Shesen and Main quickly disappeared from the sight of the onlookers, leaving the students sprawled on the ground, bewildered: "What happened? What just happened?"
The students on the outer edge felt a tightness around their waists, then were pulled to the side by a force, and then fell to the ground.
The students on the inner edge shouted, "What are you all pushing for? Can't you stand up if you're limping?" They felt as if they had almost been flattened, and then were pressed down by the students on the outer edge. "Get up quickly, your leg is going to break."
The vines moved so fast that many people didn't see it. The quick-reacting students hesitated and said, "I think I just saw a green line."
"Are you seeing things?" someone said.
Back at the apartment, Xie Sen sat on the sofa, frowning and resting his chin on his hand. Maine tapped his forehead: "Don't worry."
Xie Sen looked up at him: "Tell me, if they really are Xie Sen's parents, what's the best course of action?"
Maine, recalling the black-haired woman's words, flashed a cold glint in his eyes, quickly concealing it: "Whatever you like."
Xie Sen leaned back on the sofa: "Then let's not worry about it. For so many years, the Xie family has never hidden Xie Sen's identity. If they really wanted to find him, they wouldn't have waited until now."
Maine: "I'll handle it."
That evening, Xie Sen was stunned while watching the news. He wasn't surprised to see news about his 'biological parents,' but he hadn't expected four more couples to appear.
All four couples had black hair and black eyes, all claiming Xie Sen was their biological son. Their words were earnest and emotionally charged, quite touching.
But if it were just one couple, it would be fine; suddenly, four couples appeared, turning all the touching moments into a farce.
Some people were initially discussing whether Xie Sen's words at school were too heartless, but seeing this situation, they immediately turned to mockery.
"This is ridiculous, what a waste of my time. These people are just trying to take advantage of the streamer's fame!"
"I knew they couldn't be the streamer's parents. Something must have happened to them, otherwise why would they abandon their child? The child is so precious!"
"Yeah, if they really are the parents, then they're very suspicious. Even if the child was lost, they wouldn't have waited until now to find him. The fact that the streamer is an adopted
son has always been public knowledge!" "It's disgusting, a bunch of vermin. Do they think
the streamer is young and easy to bully?" "Speaking of which, the first couple was brought by the streamer's adoptive father's parents. They used to make the streamer homeless, and she didn't take anything from her adoptive father and severed ties with the Xie family. Now, they probably have designs on getting something from the streamer, right?"
"I think so. They're never satisfied. If the streamer hadn't awakened, who knows what kind of life she'd be living now!"
Main put his arm around Xie Sen's shoulder: "They won't bother you anymore."
Xie Sen looked at him in surprise: "The other people, did you arrange that?"
Main nodded.
Xie Sen pointed at the screen: "Did you stir up trouble?"
"No," Mei Yin smiled, "Netizens are smart, there's no need to stir up trouble."
Xie Sen gave a thumbs up: "That's good, saves trouble." Anyone else trying to claim kinship will be easily dismissed. Thinking about school, he complained, "Father Xie and Father Xie are so annoying."
Mei Yin put his arm around his shoulder: "I won't bother you anymore. If they do," a cold glint flashed across Mei Yin's face, "I won't hold back."
Hearing this, Xie Sen asked curiously, "What did you do?"
Mei Yin: "I just published some of their actions."
Xie Sen searched for the Xie family and indeed found a popular post: "I've never seen such shameless people." The post thoroughly exposed many of Father Xie and Father Xie's bizarre behaviors, targeting their son and Xie Sen.
The specific time Father Xie reclaimed Xie Sen's residence and the distribution of his adoptive father's inheritance were all clearly stated in the post.
"This is outrageous! Xie Sen was just discharged from the hospital, right?"
"Huh? I remember it clearly, around this time, Xie Sen was already working at a top-tier company."
"It's amazing that someone like that could raise such a good person as Xie Sen's adoptive father. If Xie Sen hadn't been so resilient, he
would have been homeless long ago." "Yeah, if you ask me, the reason Xie Sen only woke up as an adult is because he was abused by them!"
"What a pity, if there were evidence, they could have sued them."
Besides Xie Sen, the post also revealed details about Xie Sen's father and neighbors. The two were particularly fond of taking advantage of others, and when Xie Sen's adoptive father was alive, he often had to clean up their messes.
