Qi Zimo slept very deeply. No matter how strong his consciousness was, he was after all only ten years old. After holding on for so long, he was truly at his limits.
Due to the fact that his memories had been sealed, some of the exercises Qin Mo had been using to adjust his body had been forgotten. Due to that, there was no way for him to recover quickly. As for why Qi Zimo was able to endure without fainting directly or getting sick, it was all thanks to how Qin Mo had spent most of his points on strengthening his body.
Even though he was sleeping so deeply, his left hand was still holding Shi Qing tight with a death grip. His grip was so strong that even an adult like Shi Qing had no way to break free.
Of course, Shi Qing had no intentions of breaking away. He brought Qin Mo back to his car and wanted to allow him to get enough sleep first. Otherwise, if he went home in such a way, both Father and Mother Nuo would definitely be shocked silly.
It was fine if he had only made friends with a little kid, but why was his little friend holding onto Shi Qing so tightly without letting go? How was his obsession so strong that he would not let go, even while he was asleep?
That would not be easy to explain. However, in truth, Shi Qing did not even know how he was going to explain this to Yan Qi.
Thankfully, Yan Qi had always obeyed Qi Zimo without question, so he did not ask anything at all.
He had arrived home at around 10 o’clock in the morning, whilst Qi Zimo ended up sleeping all the way until four in the afternoon.
With Shi Qing at his side, besides being slightly hungry, he did not feel annoyed in the slightest. It felt like the sky was already going down in the blink of an eye.
Qi Zimo slept very well, but when he woke up, he had woken abruptly in shock.
His black eyes swept open without any hint of haziness, and they were sharp like the edge of a blade. However, after he saw the youth by his side, he calmed down again.
Just like a cheetah retracting its claws, he had returned from his fierce offensive state to his current relaxed and calm state in an instant.
——Only because his prey had not run away.
Shi Qing would not have thought of that, all he saw was the young boy being awoken from his dreams, and could not help but worry, “Did you have a nightmare?”
Qi Zimo ignored his questions, instead deciding to stare at the person in front of him: soft, short hair, beautiful eyes, a shapely nose, and rosy lips all paired up to create a very good-looking face. Even so, he could also be very sure that he had never seen him before.
Why would he feel such a strong sense of familiarity from someone he did not know at all? That pull was so strong it felt as if this person was his possession, that he belonged only to him. He could not ever bear to let him go, even if it was just for a minute.
That was abnormal. Due to the environment he had grown up in, having vigilance against a stranger was something that was simply part of him. To have such a strong obsession towards someone he had met for the first time was really inexplicable, even to him.
Even so, he did not wish to let go at all, and he would never think of doing so.
Qi Zimo could not stop himself from holding Shi Qing’s hand. He could not explain what he was feeling, but he did not want to reject it. Just leave it like this, he belonged to him after all, that’s what he told him.
Qi Zimo was silent, but Shi Qing thought he had guessed correctly, and quickly tried to comfort him, “It’s fine, don’t worry, I’m right here.”
Qi Zimo raised his head to look at him, and his lips curled up into a smile, “Mm.”
Seeing that smile, Shi Qing could not help but suck in a breath. Cu… Cu… So cute! I want to rub those soft little cheeks!
En… En… Endure it! You’re not a pedophile!
Shi Qing cleared his throat, and just as he was about to add on a few more words of coaxing, he suddenly heard the sound of a stomach growling.
He smiled adoringly at Qi Zimo, “Hungry?”
However, Qi Zimo’s sight ended up on Shi Qing’s stomach instead.
Shi Qing could no longer hold up that ‘adoring’ look on his face… It’s not his stomach, right? It definitely wasn’t!
In response, his stomach rumbled again. This time, it rumbled with resounding clarity, and he could even feel a trace of pain. He was so hungry that it hurt…
Shi Qing could not hold his head high, and his gaze just so happened to have met with little Yan Qi who was standing silently at the side. Shi Qing quickly put on a magnanimous smile, “Haha, hahaha, was it Yan Qi? haha, Xiao Qi is also hungry, right? We’re all getting hungry, so let’s go, let’s have some food at my house.”
Yan Qi, “…”
Qi Zimo smiled and help Shi Qing’s hand tight, responding softly, “Okay.”
The expression on Shi Qing’s face was extremely dry. That was really damn shameful, why did it feel like he was being ‘adored’ by a ten year old kid instead? This was quite a messy setting!
