Chapter 37

It was hard to say whether human hearts or demons and ghosts were more terrifying.

All fear stemmed from the unknown.

If a scheming villain openly declared their wicked plot, there would be nothing to fear. If a demon or ghost revealed its grotesque true form, it could always be subdued by force.

Qi Jing suspected that Bo Chengyan had seen 996, but he stammered and didn’t dare ask. Instead, he let himself be led back to the dining table.

He had no idea how to explain it.

What if, after learning the truth… Bo Chengyan decided he was some kind of otherworldly ghost?

It was impossible to predict.

Qi Jing suddenly lost his appetite. He hurriedly finished his sweet soup and tried to head upstairs to bed, only to have his wrist seized and yanked back.

Bo Chengyan sat with his legs elegantly crossed, his refined features creased in a frown. “You’ve barely eaten a thing.”

Qi Jing felt glum and opened his mouth to speak, but then a hand slipped inside his clothes. He instinctively tried to pull away, only to find his wrist clamped immovably tight.

His slender frame made the subtle movements of his stomach all too visible.

A gentle press revealed the truth.

“Mm…” The boy let out a soft hum.

“Unhappy?”

Bo Chengyan looked up at him, asking with patient calm.

Auntie emerged from the kitchen just then, utterly unfazed. Little Jing had always been a fussy eater.

In the past, Mr. Bo had come home every week to supervise, coaxing a few extra bowls into him.

Bo Chengyan had indeed played the role of guardian.

He noticed even the slightest shift in Qi Jing’s mood—whether it was school troubles or something at home.

He unraveled every thread.

And he never skimped on the effort.

“You’ve worked hard,” Bo Chengyan said to Auntie, his palm still cradling Qi Jing’s. His expression remained serene. “I’ll clear the table later.”

Soon, only the two of them remained.

“What’s wrong?”

Bo Chengyan gently rubbed the pad of Qi Jing’s finger, his demeanor unruffled.

Lin Se was right about some things: he needed to ask the boy himself. If Qi Jing wasn’t ready to talk about that thing, then the time simply hadn’t come.

Their trust wasn’t deep enough yet.

Qi Jing had never truly been wronged in his life. He’d been raised with the habit of speaking his mind, knowing someone always had his back.

996 perched on the dining table, utterly engrossed.

It couldn’t munch on seeds anymore.

But it could indulge in other treats.

“I… I can see something.”

Bo Chengyan arched a brow, his fingers threading gently through Qi Jing’s. “Mm,” he murmured mildly.

“But it’s cute. Not a ghost.”

“Is it?”

Bo Chengyan remained utterly steady. He drew Qi Jing closer and settled him naturally onto his lap. “What does it look like?” he asked evenly.

Qi Jing’s lashes fluttered down, a faint flush coloring his cheeks. After stewing in silence for a long moment, he asked, perplexed, “You don’t think I’m crazy?”

That was the root of his unhappiness.

“No.”

So many baffling misunderstandings and barriers boiled down to a simple lack of trust.

Just talking it out fixed everything.

People in love were fools. Even if their partner’s words made no logical sense, the other half would back them unconditionally—hell, they’d swear the Earth was flat if asked.

That was emotional support in a nutshell.

Verbal affirmation might ring hollow on its own, but the total absence of it pointed to one thing.

That person wasn’t in love.

~~~

Chen Zhuo was thoroughly irritated. He couldn’t fathom why Jiang Xiuyuan felt the need to bolt. He’d already looked into the guy’s family situation.

A bit of cash, and he’d be sent packing without a dime.

But deep down, Chen Zhuo knew the truth: if Jiang Xiuyuan learned his grandmother had passed, he’d never stick around.

Those at the top were selfish and cold.

It wasn’t a big deal to him.

Plain and simple, Chen Zhuo figured mental problems just needed a doctor’s visit.

He hadn’t anticipated things spiraling out of control.

His arm had taken a stab from a dinner knife, which he wrapped up without a care before spotting a new message.

—[Photo]

It was a childhood photo of Qi Jing, but the background wasn’t some remote mountain village—it was a neighborhood playground, complete with a slide in the distance.

A couple stood beside him, clearly his parents.

Chen Zhuo’s brows lifted slightly. Such a pretty kid—had to be abducted.

What, sending this to stir the pot?

“Give me my phone.”

Jiang Xiuyuan gripped the knife with sinister intent, his chest heaving, his emotions wildly unstable. “Give it to me!”

Chen Zhuo sighed. “…Just kill me already.”

“…”

“You really have to message Qi Jing? What if he’s in the middle of some lovey-dovey moment? You’d just be cockblocking.”

Chen Zhuo spoke reasonably, inching closer until he snatched the knife away in one swift pinch.

But not before it sliced another gash across his hand.

Blood dripped steadily…

“Tch.”

Clang—the knife skittered far across the floor.

Chen Zhuo handed over the phone. Exasperated beyond words, he stood and headed to rinse his hand. “Ancestor’s all you are,” he muttered with a scowl.

More messages poured in from the bathroom.

45782: Mr. Chen, you’re jealous of that Bo guy too, right? Abduction’s a serious crime. Help us out, and we’ve got witnesses and evidence ready.

45872: Qi Jing’s such a pitiful child. His parents miss him terribly.

…

Chen Zhuo leaned lazily against the sink, grinning. He clicked his tongue against his teeth—but forgot the fresh cut on his palm and winced sharply in pain.

Just then, the young man shoved the door open, clutching the bloody knife again.

He’d picked it up.

“…”

Jiang Xiuyuan paused for a beat, then shifted uncomfortably. “I just came to wash the knife.”

“…”

~~~

Qi Jing sat on Bo Chengyan’s lap, tilting his head to confer with 996. “What if he sees you?”

