I think... I might like you.

Shen Zhizhou followed Shu Yi home mysteriously, but as soon as he stepped into the yard, his pupils involuntarily dilated, his breathing became rapid, and he couldn't believe it.

The magnolia tree, which hadn't bloomed since its mother passed away, has blossomed.

Shen Zhizhou's soul floated, and he walked slowly into the courtyard with light steps, afraid of disturbing this sweet dream. He looked up and stood under the tree, smelling the familiar fragrance. Shen Zhizhou seemed to have returned to his childhood, and a tear fell unconsciously from the corner of his eye.

I could almost see my father watering flowers in the garden, my mother playing the pipa under the tree, and me rolling around and playing around my mother, mischievously hugging the tree trunk and shaking it. Magnolia petals fluttered down, landing on the muddy ground, in my father's watering can, and in my mother's hair. My mother hugged me and called me a little rascal, while I nestled in her arms and giggled incessantly.

The voices of yesteryear still linger in my ears, but the departed are my old friends.

As he walked closer and touched the tree trunk, he looked up and saw a fragrant aroma. Shen Zhizhou turned around and saw Shu Yi standing by the door, waving and smiling at him. He asked softly, "How did you do that?"

“I asked my plant-type monster friends, and they said that trees also have feelings. I guess they miss your mother very much. I borrowed some roots that were tainted with demonic energy from them, and after communicating with this tree for a long time, it bloomed~” Shuyi still stood at the door, not stepping into the yard, as if she wanted to make this space completely her own.

"Thank you, but I think if you were you... you could come in."

"Really?" Shuyi said as she jogged in, saying, "I'm so sorry," but her actions were incredibly swift.

Standing side by side with Shen Zhizhou under the tree, Shu Yi urged Shen Zhizhou, "Climb up and take a look."

Shen Zhizhou looked at the magnolia tree with some worry, but Shu Yi encouraged him reassuringly, "Don't be afraid, it's very sturdy, and it will bloom every year from now on. I've already made arrangements!"

The magnolia tree shed petals all over the ground, as if encouraging Shen Zhizhou to climb and play with it as before. Shen Zhizhou took a deep breath and climbed up the branches, imitating his childhood self. When he sat on the magnolia tree and looked down at the whole courtyard, he let out a long sigh.

"How is it? Does it feel the same as when you were a child?" Shuyi, in her original form, popped out of her clothes and perched on Shen Zhizhou's shoulder, asking.

Shen Zhizhou didn't answer the question, but instead asked Shuyi, "What did you see in the nightmare back then?"

"Um..." Shu Yi tilted her head and thought for a moment, then, considering that it involved Shen Zhizhou's mother, she carefully spoke: "I saw that you used to be quite happy, and then..."

"And then my mother died in my arms, right? Then I bet you don't know why my mother died..."

Before Shuyi could speak, Shen Zhizhou continued on his own: "Actually, it's a really ridiculous reason. I still find it ironic when I think about it now. Back then, our family took in a spider spirit. Seeing that she was injured and pitiful and about to give birth, we took her in, thinking we'd heal her wounds and then send her away. At that time, Sister Ji had only recently signed a contract with Father and wasn't too willing to live with us. She always lived alone in the mountains far away. I was very young and curious then, so I ran to see that monster. That monster looked no different from a human, and was even more beautiful than some humans. She noticed me and called me over..."

Shen Zhizhou suddenly couldn't continue speaking. If he hadn't been curious, his mother wouldn't have been killed by the spider demon while protecting him. It was all his fault. Seeing Shen Zhizhou clutching his chest and sobbing, Shu Yi hugged Shen Zhizhou's head and comforted him, "It's not your fault. Children are naturally curious. Don't punish yourself for other people's mistakes. It's not fair to you..."

It seemed to be the first time he had heard someone say such comforting words to him, and Shen Zhizhou was somewhat taken aback. Shu Yi stroked Shen Zhizhou's cheek and rambled on about her insights. Shen Zhizhou felt as if a spring breeze had suddenly blown into a forbidden zone that had been sealed off for a long time and had never been set foot in, and hope and desire were sprouting and growing. Shen Zhizhou hugged Shu Yi back and did not want to let go.

Ji Yao stood at a distance, drinking sake and watching the human and demon in the tree. Her gaze was desolate, as if she had aged hundreds of years. She stood there quietly watching.

"Shuyi, how long will you stay with me?" Shen Zhizhou looked up into Shuyi's clear eyes and asked.

Shuyi found it strange: "Human lifespan is only about a hundred years. You are 25 years old this year. I don't think you, as a human, can outlive me. If you die, I will probably find my own way out..."

To guide Shen Zhizhou, Shu Yi kindly reassured him, "Don't worry about me. Although I've lived longer than you, I won't forget you. You were the first good friend I made in human society!"

Are they just good friends? Shen Zhizhou wondered to himself, wanting to ask Shuyi what she thought, but he was worried that it would ruin their relationship. He opened his mouth several times but ultimately didn't ask.

That night, Shen Zhizhou did not go to sleep but instead picked flowers in the courtyard. He found a few with intact petals and clear veins, used a desiccant to make preserved flowers, and then mixed various medicinal materials with the ashes of the burning yellow talisman into a paste, shaped it, and fired it.

