Xin Yunmao's arrogance greatly shocked the only human present.
Chu Zhishui remarked, "Indeed, it's rare to see..." someone so self-satisfied.
In the next moment, Xin Yunmao displayed an "as expected" expression, as if he could see right through Chu Zhishui.
Chu Zhishui truly hated her ability to read people's expressions. She particularly wanted to say something rude to strike back at him, but felt it wasn't worth risking her life over something trivial. After all, she didn't even know what he was, and confronting him head-on would be like throwing eggs at a stone.
Fortunately, Xin Yunmao didn't say more. He returned to his initial coldness, hands in his pockets, and continued walking downstairs.
Chu Zhishui followed him back to the spacious yet modest courtyard.
As soon as they left the building, brilliant sunlight poured in, warming the open space outside the office building and dispelling the early spring chill from her body.
The Observation Bureau compound didn't have many buildings. The tallest office building was covered in Boston ivy, with a row of unremarkable low-rise buildings beside it. Next to the buildings was a flat piece of land, now covered in lush green grass, with a corner cultivated for growing some Chinese greens and potato seedlings.
After leaving the building, Xin Yunmao lazily sat down on a stone round stool, narrowing his eyes drowsily as he enjoyed the filtered sunlight through the tree shade.
Seeing that he was no longer paying attention to her, Chu Zhishui, who had been on edge all day in the building and truly couldn't understand non-human thinking, tentatively asked, "...May I take my leave then?"
She wondered if these supernatural beings would playfully catch her halfway through her escape.
"You're still here?" Xin Yunmao heard her voice and slowly opened his eyes, looking her up and down as if quite surprised.
Chu Zhishui suddenly understood his thought process for a moment - he must be thinking along the lines of his "divine and handsome existence," as if she was deliberately lingering to spend more time with him.
She had to admit, as long as he wasn't deliberately maintaining a stern face, his micro-expressions were extremely easy to read.
Chu Zhishui wearily said, "...Goodbye."
"Goodbye."
Chu Zhishui headed to the parking lot without looking back. She got in her car and drove away from the Observation Bureau like a whirlwind. Although she had initially been frightened by the shadow on the wall, after being interrupted by the narcissistic ghost-man, her mind was now filled with exasperation rather than fear.
The Huaijiang Observation Bureau was located in a relatively remote area, quite far from the residential complex where Chu Zhishui's parents lived. There was no public transportation between the two locations, and it took thirty minutes by car. While such a commuting distance wouldn't be considered much in a first-tier city, it wasn't very convenient in a small city, and driving to work was clearly an additional expense.
Half an hour later, Chu Zhishui had calmed down during the drive. She carefully parked her car in the underground garage and decided to make a phone call before heading home.
Although she was safe now, she had definitely seen the shadow earlier, and the narcissistic ghost-man had admitted he wasn't human - the new workplace was filled with abnormalities everywhere.
Chu Zhishui called Hong Ximing, but there was no answer. Looking at the time, she realized it was already past 5:00 PM. This was the personnel department's landline number, and it probably wouldn't be answered after office hours.
Despite being haunted, the new workplace was quite punctual about closing time - not a minute over, or perhaps there were just few people there to begin with, mostly strange ghosts instead.
A moment later, Chu Zhishui arrived home. Before she could even change her shoes after opening the security door, she was greeted by the appetizing aroma of food.
The dining room was lit with warm yellow light, and two dishes and a soup were already set on the table. The steamed pork with rice powder was still steaming hot, the stir-fried squash tips were vibrant green, and the winter melon bone soup had a clear, appetizing appearance that made one's mouth water.
"Ah, you're back!" Xie Yan saw her daughter enter and immediately reached out to pat Chu Xiaohe on the sofa, urging, "Alright, stop lounging around, hurry up and cook the last dish!"
"I just sat down for a moment, haven't even warmed the seat yet..." Chu Xiaohe grumbled quietly while reluctantly heading to the kitchen.
Her parents had been waiting in the living room for their only daughter who was coming home late.
After graduation, Chu Zhishui had been working in Yinhai City, living alone in a rented apartment for a long time, never having the chance to have someone waiting for her to come home for dinner.
