Dany
Zhou Zijie wasn’t one to back down, and she started arguing with him through the door.
The old man seemed to ignore her sharp tone, continuing to shout about his granddaughter.
Lu Congxing observed the old man’s face and could tell that this person didn’t have many years left. His lifespan, already short and irreversible for a human, was almost spent.
He patted the old man on the shoulder. “Go back. Your granddaughter isn’t here.”
Perhaps because of his gentle tone, the old man seemed to regain some sanity. His cloudy, narrowed eyes fixed on Lu Congxing for several seconds.
His cracked lips moved as though he wanted to say something, but in the end, he just gave a long, silent stare before turning and heading upstairs.
His frail, hunched back was a pitiful sight.
The workers installing the air conditioner had finally finished. They walked over and nodded to He Zhouyan.
The person leading the way glanced curiously at Lu Congxing but quickly regained composure, greeting with a neutral tone: “Mr. He, everything has been arranged.”
“Mm.”
He Zhouyan held a watermelon in one hand, while his other hand naturally took the cub’s hand as he led him back.
Lu Congxing hadn’t originally felt awkward, but as they entered, he noticed the shocked look in the eyes of the person who had just been respectful, lingering on their clasped hands.
In an instant, he felt his hand, held by He Zhouyan, grow warm and slightly uncomfortable. He Zhouyan’s hand was rough, with calluses on the palm, unlike his own delicate, smooth skin, and it was making him ache a bit.
His soft skin reddened from the man’s rough touch, and his slender, pink fingers curled up.
He secretly raised his eyes to observe his guardian demon. His profile wasn’t flat like that of most Asians. With a high nose bridge and deep-set eyes, his side profile was quite handsome.
The sarcastic words of Chen Fei from earlier this morning unexpectedly flashed through his mind.
Lu Congxing had a vague understanding of homosexuality. Honestly, he was still quite innocent when it came to love and relationships.
However, the protective instinct that belongs solely to a cub slowly made him withdraw his hand.
His slender, soft, and delicate hand pulled back, and He Zhouyan instinctively rubbed his fingers, feeling an empty space in his palm.
But he didn’t show it, instead cutting the watermelon. No knife was needed, with a flash of his spiritual power, the watermelon was neatly divided into slices.
Lu Congxing exclaimed, “Wow, it’s seedless!”
The perfectly ripened melon had a deep red center, and the cool air from the air conditioning contrasted with the rising heat outside.
Not only did He Zhouyan not go to work, but he also didn’t allow the cub to work. He gently pushed him onto the sofa, handing him a slice of watermelon.
Lu Congxing was reluctantly forced into idleness, nibbling on the sweet watermelon while checking his phone.
At that moment, Di Jiang sent a dozen messages asking where he had gone.
He replied that he was with He Zhouyan.
Then he briefly explained that He Zhouyan was now his guardian demon.
It took Di Jiang half an hour to reply, which showed just how unsettled he was.
Each sentence was followed by an exclamation mark, full of shock.
Lu Congxing took another bite of watermelon before replying slowly. Unconsciously, he had eaten half the watermelon on his own, his belly now round and full.
He Zhouyan placed the other half of the watermelon in the fridge. “No more for you, or you won’t be able to eat dinner.”
In one moment, he was like a strict and nagging guardian; in the next, he was pulling out a bottle of yogurt for him from the fridge.
He was a perfect example of a parent who dotes too much on their child.
Lu Congxing glanced at the yogurt, still strawberry-flavored.
. . . . .
Heavy footsteps came from outside.
The faint sound of something being knocked over came through, and Lu Congxing, who was lying awake, carefully listened and tried to identify the sound.
Ding—clank—
It was the sound of a metal can falling to the floor.
It was already late at night, and the silence made even the slightest noise seem unusually sharp.
Lu Congxing had intended to go out and check, but when he remembered that his guardian demon was sleeping next door, he quietly dismissed the idea.
He pulled up the blanket and wrapped himself completely in it.
He had already interacted with the guardian demon enough during the day, and the spiritual energy in his body had been obedient these past two days.
The noise outside disappeared as the person creating the sound entered room 404 next door. The heavy protective door closed, cutting off all sound.
He hadn’t slept well last night, which made him wake up a full hour later than usual.
He Zhouyan didn’t wake him up. When he got up, he saw a hearty breakfast spread out in the living room, along with a note.
He walked over, picked up the note, and the handwriting was bold and fluid, matching the man’s cold, rigid personality, yet the content was very thoughtful.
[The main dish porridge is in the kitchen pot. Remember to heat it before eating. I’m going to work and will be back in the evening.]
He was truly a good person.
Lu Congxing quietly affirmed this thought as he looked at the note.
The reason the demons at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs were so afraid of him must be because they didn’t understand him. In fact, Bai Ze was a gentle, good demon!
While heating the porridge, Lu Congxing opened his phone and found the chat with Bai Ze saved under his contact. He sent a thank-you message.
After a moment’s thought, he sent a little yellow chick kiss sticker that he had saved from Di Jiang.
At the company, He Zhouyan had no idea that he had just received a good-person card from the cub. As Lu Congxing was sending the message, He Zhouyan was in the middle of the company’s weekly meeting.
