Chapter 21
Zhang Yang couldn’t help but be shocked. She herself had a customized product that was 100% identical to Sheng Shi. Naturally, she would make associations.
This kind of association wasn’t new. The idea of occupying someone else’s identity was a common fantasy among humans regarding clones. It was a theme that appeared in various works, and Zhang Yang had naturally thought about it too. However, she didn’t believe it, especially after spending so much time with Ke Yao. She gradually understood the meaning behind Mina’s words, “Believe me, he’s nothing like his brother.”
She never expected that someone could actually cultivate a customized product to replace themselves, and that the person doing it was the original individual. It was truly absurd.
Seeing that Mina’s expression was also different, it was clear that she had thought of the same thing. Zhang Yang looked at the two obedient customized products in front of her and felt awkward.
Qian Dai winked and said, “Are you both thinking something scary? It’s not that easy, you know. Feng Bo cultivated his customized product for five or six years. Besides, I can’t bear to let them leave me. As long as they stay by my side and accompany me, it’s enough.”
“Yeah, that’s because Feng Bo raised his own customized product. If it were someone else, they would definitely get rid of the original first,” Mina exaggeratedly shrugged, “It’s like a movie plot.”
Zhang Yang observed the three customized products present—they showed no expression, perhaps they didn’t understand at all. As Qian Dai said, it would take a long time and a lot of effort for a customized product’s self-awareness to grow to the point of having the idea to replace the original and having the ability to achieve it. Thinking about it this way, Feng Bo was really daring. Wasn’t he afraid of being completely replaced by his customized product?
“In fact, I have conceived a similar script. Let Ke Shun play two roles, both the older brother and himself. Then Wen Yu will be caught between the two, confused about why she treats him nicely one moment and coldly the next…” Qian Dai began to narrate her illogical and terrible story without caring about others. Occasionally, she would ask for their opinions, but she didn’t actually need an answer because she would immediately come up with her own.
Zhang Yang had a feeling that, for Chiyo, the two of them were also her toys. The greatest value of everything and everyone around her was to accompany her in playing.
Qian Dai took them to her “photography studio,” which was actually several rooms transformed into different scenes. She had Mo Chuan’s customized product, Li Zhen, cooperate with her to act out her love triangle script.
Unfortunately, Li Zhen had only been in Mina’s possession for less than a week. He was almost a blank slate, too naive, and couldn’t understand most instructions. This made Qian Dai very unhappy. On the other hand, Ke Shun and Wen Yu were already skilled in dealing with these situations. They would lead Li Zhen and comfort Chiyo.
The maturity, stability, and humanity they displayed surprised Zhang Yang and even Mina. These two individuals were raised even better than Ke Yu. Looking at Chiyo’s foolish appearance, it didn’t seem like her educational abilities were strong. It was more likely that they could support each other and make progress when they were together.
Zhang Yang didn’t know if the deep affection between the two was genuine or acting, but their understanding was definitely real. She could somewhat understand the madness of being a fan, and what could be more exciting than watching an imaginary couple come true? However, while others only fantasized, Qian Dai had turned it into reality with money. With money, she turned customized products into playthings to manipulate at will. In essence, how were these two individuals any better than Ke Yu? Their genes were naturally heterosexual, but they were forced to be homosexual and had to perform for others. The sorrow of the customized products extended beyond physical abuse.
Watching this farce made Zhang Yang nauseous. Setting aside the poor script and amateurish production environment, just watching the awkward and contrived interaction between the three men was embarrassing to the point where she didn’t know where to look. Mina was still able to please Qian Dai and accompany her with a forced smile, but she had made an excuse and gone to the restroom three times.
When she came out of the restroom, she saw Ke Shun walking towards her from the other end of the corridor. Ke Shun stopped when he saw her and respectfully waited for her to go first.
Zhang Yang quickly walked over. She had been looking for a chance to speak to Ke Shun alone. “Ke Shun, do you remember Ke Yao and Ke Yu?”
Ke Shun was taken aback. “You, you know them?”
“I do!” Zhang Yang hesitated for a moment. “But you can’t tell Chiyo. If you tell her, I won’t be able to say anything. Can you do that?”
