Suspicion

"A well?"

Lin Zhishui held her in surprise, then laughed beside her ear. "Why do you keep having dreams like this? Snakes and wells? Is there some connection between them?"

"I... I can't really remember..." She Xilu pouted, looking a little dejected.

"Could it just be because your nickname is Little Snake?"

Lin Zhishui muttered to himself. Suddenly, his gaze happened to stray inside the neckline of her pajamas. From his position behind her, a patch of holy light blooming between twin peaks came straight into view.

Well, she was nineteen now. Over the past year, her proportions seemed to have grown quite a bit...

No wonder she was a little empty-headed...

"Wh-what are you looking at?" She Xilu asked uneasily.

Although she couldn't hear Lin Zhishui breathing, she could feel his breath growing noticeably heavier against her neck.

"Admiring the scenery." Lin Zhishui chuckled.

"The scenery?"

She Xilu froze, then looked down and finally realized what he meant. Her pretty face instantly flushed scarlet, and she hurriedly twisted out of his embrace.

"Relax. I didn't see anything."

Lin Zhishui raised both hands with a grin, then added, "By the way, shouldn't you go up a size? It's leaving red marks."

Blushing, She Xilu gritted her teeth and stamped on his foot. When he seemed entirely unfazed, she pouted aggrievedly. "Didn't you p-promise me back then that you w-wouldn't harass me...?"

"I saw it by accident. How is that harassment? Even if you told Mr. Policeman, he wouldn't blame me."

Lin Zhishui spread his hands helplessly. "Besides, I'm your boyfriend. Am I not even allowed to look?"

"On-online boyfriend..." She Xilu corrected him meekly.

"Online boyfriend?"

Lin Zhishui laughed. "That works too. Take a picture on your phone later and send it over for me to have a peek. That counts as online dating, right? Other people's online boyfriends even work as mercenaries."

She Xilu stared blankly, then hurriedly stammered, "N-no..."

"That's out too? Then I guess I don't even count as your online boyfriend, just an online friend." Lin Zhishui deliberately sighed. "In real life, we're only roommates, and online, we're only friends. Ah... poor me."

She Xilu knew perfectly well that he was manipulating her, but she still couldn't quite bear it. "Th-then you can k-kiss my cheek."

His ploy successful, Lin Zhishui smiled. "Thanks."

She Xilu blushed even harder, lowering her head slightly as she huffed, "Wh-what are you thanking me for?"

Lin Zhishui planted a firm kiss on her flushed cheek. "Nothing. I was just being polite."

"...Oh."

"I'm going to bed. Come find me if you miss me. I leave my door open for you every night."

"As... as if I would..."

The next day.

Early that morning, Lin Zhishui took She Xilu to the hearing center.

After registering her, assessing her hearing, selecting hearing aids, and adjusting them, he spent about forty-two thousand.

They waited another two hours or so before finally receiving hearing aids suited to She Xilu.

After leaving the hearing center, the two stood outside the entrance, waiting for their ride.

Holding the bag of complimentary gifts from the hearing center in one hand and She Xilu's slender hand in the other, Lin Zhishui watched her look around with curiosity and a hint of timidity. She seemed to be experiencing the new world her hearing aids had opened up. He smiled. "How does it feel?"

"Very clear... not muffled, and there isn't as much n-noise..."

She Xilu spoke excitedly, a faint smile appearing on her face.

But as she spoke, she suddenly felt as though something was missing.

It was rare to see her so excited, and Lin Zhishui smiled too. Ruffling her hair, he said, "As long as you're happy. Looks like the money wasn't wasted. Now I won't have to keep bending down to talk to you, either. My back's already getting sore before we've even done the deed. What would I do later?"

She Xilu paused, then realized that she had long since grown used to Lin Zhishui leaning close to her ear whenever he spoke to her, letting her feel his breath every time.

Even if it made her shy and embarrassed.

Now, however, Lin Zhishui could speak to her from far away. He no longer needed to get so close.

It was as though a distance had opened up between them.

For a moment, she didn't know whether to feel disappointed or happy.

After wavering for a while, She Xilu bit her lip, suddenly took off her hearing aids, and carefully handed them to Lin Zhishui. "Could you p-put these away for me first?"

"What's wrong?"

Lin Zhishui was taken aback. Hadn't she been perfectly happy with them just now?

"It's a little noisy outside. I... I'll wear them when I talk to other people..."

She Xilu hastily scrambled for an excuse, feeling her face grow hot.

"Noisy?"

Lin Zhishui was puzzled, but when he noticed her cheeks beginning to redden, understanding suddenly dawned. He lowered his head and gently nipped her ear, chuckling. "All right. Wear them when you talk to other people, then."

She Xilu immediately realized he had seen through her. She lowered her bright-red face, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to hide in.

Soon, a car stopped in front of him.

Lin Zhishui checked the license plate and confirmed that it was the ride he had booked, then opened the door and got into the back seat with She Xilu.

"The Good Fortune Building."

After getting in, She Xilu heard Lin Zhishui confirm their destination and asked in confusion, "A-aren't we going home?"

