Chapter 30

Shen Tingyu's home was surprisingly far from their main city. It was not even in the same city.

Nestled between mountains and water, it was rather secluded.

In other words, if the owner of the house did not want to let him go, it would be difficult even to find someone to ask for help.

The house was large. It appeared to have three floors from the outside and presumably had many rooms.

But it also looked rather quiet and empty. There probably were not many people living there.

The driver dropped him off at the entrance, where he happened to meet a middle-aged woman who was just about to go inside.

After sizing him up, the woman's eyes suddenly lit up. "Ah, you're the guest Mr. Shen mentioned, right?"

"Come in, come in." As she spoke, she waved to the driver at the bottom of the steps. "Xiao Zhang, go back and get some rest. I can take it from here!"

"All right. Sorry for the trouble, Sister-in-law Song."

Sister-in-law Song had long, permed curls and a slightly plump figure, but she was a beauty in her own right.

She had a healthy complexion, rosy cheeks, and bright eyes. Without waiting for him to ask, she introduced herself. "I'm the nanny Mr. Shen hired to help take care of the house and his little nephew. You can just call me Sister-in-law Song."

"I just went out to buy groceries. You're Mr. Xu, right? Mr. Shen told me about you."

As soon as Sister-in-law Song entered, a small robot in the entryway came forward to take the heavy bags from her and slowly carried them to the kitchen.

She hurriedly changed into slippers, saying, "Mr. Shen probably isn't home right now. He usually only comes back in the middle of the night or on weekends. If he's busy, he might not come back for a month."

"But I've already prepared a spare room for you to stay in."

It was rare for Sister-in-law Song to see someone come to the house as a guest, let alone stay overnight.

Especially such a pretty boy, who also looked so well-behaved and gentle.

Smiling, Sister-in-law Song led him to a large room on the second floor. "You've come a long way, so you can wash up, change, and rest before Mr. Shen gets back. If you don't mind, there are clothes in the wardrobe. They're all brand-new and no one's worn them, so feel free to put them on."

Sister-in-law Song thought herself particularly clever for arranging Xu Qingran's room as close to Shen Tingyu's as possible.

After all, there were only two masters in the house: Shen Tingyu and his five-year-old nephew.

At that age, there was no way he could be the little nephew's partner!

As she spoke, she pointed to another door in the room. "That's the bathroom. It's fully equipped, with both a shower and a bathtub. Make yourself at home and use whatever you like!"

Xu Qingran nodded. "Thank you."

The room fell quiet again after Sister-in-law Song left.

Xu Qingran lightly tossed the special invitation and a few miscellaneous documents and certificates he had brought onto the room's only desk. Against the wall sat a small ornament: a solar-powered toy with a little swing, on which a black wolf and a white wolf sat, swinging back and forth.

He picked it up and looked at it for a while, then suddenly curved his eyes in a faint smile.

An admiral of the main camp?

Sooner or later, I'll grind him underfoot.

Xu Qingran had spent almost an entire day on the journey and was indeed a little tired.

Thinking he would wash his face to clear his head first, he walked toward the bathroom Sister-in-law Song had just mentioned.

But when he pushed the door open, a rush of steam hit him in the face.

A man stood in the middle of the bathroom, which was about as big as a living room in the Xu Family home.

The water had stopped, and the man was drying his hair with a bath towel. The towel lay messily over his head, covering most of his face. The one eye visible was a familiar, deep blue.

Other than that, he wore nothing below his neck.

The scene fell silent for about five seconds.

Then, expressionless, Xu Qingran slammed the door shut again with a bang.

His hand remained tightly wrapped around the doorknob, as though he were processing what had happened in those few moments.

In the end, he could not resist a comment.

Tsk.

So big.

And he had an eight-pack.

Chapter 14: Negotiation

In the grand, lavish hall, two handsome men of distinctly different types sat facing each other on classical sofas adorned with gold and silver.

Xu Qingran sat with his legs crossed, most of his body sunk into the sofa.

The man opposite him had one hand pressed to the communicator by his ear. He lowered his gaze as he replied, "Yes, I have something to take care of at home today, so I won't be taking part in tonight's event."

Slender fingertips unconsciously rubbed the black glove on his left hand several times, until the busy man finally ended his last call and raised his eyes to meet his gaze directly.

For some reason, the atmosphere in the living room was tense, as though a confrontation could break out at any moment.

Holding a bowl and stirring the eggs inside, Sister-in-law Song stood at the kitchen entrance and secretly peered toward the distant hall, then frowned in confusion.

This isn't how a young couple should be getting along.

After a long while, Shen Tingyu spoke first. "Congratulations, Young Master Xu. You've finally come out of the Evil Tower."

Shen Tingyu had imagined various scenarios for his reunion with Xu Qingran, but one this explosive was somewhat unexpected.

He generally did not come home that early, and if he had a mission, he might even be away for a week or two. But the Silver Dragon had also begun stepping up its efforts and taking action during this period. With nothing important to do these past few days, and thinking he still had to deal with Xu Qingran's situation, he had come home early.

His return happened to coincide with Sister-in-law Song's trip out.

Moreover, the room Sister-in-law Song had arranged for Xu Qingran was the one rumored to belong to the house's "future mistress," which was why it shared a bathroom with his room.

Shen Tingyu began to hesitate.

As an E-Type, he was a fiercely territorial person, and Shen Tianyi alone was his limit. But the Shen Family had already received the Empire's notice too. If he refused to let Xu Qingran stay and some new problem cropped up later, it would be difficult for him to handle.

As he pondered, Xu Qingran replied with a smile that did not reach his eyes. "Yes, thanks to my dear examiner, who tailored a route for me to speedrun the stages. Otherwise, I don't know how much longer I would have had to stay in there."

Compared with when they had first met, he did not look much more energetic.

His struggles in the arena had left him with many external injuries, and he had grown noticeably thinner. The only thing undiminished was the edge he had always possessed. The bandages around his neck had finally been removed, but the bruises on his skin had not completely faded, dark and light patches scattered across it.