WELCOME HOME (02)

 Who would send a picture of abs directly?

At that moment, Song Yu felt his phone was burning hot, as if he had asked the other person to send some nude photos. He looked around guiltily

. Fortunately, no one was looking at him.

Song Yu breathed a sigh of relief, turned off his phone with his pink fingers, and silently walked towards the school gate.

It wasn't until half a minute later that he realized he wasn't wearing sun protection clothing or walking in the shade.

But the scorching sun didn't seem to make his skin uncomfortable. Instead, he felt as comfortable as if he were in an air-conditioned room.

Except for... his cheeks, which were still slightly hot after looking at the photos.

There was no doubt that it was that person who did it.

Song Yu had an indescribable feeling in his heart, like sparkling water rushing around in his heart. He felt a little dizzy, and after a while, the bubbles burst, leaving a sweet and sour

feeling. It wasn't bad to have someone else protecting him.

The phone vibrated twice more in his palm.

Song Yu stopped and secretly vowed that if the other person sent him those kinds of photos again, he would ignore him for a day.

A day seems a bit long.

Half a day, I guess.

After opening the message, thankfully it was all text.

【Baby, come inside.】

【You look so beautiful today, so many people were watching you on the basketball court.】

【I really want to blindfold them all.】

Song Yu leaned into the shade of a tree, automatically ignoring the last two sentences: 【You seem to know magic.】

Even if he was slow to notice, Song Yu could sense that the other person wasn't an ordinary person, probably a superior in the Quick Transmigration Bureau.

Unexpectedly, the other person replied directly: 【It's also considered magic, the main god needs to learn many things.】

Song Yu's eyes widened.

So the other person was the legendary main god…

Song Yu's first reaction was: thank goodness I didn't secretly speak ill of the main god to 009.

However, this was somewhat different from the image of the main god he had imagined—he imagined the main god to be a cold, aloof, and divine white-bearded old man.

This was different from the man who had just sent him a picture of his abs.

Song Yu was clearly already deep in thought.

The main god on the other end, thinking he had scared his wife, immediately explained: 【Baby, I'm not old.】 Song

Yu: "...Hmm."

[His stamina is also very good.]

"..."

Song Yu's eyelashes trembled with embarrassment: [I...I want to go home.]

Song Yu had come specifically to watch the basketball game on Saturday night, and since he had no other plans afterward, he intended to go straight home.

Perhaps because he was walking, the other person wasn't messaging him frequently. About once every three to five minutes.

Song Yu planned to reply after entering the house, but upon entering, he found many more things inside.

Several large plush toys were on the sofa, and a bowl of clear soup noodles and dessert were on the dining table.

Song Yu's eyes lit up: [Did you prepare this too?]

The main god was unusually shy: [Yes.]

Song Yu walked to the sofa, first hugging each plush toy, then opening the clear soup noodles. He ate slowly, his lips turning red from the hot soup.

The main god on the other end sent another message: [Baby, your lips are so red.]

Having heard it so many times, Song Yu could guess what he would say next, and immediately changed the subject: "So, what's your name?" Song

Yu himself couldn't believe he was so excited to chat with someone whose name he didn't even know.

The God: "My name is Xiu."

Song Yu: "Just one character?"

The God: "Yes, but I can add a surname when I go to your place. What surname do you want me to have? Song is fine too, and you can call me brother." He

was subtly taking advantage again.

Song Yu thought for a moment: "Lu Xiu sounds better."

A name is just a label; what's more important is the recognition of souls. The God was pleased that Song Yu didn't reject him.

Even his body, lying in the semi-hibernation pod, recovered faster.

Song Yu changed the nickname and added the other person on WeChat. In recent years, the Quick Transmigration Bureau had required learning all kinds of accounts to better complete the tasks in the small worlds, so having WeChat in the human world was normal. After

he finished eating, before he could even lift a finger, an invisible force cleaned up the trash for him.

Song Yu: So convenient.

He sat on the sofa, hugging a plush toy almost the same size as him: [Is 009 with you too?]

