I'm being held captive by a monster

Chapter 275 Mom

South City, Happiness Garden Community.

12:20 a.m.

"The area is safe."

After Lin Xing'an conducted a gloomy inspection of the entire community, he gave some instructions to Si Que, who was in the River of Time.

"What do we need to do?"

Should I give you hope?

He looked at the clouds.

Yunxia shook her head. "It'll be right here. Just wait a little while."

She drew the curtains and turned on the lights.

"it is good……"

As the warm yellow light illuminated the house, Lin Xing'an felt a momentary daze again.

Memories of his childhood at home unconsciously surfaced from the depths of his mind.

"..."

Yunxia lowered her eyes and remained silent, as if she were carefully sensing something, and slowly walked around the living room.

As she walked, she raised her hand and gently brushed over every table, chair, and bench in the living room, including all the small ornaments.

A faint, dreamlike blue mist slowly appeared as her fingertips brushed against the object.

"Gudong..."

Lin Xing'an raised his hand.

Blue light seeped through his fingers and slowly gathered on the sofa.

Only a sense of familiarity lingered on Lin Xing'an's skin.

mom……

A look of realization dawned on Lin Xing'an's eyes.

These blue light mists are the "memories" that Yu Yu has left in this house.

This is the last "trace" of Yu Yu's existence in this world.

"Fang Ying, this is the significance of your past two years."

"You did a very good job."

"Thank you."

Lin Xing'an looked at Fang Ying beside him and said sincerely.

Without Fang Ying's protection, these remaining traces of Yu Yu wouldn't be so numerous, nor so... pristine.

"I should be thanking you..."

Fang Ying was also somewhat moved when she spoke.

She even gripped the hem of her clothes tightly with a hint of nervousness in her hands.

As the clouds touched more and more objects, the blue haze also increased.

And on the sofa...

A figure that Lin Xing'an was extremely familiar with was slowly taking shape.

"call……"

Yunxia walked through the bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, storage room...

After walking through every corner of the house, when she returned to the living room, the blue mist finally disappeared.

All the light and mist had gathered on the sofa, forming a phantom image of Yu Yu.

It seemed as if it sensed Lin Xing'an's gaze.

The wisp of light, which was only roughly human-shaped, slowly turned its head to the side.

"Om~"

Yunxia's long hair suddenly started moving on its own without any wind.

Lin Xing'an felt a wave of dizziness wash over him.

He subconsciously closed his eyes, feeling as if he were immersed in a warm current, a kind of illusory sensation.

This is the effect of Yunxia's [Hallucination] ability.

"..."

The dizziness gradually subsided.

Lin Xing'an lowered his arm and opened his eyes.

Under the warm yellow light, Yu Yu was sitting on the sofa wearing her most often simple home dress.

She looked at Lin Xing'an.

Her waist-length black hair was still smooth, and her thin lips seemed to be smiling.

His eyes and brows were brimming with tenderness and love.

Lin Xing'an was also looking at Yu Yu.

Fifteen years have passed.

But the Yu Yu before him was exactly the same as the one Lin Xing'an remembered from when he was six years old.

He opened his mouth, as if to say something.

But for some reason, the sound seemed to be stuck in my throat, and I couldn't make a sound at all.

Even after arriving in Nancheng, Lin Xing'an had mentally simulated countless scenarios of what it would be like to meet Yu Yu and the emotions that would arise.

But at this moment, an indescribable sense of complexity still enveloped Lin Xing'an.

After he woke up in Beicheng, Taoyuan showed him several videos that Yu Yu had left for him.

There was none of the direct and intense emotional expression that Lin Xing'an had imagined...

Yu Yu simply and gently recounted what she did after being "awakened" by Peach Blossom Spring.

She was just feeling regret.

Unfortunately, the time she spent with Lin Xing'an as a "human" and as a "mother" was only a short week.

After reading it, Lin Xing'an felt as if he had experienced a light drizzle in late autumn.

There was no thunder or howling wind.

There was only a... chill.

For the first time, he deeply realized that he no longer had a mother.

When he learned of Yu Yu's "love" for him, Yu Yu had already died.

When he realized what Yu Yu had done for him, all that was left was sighing and regret.

And now...

Lin Xing'an blinked, his lips trembling slightly.

The long period of undercover work and training made him subconsciously suppress his emotions, and he almost forgot how to express them.

