A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 1458 Have you ever heard stories of beasts and things worse than beasts? (Please subscribe!)
Whoosh!

A curtain divides the two large beds that are joined together into two halves.

Gu Xiaojiao secured the curtain on both sides, then suddenly lifted it, poked her head out, and said warily:
"This is a last resort, but let's make it clear first: whoever crosses this curtain is playing dirty tricks!"

Hua Twelve pointed to her head, deeply agreeing:
"Help! Someone's playing with pomegranates here!"

Gu Xiaojiao pulled down the curtain in an annoyed tone: "You're the one who's a scoundrel! You can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth!"

She jumped off the bed from the other side and then fell silent for a long time.

Curious, Hua Shier peered through the curtain and saw Gu Xiaojiao holding a photo frame, staring blankly at the photo inside.

In the photo, a middle-aged man is holding a little girl, and both of them are smiling brightly, exuding happiness. Judging from their faces and expressions, they are probably father and daughter.

Hua Shier knew that Gu Xiaojiao was thinking of her deceased father again.

Without disturbing Gu Xiaojiao's reverie, Hua Shier dressed and prepared to go out, but as soon as he moved, Gu Xiaojiao immediately snapped back to reality and suddenly said:

"Hey you, could you give me a key to your place? I'd like to come over and have a look around!"

Hua Twelve said irritably:
“My name isn’t that person. When I showed you the property certificate, didn’t you see my name? My name is… well, you can call me Hua Twelve!”

He originally wanted to give Xiang Pengfei's name, but then he thought that he was Xiang Pengfei in 88, and apart from that, he was still himself, so he simply gave his original name.

Gu Xiaojiao, unsuspecting, stood up and said in a slightly more formal tone:

"Hello Hua Shier, let's get to know each other again. My name is Gu Xiaojiao!"

Hua Shier nodded: "I already know, your employee ID is on the table!"

Speaking of employee badges, Gu Xiaojiao thought of something and quickly glanced at her watch:
"Oh dear, I'm too late! I was planning to visit you, but I have to work this afternoon. I'll have to do it tonight!"

After she finished speaking, she looked up at Hua Twelve:
"Did you agree to what I just said? I... I can also give you a key to my place, so you can come over and browse whenever you want."

She was halfway through her sentence when she suddenly realized:
"Wait a minute, that's not right. How could you go out and then come back in through this door if you didn't have my key?"

Hua Shier wanted to ask if he needed a key to enter, but fearing the woman might overthink things, he changed his approach:

"Maybe it's because the security is good where you are. I didn't even lock the door when I went out, and when I came back, nothing was stolen!"

Gu Xiaojiao was relieved:
"Our area is safer than yours, with security cameras everywhere, but it's not like there aren't thieves. You can't leave the door unlocked next time you go out!"

She told Hua Shier to wait a moment, then took a spare key from the drawer and handed it to him. Only after he had put it away did she reach out her hand:
"And yours?"

Hua Shier took out a spare key and handed it to Gu Xiaojiao, but thought to himself: It's no use giving it to you, you can't even open the door.

Gu Xiaojiao took the key, but instead of putting it away, she went straight to open the door next to Hua Shier:
"Let me try it and see if it works!"

As expected, Gu Xiaojiao gripped the doorknob and twisted it with force, causing the entire house to shake.

Hua Shier stomped his foot, locking the space in place, and the tremors gradually stopped.

Gu Xiaojiao was stunned: "What's going on? An earthquake?"

Hua Shier pretended to be clueless: "I don't know, maybe there's construction going on nearby!"

Gu Xiaojiao wanted to say that there were no construction sites around, so who would be working? But then she suddenly remembered that there were none in 18, but there were in 88. She immediately nodded and continued to twist the door hard.

This time there was no tremor, but the door remained completely still.

"Hey, what's going on? Why can't I open this door?"

Hua Shier walked over and gently turned the knob; without much effort, the door opened naturally.

"Is it that easy?"

Gu Xiaojiao tried it; the door was already open, and she could turn the doorknob however she wanted without any effort.

She inserted the key into the lock to make sure it was for this door, then went back inside, closed the door, and tried to turn the lock again—but it wouldn't turn.

"I go!"

Gu Xiaojiao refused to believe it and tried several times without success. Then she asked Hua Shier to open the door again so she could try.

The result left her somewhat frustrated. This door was accessible to the wind and rain, and even Hua Twelve could enter, but Gu Xiaojiao couldn't. Did she have some royal blood?
Gu Xiaojiao looked at Hua Shier suspiciously: "Try it on my side!"