009, who was helping the main god replenish nutrients, was so happy it felt like it could fly.

Lu Xiu: "..."

He swallowed his displeasure and promised Song Yu: [It will come to see you in a few days.]

Song Yu looked very happy.

Before he knew it, evening had arrived, and he stretched: [I'm going to take a shower.]

[Talk to you tomorrow.]

Lu Xiu sent a number: [3]

Song Yu: "?"

The other party mistakenly thought the trendy "kiss" was outdated, and Song Yu thought it was some kind of code, so he also replied with a "3".

He put down his phone and went to the bedroom to get a change of clothes.

After entering the bathroom, he turned back, hesitating for a few seconds: [You... don't look at me.]

Lu Xiu, who received a kiss from Song Yu: [I won't peek, baby.]

Song Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

After that, Lu Xiu started sending him messages very coincidentally—for example, right at the end of class, or reminding him to bring an umbrella before leaving the house.

Song Yu felt as if a god was secretly protecting him.

Lu Xiu, even more eager to meet, wrote: "[We'll meet in four days.]"

Song Yu slumped over his desk, staring at the message, his heart pounding.

He had no classes that afternoon or the next morning, so Song Yu planned to finish his homework at the library before going home. He did well, only unsure about one question.

"Song Yu?"

Song Yu glanced behind him; a boy with black-rimmed glasses sat naturally beside him.

Li Xun was the top student in his major, and Song Yu immediately handed him the question: "Could you help me with this question?"

The boy's voice was clear and polite, and with his handsome face, most people wouldn't refuse. Li Xun took the question and quickly explained it to him.

Song Yu listened intently, not noticing his phone screen lighting up several times on the table.

He quickly understood, solved the problem again following the other's logic, and said "Thank you."

Li Xun stared at the boy's curled eyelashes, hesitated, and finally said, "By the way, Lu Ming wants to treat you to barbecue. Do you have time tonight?"

Knowing Song Yu was shy, he added, "It's not just the two of you, we're all free, let's go together."

Song Yu looked at him with a slightly confused expression, as if asking—who is Lu Ming?

Li Xun reminded him, "The basketball game you went to last weekend, number 7 is him."

Mentioning the basketball game reminded Song Yu. He pursed his lips and subconsciously glanced at his phone. Sure enough, a bunch of messages had arrived.

He guiltily turned his phone face down: "I'm not looking for a boyfriend anymore."

Li Xun was stunned, his tone heartbroken: "You have a boyfriend?"

Song Yu pointed to the question: "I'm going to focus on my studies. I can't even do such a simple question, I don't deserve to be in a relationship!"

"..."

Li Xun was actually convinced.

Besides, studying was his forte, maybe he could spend more time with Song Yu then.

He smiled and immediately sent Lu Ming a rejection message.

On the other end of the phone, a young man's heart shattered into tiny pieces.

Song Yu opened his phone.

Sure enough, another bunch of messages.

Wasn't it still not recovered? How come he sent messages so quickly?

Did he only recover his hand?

Lu Xiu: [I'm going to kill that Lu Ming guy.]

Lu Xiu: [And this guy with the black-rimmed glasses.]

Lu Xiu: [Xiao Yu, ask me questions like this in the future, my grades are better than theirs.]

Lu Xiu: [Can you only act cute to me?]

Song Yu: "?"

He was puzzled: [When did I act cute?]

Lu Xiu: [Just now, your voice was especially soft when you were talking to the guy with the black-rimmed glasses.] He

was just talking normally...

Not knowing how to reply, Song Yu put his phone aside. He stared at the "baby" that popped up again, and thinking about how the other person was still soaking in nutrient solution to recover, he felt a little sorry for him.

So he opened the chat box and sent the other person a rabbit emoji.

Song Yu: [Rabbit rolling.jpg.]

Song Yu: [I was just talking normally, that's not how you act cute.]

