Bo Ting was curious.
“Geological activity?”
“We didn’t feel anything in the city.”
Did geological activity only affect certain areas?
The driver said casually, “Hey, I didn’t notice anything in the city either.”
“But folks living in Changling District said the lights were shaking around nearby—like an earthquake.”
“And.”
The driver’s tone turned mysterious.
“I heard it’s related to a newly excavated ancient tomb.”
“No idea what mystical stuff was in that tomb, but on the day Changling District shook, the trees around grew wildly.”
“Look, there’s still some leftover woody buds around here.”
Huh?
That magical!
Bo Ting listened with great interest.
As expected of Mengjia City—even wild plant growth happened here.
The people here had truly seen it all.
Bo Ting seriously observed the roadside and actually spotted some withered woody buds.
They had sprouted exactly on the day they met in person.
What a coincidence.
Bo Ting looked at Mr. Xu.
“Mr. Xu, it’s really interesting.”
Xu Qinglai chuckled lightly.
He gazed at the remnants of the Filthy Earth Tree’s resurgence—evidence now thoroughly dead and silent.
“Indeed.”
Let him think: living near Mengjia City, besides the Filthy Earth Tree and Copper Splitter, what else was there?
The Eye of Virtual and Real?
He glanced at the half-floating, tightly shut eyes in the air.
He raised an eyebrow, realizing that the Eye of Virtual and Real’s resurgence wasn’t his imagination since Bo Ting appeared.
As eyes that had always hung in Mengjia City’s sky, they never hid—only a very few could notice them without instantly going mad.
Fortunately, even though the Eye of Virtual and Real ranked among Anomalous Gods, it had always slumbered. For centuries since Mengjia City’s founding, it had never awakened.
But now… in just a few short months, the Eye of Virtual and Real had changed.
Compared to its previous fully closed state, it was now… slightly cracked open.
Countless eyes in the air were half-shut, and no one knew what they would see once fully open.
Thinking of something even the oldest Anomalous Gods couldn’t predict, Xu Qinglai grew even more intrigued.
And it all hinged on Bo Ting.
It was because of him that the changes occurred.
Those pairs of eyes were currently directed straight at the tightly wrapped shark head.
As if observing him.
Xu Qinglai pondered.
But in a flash, as Bo Ting looked up, the cluster of eyes naturally concealed themselves again.
Bo Ting also noticed the eyes in the sky looking at him.
Ah, was it because he had acted like he’d never seen the world just now?
Bo Ting thought for a moment and decided to hold back from making a fuss for the rest of the trip.
But with so many of these things swarming around, it still felt deeply unsettling.
Bo Ting quietly activated the hairdryer function and scanned them one by one, trying to blow the eyes farther away.
The eyes in the sky seemed to sense his movement. Sure enough, they retreated to a blurry distance, just as he hoped.
Bo Ting relaxed a little. He glanced at the driver ahead, who remained steadfast at the wheel, and couldn’t help but feel impressed.
To drive so seriously while being stared at by that many eyes—Master Driver was truly something else.
The bus drove for what felt like forever before finally exiting Changling District.
Bo Ting quietly sidled up to Mr. Xu.
“I’m suffocating.”
He noticed that the moment he got close, the cluster of eyes drifted over again.
Bo Ting: …
How was it tracking him in real time?
He eased back a bit, and the eyes followed suit, as if determined to scrutinize his every move.
But… wasn’t it supposed to be closed?
What could it even see like that?
Bo Ting puzzled over it endlessly but decided to let it go.
“Mr. Xu, aren’t you cold?”
He’d been so focused on fending off the eyes that he’d nearly forgotten how powerful his air-conditioning function was—1,000 yuan a month in electricity bills, and just a few days ago, it had frozen someone with a stroke.
Had he forgotten to check if Mr. Xu was okay?
Bo Ting’s heart raced with worry.
Xu Qinglai blinked in surprise.
Cold?
“It’s July or August right now. Logically speaking, it shouldn’t be cold at all.”
Unsure of Bo Ting’s intent, he opted for a cautious reply.
The next second, however, he saw Bo Ting furrow his brow, looking somewhat troubled.
Is that so?
Mr. Xu’s answer was so formal—did he even realize if he was cold or not?
Sigh. What if his nerves were numbed from the chill?
Bo Ting mulled it over and concluded he needed to test it.
Just then, Mr. Xu’s handsome face came into view. “Mr. Xu, sorry about this.”
In the next instant, as Xu Qinglai looked on in mild surprise, Bo Ting lifted his hand.
“Um, let’s start by interlocking our fingers.”
“Mr. Xu, can you interlock yours?”
