Chapter 53 Part 1

“What’s wrong?”

Seeing that the other side remained silent for a long time, Bo Ting held his phone with some confusion.

It took Zheng Shangyun quite a while to snap out of it. He forcibly suppressed the chilling sensation in his heart and took a deep breath.

“Nothing.”

“We’ve got it on our end.”

He responded, then couldn’t help but ask, “Do you have any other questions?”

A faint smile appeared on Bo Ting’s face.

“Nothing else.”

“Goodbye.”

After a second of silence, the call was abruptly hung up from the other end.

Bo Ting turned his head in puzzlement, wondering why they seemed so busy, but he didn’t dwell on it.

He put down his phone and gave Mr. Xu an apologetic smile.

“I applied for a replacement ID at noon today, and they just called to say it’s been delivered.”

“Did I keep you waiting, Mr. Xu?”

A replacement ID?

If he hadn’t misheard, that voice on the phone belonged to Captain Zheng from the Resurgence Management Office, right?

Since when did he handle ID replacements?

And, if he remembered correctly… Bo Ting didn’t have an ID to begin with, did he?

Xu Qinglai’s expression grew a bit odd, but it was concealed by his slightly lowered raven-black lashes, showing no sign of it.

He merely lifted his eyes and smiled gently.

“Not at all.”

“See if there’s anything you don’t like.”

He pushed the menu over.

Bo Ting nodded instinctively. Upon taking a look, he realized… there really wasn’t anything he disliked.

Cough.

But… eighteen dishes? Wasn’t that a bit too much?

Bo Ting hesitated. “Isn’t this a little too much?”

Xu Qinglai shook his head.

“No.”

He pressed a button, and soon the order confirmation appeared.

Bo Ting realized that questioning the amount had been pointless on his part.

Because he was the one who had asked, and he was also the one who ate the most.

Fresh, delicious seafood was served, and in the blink of an eye, he had polished it off perfectly.

On average, each dish took less than two minutes.

Even after finishing all eighteen dishes in a row, the hunger in his stomach hadn’t eased.

Strangely, there was even a lingering sense of wanting more.

Bo Ting: …

He usually ate a lot, but not this much!

This was eighteen dishes, not eight.

Dead mouth!

Why did it have to act up at a crucial moment like this!

Would Mr. Xu think he was some starving ghost reincarnated?

Bo Ting despairingly set down his fork and reined in his mouth. He absolutely could not eat any more right now.

When he saw Mr. Xu looking over, he gave an awkward smile.

“I don’t know what’s up today; I’m even hungrier than usual.”

He was about to rack his brains for an excuse.

But Xu Qinglai naturally picked up the conversation.

“Feeling hungry after watching The Bud is perfectly normal.”

Hm.

It seemed Bo Ting had indeed been affected by the hunger erosion from the Tree of Defiled Soil.

But this influence hadn’t damaged his body?

It was just an increased appetite, which wasn’t a big deal for a being above SSS.

Xu Qinglai pondered thoughtfully and gently set down his napkin.

Across from him, Bo Ting hadn’t expected Mr. Xu to be so understanding; he was nearly moved.

Ah.

Mr. Xu was pleasant online, and it turned out he was the same in person.

He even spared Bo Ting’s pride.

Bo Ting’s eyes brightened, and he immediately went along with it.

“Yeah, exactly.”

“I don’t usually eat this much.”

He had been eating air for over half a month straight and hadn’t been this hungry.

This movie was weird; Bo Ting suspected it planted a psychological suggestion in viewers to crave food.

Good thing it stopped playing.

He had perfectly covered for himself.

Bo Ting took a sip of clear tea.

“By the way, Mr. Xu, are you heading home next?”

The sky outside had unknowingly darkened.

Today’s itinerary was over, and Bo Ting needed to head back to the neighborhood first.

But after the meal, he gentlemanly asked if Mr. Xu needed a ride from him.

The young man across from him had sparkling, focused eyes. Xu Qinglai’s contemplative thoughts skipped a beat as he came back to himself.

“Let me give you a ride.”

“I’m passing through Wenhua District anyway.”

Eh? Like that?

That was perfect.

Bo Ting was delighted; he hadn’t expected to keep carpooling.

Come to think of it, he’d been incredibly lucky today—from leaving the neighborhood, everything had been smooth rides all the way home.

No walking at all.

“Then I’ll trouble you, Mr. Xu.”

The driver in the parking lot soon pulled up.

When he saw President Xu approaching with… a young man wearing a ridiculous shark hood, he was momentarily stunned, not quite processing it.

Wait, this is…?

Driver Old Sun was only surprised for an instant before recovering, a professional smile on his face.

“President Xu.”

His gaze fell on the shark plush.

Bo Ting introduced himself embarrassedly.

“My surname is Bo.”

The word “madam” caught in his throat; he barely swallowed it down.

Uncle Sun immediately greeted him warmly.

“Mr. Bo.”

“Where to?”

Bo Ting found Mr. Xu’s driver surprisingly enthusiastic and subconsciously glanced to the side.

He saw that Mr. Xu seemed a bit surprised too.

Hm?

Was this driver just super friendly with strangers?

After years of social anxiety, Bo Ting wasn’t used to it. He turned to the driver and flashed a big smile.

Unfortunately, the thick hood hid it.

