IBO – Chapter 8 On Unresolved Issues Left by History

This novel contains sensitive and taboo content like R*pe, Mu**er etc. Read only if you are comfortable.

After pressing the soil down firmly, Song Yiran rummaged through the storage room and pulled out a green plastic watering can.

Looking at the watering can, he felt as though he’d been taken back to his childhood. Back then, when it was his turn to be on duty at school, they also used this exact kind of green plastic watering can.

Seriously, what kind of taste does Xiao Zhong’er have?

He even dug out this kind of green plastic watering can that reeks of a bygone era.

Couldn’t he have gotten something with a bit more flair?

This green plastic watering can was way too ordinary—he’d already been using it back when he was a kid.

Tsk tsk tsk, Xiao Zhong’er’s taste really is a mystery.

At this moment, Song Yiran still didn’t know that the one he was throwing shade at was actually himself.

This green plastic watering can was something “he” had once mentioned to Xiao Zhong’er—but that was the “him” from the previous cycle.

After filling the watering can with water, Song Yiran went over to water the freshly planted seeds.

He actually didn’t have much experience with growing plants, nor did he know whether seeds that had just been planted should be watered.

But whatever—water them anyway.

If nothing grows, he’d just look for the all-powerful Xiao Zhong’er. Song Yiran thought happily.

He carried the watering can leisurely, watering the newly planted seeds, looking exactly like a seventy-year-old grandpa carefully tending to his flowers and plants.

Song Buli was also watching enthusiastically from the side.

Inside the space, Xiao Zhong’er saw this scene and happily did a backflip in midair.

All that hard work digging out that long-outdated green plastic watering can hadn’t been in vain!

Plan successful!

Using a green plastic watering can to water plants was a small, unfulfilled wish from the previous “Song Yiran.”

At the end of that cycle, “Song Yiran’s” final wish had been that, when history restarted again, all the little regrets left behind last time could be made whole.

In order to fulfill “Song Yiran’s” wish, Xiao Zhong’er carefully reviewed all the memories related to “Song Yiran” in his database.

He compiled a list of every small wish “Song Yiran” had ever mentioned.

Before history replayed once more, Xiao Zhong’er spent a long time collecting all the items on that list, recreating for Song Yiran a childcare center that “Song Yiran” had longed for.

The childcare center in the previous timeline had been an ordinary local interstellar one, without a single thing from Blue Star.

Back then, “Song Yiran” often missed Blue Star and especially hoped that the childcare center could have things from there.

Xiao Zhong’er watched happily as Song Yiran slowly watered the seeds with the green plastic watering can that “Song Yiran” had always yearned for.

He was finally useful. Last time, he hadn’t been able to fulfill “Song Yiran’s” little wishes.

This time, he finally did it.

He was a useful system!

After lowering his head to think for a while, Xiao Zhong’er’s beady eyes grew sharp for once.

He had decided—this time, even if he had to give it everything he had, he would not let history repeat itself again.

He wanted to give his contractor a perfect ending.

Even if, in that final ending, there was no place for him.

Xiao Zhong’er stared unblinkingly at Song Yiran, who was watering at a leisurely pace.

Through the screen of the space, he pressed his forehead against Song Yiran’s: “Young man, I will do everything in my power to fulfill all your wishes.

I swear in the name of ‘the Great God of History’s faithful guardian.’”

Meanwhile, Song Yiran was still watering slowly.

As he watered, he began thinking about his past self.

He used to do everything at a leisurely pace. Later, as his workload increased, he realized that wouldn’t do.

After entering middle school, he forced himself to move faster—otherwise, he really would end up doing homework until the early hours of the morning.

That situation continued all the way through college graduation. Now that he was here, with no pressure at all and only the task of raising the cubs…

Once he relaxed, his movements naturally slowed down again.

But that was fine—there was no pressure anyway.

After finishing watering, Song Yiran sat down right where he was. He pulled the ever-following Song Buli into his arms and began imagining the future.

“Lili, big brother just planted pomelo tree seeds. Once they grow up, pomelo trees will grow here.

When the pomelo trees mature, they’ll bear pomelos. Then we’ll have pomelos to eat every year.

The trees I planted yesterday will also grow up in a few years. They’ll grow really, really big.

When summer comes, we’ll be able to enjoy the shade under the big trees.

Lots of children will come here in the future. Then we’ll have lots of family.

Lili was the first to come, so later on Lili will be the big brother. You’ll have lots of little sisters or little brothers.

Big brother can even make a few swings and push you all while you play.

Lili is four years old this year. In a few days, after your birthday, you’ll be five.

Then it’ll be time for Lili to start classes. Big brother will work hard to teach you everything I know.

When Lili grows up, you’ll definitely be especially cute—after all, you’re already cute now.

Before long, there’ll be lots of children here. Big brother will take good care of all of you…”

Song Yiran said a lot—so much that, in the end, he didn’t even know what else there was to say.

He simply held Song Buli and watched the clouds together. White clouds always had a way of soothing the heart.

As he watched, his thoughts drifted away along with the clouds.