Since returning to her hometown, she seemed to have become more emotionally sensitive. Especially after experiencing so many strange things today, seeing such ordinary family moments now inexplicably made her chest tighten and her eyes threaten to water.
She felt that while she could be invincible outside, she would crumble once back in this familiar haven.
"Mom, don't let Dad cook anymore, we already have too much food."
"It's fine, just one more leafy green dish. You need a balanced diet now, or your stomach will act up again!"
Ever since Chu Zhishui had fallen seriously ill, Xie Yan had become somewhat overprotective.
Soon, the family of three was happily dining together, and inevitably the conversation turned to her new workplace.
Chu Xiaohe glanced at his daughter and casually asked, "Did everything go smoothly today?"
Chu Zhishui had never been a child who caused her parents to worry, whether in studies or work, she always had her own ideas, but they would still routinely ask about her day.
"Today..." Chu Zhishui hesitated unusually, "was fairly smooth, I suppose."
She couldn't really categorize her experience at the Observation Bureau as either smooth or not. Mainly, talking about the wall shadows and other things would make it seem like she had mental issues, and would likely just add to her parents' worries.
"That's good. Don't work too hard now that you're back, don't be as intense as before!" Xie Yan advised, "You still have to decorate your place, save some energy. Your health is the most important thing."
Chu Zhishui replied, "Today was just paperwork, no real work yet. I officially start tomorrow."
"Then get to bed early tonight, rest up well."
After dinner, Chu Zhishui chatted with her parents in the living room for a while before returning to her room to ponder the supernatural events. Having been away from her hometown for so long, she could only ask childhood friends and classmates about the Observation Bureau's conditions and whether there had been any horrifying incidents in the past.
"The salary at that kind of institution is just average, definitely not as much as you earned in Yinhai, but it's considered decent in Huaijiang."
Chu Zhishui was silent for a moment, then lowered her voice, "...Are there any strange rumors?"
"What kind of rumors?"
"Like haunting and such?"
"That's impossible. I have a friend of a friend who once got accepted there, and even visited the Huaijiang Observation Bureau, but he ended up not choosing it because of the distance, which was purely his personal reason."
This matched what Chu Zhishui had found in her own online searches - the internet held no traces of any haunting at the Huaijiang Observation Bureau.
If it weren't for the deep impression left by the narcissistic ghost-man, she would have doubted whether today's events were just hallucinations, whether there really was a shadow on the wall, or if anything had actually chased her.
But the narcissistic ghost-man was too outrageous - she felt humans couldn't be that thick-skinned.
The next day, Chu Zhishui still drove to the Huaijiang Observation Bureau on time. Even if there were strange things at the bureau, she would need to go through proper procedures to leave; she couldn't just skip work and disappear.
Fortunately, the morning at the Observation Bureau was normal and peaceful, with crystalline dew drops on the Boston ivy leaves, bearing no resemblance to anything sinister or eerie.
"Little Chu, you're quite early." Hong Ximing happened to meet Chu Zhishui at the entrance and smiled, "How did you rest yesterday?"
"...Fine." After suppressing a night full of worries, Chu Zhishui finally saw Hong Ximing and could voice her concerns, "Sister Hong, our bureau should be quite normal, right?"
Hong Ximing looked puzzled: "What do you mean by that?"
Chu Zhishui felt nervous inside and carefully probed: "I mean, it can't possibly be haunted, right?"
Hong Ximing froze.
Chu Zhishui became increasingly frightened: "...Has it been haunted before?"
Seeing Chu Zhishui's pupils contract, Hong Ximing quickly grabbed her warmly and declared solemnly: "It's absolutely impossible for it to be haunted."
"But yesterday..."
Hong Ximing's eyes sparkled with conviction: "I can guarantee you, it's definitely not haunted!"
The bureau only had supernatural beings, how could it possibly be haunted?
Chu Zhishui was infected by Hong Ximing's resolute words. Her chest was nearly burning with socialist fervor, ready to incinerate all superstitious evil spirits and ghosts, and she felt somewhat more at ease.
In the hallway, Hong Ximing led the way for Chu Zhishui as they headed directly to the third floor of the office building, stopping in front of the logistics department.
Hong Ximing glanced inside: "Let me announce you first."