Then, he took his phone and ran to a corner of the library corridor, sent the other person a voice message, and then returned to his seat with red ears. On

the other end, hearing the soft and cute voice, the main god's cell recombination speed increased several times. After finishing his homework,

Song

Yu said goodbye to Li Xun.

A light drizzle had started outside.

Luckily, Lu Xiu had reminded him to bring an umbrella. Song Yu walked home slowly, umbrella in hand. As he passed the entrance to his apartment complex, he saw a cardboard box under the eaves of a storefront.

Something fluffy was moving inside.

Song Yu looked closer—

it was a tiny puppy!

The puppy was gray, looked only about a month old, its chubby, furry body darting around in the box. A moment later, it poked its head out, its ears drooping, its black nose wet.

Song Yu's heart melted.

The storefront was open, and Song Yu went over to look, but no one was there.

He wasn't sure if it belonged to the owner, so he squatted down next to the box and moved his umbrella towards the puppy.

So cute…

Song Yu thought of the dog his grandmother used to have; it was about the same size at first, very obedient, but sadly, it disappeared after two years.

He stared at the puppy's head, tentatively stroking its slightly rain-dampened head.

So soft,

Song Yu thought to himself.

He squatted there for a few minutes, but the shop owner didn't come over, so he focused his attention on the puppy.

The puppy seemed to want to climb out of the cardboard box and snuggle up to him.

Song Yu had always been fond of small animals, so he stroked its fur and said softly, "It's raining outside, don't come out."

He picked the puppy up again, but then accidentally glanced at a cloth bag that the puppy had been pressing against inside the cardboard box.

Left by its owner?

The bag was small. Song Yu opened it; inside was a collar, and… small thumbtacks? Screws?

Song Yu's eyes widened: "009?"

He heard the puppy bark at him, then its tail wagged like a propeller!

009 had become a puppy!

Song Yu felt his heart melt. He closed his umbrella, hugged the cardboard box, and covered 009 with the box to keep it dry.

However, even without an umbrella, he hadn't gotten wet at all the way here.

After arriving home, Song Yu placed the puppy next to the sofa. Normally, a puppy would run around or whine, but 009 only circled around his feet, wagging its tail incessantly, causing its whole body to sway.

Song Yu, worried it might get tired, sat down on the blanket: "Aren't you tired?"

009 seemed to understand him, immediately crouching down and barking at him.

So cute…

Song Yu picked it up and placed it on his lap. Soon, the puppy drifted off to sleep.

Song Yu quietly sent a message to Lu Xiu: 【009 has turned into a puppy!】

Lu Xiu: 【It can become a robot or other animals, but it said you like dogs, so it became a dog.】

Lu Xiu: 【By the way, it can understand you. Do you want to know what it's thinking?】

Song Yu certainly wanted to.

He had always thought that if there were a machine that could let him know what a puppy was thinking, he could take it to achieve that.

Lu Xiu: 【Look at your feet.】 Song

Yu looked down and noticed something resembling a digital watch at his feet. He picked it up, and a line of text appeared on the screen—

zzzzZZZ…

Song Yu's brow relaxed, and he put the watch on his wrist.

He had wanted a dog for a long time, but his health was too poor; he couldn't even take care of himself, let alone a pet.

But now it was different.

Song Yu gently moved 009 onto the carpet, excitedly grabbed an umbrella, and went out. He went to a pet store and bought a bunch of dog supplies, and from then on, he would feed it goat milk every day.

Compared to ordinary puppies, 009 was very intelligent and obedient, saving Song Yu a lot of trouble and giving him only the joy of companionship.

Both man and dog were filled with the joy of reunion, while the neglected God regretted letting 009 go so quickly.

Now, when he sent messages to his wife, it took a long time to receive a reply.

And the messages were all about 009.

Humans were worse off than dogs.

The God felt a pang of sadness.

*

Song Yu didn't have many classes, and he spent almost all his free time at home taking care of 009.

This meant that some suitors who wanted to ask Song Yu out had no chance at all, and only managed to get a word in by waiting outside the classroom.

This time, a dark-skinned boy majoring in physical education came; he was very tall, standing like a wall in front of Song Yu.