Interlocking fingers would confirm the joints weren’t frozen stiff. It should also reveal any signs of a stroke, right?
Xu Qinglai: …
Interlock fingers?
He was certain he’d heard right, but even filtering out Bo Ting’s boundary-pushing phrasing, the intimate gesture—something only lovers did—made his eyebrow twitch.
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.”
Bo Ting nodded firmly.
It was just a joint flexibility test. What was there to hesitate about?
Ha, it’s not like we’re a couple. Nothing to worry about.
After a beat of silence, before Bo Ting could reach out, Xu Qinglai lowered his gaze to him. He lifted his fingers, brushing Bo Ting’s knuckles, then gripped his hand firmly.
Owing to their height difference, Xu Qinglai was a bit taller than Bo Ting, his fingers naturally longer.
His icy fingers locked tightly with Bo Ting’s.
The moment they touched, both men froze for a split second.
Bo Ting suddenly realized he’d oversimplified things.
Damn.
It was just bro-finger-locking. So why did it feel so weird?
And why was a tingle shooting up his spine?
Bo Ting went rigid, his mind a battlefield.
Xu Qinglai tilted his head down slightly, his phoenix eyes gleaming with clear amusement as they fixed on him.
“Is this okay?”
“Sh-should be fine.”
Bo Ting shook off the jumble of thoughts in his head, forcing himself to focus.
“Mr. Xu, now move your wrist.”
Xu Qinglai arched a brow and complied with Bo Ting’s instructions before glancing back at him.
The shark-fin hairstyle obscured all of Bo Ting’s expressions, hiding whatever was on his face.
Still, Xu Qinglai inexplicably sensed… a rare hint of shyness from the other man.
This guy gets embarrassed too?
He mused, “Any more tests?”
Bo Ting: …
Probably not.
The hand moved fine, speech was normal.
Legs… those long legs in suit pants looked okay too. “Mr. Xu, your fingers are a bit cold.”
“Keep warm, yeah?”
Xu Qinglai’s lips curved up.
“Mm, thanks.”
“But my body temperature runs low naturally.”
Perfect—he could switch to hot air!
The random thought crossed Bo Ting’s mind. He released the hand, seized the momentum, and quietly activated the heating function to warm Mr. Xu up.
Cooling air might cause a stroke.
Heating should be safe, right?
In high spirits, Bo Ting flipped on the hot air.
A few minutes later, the man who’d just claimed low body temperature—Xu Qinglai—noticed the ambient temperature shifting.
The weather outside was comfortably mild for midsummer, but inside the bus, the heat climbed relentlessly until the air grew stifling.
Xu Qinglai shot Bo Ting a glance but said nothing.
Bo Ting offered a polite smile.
Good deed done anonymously. He turned away.
They passed another stop.
The closer they got to the city outskirts, the fewer pedestrians there were. At the bus stops, no one boarded at all.
Master Li pulled over to the roadside and took a deep breath.
“You two aren’t in a rush, right?”
He eyed the pair in the back—chatting one minute, holding hands the next—like a couple out for a leisurely date. They didn’t seem pressed for time, so he ventured the question.
Bo Ting snapped back to attention.
“No rush, Master.”
“Go handle whatever you need to.”
He’d noticed the driver’s fidgeting earlier and had no idea what was up.
Master Li looked relieved, inwardly praising the young couple’s politeness. He dashed off to the nearby convenience store for some ice water.
He chugged an entire large bottle before feeling human again.
Still, as he wiped the sweat from his brow, he felt baffled.
Weird. It’s not even that hot outside.
Why was the bus like a furnace?
Master Li muttered to himself. He’d serviced the bus just yesterday—it shouldn’t be malfunctioning.
Whatever. Finish this route first.
After devouring an ice cream bar, his expression eased. He tossed the wrapper and headed back.
Bo Ting watched Master Li bolt straight for the store and figured the driver must be hungry and low on blood sugar too.
Looks like skipping breakfast is common in Mengjia City, even this early.
Mm.
From now on, he’d make sure to eat a full breakfast before heading out. He absolutely couldn’t risk something like that.
Other folks could faint from low blood sugar—no big deal. But if he passed out and some good Samaritan tried to help by yanking off his hood? Game over.
Bo Ting pondered this gravely.
Then he heard Mr. Xu, after hemming and hawing for ages, say helplessly, “I’m not that cold.”
Hm?
Bo Ting was just starting to question it when—
The next second, Master Li—back on the bus, safety belt fastened, plopping into the driver’s seat—leaped up in terror:
“Who the hell left an oven on my driver’s seat?!”
This thing could bake sweet potatoes crisp!
