Even inside the backpack, Yan Jiyun jerked his head up in surprise. Qi Feng quickly grabbed the backpack and hid beneath the bed, and they waited for a while. Class Monitor No. 6 slept like the dead, showing zero signs of waking. Meanwhile, the phone continued ringing.
Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng remained under the bed, waiting for him to wake up, but he never did.
The telephone, however, rang without stopping.
Eventually, Qi Feng crawled out from beneath the bed with the backpack and walked over to the landline. After a moment’s hesitation, he picked up the receiver.
On the other end was Teacher Qu’s father, Qu Xiangge. Yan Jiyun immediately recognized his voice.
In a calm tone, Qu Xiangge said, “Xiao Qiao, your mother was in a car accident on the way to the airport. The doctors have pronounced her dead.”
He paused. “Do you know what ‘dead’ means?”
Yan Jiyun: “…”
Teacher Qu’s mother had died in a car accident on her way to the airport?
Imitating Class Monitor No. 6’s voice, Qi Feng replied, “I know.”
Qu Xiangge said casually, “Daddy will be back to keep you company soon. Don’t be sad.”
Yan Jiyun hadn’t expected Qi Feng to be capable of mimicking other people’s voices. It seemed he had learned another thing about his pooper scooper.
The two of them could hear an assistant on Qu Xiangge’s end reminding him that he had a meeting to attend. He hurriedly hung up the phone. It was obvious that the call had merely been a notification.
To a child, it was cold and cruel.
What kind of father could treat the death of his not-yet-divorced wife and his son’s feelings with such indifference?
Qu Xiangge had never looked forward to Teacher Xiao Qu’s birth. Most of the time, he had probably treated the child with utter neglect.
Yan Jiyun finally understood why Class Monitor No. 6 couldn’t be awakened no matter what happened in the nightmare. He was escaping from the reality of his mother’s death in the car accident.
Qi Feng set the receiver back down. This scene was intimately connected to Teacher Qu’s past.
Although Class Monitor No. 6 wasn’t noisy, didn’t attack them, and wasn’t openly hostile, his guard was extremely high. How could they get him to lower his guard and send them out?
Yan Jiyun was pondering the exact same question.
The dolls in the bedroom were much more ordinary than those in the doll room. Then… who had decorated this bedroom?
Qi Feng decided to explore the house first. He wanted to understand what Teacher Qu’s childhood living environment had been like and see if there were any clues.
Yan Jiyun’s thoughts aligned with his.
Leaving the children’s bedroom, they headed straight for the master bedroom.
There was a master bedroom on the second floor, but it contained only women’s belongings. The vanity was filled exclusively with women’s cosmetics, and the walk-in closet contained nothing but women’s clothing and expensive jewelry. There was another master bedroom on the third floor. Like the second-floor one, it contained only men’s belongings and clothing.
After searching the house, Qi Feng and Yan Jiyun came to the same conclusion: this married couple was bizarre. After so many years of marriage, they didn’t even have a single wedding photo. They even slept in separate bedrooms on separate floors. Their life together wasn’t much different from that of strangers.
So why had they gotten married and had a child in the first place?
The world was full of strange things.
Yan Jiyun clenched his paws in frustration.
Still, he remained rational. This was only Teacher Qu’s nightmare space, it might not be an exact recreation of reality. For now, they could only assume it reflected the truth. Whether it was one hundred percent accurate remained uncertain.
Qi Feng carried Yan Jiyun throughout the house, upstairs and downstairs. But there was barely any trace of family life. Most importantly, the family of three didn’t even have a single photograph together, let alone photos of vacations.
That was just too miserable.
At that moment, Yan Jiyun almost wished he could turn back into a human just to complain about it with Qi Feng.
Then he noticed something: since entering this place, Qi Feng had displayed almost no emotion, nor had he expressed any sympathy or pity toward Little Class Monitor No. 6.
Yan Jiyun perched on Qi Feng’s shoulder and tilted his head to look at him. ‘Why are you so quiet?’
He had usually reminded Yan Jiyun of things along the way. Today, however, he was unusually silent.
