Chapter 45 Full Moon Night "...Don't leave me."...
"...I didn't sleep well, I heard noises outside." It took Shu Qing a full minute to find her own voice. "What...why are you like this?"
Jiu Su raised his head, and Shu Qing finally saw his appearance clearly. He was usually so fair that he didn't look real, but at this moment his face was flushed, and he had a rare, vibrant life. However, even his eyes revealed deep red snake pupils, which added a touch of demonic aura to this life.
Shu Qing's thoughts even drifted for a moment; she thought: No wonder they always use the word "alluring"...
"It's nothing," Jiu Su said with a slight difficulty. "Tonight is the full moon, I didn't expect... to scare you?"
Shu Qing shook her head. It was the first time she had seen Jiu Su like this, and she was startled, but to say she was "afraid" was far from the truth; Jiu Su was quite brave.
She glanced at the floor. His pajamas were torn in half and lay on the ground; clearly, Jiu Su had hastily transformed into a snake tail and hadn't even had time to change her clothes.
"Is she sick?" Shu Qing wondered worriedly. "Or is she injured?"
She went over to see what was wrong with him, but as soon as she sat down on the sofa and before she could even speak, Jiu Su suddenly hugged her tightly, even wrapping his tail around her ankles and calves restlessly.
His body temperature was usually low, but at this moment it was burning hot. His arms, chest, and even his cool, smooth scales were burning hot. With each breath, his hot breath hit the back of her neck, completely unlike his usual self.
Shu Qing was startled and hugged him. "You have a fever?"
I don't know how to treat a monster's fever. Would it work if it took human fever reducers?
“No,” Jiu Su said softly, and after a while, she reluctantly confessed, “It’s just… a special period.”
"ah?"
His words were so euphemistic that it took Shu Qing half a minute to process what he meant, before she finally grasped his meaning from the books she usually read when she wasn't focused on her studies. She felt incredibly awkward and uncomfortable, and after a long pause, she managed to stammer out, "...But it's not spring now..."
Jiu Su was too embarrassed to explain to her that "snakes do this in both spring and autumn," so she could only remain silent, wriggling her calf with her tail in discomfort and rubbing it incessantly.
Shu Qing knew she might have asked a stupid question, and she thought helplessly, "What do we do now? We can't... we can't..."
She discussed so much with Shu Tong—legal protection, differences in combat power, lifestyle habits, earning a living—but she never expected that she might also have to deal with her monster boyfriend's infidelity…
What should we do? She can't accept it yet...
“Don’t be afraid,” Jiu Su whispered, “I am a monster, not a wild beast that acts solely on instinct… I won’t do anything.”
Shu Qing felt a mix of emotions, but she was slightly relieved. She touched his hair and asked, "How long will this last?"
"After midnight... after 1 a.m. This will continue for about half a month."
Shu Qing couldn't reach for her phone, so she glanced at the clock on the coffee table. It was too dark in the room to see clearly; she could only make out the vague outline, which looked like "23".
That means there's still a little over an hour left.
She didn't mind him holding her for over an hour, but they couldn't just stand there like that, discussing the monster's menstrual cycle, could they?
Shu Qing brushed aside Jiu Su's hair and placed her palm on the back of his neck to cool him down. She felt Jiu Su tremble slightly in her arms.
She tried to find a topic to distract Jiu Su, so she asked, "How's things going with the Super Management Bureau? Did you go back to clean up after your unfortunate brother?"
Jiu Su didn't have much energy to talk, but when she asked, he explained in detail, "No, I just went to talk to Yang Zheng again."
Yang Zheng is the real name of Director Yang.
Shu Qing gently stroked the clearly visible neck bone beneath the skin and asked, "Did you get anything out of the conversation?"
“He still hasn’t agreed, but he’s compromised,” Jiu Su’s voice was a little unsteady from being touched, yet she spoke with an air of seriousness that only fueled the imagination. “He said he could let you make a small ‘pilot’ film first to see how it goes… If the results are good, he can agree to a formal collaboration…”
"In addition, you must ensure that every monster that appears on screen has a supervisor."
Shu Qing didn't even need to think; she quickly understood Director Yang's intention: the pilot video was to reaffirm the project's prospects. Her demo video of the auspicious bird was posted using a newly registered studio account, and her own large account with 100,000 followers naturally contributed to driving traffic to it. With her fan base, the studio's first video was sure to attract a lot of viewers.
But that may not be the case in the future.
Besides, she became famous for filming monsters with superpowers. If she really collaborates with the official authorities to create a monster encyclopedia, she definitely can't just casually explain monster abilities. Otherwise, there will probably be more and more companies like Huiyao Group that are eyeing monsters.
She had hoped to find a loophole, but Director Yang caught her. Shu Qing had to admit that although the old director's ideas were a bit out of touch with the times, his insight was indeed sharp.
As for the monsters that are required to appear on screen, they all have a supervisor. Needless to say, it's because they're worried that the wild monsters will become stronger and stronger under her "golden touch" and eventually get out of control.
Neither of the two requirements is unreasonable. It's just that the data requirements for the pilot episode...
How to calculate data effectively?
“The pilot episode’s data is more than five times that of your… ‘demo’.” Jiu Su’s arms tightened around her, and her lips involuntarily touched the side of her neck before she quickly forced herself back to the original distance. “Wan Li and I can provide you with support as official staff… but we can’t do so in the name of the Super Management Bureau itself.”
