Chu Zhishui faced his chilly scrutiny and mustered the courage to stop him with a hand gesture, "Wait a moment."
Xin Yunmao raised an eyebrow, "Wait for what?"
"Wait for me to think of how to fabricate it," Chu Zhishui felt a headache coming on and rubbed her forehead, "I'm working on it, I'm working on it, don't rush."
Xin Yunmao: "???"
"Just kidding, where would there be a green tea demon? Whether there's demonic aura or not, you know better than I do," Chu Zhishui laughed it off, "Why are you here? Aren't you cold standing outside?"
Xin Yunmao wore a light gray long-sleeve shirt, like a faint ink stain on rice paper, looking like a white robe from a distance, only revealing the stain when seen up close. Recently, he had been wearing light-colored clothes, which seemed to be coated with a layer of cool moonlight at night, giving him an ethereal aura.
Chu Zhishui hadn't expected him to be outside, feeling inexplicably guilty. On one hand, it was late at night with a breeze, but then she remembered bamboo was one of the three friends of winter, so it probably wasn't too bothered by the cold. On the other hand, just standing there was boring, and she didn't know how long he had been there or why he didn't use the pendant to teleport or just come in to find her.
Perhaps he thought it inappropriate to suddenly appear in front of her friends.
Upon closer thought, the bamboo demon always boasted of his noble character, but his actions were indeed quite restrained, except for his occasional sharp tongue, he had never really overstepped any boundaries.
He was even overly conservative, to the point where she just saw him snap his fingers to change clothes, and he accused her of taking advantage of him.
"Why aren't you going back so late?" Xin Yunmao frowned slightly, turning around as if to leave, muttering, "What time is it now? Waiting for you to call me when you're in trouble, I might as well come myself."
His tone was a mix of dissatisfaction, complaint, and concern.
Chu Zhishui didn't know what kind of trouble one could encounter in a big city, but after being lectured by him, she retorted softly, "Yinhai has good public security."
Xin Yunmao crossed his arms disdainfully, "Hmph, that's what you humans think, who knows if you'll run into ghosts."
"Ghosts? What ghosts?" Chu Zhishui widened her eyes, "Are there really ghosts in the world?"
She had indeed gotten used to dealing with demons, but she couldn't accept encountering ghosts, feeling a chill run down her spine.
Seeing her slightly changing expression, Xin Yunmao said nonchalantly, "Why not?"
"Aren't there just demons?" Chu Zhishui was half-believing, half-doubting, "Where are the ghosts?"
"Here," Xin Yunmao pointed a pale finger at Chu Zhishui, his tone softening as he teased, "A drunkard."
He had already smelled the alcohol on her, mingled with faint fruity scents, not an unpleasant smell, but a sweet, fermented aroma. Every time she spoke, there was a light, sweet breath.
Rum, grenadine, maybe even a hint of lemon, had made her face flushed and rosy.
He could see it clearly under the light.
Her hair was slightly disheveled, but her spirits were high, her eyes sparkling in the night, looking vibrant and energetic.
Chu Zhishui touched her hot cheeks, realizing the alcohol hadn't completely worn off, and said helplessly, "Because it's been a long time since I saw my friend, so I had a little drink, not high in alcohol content."
The cocktails were all sweet, and she and Wang Yiwen were curious, so they tried them casually, not realizing they had overindulged.
"Yeah, and then you talked until two or three in the morning," Xin Yunmao said sarcastically, "Never knew you had so much to say."
Chu Zhishui defended, "We were talking about our previous work, I don't usually talk about these things with you, you'd find it boring, and you might not understand."
It was indeed strange for her to talk about her previous company with the demons.
Xin Yunmao seemed to be stepped on a sore spot, displeased, "How do you know I don't understand?"
"..."
She shouldn't have provoked the know-it-all, another round of conflict was starting.
"Want some candy?" Chu Zhishui said dryly, instinctively searching her pockets and pulling out a handful of lollipops she had taken from the bar, trying to change the subject with sweets, "Let's talk about something else."
However, Director Hu's corn had an effect on Ye Huayu, but her lollipops seemed to have no effect on Xin Yunmao.
Xin Yunmao was greatly displeased after being told he didn't understand, he turned his head away in silence, not willing to take the candy, clearly pouting.
