Chapter 25: Beast

Chapter 25: The Beast

Cai Gu finished writing the post seriously, then returned the phone, not knowing what was happening on the forum.

He sat on the spacious sofa in the rest area, which was decorated mainly in black and white, with shelves full of books.

He Yanxing came out of the bathroom to see Cai Gu sitting upright, hands on his thighs, cautiously observing his surroundings.

He was very careful, but unfortunately, as a Beta, he didn't notice that the rest area was filled with a thick scent of sea salt pheromones.

He Yanxing recalled the forum comments and got even more irritated. He should unblock all their accounts—no, he should gouge out the eyes of everyone who'd seen the photo.

Only then could he barely calm down.

He Yanxing tried to calm himself. He let his gaze fall on Cai Gu's knees. Betas heal slower than Alphas, and since Cai Gu was older, his wounds would take even longer to heal.

A delicate, older Beta—he needed to hide him, hide him away...

He Yanxing tilted his head, staggered a few steps, his Adam's apple bobbing. He closed his eyes tightly, suppressing the murderous thoughts rising from the bottom of his heart.

"What's wrong?" Cai Gu immediately noticed something off about the young man in front of him. Beads of sweat formed on He Yanxing's forehead, his lips pale, blue strands of hair clinging to his cheeks, as if trapped in a nightmare.

Cai Gu quickly pulled He Yanxing to sit on the sofa beside him, leaned sideways, pressing his soft body close, showing concern in his eyes: "Are you feeling unwell?"

"Medicine, there's medicine in the first drawer." Although Cai Gu's knees weren't fully recovered, he could already move independently.

Cai Gu didn't dare to delay. He hastily opened the drawer, where there was only a bag of medicine that needed to be mixed with water. He checked the label, confirmed the dosage, and helped He Yanxing prepare the medicine.

Cai Gu brought the medicine back to He Yanxing's side, but his condition had worsened. His face was as pale as almost transparent, and he was trembling all over.

"Come on, be good, let's drink the medicine." Cai Gu brought the cup to He Yanxing's lips, coaxing him in a low voice. But the dazed He Yanxing smelled the familiar bitter taste and instinctively recoiled, turning his head away, refusing to drink.

Cai Gu was exasperated. Getting a kid to take medicine was the worst. He could only lower his voice, leaning close to He Yanxing's face, his moist lips opening and closing: "Be good, and there'll be a reward after you drink it."

The fragrance from Cai Gu's body overpowered the bitterness of the medicine. He Yanxing forced his eyes open, seeing only those luscious red lips. He thought the reward was a kiss, and his resistance weakened.

Cai Gu seized the opportunity, quickly pinched his chin, and poured the medicine down his throat. Before He Yanxing could react, the bitter medicine was already swallowed.

The medicine kicked in fast. Within moments, He Yanxing's eyes cleared and he hunched over, as if coming back to life.

After he recovered, He Yanxing pushed himself up from the sofa, steadied himself, glanced at the alarm on the wall, and said, "There are clean clothes in the bathroom. I'll go now."

Just as he finished speaking and turned to leave, Cai Gu grabbed his hand.

"Wait." Cai Gu had him open his palm and placed a neatly wrapped candy there. "Your reward."

"Take good care of yourself and rest early."

The candy was small, but He Yanxing inexplicably felt its weight in his hand. He clenched the candy tightly in his palm and said in a low voice, "Thank you."

Cai Gu watched He Yanxing leave, his eyes full of worry. It seemed like he had a serious illness. Poor kid.

Cai Gu sighed and slowly made his way to the bathroom, where the bathtub was full of hot water, white steam floating in the air.

Cai Gu bent down to test the water. Confirming the temperature was right, he took off his torn vest and stepped into the tub.

The hot water soothed his sore limbs. Cai Gu couldn't help but let out a satisfied sigh. Just as he was relaxing, his phone rang with a crisp tone.

Cai Gu glanced at the screen—Jiang Yu was video-calling him. He set the phone up in a good spot and answered.