Shi Qing had long messaged Mother and Father Nuo, and made up a random reason to tell them he would only be going back at dinner. So, at this moment, Mother Nuo had already prepared a table full of amazing dishes. As soon as he entered his house, the fragrant smell of rice filled his nose, causing his rumbling tummy to become even more excited.
After introducing each other, both Mother and Father Nuo were very surprised. After all, Qi Zimo was a big name recently. He was the eldest son of Qi Lu, who would be having his dimensional assessment this year, and all the common folk were already looking forward to the emergence of a level eight dimension carrier.
One had to know that due to the pedigree of the Qi family, every generation had a 50% chance of giving birth to a dimension carrier at level five or above. Qi Zimo’s grandfather gave birth to six children; the eldest came out with a level six dimension carrier, the second was a level four, the third, a daughter with a dimension of level five, the fourth and fifth were a pair of twins, both also at level five, and it was only the sixth who was Qi Zimo’s father, Qi Lu who came out with a bang; he was a rare level eight dimension carrier!
Their qualifications were all very high. Their lineage was one part of it, but most of it was the large amount of resources they had for nurturing and cultivation, allowing their dimensions to grow at a very good rate.
One also had to know that, amongst the ordinary people, even a level four dimension was already very good, but level four was the absolute weakest in this generation of the Qi’s.
Such elite qualifications were the base level of the family.
So to say, through every year of their annual qualification assessments, all the children from noble families would always be the focus of the crowd. The common people loved discussing their qualifications, and at the same time, they were also quite eagerly looking forward to the news.
It was truly the level of one’s dimension that would directly determine whether there would be a shortage of resources in the region. If their levels were too low, it would directly affect the standard of living for everyone else for the next few decades!
Just like with Qi Lu’s level eight dimension, when it had just been identified it became a great event for the entire region. Everything was decorated with coloured lanterns and whatnot for a whole month, and after Qi Lu enrolled into school, people paid even more attention to him. He was the best at everything, the top of the elite, and it seemed like his greatness was constantly being revealed to the people at every moment.
Qi Lu himself did not betray their expectations either. He had a smart mind and was a serious student. His dimension grew steadily, and at graduation, it had already grown to a very large size.
Up till now, not only had he succeeded the Qi family as its patriarch, he even expanded the region to hold more residents, attracting more people to stay, and turned Lanxin Region into an even more powerful and prosperous region.
Meanwhile, Qi Zimo was Qi Lu’s eldest son. As the first successor of such an outstanding father, high hopes had been placed on him almost as soon as he was born.
After more than a decade of waiting, and now that it was only two months away from him becoming eleven, Qi Zimo’s name resounded even louder as a household name. This was truly something capable of riling up the crowds.
If there was another level eight dimension carrier… Or perhaps, even one of the extremely rare level nines. The benefits they would obtain would be simply unimaginable!
For Father and Mother Nuo to suddenly see someone from the legends pop out, they would definitely be quite tense. However, Shi Qing had already thought of an excuse early on. He explained that he had received his teacher’s recommendation to be responsible for easing Qi Zimo into his pre-school basic training during the next two months.
That was a rule that had always existed in history, and was indeed the responsibility of recent graduates. However, because the burden of the graduation examination was too heavy, most of the graduates who could be selected for this task were all outstanding students, only then would any disruption to their studies be avoided.
Xia Nuo did have this opportunity, and the teacher had also mentioned it to him many times, but Xia Nuo was too nervous. He valued his test scores too highly, so he did not dare allow any chance for them to slip. Thus, even though he knew that the great young master of the Qi family would be amongst them this time around, he still did not dare to take any risks.
After all, there was only one Qi Zimo, but the number of new students entering the school was in the tens of thousands. It really was not worth it for him to take the risk when it was accompanied by such low odds.
Fortunately, Xia Nuo had not managed to tell Father and Mother Nuo about this, so for him to bring up that he had been selected now would cause no issues.
Hearing what he said, both Father and Mother Nuo revealed expressions of pleasant surprise. It was extraordinary luck. Even if you did not consider what were to happen after his graduation, as long as he could become Qi Zimo’s pre-school instructor, he would definitely become very famous in the future.
What’s more, Qi Zimo was currently still an adolescent, and children had simple hearts. As long as he treated him well and left a few good memories between them, he would definitely benefit greatly in the future.
Father and Mother Nuo were not powerful people, but they were not stubborn either. They would definitely never seek such a thing if they were never given that chance, but if they did get that chance, they would definitely cherish it.