Hua Shier pushed open the door and went out, taking a breath of the terrible air of 2018. Hmm, much worse than back in '88.

I, Gu Xiaojiao, suspect that I am being targeted by the authorities, but I have no evidence.

Hua Shier then pretended to speak:

"Do you think it's because I was the first person to pass through the time portal, so only I can open the doors to both sides?"

Gu Xiaojiao said dejectedly, "That's the only explanation!"

She raised her head and said in a slightly pleading tone:

"Then when I go to your place next time, I'll have to trouble you to open the door for me!"

Gu Xiaojiao suddenly remembered that her parents were still alive in 88, so she wanted to go see her parents in 88, and of course, herself when she was one year old.

Hua Shier could guess her thoughts, so he didn't make things difficult for her and nodded, saying:
"Okay, just let me know when the time comes!"

Gu Xiaojiao was genuinely worried that Hua Shier wouldn't agree, and she felt a huge weight lifted off her shoulders. She then checked the time again.

"I have to go to work this afternoon and don't have time to cook now. How about I treat you to something to eat at our place? Consider it an early thank you for opening the door for me!"

Hua Shier smiled and said, "That would be great! I'll go visit your area after you start work!"

He said that, but he actually had other things to do.

The two went outside together and saw the same woman again. She was chatting with several elderly people in the shade, and she was very welcoming to the two of them.
"Xiao Jiao, get up!"
Gu Xiaojiao chuckled and nodded: "Sigh, get out!"

The eldest sister pointed at Hua Shier: "You found that 'Black Cat Detective,' he looks just like that!"

Hua Shier's face darkened when he heard "Black Cat Detective," and when the woman called him Old Deng, he was immediately displeased. He was about to go over and "challenge" her; who was he afraid of when it came to a verbal fight!
As a result, Gu Xiaojiao dragged him away relentlessly, and Hua Shier was still unhappy:

"Why are you pulling me? Didn't you hear her call me Old Deng?"

Gu Xiaojiao was both amused and exasperated: "They were speaking Shanghainese. 'Lao deng yang' means 'decent,' so 'lao deng yang' means 'very decent'!"

"is it?"

Although Hua Shier had spent a considerable amount of time in Shanghai, he still found the local dialect difficult to understand, with many words not readily comprehensible. After hearing Gu Xiaojiao's explanation, his anger instantly subsided: "Well, she has good taste. I'd definitely go for Deng, absolutely!"

Gu Xiaojiao giggled.

The two ate a bite nearby, and then Gu Xiaojiao went to catch the bus. After she left, Hua Shier found a secluded spot and released the T1000. Well, as long as no one was around, it was fine; cameras wouldn't be able to capture the T1000 because the data would be tampered with by the AI.

After explaining the situation to T1000, the latter started working and, in less than ten minutes, in 2018, completed the process of obtaining Hua Twelve's identity information.

From the moment he was born, everything was arranged perfectly by T1000, and no one could find anything wrong with it.

Just ten days later, Hua Shier will be able to pick up his 'replaced' ID card at the nearby police station.

Having secured his identity information, Hua Shier had nothing else to do in 2018. He returned home and installed an anti-theft system using the "Feng Hou Qi Men" method.

It's better to avoid the trouble caused by some thief who might break in when he's not home in '88 and run into Gu Xiaojiao.

It didn't take much effort for Hua Shier to set up the security system. From now on, no one can enter the house except for him and Gu Xiaojiao, or with the two of them leading the way.

Having taken care of all that, Hua Shier opened the gates and went back to school for classes.

That evening, Hua Twelve left his clone in the dormitory as usual and returned to the villa. Gu Xiaojiao had already returned and was cooking at home.

Seeing Hua Shier open the door, she turned her head and said:

"I made a little extra, let's eat together later!"

Hua Shier raised an eyebrow: "Unsolicited kindness is always suspicious. So, what do you need from me?"

Gu Xiaojiao said irritably, "Eat it or don't, it's up to you!"

He continued cooking.

Hua Shier ignored her and sat at the dining table, reading and waiting. A moment later, Gu Xiaojiao brought the food up and glared at him.
"What an old man! He doesn't even know to help serve the food!"

Hua Shier chuckled: "I don't need to ask anyone for anything. People who need help will naturally handle these trivial matters, right?"

Gu Xiaojiao couldn't help but glare at him again before awkwardly saying:

"Okay, okay, I'd like to ask you for a favor. I'd like to visit your place tonight, could you come with me? I heard the area isn't very safe at night!"

Hua Shier picked up his chopsticks: "Let's see how you do!"

