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Parasitic Child

Parasitic Child: Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Camouflage

“I’m ruined! Completely ruined!!” Captain Ban screeched at the top of his lungs.

To prevent the Yan family from being overwhelmed by emotional turmoil, Xiao Zhen ordered a virtual scene projector from the Fox Merchant. The one who paid for it was Captain Ban.

The virtual scene projector could project images indistinguishable from reality. At the moment, it seemed like the only way to save the Yan family’s garden.

Xiao Zhen rummaged through an old photo album, looking for pictures that included the garden to feed into the projector for analysis. In just a few minutes, the projector could restore the garden’s appearance to how it normally looked.

Mr. Mao sat beside the album, watching as Xiao Zhen flipped through the pages. When they reached a certain page, Mr. Mao pressed his paw on it. “This is the human who came looking for you today.”

He was referring to Liu Xingquan. The photo showed two young boys, a young Yan Zhen and Liu Xingquan, both with bright smiles and rosy cheeks. Xiao Zhen thought that back then, Liu Xingquan didn’t seem weighed down by burdens like he did now. Behind the boys stood two women, Xiao Zhen’s mother An Yuan and Liu Xingquan’s mother Luo Qingxi. An Yuan was leaning slightly to one side, smiling fondly at the crouching Xiao Zhen, while Luo Qingxi stared directly ahead. She looked younger than when Xiao Zhen had last seen her at the funeral, her shiny black hair framing her bright, gentle eyes that gazed softly into the camera.

By the time Mother Yan and Yan Zhu returned home, the house had been restored to how it looked when they left.

Mr. Mao leapt onto the sofa and said to Xiao Zhen, “Do you really think they won’t notice?”

“For humans, seeing is believing,” Xiao Zhen replied.

“This is the latest model of virtual scene projector,” the chicken puffed out his chest, tapping his wings with a tone full of pride as the one who funded it.

Mr. Mao sneered, “Let me remind you, you bought the cheapest version. It doesn’t even have the tactile simulation system.”

“People who didn’t spend a penny have no right to criticize!!”

“Are you going to ignore the glaring safety hazard of something that gives itself away the moment it’s touched?”

“You…!”

Xiao Zhen reached out to restrain the enraged Captain Ban, who was about to attack Mr. Mao, and glanced out the window. “From my observations, humans trust their eyes more than anything. The garden should hold up for now. The remaining problem is…”

He was referring to Yan Zhu’s summer homework—a potted plant, the only one that had successfully sprouted but was killed this morning, likely at the hands of Mr. Mao or the chicken.

The current plant in front of Yan Zhu was also an optical projection. Thanks to the photos Yan Zhu had taken of its growth, the projected version was a perfect replica of a small, thriving green sprout. It looked convincing from any angle—except for the fact that it couldn’t be touched.

Yan Zhu was happily talking to the plant as usual, encouraging it to grow bigger and stronger. Xiao Zhen watched anxiously from the side.

Mr. Mao commented, “If she gets curious and decides to touch it, we’re done for.”

Xiao Zhen responded, “I won’t let that happen.” He stood up and walked over to Yan Zhu, who looked up at him, wondering what her brother wanted.

“This plant…” he said seriously.

“Hmm?”

Xiao Zhen sternly warned, “If you touch it, it’ll die.”

Yan Zhu: “…”

Captain Ban shouted, (That’s pure intimidation!)

Luckily, Yan Zhu had always taken great care of her sprout. Mother Yan had often reminded her that the sprout was delicate and could easily wither if touched carelessly. Yan Zhu didn’t reach out to touch it, but kept staring at it intensely. Just as Xiao Zhen started to relax, Yan Zhu suddenly let out a piercing scream.

“Ahhhhhh!!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Gege, there are bugs on the sprout!!”

Xiao Zhen looked closely and saw a few brightly colored worms crawling on the sprout’s leaves. The worms had a horrifying appearance, each one thick and about the size of a human finger. Xiao Zhen quickly thought to himself, “This is impossible! The projection isn’t real, how could there be bugs?”

The chicken hopped onto his shoulder and said, “I forgot to mention, the projector manual says the virtual scene simulates environments and can create more interactive scenarios.”

“Are you saying…?”

“The bugs are part of the simulated projection, to make it more realistic. Look, they’re starting to eat the leaves.”

“What kind of stupid simulation is this?!” Xiao Zhen shouted angrily.