Mother Nuo said she had to go and prepare a few more dishes no matter what, but she was stopped by Shi Qing. After some thought, Mother Nuo decided to let it go, so she could only smile at Qi Zimo, “Do tell auntie if there’s anything you want to eat, I’ll make it for you.”
Xia Nuo inherited his mother’s face, and since Qi Zimo was very familiar with Xia Nuo, he had a good impression of Mother Nuo as well. A small smile had also curved up his usually deadpan face, and he spoke to her in a very proper tone, “No need to bother, auntie, this is already very good.”
Their dinner passed full of joy and harmony. Shi Qing helped Mother Nuo clean up the tables, and just as he had entered the kitchen, he was pushed out by Mother Nuo, “I said you didn’t have to do anything, quick, go and play.”
Shi Qing did not insist on it either. After all, he still had a little friend sitting in wait for him in the living room, and that little friend’s gaze had also been fluttering over to him constantly. So as to not rouse the suspicions of his parents, it would be best for him to stay by his little host’s side.
When he returned to the living room, Father Nuo was still fervent. Even though he knew of Qi Zimo’s identity, he still was not too cautious about it. After all, this was just a small child, his appearance was truly adorable and he could not help falling for his charm. Father Nuo was an authentic child fanatic(T/N: wow this sounds terrible, it’s like son-con, but that sounds even worse) so when he saw the young Qi Zimo who was only ten years old, he ended up recalling how Xia Nuo was in his childhood. Fatherly love burst forth in him, and with eyes curved pleasantly with happiness, he was playing with Qi Zimo.
Father Nuo would also expose Xia Nuo’s past about matters that happened when he was ten, and Qi Zimo was very happy to hear this gossip material, so his acceptance of these ‘childish’ games were also much higher.
When Shi Qing came over, Father Nuo just so happened to have received a reminder from his dimension. It turned out his ores had matured, and they could now be collected.
That was a big deal, it had to do with whether his family would be eating or not. Father Nuo did not dare to dally either, so he told them, “You two have fun, I need to be busy for a while.”
Shi Qing would also help Father Nuo with the collection of ores in the past. He knew very well that it was tough work for him and really wanted to help, but he could not just abandon Qin Mo here by himself.
Just then, a thought came up, thus he turned to Qin Mo, “Want to go in for a look?”
Qin Zimo was slightly stunned, but he responded with a question, “Can I?”
When Father Nuo heard this, he said with some embarrassment, “My dimension is a bit dirty…”
Qin Zimo’s eyes darkened, but Shi Qing went on to say, “It’s fine! We’ll have to wash up tonight anyway.” Then, he turned to Qin Mo, “Are you scared of getting dirty?”
Qin Zimo’s disappointment slowly brightened up again, and he quickly responded, “Not scared.”
Mirth filled Shi Qing’s eyes, “Then, let’s go!”
Qi Zimo looked at Shi Qing with a stunned expression, but he also followed with a smile.
He had never been inside anyone’s dimension before, so this would be his first. Even though the dimension was very small, and also filled with grey rocks, as well as floating dust, he still felt like everything was fresh and new.
Although Qi Lu was the proud carrier of a level eight space, he was truly too busy. In addition, his dimension was too important. The huge grain output of his dimension meant that Qi Lu’s entire person was an important object that needed protection, so the interior of his dimension was stationed with an army all year round to prevent accidents.
One had to know that just one season of bad harvest would cause a great impact on the entire region.
Therefore, it was impossible for Qi Zimo to enter Qi Lu’s space. His mother had also died early, so he had no chance at all to enter his mother’s dimension.
You are reading story Reborn As a System at novel35.com
His stepmother was not bad to him, but he was not close with her at all. His younger brothers could enter his stepmother’s dimension, but even a dream of that would be impossible for him.
Yan Qi’s dimension was full of whirlwinds, so even Yan Qi himself did not dare to enter it, much less anyone else.
So, though he was coming up to 11 years of age soon, Qi Zimo still had never seen what a dimension looked like.
That truly was a rare thing in this world. Even though children before the age of 11 did not have their own dimensions, most of them have entered the dimensions of either their parents, siblings, or even their relatives or friends.
For a case like Qi Zimo’s, even a beggar was not likely to end up that way.
Shi Qing had always been paying attention to Qin Mo, so he was able to see very clearly that thread of despair that ran past him earlier. Though he had some doubts in his heart, he did not ask any questions. ‘Never gone into a dimension’ was not something worth sharing.
