Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Shi Yu was taking a drink of water when, after a couple of sips, he suddenly noticed the strange silence beside him. He turned to see Han Chuyi staring at him with a weird, unreadable look on his face.

Shi Yu blinked.

"What's wrong?"

His voice sounded slightly better after drinking, though it was still lower and hoarse—so much so that you'd have to lean in close to hear what he was saying.

Han Chuyi instinctively moved closer, his ears burning, then came to his senses and stepped back, rubbing his ear.

"Oh, nothing."

"Feeling better?"

He looked at Shi Yu strangely. He hadn't expected this guy to look so... pure.

Yes, *pure*.

It was the first time Han Chuyi had ever used that word to describe a guy.

But Shi Yu’s appearance really was unique—there was no mistaking him for anything but male, with his sharp, clearly defined bone structure and chiseled jawline. Yet somehow, there was something undeniably innocent about him.

Ridiculously pure.

Underneath his long, dark lashes sat a straight, refined nose, paired with lips just a little redder than most guys’, lightly pursed. His fresh, clean vibe felt like a breath of cool air on a sweltering summer day—you couldn’t help but like him.

When Han Chuyi first saw those eyes—the ones that matched his secret type—he’d been curious about the rest of Shi Yu’s face.

But since it was Shen Yan who had asked him to find Shi Yu’s photo—and he’d gotten penalized for it—he pushed his curiosity aside, convincing himself: *He’s probably nothing special. If he were that attractive, I wouldn’t have forgotten him.*

But now, after staring for a while, Han Chuyi finally muttered in a strange tone as Shi Yu lifted his head and twisted the cap back on the bottle: "You don’t photograph well or something?"

"What?"

Shi Yu was still groggy from the high-speed drive, and now he cocked his head at the odd comment.

"Nothing. You just look way better than your pictures." Han Chuyi paused. Even with his usual stubbornness, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything bad about Shi Yu’s looks—but his expression got even more awkward.

Shi Yu glanced at him, not getting what he meant, and simply replied politely, "Oh, thanks."

He didn’t think his face was that good-looking. After a moment, he put his mask back on, slipping into his usual distant self.

"Alright, I’m heading home now."

"Later."

Wait, home?

Right—he was supposed to drop Shi Yu off. Now that they were here, it made sense for him to go.

Still, Han Chuyi’s eyes trailed after him without thinking. "Wait—aren’t you going to the hospital?"

The words blurted out before he could stop them.

Shi Yu: ...?

*What’s gotten into him today?*

"It's just motion sickness. A sip of water is enough—why go to the hospital?"

He looked at the young man across from him like he was some kind of lunatic, snapping Han Chuyi out of it with just one glance.

Han Chuyi: Shit!

It was no big deal, not something worth fussing over. Why did he have to open his mouth?

This wasn’t Brother Sang.

He tch’ed in irritation and didn’t even watch Shi Yu leave as he waved goodbye.

Shi Yu didn’t get why this guy’s face kept changing, but just as he reached the entrance of the apartment building, he suddenly remembered something and frowned, stopping in his tracks.

Han Chuyi had just taken a deep breath, pushing aside strange thoughts as he prepared to turn around when he saw the boy who had already left suddenly come back.

Shi Yu quickly walked up to the car and knocked on the window.

Han Chuyi: What now? Why’s he back?

He looked pissed off, but still lowered the window.

The next moment, the guy with the mask asked quietly:

"Ah, I forgot to ask earlier—how much does this water cost? I’ll transfer the money to you."

Almost forgot—Han Chuyi was a spoiled rich kid. This bottle of water probably wasn’t cheap, so better pay for it.

Han Chuyi had never met someone who came back just to pay for a bottle of water. He looked baffled.

"No need."

"It’s on me."

Like he couldn’t afford a stupid bottle of water—who needed someone else to pay?

Han Chuyi was so pissed he could only laugh. As Shi Yu stood there confused, the young master suddenly rolled the window back up, shot him a weird look, started the car, and drove off without another word.

Shi Yu: …?

Seriously, if it’s a gift, fine—but what was with that attitude? He hadn’t said anything wrong. Was this guy off his meds again?

Considering Han Chuyi’s bipolar moments, Shi Yu figured he must be acting up again. Whatever—it wasn’t his problem anyway. People from the Ability User Association… He frowned slightly. They probably wouldn’t cross paths again, right?

With that thought, Shi Yu grabbed his stuff and headed upstairs.

After being away nearly a whole night, the apartment was just like he left it. He placed the water bottle on the shoe cabinet, tidied up a bit, then finally relaxed onto the sofa.

Home felt so much better. At the Ability User Association, he always felt on edge, unable to rest properly.

Even though nothing bad happened, Shi Yu still felt uneasy there. He kept getting this weird feeling, like someone was watching him—gone in a flash, but still unsettling.

At least he was back now.

