Chapter 27

Tang Sen and Xiaobailong were about to fly towards the garbage pile to retrieve the pitiful Black Bear Spirit when they suddenly heard an angry shout nearby: "Hey, that human woman is too heartless. Let me, Old Sun, give this ungrateful scoundrel a good beating." They saw a sparrow in the sky suddenly transform into a human form, none other than Sun Wukong.

She had forgotten the embarrassment of waving a big stick, her eyes glowing with ferocity. She pulled out the Ruyi Golden Cudgel from her ear, waved it in the wind, and it grew to the thickness of a bowl. She yelled and was about to charge down from the sky.

Tang Sen quickly reached out and grabbed Sun Wukong's arm, shouting, "Hold it!"

"What's wrong?" Sun Wukong was greatly surprised. "Why are you stopping me?"

Tang Sen shook his head with a bitter smile. "She's not really at fault. You can't kill her."

"Is this not a fault?" Sun Wukong was furious. "So heartless and ungrateful, she's lost her mind."

Tang Sen smiled bitterly. "She doesn't know the Black Bear has gained intelligence. She treats it as a lifeless object, hence the heartlessness. Hasn't everyone abandoned their toys at some point? If you want to kill her, kill me first."

Sun Wukong was taken aback. "Then just tell her everything!"

"Tell her, 'The teddy bear you hugged in your childhood has turned into a spirit.' That would just scare her away."

Sun Wukong, hearing this, slowly lowered the Golden Cudgel he had raised high, his whole body stiffening. "What should we do then?"

"I don't know!" Tang Sen exhaled a deep breath. "Let's put this aside for now and go see the Black Bear Spirit. By the way, put away your big stick. I told you, girls shouldn't wave big sticks."

The three descended from the sky, landing in front of the garbage pile at the entrance to the building. Xiaobailong also transformed back into human form.

The three of them quietly watched the Black Bear Spirit in the garbage pile!

The Black Bear Spirit didn't move, like a large piece of garbage. She had lost her spirit and the meaning of life. Now, she seemed to be truly turning back into an abandoned toy.

Tang Sen didn't speak, waiting for the teddy bear to gather her thoughts.

The eerie silence lasted for a full half hour before the Black Bear Spirit finally spoke: "I really want to cry... but I can't shed tears, because I'm a stuffed toy, right?"

Her voice was very bitter, with a slight tremor.

"Are you here to reclaim the clothes? I'll give them back to you now. Anyway, they're no longer useful to me. I've dirtied them, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, you don't have to give them back." Tang Sen suddenly reached out, picked her up from the garbage pile, and held her tightly in his arms. She was covered in mud and dirt from the garbage pile, including dog saliva... This Black Bear Spirit hadn't taken a bath since being abandoned by her owner over a decade ago, and her fur was filled with dirt, making her very dirty.

But Tang Sen didn't care; he just held her tightly.

"I'm sorry!"

"Why are you saying sorry? It's not your fault." The teddy bear said.

Tang Sen was actually apologizing to his favorite Transformers from childhood, to the plastic toy soldiers he liked, and to many other toys he wanted to apologize to... Those treasures from his childhood, he couldn't find them anymore, maybe he had thrown them into some dusty corner. If they had also become spirits with their own will, would they also feel the same sadness as the Black Bear Spirit?

"Really, really, I'm very sorry!"

Tang Sen felt he owed them a lot, so he poured all his guilt into the Black Bear Spirit, holding her tightly.

"Hey, why are you hugging me?" The Black Bear Spirit suddenly cried out. "Just because I'm a stuffed toy bear doesn't mean I'm not a female. Only my female owner can hug me. You hugging me is inappropriate, please respect me, I'll call for help if you don't let go."

Tang Sen ignored her and carried her towards the river.

Ignoring the Black Bear Spirit's protests, Tang Sen dunked her into the river, bought soap, and lathered her all over, then began to wash her thoroughly. The dirty Black Bear Spirit was very difficult to clean, with dirt in every strand of fur. Tang Sen washed her patiently, not missing a single speck of dirt.

