Chapter 84

Chapter 84

Their eyes met, and as Sang Huaiyu looked at him in confusion, Shi Yu had a momentary lapse.

"Alright then."

Sang Huaiyu froze slightly, surprised. He had thought Xiao Yu would be too shy to agree to give Him the cup, never expecting such a straightforward answer.

Only after speaking did Shi Yu realize what he had just blurted out.

But since it was already said—it was just a cup, after all. It would be fine.

If Mr. Sang really meant something else by it…

He took a deep breath, his palms clenching slightly, an inexplicable unease creeping into his heart.

……

In the otherworldly dimension, the "Twisted Figures" had been watching Ming Yue ever since his departure. Half of their attention was due to Ming Yue’s earlier taunting, while the other half was their curiosity about what exactly was wrong with that Shi Yu.

Yet before Ming Yue could even get to the bottom of it, the moment he possessed a human from the Ability User Association, the Twisted Figures sensed something amiss.

Wait—one of the Ancient God’s auras had vanished.

Ming Yue was dead?

So quickly?

The murmurs of the Twisted Figures paused as they carefully probed again, only to frown.

Not dead—but the aura of Ming Yue, who had just left the otherworldly dimension, was strange, hovering in some limbo between existence and oblivion. It seemed more like… he had been stripped of his demigod's rule-bound form and reduced to an ordinary SSS-Class Horror.

Though this outcome was slightly better than outright death, it still horrified the Twisted Figures.

It was common knowledge that an unbridgeable divide existed between gods like them, who once wielded Authority, and the Horrors born from darkness.

Even after Sang Huaiyu seized their Authority, they were still fundamentally different from those Horrors.

Unless an SSS-Class Horror devoured a god’s Authority, it was absolutely impossible for them to ascend to demigod status.

And yet, Ming Yue had still been stripped of his powers and reduced to a mere Horror?

The Twisted Figures turned away, even more at a loss—because everything had happened too suddenly. Ming Yue had possessed that human today and then immediately met his demise.

They couldn’t even begin to guess whether this incident was related to Shi Yu.

And if it was… how had he managed to remotely reduce an Ancient God to such a state?

The Twisted Figures were both fearful and apprehensive.

Somehow, that human named Shi Yu, though seemingly less terrifying than Sang Huaiyu, carried an unsettling, uncanny aura about him.

Their gaze turned toward City B, wondering—had the other Ancient Gods learned of this by now?

……

News of Ming Yue’s failure did indeed reach all the Ancient Gods the instant it happened.

Upon learning that he had been reduced to an inferior Horror, the "Specter of the Mirror" was the first to suspect Shi Yu.

But no matter how you looked at him, that human appeared utterly ordinary. The only unusual aspect is—the faint aura of Sang Huaiyu’s offspring clinging to them.

Did Mingyue really get taken down by this unborn divine heir?

That would be downright pathetic.

If he couldn’t take on Sang Huaiyu, how could he lose to a divine heir still in its cradle?

Or, as the Twisted Figures suggested, is there truly something wrong with that Shi Yu?

The "Mirror Ghost," previously itching for action, grew wary, now hesitating in uncertainty, unsure whether to step in and save Mingyue.

At the Ability User Association, Shen Yan had just regained consciousness. As the throbbing pain in his temples eased, the first thing he saw was Wang Shan’s face looming close, causing him to frown slightly.

Wang Shan: "Ah, Dr. Shen, you’re awake!"

"Good that you’re awake—you scared us half to death."

You have no idea how terrifying it was when he walked in that afternoon to find Dr. Shen passed out on the desk, with an SSS Horror right across from him. Luckily, he was fine—just knocked out.

Shen Yan, observing his startled expression, glanced around and noticed Wen Jingjing was also in the treatment room. His mind was foggy, leaving him disoriented.

"What happened?"

He only remembered finishing paperwork at noon and intending to get up for water, only to black out cold.

Remembering the nagging feeling that something was off with his body, Shen Yan’s expression grew serious.

Wang Shan and Wen Jingjing shared a glance.

"Dr. Shen doesn’t remember either?"

Wang Shan recounted the events before they arrived.

"That SSS Horror was acting weird—like it was tied up by something unseen, slumping straight to the ground before we entered. It’s been contained now."

"President Chang and the others are back. They’re treating this Horror breach as a major incident."

After all, this was the Ability User Association headquarters. For Horrors to slip in so easily, completely undetected until now, was bone-chilling.

Shen Yan was just as creeped out. He nodded slightly, then suddenly spoke up after standing. "Take me to the Horror in my office."

If his hunch was right, that Horror must have been the one lurking in his brain, evading the detector.

But… why would it just pop out?

Baffled, he grabbed his phone and, due to his missing memories, instinctively scrolled through it—only to find a message sent to Shi Yu.

He went still.

Shi Yu?