As a newcomer, Chu Zhishui needed Hong Ximing to make introductions.
"Alright, thank you for your trouble."
"It's no trouble at all, just wait outside for a moment."
When Hong Ximing entered the room, she even closed the door behind her, leaving Chu Zhishui alone in the hallway. Though she had been worried about seeing something unclean, today she was fortunate that nothing unusual happened.
A few minutes later, Hong Ximing opened the door to the Logistics Department and enthusiastically introduced, "Come in, this is our new colleague Chu Zhishui, a talented graduate who's returned from Yinhai City!"
"No, no, you're too kind," Chu Zhishui modestly waved her hand and quickly stepped inside to greet her colleagues, "Hello everyone, I'm Chu Zhishui."
"Hello, welcome, welcome!"
Chu Zhishui noticed there were three people in the Logistics Department, two men and one woman. The men appeared to be older, while the only female was around her age.
"Little Chu, don't be so modest. You were specially recruited by Director Hu as part of our talent program!" Hong Ximing said while scanning the room, her gaze unusually sharp, with a hint of warning in her tone.
"Don't worry, Chief Hong, everything will be fine!" The round-bellied man patted his chest vigorously, promising something unclear. His eyes were small and round like black beans as he fawned, "Our Logistics Department has always been the most sensible."
Hong Ximing: "This is Wu Changgong, head of the Logistics Support Section."
Chu Zhishui bowed: "Hello, Section Chief Wu."
"This is Niu Shi, who's in charge of our bureau's landscaping and cafeteria," Hong Ximing pointed to the middle-aged man with a square face and dark skin, then looked toward the short-haired young woman in the corner, "And that's Little Jin, Jin Yu, who also joined us recently."
Chu Zhishui greeted each new colleague in turn, quickly memorizing their faces: the round-bellied man was Section Chief Wu, the square-faced man was Niu Shi, and the short-haired woman was Jin Yu.
Hong Ximing looked around the office: "Isn't there one more person in your office?"
Wu Changgong reacted as if hearing about an unlucky topic, waving his hand, "Oh, Chief Hong, it's debatable whether they even count as part of the bureau!"
"Alright, then consider the introductions done," Hong Ximing said caringly, "Little Chu, get familiar with the Logistics Department first, and we'll see how Director Hu wants to arrange things when he returns."
"Okay, thank you, Sister Hong."
After bringing Chu Zhishui to the Logistics Department, Hong Ximing soon went back upstairs to the Personnel Department.
Section Chief Wu noticed Hong's special attention to Chu Zhishui and superficially showed some concern for her. But as soon as Hong completely left the Logistics Department, he immediately darted out of the office, disappearing to who knows where.
Fortunately, both Niu Shi and Jin Yu had nice personalities and helped Chu Zhishui adapt to the new environment.
Niu Shi completely embodied the image of a kind and honest big brother, volunteering to go to the warehouse to get a computer for Chu Zhishui.
Jin Yu led her around the room, asking, "Where would you like to sit? The Section Chief usually stays next door, this is Brother Niu's desk, and I sit here. Would you like to sit next to me?"
There were six desks in the room, many covered with miscellaneous items. Two desks had computers, apparently belonging to Jin Yu and Niu Shi.
"I'll sit behind you," Chu Zhishui decided, thinking that sitting next to Jin Yu near the door would make it too easy for leaders to catch them off guard.
"Great, I'll clear these things away!" Jin Yu enthusiastically began cleaning the desk surface.
Chu Zhishui had thought no one sat behind her, but when she pulled out the chair, she noticed something odd. The desk behind had no computer but was scattered with candies, even some unwrapped candy papers.
"Does someone sit behind me?"
"Ah, don't worry, they rarely show up."
Before Niu Shi returned from the warehouse, Chu Zhishui and Jin Yu sat chatting in the room.
Jin Yu was a short-haired, round-faced soft girl with fine, slightly yellow hair. Her voice was gentle and soft, and she appeared unworldly and simple-minded.
Before Chu Zhishui could even warm her chair, Jin Yu started spilling everything like beans from a pod, complaining about how Section Chief Wu never came to the office and how she didn't dare offend the more senior Niu Shi, often dumping all sorts of messy work on her.