Some neighbors saw the post and became excited, denouncing the two and listing small but disgusting things that had happened, making the onlookers hate them even more.
Perhaps due to the escalating tensions among the neighbors, not long after, another neighbor said that when Xie Sen was a child, the two were particularly bad to him, always beating and scolding him. Xie Sen's adoptive father argued with them many times because of this, and they eventually separated.
Xie Sen read through the posts one by one. Towards the end, netizens thoroughly investigated everyone connected to the two men, declaring that anyone who could get along with them was definitely not a good person.
"I wouldn't even glance at these kinds of people!"
"I'll remember their faces. If I accidentally spoke to them, I'd feel nauseous even after rinsing my mouth ten times."
"Xie Sen is so pitiful. If only we had the surveillance footage from that time! Child abuse is illegal!"
The post had only been up for less than three hours when it sparked heated discussion and even made the news. Xie's father and father instantly became infamous throughout Xingcheng, truly hated by everyone.
Xie Sen recalled his predecessor's diary; it did mention being beaten, but it was nowhere near as exaggerated as the post described—things like "a slap from the doorway to the neighbor's" or "a kick that made him vomit blood" were incredibly exaggerated.
Xie Sen turned his head and nudged Maine with his elbow: "What do these neighbors have to do with you?"
Maine replied, "Yeah, I sent them messages to let them watch the show, and I also notified Mr. and Mrs. Xie." Xie
Sen laughed upon hearing this: "Hahaha, they must be furious."
Just as Xie Sen expected, Mr. and Mrs. Xie couldn't bear to read more than half of the post. Apart from the comments exposing their misdeeds, all the other replies were insults. Reading the whole post was indeed a test of one's mental fortitude.
Moreover, there were still constant replies, making it impossible to finish reading in a short time.
"Who posted this? You son of a bitch!" Mr. Xie was so angry that his face turned red, his chest heaving violently, and he slammed his fist on the sofa.
Veins bulged on Xie's father's forehead, his face contorted with rage: "Report it now! Report it until the post gets shut down!"
Just as the two were angrily submitting their report, two identical notifications appeared on their wristbands simultaneously: "According to reports from the public, the two are abusing children. The circumstances are egregious. We are currently collecting evidence. Both of you must remain in Xingcheng this week and cooperate with the investigation at any time."
"Investigate what? If it weren't for my son, that bitch would be dead already. What's wrong with me hitting her?" Xie's father shouted shrilly.
"Shut up!" Xie's father roared, slapping him across the face. "It's all your doing!"
Xie's father froze, clutching his face, then lunged at him, grabbing wildly, his voice trembling with tears: "Now you're blaming me? You were the one who hated him first! You said our retirement money was all being used to raise that brat! If you hadn't told me to make a scene, to make our son throw him into an orphanage, would I have hit him?"
He became increasingly agitated, scratching Xie's father's face until it bled: "Now it's my fault, huh? My fault?"
Xie's father winced in pain, grabbed his wrist, and shoved him back: "Get out! You're the one who started it!" The
'Xie Sen's biological parents' sitting opposite the two exchanged a glance, slowly moved to the door, and quickly slipped away. The male looked annoyed: "What trash! I must be out of my mind to have been persuaded by them. They think they can make big money?"
After taking a few steps, the female noticed people pointing and whispering about them, and quickly took out a mask and put it on: "We can't stay on Brant Star anymore, let's go."
"You two," the two were stopped as soon as they arrived at the spaceport, "You've been reported, and an investigation has revealed issues with your identities. Please come with us for questioning."
Before going to bed that night, Maine received a message and gently stroked behind Xie Sen's ear: "No blood relation."
Xie Sen smiled: "I knew it."
Maine kissed him on the lips: "I checked your… Xie Sen's parents' adoption records back then. His parents should both be gone."
All planetary children are precious, and unless something truly terrible happens, very few parents would abandon their children.
Xie Sen half-lay on him, his eyes closed, his head nuzzling against his shoulder: "Yeah, not surprising. I have you, that's enough. And there'll be a baby in the future. We're a family."
Maine hugged him, his eyes filled with warmth, and kissed him on the forehead: "Mmm."