Scrolling through the call log, Shen Yan saw the message he’d sent to Shi Yu, a weird dread pooling in his gut.

When that Horror was holed up in his brain, its first instinct was to message Shi Yu?

…

Of course, Shi Yu knew this message would raise suspicions. But with the ancient gods already targeting him, he was certain they’d cause more chaos. At this point, he was past giving a damn. What’s one more problem? After all, a single text message couldn’t serve as evidence, right?

The Ability User Association would at most be a little curious as to why an abnormal entity had targeted them.

After finishing his meal, he returned to his room preoccupied. When it was time to start the livestream, he turned on his computer, his throat dry from overthinking the speculation swirling in his mind.

Only when a fan in the chat called out to him did Shi Yu snap back to reality, instinctively reaching for his water glass to take a sip.

But the moment he picked it up, he froze, suddenly reminded of the one Sang Huaiyu had taken from him that afternoon.

The rippled design on the glass was still there, but the more similar it looked, the more unsettling it felt.

His mind raced inexplicably, and he quickly looked away, only to grow puzzled when his eyes landed on the screen.

"Hm? Did you say something?"

"Did you guys just call me?"

Chat: [...]

"Xiao Yu was so spaced out just now, you looked totally zoned out."

"We called you a bunch of times."

Shi Yu: "Ahem."

"Did you?"

"Must be tired, I guess."

He had intended it as a casual excuse, but the chat immediately reacted with concern.

"Tired?"

"Seriously?! That roommate of yours isn’t taking good care of Xiao Yu?"

Shi Yu blinked.

Wait, did they get the wrong idea?

"He is actually really nice to me."

He hurriedly defended the eldritch being. Crap, if this got misinterpreted, he didn’t even want to imagine the consequences.

But the chat didn’t get it at all.

"If Xiao Yu is tired, then he’s not doing a good job. If Xiao Yu came to my place, I’d never let him get tired!"

A devoted fan shot back, and the moment that message appeared, a flood of "+1" followed.

Did they really have to be this in sync?

Shi Yu’s eye twitched.

The next second, however, the user *MagpieTail*, who had just sent the message, suddenly paused, typed in panic.

"Wait… did I misunderstand something?"

Thank god.

Shi Yu let out a breath. Finally, someone realized they were reading too much into it.

Before he could even feel relieved that the other party had finally realized their misunderstanding, he saw "Magpie Tail" hesitate for a moment before suddenly having an epiphany.

"Could Xiao Yu be tired from... *that* aspect?"

"In that case, I take back what I just said about criticizing this buddy."

"Young people these days really have no restraint."

Reading into things, Shi Yu instantly understood.

Shit, shit, shit.

What kind of lewd nonsense was this? No restraint...?

He took a deep breath and hastily slapped a mute on "Magpie Tail," his heart still pounding wildly.

The thought of himself craving the evil god's body made him inexplicably guilty.

Wait, he hadn’t done anything, so why did he feel this nervous tension, as if the comments called him out?

Shi Yu clenched his mouse, touched his face, and was about to change the subject when his phone buzzed.

"Hang on a second, let me check this message."

He ducked his head, avoiding eye contact, opening his phone to see who had messaged him—only to find Mr. Sang’s icon.

Sang Huaiyu lowered his eyes, sitting in the living room as he typed slowly: *"—Is the 'friend bro' in your livestream me?"*

The words made Shi Yu’s mind go blank with a *boom*, leaving him completely short-circuited.

Wait, Mr. Sang saw the livestream?

A surge of heat rushed up from his neck, and Shi Yu’s eyes widened.

If Mr. Sang saw the livestream, then didn’t that mean he also saw those outrageous words from "Magpie Tail"?

God, this is mortifying, so embarrassing!

Shi Yu cringed so hard he could dig a hole, wishing the floor would swallow him, his hands trembling as he typed.

"Mr. Sang, wait, I can explain!"

"It was just a misunderstanding."

He typed quickly, trying to clarify that the netizens were just shitposting.

Sang Huaiyu, however, looked at the screen and raised an eyebrow.

A misunderstanding?

His eyes narrowed—just a fraction.

When Shi Yu saw no reply for a long time, he assumed Mr. Sang was done with him.

Just as he was about to put his phone down, a message finally arrived after an agonizing silence.

*"With Xiao Yu, I’ve already been very restrained."*

Shi Yu: !!!

His face instantly flushed. Shi Yu suspected he felt like a fish in a steamer today—how else could he turn red so easily?!

What did Mr. Sang mean by that...?

Was it exactly what he was thinking?

He almost instinctively turned to look outside but caught himself a second later.

Gripping his phone, he stared at it for a long time, too flustered to reply.

Sang Huaiyu watched Shi Yu's hesitation, and gave a soft chuckle.

Scared already?

...