Mr. Mao burst into laughter from the side.

*

Liu Xingquan was buried in his homework.

It wasn’t summer homework, but rather middle school coursework he was studying in advance. After the summer break, there would be an entrance exam, and Liu Xingquan knew it would be the first battle in securing victory for the semester. He absolutely wouldn’t, and couldn’t, lose.

In school, teachers judged students based on grades. It was the one thing that wasn’t tied to wealth or status, and the only thing he could strive for.

Once, he had been a naïve child who thought he and Yan Zhen were equals as friends. One day, though, perhaps it was the way his father acted so obsequiously toward Yan Zhen’s father, he suddenly realized that from the moment they were born, he and Yan Zhen were fundamentally different.

He had always respected and admired Yan Zhen’s father, Yan An. During elementary school, after a parent-teacher meeting, he and Yan Zhen waited by the school gate for their fathers. Among the crowd leaving the building, he immediately spotted Uncle Yan An. His posture was upright and tall, with a firm, chiseled profile, speaking to someone nearby. His strong, handsome features gave him an aura of brilliance, making everyone around him fade into the background like indistinct clouds.

When Yan An reached Liu Xingquan, he turned and smiled at him, his dark eyes sparkling. At that moment, the young Liu Xingquan felt a strange sense of pride. This man—he’s my best friend’s father. He’s always liked me. The closeness and attention from Yan An made Liu Xingquan’s heart swell with joy, his face flushing slightly, and even his body seemed to float a little. 

Then, Liu Xingquan’s father appeared behind Yan An, hunched over and hurrying to the car, opening the door for Yan An with a servile smile, inviting him inside.

In an instant, all of Liu Xingquan’s joy vanished. He looked at his father, whose face was plastered with a fawning smile—his father could only be described as plain and mediocre—and climbed into the car with Yan Zhen.

In the car, Liu Xingquan instinctively distanced himself from Yan Zhen, but Yan Zhen cheerfully scooted closer. He looked so much like Yan An, with his long eyelashes fluttering, and said, “Before the parent-teacher meeting, I secretly slipped a grasshopper into my dad’s collar.”

Liu Xingquan stared at Yan Zhen’s carefree demeanor, and an uncontrollable fury gathered in his chest. The man everyone revered—only Yan Zhen had the audacity to cross boundaries without consequence.

Only him.

It was something decided from birth.

“Servant’s son,” “Yan Zhen’s sidekick”—even recalling those careless remarks overheard behind his back filled Liu Xingquan with a bitter anxiety. Alongside those memories, Yan Zhen’s nonchalant face surfaced in his mind. If Yan Zhen knew even a fraction of his frustration, he’d probably respond with that signature, cruel smile of his.

Snap! His thoughts were interrupted as the lead of his pencil broke, leaving an ugly diagonal mark on his workbook.

Liu Xingquan splashed water on his face. The boy in the mirror had delicate features, but his expression was dark and sorrowful. His father had just passed away. He pressed his hand against the mirror, but the boy staring back showed no trace of his father. He resembled his mother, Luo Qingxi, more.

“I won’t be like Dad…” Liu Xingquan muttered.

“I’m back! What are you up to?” His mother’s voice came from outside.

Liu Xingquan quickly wiped his face dry and stepped out of the bathroom. He told his mother that the items had been delivered to the Yan family.

Luo Qingxi nodded and turned to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Liu Xingquan sat back down at his desk and resumed tackling his homework. His goal was to be top of the class, and there was no room for any slack. He had to lower the error rate on this set of problems.

He was always the kind of child who could focus deeply, and after working through several questions, he suddenly heard his mother call out.

“Xingquan, look outside!”

Liu Xingquan looked up and was instantly stunned by the sight before him. Countless birds were swirling outside the window, like a dazzling wind sweeping toward the setting sun.

“Why are there so many birds…?”

Mother and son stared in awe at this strange, beautiful scene. A small bird with green wings landed on their balcony. It hopped around, tilted its head to look at its spectators, and then spread its wings and flew toward the distant sky.

“What kind of bird is that? It’s so beautiful,” Liu Xingquan couldn’t help but say.

“A green-winged short-legged bulbul,” Luo Qingxi softly replied.

“Huh?”

“A green-winged short-legged bulbul,” Luo Qingxi repeated in a low voice, her gaze gentle as she watched the bird disappear into the horizon.

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