"Guess what I'm doing—" Jiang Yu stopped mid-sentence, stunned by the sight.

Cai Gu lay in the bathtub, his wet black hair clinging to his shoulders, like a siren from the sea capable of enchanting souls.

Jiang Yu was speechless. The pen in his hand dropped onto the desk, making a crisp sound.

He swallowed hard. Only when Cai Gu let out a confused hum did he snap back to reality.

"Wait." Jiang Yu's eyes narrowed. "Flip the camera and pan around the bathroom."

Cai Gu didn't get it but complied, slowly panning around. Once he confirmed there was no stray Alpha, Jiang Yu's mood lifted.

He lifted his chin proudly. "You know what I'm doing?"

Cai Gu had already spotted his exercise booklet but played dumb. "What are you doing?"

Jiang Yu got even more excited, his red hair practically standing on end. He snorted and held up the booklet. "See? I only got seven wrong across these two pages."

Cai Gu even counted—there were ten questions in total. He hesitated, not wanting to crush Jiang Yu's enthusiasm, so he lied through his teeth: "Wow, you're so good."

Jiang Yu snapped his fingers arrogantly. "Of course! You have no idea how hard I've worked."

He looked at Cai Gu expectantly, his eyes shining.

Seeing Cai Gu still didn't catch on, Jiang Yu braced himself and said outright, "Show me your chest first."

"You gotta encourage me, or how can I keep going?"

Jiang Yu's logic was full of crap, but he somehow managed to sway Cai Gu.

"Just a peek, then I'll hit the books, okay?"

Cai Gu adjusted the phone to point directly at his full chest. Through the steam, the outline of his chest was faintly visible, and especially tempting.

Jiang Yu didn't dare blink. His teeth started to itch again, so he grabbed a nearby cookie and began gnawing on it.

With the cookie in his mouth, Jiang Yu mumbled, "Closer."

The bathwater was cooling. Cai Gu helplessly tapped the screen. "Okay, that's enough. Be good, finish your homework, and go to bed early."

After finally getting Jiang Yu to leave, Cai Gu breathed a sigh of relief. He stretched lazily in the tub, then washed and dried himself.

He stood naked in the bathroom and put on the clean clothes. The fabric was soft and high-quality, but the clothes didn't fit Cai Gu properly. He couldn't even fasten the chest buttons. Fortunately, Cai Gu was alone in the rest area.

After struggling for a while and failing to button them, Cai Gu gave up. He bared the hollow of his chest, and sleepily lay down on the bed, falling into a deep sleep.

He wondered when he'd get back to the security booth.

*

Outside, the sun was bright. Cai Gu couldn't sit still. He opened the window to let the sunlight in. He took a deep breath of fresh air, his side ponytail fluttering in the breeze.

The weather was so nice that Cai Gu couldn't help wiping the drying rack with a rag and taking the blanket and quilt out to air. When he raised his arms, his muscles bulged, stretching the shirt sleeves. The shirt was already too small, and the movement lifted the hem, revealing a slender, attractive waist.

After clipping the quilt in place, Cai Gu wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. A crisp sound came from nearby. He looked over curiously. The window of the detention room on the other side was packed with students, all jostling to see him.

Seeing that Cai Gu had spotted them, the students quickly looked away and scattered.

A gentle breeze blew. Cai Gu tucked his disheveled hair behind his ears. Kindly, he picked up a phone a student had dropped, then walked around to knock on the detention room door.

Cai Gu had only knocked a few times before the student inside rushed over to open the door, nervous. "Y-you, hello."

He blushed, not daring to look Cai Gu in the eye.

He was a freshly matured Alpha who had never had the chance to get close to an opposite gender. Cai Gu's scent made his head spin, and he could barely speak clearly.

"Is this your phone... Huh? What's that bruise on your face? Is someone bullying you?"

The Alpha in front had a messy collar and bruises on his face. His expression turned serious, thinking there might be bullying going on in here. Though he was scared, he decided to confirm. Cai Gu gave himself a silent pep talk, then shoved the door open.