Song Yu was initially a little intimidated by this broad-shouldered, tall boy, but after seeing his bright red ears, he inexplicably lost his fear.

"Do you...have time tonight?" the boy asked, his voice slightly shy and awkward.

Song Yu shook his head: "Sorry, I have to go home to be with my dog."

Those around them overheard: What? Song Yu likes big dogs?

The group chat then erupted with heated discussion about Song Yu having a boyfriend.

Song Yu himself was completely unaware of this. The next day was Saturday. After handing his bag to Li Xun to take back to the dorm, he rushed home.

He had classes on Friday night, and by the time he got home it was already eight o'clock, and it was completely dark.

Worried that his dog 009 was getting impatient, Song Yu hurried inside. However, before he could even turn on the light, he felt a familiar presence envelop him.

His heart trembled slightly.

Song Yu slowly lifted his eyelids, tentatively saying, "Lu...Lu Xiu...ah—"

He felt a lightness on his feet, his whole body weightless, and almost instinctively wrapped his arms around the other's neck.

Then, he was spun around a few times in the other's arms.

Song Yu: "..."

The familiar spinning.

After being put on the ground, Song Yu was held tightly again, the man's deep, magnetic voice saying, "Baby, I missed you so much."

The hot breath hit Song Yu's ears, making them tingle.

"I can't breathe..." The boy's voice sounded watery, and his eyes were misty from difficulty breathing. His pink knuckles curled as he tried to push away the tall man holding him, "Loosen...loosen a little..."

Lu Xiu then released him.

The living room lights were turned on, and Song Yu could see the person in front of him clearly.

Very tall. Song Yu himself wasn't particularly short, but he only reached the other's shoulder.

He was also very tall.

He had a high nose bridge and deep-set eyes, a very handsome face.

He didn't look like a pervert at all.

Song Yu thought to himself.

Lu Xiu openly showed him his body and even suggested, "If you have any particular preferences, I can play that role too."

"Dark or white skin, foreigner or whatever."

"An animal spirit is fine too."

The more he talked, the more outrageous it became. Song Yu ignored his burning ears and thought about the date of their meeting: "It seems like it's a day earlier."

"I missed you so much." Lu Xiu hugged the boy he had been thinking about day and night again. "I came to find you as soon as I could walk."

"How are you now?" Song Yu asked with concern.

He had heard rumors that the main god had a split personality and would probably need a long recovery period. He was worried that forcibly leaving the nutrient tank would damage the other person's body.

"I'm alright." Lu Xiu twirled his fingers in front of him. "I just can't control my strength very well."

"So I won't kiss you for now."

Song Yu pursed his lips.

He pretended not to hear and whispered, "I'm going to find 009."

Lu Xiu replied, "She's on the balcony. I've already fed her."

Then, casually, he added, "Don't look at 009, look at me more."

Song Yu looked away uncomfortably.

Lu Xiu had always known that Song Yu was slow to understand, so he never forced him to fall in love with him immediately. Besides, he quite enjoyed pursuing him in the real world.

He told Song Yu to go to the balcony to look at 009 while he went to the kitchen to make dinner.

The meal was sumptuous, greatly satisfying Song Yu's taste buds. After finishing, he sat in his chair and slowly nibbled on the small cakes the other had bought.

Time passed quickly, and it was already ten o'clock at night.

Song Yu suddenly thought of where the other man would stay that night: "Are you going back to stay in the nutrient tank?"

"..."

Lu Xiu chuckled, "I've handed over everything there to others, so I'm not going back for now."

After saying that, he rested his chin on his hand and stared at Song Yu: "Trying to get rid of me so soon? Don't worry, I won't bully you during this time. I'm not sure how much strength I can control, and I'm afraid I might hurt you."

Song Yu pretended not to hear, took a sip of water, and licked his slightly dry lips, not noticing the deep look in the man's eyes: "Then where will you stay? I have a spare room here."

Lu Xiu was someone he was quite close to, so it wouldn't be good for him to stay in a hotel.

