After submitting the Huaijiang tea proposal, Chu Zhishui quickly established contact with various departments in Huaijiang, helping Wang Yiwen's friends and relevant personnel communicate.
She had been frequently traveling to the city to handle some matters lately. The person in charge she liaised with, Director Qin, had quite a good attitude, and their communication went well. Director Qin worked near the city government, an area filled with various government institutions, located in downtown Huaijiang, close to her future apartment.
The sky was clear and bright, with beautiful sunshine - perfect weather that was neither hot nor cold.
A gentle breeze blew through the window, relieving the stuffiness of the office. Jin Yu had gone to the finance department to organize documents, leaving only Chu Zhishui and Xin Yunmao in the room. They usually drove to the tea garden, but work there had temporarily come to a halt recently.
"I'm going to the city today," Chu Zhishui said, holding her car keys. Suddenly remembering her promise, she asked, "Want to go for a drive?"
Xin Yunmao glanced at her, his eyebrows slightly raised, and flatly refused: "No."
"Why?"
"I don't like going for drives."
"?"
But when he visited Chen Zhuhui that day, he clearly said he liked riding in cars.
After pondering, Chu Zhishui suspected he was being difficult again, just like a child who likes a toy but stubbornly claims not to, only to become upset or depressed when adults actually take it away - an incomprehensible way of thinking. He could even get moody about paying for cafeteria meals; if she really left without another word now, he might end up sulking himself to death today.
Chu Zhishui looked at the tense-faced creature by the window and said gently, "Oh, then would you like to accompany me to the city?"
"..."
"Or would you like to go for a drive with me?" Chu Zhishui said, "Choose one of the two."
"......"
Xin Yunmao didn't choose either option. He slowly stood up, walked to the office door, then silently turned back to look at her, as if waiting for her to gather her things and leave. Standing by the door, his broad back straight and tall, he really did look like a towering, silent tree.
Rather than trying to change a tree's hardness, it's better to simply split the trunk into the desired shape and use it - this was Chu Zhishui's technique for communicating with him. Instead of trying to make him admit anything directly, just force him into a position where he has no choice.
At the entrance of the Huaijiang Observation Bureau, their car merged onto the main road.
Unlike the usual open countryside, today's scenery outside the car window grew increasingly lively, starting with a stretch of low-rise buildings, followed by two or three-story rural houses. After crossing a river with rippling clear waters, various high-rises came into view.
The shops on both sides of the street were already open. Being a workday, there weren't many pedestrians, just elderly retirees pulling small carts for shopping.
Sunlight draped Huaijiang City in golden splendor, everything warm and light, with a relaxed rhythm and pace. This small city lacked the prosperity and bustle of Yinhai City, being plain and ordinary, filled with the atmosphere of daily life.
The car stopped at a red light.
Chu Zhishui held the steering wheel, and from the corner of her eye, she noticed Xin Yunmao observing the outside. She asked, "Have you been here before?"
"No."
Chu Zhishui was surprised: "You've always stayed at the bureau?"
"More or less," Xin Yunmao paused briefly before adding, "There are too many people here."
"That's because you haven't been to other cities. Huaijiang's population is actually quite small," Chu Zhishui wondered, "Don't you get bored staying in one place? Why not go out and explore, maybe meet other humans or supernatural beings?"
The supernatural beings from the Observation Department seemed to travel frequently, and Director Hu was often away from the bureau. Supernatural beings should be able to move around.
"I don't need to go anywhere else, nor do I need to meet other people or supernatural beings," Xin Yunmao said arrogantly, "They're not worthy of speaking to me."
"..."
Chu Zhishui nodded in agreement: "True, if they kept talking to you, they might discover you're always telling jokes and expose your comedic nature."
He could pass for aloof when he kept his mouth shut, but as soon as he spoke, he revealed himself as a comedian.
Xin Yunmao: "?"
The car started moving again, with an endless stream of street scenes outside the window and increasingly more shops of all kinds.
Xin Yunmao kept staring at the street, probably finding it quite novel.