Yan Jiyun had never really learned about Qi Feng’s childhood. He only knew he’d never heard Qi Feng answer calls from family members. During holidays, Qi Feng never seemed to spend time with relatives either; at most, he’d have meals with friends. Yan Jiyun had once assumed Qi Feng simply hadn’t had time to visit his family because he was constantly entering game instances. But now, something seemed off. Where was Qi Feng’s family? Why had they never appeared? Could his background be just as tragic?
Qi Feng turned his head and found a pair of emerald-green eyes staring straight at him. The curiosity in Caramel’s gaze practically overflowed, there was even a hint of concern.
He had simply been organizing the instance’s storyline in his head. The moment he came back to himself, his cat’s expression made him laugh. He scratched under Yan Jiyun’s chin. “Is there something on my face?”
Yan Jiyun rubbed his head against Qi Feng’s small chin. Qi Feng must have had a difficult childhood too.
Although Qi Feng was a Level 10 Cat Language expert, there were times when even he couldn’t understand what Caramel was thinking. After all, they belonged to different species.
Once he’d finished rubbing against him, Yan Jiyun pretended nothing had happened. The man and cat allowed themselves a brief distraction before refocusing on the game.
Class Monitor No. 6 probably had a fixed nap schedule. No matter what they did now, it probably wouldn’t affect him.
Still, there was one thing worth trying, Yan Jiyun decided to wake him up.
As the saying goes, the person who tied the bell must be the one to untie it. Jumping off Qi Feng’s shoulder, he ran back into the second-floor children’s bedroom.
Qi Feng didn’t think Caramel was acting on impulse; its actions were highly purposeful. Could the system have given him some kind of special prompt?
He cautiously followed behind his cat.
The moment Yan Jiyun entered the room, he jumped onto Class Monitor No. 6’s bed and immediately began meowing nonstop.
Qi Feng: “…” ‘Your owner is standing right outside. Why are you meowing at an NPC?’
It had to be the system controlling his cat and making him do something completely out of character. This damned system!
Worried that the NPC might hurt Caramel, Qi Feng followed him inside, no longer caring whether he woke Class Monitor No. 6.
Moments later, instead of the ringing of the phone waking him out, it was the incessant meowing of a cat.
Opening his eyes, Class Monitor No. 6 found himself face-to-face with a black cat. He froze for a second before cautiously reaching out to stroke its head. “A kitty?”
Remembering Class Monitor No. 4’s terrifying expression, Yan Jiyun carefully observed No. 6 while taking two small steps backward. Only after confirming that the child harbored no ill intentions did he generously offer his head for petting. The boy’s fingertips gently touched the top of his head.
The moment Class Monitor No. 6 showed even the slightest hint of malice, Yan Jiyun would retreat immediately.
Qi Feng stood beside the bed, looking as though he were ready to fight Class Monitor No. 6 at any moment. He subconsciously thought, ‘That’s my cat.’
But Class Monitor No. 6 didn’t even notice Qi Feng; all of his attention was fixed on the black cat. The lifeless child suddenly had a spark of color in his eyes.
“You’re so cute,” he said. “Where did you come from, and where will you go in the end?”
Yan Jiyun: “…”
Who would’ve thought a child this young would ask such philosophical questions?
Unable to bear being ignored any longer, Qi Feng forced himself to remain calm. “He’s my cat. His name is Caramel. I’m your new neighbor, we just moved in today. I’m very sorry that my cat suddenly jumped onto your bed.”
Class Monitor No. 6 didn’t seem to doubt him. “You moved here today?”
“Mm.” Qi Feng nodded.
He climbed halfway onto the bed and picked up Caramel, who had successfully awakened Class Monitor No. 6. “You think my cat is cute too?”
Only one sentence crossed Yan Jiyun’s mind. ‘This is the second time I’ve seen Qi Feng lie to an NPC with a completely straight face.’
So Qi Feng could deceive NPCs too. They really were kindred spirits. No wonder he’d become Yan Jiyun’s poop scooper — it was destiny.
Class Monitor No. 6 was fascinated by the cat. “Mm. He’s really cute.”
Qi Feng remained gentle toward the child who had just lost his mother. “Then why don’t you get up first? The room’s too small for him to run around.”