The scene inside was nothing like Cai Gu had imagined. Five or six students had disheveled hair and bruises of all sizes on their faces.

It didn't look like they'd been fighting each other. It looked like someone had beat them up.

Cai Gu covered his mouth, eyes wide, and asked cautiously, "What happened to you all?"

The Alpha who had taken the phone quickly answered, "Nothing, we were just giving injections to the students in the isolation room."

The Alpha wiped his face. "They're not in their right mind right now, so they beat us all up."

"Oh my, that's terrible." Cai Gu lowered his eyes, feeling bad for them. He gently touched the bruise on the Alpha's face next to him. His fingers were warm, and the Alpha felt like his face was on fire.

The Alpha swallowed, giving a shy smile. "It's okay, hehehehehe."

He laughed too loud, drawing stares from the others. Their eyes were full of envy, wishing they could trade places and have Cai Gu touch their faces too.

Not just their faces—if the beauty wanted to touch anywhere else, that'd be fine.

The Alpha kept grinning foolishly. Cai Gu paused, then quietly pulled his hand back. He looked over the students, pursed his lips, and offered kindly, "Do you need my help?"

Cai Gu lowered his eyes, showing an embarrassed smile. "I'm actually quite strong."

Cai Gu stared at them with his big, clear eyes. Even though he was much older than them, he still easily triggered the Alphas' protective instincts. They couldn't say no.

The few Alphas present exchanged glances, scratched their heads, and said hesitantly, "You can help, but try not to run around. We're worried the Alphas might hurt you."

They didn't want Cai Gu to go back to the break room just like that. They were all student council members and knew that the lounge where Cai Gu slept was actually exclusive to the president.

An S-rank Alpha can't stand other Alphas. Whenever they got near the lounge, they felt really uneasy.

Cai Gu nodded, "Mm-hmm," and looked around. Nothing handy, so he casually picked up a stainless steel basin.

The Alphas didn't stop him—they even suggested he take a stick. "The Alphas in the isolation room are all crazy. Don't go easy on them."

Cai Gu looked at the arm-thick stick and muttered, "This would probably kill somebody."

Even if it didn't kill them, if the student got hurt, he would have to pay compensation.

Thinking about his empty bank account, Cai Gu sighed, hugged the basin tight, and shook his head. "It's okay, I'll just use this."

This was Cai Gu's second time in the isolation room. As soon as he entered, he could hear the roars of the Alphas, one after another. Some even started arguing because they thought the guy next door was screaming too loud.

The students unlocked the door with practiced ease. The Alphas inside sensed the unfamiliar pheromones and immediately bared their teeth. Both sides were releasing pheromones to intimidate each other.

As the only Beta there, Cai Gu was confused. The student council members naturally couldn't compete with the frenzied Alphas. They exchanged looks and silently backed out. The door had barely closed when, before they could even relax, they all snapped their heads up at once.

Cai Gu had been left inside.

An Alpha was crouched in the corner, showing a mouthful of sharp teeth, drool dripping from his lips, staring at Cai Gu like a dog.

Cai Gu set the basin on the floor. After a moment, he tapped it gently to get the Alpha's attention.

Cai Gu was backlit, his thin shirt turning see-through, muscles barely visible. He squatted, his soft, plump butt almost busting out of his pants, his thick thighs squeezed together—pretty eye-catching.

The Alpha lay on the floor, swallowing hard. He crawled inch by inch toward Cai Gu. The closer he got, the more he hoped to look up and see something hidden.

Seeing him get closer, Cai Gu stuck one hand through the bars, signaling the students to pass him the needle, while the other hand gripped the stainless steel basin.

Cai Gu pressed his knees together and held the basin in front of his legs to block the Alpha.

The Alpha slammed his head into the basin with a loud thud. Before he could recover, Cai Gu grabbed the needle and jabbed it into the back of his neck, injecting the meds.