"Alright, alright, you understand, I'll talk to you," Chu Zhishui had to surrender, speaking patiently, "It's just some trivial matters from the previous company, she was my former colleague, or rather a team subordinate, similar to the feeling of working in the Economic Development Division at the bureau."
Xin Yunmao: "She's like that fish."
"Yes, and back then, I had a dispute with someone else in the company due to differences in work philosophy, so I left the company and returned to Huaijiang."
Chu Zhishui originally brought up these things to appease Xin Yunmao, but now she naturally revealed her true feelings: "Today, hearing her talk about the company's recent situation, I felt a bit of a sigh, I don't know how the world works, the more crooked people seem to earn more and get ahead, I wonder what the heavens are thinking."
She wouldn't have revealed these thoughts to Wang Yiwen, as it would have caused unnecessary reactions from her friend, but Xin Yunmao was far removed from human life, so it didn't matter to tell him.
There's something called a tree hole, maybe a bamboo hole is similar, anyway, nothing will be spread outside.
Xin Yunmao was taken aback, pondering silently.
Chu Zhishui smiled bitterly, "Actually, the company initially had half of it belonging to me, but I admit I wasn't as good at making money as that person, maybe they're right, I'm just a fake gentleman, always putting on airs."
She hadn't done anything wrong at Dragon Knowledge Video, but there were still people who privately talked about her, saying she would eventually reveal her true colors.
There are no perfect people in the world, and people find fault with those who seem too perfect.
Xin Yunmao suddenly said, "Do you regret it?"
"Regret?" Chu Zhishui said, "Not really."
"So you're just not reconciled?" He looked calm, blinking slowly, "A despicable person steals the fruits of your labor, living a prosperous life, you feel it's unfair."
Chu Zhishui was originally tearing the candy wrapper, but upon hearing this, her throat felt slightly dry, suddenly unable to speak.
"Then you can make a wish to me, it's not a difficult thing," Xin Yunmao's lips curled slightly, "Just make a wish to me, and everything will return to the right track, he will disappear with his greed, the wealth he seized from others will vanish in an instant, along with the half of the company that belongs to you."
His eyes were pitch black, like an unfathomable deep pool, no one knew how many secrets lay at the bottom. When he helped Boss Peng make an agreement, flames of a dark green color emerged from his fingertips, green like bamboo leaves, but no one knew what the black represented.
If she had initially taken his wish as a joke, after witnessing Boss Peng and the Ginseng Demon, she clearly realized he indeed had the ability to make it happen.
They called him the God King, ordinary demons had limited talents, but he could achieve anything.
Xin Yunmao's appearance was as handsome as when they first met, but his expression was much softer than before, he looked at her without moving, softly saying, "Make a wish to me, it can all be realized, good and evil will be rewarded accordingly."
This was clearly a way to cheer someone up.
But she couldn't feel happy.
Xin Yunmao eagerly awaited her response, only to feel something poke his lips. He instinctively opened his mouth and tasted the sweetness of glucose, she had tapped his lips with the peeled lollipop.
Xin Yunmao bit the lollipop, looking at her puzzled.
"Don't say such scary things, or I'll hit your mouth," Chu Zhishui said crossly, "This isn't a novel, do you really want to see a 'Let the Wang family fall into ruin'? You think it's just casually taking down a company, but in reality, countless innocent people are forced to lose their jobs."
Xin Yunmao held the candy with one hand, finally able to speak, correcting his words, "Then just let him have bad luck."
Chu Zhishui frowned, "You haven't even met this person, and you're so easily deciding his fate?"
Xin Yunmao looked expressionless, "It's not me deciding his fate, it's the consequences brewed from the things he released."
"Alright, thank you for being indignant on my behalf, but the world is like this," Chu Zhishui sighed deeply, spreading her hands generously, "When people are lucky, they rarely think about why they are lucky, but when they are unlucky, they always feel they are the most pitiful in the world, this is too sentimental, one can't always be like this."
"I made it out of a small city through education, and my first entrepreneurial venture was successful. I'm already luckier than many of my peers. Do you know how many Yinhai University graduates might never succeed in starting their own business?"