"Although I haven't been back for a long time, let me introduce you to this area - this is the old town district," Chu Zhishui drove along the familiar road. Spotting a light-colored building in the distance, she casually said, "That's Hengyuan Mall, it was Huaijiang's most famous shopping center fifteen years ago, though it's not doing well now, hardly anyone shops there anymore."
After hearing her words, Xin Yunmao's gaze followed to the side. The mall rose prominently among the surrounding buildings, its appearance indeed different, though its surface had taken on a weathered yellow tinge from wind and rain. The building bore the sign "Hengyuan Mall," once a landmark of the city, now nothing special.
Xin Yunmao calmly said: "Fifteen years is very short."
"Looking back now, it does seem short," Chu Zhishui seemed to recall something, and after pondering for a few seconds, she smiled and said, "When I was in elementary school, I bought a crystal star there. You probably don't understand human crystal brands, but that brand is now considered low-end, though it was quite expensive back then - at least for Huaijiang standards."
"A crystal star?"
"Yes, when that crystal shop opened in Hengyuan Mall, it caused quite a sensation in Huaijiang, with many people going to see it. At that time, I ranked first in school for the first time, and my dad promised to reward me with anything I wanted from the mall. I fell in love with the star hanging at the entrance, being too young to understand prices, and didn't expect that even my parents' combined money wouldn't be enough."
Now, looking at Hengyuan Mall again, memories instantly returned to fifteen years ago, when bright and new glass display windows were filled with sparkling crystal ornaments, surrounded by Huaijiang citizens seeing such luxurious decorations for the first time.
Young as she was, she had been mesmerized, pointing directly at the crystal star, not knowing it would put her parents in such an awkward position of being unable to pay.
Xin Yunmao: "So how did you end up getting it?"
"My dad said at the time, 'I'm sorry, I can't afford it now, but I'll buy it for you next month, okay?'" Chu Zhishui smiled wryly. "Then after he got his salary the next month, he took me to buy it. My mom was a bit hesitant but didn't say much, and my dad really bought it for me."
Xin Yunmao was stunned.
Her voice brightened: "Actually, after learning the price that day, I thought about giving up, since the star wouldn't be very useful, but honestly, I was overjoyed when I finally got it."
Later, the crystal star was put away - its design was impractical, too large for a necklace, and they worried about damaging it if used for anything else.
Now she could afford anything from that brand, but she no longer had the impulsive desire from her childhood. The crystal star definitely hadn't retained its value - buying gold back then might have multiplied several times in worth - but in her heart, it remained priceless.
During her middle and high school years, Chu Zhishui never had any concept of wealth disparity. It wasn't until she went to university in Yinhai City that she gradually realized she came from an ordinary family. Her family wasn't particularly wealthy, nor especially poor - better off than some but not as well off as others - but she felt it didn't matter much.
While classmates from wealthy families received much from their parents, she still had her crystal star, and didn't feel inferior to anyone.
As Xin Yunmao listened to her composed tone telling the story, an indescribable feeling welled up in his heart - sour, sweet, soft, warm, with the scent of time-aged wood, or perhaps sun-warmed fragrance - impossible to describe with precise words.
He couldn't help but steal glances at her.
She was truly strange, a mortal without wishes.
There was also an kind of unbreakable fragility about her.
Though she would pale at the sight of supernatural energy or beings, when actually facing problems, she remained relaxed and composed, as if nothing could destroy her. Like a sparkling stream - even when stirred into splashing waves and surging waters, it would quickly regather after hitting the ground and continue flowing unhurriedly, even capable of eroding everything with time.
Perhaps because of this, he couldn't discern anything from her aura or colors.
Seeing that he hadn't spoken for a long time, Chu Zhishui mistakenly thought he was bored after the initial novelty wore off, and said, "This city isn't very big to begin with, nothing particularly interesting."
"I find it interesting."
Chu Zhishui was startled.
Xin Yunmao lowered his eyes: "...Very interesting."
In the city center, shiny metal plaques covered the front of the office building, displaying names of various organizations. People rushing to handle paperwork moved hurriedly about, either coming and going at the entrance or making loud phone calls under the trees, bustling about for their business affairs.