【…The impact wouldn’t be that big, actually.】

The system was a high-dimensional entity, designed to assist its host in completing plot missions—like having cheats enabled.

The other characters were confined to their “personas.” If the system was detected, it risked throwing them out of character.

But.

That ship had already sailed.

996 even stood up in concern, striking a dignified pose as it asked, 【Has my skin fully grown back?】

“Seems like it’s still missing a little patch.”

From the outside, it just looked like mumbling to himself.

Bo Chengyan’s phone buzzed. With one arm around Qi Jing’s waist, he glanced down at the forwarded message, his expression shifting faintly.

—No need to thank me.

—Tracked the IP. It’s in Z Province. Soon as the rain stops, they’ll head to Capital City.

Qi Jing was still focused intently on 996, his nape vulnerably exposed as he murmured to himself, “It’s fine. It’s pretty cute. He’ll think you’re cute too.”

The man scrolled to the messages below.

—Want me to stall them for you?

—Or handle it yourself?

Bo Chengyan’s eyes darkened inscrutably. When the boy turned back, he instantly schooled his features into mildness. “Hm?”

Qi Jing said earnestly, “It can make you see it!”

His tone lifted with excitement.

Perhaps driven by a urge to share—or simply a need to be believed.

Qi Jing grabbed Bo Chengyan’s hand and guided it toward the empty air on the table, his lips pressing together. “It can let you see it for a second or two. It’s blue and squishy.”

996 straightened proudly for once, hoping to intimidate. It puffed out its chest.

【He can see me for a second or two.】

Bo Chengyan kept his gaze fixed on Qi Jing’s nape. In his peripheral vision, he caught a glimpse of something—but paid it no mind.

He’d seen things like that since childhood. Mostly women, dead in all sorts of ways.

Hovering near the ceiling.

Just vengeful spirits, nothing more.

His thoughts drifted…

“Cute?”

The boy turned to him, eyes shining brightly.

Bo Chengyan rubbed the pad of Qi Jing’s finger and murmured softly, “Very cute.”

His dark pupils reflected the oblivious boy.

Perhaps he simply wasn’t afraid anymore. Or maybe he trusted too much.

Qi Jing spilled everything, framing it through dreams: he came from another world, one just as rotten.

“Dad and Mom?”

Bo Chengyan frowned, repeating the words. Then he gripped the boy’s wrist and said calmly, “You have no parents.”

You’re mine.

~~~

“It’s just a kid’s wild imagination. You actually buying it?” Lin Se had dropped by Brocade River Villas, bringing some nourishing herbal ingredients that Auntie gratefully accepted.

The young man paced the study aimlessly before getting to the point. “Aren’t you going back to Macau? Things are getting messy there.”

Messy was an understatement.

Attempted murder had entered the picture. The stepmothers weren’t just fighting for favors anymore—they were out for blood.

And the reason was obvious.

Bo Zhonglin was on death’s door.

“Later.”

Lin Se was baffled. He leaned on the desk. “Dude, the media’s all over it in Macau. You’re seriously not going back?”

“He won’t die.”

Bo Chengyan’s tone was indifferent. “Even if he did, it wouldn’t leak.”

Lin Se blinked, stunned.

It took him a moment to catch on.

Death on a biological level was simple.

But erasure on the level of power and interests… that was far trickier.

Not with an inheritance at stake.

“You still have to show your face, though. If you’re worried about Qi Jing, leave him with me. I’ll keep an eye on him.” Lin Se racked his brain and latched onto that one worry.

“You? Keep an eye on him?”

The study fell deathly silent.

As heaven is my witness, Lin Se truly had no idea at the time that Qi Jing’s other set of “parents” had come looking. To Bo Chengyan, everyone was a potential enemy.

“You carry it yourself…”

Qi Jing woke up groggily that morning. Bo Chengyan sat beside him, impeccably dressed in a suit and tie, gently holding his wrist.

“Hmm?”

A soft murmur escaped him.

The rain still fell in occasional light showers, and the sky outside remained overcast.

The boy hadn’t fully come to his senses when he was scooped up into a light embrace. His warm skin involuntarily shrank back at the touch of the suit’s fabric.

Cold.

Qi Jing leaned against the man’s shoulder and closed his eyes again without thinking. He was so sleepy…

It was around four-fifty in the morning.

He vaguely sensed himself being carried downstairs, where Bo Chengyan seemed to be speaking with Auntie. Qi Jing felt a gentle jostle on his shoulder.

—Yes, procure groceries and prepare meals as usual. Thank you for the trouble.

—Sir, what about breakfast…

—No need. I’ve prepared something for him.

It was only after Qi Jing was settled into the car that he began to react, mumbling in a muffled voice, “Where are we going…”

The sky had not yet brightened, and the rain continued to patter steadily.

“To Z Province.”

Bo Chengyan’s previous life had always been one of solitude, until Qi Jing came along. Then he found himself compelled to study medical knowledge and consult experts on nutrition.

The boy was growing taller by the day, hugging him with intimate affection.

The trust between them felt almost innate.

This life was utterly captivating.

He could have left Qi Jing at home, just like those parents who went out to work, dealing with external matters on his own.

But Bo Chengyan simply couldn’t do it.

He didn’t believe home was any safer than being right by his side.

Qi Jing was still just a child—the kind who might trip on a simple walk through society. There was no need for him to know all sorts of messy details.

“What are we going there for?”

“To make a donation.”