Chu Zhishui spoke with an open mind: "I should be content. Even if I face some setbacks now, my luck has been incredible so far. Heaven has been good to me, I don't need to make any more wishes."
She did indeed think the current situation wasn't fair, but was her idea of fairness truly fair?
Because she knew Xin Yunmao, she could make wishes to him, but what about those who would never see demons in their entire lives?
Her academic achievements were her own, her graduate income was her own, and her destiny still remained in her own hands. This was how she had lived until now.
If she had to rely on something else, it wouldn't feel right.
Chu Zhishui admitted frankly: "You're right. I admit I'm not satisfied, I'm truly not convinced. But just because I dislike that person doesn't mean I deny everything associated with him, and it certainly doesn't mean I want the company to completely fail. After all, it was my hard work, and there are many former colleagues there."
Dragon Knowledge Video was an important phase in her life, and even though the ending wasn't perfect, without that experience, she wouldn't be who she is today. To deny everything that happened just because she met one terrible person wouldn't be fair either - at least she made good friends like Wang Yiwen.
"But maybe it's human nature - I hope they do well, but not too well, otherwise I'll feel like a fool. Is this my malicious jealousy speaking?" She tilted her head in thought, then looked at Xin Yunmao and couldn't help but smile bitterly. "I admit I'm not as righteous as I appear, maybe I really am a hypocrite."
She could rationalize everything, but seeing bad people prosper still made her slightly uncomfortable. After all, she was only human.
Everyone understands principles, but when things happen to you personally, the feelings are always different.
The night sky was quiet and still, just like her aura, untouched by worldly troubles, softening again after brief turbulence.
No matter how many times he saw it, he was amazed that humans, without demon energy or understanding of supernatural laws, could achieve such a state - different from many people he had met, and even many demons.
Xin Yunmao said solemnly: "This isn't a flaw. Among humans, you're practically perfect."
Chu Zhishui heard his serious tone and was surprised by the high praise, giving him an unexpected glance, feeling somehow embarrassed. The compliment seemed excessive, but hearing his conviction made it seem like he truly believed it.
Chu Zhishui awkwardly touched her face and hesitantly responded: "Thanks?"
Xin Yunmao's face broke into a smile as he nodded proudly: "After all, you're my believer. It's only natural you're this exceptional."
His taste was superior, so of course his chosen believer would be different.
Chu Zhishui: "?"
Hearing this, she quickly returned to her normal state and coolly retorted: "What does this have to do with you?"
Her excellence had nothing to do with this thick-skinned bamboo demon! How did he manage to turn a compliment for her into praise for himself!
"Let's go. Tomorrow we'll return to Huaijiang, focus on work, and earn our performance bonuses," Chu Zhishui raised her eyebrow and started walking toward the bureau, emboldened by the slight buzz of alcohol, she put her hands on her hips proudly. "So what if I'm not destined for great wealth? I may be poor, but I'm poor with dignity. Every penny I earn is clean and honest, never harming anyone - that's the only money I can feel at peace with!"
Xin Yunmao listened to her spirited declaration and found himself infected by an indescribable joy, like waiting for sunrise in the dark night, feeling that every future day would be better than today. It was like spring seeds sprouting, summer's gentle breeze, autumn's harvest fruits, winter's proud plum blossoms in snow - it was all seasons, the starry sky, the ocean, endless vibrant life force.
He used to scoff at the saying "humans are the spirit of all things," but he had to admit that now he was drawn to the person before him and wanted to keep watching.
Walking beside her, he opened his palm: "I want another candy."
"Haven't you finished the last one?" Chu Zhishui asked puzzled, reaching into her pocket and extending her hand, "Here, take them all."
Xin Yunmao took the candies, unwrapped one, and suddenly held it to her lips, touching them lightly.
Chu Zhishui was surprised: "What are you doing?"
Xin Yunmao complained: "You hit my mouth with candy earlier."
"You're so petty." Chu Zhishui rolled her eyes at him and took the candy from his hand with her mouth.
Xin Yunmao was finally satisfied.
On the street, a well-dressed young man sat in a car, looking dignified but plain, only elevated by his elite attire. He stared in disbelief at the human and demon under the streetlight, even rubbing his eyes, afraid he was seeing things from staying up late.
