Chapter 63
For a fleeting moment, Fu Zong's expression, shrouded in shadow, appeared somewhat dark and cold, sending chills down one's spine.
Xie Xubai suppressed his smile, assuming that Fu Zong was angry about his "disrespect" or Lao Zhang's complaints.
But those dark eyes swept past him and Lao Zhang, fixing their gaze directly on the man and dog in the back seat.
Although it was only for a fleeting moment, Xie Xubai still managed to catch the unsteady movement in those pupils.
"You... own a dog, and you also adopted that child... What are their names?"
"..." Xie Xubai's body tensed, various possible guesses flashing through his mind. He asked with a seemingly normal smile, "How did the dean know that I adopted Lele?"
In this alienated world, ordinary people will follow the rules in their memories and rush about day after day.
However, because there are no laws and no law enforcement agencies to maintain order, a crucial link in the logic of social operation is missing, which often leads to discrepancies between the actual situation and reality.
For example, the adoption conditions have been relaxed in many ways, but the 30-day review period remains unchanged.
Only a little over ten days have passed, and Jiang Kaile's adoption procedures have not yet been completed, nor has she been registered in the household register.
Why is Fu Zong so certain about something that can't be found anywhere?
Upon hearing his question, the strange and eerie expression on Fu Zong's face vanished instantly, almost as if it were Xie Xubai's illusion.
The man simply smiled and said calmly, "That child is at least fifteen or sixteen years old. Can you even give birth to him?"
Xie Xubai: "Since he calls me teacher, perhaps he is a student staying at my house?"
"You're still a teacher?" Fu Zong's gaze suddenly turned serious as he looked him over with disapproval. "Lu Xiangcai didn't tell me you held multiple positions before I joined the company."
"I used to be a tutor." Xie Xubai was unaffected by his questioning and smiled calmly, smoothly steer the conversation back to the original topic, "It's funny, I used to hear people say that Lele and I look alike, and I thought they were joking."
Fu Zong understood the deeper meaning in his words and couldn't stand being provoked: "You two are at most ten years apart in age, yet you look like father and son? What are you implying to me?"
He scoffed, "Don't worry, I don't care who you are when I do business with Lü Xiangcai, and I don't have the time to investigate you behind your back."
Xie Xubai: "How could that be? You're too kind."
Fu Zong did not overlook the changes in his tone and wording.
He suddenly remembered a sentence he had read somewhere.
—Those who are protective of their own will reflexively bristle and bare their fangs when their loved ones are threatened; their deep emotions cannot be hidden, just like a sneeze.
The concern shown by the man, the dog, and the driver towards the young man, as well as the reassuring look the young man instinctively gave him, all seemed so tender and intensely affectionate.
The dazzling headlights focused into a beam, spanning between Xie Xubai and the others and Fu Zong, illuminating even the cracks in the bluestone paving stones and the withered grass roots.
It's as if a clear line of demarcation has been drawn between close and distant relationships.
Fu Zong's face grew even paler under the lamplight, and his voice was as cold as ice.
"Believe it or not, the way that kid looks at you is exactly the same way that some little brat used to look at me."
"—But I don't have time to take care of a burden who only knows how to cry."
He left those words unsaid, expressionless, avoiding the glaring headlights, quickened his pace, and walked straight into the depths of the street.
A damp, cold white mist gradually spread through the air, and one could vaguely see many blurry ghostly figures baring their fangs and claws, and hear chilling growls.
The middle-aged man said coldly and angrily, "Get out!"
The fog on the entire street jolted, as if an invisible gale had swept through, dispersing in a flash.
The countless ghostly figures hiding within were struck, letting out shrill screams, and vanished in the blink of an eye.
Xie Xubai: "..."
He noticed the other person's slightly unsteady gait, lowered his eyelashes and pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised his voice to ask.
"Lele, An'an, would you like to tell Uncle Dean your names?"
Fu Zong paused in his steps.
The clashing and irreconcilable auras of the Ghost King and the Demon King make cannibalism and mutual destruction their inherent nature.
From the moment they saw Fu Zong appear beside Xie Xubai, Ping An and Jiang Kaile were on high alert.
Especially when Xie Xubai and the other man got close and started exchanging words, Jiang Kaile and the others began to breathe unsteadily, as if a sharp sword that could kill instantly was hanging over their heads, and not a single muscle in their bodies could relax.
With the back of the seat blocking his view, Xie Xubai, who was in front of the car, couldn't see Jiang Kaile's legs and the dog's limbs slowly pushing themselves up. Red scales appeared on the back of the boy's hands, and the dog's front paws extended sharp claws.
But it was at this moment that they suddenly heard Xie Xubai's question.
Both the man and the dog were momentarily stunned, and the tense atmosphere quickly dissipated.
