Wanderer of the Zerg

Chapter 53: A pool of spring water

When Ellis was not around, Xi Tian couldn’t hold back his questions and finally pulled Cody aside, seriously indicating that they needed to talk.

In his memories, Cody was a humorous and witty person, definitely not the stern figure he had been earlier.

Cody removed his glasses, closed his eyes, and pinched the corners of his eyes.

“That idiot, always speaking without thinking.”

Cody said with a headache.

He opened his eyes, and his light blue gaze was sharp, just like the media reports about him.

“Did something happen just now?”

Xi Tian asked cautiously.

When Cody was serious, Xi Tian couldn’t help but feel a sense of respect for him.

“It’s nothing, just an old problem. Apologize to your female partner for me.”

Xi Tian held Cody’s hand, “What was wrong with you just now?”

Cody instinctively shook off Xi Tian’s hand, and Xi Tian, clearly unaccustomed to being rejected by his mentor, was momentarily at a loss.

“It’s not your problem; it’s my issue.” Cody pointed to the framed glasses on the table, “Whenever I put on glasses, it feels like my IQ drops to sixteen,” Cody pressed his temple, “When I’m mentally exhausted, I instinctively put on glasses.”

“But, but you never wore them before?” Xi Tian couldn’t believe that such comic-like behavior could appear in reality.

“Fool, I wore contact lenses on Zerg Star.”

Cody lightly tapped Xi Tian’s forehead.

“So, so…” Xi Tian was so shocked by this fantastical claim that he couldn’t even speak.

“When I’m with you, sometimes I wear them, sometimes I don’t.”

“Do you have myopia? If you don’t wear glasses during experiments, can you see clearly? What does it feel like to wear glasses? When did this magical change start?”

A series of questions came out of Xi Tian’s mouth, and he even turned on the recording function of his terminal.

“Do you think I’m your lab rat?” Cody muttered, but still answered, “I don’t have myopia; they are just plain lenses. They don’t affect experiments. The glasses are more like an identity marker; when I put them on, my brain automatically switches to another personality channel, making my character more enthusiastic and my impulses more primitive.”

“So, do you share memories with him?” Xi Tian was clearly excited to hear about such things for the first time.

“I and he are the same person; neither split personality nor dual personality. It’s like wearing sunglasses versus not wearing them. It’s just a change in how you filter the world.”

Xi Tian seemed to understand, “Actually, I’m curious about what you were thinking when you were talking about Ellis just now. I must clarify that I originally brought you here to discuss this matter, but now I’m just genuinely curious.”

“…” Cody really didn’t want to answer but, unable to help himself, he told the truth about his beloved junior, “I felt like you were stolen from me. Looking at your partner just made me dislike him more and more.”

“Hey, you’re not my father, so why would you have such feelings?”

At 23 years old, Xi Tian genuinely couldn’t understand.

“You’ll understand once you become a father,” Cody said, ruffling Xi Tian’s hair. “Your female partner’s hair is so long; why won’t you keep your hair long too?”

Cody remembered the photo Xi Tian had taken, showing the female soldier’s sleeping face. It was clearly taken in the afternoon, with golden sunlight spreading across the serene face, the short hair standing up at the top while the bottom was completely pressed down.

“I like long hair, but that doesn’t mean I have to keep it long. Besides, keeping it long is troublesome—hair all over the house. It’s fine if only Ellis keeps his hair long.”

Xi Tian truly didn’t understand why his mentor was so obsessed with him keeping his hair long. When they first met, Cody had told him:

“You look a lot like someone I know, but he has long hair.”

“Your hair, your choice,” Cody laughed, “You haven’t contacted your place yet, so stay here for the night. I’ll show you my skills, and you can join me for a meal.”

“Oh, that sounds delightful.”

Cody’s cooking was rare but always highly praised by those who had tasted it.

Xi Tian immediately wanted to run out and tell Ellis the good news but was held back by his mentor grabbing his collar.