When Xie Sen woke up the next morning, Maine was no longer in the bedroom. He got up and stretched, but was startled by Adan's sudden shout, almost twisting his back.
Adan: "Asen, my energy is decreasing! Decreasing!"
Xie Sen immediately opened the energy panel. After his morning sickness yesterday, he thought that he wouldn't be able to eat meat and that his vegetable consumption would increase, so he specifically checked his energy level. Subtracting the energy consumed at dinner, he still had 8352 energy left, but now, it was only 8351.
However, it was morning, and every day when Maine woke up and saw him, she would give him 9 energy, which meant that he had suddenly lost 10 energy!
"Why did it suddenly decrease?" Xie Sen asked.
Adan: "I don't know either. If I hadn't been awake, I probably wouldn't have noticed. I was planning to wait for you to wake up so I could say good morning, but then I realized my energy had suddenly decreased by 10. I checked, and there are no new plant activations, and no exchange records for today." It reassured him, "Don't worry, I'll go check now and see what's going on."
Xie Sen thought of its earlier shout and inexplicably wanted to laugh: "Yeah, I'm not in a hurry."
While he was brushing his teeth, Maine walked into the bathroom, hugged him from behind, and kissed him on the side of his neck: "Good morning."
Xie Sen's eyes crinkled, and he mumbled, "Good morning." He glanced at Maine's energy value: 9/10. That meant Maine's 9 energy had already been returned to him, so he was indeed short 10 energy.
Breakfast was vegetable porridge with eggs, corn, and apple juice. Except for the eggs, everything else was exchanged by the system. The colors were exceptionally beautiful, making it look very appetizing, and the taste was also particularly good.
Xie Sen loved corn. The corn kernels were plump, golden, and had a fragrant and sweet taste. Each kernel was still moist, making it especially delicious.
He ate two ears of corn, threw the cobs into the trash can, and slowly sipped his apple juice. Maine reached out and lightly wiped his lips with his fingers. Shesen subconsciously turned his head and saw the yellow bits of corn in Maine's hand.
He grabbed a tissue and hastily wiped his mouth, then tilted his chin slightly, turning his face to the left and right of Maine's. "And..."
Seeing Maine lick the bits of corn off his fingers, his "ma" caught in his throat, his face slowly turning red. He coughed lightly and declared righteously, "Don't flirt with me during the day!"
A smile flashed in Maine's eyes, his lips curving slightly, his handsome face perfect from every angle. "What do you mean by flirting?"
Xie Sen glared at him. "Don't play dumb."
Maine chuckled softly, the sound ringing out in the air, reaching Xie Sen's ears and making his heart pound inexplicably. He tapped the table. "Now, when you laugh, just laugh 'hahaha,' no need to lower your voice like that."
Maine's smile deepened, and he laughed a few times as he instructed. Xie Sen sighed and facepalmed. "Forget it, you're still handsome, but a little silly."
Maine: "Don't worry, I'll be careful when people are around. I know you're shy."
"Who said that? I'm not a girl!" Xie Sen scoffed. "I'm just being conscious, creating a harmonious environment."
Mei Yin laughed again, unable to resist pinching his chin and kissing him. She lost control for a moment, then plunged her lips into his, intending to linger for a while before finally reaching Xie Sen's mouth. His face contorted for a second, and he pulled his head back: "Ouch...why is it so sore?"
Xie Sen chuckled, hooking his arms around her neck: "Want to continue with a deeper kiss?"
Mei Yin gently pinched his cheeks: "Ah, open your mouth and let me see, it's so sore, can your teeth take it?"
Xie Sen inexplicably wanted to laugh again, his eyes crinkling, and opened his mouth to let her see, because of this... His movements and voice were muffled: "My teeth are perfectly healthy, haha, you're making me feel like I'm at the dentist."
Maine made him close his mouth, frowning, "Did the plants get worse?"
Xie Sen kissed the corner of his lips: "No, when I exchanged the apples, I decided the acidity. When I exchanged them, I suddenly wanted something very sour, so I chose the medium-sour flavor, which I really like."
Maine: "They were quite sweet a few days ago."
Xie Sen patted his belly: "Because the baby's grown a bit!"
