Chapter 34 Morning and Evening "Don't abandon me again."

That evening, the Supermarket Administration Bureau officially released a blue-and-white announcement, reporting the investigation results of the mysterious death of the chairman of Huiyao Group: Huiyao Group illegally kept supernatural creatures (including nearly ten high-level supernatural creatures, which are explicitly prohibited from being privately kept by law), and used them to carry out a series of improper activities such as attacking competitors and illegally selling them.

After receiving a tip from concerned citizens, the Superpower Management Bureau took the matter very seriously and dispatched its Special Operations Department to investigate. Chairman Chen Minghui fled overnight, but en route, high-level supernatural beings around him suddenly rebelled, triggering an internal conflict within the group. A total of 25 people fled, of whom 18 were injured and 7 died; Chen Minghui was one of the seven dead.

Fortunately, this was an internal conflict within the gang, and no innocent people were affected. Whether they were dead or injured, they were all criminal suspects—of course, what to do with those monsters who were persecuted and rebelled is another matter.

The official video released is a real-life footage of the Huiyao Group's monster-keeping base, which is truly heartbreaking to watch. Rows of cages are placed against the wall, and the little monsters are all locked in the cages. Each of them is labeled with a number composed of letters and numbers, such as "A-382" and "S-087". Their living conditions are worse than those in a prison; it's practically a ash storage place.

Anyway, after reading it, Qi Yun couldn't hold back and cried while hugging Niannian. The online outcry was even stronger, and Huiyao Group's stock price plummeted to its daily limit. The chatter among Shu Qing's former colleagues never stopped.

Taking this opportunity, Shu Qing released a video specifically about her experiences over the past two weeks.

This incident would be deeply distressing for anyone in her shoes. Once netizens learned she was the victim, they flooded her short video account with expressions of concern. Instead of playing the victim, she focused on her coping strategies and even held a fan appreciation event at the end of the video, giving away lucky bird feather pendants, which significantly boosted engagement.

She also capitalized on this surge in popularity to further promote her soon-to-be-established studio, projecting a spirit of "never fighting internally and persevering through life." New fans were quite impressed, leaving numerous comments.

"Everyone's gone mad. It's been so long since I've seen such a normal state of mind."

I'll drink this chicken soup.

"The uploader is really strong; I would have been a nervous wreck by now."

"Ahhh, please let the UP pick me!"

Just two days after the video was released, news broke that Huiyao Group was planning large-scale layoffs, sparking another round of criticism...

But for Shu Qing, this crisis is over. Now she needs to worry about her new and old fans, arranging the establishment of her studio, preparing to move to a new house, and sending her parents back home.

Shu Tong and Zhao Yuqing stayed in H City for a few more days to confirm that the "curse" incident was indeed over. They also accompanied Shu Qing to see her favorite new house and watched her sign a new rental contract before buying their return tickets.

Shu Qing was still reluctant to leave: "After moving to the new house in a while, we can live together. Stay with me for a few days before you go."

Shu Tong laughed and said, "No, I can't postpone the patient's appointment anymore, I have to go. Your dad's students are all waiting, I can't keep taking leave."

Well, no wonder she inherited her career-minded parents.

Shu Qing had nothing to say. She got up early and accompanied Jiu Su to send her parents to the airport. Considering her parents' objections, she didn't dare to tell them that she and Jiu Su were planning to officially start dating, nor did she dare to tell them how her former boss died. She only cautiously mentioned that Jiu Su planned to work at the Supermarket Management Bureau for a while.

After hearing this, Shu Tong felt a little relieved. After all, what she was worried about was that no one could control the great demon. She then gave Shu Qing a series of instructions such as "Don't be too intimate, just treat each other as friends," which made Shu Qing feel very guilty.

Jiu Su, on the other hand, was very open-minded. He had previously avoided the relationship in every way, but now that they were in a confirmed relationship, although he was still playing the role of a polite, considerate, and impeccable candidate for son-in-law, he didn't care at all whether Shu Qing's parents objected or not.

He only cared about Shu Qing's attitude. Since Shu Qing's attitude was "Let's talk, but don't let my parents know for now," he would do as she said. He would play around with her in private, but in front of his parents, he would honestly pretend that "because she didn't agree, we are just ordinary friends." His acting skills were superb and he was very convincing.

At least Shu Tong and Zhao Yuqing had no suspicions. They said goodbye to the two of them without worry and waved to their planes.

Shu Qing watched the plane take off, then feigned exhaustion and collapsed onto Jiu Su, saying, "Ah, you were really good at acting."

Jiu Su was amused by her, put her arm around her and led her outside, asking with a smile, "When you found out your parents couldn't stay a few more days, where did your regret go?"

“What do you mean ‘your parents’? Watch your words. They might be your parents in the future.” Shu Qing rolled her eyes at him. “I can understand that you’re not officially recognized yet and are embarrassed to call them that, but at least call them Uncle and Aunt.”

