Yao Zuizui tilted her head eagerly toward Suhei, her eyes sparkling, almost as if she wanted to snatch the bowl of noodles right from in front of him.
Unexpectedly, Suhei picked up some noodles, blew on them, and held them out to her: “Open your mouth.”
“…” Yao Zuizui felt extremely embarrassed. She stole a glance at Zhu Yiyi, who was completely absorbed in slurping his noodles, oblivious to her interaction with Suhei.
“I can eat by myself,” Yao Zuizui muttered awkwardly, staring at the thin, translucent noodles in Suhei’s hand, which seemed to taunt her with their deliciousness.
Suhei’s voice was icy, devoid of any emotion, yet the words he spoke were enough to make her heart skip a beat.
“During the day, I move. At night, you move.”
“…I refuse!” Yao Zuizui shot another furtive glance at Zhu Yiyi, relieved he still hadn’t noticed their conversation.
She glared at Suhei angrily, then stood up and marched straight to the kitchen.
Hmph! She had hands and feet of her own—she could make her own breakfast. Why should she let Suhei bully her?
Her own noodles were just as good, no worse than his!
Yao Zuizui hadn’t expected Suhei to actually go through with it—watching her make her own breakfast while giving the noodles meant for her to Zhu Yiyi.
Furious, she decided she would sleep with Zhu Yiyi that night and let Suhei go to hell!
===
Because Suhei was severely injured, he shamelessly stayed at Yao Zuizui’s place to recover, refusing to leave.
Previously, he only appeared at night, but now he followed her around like a shadow even during the day.
When Yao Zuizui and Zhu Yiyi cuddled on the couch watching TV, happily munching on sunflower seeds, Suhei squeezed himself between them.
He didn’t even watch the show, focusing instead on shelling seeds for Yao Zuizui.
He piled up a whole plate but didn’t give a single one to Zhu Yiyi—only Yao Zuizui was allowed to take them.
“I don’t like shelled seeds. I prefer cracking them myself! Here, Zhu Yiyi, you can have these!” Yao Zuizui handed the entire plate to Zhu Yiyi, who looked pitifully left out.
Zhu Yiyi accepted them as if they were treasure.
Suhei’s gaze sharpened like a blade, sweeping over Zhu Yiyi several times.
But Zhu Yiyi pretended not to notice, engrossed in the show as he discussed the plot with his mom.
Unable to get a word in, Suhei grew displeased.
He grabbed Zhu Yiyi by the collar. “Go do your homework.”
Zhu Yiyi: ???
“Dad, what homework?” Zhu Yiyi blinked his big, grape-like eyes in confusion.
Suhei thought for a few seconds, then turned to Yao Zuizui. “Enroll him in kindergarten tomorrow.”
Having him around was just annoying.
After dinner, Suhei figured there was nothing left to do but wash up and sleep.
Sleeping was fun.
But Yao Zuizui and Zhu Yiyi clearly didn’t share that sentiment.
They decided to go for a walk to digest their meal. Staying cooped up all day wasn’t good—they needed fresh air.
But Suhei couldn’t leave. Only inside this room was safe for him.
Expressionless, he watched them leave, standing at the door as he called out, “Come back early.”
Yao Zuizui ignored him. So did Zhu Yiyi.
Mother and son chatted about where to walk, completely disregarding him.
Stuck at home with nothing to do, Suhei stared at the clock on the wall, watching the minute hand crawl forward.
Even the second hand seemed to move at a snail’s pace.
After what felt like an eternity, he finally heard the sound of keys turning in the lock.
Suhei teleported straight to the door to welcome them back.
When Yao Zuizui opened the door, a dark figure suddenly lunged at her, wrapping her in a hug that nearly gave her a heart attack.
Maybe people with severe injuries became extra fragile—Suhei seemed unusually clingy all of a sudden.
Zhu Yiyi giggled from the sidelines, munching on metaphorical dog food. “Dad, we walked really far tonight! We went to—”
Before he could finish, Suhei cut him off ruthlessly.
Speaking to Yao Zuizui, he said, “Remember to sign him up for boarding kindergarten.”
Zhu Yiyi wanted to cry. What was his dad trying to do?
Was he worried Zhu Yiyi would get too full from all the dog food and decided to ship him off to kindergarten for his own good?
===
Man proposes, God disposes.
The next day, Yao Zuizui actually took Zhu Yiyi to look at kindergartens.
Suhei waited anxiously again.
They didn’t return until evening, and he almost couldn’t stop himself from running out to find them.
“Dad, Mom found me a really good kindergarten!” Zhu Yiyi announced cheerfully as soon as they walked in, swinging Suhei’s hand.
What Suhei really wanted to ask was why they hadn’t enrolled him right away so he wouldn’t have to come back at night.
“I also got a job—an exam proctor at Zhu Yiyi’s kindergarten,” Yao Zuizui said, feeling quite clever.
Suhei, on the other hand, felt thoroughly outmaneuvered.
Maybe they just shouldn’t go at all.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
All three of them tensed, their eyes snapping toward the entrance.
Yao Zuizui walked over and peeked through the peephole.
It was Fang Yi.
After knocking, he stood with his hands folded in front of him, waiting for her to open the door.