“Getting a female partner and forgetting your elders—if I had seen you like this before, I would have ignored you completely,” Cody said with a smile. “If your female partner has nothing else to do, let him come help me out.”

“Huh?”

Xi Tian quickly realized his mentor’s intention: Cody wanted to use this time to get to know Ellis and make up for previous issues.

“I guarantee, Ellis isn’t upset.”

However, on the way here, their relationship had heated up so much that Xi Tian didn’t want to part from Ellis at all. He had to politely refuse his mentor’s offer.

“I’m not taking him away from you, why are you so anxious?” Cody poked Xi Tian’s forehead with a finger, causing Xi Tian to softly say “ouch.” “There are some things I need to say to him.”

Xi Tian nodded and stepped out.

Soon, just a door away, the sound of their laughter and conversation could be heard.

Young people, full of vitality, daring to love and hate—how wonderful!

Cody mused.

In the evening, the clanging sounds from the kitchen filled the air. Xi Tian finally resisted the urge to sneak to the door to listen to their conversation and focused on making desserts.

He always wanted to eavesdrop on the conversation between the two females, but the sporadic skill of eavesdropping through walls was unreliable. He could only riskily move to the side to listen.

It wasn’t surprising to hear his mentor talk, nor was it surprising to hear Ellis talk. What was surprising was hearing their conversation about him.

Don’t ask why he couldn’t listen to Ellis’s recounting; firsthand experience and secondhand accounts aren’t the same!

Absolutely not!

In the end, no matter how careful he was, his mentor would always notice him.

Unable to tolerate it any longer, Cody directly found something for Xi Tian to do. He asked Xi Tian what could keep him occupied, and Xi Tian, being always honest, ended up getting sold out by this trait.

Cody immediately called to have a full set of baking equipment and ingredients delivered. Seeing Xi Tian’s stunned expression, Cody smiled and explained, “Just focus on this, and we’ll both be waiting for your dessert.”

Ellis, who was watching the spectacle, couldn’t stop laughing.

Being disliked is truly a helpless situation, Xi Tian concluded.

He had seen his mentor’s commanding presence and sudden departures, but he never expected something like this to happen.

What kind of person is his mentor, really?

This was the first time Xi Tian began to ponder this question.

Previously, during his carefree days under his mentor’s indulgence, Xi Tian had seen many of his mentor’s disciples in the laboratory, wearing work uniforms and showing great respect. Among the disciples, there were also many males, but only he was treated so specially by the mentor.

Yes, only he.

He always felt that he was favored due to his resemblance to someone from his mentor’s memories. Perhaps because his mentor, being old and childless, saw him as a kind of surrogate, which is why he received such special treatment.

Following this line of thought, it almost felt like a cliché romance novel plot.

However, there was also the conspiracy theory that perhaps the mentor had his eye on something specific, pretending to be close and attentive, scheming to obtain something.

Xi Tian amused himself with this thought.

Given that his mentor’s wisdom is rare even among the zerg race, if his mentor truly wanted something from him, Xi Tian doubted he could outsmart him. Moreover, even if there were demands, Xi Tian would undoubtedly give everything to his mentor without question.

The companionship over the years was enough.

Dinner was served and it was quite sumptuous.

One bite was as delicious as the taste he remembered, so good it was like swallowing one’s tongue.

Ellis’s eyes were red, clinging tightly to Xi Tian.

The three of them drank and ate happily.

Late at night, Xi Tian coaxed Ellis to talk about his conversation with the mentor. Ellis shook his head and remained silent.

Even when Xi Tian invoked the authority of the male lord,’ threatening punishment for disobedience, Ellis still didn’t utter a word.

Xi Tian followed through with the punishment, inspecting and leaving a small red mark on Ellis’s neck.

Ellis started to cry, and Xi Tian was frightened, thinking he might have been too rough. He checked repeatedly to make sure he hadn’t hurt Ellis.

At night, the female was as soft as a pool of spring water, letting the master stir whatever waves he wanted.