Chapter 30 Negotiation: "Don't like me."

Although Jiu Su had always known that Shu Qing had a habit of talking nonsense, and knew how open and bold modern girls were, she was still stunned by this sentence. She glared at her and said with red ears, "You have no restraint."

"Would it be better if everyone were as secretive as you?" Shu Qing rolled her eyes. "Do you have anything important to say? If not, go back to your room and sleep."

Jiu Su lowered her eyes and remained silent.

Shu Qing sighed helplessly, picked up her phone and glanced at her to-do list—she had finished the advertising plan for the multi-functional cooker this afternoon; the new video to be updated tomorrow was also ready and could be posted on time, and there were no important or urgent arrangements for tomorrow.

So she didn't mind wasting time with the snake tonight, and turned to face him, patiently waiting for him to speak.

Fortunately, Jiu Su didn't keep her waiting too long. He said softly, "I've changed my mind."

Shu Qing: "?"

That's a really bad situation, like being in the middle of nowhere.

Jiu Su then asked, "Can you promise me one thing?"

Shu Qing said cautiously, "Tell me what it is first."

"Don't like me," he said almost pleadingly. "Always treat me as your friend... or your pet, whatever you want, just don't like me. I won't find you any other little monsters to raise, I'll stay by your side... Even after this is over, I won't leave you, okay?"

"..."

Shu Qing was silent for a moment, then laughed, "Do you want me to say yes?"

These words were like a sharp, thin dagger, thrusting at him head-on without any finesse. He could have defended himself, but the blade was too sharp, shattering all his defenses directly and piercing his fragile heart, causing his whole body to tremble uncontrollably.

Do you want me to say yes?

Jiu Su curled her lips into a smile, imagining herself asking, as before, "If you don't want me to bring it up, why bother?" and brushing it off. But the words caught in her throat, and after several attempts, she couldn't utter them. It was like a boulder crashing down her throat and back into her heart, reopening old wounds once more.

In our past lives, we were not in control of our own bodies; in this life, we are not in control of our own hearts. Who would really want to play a one-man show forever?

Shu Qing observed the changes in his expression. Several years in the workplace hadn't taught her to read between the lines, but now she suddenly realized that he was about to "break down," and it was time for her to seize the opportunity to speak up.

She then used a "retreat to advance" tactic: "Of course I can agree, but I have an additional condition."

Jiu Su looked up at her. He remained expressionless; this was his last line of defense in concealing his true feelings.

"You know that." Shu Qing stroked his face without any hesitation—it was nothing, she thought. Anyway, it was the middle of the night and the lights were off, so she couldn't see Jiu Su's trembling pupils. Besides, since he himself said that he could treat him like a pet, what was wrong with touching him? She used to touch Xiao Hong every day.

She continued nonchalantly, "I am a model youth of the modern society, possessing excellent manners and moral character. Your request is tantamount to asking me to be a scumbag woman, isn't it? It's far too much of a challenge to my moral bottom line."

Jiu Su gave a self-deprecating laugh.

Shu Qing negotiated with him: "Two things, choose one. Either you give me a reason that can convince me, or we agree on a timeframe, um..." After thinking for a moment, she cautiously said, "How about three months? After three months, we can discuss this issue again, after all, people's thoughts can change, right?"

Workplace management taught her that after gathering enough information, making a judgment and drawing a conclusion is called decision-making.

Making hasty conclusions without sufficient information... that's called taking a gamble.

Shu Qing felt that she had very little useful information at the moment, and she couldn't make a decision either rationally or emotionally. Rationally speaking, she didn't even understand Jiu Su's motives for asking this condition, nor did she know what the consequences would be if she agreed or not, so of course she couldn't decide.

When it comes to feelings, she believes she can let go of this ambiguous relationship, but that's on the premise that she will inevitably lose Jiu Su. If she can avoid losing him, then how should she define their relationship? She hasn't figured that out yet.

If it were just a casual, perfunctory "agreement," like "I'll treat you to dinner tomorrow" or "I'll definitely do it next time"—the kind of unspoken promises people make in modern times—it wouldn't matter. But Shu Qing had an animalistic, keen intuition. If she were to say "okay" today, Jiu Su would take that one word as a golden rule and never cross that line again for the next few decades.

She thought, "Let's leave a few months as a buffer."

They both need to think things through carefully before continuing their conversation today.

“…I am a demon,” Jiu Su said with a self-deprecating laugh after a moment. “You’ve seen how wary you all are of a demon like me.”

Shu Qing was taken aback. Had he chosen "give me a reason that can convince me"?

She thought he wasn't going to say anything.

Alright, although it wasn't what she expected, she listened attentively.

She tentatively continued, "Because you have greater destructive power?"

“More than that,” Jiu Su said calmly. He spoke of the past succinctly, downplaying the bloodstained past. “There were constant disputes between demons and humans, even several wars. Back then, humans were terrified of demons, and demons regarded humans as enemies… Later, the world fell into chaos, and countries fought each other. Only then did the two races have to make peace and fight against a powerful enemy together. After the war ended, the old grudges disappeared, and they gradually developed the relationship they have today.”