Yu Yu and Yu Yu simply looked at each other in silence.

"Sweetie, time to go home~"

Yu Yu's eyes were red as she got up and walked to Lin Xing'an's side.

Even though it was just an illusion, just a collection of memories left in this house, Lin Xing'an could still vaguely sense the scent in Yu Yu's hair.

That's just the smell of a common shampoo.

but……

Lin Xing'an adjusted his breathing, exhaled softly, and let Yu Yu hold his hand.

"My sweet baby has grown so tall and handsome! In the blink of an eye, he's taller than Mommy!"

Yu Yu smiled and looked up at Lin Xing'an.

One hand was rubbing Lin Xing'an's hand, while the other hand was placed on Lin Xing'an's face.

"Why are you so thin? Is the food not good for you while your mother isn't around?"

"It would be perfect if your face were a little chubby, like when you were little."

Do you have a girlfriend?

"Have you missed your mom? Why did it take you so long to come see her?"

She rubbed Lin Xing'an's face with the back of her hand.

It was as if Lin Xing'an was just a phantom that could disappear at any moment.

The warm, orange light shone on her face, illuminating the glistening tears in her eyes.

"……mom……"

Lin Xing'an had a lot on his mind.

But in the end, he could only sigh silently and call out.

The voice was a little hoarse.

That one word made Yu Yu freeze in place.

She looked at Lin Xing'an, her brows furrowed, but the tears that had been welling up in her eyes couldn't help but roll down her cheeks.

"My sweet baby~ This is the first time you've called me 'Mama'~"

"Sigh, it's my first time..."

Yu Yu's body trembled as she wiped away her tears, and she said with a smile.

"Mom, I'm sorry..."

Lin Xing'an closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He certainly knew what Yu Yu meant by "the first time".

This was the first time he had ever treated Yu Yu as his mother, calling her "Mom."

"Mommy is so sorry, my sweetie~"

Yu Yu, with red eyes, looked at Lin Xing'an.

Besides tenderness, his eyes were also full of pride!
"That's wonderful..."

Fang Ying, who was standing to the side, had tears in her eyes at some point, and she smiled and sighed.

Only after witnessing this scene did she truly feel the significance of what she had done over the past two years.

"An'an, my illusion will only last for a few hours, I will try to prolong it as much as possible."

"Yu Yu's memories now only extend to this house."

"This memory doesn't mean she only remembers things that happened in the room." "She didn't experience them in the room, but as long as she recalled them there, she would still have some recollection, so..."

Yunxia glanced at the time and nodded to Lin Xing'an.

"understood."

Lin Xing'an closed his eyes, adjusted himself, and nodded as well.

"Fang Ying and I are waiting for you outside, don't worry."

Yunxia pulled Fang Ying over.

Only Yu Yu and Lin Xing'an remained in the living room.

"My sweet baby, now Mommy can rely on you too~"

Yu Yu put his arm around Lin Xing'an's shoulder and held Lin Xing'an's hand, as if afraid that Lin Xing'an would run away.

But Lin Xing'an could sense it.

Yu Yu did not actually "touch" him.

Yu Yu is just a "phantom," a "phantom" that will disappear permanently in a few hours.

Thinking of this, Lin Xing'an felt another pang of regret.

"Sweetie, don't be afraid."

"Mom is always in your heart and in your mind."

As if guessing what Lin Xing'an was thinking, Yu Yu tapped his heart with his finger and said with a smile.

Lin Xing'an smiled as well.

“Mom, I remember it was on this sofa that morning when the committee came to check the surveillance footage.”

“At that moment, I thought I was going to die, but you held my hand and told me not to be afraid.”

"Then I saw that the surveillance footage in front of me had completely changed."

Although time seems a bit tight.

But Lin Xing'an was still not in a hurry, and instead recalled what he had said.

"You were only six years old back then!"

A smile also appeared on Yu Yu's face.

"My sweetheart, do you remember the night you came back from the train station?"

"That night it was raining so hard, you child, you went through so much, and when you came back you still had to deal with your mother, pretending nothing happened..."

Yu Yu held Lin Xing'an's hand.

The two of them continued reminiscing, one sentence at a time.

"My dear child, how is your aunt...?"

Looking at the photo of her and Yu Shihe on the TV cabinet, Yu Yu asked with some concern.

"My aunt is doing well and is safe."