“Yunhe Convenience Store, please.”

“Thanks, sir.”

Bo Ting had gotten proficient at naming the convenience store right after getting in the car.

Though he felt a bit guilty about repeatedly reporting Yunhe Convenience Store for violations last time… cough, but who asked it to be right at their neighborhood entrance?

As he got into the car, Bo Ting was still thinking about it.

Up front, the driver gripped the steering wheel carefully, his eyes flicking to the rearview mirror now and then.

In the back, Bo Ting and Mr. Xu sat side by side, neither speaking.

Bo Ting was full and drowsy.

Xu Qinglai, meanwhile, glanced at the mirror up front. A smile still hung on his face, but he said nothing.

Uncle Sun gave an awkward smile and looked away, though he was dying of curiosity about his boss and the Mr. Bo in the back.

After all… his boss had always seemed like such a refined gentleman, while Mr. Bo back there appeared much more lively.

Uncle Sun simply couldn’t connect President Xu with the president’s wife wearing a shark hood.

The car turned a few corners, and amid Uncle Sun’s wandering thoughts, they finally reached Wenhua District.

Yunhe Convenience Store was just across the street ahead.

Bo Ting dozed against the window, then suddenly woke and adjusted the plush head on his neck.

Almost there.

Pretty early today.

Bo Ting blinked. “Uncle Sun, just pull up at the door after crossing the street.”

Then he turned to Xu Qinglai.

“Mr. Xu, I’ll be off then?”

Xu Qinglai smiled. “Talk tomorrow.”

Eh?

Mr. Xu seemed satisfied with today’s meetup too.

Bo Ting’s heart instantly cheered up.

He waved his phone.

“See you tomorrow!”

As soon as the car stopped, Bo Ting steadied his head and got out.

After seeing Mr. Xu’s car turn around, he even tossed in a smile.

Xu Qinglai sat in the car, his gaze shifting to the Yunhe Convenience Store ahead.

His mind was eroded for an instant, then he closed his eyes. He now understood a bit of what the Resurgence Management Office had encountered lately.

As expected, the neighborhood next door was invisible.

Or rather, people subconsciously overlooked and forgot this location.

As Old Sun turned the car around, Xu Qinglai glanced out the window once more.

This time, he finally saw Bo Ting standing at the true entrance of Taiping Luxury Garden.

The black plaque and red couplets came into view.

Under the setting sun, the young man in the shark hood looked down at his phone.

It created a bizarre yet absurd sense of harmony.

Xu Qinglai looked once more, until the car left the street. Only then did he message Bo Ting.

“Had a great time today.”

Bo Ting had just opened his phone to check the delivery spot number from the “census workers” when Mr. Xu’s message popped up unexpectedly.

Hm?

Had a great time today?

Bo Ting touched his cheek, felt the fluffy fur, and snapped back.

“I had a great time too.”

Hiss.

He hadn’t expected the meetup to be this fun. No wonder those forum users changed their attitudes so quickly after meeting up with their bros.

Bo Ting pondered, took a deep breath, then looked at the convenience store beside him.

“22503”?

It should be here.

The twenty-four-hour unmanned store chimed with a mechanical “Welcome” as he entered.

Bo Ting ignored it, found the parcel locker precisely, and entered the tracking number he’d just checked.

With a click, the green locker popped open.

Bo Ting delightedly pulled out the document pouch inside. Opening it revealed a Federation ID card, just as he’d said.

The address, name, everything matched.

And the photo…

He’d thought the staff would mosaic the plush head. Instead, it vividly captured this cute shark.

Bo Ting nodded in satisfaction, recalling the staff number he’d noted.

He happily opened the app and immediately left a five-star review.

…

At the Resurgence Management Office:

After the call with Bo Ting, the dispatched Ability User squads swiftly began cleaning up the aftermath.

Fortunately, the Tree of Defiled Soil’s revival site had always been clear. After suppressing the reanimated Anomalous God, the rest was straightforward.

Si Ning cleared the remnants at Tianxin Cinema and Anhua Road Private Hospital.

He Chengfeng thoroughly crushed the now-lifeless main body of the Tree of Defiled Soil.

Good news rolled in over the afternoon, but no one delivered it happily.

“How’s Taiping Luxury Garden?”

Zheng Shangyun looked at Lu Jingshan, who had withdrawn.

Lu Jingshan had a headache too.

Who could’ve predicted that the least likely entity would actually emerge?

And far beyond the Resurgence Management Office’s expectations, casually resolving the Tree of Defiled Soil.

He shook his head slightly. “Just got word—the package at Yunhe Convenience Store has been picked up.”

“The other party has likely returned to Taiping Luxury Garden.”

It made sense. If It had come out for the Tree of Defiled Soil, then with the tree’s revival failing, Its return to Taiping Luxury Garden was logical.

Zheng Shangyun nodded.

“Good.”

He had just relaxed when Lu Jingshan’s expression turned strange again.

“What now?”

Had It made another move?

Facing a being above SSS, his heart instinctively tensed. Lu Jingshan looked awkward and handed over his phone.

“Wait.”

He twitched his mouth before continuing hesitantly. “He just… gave a five-star review to the staff number who handled your ID replacement at noon?”

This thumbs-up, that’s what it meant, right?

Zheng Shangyun: …?

What the hell?

What did a good review mean?