Ji Mian and Chu Shiye looked at each other.
After a few seconds, Ji Mian asked, “Is that okay, Mr. Landlord?”
Chu Shiye: “…”
He turned his head. “…Okay.”
Ji Mian smiled, his eyes curving. “Great.”
“Then, shall we go pick out a bed later?”
Chu Shiye nodded. “Mm.” Then, quietly, he added a few pieces of braised pork to Ji Mian’s bowl.
Ji Mian reciprocated by placing a slice of beef from his bowl into Chu Shiye’s.
Kane, watching this exchange, couldn’t hold back. “Boss, another bowl of noodles! Add two eggs this time!”
—
The culprit behind the recent assault remained at large, and because of that, the city’s once-bustling night markets had grown quieter.
In a dark corner of the street, a teenage boy crouched silently. His eye was bruised, and his body bore several visible marks of injury.
The night air was cold, and he shivered in his thin shirt, curling up to keep warm.
“Nato?”
A familiar, clear voice startled the boy. He looked up slowly.
The young man crouched down to meet his eyes. “What are you doing here?”
“…Mr. Su.”
Ji Mian hadn’t expected to run into Nato, one of his students, sitting alone in the street.
After the assault incident, no parent allowed their children to wander outside, even insisting on personally escorting them to and from school. Yet here was Nato, all alone on the cold streets at night.
Ji Mian’s gaze lingered on Nato’s bruised face, and his brow furrowed slightly. “Them again?”
Nato immediately shook his head. “No, it wasn’t the other students this time.”
“I…I fell by accident.”
“Really?”
Ji Mian could tell that Nato wasn’t lying in the first half of his explanation. But he could also tell that Nato didn’t want to talk about the true source of his injuries.
He gently patted Nato’s head, and his fingertips released a faint glow.
Just like last time, Nato felt warmth spreading across his face, and the pain that had kept him from opening his eyes fully vanished in an instant.
Nato stared, stunned. “…Healing abilities are amazing.”
He remembered Mr. Su mentioning he was a healing-type.
Ji Mian said softly, “It’s too dangerous to be out here alone. Let us take you home.”
“—Or, is there somewhere else you’d like to go?”
Only then did Nato notice the silent young man standing beside Ji Mian. After hesitating for a moment, he mumbled, “Could you…could you take me to my aunt’s house? It’s in the western part of the city.”
“Of course,” Ji Mian said.
The three of them began walking toward the western district. Nato trailed behind, sneaking glances at the pair ahead of him.
The man walking beside Mr. Su—he’d seen him before.
Whenever Mr. Su arrived at or left school, this man was always by his side, never more than a step away.
He looked strong, probably a very capable Alpha.
After some time, Nato couldn’t resist asking softly, “Teacher, are you two…relatives?”
Chu Shiye glanced at Ji Mian, who winked back. “He’s my landlord.”
Chu Shiye stayed silent.
Nato muttered, “Oh…”
He thought for a moment, then mumbled, “Does your landlord also handle picking you up and dropping you off?”
Ji Mian replied with a smile, “Yes, because he’s a very good landlord.”
Chu Shiye stayed silent again.
—
Nato’s aunt lived in a residential area in the western district, but getting there required navigating a maze of dark, narrow alleyways. The winding paths seemed endless, which explained why Nato wouldn’t dare come here alone at night.
After about thirty minutes, Nato stopped. “Teacher, you can leave me here. My aunt’s house is just up ahead.”
“She…doesn’t really like strangers, so…sorry.”
“That’s okay,” Ji Mian said. “Go ahead.”
Nato turned to leave but paused when he heard Ji Mian’s gentle voice behind him. “If you ever run into trouble, let me know.”
Nato froze, then glanced back to meet Ji Mian’s gaze. After a moment, he nodded firmly.
He ran to the house at the end of the alley and knocked lightly on the door. It soon opened, and a woman peeked out.
“Nato!”
She cried out with joy and knelt to hug him.
“My child, why did you come here so late? Did something—” She gently touched his face and held his hand before closing the door behind them.
The small house lit up, its warm glow spilling out the window. Inside, the woman and the boy leaned against each other.
Ji Mian stood still, silently watching for a few seconds before turning to Chu Shiye. “Let’s go.”
Chu Shiye’s gaze lingered on the small house briefly before returning to Ji Mian. “Mm.”
—
As they retraced their steps through the alleys, a cold wind picked up. A flyer flew past, and Ji Mian caught it mid-air.
He glanced at it briefly. It looked like the kind of flyer carried by the curly-haired youth who had twice tried to preach to him.
The flyer was soaked and smudged, with most of its exaggerated text and images blurred. However, five clear characters remained: “Our Lord Lusuke.”
Ji Mian asked, “Have you heard of Lusuke?”
