NOVEL NEXT chapter 25 - The First World (25)
In just a few seconds, countless thoughts flashed through Yu Tong's mind.
Last time in the villain's dream, the thin threads were gone. Yun Mingchen's appearance in the dream was no longer in the state of a puppet on strings.
This was a good sign; it meant Yun Mingchen's psychological issues were gradually improving. Yu Tong knew that the biggest obstacle to completing the task was Yun Mingchen’s parents.
The system wasn’t wrong. He truly wasn’t wearing pants, and Yun Mingchen hadn’t even left him any underwear.
But the villain was just dreaming, and Yu Tong guessed that he had never seen a kitten transform into a human in his dream. It was understandable that he wouldn’t have considered such things.
Fortunately, Yun Mingchen had been pampered since birth. The bedclothes in his dream were all high-end custom brand goods.
Even though he was wearing nothing, sitting on the bed wasn’t uncomfortable. It was just a bit drafty, and no matter how he sat, it felt uneasy.
This was Yu Tong’s first time wearing so little clothing in front of others, and Yun Mingchen kept staring at him, making his CPU nearly overheat.
It was probably because of the "telepathic connection" item that had once again come into play.
Yun Mingchen’s pale skin began to blush visibly.
He stared, flustered, for a moment, then asked in a confused tone, "Does the kitten... feel shy... when not wearing clothes?"
At his reminder, Yu Tong suddenly realized the villain was suspicious by nature. He might start doubting the kitten in reality based on what he dreamed.
The system asked in confusion: 【But this is his own dream, right? Even if what he dreams is strange, it’s his problem, how could it possibly be about you?】
Just after it asked, the system saw Yu Tong looking at it with a bewildered, innocent gaze.
‘What kind of novel world is this?’
【Urban cultivation?】
‘Is there a possibility in this world of magic or treasure that lets someone enter another's dream?’
【Ah, yes! It’s possible! Looking at it this way, it’s better to be cautious.】
The system muttered with frustration, 【I really hate those cultivation, fantasy, sci-fi, mythology, supernatural, and infinite flow task worlds. There’s so much messy and complicated stuff in them. I prefer modern campus novels where everyone’s so pure and cute. The main characters are so innocent and sweet, perfect for shippping.】
Yu Tong thought, the system must have never seen a youth angst campus novel, otherwise, it wouldn’t be saying such naïve things.
Yun Mingchen was still staring at him, and Yu Tong selectively ignored the system’s complaints, starting to think about how to act in front of Yun Mingchen.
There was a fundamental difference between a human-like kitten and a kitten pretending to be human.
This was a cultivation novel world. In Yun Mingchen's perception, there were only three possibilities for a kitten to possess human-like intelligence.
One, a little kitten had its soul replaced by a human's.
He had tested this before, and the system had quickly disguised his soul with the kitten’s skin, dispelling the villain’s suspicions.
Two, just like the sci-fi movies he had seen, the kitten was some kind of high-tech electronic robotic cat.
A few days ago, when Yu Tong’s mom had operated on him, his insides were all organs, no parts or components.
The first two possibilities were ruled out. Yun Mingchen naturally thought that the kitten he picked up might have gained spiritual intelligence and could become a cat demon in the future.
Yun Mingchen thought that he wasn’t human, which is why, even after discovering the strange situation, he still continued to kiss and pet him, and even placed him on his head to play.
Although Yu Tong felt that, given their current relationship, even if he suddenly admitted he was a human, the villain wouldn’t truly do anything to him, with his sensitive and suspicious nature, he would definitely suspect his purpose for pretending to be a kitten and would take precautions.
If they wanted to take their relationship further, it would become very difficult.
Yu Tong quickly made up his mind and prioritized the issues at hand.
The situation happened so suddenly that Yu Tong was still preoccupied with how to face Yun Mingchen.
He instinctively answered the system’s question, but midway, he froze. ‘What did you say?’
【I know you're nervous, but you shouldn't sit like that. It’s not hiding anything, and you were actually covering yourself better when you sat like you did before.】
‘？？？’
Yu Tong's mind froze for a second, then quickly calmed down. He adjusted his sitting position naturally, not letting Yun Mingchen notice any issue.
The system, peeking out from space, excitedly gestured, 【The privacy protection system the tech department made is getting less humane!】
【Just now when you moved, woah! A huge mosaic popped up and blocked my view. You wouldn’t know, but from my angle, everything below your neck was completely blocked out by mosaic.】
Yu Tong:…
‘You can only see the mosaic. What are you excited about?’
【Ah, right. Damn it! So disappointing!】
Yu Tong:…
His system was really proper? It seemed like it stored all sorts of ridiculous nonsense.
Mosaic only existed from the system’s perspective. The privacy protection system didn’t block others from seeing.
Yun Mingchen, who had been sitting cross-legged in silence for a long time, silently grabbed the blanket. He covered Yu Tong with it, while furrowing his brows in thought.
He dreamed of the kitten turning into a human. Could it be that he was so eager to communicate with Xixi that it manifested in his dreams?
But why was Xixi in his dream only wearing a shirt, and it was a shirt he had worn recently?
Also, weren’t dreams always blurry? How was it that in his dream, after the kitten turned into a human, its body parts were so fully formed?
