Professor 8
Someone had come looking for Duan Sifei to check on his safety.
If anything were to happen to Professor Duan here, the institute would be forcibly shut down, and all experiments would come to a halt.
Chen Liu had come along for some reason, his eyes red as if he had been crying.
Tang Xi noticed traces of a struggle on him—scrapes on his face and other exposed skin.
Perhaps Tang Xi’s gaze was too direct, because Chen Liu, looking somewhat disheveled, glanced back at him. The hostility in his eyes faltered for a moment when it met Tang Xi’s clear, untainted gaze.
“Curious?” Duan Sifei cast a casual glance at him. “Ever heard of an old saying?”
“Curiosity killed the cat.” His tone was as calm as if he were stating a fact.
Tang Xi withdrew his inquisitive gaze and instinctively shrank back behind him, unsure whether he was more frightened by Duan Sifei’s words or by Chen Liu’s expression.
Chen Liu turned away without a word and quickened his pace as he followed them upstairs, fully aware of how disheveled he looked.
[1551, what happened to him?]
1551 wobbled its round body. [I don’t know either.]
It seemed likely to be related to the murder case.
Duan Sifei went to the lobby with him to give a statement.
Tang Xi had been in the lab the entire time, conducting experiments. The lab itself had no surveillance cameras for privacy reasons, but the hallway outside did.
The footage showed that he entered the lab and never left until after the incident.
However, Duan Sifei didn’t have a solid alibi. There was a period when he wasn’t under surveillance, nor was there anyone around to vouch for him.
By protocol, those without an alibi weren’t allowed to leave. But Duan Sifei seemed to possess an innate charm that made people trust him. With just a brief conversation, he was able to walk away unscathed.
Tang Xi thought to himself—no wonder he was the major villain in the story, who managed to kill seven or eight people before finally being caught.
His psychological resilience was extraordinary.
A death had occurred so close to him, yet he remained utterly unaffected. His composure was so unnerving that Tang Xi wondered if this man could even fool a polygraph.
As Duan Sifei held his hand and led him outside, Tang Xi’s eyes darted around, trying to take in as much as possible.
More than anyone, he needed to know who the killer was. An unexpected event like this, outside the storyline, could jeopardize his mission.
Ever since he learned that Duan Sifei was his “poop scooper”, his dedication to completing the mission had skyrocketed.
And sure enough, he did notice something.
In the crowd, he spotted Huang Lihan, who seemed to have just submitted his alibi and was preparing to leave.
Looking up, Huang Lihan caught sight of Tang Xi and flashed him a big, toothy grin.
As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Duan Sifei suddenly spoke. “Curious?”
Tang Xi flinched and obediently turned his gaze back to the path ahead.
Back in the lab, Duan Sifei shut the door behind him, unbuttoned his collar with one hand, revealing his sharp collarbones and an air of restrained seduction.
Then, with a flick of his hand, he tossed his gold-rimmed glasses aside.
His entire presence shifted into something dangerous—nothing like the reliable Professor Duan from moments ago.
Tang Xi instinctively took two steps back.
He was a little afraid of the villain, who revealed his true nature.
But Duan Sifei seemed intent on making him get used to it, showing no signs of avoiding him.
“Oh? Now you’re scared?” Duan Sifei pinched the soft skin on the back of his neck, preventing him from leaving. “Weren’t you bold just now, running around everywhere?”
As soon as Tang Xi was grabbed by the neck, he completely lost control, his limbs going weak, unable to step back.
“Your reaction is just like a kitten’s,” Duan Sifei remarked casually.
It sounded like an offhand comment.
But Tang Xi was startled, his eyes widening in alarm.
In a small voice, he said, “I want to know who the killer is.”
Duan Sifei was slightly surprised. Not bad—the little one was finally starting to express what he wanted.
Even though what he wanted was very dangerous.
“This isn’t something you should be worrying about,” Duan Sifei murmured as he rubbed the back of Tang Xi’s neck. “Are you scared?”
The sudden change of topic caught Tang Xi off guard, and he dazedly nodded.
The murderer was right beside him—how could he not be afraid?
Duan Sifei was quite satisfied with this answer. It played right into his hands. “Then from today on, you’re moving in with me.”
Wait… what was the connection between these two things???
Although Tang Xi didn’t exactly object to living with him, this particular “poop scooper” no longer had memories of their past world. In this world, he was even a top-tier scientist.
The fear of being dissected suddenly surged through his mind again.
If they lived together, he wouldn’t be able to secretly transform back into a cat at home anymore…
His silence immediately led Duan Sifei to misunderstand. Without a change in expression, his tone grew slightly dangerous. “Do you even realize that the killer’s favorite type is weak little boys like you?”
Both previous victims had indeed been male.
Tang Xi tensed up. “Y-you… do you know who the killer is?”
It sounded like the villain wasn’t completely in the dark.
Come to think of it, it made perfect sense—this was the twisted big villain in this world. How could he possibly not know if there was a murderer lurking around him?
Duan Sifei didn’t answer directly. Instead, he smirked. “Feeling bold today, aren’t you?” He was talking more than usual.
Tang Xi was getting anxious, wishing he could use his little “meow-meow punch” to force the answer out of him. But he had to maintain his persona.
Even speaking this much today was already pushing it.
Duan Sifei didn’t continue the topic and instead took Tang Xi home to pack his belongings.
He wanted to bring his newfound treasure back and keep it under his watchful eye.
And maybe, along the way, pry out some of this little liar’s secrets.