Gu Xiaojiao immediately smiled, quickly took a beer from the refrigerator, opened it, and placed it in front of Hua Shier:
"Didn't you say this beer was good? I bought two more dozen after get off work today."

Hua Shier picked it up, took a sip, and said with a smile, "Good job, keep it up!"

Gu Xiaojiao pursed her lips upon hearing this, but when she saw him looking over, she changed her expression to a smile:
"Eat some vegetables! How do you think my stir-fry is?"

After dinner, Hua Shier opened the door on the 88 side, got on his bicycle, patted the back seat, and said, "Let's go, I'll take you wherever you want to go!"

Gu Xiaojiao first mentioned a place, and Hua Shier rode his bike there, only to find a cluster of old houses being demolished.

Hua Shier asked, puzzled, "What's so interesting about this?"

Gu Xiaojiao paused for a moment, then said:

"A villa will be built in this place in 93, and that will be my later home!"

She got back on the bicycle: "Let's go, to another place!"

"okay!"

Hua Shier nimbly leaped onto the bicycle, then kicked Gu Xiaojiao off. The girl scrambled to her feet and chased after the bicycle, giving it a good beating.

After causing a ruckus, they set off again, following Gu Xiaojiao's directions to an alleyway.

It was a family living on the first floor. The lights were on inside, and through the window, you could see a man working at his desk. Behind him, a woman was holding a swaddled baby and pacing back and forth, probably trying to soothe the child.

When Gu Xiaojiao saw the scene through the window, she couldn't help but shed tears, and she instinctively wanted to go forward.

According to the original plot, the future self cannot see the present self, otherwise it will cause a spacetime tremor.

However, due to Hua Twelve's access, the original timeline has become two parallel timelines, so the situation in the original story will not occur.

Even so, Hua Shier still grabbed Gu Xiaojiao:
"Wait! What are you going to say now? That you're their future daughter? Do you think they'll believe you? They'll definitely think you're crazy or a bad person. If they call the police, you won't even have an ID card, and you'll definitely get arrested!"

Gu Xiaojiao had originally wanted to break free from Hua Shier's grasp, but after hearing what he said, she felt it made sense and immediately asked:
"What should I do? I miss my parents so much. I want to talk to them. I want to be part of their family!"

Just then, a beam of light shone over; it was a patrolling security team member. Seeing the couple still loitering around so late, they became alert and approached to ask:

What are you people doing?

Hua Shier remained completely calm, smiling as he produced his student ID:
"We're from the Architecture Department of Tongji University, come and see the architectural style of the old alleyways!"

The security team members checked the student ID and were then relieved.
"Alright, let's go back now. If you want to see it, come back during the day. What's the point of coming out to see it so late at night!"

Hua Shier repeatedly agreed and pulled the reluctant Gu Xiaojiao away.

Back home, Gu Xiaojiao was sullen. Hua Shier said:

"I'll think of a way to make you friends, but you have to promise me you'll never reveal that you're their daughter!"

Gu Xiaojiao nodded quickly: "I'm satisfied as long as I can see them often. I won't say that I am Gu Xiaojiao, don't worry!"

Hua Shier then nodded.

That night, the two lay in bed, the woman on the left and the man on the right, separated by a curtain. Alone, they shared a bed, neither of them wanting to sleep.

Hua Shier suddenly asked, "Gu Xiaojiao?"

"Ok?"

Hua Shier, hearing her reply, smiled and asked, "Have you ever heard stories about beasts and things worse than beasts?"

Gu Xiaojiao said directly, "I'm holding a pair of scissors in my hand, specifically for sniping beasts!"

Well, under the threat of the scissors, Hua Twelve chose to be worse than a beast!
Ten days later, in 2018, Hua Shier received her replacement ID card, which read "Hua Shier" in the name column.

That evening, when he got home, he tossed a first-generation laminated ID card to Gu Xiaojiao, with the name 'Shen Bing' written on it.

Gu Xiaojiao was both surprised and delighted:
"Wow, I didn't expect you could actually get my identity sorted out, thank you so much!" She excitedly picked up her ID card and kissed it.

No wonder she was so happy. With this ID card, she could stay here in 88 for a long time without fear of being arrested.

Gu Xiaojiao cooked a meal to treat Hua Shier. During the meal, she suddenly said somewhat shyly:
"I have something else I'd like to ask for your help with."

She gestured with her fingers to indicate that it was a very small matter.

　Thank you to 08a and Little Tiger of the Demon Realm for the donations, and thank you to all the brothers who voted with monthly tickets and recommendation tickets. Thank you so much!

　　(End of this chapter)