When he first saw this childcare center, he thought it was a kindergarten. Only later did he realize it was actually an orphanage.

He had always been afraid he wouldn’t do well, after all—he had no experience raising children.

But Xiao Zhong’er had said with such certainty that he was the chosen one. If that was the case, then he should be able to do it, right?

He could do it. He had always been his parents’ pride.

He was a model youth—how could he possibly fail at raising kids?

He would definitely raise all the children well!

Though, strictly speaking, he himself was also an orphan. In that sense, they were all gathered together.

Song Yiran’s parents had both passed away when he was twenty.

For ordinary people, passing away in their forties was indeed a bit early—but for his parents, dying at that age was actually expected.

Both of his parents had hereditary heart disease, but fortunately, he hadn’t inherited it.

When he was very young, his parents had already told him about this and made him prepare in advance for their passing.

When that day finally came, Song Yiran—after more than a decade of preparation—was able to face it calmly.

He handled their funeral arrangements with composure, then bought several packs of beer and a whole box of instant noodles, locked himself inside the house for a week.

When he came out, Song Yiran swore he would never touch instant noodles again in this lifetime.

Because the moment he ate instant noodles, he’d think of the days right after his parents passed away. Even now, whenever he thought of those days, the longing still made his throat tighten.

After his parents passed away, he followed their instructions and rented out the several buildings at home, settling into life as a landlord.

With that money, he smoothly completed his studies.

But thinking about it now still made him furious—he had just graduated from college and was on his way to a job interview when he got hit and died.

He hadn’t even managed to land a single job.

If, in his next life, he ever ran into that drunk-driving male driver again, he would definitely smash that bastard’s head into the ground.

Still, after coming here, he could finally raise fluffy creatures.

Song Yiran had loved fluffy animals since he was little. As a child, he’d begged his parents to buy a dog.

He excitedly prepared a little nest and food for the dog—only to have an allergic reaction that very same day.

That was the day Song Yiran learned he was allergic to animal fur.

The puppy was sent to a relative’s child, and his dream of raising pets was shattered.

From then on, Song Yiran could only “virtually” indulge in fluffy animals through TV and books. Every time he walked down the street and saw something fluffy, he’d envy it to no end.

He also often fed the sterilized stray animals in his neighborhood, but every time he could only put the food down and then watch from afar—touching them wasn’t allowed at all.

Ah, truly a sad story.

Song Yiran felt quite fortunate. In his previous life, no matter what he did, he was never able to keep any fluffy little ones. But this time, the moment he arrived, he could raise a whole orphanage full of fluffies.

Although right now there was only one fluffy in the entire orphanage, he believed that in the future there would be many more.

When that time came, he could rub whichever one he wanted!

Song Yiran felt like he had arrived in heaven.

At that moment, an image suddenly surfaced in his mind. In a strange courtyard, there were several fluffies—every single one of them male fluffies.

Those male fluffies were all calling him “big brother,” and among them was Song Buli.

But the rest of the fluffies were ones Song Yiran had never seen before.

They called out to him again and again, as if they never knew fatigue. Yet in that scene, Song Yiran couldn’t move at all—he could only watch helplessly, unable to give them any response.

He felt as if he had forgotten something, and that feeling was awful.

He could only recall some fragmented pieces; anything deeper, he simply couldn’t remember.

It was like placing a watermelon in front of you, letting you take only one bite, and then taking the rest away.

The size of that strange courtyard seemed to be about the same as this one.

But everything inside it was completely different.

In the courtyard in his mind grew many towering trees he had never seen before, all with bizarre and peculiar shapes.

Meanwhile, the courtyard here had no large trees at all—only the small saplings he had planted yesterday, all of which were species he had once seen on Blue Star.

Song Yiran felt that he might be hallucinating.

But that feeling was very strange. When those fluffies called him “big brother,” his heart gave a sharp twinge.

He was very sure that he hadn’t inherited any heart condition from his parents, and besides, the body he had here was an enhanced copy-and-paste version made by Xiao Zhong’er—there was no way it could have any heart problems.

And when he heard those repeated cries of “big brother,” Song Yiran felt as though a group of younger brothers were calling out to an older brother who had been separated from them.

Perhaps those fluffies really would come here one day.

Song Yiran decided to go with the flow.

He really was better suited to being a salted fish.

He would leave everything to fate and just lie flat.

Still, maybe that image was a premonition of something.

Under what circumstances would a group of younger brothers keep calling out to their big brother?

And why would the big brother never give even the slightest response from beginning to end?

Perhaps the big brother had already left the younger brothers forever. So no matter how much they called, he couldn’t hear them—and naturally, there would be no response.

For some reason, thinking of this made Song Yiran’s heart start to ache again.

It was as if he had personally witnessed it—no matter how the younger brothers called out, the big brother was unable to return.

Song Yiran’s guess was half correct.

That previous “him” had no way to come back. He could only watch helplessly as the younger brothers kept calling out to him.

“He” wanted to tell the younger brothers that “he” was right here, but couldn’t make a sound at all.

“He” met his ending with regret.

In the end, the younger brothers never managed to wait for even a single sentence of “Big brother is here.”