Chu Zhishui listened with a smile, occasionally nodding in response, inwardly sighing that Jin Yu was indeed new or hadn't worked much before.
Jin Yu must have been excited to finally see a female colleague, eager to have a companion. But if someone else had been listening to Jin Yu's complaints today, they might have gone straight to Section Chief Wu, stabbing her in the back.
However, having a naive new colleague was good for Chu Zhishui. She had been worried about office politics, but now it seemed she could avoid many troubles.
"What does the Logistics Department usually do?" Chu Zhishui asked, seeing Jin Yu standing around, "Won't you fall behind in your work if you keep attending to me?"
"There's not much to do usually, just some spreadsheets."
"Then you should work on your spreadsheets while I get settled in."
"Okay, just call me if you need anything."
Jin Yu had been the only female in the Logistics Department, and having just met Chu Zhishui, she had talked endlessly. Now she returned to her seat somewhat reluctantly and started working on her spreadsheets.
Chu Zhishui sat behind Jin Yu, watching as the sunlight from the window cast a pale golden glow on her colleague's silhouette.
In the soft light, tiny dust particles danced and jumped in the air, occasionally accompanied by two or three floating transparent bubbles, creating a dreamy and peaceful scene.
...Wait, transparent bubbles?
Chu Zhishui was surprised to notice the fleeting bubbles, similar to those blown from toys in childhood parks, though noticeably smaller. The rainbow-colored bubbles floated toward the window on the breeze, soon breaking and vanishing outside.
Where were these bubbles coming from?
Chu Zhishui's eyes followed the bubbles' movement trajectory, finally realizing the source was Jin Yu sitting in front of her.
The water dispenser happened to be in Jin Yu's upper left corner. Chu Zhishui pretended to be calm as she got up for water, taking the opportunity to see Jin Yu working from the front, finally confirming that her little colleague was blowing bubbles!
Jin Yu seemed to be struggling with the spreadsheet, not noticing Chu Zhishui's expression. She anxiously scratched her head from time to time, her lips unconsciously opening and closing, making soft popping sounds like a fish poking its head above water.
This wasn't frightening, just like biting nails or pursing lips, except for the occasional bubbles that flew out when she opened her mouth.
Chu Zhishui stood silently holding her water cup for a long time before finally speaking: "Jin Yu."
"What is it?" Jin Yu looked up innocently, her voice sweet and lively.
Chu Zhishui stared at her colleague's innocent face, swallowed slightly, and said casually, "Jin Yu, you're not human, are you?"
The air froze, and no one spoke.
Chu Zhishui watched as Jin Yu's expression changed slightly, showing shock and panic. Her face turned blood red, her lips trembled timidly, and her eyes could barely contain two pools of clear tears, displaying an about-to-cry expression as if suffering a great injustice.
Chu Zhishui became confused - had she guessed wrong? Did Jin Yu think she was insulting her?
The next moment, Jin Yu's tears finally broke free as she burst out crying, exclaiming in fear and shock: "...H-how did you know!?"
"..."
Jin Yu cried so hard she could barely breathe, as if facing a world-ending catastrophe.
Chu Zhishui had hesitated earlier about whether to expose this, fearing Jin Yu might become angry and lash out, but now her little colleague was crying inconsolably, making her feel guilty and moved, mistakenly thinking she had said something cruel about species discrimination.
"If you're not human, shouldn't I be the one crying?" Chu Zhishui pulled some tissues from the desk and handed them to the sobbing Jin Yu, patting her back consolingly while saying helplessly, "Why are you crying so hard?"
"I-I'm scared..." Jin Yu cried so hard she couldn't complete her sentences.
As a non-human, what are you afraid of? Shouldn't humans be the ones who are afraid!?
Crocodile tears are just two or three drops, but Jin Yu's tears could flood the office, setting the scene for a rendition of "Bubbles."
As her little colleague cried, she kept producing bubbles, threatening to submerge everything around them, like putting too much detergent in a washing machine. Rainbow-colored bubbles emerged endlessly, quickly engulfing both human and supernatural being.
Chu Zhishui was dumbfounded watching this scene, her clothes almost getting wet.
She wished she had stayed silent, regretting that she had seen through it, or else everything wouldn't have turned into bubbles.