Class Monitor No. 6 immediately climbed out of bed. He dressed himself and put on his shoes with practiced efficiency, needing no one’s help.
With Yan Jiyun acting as the bridge between them, communication between Qi Feng and Class Monitor No. 6 went surprisingly smoothly.
Before long, they were out in the large garden.
Yan Jiyun played soccer Little Class Monitor No. 6 while Qi Feng quietly watched the child. A few minutes later, the housekeeper brought them afternoon tea, along with pastries and milk.
Yan Jiyun wanted some too. Unfortunately, it was all human food. Class Monitor No. 6 tried to feed him a cheese sandwich.
Qi Feng said helplessly, “He can’t eat sandwiches.”
“What can he eat?”
“Chicken, fish, beef, goat’s milk… as long as it’s cooked.”
Class Monitor No. 6 immediately instructed the housekeeper to prepare some. A few minutes later, an elegantly plated serving of boiled chicken breast was brought over.
The two children squatted on the ground, watching Yan Jiyun eat.
Expressionlessly, Class Monitor No. 6 said, “He’s really, really cute.”
Qi Feng also maintained a straight face while dutifully promoting his cat, though a hint of pride still slipped through. “He’s been adorable since he was little. After he’s full, he’ll even lie on his back to sleep like a person.”
Class Monitor No. 6’s eyes lit up. “Wow! I really want to see that.”
Yan Jiyun: “…” ‘Don’t spread rumors. I’ve never slept like that!’
Anyone who didn’t know better would think this was a cute pet livestream instead of a horror game.
Still, he’d earned this meat himself. No guilt felt whatsoever!
For the first time ever, Qi Feng leisurely enjoyed afternoon tea inside a game. He couldn’t help feeling emotional; so, instances could be played like this too.
After Yan Jiyun had eaten and drunk his fill, he temporarily abandoned his own pooper scooper and lay beside Class Monitor No. 6, occasionally letting the child scratch under his chin. Host and guest both enjoyed themselves immensely.
[Want to be Human] livestream channel:
“I just want to know how Kitty Baby manages to scam meat out of NPCs everywhere he goes. Do all these NPCs secretly have a hidden ‘cat lover’ trait?”
“Hahaha! This time he even got the Level 5 streamer to enjoy afternoon tea with him.”
“I think Kitty Baby is ridiculously good at identifying cat-loving NPCs. He instinctively avoids anyone hostile toward cats and approaches those who like them. It’s honestly amazing.”
“Did anyone notice how creepy the doll room window on the second floor is?”
“Seriously though… is this how the scenario is supposed to be played? Weren’t the dolls supposed to chase the players in a deadly escape sequence? Why am I watching them peacefully drink afternoon tea? As someone who’s still slaving away at work, this is painful.”
Meanwhile, every doll on the second floor was crowded against the window, silently watching Yan Jiyun, Qi Feng, and their Little Master enjoying afternoon tea together.
After eating their fill, Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng continued playing with Class Monitor No. 6 until 5 PM.
Qi Feng picked up Yan Jiyun naturally. “We’re heading home for dinner now.”
Class Monitor No. 6 looked reluctant. “Can you come play with me again tomorrow?”
Qi Feng naturally couldn’t make promises so casually. “I have school tomorrow. If I have time, I’ll come see you.”
Class Monitor No. 6 pointed at Yan Jiyun. “Then he can come play with me.”
Qi Feng smiled. “If he’s willing, then there’s no problem.”
Only then did Class Monitor No. 6 smile and walk them to the front door.
Just before they left, he took a small bracelet out of his pocket. “I made this bracelet myself. It would make a perfect collar for a kitty.”
Qi Feng hesitated over whether to put it on Caramel. Yan Jiyun, however, stretched out his neck and willingly accepted the bracelet from Class Monitor No. 6.
The next second, both Qi Feng and Yan Jiyun received a system notification.
[Congratulations! You have successfully completed the solo mission “Journey Through Teacher Qu’s Dream.” Your point rewards will be distributed after the instance concludes.]
[Players will return to the “Innocence” instance in 3 seconds.]
Three seconds later, the man and the cat opened their eyes at the same time.