The Alpha was dazed, frozen. He'd planned to shove Cai Gu with his head, exposing that plump butt to the air and licking it all over.

"Hoo hoo hoo hoo." After the injection, Cai Gu gently held the Alpha's head and blew on the red bump on his forehead.

The Alpha lifted his eyelids to look at Cai Gu, whose expression was gentle and compassionate, like a god coming down to save him.

He caught his breath, and the restlessness in his heart calmed down. He knelt obediently in front of Cai Gu, like the most faithful dog.

The medicine kicked in fast. The Alpha's eyelids grew heavier and heavier, until he finally collapsed into Cai Gu's arms, his nose pressed against Cai Gu's neck, breathing in his scent.

Once sure the Alpha wouldn't wake, Cai Gu hoisted him up with one arm, laid him on the bed, and kindly covered his stomach with a blanket.

The students outside watched in shock as Cai Gu came out. They were even more amazed by his practiced "dog-training" moves.

The task was completed even earlier than usual. The students collapsed to the ground, exhausted.

Cai Gu's knees hadn't fully healed. He sat on a chair and asked sympathetically, "Do you guys always have to work this hard?"

"No way." One student rolled over and crept up to Cai Gu's feet. "This is usually the president's job, but he took the day off and isn't at school."

"Took leave?"

The students nodded in succession. "Heard he has stuff to do. He takes a few days off every month."

"Lately it's been more often."

"If the president were here, we wouldn't have gotten beat up so bad."

"President, come back to us."

"Come back~ come back~ come back"

A bad feeling rose in Cai Gu's chest. He thought of He Yanxing's illness last night and couldn't help frowning. Could it be linked?

"Ah! Wait, I think we forgot someone." The student who'd been secretly rubbing against Cai Gu's leg shivered and sat up. "Did we forget to prepare food for him?"

"Damn, we really did forget."

"Wait, he hasn't left yet?"

"Feels like that room is his home now."

"Forget it, it's past dinner time anyway. Every time we bring him food, he won't eat."

Cai Gu looked at them with his soft, downturned eyes full of curiosity. His round eyes had thick, curled lashes. The men were mesmerized; being stared at by a beauty with such sparkly eyes made them melt.

Several students rushed to explain, "There's a super aggressive Alpha in the basement. He's been locked in isolation for over a year. Can't believe he's still alive."

No matter how many students there were, they didn't care about the people in the basement. If not for the fact that joining the student council boosted their academic records, they wouldn't risk getting beaten to give injections to the lunatics.

Cai Gu lowered his eyes. Being in the basement for a year—how pitiful that must be.

＊

The entire Yasa Academy was shrouded in darkness. Lying on the soft bed, the quilt that had been dried in the sun was warm and fluffy, like a feather covering Cai Gu's body.

Cai Gu, lying on the bed, couldn't fall asleep. He cupped his face, feeling extremely conflicted: should he go or not?

Cai Gu knew he wasn't smart enough, and had been scolded by Huo Qizhou many times for meddling, but he never learned his lesson.

He bit his lower lip, and finally got out of bed.

Wearing slippers, he picked up the bread he had bought from a student on the table and tiptoed out of the room.

The detention room at night looked even more terrifying. The Alphas who had received injections were all lying on the beds sleeping soundly. Only Cai Gu's footsteps echoed through the corridor.

Cai Gu had a stainless steel basin hanging from his waist and a stick as thick as an arm tied to his back. He bent down and struggled to pull open the basement door, then took a deep breath and slowly walked down.

The basement was so dark that he couldn't see his hand in front of his face. Cai Gu looked around nervously, hunching his shoulders and inching along the wall.

After an unknown amount of time, his ankle felt a wet sensation. At first, Cai Gu thought it was water leaking in the basement and didn't pay much attention, until a pair of rough hands grabbed his ankle and pinned him down tightly.

The wet tongue scraped over Cai Gu's protruding anklebone, licking with a smacking sound.

Loud panting echoed in the basement, like a beast in heat staring fixedly at its mate.

