Chapter 92

Chapter 92

Shi Yu couldn’t shake the feeling something was off about the person across from him, especially that weird look earlier.

If he were sober, he would have recognized the meaning in Sang Huaiyu's eyes, but now, drunk and dizzy, he had none of his usual sharpness. Instead, when the other man undid the first button of his shirt, he couldn’t help but steal another glance.

So... so lewd.

The thought flashed through his mind, and Shi Yu felt like his head might explode. His eyes burned, and his face flushed hot.

Sang Huaiyu: "..."

The little perv thought he was being stealthy, unaware that his drunken gaze had completely betrayed him.

Sang Huaiyu couldn’t help but laugh.

Shi Yu, thrown off by his gorgeous boyfriend’s laughter, looked up in confusion. But perhaps he had drunk too much—the moment he tilted his neck back, sleepiness hit him, and his head drooped groggily.

The Energy Cocoon swayed like a Weeble before a hand steadied it, ensuring the drunk Shi Yu wouldn’t feel uncomfortable.

*Boyfriend?*

Shi Yu blinked slowly, recognizing the hand as his boyfriend’s. Instead of pushing it away, he hesitated, then suddenly nuzzled into the Energy Cocoon.

Sang Huaiyu’s breath caught. The moment Shi Yu uttered the word "boyfriend," his expression softened. Now, sensing Xiao Yu’s unconscious closeness—as if he could feel the warmth even through the Energy Cocoon—he studied him for a beat before suppressing the desire in his eyes again.

After a while, he tapped the Energy Cocoon lightly.

"That’s it—you’re cut off."

The scent of wine still lingered in the air, but this position was undeniably comfortable.

Shi Yu: "..."

Whatever.

The drunk kitten stayed obediently still.

So damn cute.

Sang Huaiyu resisted the urge to touch him, shrinking the Energy Cocoon back to the size of a goose egg before gently slipping Xiao Yu into his pocket.

The cruise staff were puzzled. Wasn’t tonight supposed to be Mr. Sang’s big romantic proposal?

Heart-shaped cake, river lanterns, romantic dishes—they had prepared for such a grand occasion, with the manager even instructing them to be ready for anything.

Yet hours passed, and there seemed to be nothing happening in there.

And the private room had only ever had... one person?

The waitstaff exchanged glances. Since when did rich people’s preferences get this bizarre?

Not their circus, not their monkeys.

...

Shi Yu hadn’t been asleep at first, but once curled in the familiar warmth of the pocket, he dozed off.

Sang Huaiyu returned home only to find the tipsy kitten inside the Energy Cocoon with its eyes closed.

Asleep again...

Deep in thought, he used divine power to ease Xiao Yu’s drunkenness, ensuring a more peaceful sleep before slowly withdrawing his hand.

After confirming Xiao Yu was fine and reflecting on his earlier reaction, his throat bobbed before he turned and stepped into the bathroom.

The patter of water soon quieted, while the person inside the Energy Cocoon on the bed remained completely unaware.

...

It was said they were observing the changes this time.

But even without mentioning it, members of the Ability User Association gradually sensed something amiss.

On the first and second days, no one had quite realized it, but by the third day, even Zhao Wen noticed his corruption level had decreased.

Meanwhile, Fu Nanyao, who had been closely monitoring the situation, discovered that just past midnight in the outskirts of B City—a boundary line materialized abruptly.

The moment the phantom black divide manifested, the ambient magnetic field wavered imperceptibly.

Fu Nanyao cautiously approached, only to find the line completely barred to humans.

Frowning slightly, he grasped the intricacy of the situation. Just as he hesitated whether to report it, his eyes snapped wide at an unexpected sight.

This was Shi Yu’s third time having this dream, so he was fully accustomed.

Upon arriving in the usual dream world, he yawned and casually shooed the Horrors back into the night.

But this time, after the Horrors vanished, Shi Yu loomed by the shadowy veil, staring for a long while.