Ke Shun nodded vigorously. “I can.”
Zhang Yang took out her phone. “Ke Yao has been waiting for my call. Would you like to talk to him?”
Ke Shun’s eyes widened. “Really? Can I talk to him?”
Zhang Yang quickly dialed a video call, and Ke Yao almost instantly answered. Zhang Yang whispered, “Guess who this is?”
“Ke Shun?” Ke Yao’s voice changed.
“Brother?!” Ke Shun grabbed the phone, his eyes immediately turning red.
Two identical individuals appeared on the small screen, creating a mirror-like effect.
Zhang Yang handed the phone to Ke Shun. “Keep the phone with you. I’ll go back first so they don’t suspect anything. Don’t talk for too long, and remember to mute the phone. Find an opportunity to return it to me, understood?”
Ke Shun looked deeply at Zhang Yang. “Thank you, Miss Zhang.” He paused for a moment. “You’re a good person.”
Zhang Yang showed a genuine smile. Compared to Mina, Beijie, and Chiyo, she was undoubtedly a good person. She felt that she had done an incredibly warm and humane thing.
Qian Dai grew tired and prepared afternoon tea. She was chatting happily with Mina as if they had known each other for a long time.
“Feiyang, why did you take so long? We were discussing the plot,” Qian Dai took a bite of her dessert. “What do you think, should Li Zhen be a scheming villain or a good person? It would be better if he misleads his brother a bit, but that kind of character seems outdated.”
Zhang Yang forced a smile. “Either one works.”
Qian Dai pinched Wen Yu’s ear. “What do you think, Wen Yu? What kind of rival do you want to be?”
Wen Yu smiled gently. “I’ll listen to Chiyo.”
The exquisite afternoon tea felt tasteless to Zhang Yang. She was worried that Ke Shun’s prolonged absence would raise suspicion from Chiyo. Sure enough, after a while, Qian Dai wondered, “Why is brother taking so long in the restroom?”
Wen Yu said, “Should I go find him?”
“Go ahead.”
Wen Yu left for a while, and both Ke Shun and Zhang Yang exchanged a subtle glance.
Now it was Mina’s turn to go to the restroom. As she left, an awkward silence filled the room.
Zhang Yang took the initiative to ask, “Chiyo, was it your first time visiting Beijie last time?”
“Yes, my dad rarely lets me go out, and I’m not fond of going out either.”
“Do you know that those customized products are being mistreated?”
Qian Dai furrowed her brows slightly. “Those people are truly twisted. I would never treat my precious ones that way.”
“Yeah, they’re really twisted. When I saw how they treated Ke Yu… it felt like they did something bad to my brother.”
Qian Dai looked surprised. “Why would you think that? Ke Shun is only 85% similar to him, far from being identical.”
Zhang Yang was caught off guard. “But he was customized based on your brother.”
“Yeah, but he doesn’t really look like him. I see Ke Shun every day, so I feel he’s even less similar. But I understand why you would sympathize with him.”
“In fact, I not only sympathize with him, but I… I have spent time with him.”
“Oh, Mina mentioned that. Since you’re friends with Mina and you rented Ke Yu before, you must have interacted with him too, right?”
The word “rented” made Zhang Yang furrow her brows. “Yes, to be honest, I might have developed some feelings for him.” She didn’t know why she was sharing all of this with Chiyo. Perhaps it was a desperate attempt. Mina’s conscience couldn’t be relied upon anymore, but this rebellious Chiyo, maybe…
Qian Dai nodded. “I understand. If someone mistreated my precious ones, I would be very angry too. So, why don’t you buy him from Beijie?”
“I can’t afford it. It’s too expensive,” Zhang Yang sighed.
“Well, then there’s no other way.” Qian Dai shrugged. “The fate of customized products depends on their owners. By the way, who are you planning to customize next? Is it going to be another one from your brother’s series?”
“…It’s possible. I haven’t decided yet.”
“Why not go for an 85% match? Since Ke Yu doesn’t remember you, it would be the same anyway.”
Zhang Yang felt disheartened. Although Qian Dai might not be as cold-hearted as Mina, their attitudes towards customized products were not significantly different. Qian Dai even had the audacity to suggest that she buy Ke Yu.