Shu Qing trembled all over, not from Jiu Su's kiss, but from the condition. She cursed inwardly, "Damn it!"
Five times! This veteran cadre has far too much faith in official authority; he thinks the word "official" is worth tens of millions of views!
What a joke! She's using the official banner for several reasons. First, for safety, to avoid getting involved with competitors like "Jinzhao Studio" and the powerful backers they might have. Second, to achieve self-realization. Third, to access the official backend's comprehensive database.
Hoping to use official endorsements to boost her traffic is not impossible, but compared to her current popularity, it's a piece of cake. She never even considered it!
"I can see that," Shu Qing said through gritted teeth, "Director Yang, this iron-fisted veteran cadre, has never been involved in social media at all!"
Jiu Su didn't say anything. He seemed increasingly uncomfortable, and his lips pressed against hers again, gently sucking on a small patch of skin on the side of her neck. His movements were careful, like a child finally given permission to eat a piece of candy he had been longing for, unwilling to swallow it whole, wanting to savor it repeatedly.
It smells so sweet, it tastes so delicious...
The scents of shower gel and shampoo mingled around her hair and neck, but none of them could mask her natural body fragrance.
Shu Qing felt completely weak, half of it from anger and the other half from the snake. His lips were hot and soft, like a tiny spark, threatening to ignite a wildfire within her body, fueled by her rapidly flowing blood.
This can't be allowed to continue. Shu Qing suppressed her excitement and said with a blank face, "Didn't you say you weren't a wild beast driven solely by instinct?"
Jiu Su let out a barely audible "hmm," released her neck, and snuggled against her with a slightly aggrieved expression. Her fluffy silver hair brushed against her chin, adding a slight ticklish sensation to the raging fire.
He was always aloof and usually acted as if he was in complete control in front of her. But now, he was practically throwing his carefully constructed facade to the ground.
Shu Qing wanted to comfort him, so she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, but to no avail. She felt the room temperature rising rapidly, and even the air she breathed in was steaming hot. In early September in the south, air conditioning was still essential, and in the 25°C room, she broke out in a light sweat.
Jiu Su called her in a hoarse voice, "A Shu..."
"Um?"
"...Don't leave me."
These five words were spoken so softly that they softened Shu Qing's heart. She knew that Jiu Su must have minded that she avoided eye contact with him during her report today, but he hadn't mentioned it, and she didn't know how to explain it. He had actually held back until now to say it.
She glanced at the clock on the table again: Oh, it's past midnight, it's already yesterday's report.
Shu Qing traced his ear along the back of his neck, kneading his earlobe as she prepared to explain.
Jiu Su continued, "I did indeed have selfish motives... and I hid some things from you."
Shu Qing immediately forgot her prepared "explanation" and asked, "What is it?"
Jiu Su shook her head, buried her face in her shoulder, and said, "I'm sorry."
Shu Qing pursed her lips slightly.
“Don’t leave me,” Jiu Su repeated as if in a dream, “Before you knew… I had loved you for a long, long time…”
More than two thousand years have passed. Mountains and rivers have turned into plains, and great marshes into mulberry fields. The magnificent and splendid Kunlun Immortal Capital has become an ancient ruin, forever buried beneath the unmelting ice layer of the southwest; the millions of demons who once roamed the world have also become "supernatural beings," transformed into beloved pets by people.
Love, however, is fleeting, as fragile as morning dew.
Who would have thought it could be more stubborn and unyielding than mountains and rocks, and more immortal than Kunlun Mountain?
Perhaps for him, for the former Xiashan Jun, love was no longer one of the seven emotions, but rather a pain and instinct akin to having blood and flesh cut off, bones scraped and heart gouged out. Only in this way could he endure life and death and never forget it.
However, Xiashan-kun's courage far surpassed his. She had already decided to let go. Before this life began, she had made a vow never to see him again.
Only he lingered in this unforgettable period of his life, saw a glimmer of hope, and clung to it like a lifeline, unwilling to let go even at the cost of his life.
“Then let me ask you a different question,” Shu Qing asked, “What would happen if I knew?”
Jiu Su clung to her even tighter, and after a long silence, he said bitterly, "I don't know... Maybe it won't matter. Maybe... you'll regret wanting me in the first place..."
Shu Qing's hand, which had been rubbing his ear, suddenly stopped. This time, she thought carefully for a moment before asking her next question: "Have you ever done anything to betray me?"
Jiu Su remained silent for an even longer time—back then, the Immortal Capital and the Demon Clan were enemies, each serving their own master. In the end, their relationship broke down, and they killed each other. If she were to apologize, it would probably be unavoidable.
But he knew he couldn't answer like that, and Shu Qing wasn't asking about that, but rather a personal "I'm sorry": Have you ever hurt me, taken advantage of me, or betrayed my feelings?
The two exchanged a few words, like a difficult game of Go, probing each other and needing to think long before making each move.
The past is a complex and confusing mess, with right and wrong hard to discern, and existence and non-existence unclear. Only one thing is certain, and therefore, Jiu Su can only answer her with this one undeniable fact.
He said softly, "I have never let you down."
Shu Qing felt one half of her heart relax, while the other half hung in the air.
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