Chapter 112: Dimension 19

Despite having calmed down, A Qiang still tilted his chin upward, his tone brimming with arrogance as he acted like he owned the sky.

The plain-looking middle-aged man across from him couldn’t have cared less.

He even eagerly began studying and imitating the pose.

After a moment’s thought, he lifted his own head in exactly the same way, nostrils pointed skyward in a perfect show of cocky indifference.

A Qiang, who had been basking in the glow of praise and practically glowing himself, fell silent for a beat.

The other three bodyguards, who had been tugging at him in an attempt to calm things down, froze in place.

“You…”

A Qiang’s voice wavered with confusion. “Did you tweak your neck? Or is your nose bleeding?”

The others jumped in with a babble of voices.

“Why’d he suddenly turn into that?”

“Brother Qiang hasn’t even brushed your sleeve yet!”

“Yeah, don’t try to pull a scam—we’re not falling for it!”

The middle-aged man, who had been stiffly holding his neck up while they stared, froze in embarrassment.

In front of these four burly men—all pushing six-foot-something with broad shoulders and thick waists—the short, unassuming man looked utterly lacking in presence no matter how high he held his head. He just seemed like someone who had slept funny the night before.

Damn it.

This human form wasn’t cutting it!

Not tall and imposing enough. No dashing scars!

The Alien Prince fumed inwardly, feeling a twinge of humiliation as he lowered his chin. In that moment, he quietly made a certain decision.

He studied the four big men before him with intense seriousness, then asked curiously, “Are you guys thugs or something?”

Seeing no blood and no sign of a scam, A Qiang breathed a sigh of relief.

Even hearing the somewhat insulting question, he didn’t get mad.

Maybe it was because the man’s gaze was so pure.

What bad intentions could an honest guy who genuinely thought the scar on his face was cool possibly have?

“We’re no thugs—don’t talk nonsense,” A Qiang huffed. “We all have legit jobs. Full six insurances and two funds!”

At this, the Alien Prince—who was already quite familiar with human society—blinked in confusion. “Shouldn’t it be five insurances and one fund? Why two extras?”

“You haven’t heard?” A Qiang said proudly. “The extras are supplemental insurance and enterprise annuity. The boss set it up for us.”

“The boss?” The middle-aged man’s curiosity deepened. “So what do you guys actually do?”

The four big men declared in unison, “We’re bodyguards!”

…!!

Whoa!

The middle-aged man’s eyes went wide in an instant. “Like the bodyguards in TV dramas?”

A Qiang gave a slight smile, calm and composed. “Something like that.”

With the confirmation, the Alien Prince’s heart surged with excitement, impossible to quell.

It was the first time he’d encountered real-life bodyguards.

They might not be in the matching black suits from TV, but those floral shirts were cool!

No— even cooler!

The middle-aged man’s eyes now shone with startling intensity. His thoughts racing, he pressed eagerly, “So what kind of person is your boss?”

“Which boss?”

“What do you mean ‘which’? The one you guys are protecting!”

A Qiang let out an “oh,” his tone warming with subtle affection and pride. “You mean Young Master Yu? He’s…”

Young Master Yu?

Just the name sounded badass!

And he even provided his bodyguards with six insurances and two funds.

One more insurance than five!

One more fund than one!

As A Qiang spoke, the middle-aged man’s expression grew more and more thrilled.

In short—

Totally badass!!

A Qiang, who thought of Yu Bai like a little brother he was looking out for, had been about to launch into an enthusiastic rave about his Young Master. But noticing the increasingly odd look on the man’s face, he caught himself and clamped his mouth shut.

“Hang on, why are you asking all this?” A Qiang eyed him suspiciously, instantly on high alert. “And what do you do, anyway?”

“Me?” The Alien Prince thought for a second, then said softly, “What I do doesn’t matter.”

A Qiang didn’t get it. “Huh?”

Now the middle-aged man smiled faintly, utterly unflappable. “But I do have something very important to ask of you.”

There was something almost magical about this stranger they’d just met.

The four floral-shirted big men hesitated, then leaned in as if compelled.

“Here’s the thing.”

The Alien Prince launched right in, straight-faced. “I have a son, and he’s just like you…”

His drawn-out words faded gradually into the bustling daylight.

Yu Bai was just picking up A Qiang’s call as he parted ways with Uncle Li and A Mei after their meeting and dinner. He was about to step through the familiar gates of his neighborhood.

An excited voice burst from the receiver.

“Young Master Yu, we’re heading over to you right now!” A Qiang said rapidly. “Sorry about this—something came up last minute and we got delayed.”

Yu Bai didn’t mind at all. He’d mostly given up on correcting the nickname. “No worries. Go handle your business. I’m almost home—no need to come find me.”

Earlier that day, when he and Xie Wufang had left Film City, he’d seen A Qiang and the others having a blast on set. It had made him happy too.

If he hadn’t known they’d refuse, he might have even suggested they stay and play longer instead of worrying about bodyguard duty.

A Qiang protested immediately with an “Aww, no way!” He sounded thoroughly disapproving. “We already goofed off half the day on our own. If Tian Ge finds out, he’ll chew us out good.”

“We were too busy filming to notice stuff outside before, and luckily nothing happened to you,” A Qiang sighed, then added firmly, “But what if something does now? We’re absolutely coming to stand guard.”

Hearing the resolve in his voice, Yu Bai stopped trying to dissuade him. Instead, he remarked with a touch of emotion, “You guys sound like you’re in a great mood.”