Cai Gu was so frightened that he fell to the ground. One of his legs was already immobile, completely caught in the beast's embrace.

Cai Gu could already imagine the tragic life of losing a leg and having to sit in a wheelchair. He hastily pulled out the long stick from his back and swung it wildly. Just as he was about to hit the beast, it bit the stick.

Then with a "crack," the stick broke in half. Cai Gu held one half in each hand, his heart sank. He didn't dare to resist anymore, cowering in the corner, and tried to negotiate with the beast: "Could you not eat me? I'm too old, my meat is tough and not tasty."

But the beast approached step by step. It pressed Cai Gu against the corner of the wall, then licked Cai Gu's face with its tongue, not missing a single spot, from his eyelids to the two moles under the corners of his eyes, and then to his red lips.

Especially the little bump on his upper lip, which the beast bit with its teeth, bullying him maliciously.

Cai Gu couldn't take it anymore. He was afraid his face would be chewed full of holes by the beast, so he gathered his courage and slapped the beast across the face.

He used a lot of strength; the muscles of his arm bulged, knocking the beast's head to the side.

The whole basement became deathly silent. Cai Gu put his hands on his chest, closed his eyes peacefully, and covered his face with the stainless steel basin. At least after he died, others could recognize him from his intact face.

Just as Cai Gu decided to give up, the beast suddenly rubbed its other cheek against his hand.

Cai Gu was confused, but the beast kept pushing his hand with its nose, sometimes growling from its throat.

A ridiculous idea emerged in Cai Gu's mind. He stammered and asked, "Do you want me to hit you?"

Hearing the word "hit," the beast panted and stuck out its tongue. It became even more excited, almost prostrating on the ground, begging Cai Gu to slap it again.

Although Cai Gu didn't understand, he respected the beast's peculiarity. He slapped the beast's face again, and the crisp sound of the slap echoed in the basement.

After the slap, Cai Gu withdrew his hand. He curled up his body and tried to negotiate with the beast: "Can we stop? My hand hurts from hitting."

The beast couldn't understand Cai Gu's words. It tried the same trick again, wanting to get another slap by licking Cai Gu's face.

But this time, it tasted the flavor of tears.

Cai Gu in the corner felt both aggrieved and scared. He didn't understand: he had obediently slapped the beast once, so why did it still want to eat him?

Cai Gu couldn't take it anymore. He covered his mouth and silently wept. His tears, like pearls, fell in large drops along his cheeks, finally gathering at his chin.

The beast's eyes regained some clarity. It lay stunned on the ground, looking at Cai Gu's current state, then silently turned and ran deeper into the basement.

Cai Gu curled himself into a ball, not daring to move at all. After an unknown amount of time, the click of a light switch came from the basement, and the whole basement instantly became bright.

The stainless steel basin covering Cai Gu's head was also removed by someone. The figure of He Yanxing appeared before him. He was wearing the Yasa Academy uniform as usual, but with a black mask on his face, revealing only half of it.

Cai Gu incredulously reached out to poke He Yanxing's face. It was warm! Alive!

Without time to rejoice, he quickly reported his discovery to He Yanxing: "I just found a beast in the basement. Do you think the students down there were eaten by it? Should we quickly call people over to catch it? I'm afraid it will run out and hurt the other children."

He Yanxing looked at him silently. His blue eyes behind the glasses were as calm as water. He shook his head and corrected Cai Gu: "That's not a beast. It's a student from the basement. But he's practically an animal. The more you hit him, the more he enjoys it."

A hint of madness flickered in He Yanxing's eyes: "So you should hit him more and beat him into obedience."

Cai Gu was stunned; it took him a moment to let out an "Ah?"

Cai Gu frowned, struggling to understand. He felt he couldn't keep up with how young people think. He pursed his lips and dazedly picked up the bread from the ground.

He Yanxing stood nearby, watching Cai Gu who seemed distracted. He unconsciously clenched his hand, tugging at the wound on his palm.