Jiu Su smiled again. He had been smiling much more these past few days than before, with smiles often showing in his eyes. Sometimes he even had to try his best to suppress the corners of his mouth. It was no longer the way he used to put on a polite smile when he didn't really want to smile.

It's clear that it's better to talk things out; the two of them are experiencing an explosive increase in their daily happiness levels.

"Uncle and Aunt, no, I'm a born monster." The airport was crowded, and the two of them, dressed smartly today, looked exceptionally good together. Within a five-meter radius, both men and women couldn't help but glance at them. So Jiu Su whispered the last part of her sentence very softly. To make sure Shu Qing heard, she whispered those seven words right next to her ear, making her itch from her ear all the way to her heart.

“My biological parents are the mountains and rivers of my birthplace, and my adoptive father has been gone for over two thousand years.” After he finished speaking, he regained his composure and said with a smile, “So let’s just call him Uncle and Auntie for now. We can change our address when we have the chance.”

Uncle or aunt is fine too, it's better than calling him "Dr. Shu" or "Professor Zhao" to his face these past few days. Shu Qing nodded seriously and said, "Yes, it's approved."

She spoke as if it were a very formal approval process, and Jiu Su even laughed out loud this time, unable to resist pressing her face against the top of her fluffy hair. Her hair, which she had just washed last night, smelled of coconut shampoo and smelled really sweet.

He now felt that Shu Qing was absolutely right—life is about being brave and trying all sorts of things.

Jiu Su's reporting date to the Supermarket Management Bureau was scheduled for September, giving Shu Qing more free time. Qi Yun's photography studio had just been renovated, and the studio was about to open, but they needed to let the building air out the harmful gases from the renovation for at least two months. So, aside from moving, the rest of the two months were spent trying things out here and there.

Shu Qing was quite surprised to find that although Jiu Su had only a superficial understanding of modern life, she could actually name some of the classic old brands in H City quite well. She wondered when she had done her homework.

But having too much courage to try new things isn't good either. For example, when the two of them were discussing what to eat tonight, Jiu Su said to her, "I heard that the vinegar fish in H City is very famous. I haven't tried it yet. Shall we go and try it?"

"..."

Shu Qing immediately took back her words, "You should try everything," and resolutely refused, saying, "I think this is something you don't need to try. Besides, don't you dislike sour foods?"

She now understands that the reason her words that day touched Jiu Su was essentially because Jiu Su was the same kind of person as her, who liked to try everything and was willing to experience everything, and the two of them could have a lot of fun together.

Although he doesn't like sour flavors, when she takes him out for fried chicken, he'll still snatch the fries from her hand that are dipped in ketchup; he prefers classic attire, but when she goes out in a Lolita dress, he'll readily change into a lace shirt and cape, dressing in the same style to accompany her, like a princess and her knight.

Dressed in outlandish costumes, the two of them enthusiastically went to the comic convention, blending into the vast sea of ​​wigs and cosplay outfits. Shu Qing dragged Jiu Su straight to the booth of the game she played, eager to randomly win a cotton doll merchandise item. She paid a sum of money and squatted among a pile of blind boxes, opening them one after another.

Jiu Su squatted to the side, holding an iced cola for her and watching her open it.

Shu Qing opened more than ten badges and cards in a row, and began to doubt her luck for the day. So she took two steps back, gave up her last chance to open the blind box, and nudged Jiu Su: "It's your turn to try."

Jiu Su casually tore open the cotton doll voucher, revealing it. Shu Qing was stunned and asked sourly, "Why do you always get one? Is it because you're fair-skinned?"

Jiu Su smiled at her, then leisurely took out a feather from her bosom. Shu Qing recognized it with her sharp eyes: it came from the auspicious bird Fa Cai.

"That's cheating." It turned out he was using a ruse to save the day. Shu Qing laughed and gave him a push. "That doesn't count."

"Oh," Jiu Su glanced at her sideways. His eyes were exceptionally beautiful, with an eerie curve at the corner, making them look like little hooks when he looked at people from the corner of his eye. "So, do you want it or not?"

Shu Qing silently took the voucher, "...I want it."

Jiu Su not only accompanied her shopping and to comic conventions, but she also dragged him to play games together. At first, Shu Qing asked him to help her fight monsters and level up, but after playing for a while, he lost interest and gave a sharp comment from the perspective of a monster: childish.

Shu Qing realized that the monsters who had single-handedly broken through the encirclement of the CEO of Huiyao Group were indeed not interesting in the game, so he gave his game console to him to play and let him experience it as he pleased.

Finally, she discovered that he actually enjoyed playing casual management games...

That makes sense. If someone has immense destructive power in reality, wouldn't they want to find some constructive joy in the virtual world?

