Chapter 96

Chapter 96

"Him? Popular?"

Was Sang Huaiyu mistaken?

Shi Yu made a weird face. Wasn't the god of evil before him the novel’s actual heartthrob protagonist?

When their eyes met, Shi Yu looked away fast. But then he heard Sang Huaiyu, who’d just poked his cheek lightly, chuckle softly, "It's almost bedtime. How about a goodnight kiss, Xiao Yu?"

With Little Monster still sleeping between them, the other father boldly asked for a goodnight kiss.

Shi Yu glanced toward the middle, sneaking a peek. Fortunately, Little Monster, exhausted from playing, had already fallen asleep on its own, its prickly little belly puffing up and down with soft, rumbling breaths.

It wouldn’t see…

The idea flashed through his mind, and Shi Yu closed his eyes briefly before suddenly leaning in to press a kiss.

It was just a simple goodnight kiss.

But perhaps because he felt guilty doing it in front of their child, Shi Yu’s heart pounded wildly, his nerves on edge.

After the impulsive peck, he thought it was over—until the next moment, when a hand tightened around his waist.

Sang Huaiyu swallowed thickly as he stared intently at him.

"That wasn’t a proper goodnight kiss, Xiao Yu."

"This is how it’s done."

Shi Yu shivered. "The child is right here."

Have some decency.

Sang Huaiyu chuckled. "Mm."

"I only meant a kiss."

"What was Xiao Yu thinking?"

Ugh, he’s twisting my words!

Blushing bright red from the kiss, Shi Yu, on a reckless impulse, quickly bit Sang Huaiyu before pulling back, smugly quirking a brow in satisfaction.

"Take that!"

He had already retreated.

Two meters of space separated them now, with Little Monster sleeping soundly, none the wiser.

Sang Huaiyu’s eyes darkened, the coppery taste on his lips mixed with Xiao Yu’s scent, making his heart race like thunder.

But a glance at the sleeping Little Monster beside them drew an impatient "Tch" from him. He resolved to make sure the little one adapted to its own room and moved downstairs tomorrow.

……

At the Ability User Association, Han Chuyi read Sang Huaiyu’s reply, and his world came crashing down.

—His and Shi Yu’s child?

His head rang with a sudden buzz, his face turning grim as he sat stunned in his chair, unable to recover for a long moment.

Beside him, Wang Shan and Zhao Wen were startled, sharing a confused look. What was wrong? Why did he look like that?

Seeing Han Chuyi’s stormy expression, neither of them dared to speak.

Every time Han Chuyi closed his eyes, he saw Sang Huaiyu’s words—that it was his and Shi Yu’s child.

"Impossible!"

He snapped irritably.

Men can’t get pregnant—it had to be adoption.

But if Shi Yu was willing to adopt a child with Sang Huaiyu, did that mean he was considering marriage?

After all, raising a child is a big deal. Most people wouldn’t even think about adoption while just dating.

He took a deep breath, his mind foggy and swollen.

Fu Nanyao glanced at him, knowing Han Chuyi needed distraction. After a pause, he suddenly spoke up, "Today’s Chonglian Street patrol is yours."

"Go with Wang Shan."

"Screw you."

Han Chuyi frowned and turned around, ready to argue, but then he thought about his current state. He shut his eyes tightly, grabbed his phone, and stalked out.

Fine. Patrol it was.

Otherwise, he’d probably hunt Shi Yu down.

Before, when it was just a relationship, it was one thing. But now, Shi Yu was considering marriage with Sang Huaiyu—what was the point of him going over?

He’d just make a fool of himself.

Seeing Han Chuyi actually leave without causing a scene, the other members of the Ability User Association who had been watching breathed easier.

Wen Jingjing relaxed. "Captain Fu’s got it handled."

"Knows what?"

Shen Yan had just come downstairs when he overheard the conversation in the duty room, frowning.

Noticing that Wang Shan and the others had already left, Wen Jingjing filled him in.

"I never expected Mr. Sang and Mr. Shi to rush things so much. It hasn’t even been half a year since they started dating, and now they’re talking marriage."

"Dr. Shen, do you think we should get them a gift?"

Shen Yan froze, not expecting to hear this.

Adopting a child… marriage.

His thoughts stuttered for a moment—he struggled to imagine Shi Yu in such a scenario.

He gave a distracted nod. As Wen Jingjing returned to chatting with her colleagues, he couldn’t help but glance at Fu Nanyao, wondering… how he took the news.

By now, the room had mostly cleared out.

Fu Nanyao noticed Shen Yan looking over and calmly said, "He doesn't run in the same circles as us."

"After the Horrors incidents are dealt with, we probably won't cross paths again."

"We should focus on what's important now."

Shen Yan turned his gaze to the desk: "I'll go count up how many cities have had their Horrors disappear."

Shi Yu's been clearing them out fast these past few nights.

Mainly because the Horrors in City B make up nearly half of all the Horrors on the map. For some reason, almost half of the Horrors are lurking in City B—this place might as well be called the capital of Horrors.

After clearing out the Horrors in City B, things went faster in other areas. Shi Yu could cover several cities in a single night.

He kept pushing those little Horrors in, one after another.

Shi Yu realized his body was probably still asleep, currently still "sleepwalking." Feeling reassured, he recalled what he hadn't finished before waking up yesterday.

Hmm, so what exactly does this boundary look like inside?

The thought crossed his mind, but fearing a repeat of last night's events,

Shi Yu just walked right in.

He wasn't stupid—after driving away Horrors these past few days, he could tell there was more to him than met the eye. Since this boundary was his doing, it definitely wouldn't harm him.

Sure enough, going in was safe.

Moreover, the moment Shi Yu appeared, the Horrors hanging around stubbornly at the entrance fled in terror.