Maine helplessly grasped his hand: "Don't pat like that," he touched his stomach, "Won't it be uncomfortable if it's too sour?"
"No, don't worry," Xie Sen laughed, "If I feel uncomfortable anywhere, I'll definitely tell you. I'm not the kind of person who avoids medical help; I believe in early treatment."
After breakfast, Xie Sen took a walk in front of the apartment. The contracted beasts were jogging, and when they reached him, they all greeted him and deliberately slowed down.
Xie Sen smiled and waved, telling them he would go to the accommodation area later.
He had just lowered his hand when he heard Adan say, "I've found the reason!"
Xie Sen paused, leaning against the fence, his gaze fixed on the contracted beasts: "What happened?"
Adan: "I felt energy in your abdomen. I suspect the baby absorbed it. Last time I used plant energy to sense the location of water energy, I felt a slight pulling force. Now it seems that the baby was absorbing energy then, creating a pull between us."
Xie Sen sorted out his thoughts, placing his hand on his abdomen: "You mean, the baby can absorb both the system plant energy and gratitude energy gained from activating plants?"
"Yes, actually they're similar. System plant energy is also converted from gratitude energy."
Xie Sen was puzzled: "Then why is it suddenly absorbing gratitude energy?"
Adan explained: "Because we haven't activated any plants recently. Every time a new plant is activated, besides the energy added by the system, there's also overflowing energy. This part can be used and absorbed. Without activated plants, there's no system plant energy to absorb, so it can only absorb gratitude energy."
Xie Sen looked down at his stomach: "Won't this be bad for his health?"
"Of course not!" Adan said proudly. "The baby will definitely be very healthy. He'll definitely discover that these are all good things, so he'll absorb them on his own."
Xie Sen: "Then wouldn't he need to absorb 10 units of energy every day? Or activate new plants for him to absorb plant energy?"
Adan pondered, "Hmm, it's 10 energy now, maybe more when it grows up. Don't activate new plants. If you activate new plants, most of the gratitude energy will turn into system energy. A plant can only absorb a limited amount of energy, so it's better to absorb gratitude energy directly."
Xie Sen calculated the remaining energy and the energy Maine gave back every day, and began to worry, "In that case, there won't be enough energy." Xie Sen patted his belly, "I eat so well every day, even if the baby doesn't absorb energy, it will still be very healthy!"
Adan: "...Asen, people say pregnancy makes you stupid for three years, you're not one of them, are you? The baby absorbs energy on its own, it will only stop absorbing when there's no energy left."
Xie Sen pouted, "Who told you that? I'm very smart. Aren't you the system? Seal the energy." Just let me exchange for plants, right?
Adan's baby voice was full of anger: "Asen, are you still unable to accept the baby?" Are you prepared to abuse him?
Xie Sen: ...
he said with certainty: "I like him and look forward to him." I'm just worried about not having enough energy. After all, vegetables and fruits are necessities. It's not necessary for him to absorb energy. Other babies can grow well without energy absorption. "
Adan: "I can feel his affinity for plants. He is probably a plant-type beast master like you. He has a need for energy. If he absorbs more in your belly, he might be able to awaken very early in the future. "Xie Sen
suddenly thought of Gu Luo's words. The reason why the plant-type beast owners disappeared was closely related to the disappearance of plants. They did not have sufficient intake of plant nutrients.
Thinking of the hardship suffered by his predecessor because he awakened too late, Xie Sen immediately said: "Well, let him absorb it if he likes it, as long as it does not affect the body.
Adan said: "Don't worry, I will pay attention to his situation." Asen, come on and collect energy! Never stop collecting energy, energy is very useful!
Xie Sen felt the same way: "Well, I will try my best." "
He turned around and went back to the apartment, ready to start the energy-earning plan by eating delicious food. Leaning against the door, Maine asked, "What happened just now?"
Xie Sen guessed that he and Adan had been talking for a while. He stood there motionless, and Maine had probably watched the whole thing.
He went over and took Maine's hand. The two returned to the living room, and he explained the situation: "The energy is indeed very useful. I plan to collect as much energy as possible while our operations are still unaffected."
He then mentioned his food plan: "I'll make boiled fish again. Anyway, the chili peppers are already available. But to make it taste better, I'll also use ginger, garlic, and other seasonings. I'll wrap them in gauze and put them in the broth so no one can see them."