Shi Yu had no idea how he managed to finish the livestream today. After saying goodbye to his audience, he signed off in a flash.

But now, staying in his room, he didn’t dare step outside.

What did Mr. Sang mean by that?

Clutching his phone, his thoughts were running wild. The Little Monster looked completely baffled, watching as its parents, just one room apart, still chose to chat via phone.

And Mom’s heartbeat was so fast.

"Wala?"

Mom, are you okay?

The familiar "wala" sound made Shi Yu relax a little. He used to find the Little Monster’s voice eerie, but now it was surprisingly calming.

"I’m fine, nothing’s wrong."

The Little Monster wasn’t buying it.

"Wala."

Mom, if you’re unwell... you can call Dad.

Wait, no!

Realizing the Little Monster intended to notify the Horror, Shi Yu immediately reached out to stop it.

"Stop, stop, stop."

"Don’t call Dad."

There was no way he could let the Horror know about this—his head was spinning enough already.

The Little Monster nodded obediently.

But just as Shi Yu thought that, a knock sounded at the door.

Knock. Knock. Knock. Three raps, each one pounding in his chest.

Shi Yu stiffened and turned around, wondering if he should blame the Little Monster for jinxing it or not. He couldn’t help but glance down and meet the Little Monster’s gaze.

The Little Monster didn’t understand Mom’s expression and just dumbly waved its tentacles.

"Whoops!"

Mommy, don't worry, Daddy... I didn't summon him!

Shi Yu: ...

Never mind.

He covered his face, thinking it's not so bad having a silly kid.

But... although the knocking at the door had stopped, it didn't mean the matter was over.

Shi Yu took a deep breath and walked to the door but didn't open it. Instead, he deliberately lowered his voice, faking sleepiness.

"Mr. Sang, what is it?"

"I'm a bit tired now and already changed into my pajamas, getting ready for bed."

Surely he shouldn't have to open the door now, since he’d already changed clothes.

Shi Yu stood with his back to the door, feeling nervous.

Sang Huaiyu sensed the faint chilly scent emanating from behind the door, and His throat tightened. When He heard Shi Yu say he’d changed, He paused, amused.

Didn’t He realize that mentioning changing into pajamas in this situation would only make people imagine things?

Sang Huaiyu had always believed that even if He disguised Himself as a human, His human nature was far from being a so-called "saint."

He had desires, and after Shi Yu became the key that unlocked them, those emotions grew even stronger.

Leaning against the door, He touched the white silk before Him, His gray, indifferent slit pupils now inexplicably dangerous.

"What color are your pajamas?"

Shi Yu almost answered immediately but stopped abruptly. Why was Mr. Sang asking this?

If it weren’t for the fact that the one outside the door was a saint-like deity, Shi Yu might have thought He was flirting with him.

But... how could that be?

He turned His head, staring at the bedroom door. Without using Spirit Thread, Shi Yu couldn’t see the deity’s expression outside.

His voice hoarse, Shi Yu heard himself reply.

"Blue."

His hoodie was blue, and so were His pajamas. However, since He’d moved in hastily, He hadn’t brought His usual monster-print pajamas from home. Instead, He was wearing the style Sang Huaiyu had prepared for Him in the wardrobe.

The same men’s style—perfectly normal clothing—yet, after Sang Huaiyu’s question, it suddenly felt odd.

The air grew tense, and Shi Yu didn’t know why He was so nervous.

In Sang Huaiyu’s mind, He pictured Shi Yu wearing those pajamas, His eyes darkening.

The human youth’s features had been imprinted on His mind countless times.

From His fluffy hair and fair skin to His wary yet beautiful cat-like eyes—everything made Him ache. Especially now, with Shi Yu answering so obediently.

"Do you like it?"

Shi Yu looked down at his pajamas. Although they were different from his usual little monster style, he quite liked them.

He nodded, then remembered that Sang Huaiyu outside the door couldn’t hear him, so he responded with a quiet "Mm-hmm."

He vaguely felt as if he was being led by the nose by the person outside, his thoughts completely following the other’s rhythm, unsure of Sang Huaiyu's intentions.

The moment he realized this, Shi Yu took a deep breath and immediately tried to stop it.

There was an odd tension beyond the door. Suddenly, Shi Yu spoke up.

"What is Mr. Sang doing?"

Sang Huaiyu paused, surprised that Shi Yu would take the initiative to ask. After a brief hesitation, he answered honestly, "Thinking of you."

Thinking of me...

About what?

Shi Yu clenched his palm, feeling his hard-won clarity crumbling into confusion.

His thoughts turned foggy, inexplicably recalling the last time in the living room when he had touched Mr. Sang’s Snake Tail...

Was it the same kind of thinking as that time?

Before he realized it, he'd spoken the thought aloud.

After a moment of silence on the other side, Shi Yu suddenly heard a low chuckle. "What if I said... I want you even more than that time?"