Shu Bai stood in front of a grand modern villa and rang the doorbell.
Just as he was waiting for his master to answer the door, a faint, almost imperceptible coolness suddenly emanated from the black ring on his finger.
Immediately afterwards, a wisp of thick, ink-black energy emanated from Jie's body and quickly condensed around him.
Li Yuheng's figure then appeared in a semi-transparent state.
He seemed boneless; with a nimble twist of his slender body, he resembled a large red python, slowly circling around Shu Bai.
"How do I look? Don't I look handsome today?"
Shu Bai's gaze swept over him, from his handsome, almost otherworldly face to his well-tailored red clothes, and finally settled on his slightly smug eyes.
He gave an honest evaluation: "Very handsome. Guardian, you have outstanding looks and fair skin. Wearing red really enhances your complexion and makes you look much brighter than yesterday's all-black outfit."
Li Yuheng's lips were about to curl into a smile.
But then Shu Bai added, "He looks like a spirited young man today."
"...Don't call me 'young man'!"
What kind of stomach-soothing term is this...?!
"So, should I call you... buddy?"
"No, you're not allowed either!"
Then, the door opened.
The person who opened the door was a well-dressed young man of about thirty years old, with a deep sense of fatigue and anxiety between his brows.
He is one of the clients, Cheng Xu.
"Mr. Shu? You must be Master Shu! You look so young! Hello, I'm Cheng Xu, we spoke on the phone before. Please come in."
Cheng Xu stepped aside to let Shu Bai into the room, his tone polite yet urgent.
The villa's interior is luxuriously decorated, yet it exudes a sense of desolation.
Shu Bai glanced over and nodded slightly: "Mr. Cheng, there's no need to be so polite. Please take me to see your mother."
"Okay, okay, this way please."
Cheng Xu led Shu Bai through the spacious living room and towards the bedroom area on the first floor, speaking in a low voice as they walked.
“Mr. Shu, to be honest, my mother is in very bad shape right now. Ever since that swindler… she’s locked herself in her room, sometimes crying, sometimes laughing for no reason, telling us that she’s met her destined one and that it was all worth it… she, she’s clearly out of her mind!”
Cheng Xu's voice was filled with pain and confusion.
This sounds like typical symptoms of emotional dependence and cognitive dissonance following a "pseudo-color attack".
Victims often become immersed in the emotional highs brought about by the false color experience, making it difficult for them to face the gap between reality and their emotions.
However, the exact extent still needs to be confirmed in person.
As Shu Bai listened to Cheng Xu's description, she nodded slightly, but her gaze subtly swept to her side.
Li Yuheng had long been impatient with their slow walking. His red figure, like a wisp of smoke, drifted away from them and floated freely in the high-ceilinged, spacious living room.
"We're here, this is it." Cheng Xu stopped in front of a tightly closed door, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door. "Mom, Mr. Shu is here. He's... he's here to help us."
A slightly hoarse but unusually calm female voice came from inside the room: "Please come in."
Cheng Xu pushed open the door.
The room was large and well-lit, decorated in a warm and elegant style, quite different from the cold and deserted living room outside.
An elderly woman, wearing a light purple silk robe and with her gray hair neatly combed, sat on a sofa by the window, holding a cup of black tea.
Although her face looked haggard, her eyes were very clear, even carrying a strange calmness.
This is completely unlike the delirious state described by Cheng Xu.
"Mom, this is Mr. Shu, whom I mentioned to you. He is a very capable professional."
Cheng Xu explained, his tone cautious.
The old lady looked at Shu Bai with gentle eyes and nodded slightly: "Mr. Shu, thank you for coming all this way. Please have a seat. Xiao Xu, you can go out now. I'd like to speak with Mr. Shu alone."
She was elegant in demeanor and spoke in a soothing tone, exuding the refinement of a well-bred lady from an older generation.
Cheng Xu hesitated for a moment, but ultimately obeyed and left, gently closing the door behind him.
Shu Bai sat down on the sofa opposite her and got straight to the point: "Madam, your son asked me to do this because he was worried that you might be mentally disturbed by the 'false color attack' incident. But you seem to be thinking clearly, and it doesn't seem like anything is wrong."
The old lady smiled slightly, a smile that held a hint of weariness, but more so a calm: "I'm sorry to have troubled you, Mr. Shu. I'm fine, it's just... there are some choices that Xiao Xu can't understand."
She paused, gazing at the setting sun outside the window, and slowly said, "My husband and I had an arranged marriage. We treated each other with respect our whole lives, but we never experienced any so-called 'sexual assault.' After Xiaoxu grew up, she had her own world. My husband... has also been gone for many years. Most of the time, I'm the only one in this house."
Her tone was flat, but both Shu Bai and Li Yuheng could hear the immense emptiness and loneliness beneath that flatness.
"Later, I met 'him'."
A complex light flickered in the old lady's eyes, a mixture of nostalgia and self-mockery.
"I knew it was fake. But at that moment, when I thought I saw colors... that feeling was real. It was a feeling I hadn't had in a long time, a heart-pounding feeling, like I had come back to life."
He talked to me and tried to make me happy, even if it was for money, but I was genuinely happy during that time. Consider that money the price for that happiness.
Just then, a voice that only Shu Bai could hear rang in his ear, tinged with a hint of mockery:
"Wow, this old lady is quite interesting. She's really open-minded about spending money to buy emotional value."
Suddenly, the door was opened.
"Happiness?! Mom! That's a false happiness bought with your life savings!"
Cheng Xu was on the verge of collapse. He couldn't understand his mother's logic. "You've been brainwashed! Mr. Shu, do you see? My mother... isn't she mentally unstable?"
Shu Bai tilted his head slightly and caught a glimpse of Li Yuheng leaning casually against the armrest of the sofa next to him, his arms crossed.
He still had that incomparably handsome appearance, but his figure was somewhat translucent, obviously invisible to ordinary people.
Li Yuheng noticed Shu Bai's gaze and winked at him: "What are you looking at? I keep my word and will protect you closely. You continue, I'll just take a look."
Shu Bai withdrew his gaze and looked at the old lady again: "Madam, I understand what you mean. You're not pursuing the matter because you believe the positive feelings that experience brought you outweigh the financial loss. Is that right?"
The old lady glanced at Shu Bai with some surprise, seemingly not expecting this young man to understand her thoughts so calmly. She nodded: "You could say that."
"mom!!!"
Cheng Xu clutched his head in anguish.
Shu Bai continued, "As one of the clients, what do you hope I will do by inviting you here today? If you don't intend to pursue this matter, it seems that you don't need the services of a 'purification master'."
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