Shi Yu curled his lip, ignoring them. But as soon as he stepped inside, the thick Horror presence made him choke before he could take in his surroundings.

His eyes got wider the more he looked.

Wait, this place is exactly the same?

He looked across and compared it to where he’d just entered—it was like looking in a mirror.

Apart from the chaotic aura inside, there was no difference from the outside.

He made a weird face.

So, is this another Horror-version of the world?

Thinking it over, Shi Yu circled the area before snapping back to reality, starting to piece together a hypothesis about his identity.

But then, what about his memories?

If his guess was correct and he was connected to this world, how did his memories of transmigrating into a book fit in? Shi Yu was certain he had indeed transmigrated, yet none of this made sense.

After zoning out for what felt like forever, nearly out of time, Shi Yu snapped out of his "sleepwalking" state. He faked being fast asleep—unaware that the evil god beside him had seen right through him the whole time.

Sang Huaiyu hadn’t paid attention earlier, but after Xiao Yu returned, he slowly lifted his eyes to look outside and suddenly realized: the Horrors in City B had vanished. Not just City B, but nearby cities too—all that nasty energy had disappeared.

So, this was Xiao Yu’s nightly secret?

He curled his lips but didn’t expose her.

He could sense that, though they were already lovers, for some reason, Xiao Yu hadn't completely let him in yet.

However, once those Horrors disappear, Xiao Yu probably won't be able to keep it a secret anymore, right?

Sang Huaiyu narrowed his eyes, and in a fleeting thought, the Authority of the deity spread out imperceptibly, giving Xiao Yu a discreet assist.

After all, it was truly exhausting for Xiao Yu to go out every night without sleeping, just to scavenge. That's why He'd been going easy on Xiao Yu recently.

After watching the finally asleep young man with gentle eyes for a while, Sang Huaiyu decided to give Xiao Yu some extra nourishment.

...

Shi Yu woke up in the morning completely baffled. He distinctly remembered only driving away Horrors from five cities yesterday, so how'd it jump to ten overnight?

How strange. Did those Horrors somehow sense the aura of the Horror world and just... let themselves in?

That's suspiciously cooperative, isn't it?

No, something still didn't add up to him.

Shi Yu sat up and racked his brains for a long while, but unfortunately, it was daytime now—he couldn't go investigate. He could only table his doubts for the time being.

But why was no one beside him when he woke up this morning?

Shi Yu glanced at the time, puzzled, until he went downstairs and found Sang Huaiyu making soup.

The rich aroma wafted out from the kitchen, making Shi Yu's stomach, exhausted from last night's work, gave a quiet rumble. He blinked.

Smells amazing.

What's he making?

He sniffed the air and quietly asked the Little Monster playing with building blocks on the floor.

"Do you know what he's making?"

The Little Monster, holding a block puzzle with its ten tiny tentacles, copied its mom's tone and whispered back.

"Wala."

Dunno...

After exchanging a few words, Shi Yu picked up the Little Monster and headed to the bathroom.

"Whatever, we'll find out soon enough."

"Let's get you washed up first."

Half-heartedly washing the Little Monster's face and brushing the tiny teeth hidden in its tentacles, Shi Yu brought it out only to see Sang Huaiyu had already had breakfast ready on the table.

This morning's meal consisted of xiaolongbao and that amazing-smelling soup he'd smelled earlier.

The deity across the table arched a brow when he saw him.

"All cleaned up, Xiao Yu?"

"Come eat."

Shi Yu nodded, casually plopping the Little Monster in the nearby rocking chair, couldn't help watching Sang Huaiyu.

After turning it over in his mind for a long while, Shi Yu couldn't help but suspect Sang Huaiyu was behind last night's events.

A group of self-aware Horrors suddenly emerged. Other than him, he couldn't think of anyone else responsible.

But how would this benefit Sang Huaiyu?

Or was he mistaken?

Zoning out briefly, Shi Yu noticed a piece of chicken placed in front of him.

"What's on your mind, Xiao Yu?"

"Nothing."

Shi Yu gradually came back to himself, stealing a glance at the deity’s face before quickly looking away.

To mask his weirdness, he asked, "What did you make today, Mr. Sang? Haven’t had this one before."

As he spoke, he took a sip and was stunned to find all his fatigue disappear.

He had still felt a bit tired when he woke up, but now it was like he’d gotten a full energy recharge, leaving him astonished.

"Oh, this?"

Sang Huaiyu propped his chin on his hand, amused by Xiao Yu’s stunned look. "Just some rare aged ingredients."

"Like what?" Shi Yu looked up.

Sang Huaiyu thought for a moment. "Millennium ginseng?"

Shi Yu nearly spat it out, not expecting such a strong tonic.

Wait, why would Mr. Sang suddenly decide to nourish him like this?

Though their breakfasts were usually good, they were never this intense.

Shi Yu blinked, then cautiously asked, "Why the sudden ginseng soup?"

"Nothing much. I just thought you seemed exhausted lately and wanted to take some weight off you."

The deity tilted his platinum blonde curls slightly.

"Don’t you like it, Xiao Yu?"

Shi Yu: "I do."

Either way, it tasted incredible.

He finished the bowl, oddly guilty, though he wasn’t sure why he felt guilty.

Clenching his jaw, he set down his spoon and suddenly asked, "Mr. Sang, have I been doing anything weird in my sleep lately?"

Shi Yu had expected Sang Huaiyu to mention his "sleepwalking."

But instead, after a moment of thought, the deity gave him a knowing look.

"You don’t remember anything from last night?"

Shi Yu blinked. ???

Huh? What did he forget?

Just as Shi Yu was growing confused, Sang Huaiyu added offhandedly, "You said in your dream last night that kids need to learn independence early."

"So—starting today, Little Monster’s sleeping solo from now on."