To put it bluntly, such a thing was actually a little shameful in the setting of this world. It was hard to talk about it.
It could imply that you were an orphan without any relatives, and that orphan also had a very bad run in with fate. So terrible in fact that he would not even have a single friend.
Yet in truth, Qi Zimo had a pile of immediate family members, and there were always so many people around him; there was just not a single person who really cared about him.
Thinking up to this point, Shi Qing sighed in his heart. He thought that after having his memories sealed, Qin Mo would finally enjoy a peaceful life. Unfortunately, Qi Zimo’s experiences were also not too great… Perhaps, he might even share a similar childhood with Qin Mo.
With those thoughts coming to mind, he turned over to look at Qi Zimo who forced himself to hold his little head up high, and Shi Qing felt at that point that his heart was practically melting!
So, he would take care of him more.
Father Nuo’s dimension was the typical mineral type, and only one type of ore was produced, iron. In their current era, iron ore was still very popular as its industrial applications were widespread, and its consumption was also large. The problem was that there were also many dimension carriers who produced iron, which led to the price of iron ore not being very high, and it would sometimes even plummet.
Due to the government’s regulation, today’s prices were still stable. It was only due to the low fluctuations in ore prices that a small-scale dimension owner like Father Nuo could still earn a stable salary.
Even so, it was heavy work. When it came to the collection season, it would always be very busy. Since he was reluctant to hire workers, they could only get into it as a family.
Thanks to Xia Nuo’s memories, Shi Qing was very familiar with this work, so his collection speed was very fast and also very accurate. He had originally brought Qi Zimo in so he could play around, but though his host had turned into a small host, he was still a pretty badass little kid.
Perhaps it was due to Qin Mo’s previous body strengthening upgrades, but even though Qi Zimo was only ten years old, his eyesight, stamina, and physical strength was not to be trifled with. Just by seeing Shi Qing collect a single ore, he had learned how to do it.
Moreover, his speed was fast and accurate, even quicker than Shi Qing.
Where was no way Shi Qing could take that lying down. In an instant, he was filled with eagerness, and the two started to compete, ending in a burning competition.
Father Nuo was also getting into it and huffing from being out of breath. When he was free, he even smoked a cigarette while turning his head to look at those two energetic boys. He couldn’t help himself from laughing. Before this, that slither of unfamiliarity he felt with Qi Zimo had also disappeared without a trace. He squatted down and started to dream, if he and Xin Rui(Mother Nuo) worked harder when they were young, and had two babies, then this would probably be what it looked like! Unfortunately, they had already gotten old!
An hour later, Father Nuo stopped Shi Qing and Qin Mo from working. He insisted on driving the two brats out, telling them to take a bath and rest early. They were still young, so you could take it as exercise to work a little, but if they end up getting hurt from working too long, that would not be good.
Even when they were about to go, Father Nuo was still urging Shi Qing, “You should give Xiao Mo a massage after your bath to loosen up his nerves, just in case he gets sore tomorrow morning.”
Shi Qing nodded.
On the contrary, Qi Zimo could still go on. Even after working for an entire hour straight, he wasn’t the least bit tired at all. He was like a perpetual force that kept getting stronger and stronger.
Without his memories, he did not know that it was actually the exercise that was slowly waking the power stored within his actual body bit by bit, gradually merging with his current physique, improving the physical fitness, and also enhancing all other aspects of his body.
Despite that, when he saw how insistent Father Nuo was, as well as the beads of sweat lining Shi Qing’s forehead, he did not insist to continue, and left the dimension together with Shi Qing.
On the other side, Mother Nuo had already prepared the bath for them. She sent the two kiddos to the bathroom, then she herself turned around and entered the dimension to help Father Nuo with work.
Shi Qing entered the bathroom with Qi Zimo, and only then did he start to feel a little awkward… That… why aren’t we bathing separately? Why do we have to do it together?
Yan Qi’s voice came from outside, “Young master, do you need assistance?”
Qi Zimo said, “No need,” but his eyes were on Shi Qing.
With that, Shi Qing’s words of “I’ll go out, you can bathe first” were shoved back into his throat.
But… Did they really have to bathe together? He had to bathe with his host?!
Mysteriously, Shi Qing’s face blushed red.
However, Qi Zimo on the other hand had already begun to unbutton his shirt. As soon as his shirt was off, he started to unbuckle his belt.
Shi Qing told himself at the side, this was a ten year old child, it’s not that Qin Mo who had an ungodly height!