They exchanged glances, somewhat unsure of what to do, and subconsciously cooperated with Xie Xubai's attempt to smooth things over, getting out of the car.
The young man raised his voice and said, "Good evening, my name is Jiang Kaile. Are you the Dean? I've heard elders talk about your reputation before, and seeing you in person is truly an honor."
Ping An also let out a low growl.
It can mimic human language, but it's not a mindless puppy that knows that doing so would scare the driver.
Fortunately, the language of advanced monsters is not transmitted through simple sound waves. As a fellow monster king, Fu Zong could naturally understand what it was saying.
"Jiang Kaile, you're safe."
He repeated it in a tone that was indistinct in his emotions.
Xie Xubai kept a close eye on Fu Zong's movements.
Perhaps he was overthinking it. After getting the answer he wanted, the other person's coldness didn't disappear at all; instead, it felt like an even heavier, more oppressive burden had been placed on him.
Fu Zong suddenly laughed, raising an eyebrow at Jiang Kaile: "Smooth talker, you're obviously a child taught by your teacher."
His tone was kind and gentle, and the volume of his laughter was just right, making it impossible to detect any insincerity.
When Jiang Kaile suddenly heard someone say that he had a close relationship with his teacher, his wariness dissipated by most of it, and he couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth and chuckle shyly.
“Peaceful.” Fu Zong looked at the dog again, scanning it up and down, and exclaimed in surprise, “It’s really strong. It’s obviously a good dog that can protect its owner.”
Ping An looked at him calmly.
Three seconds later, his attempt to feign composure failed, and he raised his chin higher and higher, wildly whipping his fluffy tail like a propeller.
If anyone from the hospital were present at this moment, they would probably be astonished, because this mean-spirited middle-aged man could actually speak human language.
Xie Xubai's doubts grew stronger.
It wasn't his imagination; Fu Zongming clearly knew Jiang Kaile and Ping An very well... including him.
Do they really know Fu Zong? And when?
But if they really did get to know each other, even if it was only once, Fu Zong's aloof and arrogant temperament alone would make it impossible for him to ignore him.
The most crucial issue is that the timing doesn't match.
Just as he was thinking this, he saw Fu Zong turn to him and say, "Thank you for your hard work all day, Director Xie. Now that your family has come to pick you up..."
Before he could finish speaking, the middle-aged man lost his composure and took a short breath, as if he wanted to spit something out, but then swallowed it back down. His usually sarcastic and arrogant voice became somewhat hoarse.
"Go home and rest."
Xie Xubai felt a sudden, indescribable feeling welling up inside him. Just as he was about to speak, he noticed the white mist flowing like water in the air and quickly said, "Wait a minute, your injury—"
As if stimulated by the other party's concern, the thick white mist suddenly surged, swirling upwards like a vortex, swallowing Fu Zong's straight body into it.
The gust of air brushed against his face, causing Xie Xubai to instinctively close his eyes. When he opened them again, the middle-aged man was nowhere to be seen on the street.
Xie Xubai glanced at the time; it was almost midnight. He then looked away.
They soon returned home.
Xie Xubai felt somewhat apologetic for keeping everyone waiting for so long.
After saying goodbye to driver Lao Zhang, he sent a message to Lü Xiangcai explaining the situation.
If working overtime becomes the norm for him in the future, with so many evil spirits and ghosts outside the hospital, it's really not suitable to walk to the subway station anymore. He plans to give Lao Zhang a raise as compensation for working overtime with him.
Afterwards, Xie Xubai checked Jiang Kaile's homework and was pleasantly surprised to find that the boy had answered all the homework questions correctly. He believed that the boy would catch up with the school's pace soon and praised him enthusiastically with a smile.
Jiang Kaile heated up the food and served it to Xie Xubai, watching him eat without blinking before grumbling, "Of course, don't you know who taught me?"
Xie Xubai couldn't help but chuckle, ruffling his fluffy head: "The paperwork should be completed in a while, and then we'll change your household registration. Would you like to change your surname to Xu?"
"..." Jiang Kaile stared at him expectantly, "Isn't Xie Kaile a good name?"
Xie Xubai glanced at the boy's tense cheeks and suddenly laughed, "No, it sounds very good."
As he spoke, a hint of nostalgia crept into his voice: "Your great-teacher's wife was named Xie Yuchun, which is a very beautiful name. I wonder how happy she would be if she knew she had another grandson."
This was the first time Xie Xubai had mentioned his family of origin to them, and Jiang Kaile, along with the cats and dogs, couldn't help but prick up their ears.
Unfortunately, the young man stopped there and didn't continue.