He let out a relieved sigh, lying on the sofa and checking his phone for a while. After letting his fans know he was safe and sound, he passed out without meaning to.

After staying up all day, exhaustion hit the moment his eyes closed. Within moments, he was dead asleep, not even noticing when his phone slipped to the side.

In the dimly lit living room, the curtains were drawn, with only gusts of night breeze drifting in, making the sleeper's eyebrows quiver faintly.

Half-asleep, Shi Yu dreamt that he might have forgotten to close the window, but he couldn't muster the energy to rise. He drifted back into a hazy slumber, thinking he'd handle it in the morning.

Sleeping on the couch wouldn't make him catch a cold… right?

Yet, after a while, the previously opened window, left unclosed, paused unnaturally before creaking slowly amid the flapping of the curtains.

Then, as the person on the sofa slept soundly, it silently shut—like some unseen force tidying up, as if an invisible hand had taken care of the household chores.

Shi Yu, eyes still closed, had initially felt a slight chill, but soon, whether the room warmed up or not, the cold inexplicably faded, until he was suddenly cozy.

...

Earlier, after driving away, Han Chuyi had intended to return to the Ability User Association. But lost in thought, he found himself unconsciously pulling up to Shi Yu's place.

Just as he parked, he glanced at his phone and saw seven or eight unread messages. He couldn't help but lick his fangs in annoyance.

Pfft. Now they care.

Where was this concern before?

Too lazy to reply to Wang Shan, he tossed his phone in his pocket, unaware of how panicked Wang Shan was.

After finishing his tasks, Wang Shan had planned to look for Mr. Shi, only to find the lounge empty. Startled, he asked a nearby colleague and learned that Mr. Shi had been whisked away by Young Master Han. Without hesitation, he immediately sent a barrage of texts.

"Young Master, where did you take Mr. Shi?"

"Couldn’t you have given a heads-up?"

Wang Shan feared Han Chuyi might have acted on a whim and provoked conflict with Mr. Shi, an ordinary person—that would be disastrous.

Picking on a non-ability user wouldn’t just cost the young master his internship points; Wang Shan himself would face consequences too.

His inbox kept blowing up with desperate messages. Irritated as hell, Han Chuyi finally gave in when it seemed Wang Shan was about to involve Shen Yan. He frowned and called back:

"Relax, he’s not dead. I already sent him back."

"That’s good, that’s good."

Wang Shan let out a relieved sigh before suddenly realizing—

Wait, sent him back?

Had he misheard?

He replayed Han Chuyi’s words in his head and confirmed he hadn’t. The young master really did return him.

So, Han Chuyi took him away… just to bring him home?

Since when did the young master play chauffeur?

Wang Shan pulled a face.

On the other end, Han Chuyi cleared his throat awkwardly, overplaying nonchalance.

"No big deal. Just dropped him off since it was on the way."

"Oh yeah,"

He suddenly warned, "Don't tell Brother Sang about this."

Han Chuyi didn’t know why he added that sentence—it felt like a guilty conscience. Just thinking about how he’d been dazzled by Shi Yu’s strikingly innocent face beneath his mask made him inexplicably uneasy.

At the Ability User Association, Wang Shan was utterly baffled but didn’t dare ask anything, only watching as Young Master Han hung up the phone.

...

Shi Yu slept straight through till morning, waking only when the sun was high in the sky.

Hmm.

What time is it?

He squinted briefly before reaching for his phone and realizing he had fallen asleep on the couch last night.

He’d been too tired to notice earlier, but somehow he hadn’t caught a cold after sleeping on the sofa? He remembered leaving the window open when he came back—didn’t he?

As these thoughts ran through his head, Shi Yu rubbed his sore shoulders from sleeping and got up to close the window. But when he pulled back the curtains, confusion flickered across his face.

Wait, why is the window closed?

The window was shut tight, not letting in even a whisper of wind, baking the room in warmth under the clear blue sky.

Shi Yu stared blankly at it for a long moment—he was sure he hadn’t closed it. Had he remembered wrong?

After a long staring contest with the window and still unable to recall, he finally drew his hand back, chalking it up to forgetfulness. Maybe he had closed it himself without realizing.

It wasn’t the first time his memory had failed him, after all.

Brushing off the oddity, he walked into the bathroom to wash up. When he returned, though… the previously empty cup on the coffee table now held water, teetering dangerously at the edge.

The rim trembled just centimeters above the floor, barely holding on—enough to give anyone watching heart palpitations. The invisible force supporting it struggled for a while before managing to steady things, then casually withdrew its hand, acting like it hadn’t just nearly spilled everything.

As if Shi Yu wouldn’t notice.

Shi Yu: …

Well, that settles it—the window last night definitely wasn’t my imagination.

So, casting a suspicious glance toward the empty space in front of him, he wondered uncertainly: Did a housekeeping spirit just take up residence in his home?