Sun Qiao had recently grown tired of being pushed around at his job, and he suddenly came up with an idea, insisting that his parents invest money in opening a convenience store. Liu Kemei was initially very reluctant but couldn't resist her son's persistent persuasion and reluctantly agreed.
However, when mother and son began the process of opening the store, they discovered it wasn't as simple as Sun Qiao had claimed. Just the initial paperwork was extremely troublesome, and it couldn't be accomplished by making hasty decisions.
They were overwhelmed by various procedures like business registration, official seal approval from the police, tax registration, and more. Having done little preliminary research, they had to chase down staff members at each location to ask questions, which naturally led to low efficiency. The staff at each department were typically responsible only for their own section and couldn't overstep their authority to handle other matters or provide one-stop service.
Liu Kemei complained, "Oh, you said running a store would be easier than having a job, but these past few days have been exhausting."
"Well, everything's difficult at the beginning," Sun Qiao said impatiently. "Mom, stop nagging, I know what I'm doing!"
They parked their car some distance away and walked to the office building to save on parking fees.
Recently, Huaijiang City had taken measures to regulate illegal parking by marking parking spaces on both sides of the road, installing surveillance cameras, and having officers patrol to issue tickets. Due to the high hourly parking rates, there were few cars in the parking spaces in front of the office building. Most staff members had their own parking lot, so only visitors used these spaces briefly.
Sun Qiao wouldn't park near the entrance; he'd rather park farther away to save money that could buy a pack of cigarettes.
Just then, a luxury car pulled up, parking precisely at the entrance, catching Sun Qiao's attention. It was a well-known car brand with an understated design and high-value configuration, yet its presence still stood out in Huaijiang City.
Men always like to study nice cars, whether they can afford them or not. This model wasn't cheap - for the same price, one could get a more flashy car from a different brand. It suggested that the owner preferred subtlety over showiness.
Liu Kemei recognized who stepped out of the car and frantically nudged her son, exclaiming, "Hey, hey, isn't that Chu Zhishui!?"
Sun Qiao looked carefully and indeed saw Chu Zhishui getting out of the driver's seat, while a young man with dark hair emerged from the passenger side. The mother and son were too far to see the young man's features clearly, but they could tell from his height and bearing that he was good-looking, with a cool, distinguished presence that set him apart from the crowd.
Chu Zhishui held the car keys, casually pressed the lock button, and walked inside with the handsome young man.
Liu Kemei was bewildered: "...Something doesn't seem quite right here?"
Sun Qiao shared his mother's confusion, completely agreeing with her words. They both felt the seating arrangement in the car was odd.
If the young man had been driving and Chu Zhishui sitting in the passenger seat, they could have understood it as her dating a wealthy, handsome man. But with Chu Zhishui driving and the young man in the passenger seat, what kind of development was this!?
After getting out, she didn't return the keys but naturally tucked them into her bag, as if she were the wealthy one bringing someone along to handle business.
They couldn't make sense of it but were greatly shocked.
Inside the office, Chu Zhishui, Xin Yunmao, and Director Qin met successfully. She made introductions between them and then discussed business with Director Qin. Xin Yunmao, as usual, played mute when out in public, silently standing behind her and listening.
"We've already made contact with them, and thank you for running around these past few days. I've also found several tea farmers who are good speakers to see how they can coordinate with the livestreamers," Director Qin said excitedly. "The plan works great, thank you so much for your help!"
Chu Zhishui replied politely, "It's nothing. Actually, our department also grows some tea, though we don't sell it externally. We grow other things too, so it's just a simple matter."
"Your department has industries too?" Director Qin suddenly realized, "Oh, right, you're different from us. That's wonderful! We should exchange more information. What's your main focus now?"
"Nothing high-end, just investing in some technology and focusing on product volume," Chu Zhishui was confident that the hair care products' production costs were low enough, but wasn't sure about their effectiveness, so she didn't want to make any grand promises.
"That's even better! We can't handle high-end stuff either!"
Chu Zhishui and Director Qin chatted about work, then industries, then policies, and after finishing the official business, they moved on to personal matters.