When Shu Qing heard about the historical feuds between humans and monsters for the first time, she was happy to listen, but she also felt strangely that it was quite hard to explain why young men and women were sitting in bed together under the bright moonlight in the middle of the night, talking about history.

“‘Brothers may quarrel within the walls, but unite against external threats.’” Jiu Su smiled at her and said calmly, “Almost a hundred years have passed now. There are no more external threats, so of course it’s time for brothers to quarrel within the walls. Besides, the human race and the demon race are hardly brothers.”

Shu Qing felt a chill run down her spine from his calm tone, and she crossed her arms and said dryly, "It can't be that bad..."

She swallowed the last syllable—how could it not be? Just look at Niannian. Some people treat monsters as pets, while others see them as rare commodities.

Where there's demand, there's a market. Judging from the methods used by "Jinzhao Studio" and the people behind it against her, one wonders what kind of lives the monsters are living under their control—it's certainly not the same peaceful existence they enjoy here.

She then rephrased her question: "Will things get chaotic later?"

“Perhaps,” Jiu Su comforted her, “but there are ultimately more people like you in the world. Even if that day comes, it won’t escalate to a war between the two races…”

Before she could even catch her breath, he finished his sentence, "...but I may not be able to remain unscathed."

Shu Qing finally understood what he was saying. She grabbed his wrist. She could feel that his body temperature was lower than that of an ordinary person even through his sleeve. His wrist bones were distinct and strong. Although she could hold him completely in her palm, he did not seem fragile or easily broken.

“You mean,” she asked through gritted teeth, “that you’re afraid you’ll get involved someday, and if you’re gone, I’ll just treat you like a pet. It’ll be like losing a kitten or puppy. Even if I’m sad, it’ll only be for a while. Once I forget about it, I can just get a new one. Is that what you mean?”

Jiu Su gazed at her silently—clearly, that was what he meant.

The shimmering moonlight shone on him, making his silver hair appear soft and his face almost translucent with whiteness. If it weren't for the fact that she was still holding one of his hands, he would almost seem to melt into the moonlight.

"Then why are you staying by my side?" she continued. "Oh, because I have a 'golden finger'—I can help monsters regain their power. You feel you can't hide it anymore. You feel that not only can you not stay out of it, but I might also get involved. You have to stay by my side to ensure my safety, right?"

Jiu Su smiled gently, tacitly agreeing.

"Are you trying to stage a Journey to the West with me?!" Shu Qing flung his hand away, laughing angrily. "You even assigned me a Tang Sanzang role? Did I agree to that? How much are you going to pay me for this?"

She was genuinely a bit agitated, and her shout was so loud she couldn't control her voice, so she quickly covered her mouth. Just then, Jiu Su reached out, trying to manually lower the volume for her, and their hands intertwined, her lips touching his fingertips, and her palm grasping his knuckles.

Their eyes met suddenly in mid-air. Jiu Su hurriedly withdrew her hand, feeling as if her fingers were on fire, and deeply regretted her hasty action.

This is what it means to snatch chestnuts from the fire.

Shu Qing stared warily at the door. As expected, she vaguely heard a soft "click" from the door next door, followed by footsteps approaching.

It's likely that Shu Tong heard the commotion earlier. If they were discovered that Jiu Su was in her room late at night, they wouldn't be able to explain themselves even if they had ten mouths!

Shu Qing quickly lay down, and Jiu Su transformed back into her snake form. She hurriedly tried to find a corner to hide, but Shu Qing grabbed her and stuffed her into the blanket.

They had just scrambled to clean up the crime scene when the door opened, and Shu Tong poked half her body in, asking in a low voice, "Xiao Qing?"

"Ah, Mom," Shu Qing said, feigning that she had just woken up, "What's wrong?"

I heard some noise coming from your room. Are you alright?

"It's nothing." Shu Qing had hastily covered up her embarrassment earlier, but now she finally remembered how awkward it was. She quietly pushed the snake in her hand towards the window, trying to maintain a blank and clueless tone, "I didn't hear anything."

Under her cover, Jiu Su poked her head out from under the covers, taking advantage of the fact that her snake body was not very conspicuous on the white bed, and prepared to slip away along the edge.

"I'm still worried." Shu Tong said, walking towards the bed. "I'll sleep with you tonight. That curse you mentioned... it's so secretive. What if something happens to you living alone?"

Qi Yun booked a double room, but Shu Qing only slept on the half of the bed near the door, leaving the half near the window empty. There wouldn't be a problem with another person sleeping there, but the problem was... that was Jiu Su's planned evacuation route.

Shu Qing screamed inwardly: No!

-----------------------

The author's note: "Brothers may quarrel within the walls, but they unite against external threats": This saying comes from the Book of Songs, Minor Odes.