Today, he was mainly there for this meeting.
The room was deathly silent. The person who had just misread the report looked as if he were about to be scolded.
Unexpectedly, there was a message notification sound, and it was a special notification one.
Who dared to be so reckless, not turning their phone to silent during a meeting?
Everyone looked in disbelief as He Zhouyan, usually the most rule-abiding, slowly took out his phone. After staring at the message for a few seconds, he let out a soft chuckle.
Even Qu Xiu, who had a close relationship with him, was surprised, and the others, though they didn’t dare to be as bold, secretly glanced over, astonished.
This was the first time He Zhouyan had ever taken out his phone during a meeting, and the first time he had ever smiled in one.
He Zhouyan meaningfully tapped on the silly little yellow chick on the screen, replying with an [Eat well.]
Only then did he raise his hand and gesture for the responsible person to sit down.
The relieved person let out a deep breath, now extremely curious about the person on the other end of the phone, wondering how they could so easily move the president’s emotions.
Not just him, but everyone was curious. If it weren’t for the rule of not using phones during meetings, the group chat would probably be filled with 99+ messages by now.
As usual, Lu Congxing smiled gently, his eyes curving, and brought the warm porridge out of the kitchen.
The porridge, enriched with finely minced meat, was incredibly fragrant.
There were also quite a few small cookies on the table, which He Zhouyan had specially prepared because he was afraid that he might get hungry. However, there were a bit too many, and it looked like even if they were eaten as a meal, they wouldn’t be finished.
After a moment of thought, Lu Congxing stood up, took some of the cookies, and then grabbed the remaining half of the watermelon from the fridge to take outside.
When he stepped out, he deliberately glanced at Room 404. Sure enough, he found an empty beer bottle in front of the door. It seemed that the tenant from 404 had thrown it on the ground in the middle of the night, causing the noise.
He wasn’t surprised. On the first day he moved in, he already knew that the middle-aged man living in 404, Zeng Chengping, was an alcoholic. When Huang Xin took them to meet the tenants, Zeng Chengping had been hiding in his rented room drinking.
He skipped 402 and knocked on the landlord’s door first. Li Guodong seemed to be about to leave, as he opened the door right after Lu Congxing knocked, dressed and ready to go. He froze when he saw Lu Congxing.
“Is there something wrong?”
Lu Congxing handed him a package of cookies. “My brother made too many cookies yesterday. I brought you some.”
Li Guodong took them. “Thank you, my wife will be happy, but she’s still asleep.”
Lu Congxing nodded understandingly. “Pregnant women tend to sleep a lot.”
He looked at the dark circles under Li Guodong’s eyes and asked, “Did you not sleep well last night?”
He had assumed that Li Guodong, like himself, had been disturbed by the late-night noise from the 402 tenant. However, Li Guodong shook his head. “No, I had an argument with my wife last night.”
He lowered his head, gritting his teeth. “As soon as I get home from work, I have to wash clothes and cook. Meanwhile, she comfortably lies on the sofa watching TV. But it’s fine. Last night, I finally couldn’t take it anymore and yelled at her.”
When he mentioned the last part, his eyes seemed to light up with an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.
Lu Congxing found it a bit odd, and was about to speak when Huang Xin interrupted.
Huang Xin’s voice came from inside. “Li Guodong! Are you crazy? Go to work already, stop mumbling outside the door!”
Then, he watched as Li Guodong, who had seemed so smug just a moment ago, deflated like a punctured balloon. His expression went slack, and he mumbled something before quickly shutting the door behind him.
He looked completely different from his earlier smug appearance. However, Li Guodong now seemed much more normal. He nodded at Lu Congxing before quickly rushing downstairs.
He also took the cookies away in panic.
Lu Congxing didn’t mind. He moved on to apartment 402 and knocked on the door. He had expected Zhou Zijie or her boyfriend, Chen Fei, to answer. Instead, to his surprise, the door was opened by a shy-looking girl.
She hesitated behind the door and cautiously asked, “Who are you looking for?”
Lu Congxing remembered the landlord mentioning that she was only sixteen, so he instinctively softened his tone. “I just moved in next door and wanted to give you some cookies.”
The girl still seemed wary. She remained hidden behind the door but reached out with both hands to accept the cookies.
Seeing this, Lu Congxing smiled. Maybe being good-looking had its perks—she stared at him in a daze. When she realized it, her guard lowered a little.
She whispered a soft, “Thank you.”
He asked warmly, “I’m Lu Congxing. What’s your name?”
The girl hesitated for a moment before replying, “I’m Dany.”
She seemed incredibly shy. If he pushed the conversation any further, it might make her uncomfortable. So, knowing when to stop, Lu Congxing simply waved at her.
Dany waved back before carefully closing the door.
The entire time, Zhou Zijie and her boyfriend remained silent. When Lu Congxing glanced inside, all he could see was their tightly shut bedroom door.
People with hangovers usually feel terrible. He glanced at the empty beer cans outside apartment 404, then decided to head upstairs to find Chen Jiatai instead.
He was the easiest person in the building to get information from.
Everyone in this apartment complex seemed to have their own secrets. The only way to uncover them was to dig deeper.