Chu Shiye shook his head. “No. Who is that?”
“I don’t know,” Ji Mian replied, casually tossing the flyer into a nearby trash can. “Maybe someone just made it up.”
—
Back at the market, they chose a soft, foldable bed that came with delivery to their house.
On this planet, disconnected from the interstellar era, advanced portable devices like those common on the capital planet—ones that could unfold into chairs, tables, or beds—were nowhere to be found.
But Ji Mian preferred this simple foldable bed he had picked himself over any cold technology from a far-off star.
Once the bed was set up, Ji Mian turned to Chu Shiye with a teasing smile. “Mr. Landlord, how much is my rent?”
Chu Shiye thought for a moment before quoting a number.
Ji Mian raised an eyebrow. “That’s too little. Not even worth a single tomato.”
Chu Shiye thought again and gave a slightly higher number.
“Oh, now it’s worth two tomatoes,” Ji Mian remarked.
“That’s a lot,” Chu Shiye said seriously. “Enough for tomato soup.”
Ji Mian chuckled, pulled out his communicator, and transferred him a sum of money.
After advancing his first month’s salary, Ji Mian had bought a basic communicator and registered an account under the identity Kane had helped him create: “Su Lan.”
Now, in his communicator’s contact list, there was only one name—Chu Shiye.
The communicator pinged softly as Chu Shiye received the transfer. He glanced at the amount.
It was the same as the rent for the last house they had looked at, plus the cost of the foldable bed.
Save it for Su Lan, Chu Shiye thought.
…When he leaves in three months, I’ll give it back to him.
—
Before bed, Ji Mian sat by the foldable bed and reached for Chu Shiye to begin a simple mental guidance session.
Standing before the abyss in Chu Shiye’s mental world, Ji Mian once again attempted to summon his spiritual projection—but it still didn’t respond.
He withdrew his hand, his expression as calm as ever.
No matter what, he couldn’t allow himself to stagnate any longer.
Even if it was for the sake of the people here and now, he had to move forward.
Ji Mian stared at his fingertips briefly before lifting his gaze to Chu Shiye.
Chu Shiye was quietly watching him.
Ji Mian smiled. “Alright, then this bed is mine—”
Before he could finish, Chu Shiye lay down on the foldable bed without hesitation.
Ji Mian: “?”
He poked Chu Shiye. “Get up.”
Chu Shiye replied, “No.”
Ji Mian frowned. “I bought this bed.”
Chu Shiye said matter-of-factly, “I like this bed.”
Then he grabbed the blanket, turned over, and closed his eyes as if preparing to sleep.
Ji Mian: “…”
Fine. Tomorrow, I’m definitely fighting him for the bed.
Returning to the larger bed, Ji Mian lay down and glanced toward the small foldable bed a few steps away, where Chu Shiye was lying still.
As he rested his head on the pillow, thoughts of the evening drifted through Ji Mian’s mind.
The injuries on Nato—since they weren’t caused by his classmates, then…
Some people really aren’t fit to be parents.
The silence lingered before Ji Mian softly asked, “If you had the chance in the future, would you look for your parents?”
Chu Shiye didn’t hesitate. “No.”
“Why not?” Ji Mian asked, his tone curious but gentle.
Chu Shiye opened his eyes, his voice flat. “No matter what, they abandoned me. I will never forgive anyone who walks away from me.”
Ji Mian thought: So that’s how he feels.
His lips curved in a faint smile. “There are people who won’t leave you, Mr. Landlord.”
Chu Shiye didn’t reply.
Why does Su Lan always call me these strange names?
…But somehow, it didn’t sound so bad.
Chu Shiye quietly turned his head to look at Ji Mian.
By then, Ji Mian had already settled in, pulling the blanket over himself and closing his eyes.
Chu Shiye didn’t look away.
After today’s mental guidance, Su Lan seemed a bit down.
What could I do to make him happy?
Chu Shiye thought for a while before saying, “Tomorrow, I’ll cook. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”
His tone carried a faint trace of anticipation.
Ji Mian was silent for a moment.
This morning’s breakfast was the simplest white porridge, and maybe because it was simple, it was barely at the ‘edible’ level.
And as for the lunch Chu Shiye cooked last time… let’s just say it wasn’t ready for prime time.
Chu Shiye noticed Ji Mian’s lack of response and patiently asked again, “Did you hear me?”
Ji Mian replied after a beat, “Huh? What did you say? I fell asleep just now.”
Then, in a warm tone, he added, “Let’s sleep.”
He turned over, closed his eyes, and pulled the blanket higher as if nothing had happened.
Chu Shiye: “…”
Su Lan dislikes me.
…Su Lan really dislikes me.
Expressionless, Chu Shiye turned back onto his side.
He couldn’t sleep anymore.
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