Director Qin had found Chu Zhishui's knowledge impressive, and although he hadn't had much previous contact with the Observation Bureau, his curiosity was piqued. He casually asked, "So, how much can you all earn this year?"
Chu Zhishui immediately understood - this was the most basic form of small talk between such departments, exchanging salary figures when meeting. It wasn't about showing off, since nobody would quit their jobs anyway and most people stayed in one department their whole career. It was just casual conversation.
"It must be less than yours," she said frankly. "Your base salary should be higher."
"Oh, don't mention it. The finance department cut our budget again this year, and we're lucky to get this much," Director Qin gestured with his hand and sighed, "Times are tough."
Chu Zhishui made a gesture: "This is what we get."
"That's not bad," Director Qin said admiringly. "I'm worried we won't even be able to pay that much. If I'd known earlier, I should have joined a department that could make money. Now I'm almost at retirement age."
"But your pension will be higher than ours."
"That's true, just a bit higher though."
After finishing their business, Director Qin escorted them to the hall, but Chu Zhishui politely declined any further accompaniment.
The hall was full of staff members, many of whom knew Director Qin and actively greeted him.
"Hello, Director Qin."
"Hey, hello there!"
Sun Qiao and Liu Kemei stood in the hall, watching as Chu Zhishui emerged accompanied by the leader-like middle-aged man and the cold-looking young man from earlier.
"Zhishui."
Just as Chu Zhishui had waved goodbye to Director Qin and turned around, she saw the mother and son pair. Thinking to herself about this awkward encounter, she nevertheless politely greeted them: "Hello, Aunt Liu, what brings you here?"
Liu Kemei glanced at the aloof Xin Yunmao, then at her own unremarkable son, somehow feeling shorter than usual. Her usually confident voice became constrained as she smiled, "We're here to handle some business."
Chu Zhishui didn't want to chat with them for long and said steadily, "I see. Well, please go ahead with your business. We'll be going now."
"Little Chu, wait a moment! I just remembered something I forgot to mention!" Unexpectedly, Director Qin suddenly ran back, "There's something about an award I forgot to discuss."
Someone nearby greeted him: "Hello, Director Qin."
"Hello, hello, hello to you too."
Director Qin rushed to Chu Zhishui's side. He had initially planned to speak right there but, seeing Sun Qiao and others looking confused, hesitated and said, "Should we go back to the office to discuss this?"
"Alright."
"Does your colleague want to come too? It's nothing major."
Liu Kemei felt slightly relieved hearing these words, feeling life return to her body - so he was just a colleague after all. However, her heart sank the next moment; while the young man might just be a colleague, the car truly belonged to Chu Zhishui.
Chu Zhishui thought returning to the office would be too tiring, and guessed Director Qin just wanted to avoid Sun Qiao and the others. Seeing no need to make Xin Yunmao make a pointless trip, she simply took out her car keys and handed them to him: "You can wait for me in the car."
She sensed he was more interested in the car than in people anyway.
Xin Yunmao obediently took the keys, blinking as he examined them curiously.
As Chu Zhishui followed Director Qin back to the office, Liu Kemei stood aside waiting in line for their paperwork.
Just as Xin Yunmao was about to return to the car, he found himself blocked by a man.
"Hello, I'm Sun Qiao, Chu Zhishui's high school classmate," Sun Qiao smiled and asked, "Are you her colleague?"
Xin Yunmao gave him a sideways glance: "Yes."
"Did you join the department in the same batch this year?"
"No, I was there before her."
Xin Yunmao's answers were concise. He generally disliked conversing with people and couldn't even be bothered with the supernatural beings in their department. He was only giving brief responses now because this person carried the title of "Chu Zhishui's classmate."
Sun Qiao looked puzzled: "Then why aren't you going in with them? Don't you need to hear about work matters?"
Xin Yunmao pondered this for a long time before responding expressionlessly: "During work hours, she's the Section Chief."
Of course, he had already begun to feel proud and smug inside, knowing that as part of their exchange, she would be his devotee for the remaining time.