She Xilu thought it over. Although she was somewhat reluctant, this was a customer of Lin Zhishui's shop. If she could bring the customer some business, perhaps their relationship with Lin Zhishui would improve, and they might buy more of his calligraphy and paintings in the future.

So, after a moment's hesitation, she nodded in agreement.

Twenty minutes later.

Outside the Han Suxin Psychology Clinic, on the twenty-seventh floor of the Good Fortune Building.

"Is... is your customer called Han Su?" She Xilu asked curiously.

She had put on her hearing aids beforehand, so Lin Zhishui didn't need to bend down to speak to her. He explained with a smile, "Funny enough, I asked her the same thing. Her name is Han Suxin, but she thought having 'xin' twice in 'Han Suxin Xinli Clinic' sounded repetitive, so she simply shortened the Chinese name."

"A woman?"

She Xilu froze slightly, an inexplicable twinge of jealousy stirring in her heart.

As they spoke, Lin Zhishui led She Xilu into the simply furnished, comfortable psychology clinic.

The clinic's interior clearly incorporated subtle principles of color psychology. Pale yellow and beige, both warm tones, dominated the decor, while the intensity, color, and direction of the lighting were all soothing. The soundproofing was excellent, completely blocking out the noise of the streets outside, and soft, slow music played within.

"Mr. Lin, you're here."

Just then, a gentle, graceful female voice rang out. Merely hearing it brought a sense of warmth, like a spring breeze.

She Xilu looked toward the voice.

A tall woman who appeared to be twenty-seven or twenty-eight was approaching from a room inside the clinic. She wore a gray suit, her attire tasteful and appropriate, and her long black hair was pinned up behind her head, accentuating her gentle, approachable air.

Although she wasn't truly beautiful, with looks only somewhat above average, her face was naturally kind. At first glance, she inspired an inexplicable sense of familiarity. The warm, relaxed smile at the corners of her mouth instinctively made people feel she was trustworthy. Even her posture and measured steps conveyed neither arrogance nor impatience.

Simply looking at her was enough to inspire goodwill.

"Ms. Han."

Lin Zhishui smiled faintly. "It's been three months, hasn't it? Did you resolve that trouble you mentioned last time?"

Although this woman was also an enthusiast of traditional culture and deeply enamored with his calligraphy, she spoke the most normally of his few customers.

The others all spoke in varying mixtures of classical and modern language. One look was enough to tell that they hadn't learned classical Chinese properly but insisted on showing off anyway.

Of course, she was also the most clearheaded among them. She was merely obsessed with his calligraphy and paintings, while treating him with little more than courtesy.

From his observations, however, Ms. Han seemed somewhat unconvinced that he was a master calligrapher. He always sensed a trace of doubt from her.

Still, as long as he had a brush in hand, he was a genuine master calligrapher.

Thus, he wasn't worried in the slightest. He had even made a point of bringing a brush on this trip. If an opportunity arose to demonstrate his skills, he could prove himself and avoid losing a customer like her.

"Thanks to the calligraphy you gave me, Mr. Lin, I've nearly resolved that matter," Han Suxin said, immediately expressing her sincere gratitude.

"Glad to hear it."

Lin Zhishui nodded slightly. "I came today because there's something I'd like your help with. Would that be convenient?"

Han Suxin immediately grew earnest. "I haven't yet had the chance to repay you for what happened last time. Whatever trouble you're facing, I'll gladly do everything I can. Why don't we go to my office and sit down to discuss it?"

"All right."

"This way, please."

Han Suxin walked beside Lin Zhishui and She Xilu to guide them, discreetly observing She Xilu. She didn't dare probe her recklessly, only studying her quietly with her peripheral vision and spiritual perception.

She could tell that this girl, who clearly suffered from low self-esteem, was probably deeply dependent on Lin Zhishui. Their relationship was also close, likely more complicated than that of an ordinary couple.

Yet judging by both her aura and her personality, this insecure girl was clearly a mortal!

The tradition Han Suxin cultivated originated from Infinite Heaven, one of the many legendary places of origin. The dharma body she had inherited was that of the Great Emperor of the North Pole Ziwei, whose greatest strengths were divination and discerning hearts.

If this girl were a cultivator, her cultivation would at least have to surpass Han Suxin's to conceal it before her eyes. But if her cultivation were so high, how could her Dao heart be so insecure and timid?

Thus, there was no need to think twice. This girl had to be a mortal.

Han Suxin couldn't help growing even more suspicious. Why would an accomplished expert whose cultivation seemingly reached the heavens become lovers with a mortal?

If his identity as a cultivator were exposed, wasn't he afraid of attracting an attack from external demons?

Unless... Lin Zhishui, who appeared to be a hidden expert, was also a mortal!

She had already felt some doubt during her last visit to Lin Zhishui's calligraphy and painting shop, He Mingxuan.

Perhaps Lin Zhishui, who seemed to be a venerable expert, had merely acquired those mysterious, precious works of calligraphy and painting by chance, unaware of their value, and thus sold them so readily?

Perhaps this Senior Lin, who seemed to conceal unfathomable depths... was actually nothing more than a mortal?

And this insecure mortal girl only strengthened Han Suxin's conviction!