"You're kidding, your aunt must be frantically looking for you, right? She likes you the most."

Yu Yu tucked her long hair behind her ear and glared at Lin Xing'an.

"An'an, didn't Mom tell you back then that you and your aunt should live a quiet life together?"

"You child, how did you end up participating in Peach Blossom Spring's plan? Why don't you listen to your mother?"

Although Lin Xing'an had not told Yu Yu anything about himself.

But Yu Yu still reprimanded him.

His eyes were filled with distress.

"Mom, I want to protect Auntie, I want to protect everyone."

"It's like you're protecting me."

Lin Xing'an paused for a moment before speaking.

Yu Yu nodded silently.

"My dear, now that you've made this choice, you absolutely must succeed!"

Just like when she was a child, she gently but firmly ruffled Lin Xing'an's hair.

"Sweetie, you went to see Uncle He? Who took you?"

Yu Yu looked at the photo album Lin Xing'an had brought and the small glass bottle filled with sunlight on the coffee table.

She tried to take it, but her hand went straight through it.

“It’s Jiang Rong. She told me to call her Grandma.”

Lin Xing'an quickly brought the items over.

"Jiang Rong...?"

Yu Yu pouted, a look of confusion on her face.

"I... don't have much of a memory."

"Mom, this is a photo of you and Aunt Xiaojing. Jiang Rong is Aunt Xiaojing's mother."

The first photo in the album is a picture of Yu Yu and Xiao Jing on the beach.

"Xiaojing, Xiaojing..."

Yu Yu looked at the photo, but still shook his head.

"Mom doesn't remember much..."

"But Mom remembers going to see Uncle He by herself when she was little..."

Yu Yu frowned and said.

“…Is that so…”

Lin Xing'an raised an eyebrow.

Logically speaking, if Yu Yu now remembers "going to find Uncle He," it proves that she must have recalled this event while in this house.

But since it's a memory, why wouldn't I remember the good friends I went with back then...?

"An'an, be careful with this Jiang Rong."

"Mom thought about it and realized that she was always alone when she went to see Uncle He, and she didn't have any good friends."

"Although...this photo looks real."

"But I feel something's not right."

Yu Yu held Lin Xing'an's hand and gave him instructions.

"understood."

Lin Xing'an pursed his lips and nodded.

“Mom, Uncle He said this photo album is the one you specifically asked to find.”

Is there a secret hidden in this photo album?

He turned the pages one by one and asked.

He had read it several times before coming.

Inside were various group photos, and at first glance, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"Hmm... I was thinking about that too."

“I do have the impression that I want this album, and one photo in this album is very important.”

"But which one specifically, and why it's important, I..."

Yu Yu rubbed his temples and sighed helplessly.

"It's okay, Mom, I'll turn it over slowly."

Lin Xing'an, however, was in no hurry. He looked at Yu Yu and flipped through the photo album page by page.

"Stop! This one!"

Yu Yu suddenly grabbed Lin Xing'an's hand, her gaze fixed on a large group photo with seventy or eighty people in the album.

“This… someone in this picture is very important…”

"But specifically... Mom can't remember..."

Yu Yu said with a slight apology.

"Someone...?"

Lin Xingan pulled out the group photo.

Even though more than forty years have passed, this photo album is still kept in Uncle He's damp basement.

However, the damage to the photo was not severe.

With proper care, you can generally make out the faces of everyone in the photos.

"Mom, is this the only group photo you remember?"

"Um……"

Yu Yu nodded, his gaze sweeping over each person above.

His eyes were also full of confusion.

She doesn't remember anyone.

"That means this very important person is only in this group photo, and not in any other photos."

"I'll check them one by one carefully when I get back."

Lin Xingan carefully kept the group photo separately.

"clever!"

Yu Yu blinked, then smiled and gave Lin Xing'an a thumbs up, as if praising a child!
"Mom, do you remember... Uncle He had a basement in his ship repair shop in the south of the city, and in the basement..."

"Is there a super huge cruise ship?"

Lin Xing'an asked while observing Yu Yu's expression.

"..."

After he asked the question, Yu Yu was clearly taken aback.

After a long while, he slowly nodded.

"There is something very, very important on that cruise ship."

"That thing can change the fate of humanity, or rather, the entire chicken coop."

She turned her head, looked at Lin Xing'an, and said with utmost seriousness.

(End of this chapter)