Li Yuheng remained expressionless, curled his fingers, and tapped the offering table twice with his knuckles, neither too lightly nor too heavily.
"hand."
Shu Bai watched as his hand emerged from the shadows once more.
Sure enough, my fingertips were covered in barbecue-flavored seasoning powder and had a noticeable sheen of oil, just like yesterday.
But there are two today.
"Excuse me, Guardian Angel, I didn't bring a handkerchief today."
Li Yuheng waved his fingers in the air, the oil glistening in the dim light of the ever-burning lamp: "It's alright. Then I'll just take your earring directly. It's just that this oil is sticky, and if I accidentally get it dirty..."
Before he could finish speaking, Shu Bai seemed to suddenly remember something: "Wait. I suddenly remembered, there are some other things."
As he spoke, Shu Bai pulled out a pack of portable disinfectant wipes.
Li Yuheng let out a silent "Ha!" and laughed.
He originally just wanted to test Shu Bai and see if the guy was lying.
To make matters worse, this person actually pulled out disinfectant wipes?
She was afraid he would dirty the earring.
Why didn't you just use disinfectant wipes yesterday?
Is this discriminatory treatment?
Okay, okay.
…
"The guardian deity is a righteous god, and a promise is a promise. He shouldn't be the kind of person who breaks his word. Now, can you give me back my earring?"
In the shadows, Li Yuheng held the dark earring in his hand.
He really didn't intend to renege on his debt.
At least not now.
"Yes."
Li Yuheng responded, and his hand, which had just been wiped clean, reached out, his fingertips holding the earring.
Shu Bai stepped forward and reached out to take it.
Just as his fingertips were about to touch the earring, Li Yuheng pulled his wrist back, causing Shu Bai to miss his grasp.
Shu Bai paused, looking up at the blurry black shadow.
You're insane.
Seeing this, Li Yuheng chuckled softly, as if it had been unintentional just now, and extended his hand closer again, the earring dangling between his fingertips.
Shu Bai stared silently at the hand. After a moment, he took another half step forward, getting closer to the offering table.
He raised his hand again, seemingly steadily reaching for the earring.
This time, just as Li Yuheng was about to retreat again, Shu Bai's gesture suddenly changed.
The fingers that were reaching for the earring suddenly opened, gripping Li Yuheng's wrist tightly.
At the same time, he exerted force from his waist and abdomen, and his whole body sank backward, pulling outward with all his might.
"Tsk."
A soft, ambiguous click came from the shadows, carrying a lazy tone of triumphant satisfaction.
Immediately afterwards, the blurry black shadow on the mural behind the altar began to twist violently.
A figure was almost pulled out of the dense darkness by the force of the sparse white cloth.
The wide black sleeves swept across the offering table, creating a gentle breeze that made the flame of the eternal lamp flicker.
Li Yuheng leaned against the edge of the ebony altar, most of his body already protruding into the shadows.
He remained in that lazy and casual posture, one hand tightly gripping his wrist by Shu Bai, while the other hand was even leisurely resting on the edge of the offering table, supporting his body's balance.
Li Yuheng tilted his head slightly, looking at Shu Bai who was so close to him with a leisurely air: "...Why are you so eager to invite me to show myself?"
Shu Bai: "..."
Looking at this man who seemed to have "grown" out of a painting, he subconsciously used his professional eye for assessing potential business risks, and his mind raced to evaluate:
With that face and that aura, if she went out to commit "fake sex scams," she'd be a nuclear weapon.
They're incredibly cunning; the victims are likely swindled out of their entire fortune, and then the scammers have to worry about whether the victim has enough to eat or wear...
"How is it?" Li Yuheng raised an eyebrow, a playful smile curving his lips, and asked slowly, "Judging from my appearance, does it meet your standards?"
Shu Bai stared at him intently for two more seconds, as if she were completing a rigorous appraisal.
Then, he very decisively released his grip on Li Yuheng's wrist, while simultaneously picking up his own dark earring with his other hand.
He clenched the earring in his hand before taking a half step back to create a safe social distance.
"Hmm. I see clearly, you are a very handsome young man."
Li Yuheng: "..."
Young man?
Li Yuheng's fingers, which were resting on the edge of the offering table, curled up unconsciously, almost tearing a piece of wood off the corner of the table.
He stared at Shu Bai's expressionless face, trying to find even the slightest trace of a joke or sarcasm.
No.
Shu Bai's gaze was even sincere, as if he were commenting on the neighbor's child who had just been admitted to university.
Li Yuheng attempted to salvage his authority as the guardian and the main male lead, maintaining his peculiar tone and emphasizing:
“I am a guardian deity who has existed in this world since ancient times, older than your ancestors…”
"I know."
Shu Bai interrupted him, carefully putting the earring back on her left earlobe while continuing in that slightly rambling tone.
“Being handsome has nothing to do with age. I’ve seen photos of Shu Huaijin when he was young; he was quite a spirited young man, but now he’s an old man who talks about me all the time.”
He put on the earrings, adjusted their position with his hand to make sure they were secure, and then looked up at Li Yuheng again:
"Looks are given by your parents and are an advantage, but the key is still character and ability."
Li Yuheng glanced at Shu Bai for two seconds, then smiled.
It's okay, as long as it's an advantage, that's enough.
"...What you say is quite right."
The next moment, he gently braced himself against the edge of the altar, completely freeing himself from the shadow of the mural.
"Now that I have awakened, I must always remember my duty to protect you. As the current head of the family, you bear the weight of the family's rise and fall, and your safety is of utmost importance. From this day forward, I will always be by your side, protecting you and helping you cleanse yourself of the filth and impurities of the world."
Shu Bai frowned as he listened to this string of flowery words.
"...Guardian, could you please speak Mandarin? In a more normal way?"
Li Yuheng was taken aback by this blunt request, and the aura of profound mystery he had cultivated instantly dissipated by half.
He cleared his throat: "What I mean is, from today onwards, I'll go with you. Wherever you go, I'll go."
Shu Bai understood this time, but her brows furrowed even more: "This is against the rules. The work of a color purifier involves the privacy of clients, and outsiders cannot be present."
"An outsider?" Li Yuheng seemed to have heard an amusing joke and took a step closer.
He was slightly taller than Shu Bai, and at this moment he lowered his eyes slightly, exuding an undeniable sense of oppression. "I am the guardian of the Shu family. In terms of seniority, I am even older than your ancestors. How dare you call me an outsider?"
Shu Bai looked at Li Yuheng's approaching face, those excessively beautiful eyes staring at him without blinking.
He paused for two seconds, then slightly shifted his gaze.
"I apologize, it was my oversight." His tone softened. "You're certainly not an outsider. It's just that the procedure..."
Before she could finish speaking, her gaze involuntarily fell back onto Li Yuheng's face.
"Okay. But please be sure to follow professional ethics."
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