But Lu Xiu shook his head directly: "I'll sleep on the floor in your room."

"..." Okay then.

That night, Lu Xiu skillfully slept on the floor in Song Yu's room. Song Yu took a shower early, wrapped himself in an air-conditioning blanket, and hugged a plush toy, watching the man's tall and muscular body walk back and forth in the room.

Lu Xiu seemed to be a bit of a germaphobe, as he took the bedding and also tidied up the wardrobe for him.

009 was very attached to its owner and ran into the bedroom wanting to sleep next to Song Yu's bed.

He'd barely run in two seconds before Lu Xiu grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and tossed him into the doghouse on the balcony.

Soon, two lines appeared on Song Yu's watch:

【The Main God is really stingy.】

【Master, don't let him get away with it.】

Song Yu's eyes crinkled into a smile. He went to the balcony to pet 009 for a while, then added a small toy he usually hung on his keychain to the doghouse. Only then did he notice the pink screen on his watch.

Pink meant 009 was in a good mood.

He went back inside, only to be cornered by Lu Xiu as soon as he entered.

"Finished comforting me?"

"When are you going to comfort me?"

Song Yu's eyelashes trembled, and his ears turned red.

He looked both pitiful and endearing.

Lu Xiu had only been joking, but seeing Song Yu like this, he couldn't take his eyes off him and wanted to tease him even more: "Actually, comforting me is quite simple. You know what to do."

Song Yu had a lingering fear of those words; after all, in the last small world he experienced, Zhou Qiao had exhausted him after saying those words.

His head drooped lower and lower, his voice weak: "You're not quite in control of your body right now... You need to take care of yourself first."

"I'm doing this for your own good..."

Just as he finished speaking, he felt a weight on his shoulder. Lu Xiu rested his chin on it, then let out a deep laugh in his ear.

"So cute."

Song Yu heard him say that.

Half of his body, enveloped by the man's presence, went numb. Seeing that he finally straightened up, Song Yu wrapped himself in the blanket, covering half his face.

Fortunately, Lu Xiu was just being sarcastic and quickly lay down.

"Goodnight."

Song Yu actually had many questions he wanted to ask, such as what had happened before, why he had split into the small world, and why he knew him.

But all silence fell with that "goodnight."

Having experienced so many worlds together, the man's scent wasn't unfamiliar to him. So when Lu Xiu couldn't resist taking over half the bed, he naturally nestled into the other's arms,

nuzzling his fluffy head against the other's chest.

Lu Xiu felt both pleasure and torment. He

barely slept a wink all night. As dawn approached, Song Yu, finding him too hot, rolled over to the other side of the bed and went to the bathroom with a somber face.

Song Yu, however, slept quite well. Lu Xiu's muscles were relaxed and supple, not hard at all; clearly, he had used the other as a human-shaped pillow.

After waking up and washing up, the man had already prepared breakfast. After

Song Yu finished his soy milk, Lu Xiu helped him put on a sun-protective jacket: "There's no food in the fridge, shall we go to the supermarket?"

Song Yu nodded.

There was a large supermarket downstairs in the apartment complex, and the two of them attracted attention, their height difference and appearance drawing stares.

This was the first time the two of them had gone grocery shopping together in real life, using their actual bodies. They wandered aimlessly, grabbing whatever caught their eye.

Midway through, Song Yu received a call from his counselor, so he found a spot with good signal to answer.

After a few words, he hung up and turned around. Only a fully loaded cart remained; the person pushing it was further away, staring curiously at the red and green goods on a small shelf.

Song Yu pushed the cart over to him, and when he saw what the man was holding, his ears burned.

That was…

Song Yu ran over and grabbed his arm: “Put it back quickly…”

He sensed someone was watching.

Fortunately, Lu Xiu was obedient and quickly put the small box back on the shelf. Song Yu breathed a sigh of relief, but the next second, the man leaned close to his ear and whispered

in a voice only the two of them could hear—

“It won’t work, the size isn’t right.”

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