The moment he looked up, he was startled.

Fu Nanyao?

What was he doing here?

Seeing an unexpected acquaintance in his dream left Shi Yu totally thrown.

Wait, since when were his dreams so vivid?

And why did the other’s expression look so strange?

Shi Yu had little interaction with this captain of the Ability User Association, only knowing him to be a stoic, unreadable type.

Yet now, Fu Nanyao’s face was a portrait of conflict.

Shi Yu blinked, baffled, initially wanting to speak but found the idea of talking in a dream odd.

Besides, it was just a dream.

So after a quick once-over at Fu Nanyao, he simply nodded and vanished from the dream.

Fu Nanyao balled his fists, watching as Shi Yu—who had just driven the Horrors beyond the boundary—disappeared into thin air, as if he had never been there. His gaze then returned to the suddenly appearing demarcation.

Recalling how he had been unable to cross, yet the Horrors had slipped right through...

So, was that line specifically meant to screen out the Horrors?

Was Shi Yu trying to keep the Horrors and humans apart?

Even though he knew the other’s identity was unusual, Fu Nanyao felt a momentary shock. However, his usual poker face hid it. After a beat, he snapped out of it, hesitated, and held off on submitting the report he had been about to submit.

...

The next morning, when Shi Yu opened his eyes, it still hadn’t clicked that the person he’d seen last night was real.

Yawning and stretching lazily, he found last night’s dream a bit odd—it even nailed the real person’s expressions and reactions.

But why the hell were his shoulders so stiff?

Shi Yu rolled over, easing the ache, when the aroma of rice porridge reached him.

Sang Huaiyu came in carrying a bowl and placed the chicken congee by the bedside after seeing Shi Yu awake.

“You really tied one on last night. Some porridge in the morning will help.”

Wait, he drank?

Belatedly, Shi Yu recalled the events before falling asleep—he and Mr. Sang had gone on a date on a cruise ship, and then… the wine was so good he overdid it.

That explains it!

No wonder he felt like he’d been hit by a truck and had such chaotic dreams—it was the alcohol.

Shaking off the grogginess, Shi Yu remembered his low alcohol tolerance. Just as he reached for the spoon, something he’d forgotten suddenly hit him, and he looked up at the man across from him.

“Uh, Mr. Sang… did I make a total fool of myself last night?”

The man on the bed seemed perfectly relaxed, as if he didn’t suspect any misbehavior.

Sang Huaiyu arched a brow.

“Xiao Yu called me… *boyfriend*.”

B-Boyfriend?!

Shi Yu choked. Had he really gone there while drunk?

Even though they’d just made it official yesterday, Shi Yu hadn’t been mentally prepared yet.

But… *boyfriend*—well, that was fine.

They were already a couple, so it wasn’t a big deal to say it.

Just as he was calming down, Sang Huaiyu seemed to read his thoughts.

Just when Shi Yu started to chill, Sang Huaiyu added, “Xiao Yu really doesn’t remember?”

Shi Yu stiffened. His relief vanished, replaced by suspicion.

Wait, did he black something out?

The evil god across from him looked certain, making Shi Yu second-guess himself.

Wait, had something actually happened between them?

Shi Yu held back his words.

Sang Huaiyu gave a light laugh.

"Hmm, only teasing Xiao Yu."

Shi Yu: "..."

That nearly scared him to death.

Come to think of it, with the Energy Cocoon in place, what could he even do?

His lips twitched, and he shot a fierce glare at Sang Huaiyu before turning back to his porridge.

Dammit, why is this guy so annoying?

But... the porridge wasn't bad.

Shi Yu comfortably finished a big bowl, finally feeling better.

He slumped onto the bed, rubbing his stomach.

"The Little Monster still hasn't been born last night."

It's already the third night.

Sang Huaiyu thought for a moment and looked at his abdomen. "It’ll probably come out tonight."

Even the dimmest offspring has to be born by today.

The rules won’t allow the Little Monster to stay in the mother's body any longer.