At this moment, Chiyo’s butler walked over and said, “Miss, your delivery has arrived. It’s a whole car full, seems to be milk.”
“Oh, it’s the products I supported for my brother.” Qian Dai waved her hand casually. “Unload the goods, take a photo, and distribute them all.”
“Don’t you want to drink any, Miss?”
“They look cheap, I don’t want to drink them. Well, leave two bottles of each flavor for me.”
“Alright.”
“Oh, by the way, don’t let Ke Shun touch the blueberry flavor. Remember last time.”
The butler assured, “I remember, don’t worry.”
“What’s wrong with blueberries?” Mina, who had just returned from the restroom, asked curiously.
Zhang Yang had just learned from the group chat a couple of days ago that Sheng Shi was allergic to blueberries. She was about to answer on behalf of Qian Dai when Qian Dai exaggeratedly said, “Absolutely, absolutely cannot let him touch blueberries. His allergy is severe.”
“Brother is allergic to blueberries?”
“In a breakfast milk, how much blueberry can there be? It’s probably just additives,” Zhang Yang said. “It should be fine.”
“Maybe, but just in case, we can’t let him touch it.” Qian Dai looked fearful. “You guys don’t know, once, Ke Shun ate a single blueberry, just one, and his entire respiratory system swelled up. He could hardly breathe. Fortunately, we have a family doctor; otherwise, it would have been dangerous.”
Zhang Yang was stunned. She thought the so-called “allergy” was just a rash or itching on the skin, but she didn’t expect it to be so severe.
Mina exclaimed, “I had no idea. Thankfully, I never let Ke Yu eat blueberries. That’s so scary.”
“It’s terrifying.” Qian Dai turned to Ke Shun. “You were really upset last time, right?”
Ke Shun nodded. “Difficulty breathing, very uncomfortable.”
Zhang Yang thought to herself that she had never bought blueberries. Even when she hadn’t sold her house, she wouldn’t eat them. But now it seemed that she couldn’t even give the blueberry breakfast milk she bought to Ke Yao.
Taking advantage of Qian Dai and Mina’s cheerful conversation, Ke Shun quietly returned the phone to Zhang Yang. Holding the slightly warm phone in her hand, Zhang Yang felt a sense of relief. At least, at least she could do something for them.
That evening, Ke Yao was different from usual, a bit silent.
“What did you say to Ke Shun?” Zhang Yang couldn’t wait to ask.
“I told him where we are and what we’re doing,” Ke Yao said in a low voice. “He said he’s not happy.”
“I know. What else did he say?”
“He wants to see me, and I want to see him too.” Ke Yao pleaded, “Feiyang, can you let us meet?”
“No, I’ve already said no. His owner doesn’t even know that you’re talking, let alone that you’re here at my house. Otherwise, who knows what kind of trouble it could cause.”
Ke Yao said disappointedly, “Can the three of us brothers never meet each other?”
Zhang Yang said with a hint of sadness, “Perhaps. I also want you to meet, but… I have no way.”
“Next time you see Ke Yao, can you still let us talk?”
“I will do my best.” Qian Dai had indeed made plans for them to play together again, but she was more eager to attend Beijie’s party. Knowing she couldn’t do anything, she still tortured herself by wanting to see Ke Yu, even if it was just to give him a little warmth.
Since that phone call, Zhang Yang felt that Ke Yao had changed. The change was subtle, specifically, he became a little smarter, a little more sensible, and a little more composed. Zhang Yang didn’t think a single phone call could make him progress so quickly, but the conversation with Ke Shun did indeed change something.
Ke Yao’s self-awareness was gradually expanding. Occasionally, he would argue with Zhang Yang, but it was about trivial matters like “how much salt should be added,” and he would also tell small lies, such as “I didn’t eat potato chips today.” Zhang Yang didn’t take these childish acts of resistance too seriously. Sometimes when she became impatient, Ke Yao would immediately comply. So, she didn’t sense any warning signs.
Until one day, there was a problem with the circuit in her work area, and they had an unexpected early leave in the afternoon. When she returned home, she found Ke Yao was not there.