The driver in the front seat asked: "Mr. Li, what's wrong?"
Li Longke had suddenly asked to stop, confusing the driver.
Li Longke came to his senses: "Nothing, let's go."
He must have seen wrong.
The car started again, carrying Li Longke away.
If Li Longke ever truly feared anyone, Chu Zhishui would definitely rank in his top three. Her refusal to engage in wrongdoing was due to her own moral standards - if she had wanted to play dirty, Li Longke would have been finished long ago.
He knew letting her leave the company was planting a time bomb, but the temptation of money was too strong, and following her approach wouldn't have brought profits quickly enough.
Yinhai was such a big city, it couldn't be such a coincidence. It probably wasn't really her, besides, wasn't she supposed to be in Huaijiang?
If you've done nothing wrong, you needn't fear ghosts knocking at your door. To be honest, Li Longke was never afraid of ghosts, but he was somewhat afraid of Chu Zhishui. Seeing her tonight was no less frightening than seeing a ghost.
Back at the guesthouse, Chu Zhishui and Xin Yunmao walked back together. Her post-drinking excitement had faded, and now drowsiness was creeping in. She wanted nothing more than to collapse onto the soft bed and fall into deep sleep.
Xin Yunmao saw her silence as she returned to the guesthouse, ready to close the door and sleep without even looking at him.
He immediately complained: "You're forgetting something."
Chu Zhishui was puzzled: "What did I forget?"
Xin Yunmao was silent for a few seconds, then said somewhat reproachfully: "You forgot to say something."
"Huh?" Chu Zhishui was even more confused. After thinking for a moment, it suddenly dawned on her: "Good night?"
Xin Yunmao was satisfied: "Good night."
"Good night, good night," Chu Zhishui said, exasperated by his behavior. "Go to sleep already, or it'll be good morning soon!"
Sweet dreams.
When she woke up, Chu Zhishui's business trip to the Yinhai Bureau was coming to an end. Du Zigui had arranged to take them to the airport in the afternoon. Chu Zhishui would naturally take a plane back to Huaijiang, and once she boarded successfully, Xin Yunmao would return directly, probably even faster than her.
The human and demon had been inseparable lately, moving freely around the Yinhai Bureau, much to Ye Huayu's unspoken frustration. He had wanted to have a private conversation with Chu Zhishui but couldn't find an opportunity. Finally, on the last day, he caught her when she came alone to reconcile the green tea accounts.
At the office door, Ye Huayu waved to Chu Zhishui: "Little Chu, I'd like to talk with you."
"Of course, Director Ye." Chu Zhishui walked over, puzzled. She hadn't seen much of Director Ye lately; he had become mysteriously scarce since Xin Yunmao appeared.
Once the bureau chief's office door closed, only Chu Zhishui and Ye Huayu remained inside.
Ye Huayu, still in his flamboyant attire, had none of his initial bombast. He looked troubled and hesitated before speaking: "Little Chu, we'll let it go this time, but I still need to tell you - in the future, you can't let him come to Yinhai."
"Him?" Chu Zhishui was startled. "When you say don't let him, do you mean..."
Before she could even get out the first "Xin," Ye Huayu was already terrified, frantically waving his hands to stop her: "No, no, no, don't say his full name! Don't you know our rules?"
"I do," Chu Zhishui said. "Director Hu said he can hear if we say his full name."
Ye Huayu was so shocked his jaw nearly dropped: "Then how dare you say it!?"
"It's not a big deal if he hears," Chu Zhishui couldn't understand Ye Huayu's terror. She often bantered with Xin Yunmao face to face, and Director Miao had teased him before - the bamboo demon had never reacted violently.
"What exactly did old Hu tell you?" Ye Huayu said in despair. "Did they not give you any orientation training at all?"
Chu Zhishui replied calmly, "What does my job training have to do with any of this?"
She worked in the Economic Development Department, not in the Observation Division, so naturally she didn't need to know about demons.
"Fine, since Director Hu is being irresponsible, I'll explain," Ye Huayu's expression turned serious as he patiently explained, "You should know that our Observation Bureau mainly deals with conflicts between humans and demons, and between demons themselves, to maintain the current peaceful state, right?"
"Yes, I know."