Jiang Kaile noticed that Xie Xubai wasn't in a good mood, so she ran up behind him, bent down and hugged his neck, resting her chin on his shoulder and sweetly complaining, "What? Teacher is so young, yet you're making yourself sound old."
"Is this the important point?" Xie Xubai was both amused and exasperated, gently placing the homework book on his head. "Alright, go to sleep, you have school tomorrow morning."
The teacher and student shared an unspoken understanding.
He knew that Ms. Xu's neglect over the past ten years had ultimately left an indelible scar on the young man's heart, so he would not force Jiang Kaile to forgive her.
Just as Jiang Kaile sensed his sadness about the past, even though she was worried, she did not press him further.
Afterwards, Xie Xubai took a hot shower, and as the steam rose on his cheeks, he couldn't help but let out a satisfied sigh.
He came out drying his hair with a towel, and his dog, Ping An, had been waiting at the bathroom door for a long time with a toy in its mouth.
The big white dog tilted its head back and stared at him, sitting upright with its chest out as if it were calm, but its tail had already revealed its true intentions, wagging impatiently behind it.
Xie Xubai couldn't help but laugh out loud again. He caught the toy and tossed it into the air. The dog immediately howled and bit at it. After landing, its big tail wagged even more happily.
But it didn't continue to pester the young man to play games. It picked up the toy, put it back in the box, and with a flick of its eyes, the hairdryer floated in the air and clicked to plug it in.
"Ping An wants to help me blow-dry my hair?" Xie Xubai took the towel down and smiled, "Then I'll have to enjoy myself today."
Ping An whimpered and rubbed its head against his calf. Xie Xubai sat down on the sofa, and then the hairdryer was turned on, the warm air blowing on his hair and bringing a comfortable warmth.
Seeing this, the cats and dogs also came to rub against Xie Xubai's body, their little heads resting against the young man's waist, making him lie down.
Xie Xubai did as he was told, not understanding why. Soon after, several pairs of soft little hands stepped on his back, shoulders and calves, pressing rhythmically.
Cats and dogs don't understand massage techniques, but they know that the best massage is one that can relax young people.
So while stomping on it, they kept observing Xie Xubai's reaction, meowing and woofing softly to soothe the human they cared about to fall asleep.
Xie Xubai's heart softened instantly, and he relaxed his body, closing his eyes comfortably.
However, he did not fall asleep immediately. He used some of his restored mental energy to probe into the consciousness of the small tentacle.
Purple lightning rolled across the sky, and sand and stones flew across the ground. Hurricanes howled past, monsters roared in turn, and bare rock layers were exposed from the gnawed gaps—still the same desolate and barren landscape.
Yet, on this scarred land, a small world of pink and white flowers stands out conspicuously.
The Thousand-Faced Monster, appointed by Xie Xubai as the guardian of the flower field, was idly squatting by the side. When he saw Xie Xubai appear, he grinned excitedly.
Perhaps due to the nourishment of Xie Xubai's spiritual power over the past two days, it was a whole size larger than other monsters.
Xie Xubai separated a wisp of his spiritual power, holding it in his palm as usual, waiting for the big guy to finish eating after suppressing his greedy nature before stepping into the pink and white flower field.
Sure enough, in the very center of the flower field, he saw tiny tentacles hooking onto the flower branches with sharp points. The suction cups of the tentacles were rhythmically opening and closing, as if they had not yet woken up from their dream.
Seeing that the little flower was growing well and the little tentacles were safe and sound, Xie Xubai was relieved.
Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly felt dizzy and staggered forward two steps, quickly bracing himself with his hands.
Before his hands could touch the soil, a gentle breeze swept by, supporting his heavy spirit.
Xie Xubai paused for a moment, then looked up and saw Yan Shuo shrouded in white mist. He smiled and said, "Thank you."
Yan Shuo gazed at him quietly.
The gentle breeze pressed him down to sit on the edge of the flower field.
The soil underneath was unusually soft, reminding Xie Xubai of the sensation of being massaged by cats and dogs. His arms, which had been struggling, were now relaxed.
He tilted his head back, staring blankly at the roaring thunderclouds in the sky, and suddenly laughed out loud: "Don't you think this world is really beautiful?"
Yan Shuo noticed that his pupils were unfocused, as if he were talking in his sleep, and sensed something was wrong.
As expected, Xie Xubai's spiritual power was completely wiped out.
To put it bluntly, I was completely exhausted.
Yan Shuo glanced at the burly figure that had drained the last bit of the young man's spiritual energy, and regretfully discovered that the golden light had been completely digested when it was swallowed by the other party. Even if you pried open its mouth, you couldn't dig out a single trace of it.
Yan Shuo raised his hand.
A gust of wind swept in, throwing the big guy into the air.