"Actually," Cai Gu took a deep breath. Standing in the dim basement, his face still had tear tracks and his eyelashes stuck together, he looked innocent and pitiful. "You can't really call him an animal. Isn't he sick? Well, maybe he likes being hit, but... that's okay, right?"

"Every child is unique. Now that I think about it, he didn't really do much to me earlier; I was just too scared."

Cai Gu patted his chest. He put the bread on the table, thought for a moment, and then didn't forget to remind the basement dweller: "I left some bread here. Remember to eat."

Cai Gu turned around, but saw He Yanxing standing not far away, his eyes dark and unreadable, lost in thought.

Cai Gu reached out his hand and waved it in front of him: "What's wrong?"

He suddenly became nervous: "Is your head hurting again?"

Cai Gu hadn't forgotten the painful look on He Yanxing's face last night. He hugged the young man's arm and leaned his soft body against him.

"It's nothing," He Yanxing replied in a hoarse voice. He lowered his eyelids and put his arm around Cai Gu's waist. "Let's go up now."

When they returned to the ground, Cai Gu felt somewhat dazed. He took a deep breath and felt much lighter all over. He spun around in a good mood, his eyebrows curved like crescent moons.

He actually had many questions to ask He Yanxing, but after seeing the fatigue in his eyes, he swallowed those questions. He patted He Yanxing's head with his hand and said, "You must be exhausted. Go rest first. We'll deal with everything tomorrow."

Under He Yanxing's gaze, Cai Gu yawned and walked into the lounge. He collapsed onto the bed, and before falling asleep, a thought emerged in his mind.

He wondered if the child in the basement would like the bread he bought.

Through the door, He Yanxing slowly sat on the floor. He held in his arms the bread that had been brought up from the basement. He took off his black mask, revealing the clear slap marks on his face.

He Yanxing tore off a piece of bread, put it into his mouth, and bit by bit finished it all.

The taste... was very good.

＊

Sunlight streamed through the glass into the lounge. Cai Gu, wearing a loose white dress, was organizing books. These books had been stored too long; some were covered with dust, some broke at the slightest touch. Cai Gu couldn't bear to look at them anymore, so he took the initiative to remove the damaged books and put them in an empty box.

Cai Gu stacked the boxes in the corner. After finishing, he lay comfortably on the sofa, couldn't help but turn over, and rested his chin on the armrest.

As soon as He Yanxing entered, he saw Cai Gu melting into a puddle, blending seamlessly with the sofa.

The soft skirt outlined the shape of his buttocks; from a distance, it looked like a sweet peach, tempting one to take a bite.

This dress was specially bought for him by He Yanxing. Cai Gu's frame was even larger than an Alpha's, and he was curvy; if the correct size wasn't obtained, clothes could easily be too small.

Moreover, He Yanxing felt that Cai Gu looked better in dresses, matching his gentle temperament.

He Yanxing's gaze dropped, landing on the most beautiful part of Cai Gu. His long, shapely legs were wrapped in white stockings, faintly revealing wheat-colored thighs.

Unable to resist, he stepped forward and pulled at the snag with his hand, hoarsely asking, "How did it snag?"

Cai Gu, who had been spacing out, finally noticed He Yanxing's presence. He sat sideways on the sofa, turning to face him, looking where He Yanxing was pointing, thinking for a moment before slowly replying, "I think it got scratched by a book while I was organizing."

But Cai Gu wasn't too bothered by the few snags. He lifted his head, looking at He Yanxing expectantly. "Did you catch the scammer?"

He Yanxing sat down on the sofa beside him, his hand naturally resting on Cai Gu's calf. His long fingers pinched the snag and with a gentle tug, instantly created a small hole.

He Yanxing's hand slipped inside, poking the hole in the stocking bigger, accompanied by the sound of fabric ripping.

Cai Gu's lips parted as if to speak, but he didn't stop him. After all, kids these days always have some peculiar hobbies; tearing stockings was pretty tame.