Just look at that fair and tender skin, that was not Qin Mo’s strong and firm chest, nor did he have Qin Mo’s clear abs, much less his two long legs!
As he thought about that, his greatly depraved mind actually ended up imagining Qin Mo!
Qin Mo who was standing before him, his body fully bare… When he thought about that damned dream from before… Shi Qing started to burn up in an instant!
Three minutes later, Shi Qing fled in defeat. No, he can’t do it, even if you beat him to death, he still would not bathe together with Qin lil’ Mo!
Yet, after their bath, worse things came.
Father Nuo specifically told him that he had to give Qin lil’ Mo a massage…
Shi Qing could not duck down from that, he could not let Qin Mo slept just like that, he would definitely be so sore tomorrow he would not be able to get off the bed. Thus, he could only stiffen his nerves and begin the massage.
When it really came down to it, Shi Qing actually managed to calm down. In the end, he still had not been depraved to that extent. After blocking off his heart and mind, he could still face Qin lil’ Mo properly.
While he massaged him, his mind started to wander again, and Shi Qing was left to find excuses for himself again.
That dream was fine, you know? In the end, it’s still part of what’s left over from the beastman world. No matter who it was, if they had to go through that, their minds would also get muddled. Moreover, Qin Mo’s appearance was also not bad… So to say, it’s really nothing, right?
Yea, it must be nothing!
When he thought about that, he sighed in relief again. When he looked back at Qin lil’ Mo, he found that he was already asleep.
Carefully, Shi Qing wanted to leave. However, just as he got up, he had not even taken a step before the one who had been sleeping opened his eyes abruptly, and stared at him with his black eyes.
Shi Qing was stunned, and his right hand was tightly held.
“Stay.”
Shi Qing was very hesitant. He had just fixed up his thoughts and gotten rid of those weird quirks, but if he were to sleep together with him… He really could not help but think about weird things!
After being flustered for a long time, Shi Qing still insisted to go, “It’s too cramped here, I’ll head to the next room.”
Qi Zimo stared at him. Not a single hint of emotion could be seen in his dark eyes under the dim night, but the strength of his hand grip gradually increased.
Tragically, Shi Qing discovered that he was actually unable to get loose.
He was held so tightly that it hurt, and he could not help but wrinkle his brows and ask in a soft voice, “Xiao Mo?”
That soft call brought Qi Zimo back to his senses. He was so shocked by the murky emotions in his heart; he was unwilling to let go, he couldn’t. His crazy emotions were running wild, if he wanted to escape, then he might as well just destroy him…
His heart jumped, and unconsciously, he released Shi Qing’s hand.
Even though he did not wish to say it, he still forced himself to, “Okay.”
Shi Qing breathed a sigh of relief and spoke a soft, “Good night,” before getting up to leave.
Watching as Shi Qing left, Qi Zimo tried his best to restrain himself from the impulse of chasing after him. Because of that restraint, his palm started to spasm unconsciously. It felt like a beast was hidden inside of his heart, and it would not stop growling——Why did you let him escape, why did you let him leave? If he leaves, you’ll be left with nothing!
Chase after him, hold him tight, control him, he belongs to you, he’s yours!
These fierce emotions slammed down madly on him, and he tried desperately to resist them. Even though he was trying, it was getting fiercer, and burning hotter…These emotions were like his instincts that were carved deep into his bones, he could not resist them.
That feeling of being shaken from his sleep came again. The cold air, his empty palm, he could not fall asleep, he could not find peace.
Shi Qing went to the next room, peeled open the blanket, and stuffed himself in. He closed his eyes, and began to sleep.
He had always slept well, but not tonight. He tossed and turned several times, but his heart could not calm down.
With that, he ended up tossing about for an entire hour, but he still could not feel sleepy. Shi Qing pulled away his blanket, jumped off bed, and decided he would go over for a look.
He moved to the next room silently and opened the door carefully. Just as he entered the room, he was stunned.
In the dark room, the boy was sitting quietly at the edge of the bed. There was not a single change in his posture since Shi Qing had left him. Quietly, indifferently, he sat like a statue without any hint of life.
There were no doubts that if Shi Qing had not come to look, he would have sat there for the entire night.
Just like the last two days and three nights.
Alone, he would wait until dawn.
My mom came to hold the baby, so you can all thank her for this chapter haha!! I haven’t quite decided if I want to share a picture of her yet, but we got some done by a photographer so I’ll think about sharing it or not.