He could hear not just the upbeat lift in A Qiang’s tone, but also the faint, hearty laughter in the background.

In the deepening night, he and Xie Wufang walked side by side through the shifting tree shadows along the path, entering the same building unit. Curiosity shone openly in his eyes.

“From today’s adventure? I had a ton of fun too when I was an extra.”

He spoke casually, but there was a brief silence on the line.

After a moment, A Qiang replied, “Yeah, today was… fun. And pretty special.”

His voice trembled slightly, as if brimming with a thousand thoughts.

Yu Bai blinked in bewilderment. “What’s up with you?”

A Qiang took a deep breath, his voice rough and choked. “It’s just… first time hearing you say that. And I can tell you really mean it—not just polite happy talk. How about tomorrow we go with you again? You can play as long as you want!”

Yes.

It had been so long since they’d seen the young master this genuinely happy.

…

Yu Bai couldn’t help it—he broke into a wide smile, eyes crinkling.

In the sleek silver-gray elevator, with its cool sheen, he looked especially radiant and bright.

He chatted a bit more with A Qiang before hanging up. As he did, his gaze casually swept to the side—and met the lake-like depths that perfectly reflected him.

Xie Wufang was gazing at him quietly.

The smile hadn’t yet faded from Yu Bai’s face, his phone still clutched in his fingers. Clearly, he’d been having a great chat with whoever was on the other end, even if it was just a few words.

But his Non-Human Neighbor’s eyes had cooled slightly. A thin mist seemed to veil those crystalline depths, chilly as a winter dawn, the emotions behind it murky and indistinct.

Yu Bai paused, startled.

He doesn’t look too happy.

This sudden chill and gloom felt familiar—he’d seen it several times back in the Go Timeline.

Whenever he’d mentioned someone else, Xie Wufang in his odd state would show a similar expression.

He hated all humans except himself. Especially Yan Jing.

…But Xie Wufang wasn’t ill right now.

Though he’d been acting strange all day.

Thoroughly puzzled, Yu Bai thought it over, then took the initiative. “That was A Qiang on the phone. They left Film City and said they’re coming to find me. They’ll probably stand watch outside the neighborhood.”

Unlike some people, he wouldn’t hide the details after getting the news.

Yu Bai kept his tone casual on the surface, inwardly grumbling a bit—and so he didn’t notice the coldness gradually fading from the man’s face at those last words.

Xie Wufang lowered his eyes. “Mm.”

The elevator rose steadily, carrying them toward their neighboring homes on the 12th Floor.

Staring at the climbing floor numbers, Yu Bai remembered something and couldn’t help smiling. “Yesterday, the elevator next door was broken as usual. I was stuck in the faulty one, rambling on to you about how much I wanted to be an actor, while Master Wang listened in, chowing down on his spicy hot pot.”

And then, naturally, the two of them had headed to Film City together.

Master Wang had actually been tempted too, but he had a pile of food to finish and couldn’t leave just yet. He’d waved them off with real regret.

Xie Wufang, who had not yet gained this memory, listened to him with a faint smile on his face. “What are you planning to do tonight?” he asked.

“Mainly waiting for Uncle Li’s message,” Yu Bai said casually. “And checking online news on the side, to see if any other monsters have shown up in the city.”

Li Nanxiao had gone off to figure out how to pull the surveillance footage, to track where that suspicious Doll Monster had come from and where it had gone.

As they spoke, the elevator reached the 12th Floor, and the metal doors slid slowly open.

After answering, Yu Bai casually fired back a question. “What about you? Getting ready to shoot the ad? Looking at some references or something?”

Xie Wufang nodded lightly and murmured, “But I’m not sure which ads humans would consider excellent.”

Yu Bai got it right away.

Xie Wufang was deeply unfamiliar with human culture—and even more lost when it came to subjective tastes rooted in that culture. He had no idea how to judge them.

So even if he wanted to learn how to make a good commercial, he couldn’t find the right examples to study.

Their footsteps echoed through the quiet hallway as the two of them stepped out of the elevator.

Yu Bai glanced sideways at him. “No worries, I’ll help you find some. Why don’t you come to my—”

The word “home” hadn’t even left his mouth when the voice-activated lights suddenly flicked on. Another voice—excited and boisterous—cut right over him.

“Little Bai, where’ve you been! Picking up takeout?”

Yan Jing had scored a whole week off and was bored out of his mind at home. After mulling it over, he’d decided to trot over excitedly to hang out with his friend. But to his surprise, Yu Bai—the guy who never left his apartment—had actually gone out today. No one had answered his knock.

Luckily, he hadn’t had to wait long before Yu Bai came back.

Now he was leaning against the door of Yu Bai’s apartment, grinning like an idiot as he waved the bag in his hand at the newcomers. “Should’ve texted you ahead of time. I got fried chicken—let’s game later. This time, I’m gonna crush you!”

When Yan Jing finally made out the two figures at the end of the hall, his words cut off abruptly.

Surprise crossed his face. “Huh? No takeout… Who’s this guy?”

Yan Jing stared curiously at the black-haired, blue-eyed stranger.

The stranger stared back at him.

But only for a brief moment before looking away.

His gaze shifted to the person standing right beside him.

Yu Bai had been caught completely off guard by the shout, his face full of shock. He hadn’t even figured out how to reply when a familiar voice sounded in his ear.

Low and calm, yet carrying the weight of a storm brewing before the downpour.

“You only said at noon that you wouldn’t look for him first.”