The latter was still savoring the wonderful taste of spiritual power when, unexpectedly, his body was lifted into the air, and his vision was raised to mid-air.
The next second it slammed into the hard rock layer with a thud, causing it to feel dizzy and disoriented.
The big guy bared his teeth and jumped up, only to see the other thousand-faced monsters also being swept up by the hurricane and thrown in all directions.
Until the area within a hundred meters of the flower field becomes a "pure land" without any roaring sounds.
After clearing away the filth, Yan Shuo sat down next to Xie Xubai.
The young man had an extremely strong will; his eyelids drooped incessantly like a chick pecking at rice, but he never closed them completely.
Her long, narrow eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings, and as Yan Shuo gazed at them, his eyes were unconsciously fixed on her.
He twitched his eyebrows with a hint of interest, and soon after, he relaxed and propped up his chin.
Xie Xubai glanced at Yan Shuo sitting on the solidified stone slab. He seemed to realize that it was not good for him to be lying like that. He tried to get up by propping himself up with his elbows, but he lost his strength and slipped. His gold-rimmed glasses tilted to one side, revealing half of his watery and dazed eyes.
He paused, trying to raise his hand, but his arm went limp and he couldn't lift it at all. He turned to Yan Shuo blankly.
Yan Shuo tried to hold back, but finally couldn't resist and reached out to help him adjust his glasses.
Just as he was about to withdraw his hand, Xie Xubai froze for a moment, then somehow regained his strength, grabbed his wrist, and asked in a low voice, "Can you see my past?"
For a fleeting moment, Yan Shuo suspected that Xie Xubai was faking fainting.
He stared at the person intently for a while, but seeing nothing amiss, he denied it in a low voice: "No."
He knew that the young man was not easily swayed by external influences. Anything that could make him so concerned must be something significant, and once the conversation started, it would go on and on, making it impossible for him to sleep peacefully.
Xie Xubai lowered his eyelashes, whether out of regret or resentment, he grunted and struggled to prop himself up.
I accidentally used too much force, and my glasses became slightly crooked again.
Yan Shuo reflexively reached out his hand, and Xie Xubai also raised his hand at the same time, their fingertips brushing against each other before he quickly placed his hand against the frame of the glasses.
After the glasses were straightened, a gentle and aloof gaze shone through the lenses, like ripples spreading across a calm lake, disturbing the peace of mind.
The young man's voice was hoarse: "You're so amazing... you really can't?"
"..." Yan Shuo rubbed his fingers, remaining unmoved, and said, "No."
He looked away, avoiding eye contact with Xie Xubai.
Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at the edge of the flower field and noticed that several small pink and white flowers had suddenly sprouted up in that open area.
The little flower swayed in the wind, its petals fluttering energetically at him.
Yan Shuo: "..."
Like a thunderclap from a clear sky, his breathing quickened slightly. He reacted in a second, looking at Xie Xubai with a sense of absurdity.
To be honest, he never connected the reason for the flowers blooming with Xie Xubai.
So much so that when I discovered this fact, I was completely stunned.
In the eyes of the evil god, humans are no different from birds, beasts, insects, and fish; they are all living pieces of flesh.
What was it about the young man that touched him?
Calf muscles? Long and slender.
Arms? The muscle curves are smooth.
As for his health? He seems to have lost some weight from exhaustion.
Face--
Yan Shuo: "..."
I'm not sure anymore.
It looks like it from every angle.
Suddenly, Yan Shuo's gaze fell on Xie Xubai's glasses.
His breath hitched, and he tried to focus intently to confirm the absurd conjecture.
Unexpectedly, Xie Xubai moved, slowly took off his glasses, and seemed to rub his temples wearily.
Once, twice, three times.
After massaging, Xie Xubai gently lifted the slender temples of his glasses and lightly stroked the frame with his fair fingertips.
Yan Shuo didn't even realize that his gaze was following the young man's fingertips.
Just when he thought Xie Xubai was about to put on his glasses, the finger suddenly stopped and pressed the temple of the glasses back down.
Yan Shuo watched as the young man tucked his glasses into the left breast pocket of his shirt. His heart leaped and then plummeted. His eyes darkened, and he spoke in a cold, deep voice.
"Speak, what do you want to know?"
Xie Xubai thought to himself that men really are glasses addicts. To soothe the other person's emotions, he took out his glasses and put them back on, no longer pretending to be dizzy or sleepy. His smiling eyes were clear and bright, gentle and warm.
But when the question came up, she couldn't help but lower her voice: "Could you tell me if Xie Yuchun actually existed in my past?"
He suspected that his memory was false.
Author's Note:
Unable to add an extra chapter, I'll be giving away 100 small red envelopes in the comments as compensation, first come, first served. Hope you get back on track soon!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com