Though he said that, Shi Yu was actually worried the Little Monster might be too dumb to be born—after all, he really had no desire to give birth at all.

He rubbed his belly, thinking it strange that Sang Huaiyu still hadn’t left for work.

"Isn’t it already ten o’clock?"

"Not going to work today?"

Usually, on non-weekend days, Sang Huaiyu would be working.

But today was an exception.

Sang Huaiyu arched an eyebrow. "I took parental leave today to stay home and accompany Xiao Yu during labor."

What?

He just came out and said it?

The words "parental leave" made Shi Yu pull a face. When it registered, he widened his eyes, could barely imagine how Sang Group’s office gossips would react to this news.

...

The Sang Group was already in an uproar.

Early in the morning, not only did CEO Sang fail to show up for work, but around six o'clock, he also had several secretaries cancel his schedule for the day, citing the need to be there for the birth.

At first, the secretary thought she had misheard, but after exchanging glances with a colleague, she confirmed it wasn’t an auditory hallucination.

He really was attending the birth.

Wait, so... Mr. Sang was on paternity leave?

Secretary Gan hung up the phone with a strange expression.

The office was in shock. After a morning of silence, the office chat groups finally blew up at lunchtime.

Messages in the group chat were flying nonstop, leaving even the higher-ups bewildered: "We barely knew Mr. Sang was dating—now he’s having a baby already?"

That was way too quick.

Messages kept pouring in, but Sang Huaiyu paid no attention. After silencing his phone, he patiently stayed by Xiao Yu's side.

Shi Yu went about his day normally, eating and drinking, but by the afternoon, his belly still showed no signs of labor.

Shi Yu: "..."

Seriously, is this kid coming or what?

This is so annoying.

When this Little Monster finally comes out, he’s definitely grabbing it by the legs and giving it a smack.

He paced restlessly inside the Energy Cocoon until evening, when something finally happened!

Shi Yu had been waiting all day with no progress, so by dusk, he lay down on the bed to rest for a bit.

But the moment he closed his eyes, he suddenly felt a warmth in his belly.

What was... this?

He opened his eyes, inexplicably sensing a wave of heat. By the time he snapped back to reality, a black sphere rolled into view with a couple of "gurgle gurgle" sounds before plopping down.

The Energy Cocoon vanished in an instant, leaving just the two of them gaping at each other.

"What is this?"

Shi Yu was completely stunned.

Sang Huaiyu glanced at Xiao Yu’s now-flat abdomen, then turned his gaze to the black sphere beside his hand.

"Shi Ling'an?"

He reached out and picked up the sphere. The next second, the curled-up black ball suddenly burst open, letting out a happy "wala!" before bouncing excitedly in his father’s palm like a tiny hedgehog.

Shi Yu stared at the "sphere," which had abruptly transformed from a small black ball into a spiky little hedgehog.

Tentatively, he murmured, "Little Monster?"

"Wala!"

Mama, mama!

The little hedgehog wriggled eagerly toward her mother but Sang Huaiyu kept a firm grip on it.

"Don't frighten Mom."

He frowned, his gaze fixed on Shi Yu.

"How's Xiao Yu doing?"

Although He had immediately checked Xiao Yu's body the instant the "black sphere" appeared and detected nothing amiss, He still asked again.

Shi Yu shook his head, recalling the moment, and didn't feel any discomfort.

The Little Monster had suddenly come into being before he could even react, leaving him a bit dazed.

That was it? It was over just like that?

The Little Monster hesitantly inched closer to Mom, and Shi Yu leaned in to take a look.

"So this is what it looks like?"

The all-black Little Monster looked somewhat like a hedgehog, while a hedgehog has spines, the Little Monster had... tentacles?

Curiosity getting the better of him, he reached out and poked it. The Little Monster swayed slightly but obediently let Mom squeeze it.

After looking it over carefully, Shi Yu suddenly remembered.

"Where are your eyes?"