“Oh no, Fang Yi’s here. He must know you’re here,” Yao Zuizui whispered urgently, grabbing Suhei’s arm. “Run! I’ll stall him.”
Suhei frowned, clearly reluctant.
He didn’t want that damned Taoist taking advantage of her.
“Dad, don’t worry! I’ll protect Mom!” Zhu Yiyi declared like a little adult, patting his chest.
Suhei gave them both a long look before vanishing in a series of flashes, leaping out the window.
Only when he was completely gone did Yao Zuizui open the door. “Sorry, I was washing dishes in the kitchen. You’ve been waiting a while.”
Fang Yi smiled warmly. “No problem. I just wanted to check if you’re settling in okay. Need any help?”
“We’re fine, thank you,” Yao Zuizui said, stepping back politely but distantly.
Fang Yi subtly scanned the living room. “Glad to hear it. We’re friends, after all, and I grew up in this city. If you need anything, just ask.”
“Sure,” Yao Zuizui replied with a light laugh, her bright eyes and radiant smile exuding natural charm. “Come in for some tea. You went through a lot of trouble helping us find this place.”
“No, no, I have things to do. I should go,” Fang Yi waved his hands dismissively, his demeanor utterly sincere, with no hint of pretense.
“Oh, come on, a cup of tea won’t take long,” Yao Zuizui insisted, dragging him onto the couch—partly to buy Suhei more time to escape.
Fang Yi, torn between politeness and his ulterior motives (like getting closer to her for information or even a chance at intimacy), reluctantly sipped his tea before hastily excusing himself.
Once he was gone, Yao Zuizui exhaled deeply, her body slick with a thin layer of sweat.
Honestly, she didn’t know why she was so nervous…
Or so she told herself as she sat on the couch, still tense.
Mostly, she worried whether Suhei had gotten away safely.
She sat there until late into the night.
Zhu Yiyi, being a child, had long since succumbed to sleep, but Yao Zuizui remained lost in thought.
She had no way to contact Suhei.
Just as her anxiety peaked, she felt a weight on her shoulder.
A cold breeze swept over her, sending chills deep into her bones.
Suhei’s icy breath brushed faintly against her ear, weaker than ever.
His injuries seemed even worse than before.
“Are you okay?” Yao Zuizui asked, her brow furrowing with concern.
“Barely alive,” Suhei murmured, his voice barely audible.
“He’s been hunting you for a while, hasn’t he?” Yao Zuizui sighed.
“Yeah,” Suhei replied weakly, his breath shallow.
Battle after battle.
From initially holding the upper hand, to escaping unscathed even after being hit by the ancestral artifact, to now being covered in wounds.
He was reaching his limit.
He’d been using his magic to slowly heal his injuries—and the lingering effects of the aphrodisiac poison.
But even his deep reserves couldn’t sustain this forever.
“If… you found more women, would that work?” Yao Zuizui asked, though for some reason, the words felt harder to say than they should’ve been.
Suhei fell silent.
Maybe he’d fallen asleep. Or maybe he just didn’t want to answer.
Since Suhei was leaning on her shoulder, Yao Zuizui couldn’t see the storm brewing in his dark eyes.
More women?
Of course it would help.
The more, the faster he’d recover.
That was the one flaw in the Fang family’s ancestral artifact.
The balance of yin and yang could stabilize his energy, reversing the corrosive vortex devouring his soul and magic.
That damned Taoist knew this weakness too, which was why he was so desperate to kill Suhei before he could recover.
Before, Suhei had hidden well, evading detection.
But if he started marking women with his ghostly energy, the Taoist could trace it back to him.
Yao Zuizui’s question ignited an inexplicable fire in Suhei’s chest.
His voice was frigid as he uttered three words: “You’d allow it?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Yao Zuizui whispered. “You’re so badly hurt… Of course healing comes first.”
It wasn’t like she had feelings for him. He could find as many women as he wanted—she didn’t care.
As long as he didn’t die.
If he died, her mission would fail.
The weight on her shoulder lifted as Suhei shakily stood.
He gave her a long, penetrating look that made her heart race.
She lowered her gaze, refusing to meet his eyes.
Light footsteps carried him to the door, where he paused.
“You’re sure?” Suhei’s hand gripped the doorknob, his voice icy but trembling faintly.
“Yeah.” Just stay alive.
Yao Zuizui’s soft reply was met with the door slamming shut behind him, leaving only silence in its wake.
The air still carried Suhei’s lingering chill.
Yao Zuizui sat on the couch, unsure how much time had passed, her emotions a tangled mess.
Eventually, she dragged herself to bed like a zombie and pulled the covers over her.
The room still smelled like Suhei—even the sheets were steeped in his cold aura.
Yao Zuizui couldn’t sleep.
Every few seconds, she twitched her limbs, half-expecting Suhei to materialize beside her like he used to, pinning her down without warning.
But she waited all night.
He never came.
She lay there, staring at the ceiling, watching darkness give way to slivers of light.
She thought about his question before he left.
She realized she didn’t want to agree at all.
She realized she didn’t like the idea.
But what choice did she have?
There was no other way. He was hanging on by a thread.
She just wanted him to live.
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