As He Yanxing continued tearing the stocking, he said, "We've confirmed the poster's identity, but he's not on campus now. I'll take you off-campus to find him."

Hearing the good news, Cai Gu pressed his palms together. "Great, let me just change clothes first..."

"No time." He Yanxing caught his wrist, stopping him. He lowered his gaze to the torn stockings clinging to Cai Gu's calves, his blue eyes shifting slightly. "Afraid he might run."

Cai Gu nodded in agreement, his lips a tight line. "Let's go now."

Sitting in the car, Cai Gu's heart was pounding violently. He watched the buildings flashing by outside the window, but his heart grew calmer.

This road was too familiar—so familiar that Cai Gu could recite it by heart.

Wasn't this the way to his home?

"The poster isn't a student from the school," He Yanxing's voice came from behind. "He said his account was stolen a few days ago. We verified that, and then tracked the location and found the person was active in the lower district."

"It's a rough area, full of all sorts, remote..."

Cai Gu gave He Yanxing a dark look, unconsciously puffing out his cheeks. How could he describe his home so badly? It was bought with most of his life's savings.

Meeting He Yanxing's puzzled gaze, Cai Gu got mad for a second—well, as mad as he gets—then softened again, curling into a ball. "It's nothing. Go on."

"But there's a complication. This person is a follower of the Blue Luo Religion. If we want to catch him, we need to contact the church."

The car stopped. Cai Gu stared blankly at the neighborhood before him, blinking.

Oh ho!

Back home.

He Yanxing had never been to a place like this. He wore a cold expression, carefully avoiding puddles and stepping over melon rinds on the ground, careful not to trip.

Compared to He Yanxing's predicament, Cai Gu was much more at ease. He had lived here for over a decade and knew every nook and cranny.

He Yanxing held a locator in his hand, standing amidst the labyrinthine neighborhood, a rare look of bewilderment appeared in his eyes.

Cai Gu didn't understand the device in his hand. After a moment's thought, he went to ask the grandmas resting under the tree.

The grandmas had sharp eyes and immediately recognized Cai Gu. They pulled him over to sit down.

"Xiao Cai, where have you been these past few days?"

"Haven't seen you in a while. Oh, you've gotten even prettier."

"Why haven't you come to pick up eggs lately? It's fine if you want some, just come to my place."

Cai Gu was surrounded by the grandmas, his arms filled with gifts. One of them looked at his plump cheeks and said with concern, "You've lost weight."

Cai Gu sat among them with a smile, not contradicting them but patiently replying to each.

"I changed jobs. I'm a security guard now, with room and board provided."

"You look beautiful too, Grandma."

"By the way," Cai Gu asked the grandma lying on the recliner, "Grandma, have you noticed any strange people lately? Like... someone who goes to church but doesn't collect eggs."

"Now that you mention it, yes." The grandma on the recliner sat up immediately, waving her palm-leaf fan. "The new young man upstairs goes to church every week but never takes a single egg."

Her eyes sharpened. "Xiao Cai, did he scam your heart?"

The grandmas were shrewd. In the neighborhood, many Alphas openly or secretly pursued Cai Gu, and some just wanted to trick him into bed for fun.

They earnestly told Cai Gu to keep his eyes open, pick carefully—or even pick several—but absolutely not choose anyone from the lower district.

Cai Gu shook his head helplessly. "Of course not. It's just... this kid got scammed out of his money. I felt sorry for him and decided to help find the scammer."

Hearing it wasn't about Cai Gu being deceived, the grandmas all breathed a sigh of relief.

With the information confirmed, Cai Gu eagerly got up, bid the grandmas farewell, and went to find He Yanxing carrying a bundle of goodies.

"Got a lead!" Cai Gu happily stood on tiptoes and held a plum up to He Yanxing's lips. "Let's go catch the scammer now!"

-----------------------

Author's note: Roughly ten thousand words in total.

Two thousand words of scrapped drafts from this morning, plus three thousand words from today's update and eight thousand eight hundred words for the VIP chapter—all written in one day.