Terrified that his secret would be exposed, Tang Xi hurriedly urged the system to put away the plush toy balls he had bought from the system’s store.
The house was once again restored to its perfectly neat state.
He thought he had covered all his tracks, but he hadn’t expected Duan Sifei to uncover a stash of identical-flavored instant noodles in the kitchen.
After receiving a light tap on the head as punishment, he sulked and followed behind Duan Sifei as he packed.
In reality, besides some clothes, there wasn’t much to take.
The original character of this body had nothing in the wardrobe except white lab coats.
Even after packing, the suitcase was barely half full.
Out of nowhere, Duan Sifei suddenly asked, “Do you have a cat?”
The villain was acting a little strange today. Tang Xi tried his best to keep his voice steady. “No, I don’t.”
Duan Sifei let out a drawn-out “Oh,” his eyes sweeping faintly over a small tuft of golden cat fur on the floor.
. . . . .
The news of his cohabitation with Duan Sifei somehow spread throughout the research institute overnight.
The higher-ups issued a strict order forbidding anyone from discussing the incident with the deceased, and the restroom on the second floor was temporarily sealed off.
With that topic off-limits, the researchers needed something else to channel their emotions.
So, when Tang Xi and Duan Sifei arrived at the institute together, they found everyone staring at them.
Although walking with Duan Sifei usually attracted attention, today’s gazes felt particularly intense.
Some bold individuals still greeted the villain as usual, and Duan Sifei—known for his good manners and amiable personality—acknowledged them with a composed nod, as if completely unaware that he had become the center of gossip.
Tang Xi, on the other hand, couldn’t remain as calm. Feeling uneasy, he clung to Duan Sifei’s sleeve like a timid little follower.
Strangely enough, this behavior triggered the maternal instincts of most of the female researchers.
“How adorable! How did we never notice before?”
“He’s so thin! Has he not been eating properly?”
“Come to think of it, I don’t recall seeing him in the cafeteria much before Professor Duan arrived.”
One of the female researchers even handed him a packet of biscuits.
Tang Xi blushed and instinctively tried to hide behind Duan Sifei, but he still timidly accepted the biscuits.
Small and helpless, but still has an appetite.jpg
Duan Sifei, exuding the air of a responsible guardian, said, “Say thank you.”
“Thank you, sister,” Tang Xi replied sweetly.
Since he didn’t know her exact age, he simply called her “sister.”
With his youthful face, the researcher was thoroughly charmed by the way he addressed her.
“My son is already in college—what do you mean ‘sister’? You should be calling me ‘auntie’ instead.”
Tang Xi blinked in confusion, looking even more endearing.
More researchers suddenly felt the urge to feed him snacks.
And just like that, the young genius researcher became a familiar name within the institute.
Some of the lower-level researchers who had worked with him in the past felt a pang of jealousy. One of them, trying to ruin his image, whispered about how he was actually quite gloomy.
Before they could continue, someone immediately shot them down.
“He’s obviously adorable. So what if he’s a little introverted? Did he personally offend you or something?” The person speaking rolled their eyes dramatically.
The envious researcher turned around and realized—the one who defended Tang Xi was someone with a much higher rank.
Not someone they could afford to offend. They promptly shut their mouth.
Meanwhile, Chen Liu, hiding in the shadows, gritted his teeth in frustration.
He was the one who had started the rumors. With his good reputation among the researchers, it only took a few casual conversations and a strategically “accidental” slip of the tongue for the gossip to spread like wildfire.
But in the end, things didn’t unfold the way he had expected.
He originally wanted everyone to see through that act—the fake innocence.
Tang Xi was nothing more than someone who gained Professor Duan’s favor by pretending to be sweet, so why did so many people like him?
Jealousy surged like a tidal wave. Watching everything Tang Xi now had, Chen Liu felt as if all of it should have belonged to him in the first place.
Even his most devoted admirer, Jiang Jingcheng, hadn’t shown up lately, as if something had happened to him. This not only made Chen Liu resentful, but it also made him even more envious of Duan Sifei.
Tang Xi, oblivious to Chen Liu’s thoughts, happily carried a pile of biscuits back—gifts from the kind-hearted female researchers.
Seizing the opportunity when Duan Sifei was away, Chen Liu slipped into their laboratory once again.
He stared at Tang Xi coldly, not even bothering to keep up his usual pretense.
“Do you need something?” Tang Xi, having spent more time in Duan Sifei’s domain, had grown slightly bolder.
“You did it on purpose yesterday, didn’t you?” Chen Liu sneered.
…Did what on purpose?
[1551, is this so-called your child of fate a little dumb?] The cat spirit asked in confusion.
[1551 scoffed: He’s not ours, he belongs to this world.]
Besides, after the mission-taker intervened, he could no longer be considered a true child of fate.
Ironically, the one now favored by the world was none other than this silly cat.
Maybe it was because Tang Xi’s very existence defied the world’s natural order. 1551 had already realized after the last world that this little cat was so adored by fate that it could even alter reality itself.
Seeing Tang Xi remain silent, Chen Liu grew even angrier.
“If it weren’t for you, Professor Duan wouldn’t have noticed my humiliation yesterday! You only came to see me because you heard I nearly died at the hands of that murderer, right? You just wanted to mock me!”
The weight of that statement was staggering. Tang Xi instinctively latched onto the key information—
So yesterday, Chen Liu had been in that state because he had almost been killed by the murderer…?
Wait a minute. He had come into contact with the murderer?
This was a new breakthrough!