After a night of tinkering, Shen Zhizhou added a magnolia branch to the bracelet his father had given him, along with a small bell hanging from the bottom. After carefully adjusting its aesthetics and comfort, Shen Zhizhou knocked on Shuyi's door.

Shu Yi opened the door groggily and saw that Shen Zhizhou had dark circles under his eyes, but his eyes were frighteningly bright: "You went out to steal last night, didn't you? You didn't sleep all night, your dark circles are practically hanging down to your chest."

Shen Zhizhou ignored him, handed the box to Shuyi, and gestured for Shuyi to open it with an expectant look on his face.

Shuyi felt that Shen Zhizhou was up to no good and was definitely planning to play a prank on her again. She opened the box with suspicion and was so shocked that she woke up from her drowsiness.

Shuyi covered her mouth, her eyes wide, and stammered, "You...isn't this the bracelet your dad gave me...you're giving it to me?"

"So you didn't sleep all night because you added another layer of styling?" Shuyi suddenly realized.

Not too stupid, Shen Zhizhou thought to himself.

Shen Zhizhou held up the bracelet on his right hand and showed it to Shu Yi, looking for praise as he said, "I specially made it by mixing the ashes of burning talismans with various medicinal herbs. It can not only quickly locate targets but also block some attacks. Isn't that thoughtful?"

"But I won't be attacked if I don't go on missions with you, so it doesn't matter whether I have this or not."

That's so true, he couldn't refute it.

Seeing Shen Zhizhou instantly dejected, Shu Yi patted Shen Zhizhou's head like she was coaxing a dog and said perfunctorily, "I'll wear it. Look... it looks pretty good."

...

More and more monsters came upon hearing the news, wanting to join the Monster Management Bureau created by Shu Yi and integrate into the human world. The original simple booklet could not hold too much information about the monsters, and Shen Zhizhou was considering whether to create a system for them, but it would be best if the monsters developed the system themselves.

When the meeting was held and a vote was taken on who wanted to learn technical languages, the monsters below looked at each other. It wasn't that they didn't want to learn, but the main problem was that they were mostly illiterate and would have to learn English as well. They didn't know how long it would take to learn the whole thing, and they wanted to do jobs that could generate quick profits.

Shu Yi had been praising the benefits until his mouth was dry, but the monsters below remained silent. Shen Zhizhou thought to himself, "Forget it, maybe I should just buy out the system and use it directly instead of wasting my breath talking." Just then, someone below suddenly raised their hand and said, "I know a monster who is very well-read; he'll definitely be able to do this!"

All eyes immediately turned to the tall, thin monster with his hand raised. The monster patted his chest and told them that he would go back and persuade him, and that he would definitely bring him over first thing tomorrow morning.

After registering the information of all the monsters who came, Shen Zhizhou pulled the tall, thin monster aside and asked, "You said that monster is so powerful, why did you come alone, and why didn't he come?"

"What else could it be? He's just arrogant." The tall, thin monster tucked his hands into his sleeves and gossiped with Shen Zhizhou: "Let me tell you, if he hadn't asked me for help back then, wanting to use my roots to repair his body, I wouldn't have bothered playing with him. He just thought he was so smart because he had been cultivating for so long and had some knowledge. He really looked down on everyone."

Shen Zhizhou was now genuinely curious about the monster, and he discussed with the tall, thin monster, "Then can you take me with you? I also want to see it for myself."

"Sure, why not? Have you finished your business with Shuyi? If you have, let's go together."

Shen Zhizhou called out to Shu Yi in the office, and Shu Yi told them to wait for her for five minutes before coming out.

If it weren't for the tall, thin monster leading the way, Shen Zhizhou wouldn't have known that there were monsters who could build a dwelling in the city's underground sewers, and that the monster was supposedly a very fastidious one.

"Can a monster with obsessive-compulsive disorder live here?" Shen Zhizhou was skeptical, even suspecting that the creature here might be some kind of insect monster that preferred dark and damp places.

"Don't disbelieve Boss Shen. His true form is probably a monster of the book and painting type. He asked me to borrow the root before because he wanted to repair the insect damage to his true form."

After walking for a long time, they finally arrived at the gate of a school. They then bypassed the crowd and came to the teaching office. They pulled open the air conditioner partition in the teaching office and saw the tall, thin monster about to climb inside. Shen Zhizhou grabbed him and was somewhat distraught.

"Still walking? We've already walked over 20,000 steps. Where is he even staying? Even if it were a journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures, we should have seen the end by now..."

The tall, thin demon looked at Shen Zhizhou, who was panting heavily, and knew that humans and demons had different stamina. So he kindly pulled up a stool for Shen Zhizhou to sit on: "Climb three more pipes, walk 800 meters to the abandoned well, swim a few kilometers to get ashore, and then walk a little further. It's not far."

"I want to go back now," Shen Zhizhou said resolutely as he stood up.

"Okay, then remember to go back through the women's restroom drain later, it's closer there," the tall, thin monster instructed.

Shen Zhizhou's eyes were vacant, and he wanted to slap himself. "Serves you right for being so curious! Besides, why isn't there a normal route? He wants to go back, why does he have to take the women's restroom sewer? He's not some sewer mermaid."

After resting for a while, Shen Zhizhou, as if his soul had been ripped away, said to the two demons, "Let's go. I'll see this damned monster even if I die today!"