Yun Mingchen had long known he was gay, but even if he had perverted tendencies, he shouldn't have inappropriate thoughts about a little male kitten.
Had the stress recently built up too much, causing psychological issues?
Last time when he had a talk with Yun Zhongling, he seemed to have seen a BL manga image flash on her screen that couldn’t pass review.
Maybe he should ask Zhongling what that manga app was called; a friend of his wanted to know.
With that thought, Yun Mingchen closed his eyes and sighed deeply.
What was he even thinking? Who would care about him asking for an app? His only friend had died a few days ago.
Yun Mingchen quickly regained his composure, ready to continue the previous topic and ask why the kitten was shy.
Before he could speak, the kitten-eared man sitting obediently across from him suddenly leaned forward and softly nestled into his arms.
The overly intimate contact made Yun Mingchen's body instinctively tense.
He forced himself to suppress the urge to push him away, took a deep breath, and looked down.
The man in his arms was very beautiful. His features weren’t exquisite when examined individually, but together, they made him look especially cute and pure.
Especially his jet-black eyes, which were clean and clear, with a hint of innocent bewilderment.
The two locked eyes, and the man raised the corners of his mouth, showing a sweet and obedient smile.
Yun Mingchen stared in a daze, involuntarily smiling back at him. As his lips curved upward, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
Why did the kitten in his dream look so clear after transforming into a human?
Could it be that this was an illusion created based on his preferences?
But had the person in front of him really grown up? Why did he look like a 15- or 16-year-old high school student? Did he like this type of little boy?
Yun Mingchen had been busy with the Yun family matters recently and hadn’t come into contact with any BL-related things for some time, so there was no reason for him to suddenly dream of such things.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt that today’s dream was off.
Yun Mingchen was trying to recall if there was any magic in this world that could allow someone to enter another person’s dream.
Just then, the young man with the baby face in his arms moved again.
He lifted his porcelain white arm and wrapped it around Yun Mingchen's neck, rubbing his cheek affectionately against his face.
He rubbed his face, then his neck, sniffed him with his nose, and even reached his hand to gesture on his chest, as though kneading milk.
With each time he kneaded, Yun Mingchen’s memories seemed to fade a little.
When the man cupped his hand, not sure whether he intended to bite or lick it, Yun Mingchen finally couldn’t stay still.
He gently pushed the person away from him, got out of bed, moved a chair, and sat down about a meter away from the bed.
After taking some time to calm his heartbeat, Yun Mingchen took a deep breath and continued the previous conversation, "The old emperor got some strange illness, always dreaming that he was being chased and bitten by monsters, and as a result, developed a psychological disorder, becoming paranoid and delusional. Now, there is infighting within the royal family, and everyone is preparing to fight for the throne..."
"The third prince has the most supporters in the court, but he is not a cultivator and is quite resistant to cultivators. The princess, who has reached the Core Formation stage and fought in battles, has strong influence in the army..."
Seeing the villain go to the edge of the bed, Yu Tong didn’t stick close anymore.
However, he occasionally raised his hand to scratch his ears. When responding to the villain's question, he would meow a couple of times.
The system completely ignored the serious discussion and continued to complain, 【The villain really is obedient. Even when you’re acting like this, he still manages to keep his composure. If a beauty were to approach me like that, I’d definitely kiss it a few times.】
Yu Tong:…
‘You didn’t get blocked?’
【Nope, the villain wrapped you so tightly, just leaving your head, there’s nothing to block.】
【Are you shy, Xiao Yu? Don’t worry, I’m just the system. I only like balls, I won’t have any inappropriate thoughts about you.】
Yu Tong ignored it and began listening to Yun Mingchen while distracting himself by looking for the feedback button in the system’s space.
This system really wasn’t serious, his neck above should also be censored.
Considering this was Yun Mingchen’s dream, Yu Tong didn’t offer too many subjective opinions. He simply followed his thoughts and helped organize them.
Yun Mingchen quickly pushed aside the previous thoughts. The redness on his face gradually faded.
Finally, when he made up his mind, he relaxed, gazed gently at the man on the bed, and said, “Xixi, if you could also turn into a human in real life, it would ease my stress a lot.”
Yu Tong didn’t know how to respond, so he tilted his head and meowed a few times.
Yun Mingchen stared at Yu Tong for a long while, then walked over to the bedside and cupped his face with both hands.
“Strange, why do you look like this in my dream? I remember I’ve never seen this face before.”
Yu Tong froze, and a guess suddenly rose in his mind.
He asked the system to broadcast its view, but 8102 kept stammering, making all sorts of excuses, refusing to show him.
Yu Tong suddenly hugged Yun Mingchen’s waist ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) and leaned into his arms. While the villain was distracted, he subtly shifted his gaze and looked for a mirror.
Finally, he saw his reflection in the nearby full-length mirror.
The man with kitten ears in the mirror was someone Yu Tong knew very well. It was him.
If Yun Mingchen had never seen him, how could he possibly dream so clearly about his face?
Yu Tong was stunned for a moment, then a疑虑 appeared in his mind.
Had Yun Mingchen’s dream ever had a full-length mirror before? Why did it seem like the mirror had just appeared?