Maine was a little worried: "Won't you be able to stand the fishy smell?"
Xie Sen said, "It's okay. Didn't I make fish last night? I'm not bothered by the smell. I just won't eat it. Besides, maybe I can even handle the strong flavors."
Last night, to test whether he could eat fish, he had Maine make a portion, but it wasn't spicy enough. Like the meat, he didn't react to the smell. After all, the side dishes were all obtained through the system and had a rich aroma, but eating them made him feel nauseous.
Maine was relieved to hear this: "What are the requirements for the venue? I'll choose the location."
Xie Sen thought for a moment: "A place with many people, and we'll also need security to maintain order."
Maine nodded: "I'll arrange it. When do we start?"
"As soon as possible, while the pregnancy is still in its early stages, to collect as much energy as possible." Xie Sen hugged him: "It's so good, having you here makes things so much easier."
Maine cupped his face and kissed him, his fingers rubbing his smooth skin: "You're the one who makes things so easy, you provide all the food, I can't help with the food."
"Who said you can't help?" Xie Sen tilted his head and rubbed his fingers. "I cook publicly for the sake of food. You arrange most of the work, and besides, you've been cooking all the meals since I got pregnant."
Mei Yin looked at him intently: "I want to do more for you."
Xie Sen hugged him tightly: "It's already a lot. You're so incredibly good! You have no idea how good you are!"
Mei Yin was very efficient. He booked the venue that afternoon. He showed Xie Sen pictures of the venue and explained: "The address is in Xingcheng Shopping Mall. It's the largest shopping mall in Xingcheng, with a huge flow of people. The spot I've booked is a booth."
Xie Sen looked at the screen. The open-air booth was somewhat like a classroom. The front was slightly higher, the back was a large wall, and the rest of the floor was lower. It was a very large area.
Maine pointed to the open space: "I've already talked to them. We'll put up queuing barriers here, one person wide, in a repeating circular pattern, so people can line up neatly and smell the aroma."
Xie Sen immediately recalled queuing at amusement parks and praised, "That's a great idea." He thought for a moment, "But it's not suitable for a lottery. If someone inside wins, it'll be inconvenient for them to get out."
He nodded: "I'll go to the live stream and post an announcement that the tasting is a fan perk. Tomorrow, people will taste the food in order of their queue, from front to back. If they don't get to eat, they can smell the aroma. On the day the chili peppers are released, there will be an energy reward when the aroma is released. Although it's not as good as the people who taste the food, if there are many people, the reward will be good too."
Maine ruffled his hair: "Okay, I'll have someone fillet the fish in advance. Give me the ginger and garlic, I'll go prepare them now."
Xie Sen went to the kitchen with him. Maine prepared the ginger, garlic, and some spices into individual portions and wrapped them in gauze.
Xie Sen redeemed the super spicy chili pepper and let it explode in the spice jar. Actually, anyone could cook it once the ingredients were ready, but Xie Sen needed energy, so he had to do it himself.
After preparing, Xie Sen posted an announcement in his livestream: "Fan perk! Tomorrow morning at 10 AM, at booth 108 on the A1 floor of Xingcheng Plaza, I'll be cooking boiled fish on the spot for free tasting. PS: There will be a queue, tasting will be done in order, while supplies last. Guardians, if you have time, don't miss it!"
The livestream had been off during the day for several days, and fans knew the beasts were undergoing treatment and their situation was special, so they didn't object, only watching at night.
Although there was no daytime broadcast, die-hard fans had set reminders for the livestream and announcements, given the streamer's history of suddenly starting broadcasts and announcing things.
Especially since it was almost the end of the month, they were all looking forward to the contracted beast meet-and-greet in early August!
When the notification sounded, the fans were ready to spam virtual watermelons and grab meet-and-greet tickets, only to find out, oh wait, it had nothing to do with the meet-and-greet!
Many fans jumped up and down: "This is absolutely the best fan service I've ever seen in my life!"
"Streamer, I've read the announcement, I'm begging you, please take it back!"
"Yes, yes, take it back quickly!"
"I'm going to prepare a makeshift bed right now!"
"I just want to ask, if I leave home now, is it still possible to make it to the queue?"