"Who has ever forced a woman to take a bath? I'll sue you... This is rape..." The Black Bear Spirit kept protesting in a crying voice, but gradually, she stopped, becoming quiet, feeling the gentle and meticulous care of the man's hands as they carefully combed through her matted fur...

The Black Bear Spirit wanted to cry again, but she still had no tears!

After washing for a long time, Tang Sen lifted the Black Bear Spirit high and had Sun Wukong use a water-repelling spell to squeeze out all the water from her body.

The river breeze blew, and the clean fur gently fluttered in the wind... The old toy from twenty years ago, with its not-so-high-quality fur, had been transformed by the cleaning, revealing a charming and lovable aura.

Tang Sen carried her in his arms and walked towards the small building from earlier.

The Black Bear Spirit was surprised. "What are you going to do?"

Tang Sen said calmly, "We'll see your owner one more time."

"No... don't see her again... If she abandons me again, I'll die..."

"Stupid, you never had a life to begin with." Tang Sen stood at the foot of the building. When the woman left earlier, she was holding a basket, so Tang Sen guessed she was going to the market to buy groceries and would return soon. Sure enough, after waiting for a short while, the woman returned, carrying a basket of vegetables and a bottle of soy sauce.

Seeing her, the Black Bear Spirit's mind was filled with memories of her innocent and adorable little owner from twenty years ago!

However, no matter how innocent a child, they will grow up one day, and no matter how beloved a toy, it will be forgotten one day. Humans forget many things due to the demands of daily life, losing countless innocent moments. Perhaps this isn't wrong, but forgetting always leads to pain...

Tang Sen still hoped to give the Black Bear Spirit a beautiful memory without regret.

The woman saw Tang Sen as she approached the building. Few women could ignore Tang Sen, as he was incredibly handsome. His sunny smile and harmless look were what every woman dreamed of in a prince. The woman walked while looking at Tang Sen's face, almost tripping.

"Hi!" Tang Sen waved at the woman.

"Me?" The woman looked around, not seeing anyone else nearby, and realized Tang Sen was greeting her. She was clearly shocked, not expecting a handsome man to speak to her, a plain-looking woman, which felt like a dream.

"Is this the stuffed teddy bear you threw away?" Tang Sen smiled. "I found it cute, so I picked it up and cleaned it. It's not dirty anymore."

"Ah?" The woman looked at the clean teddy bear, her eyes showing a complex expression.

"Do you want to hug it again?" Tang Sen handed the Black Bear Spirit to her.

The woman, either mesmerized by Tang Sen's handsome face or reminded of her childhood by the teddy bear, took it and hugged it tightly.

At that moment, the Black Bear Spirit felt so happy she almost fainted. It was her owner's embrace, after so many years, she was finally back in her owner's arms. She felt she could die without any regrets... even though, as a toy bear, she had never truly lived.

"Done hugging? Can you give it back to me now?" Tang Sen suddenly said.

"But... this is my teddy bear." The woman held the Black Bear Spirit tightly, unwilling to let go.

Tang Sen smiled. "You already threw it into the garbage pile. I picked it up, so... now it belongs to me."

The woman was taken aback, not sure if it was because Tang Sen was too handsome or because his words made sense. She handed the Black Bear Spirit back to Tang Sen.

Tang Sen picked up the Black Bear Spirit and turned to leave...

The woman watched Tang Sen's handsome back as he turned the corner and disappeared at the end of the long street...

"Hey, the owner already hugged me! Why are you taking me back?" The Black Bear Spirit raised her paw and angrily hit Tang Sen's chest. "Let me go, give me back to my owner... Please, give her me..."

Tang Sen shook his head. "She's hugging you now because it's new. Once she gets home, she'll throw you on the sofa and go about her chores. In a few months, you'll be covered in dust again, and she'll throw you away once more."

The Black Bear Spirit: "..."

"You can't go back to the past! She's no longer a little girl, and you're no longer a simple teddy bear toy." Tang Sen said calmly. "Just keep that hug as the most beautiful memory in your heart, and remember it well... From now on, never see her again. That's the best way to preserve the memory."

The Black Bear Spirit looked longingly in the direction her owner had disappeared, saying blankly, "Maybe... you're right."

Childhood memories are gone, for both the woman and the teddy bear...

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