My Superpower Is Kind of Cute

Chapter 18: Another One Shattered

“I want to go take a look around,” Qi Yun said sheepishly from behind me. “Then go ahead. You’re not a three-year-old.” I said nonchalantly as I trailed behind the group. Only after I said it did I realize he couldn’t stray too far from me—so he really is no better than a three-year-old after all. I hesitated for a moment before whispering to him, “Not right now. If I slip away right after we got here, the old man will have something to say about it. Just wander around near me for now. After lunch, if I’m free this afternoon, I’ll take you out to play.” Seeing that I’d made my point, Qi Yun had no choice but to give in. He nodded and said, “All right.” After that, he really did wander around near me like a naive kid who’d never seen the world. I wasn’t worried—no one could see him anyway. The Fat Guy led us to the farmstay—to put it simply, it was a collection of somewhat run-down farmhouses that had been cleared out and converted into basic living quarters. Each household had a few spare guest rooms. The Fat Guy set aside several farmhouses that were close to one another for us,Chen Sheng took a quick look, nodded slightly, and then let the group of employees divide themselves into groups—on the condition, of course, that they could only share accommodations with people of the same sex. The old man certainly didn’t want to cause a scandal on a trip like this. “Forming groups on your own” is a rather curious phrase. On the one hand, it’s based on the principle of voluntariness, but on the other hand, it’s closely tied to personal attributes. Those with better looks will always be favored by others, thereby gaining more options; the same goes for those with average looks but better financial means. If you have neither, then in the end, birds of a feather flock together, and you’ll inevitably be paired with others like yourself… I couldn’t help but feel that the scene before me was somewhat familiar—it was exactly like forming groups for a spring outing in elementary school. Just as I expected, those less-than-attractive guys kept trying to sneak into the girls’ groups, only to be ruthlessly rejected. In the end, the ones left out had no choice but to pair up and trudge back to their rooms in a huff, grumbling all the way about how “this event really sucks.” While we were splitting into groups on our own, a few young girls came over and asked me in a roundabout way about the spot I’d chosen, but I brushed them off with vague answers. Of course, I knew they were trying to hit on me, but I’m not that kind of guy—there’s no way I’d let them have their way so easily. Qi Yun saw me like this and gave me a mocking look. “You’re clearly just saying they’re too small… and I’m not talking about age.” I feigned confusion. “Who exactly is ‘Mingming’? What does it have to do with me if he thinks the girls have small chests?” In the end, the old man just dragged me into his room and made me stay with him. There were two beds in the room—one for each of us. I looked utterly miserable. If I’d known it would turn out like this—like a dream—I never would’ve turned down those girls’ requests. After we’d each picked a room, the fat guy led us to the orchard to pick fresh fruit. Though it was called an orchard, there was actually only one kind of fruit there right now: bright red strawberries. They were fresh, plump, and growing right on the ground—if you stepped on one by accident, bright red juice would squirt out. The girls crouched down and picked them with great delight, their laughter and playful banter never ceasing,As for us guys, we stood in front of the girls picking strawberries, our eyes constantly darting downward—we were equally captivated by the view. I, on the other hand, seemed rather unenthusiastic; compared to picking strawberries, I’d much rather have someone plant them for me… After we finished picking, that fat guy led us to the riverbank to catch fish. I’d never been here before, and upon closer inspection, the scenery was actually quite nice—a sea of emerald green, fresh air, and a river so clear you could see right to the bottom. If I closed my eyes, I could hear the sound of the water flowing. But even such a delightful view couldn’t purify the ugly soul of Qi Yun standing right next to me. “Mengmeng, look—that girl’s clothes are soaked. Wow, and they’re even black lace…” Qi Yun muttered in my ear as if he’d discovered a new continent. “You shameless jerk, stop thinking about stuff like that all the time… Damn it, you’re lying—it’s clearly just plain black. Where’s the lace?” Amid all the banter, it was soon time for dinner. The fat guy had done his job well—he’d already set out a table full of food, waiting for us to eat. I sat next to my dad; he seemed to be in a good mood,and insisted on having a couple of drinks with me. I reluctantly clinked glasses with him a few times. I was fine, but he seemed to have had a bit too much—his face flushed, he was enthusiastically telling the female staff members sitting nearby embarrassing stories about me wetting the bed back in kindergarten. Naturally, I wasn’t happy about it, so I grabbed his arm to take him back to his room, but the old man was pretty stubborn. He shook me off and said he wanted to check out the museum. I said with a sigh, “What’s there to see at the museum here? It’s full of fakes, and they’re so insincere—they won’t even keep the air conditioning on all day.” “You’re questioning my ability to appraise antiques,” the old man snapped, pointing at me. “This is my hobby.” Dad wasn’t lying about that. Ever since I can remember, he’s been obsessed with these pots, jars, and other trinkets that have to be dug straight out of the ground. He doesn’t even like the good ones—they have to be covered in dirt, and preferably have a few cracks. He’s wasted a lot of money on these things, and in my eyes, he’s just a dilettante. Anyway, all those weird and wonderful things he’d brought home before were tossed into the storage room by my mom as junk. They had a huge fight over it, and in the end, my dad gave in. Times have changed—women hold up more than just half the sky these days. If they really get mad at you, they can even push your lungs right out of your body. Ever since then, my dad has had to operate in secret, scraping together a little from his pitiful allowance to keep buying that junk. This time, he didn’t dare tell my mom he was coming to the museum… In the end, I couldn’t resist him and tagged along. I certainly didn’t want him to end up smashing something valuable—Qi Yun alone was already enough to deal with. As for the others, some tagged along, while others were either snapping photos to post online and show off or heading back to their rooms. With the old man gone, the dinner party just fizzled out. The fat guy walked beside us, wearing a sycophantic expression as he kept pointing out the sights around us. After walking for about ten minutes, we arrived at the museum I’d visited before. Just as I’d expected, the museum doors were locked, and the air conditioning inside hadn’t even been turned on yet. As soon as we stepped inside, a musty smell hit us. The fat guy went in first to turn on the air conditioning, then welcomed us in one by one. Although this was my second time here, I still wasn’t impressed. Listening to the people behind me exclaim in wonder as they looked at the jars and pots and read the descriptions on the display boards, I couldn’t help but wonder: Were they blind? Didn’t a single one of them notice the four big characters “Made in Z” stamped on the rim of every pot? …… The old man, on the other hand, seemed thoroughly fascinated, even touching them with his hand from time to time. I watched with bated breath, staying right by his side the whole time. “Mr. Chen, if you like them, feel free to take a few home.” The fat guy was pretty clueless, persistently urging the old man to take a few home. As soon as he said that, he immediately sensed my anger and looked at me with a confused expression, still having no idea why I was so upset. But I couldn’t tell him the real reason—it was so damn infuriating. The others were still fooling around in every corner of the museum. Due to funding issues, some of the jars and pots didn’t even have display cases—they were just left out for anyone to handle. Unfortunately, I didn’t have three heads and six arms, and I couldn’t keep an eye on every single person here to make sure they didn’t go touching things. All I could do was pray in my heart that no one would cause any trouble. “Crack!” A loud sound came from behind me—it sounded like something had been smashed. Just what I was afraid of—as soon as I heard that sound, I closed my eyes in despair, lowered my head, touched my forehead, and muttered under my breath, “We’re screwed.”