"The demons who can join the Observation Bureau are different from those outside. The Observation Division's uniform is called the Demon Suppression Robe, which means that under certain circumstances, we have to fight other demons." Ye Huayu's face darkened as he lowered his voice, "He's not a demon from the Observation Bureau, and he once sparked a massive war in the demon realm that turned everything upside down and darkened the sun and moon."
Chu Zhishui was bewildered: "Him?"
The fact that Xin Yunmao could start a war seemed as absurd as a three-year-old trying to rule the Earth. She couldn't feel any tension; instead, she found it somewhat comical, as if she were in the middle of a comedy show.
"That's right. Although he wasn't the one who started the great war, all deified demons are incredibly powerful. His battle with another deity resulted in catastrophe. This incident not only caused many demons to perish but also brought suffering to many innocent humans. The other deity was quite renowned among mortals at the time."
This was an ancient story.
The Dragon God was the first demon to be deified, and since his birth, he had followed heaven's guidance and treated all living beings with kindness. He gathered many demons and provided various guidance to humans, teaching them to plant crops and build levees, occasionally bestowing blessings, and was highly respected among common people.
One day, the Dragon God began to change gradually. His temperament became increasingly volatile, and he would occasionally show anger, though he generally continued doing good deeds for both humans and demons, until the second deified demon appeared.
No one knew what conflict arose between the two deities, but their battle resulted in mutual destruction. The Dragon God deployed many humans and demons to hunt down the second deity, but it was ultimately futile and only led to his followers becoming tainted with violence and bloodshed.
Finally, the second deity and other demons tore the Dragon God into four parts, burying them separately in Huaijiang, Yinhai, Qi Wu, and Kong Sang, which became the foundation for today's four Observation Bureaus.
The soul of a deified demon doesn't easily dissipate, and even demon fire can't completely erase it. The only solution was to establish Observation Divisions above these locations to prevent the Dragon God from returning to wreak havoc in the mortal world.
Xin Yunmao was the second deity. He briefly allied with other demons, but he was fundamentally different from them, and they remained wary of each other.
Ye Huayu clasped his hands behind his back and sighed, "Now that you know the whole story, you should understand."
Chu Zhishui nodded: "Mm, it's an interesting story."
"An interesting story?" Ye Huayu thundered, "Little Chu, you haven't grasped the severity of the situation. After hearing this, your reaction shouldn't be that it's interesting – you should have other thoughts!"
After pondering for a few seconds, Chu Zhishui replied nonchalantly, "No, Director Ye, this is like asking my opinion about international trade wars. I might have thoughts, but do my thoughts matter?"
It's not like trade wars start or stop based on her opinion, and this ancient story involved battles between deities – what was the point of asking an ordinary citizen like her?
"No, Little Chu, your thinking is wrong," Ye Huayu said anxiously, scratching his head. "My point is that you shouldn't bring him to the bureau. Our Observation Division is suppressing that one beneath us, and if he comes in and swallows that quarter, no one will be able to control him anymore. Something even more terrible than before might happen!"
Chu Zhishui calmly argued, "That won't happen. He has germaphobia and won't eat dirty things, and besides, nothing happened last time he came to our bureau's Observation Division."
She thought Ye Huayu was overreacting. Xin Yunmao had been to the Observation Division before, and nothing had happened then.
"He's been to your bureau's Observation Division?! No, what was Miao Li thinking?!" Ye Huayu turned pale upon hearing this shocking news, like a peacock with ruffled feathers. After a moment's thought, he seemed to realize something and grumbled, "Well, if it's Miao Li, it's not surprising. He's just a troublemaking cat who loves to watch chaos unfold."
"Anyway, you need to be vigilant and stop bringing him to Yinhai. That one was also very kind initially, but look how things turned out. Who knows if another great war might break out one day!"
Chu Zhishui watched him getting worked up and politely interrupted, "Director Ye, may I ask when the last great war happened?"
"At least a thousand years ago."
"And when will the next war be?"
"Probably not for a very long time."
"See? We're talking about time spans of thousands of years – what does this have to do with me?" Chu Zhishui shrugged casually. "This isn't something for a human with a hundred-year lifespan to worry about!"
Ye Huayu: "..."