After watching him play for a while, Shu Qing became interested in this management game that she had abandoned long ago. So the two of them started playing together to build their home, which added to their monthly spending.

Jiu Su's enthusiasm for construction didn't stop at the game. After playing wildly for two months, when it was time to move, he grabbed a few future colleagues from the Supermarket Management Bureau to help out, and they calmly took care of all the housework. Even the small yard outside, which was not easy to maintain, was cleaned up and planted with the flowers and trees that Shu Qing had specified in advance. She looked out the window and found it pleasing to the eye.

The "strongmen" who were brought in to tidy up the yard even promised, "If you want to change to other flowers and plants in the future, just come to me~ We flowers, plants and trees are one family, and I'm the best at these."

It turns out this was a tree spirit.

“We can raise some little monsters in the yard in the future,” Jiu Su told Shu Qing. “Some of the low-level monsters that were brought out from Huiyao Group are going to be available for adoption. We can adopt a few of them, which will make it easier for you to shoot videos and open a studio in the future.”

The non-human colleagues were incredibly efficient, spending the entire morning cleaning up their new house. Jiu Su, being so unrefined, didn't even bother to use his cooking skills to treat them to a meal, and wouldn't even let Shu Qing entertain them. He just dismissed all his future colleagues like that, without any fear of being ostracized at work in the future.

He took Shuqing's hand and led her around the courtyard. "Let's raise a pair of 'Dream Weaver Butterflies,' they can take care of the flowers and plants, and also help you stay awake. We can keep a 'Fairy Snail' in the water tank. Although it can't cook or clean like in the legends, it can still keep this yard clean..."

Shu Qing chuckled, "You play too many games, are you sending employees here?"

Now, Jiu Su can talk to Shu Qing about game-related terms without any difficulty. She couldn't help but laugh, feeling that she was indeed going to become the first demon addicted to games.

Although their future colleagues helped with all the work, Shuqing and Jiusu, as the hosts, couldn't really be idle. After a busy morning, they started to feel sleepy and snuggled together on the recliners to doze off.

In the sweltering summer, no one would normally lie outdoors for a nap, but Shu Qing had a unique advantage – Jiu Su was a venomous snake adept at releasing cold energy. Lying next to him, not only would he not feel hot, but he could even skip the insect repellent process, making him an indispensable weapon for summer home and travel.

The shade of the trees blocked the glaring sunlight, leaving only dappled light that fell through the leaves, sprinkling like scattered gold on the faces of the two people beneath, creating a retro tranquility.

Half asleep and half awake, Shu Qing reached out and touched the side, her fingers running through Jiu Su's loose silver hair. She couldn't tell which part of his snake body his hair had transformed from; it was cool, smooth, and soft, feeling like expensive silk. She couldn't resist touching it a couple of times.

Jiu Su naturally wrapped herself around him, and his embrace was like a snake, clinging to her tightly, appearing unusually intimate.

"Look, it's better to talk things out," she muttered. "If we talk it out, you can cling to me; if we don't, you're stuck clinging to that tree branch now. And that branch isn't as good as me."

“Hmm,” Jiu Su’s voice, slightly muffled and tinged with amusement, rang very softly in her ear, “Your Majesty is right.”

Shu Qing didn't hear the address clearly, "What?"

Jiu Su realized she had inadvertently used the name she used for Xia Shan Jun from her previous life, and immediately said, "It's nothing."

He's let his guard down completely lately; he's been so careless.

Shu Qing didn't mind his accidental slip of the tongue. She stretched her limbs comfortably and murmured, "It's good for me too."

"Um?"

"I don't even have nightmares anymore," she said with her eyes closed. "And I sleep well..."

Jiu Su propped herself up halfway and stared at her, asking, "Do you often have nightmares?"

His action created a highly aggressive ambiguity, which displeased Shu Qing. She ruthlessly suppressed him and made him lie down and talk properly.

She rolled over, using his shoulder as a pillow, and replied, "Yes, I used to have that all the time. I dreamt I was dead, and I dreamt you found me in the dark, and you asked me how I wanted to live my life. It was a really weird nightmare..."

Jiu Su's body almost stiffened. After a while, Shu Qing was almost asleep when she heard him ask in a low voice, "Will there ever come a day when you regret it, feel that you shouldn't have kept me by your side, and want to leave me?"

"Huh?" Shu Qing was still half asleep when she heard this nonsensical remark. She inexplicably tugged at his hair and asked, "What are you saying?"

All I've said is to express how happy I am to be with you, isn't it?

But she was so tired that she didn't say the last sentence and fell into a deep sleep with her head on his.

Jiu Su held her silently for a long time without saying a word. After a very long while, he finally buried his face in Shu Qing's hair and whispered a wish to her:

"Don't abandon me again..."

He knew she was asleep and couldn't have heard him.

But if she could hear him... he wouldn't dare say anything.