However, Sun Qiao lacked the ability to discern subtle details from Xin Yunmao's expressionless face. He completely missed the inner joy blooming in the other's heart, and instead misinterpreted the great demon's cold tone, concluding that he had long harbored dissatisfaction with Chu Zhishui.
"You joined the unit before her, yet she became your section chief?" Sun Qiao exclaimed. He displayed a knowing expression and consoled, "Ah, but she's always been like this. Back in high school, teachers often chose her as a class officer because she knew exactly how to please elders and leaders."
Sun Qiao put on a sympathetic expression for Xin Yunmao, saying meaningfully, "It must be difficult working with her."
These words, while seemingly praising on the surface, carried hidden criticism. Combined with his peculiar demeanor, he might as well have directly accused Chu Zhishui of brown-nosing leaders to suppress Xin Yunmao.
After a moment of silence, Xin Yunmao casually put his hands in his pockets and sneered, "Because she didn't fancy me, so I came to be a thorn in her side."
Sun Qiao's expression changed slightly. "What?"
"Isn't that right?" Xin Yunmao scanned Sun Qiao up and down with icy eyes. Abandoning his previous reticence, his words became sharp as a cold blade as he mocked, "Isn't it perfectly normal that she wouldn't be interested in you? If her standards had fallen so low, it would be a massive insult to me. It's one thing to be compared with other demons, but if I had to be compared with the likes of you, I truly couldn't bear it."
"You..."
Sun Qiao had hoped to find common ground with Xin Yunmao, or at worst, merely irritate him. He never expected such a merciless verbal assault.
Looking at Sun Qiao's angry yet intimidated expression, Xin Yunmao clicked his tongue in contempt, finding him even more pathetic. Such people only dare to act tough against those weaker than themselves; when faced with someone stronger, they don't even dare to breathe.
He had spent too much time with her lately and had nearly been assimilated, almost forgetting the ugly nature of most people.
It was nauseating, but this was the norm.
Since his deification, Xin Yunmao had gained a new ability - he could see humans' auras and colors, including the Five Poisons and Eight Sufferings that clung to them.
The Five Poisons are greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, and doubt. The Eight Sufferings are the suffering of birth, aging, illness, death, separation from loved ones, meeting with the despised, unfulfilled desires, and the burning of the five aggregates. Humans could never possess demon energy in their lifetime because they harbored the Five Poisons; demon energy would only amplify their evil karma.
Even when some humans formed rituals with demons, they would ultimately self-destruct due to their desires. Humans were simply insatiable creatures.
The Sun Qiao before him was tainted with countless human vices he despised: lust, greed, sloth, envy, incompetence. He would slander others two-facedly and throw tantrums at the slightest displeasure, only hurting those closest to him.
"Whether in terms of worldly capabilities or spiritual elevation, you're far too inferior to her."
Sun Qiao felt a chill down his spine and his feet grew clammy. He experienced an indescribable strangeness, as if frozen in place with thousands of tons of stone pressing down on his body.
Xin Yunmao was already taller than Sun Qiao. His eyes gleamed like polished obsidian as he looked down with contempt: "Her level among humans is probably comparable to mine among demons. As for you, you're even inferior to the fish in the office, as filthy and ugly as garbage in a gutter."
After his deification, Xin Yunmao had received divine enlightenment to treat all sentient beings in the world kindly, whether demon or human.
But he refused to do so.
He didn't need to be worshipped like that dragon - it was utterly foolish. What was the point in being kind to mortals who were manipulated by self-interest? They would flock to you when their wishes were granted and scatter when displeased.
Demons needed his power yet feared him, while humans were nothing but walking corpses who wouldn't lift a finger without profit.
He loved cleanliness.
But they were all so dirty.
He hadn't been treated with kindness, so he wouldn't treat them with kindness either.
"Although she hasn't made a wish to me, you've come to provoke me on your own, and the laws won't protect you."
Sun Qiao faced this scene with trepidation, his thoughts seeming to be pulled out and sucked into a bottomless black hole. He didn't know what had happened to his memory; the last image was of the handsome youth's cold smile.
The youth had pale skin, red lips and white teeth, his smile both bewitching and cold, his black eyes as unfathomable as the depths of a lake.
