.]

 

System (flatly):

[There’s nothing to work out.]

Kou Dong pouted.

[Then how am I supposed to raise this kid?]

System:

[You can always throw him away.]

For some reason, Kou Dong could hear the delight hidden in those two words—“throw him away.”

The system even sent him detailed instructions:

[In the pet module, you can select “Exile.”]

[Don’t talk nonsense,] Kou Dong scoffed. [No matter how poor a parent is, you can’t starve the child. Can’t crush his spirit either. If I can’t afford it, I can’t afford it—but abandoning him? Never.]

The system fell silent, clearly judging him.

Your lofty ambition is… buying him a suit and a skirt?

Wow. Such noble goals.

With no loan option, Kou Dong finally gave in and bought the cheapest set—a pair of bright red underpants and navy long johns.

They only cost one achievement point each and, well, at least they were warm.

After all, as the saying goes: Mom’s calling—come home and put on your thermals!

Now Kou Dong could proudly declare with a thump on his chest that he too could call his son home to put on thermal underwear!

He’d slipped them on his son silently through the system.

Ye Yanzhi, busy washing dishes, remained oblivious, buried in his chores with diligent devotion—the very picture of a model son.

 

Completely unaware that his underwear had been changed to a different color.

A little while later, the young man strolled over, pacing back and forth behind him, seemingly occupied with something.

Ye Yanzhi turned his head just as Kou Dong reached for his waistband to check if his clothes were properly fastened. Startled, Kou Dong quickly withdrew his hand and stood by the wall, looking utterly innocent.

Ye Yanzi: “…?”

Had he seen wrong?

Just now, was the young man… pulling his pants?

Ye Yanzi felt his brain struggling to keep up for the first time.

He remained silent, not uttering a word. Kou Dong, however, had already spotted the desired navy blue through the gap he’d pulled open earlier. Now satisfied, he patted the two fleshy cheeks behind him.

Ye Yanzhi: “……”

“Good boy,” Kou Dong’s paternal instincts flared up again. Any lingering awkwardness vanished instantly, replaced by the joy of imagining his son in new clothes. “Daddy will go earn money for you!”

Earn money to buy you a sailor uniform!

Question marks formed one after another above Ye Yanzhi’s head.

He watched Kou Dong stride cheerfully toward the living room, puzzled, carefully parsing the man’s earlier actions.

What on earth did that mean?

Was he running a fever?

Kou Dong currently had only one source of income: dating.

Though relying on dates to support a child sounded like the behavior of some pretty-boy scumbag, Kou Dong couldn’t afford to be picky right now.

He had to find an NPC to cover his kid’s clothes expenses.

The NPCs in the dating section were all buzzing with anticipation. The Psychologist flapped his wings frantically in his frame. Kou Dong merely glanced at him, then quickly looked away, pretending not to notice. “Let me see…”

The Psychologist’s lips twitched slightly.

No kidding!

Kou Dong thought, Like I’d choose you—out of all these NPCs, you’re the creepiest, fluttering moth of them all!

Even the mermaid seemed pure compared to you!

Speaking of mermaid…

Kou Dong’s heart stirred slightly as he glanced at the siren’s frame. His seaweed-like hair drifted up and down within the pale blue frame, looking incredibly soft. Between his slender, pointed fingers, he still clutched that slick, milky-white pearl.

 

He held the pearl, gazing at Kou Dong with eager eyes.

Kou Dong now found himself truly caught between two males.

Yes, male as in man.

A pe-rvert on the left, a pe-rvert on the right. To be fair, neither of them was human.

—But then again, none of the main NPCs were human either.

Kou Dong struggled between the two, not even glancing at the demon. This left the demon looking slightly aggrieved.

“You it is!”

He finally gritted his teeth and reached out to the siren who had given him tears.

The mermaid’s dark red eyes suddenly flashed brightly, his strong, powerful body nearly bursting through the thin frame. He eagerly pulled Kou Dong inside, the faint, unique briny scent of seawater washing over him. Every touch was slick scales—Kou Dong couldn’t even find a place to grip, and was simply pulled straight in.

The scene blurred before his eyes, swaying as if in motion, dimly lit to the point of obscurity. A stinging sensation burned his nose and mouth as he watched tiny bubbles escape his lips.

It was the sea.

The thought surged through him, followed instantly by the realization he wasn’t very good at holding his breath. He might drown. He kicked his legs, struggling to swim upward.

Suddenly, a strong arm shot out from behind him. With immense force, it pulled Kou Dong upward until they broke the surface. Coughing repeatedly, Kou Dong felt something supple and resilient wrap tightly around his waist. Then, a wet, mermaid-like head emerged.

Its crimson eyes were fixed intently on Kou Dong.

Kou Dong: “…”

Honestly, this guy was giving him the creeps.

 

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