Chapter 5: Partiality
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
Shi Wenze felt the need to explain himself. He pointed toward the garden. “There was just a ferocious beast.”
Lin Su, being human but having passed the monster exam early due to family circumstances, was more familiar with the Shanhai Domain than most monsters. He knew Shi Wenze’s job and asked, “So, do you need to report this to the Monster Administration Committee?”
“No need.” Shi Wenze’s leg, still sore from being scratched by the Qiongqi, propped himself up against the frame, trying not to appear too disheveled. “It’s a shame this painting got ruined, I’ll have to—”
“I can fix it,” Lin Su offered, extending his hand. What he intended as a helping gesture, however, ended up with him holding a swatch of Baikal Lake blue. To describe it, well… it was very blue.
“…”
Shi Wenze was slow to realize what had happened. He immediately began a deep self-reflection, wondering if he had somehow suffered a head injury from the Qiongqi. Watching Lin Su pick up the frame, Shi Wenze weakly leaned back against the tree, forcing out the words, “Wait, I’m a little unsteady.”
His acting was so poor it wouldn’t fool anyone. In fact, it might even get him detained for trying to scam someone on the street. Lin Su offered his right hand again, and the contrast between his calm expression and the frantic pounding of his heart was stark—one was cold and thin, the other hot as fire, rushing and dizzying, enough to make him feel lightheaded.
Shi Wenze was probably just as dizzy. This showed when, without thinking, he grabbed Lin Su’s fingers, and there was no way to read his supposed “weakness needing support” from the situation. Their palms met—one burning, the other ice-cold—and when they touched, both froze for a moment.
Lin Su calmly asked, “What are you doing?”
Shi Wenze also felt that his actions today were utterly strange. If he could turn back time, he would definitely check the almanac before leaving the house. But right now, he could only pretend nothing had happened and mutter, “Low blood sugar.”
Whether low blood sugar and randomly holding hands had any correlation didn’t matter. What mattered was that Lin Su accepted the explanation. He pulled his hand back and, walking away, said, “My house is just up ahead.”
Shi Wenze replied, following him through the path. Perhaps the silence around them was too much, so he tried to make small talk. “It was a Qiongqi. I don’t know why it appeared in Qinghu Garden.”
Lin Su wasn’t interested in the Qiongqi and changed the subject. “Is your job always this dangerous?”
“No.” Shi Wenze replied without missing a beat. “My job’s pretty good, not dangerous. I have a permanent position, fixed holidays, five social insurances and one housing fund, and regular working hours.” This was a line he had learned from Aunt Wang’s matchmaking tips. Apparently, it was quite appealing in the dating market. He added, “The salary’s also decent—”
His sentence was cut off by the Ferrari parked in front of the garage. It seemed good, but not entirely good.
Lin Su explained, “It’s a friend’s car, temporarily lent to me. I just got back to the country and haven’t had time to get a car yet.”
“There’s a chip shortage lately,” Shi Wenze commented. “I heard some models are already backordered until next year. Take your time picking one out, and if you need anything before getting a new car, feel free to call me. I’ll drive you around—there’s nothing urgent at the Monster Administration Committee these days.”
Even though just half an hour ago, he had been knocked around by a strange Qiongqi and nearly lost his life, as long as Shi Wenze was willing, he could be totally idle, ready to help at any moment. Emergency response work was just that laid-back and flexible, without any discipline. The department head, Zhou, who was still working overtime: defamed.
Neither of them asked how the other had been over the years. It was as if they both assumed they already knew. After entering the house, Lin Su went to grab a drink, while Shi Wenze stood in the living room, unable to figure out where to sit among the pink cherry blossom cushions on the couch. He felt out of place here, but if something doesn’t fit, does that mean you don’t force it? Of course not, he just went for it. So he asked, “Can I use the bathroom?”
“Over there.” Lin Su casually pointed, still elegantly rummaging through the fridge. He was trying to find a can of Coke that wasn’t branded with Xia Jiayang’s name, but after searching, all that remained was Coke that said “LOVE.”
Lin Su decided to close the fridge door, took out a glass, and filled it with water, placing it down with a small thud on the coffee table. “Drink.”
Shi Wenze had just washed his face, finally free from his previous traumatic experience. When he thought about it, it had been nearly eight years since they last met, a long enough time to change many things. But the moment Shi Wenze saw Lin Su again, he felt a strange certainty—a certainty that, in Lin Su’s presence, he would still receive the same blatant favoritism he had when they were in high school.
At sixteen, the thunderous rain drenched the schoolyard. Inside Class 2 of Year 3, Shi Wenze buried his head in his arm, stretched his long legs to block most of the aisle. No one in class dared to provoke him, so everyone just took a detour. Only Lin Su, sitting in the front row, turned back to look at him several times before finally pushing him. “Get up.”
Shi Wenze lazily withdrew his legs and shifted into a new position. “Is this better?”
Lin Su reminded him, “Old Yu is coming soon, and you haven’t done your homework.”
Shi Wenze yawned. “I’m tired, you do it for me.”
Lin Su coldly rejected, “Dream on.”
Shi Wenze readily agreed, “Fine, you said it, so I’ll just keep sleeping.”
Lin Su, “…”
In the end, he copied the assignment for him, using his left hand. Old Yu was greatly surprised and immediately called Shi Wenze up to praise him, the reason being that his handwriting was finally neat for once.
A circle of classmates around them stifled their laughs, and the person involved let out a small chuckle. Only Lin Su turned and glanced at him, his brow slightly furrowed. To summarize, it was probably the shock of a good student seeing such incompetence from someone who should have known better. Shi Wenze’s expression stiffened a bit, and the smile faded.
It was boring. For some reason, at that moment, he just felt so bored. Shi Wenze wasn’t keen on recalling what happened next. He put down his empty cup and walked over to Lin Su’s side. “Can this painting still be fixed?”
“Just change the frame,” Lin Su replied. “If I remember correctly, it shouldn’t be for sale.”
“It’s not easy to buy,” Shi Wenze automatically skipped over mentioning Yefevgenievich, “I had to haggle with the old painter for a while, even offering up a buddy’s youth as collateral… It was a steep price, but he finally agreed to sell it to me.”
Lin Su stood up. “Hmm.”
Shi Wenze’s eyebrows lifted slightly at that “Hmm.” He felt that Lin Su wasn’t rejecting him, nor was he being polite, not even saying “thank you.” This complete lack of ordinary social niceties felt unexpectedly intimate, subtle, and strangely pleasing.
Lin Su continued to set up the painting frame. He bent down, his thin home clothes becoming translucent under the light, revealing a vague outline of his body. Shi Wenze initially thought of helping but hesitated, his mind occupied with the ambiguous feelings he was having. He realized that with this kind of delicate, uncertain mindset, anything he did might seem like sexual harassment. It was a bit awkward, out of his control. No one liked awkwardness.
Suddenly, his pocket buzzed. It was the spare phone issued by the Monster Management Commission. Shi Wenze almost forgot he still had this old phone. The screen was cracked, but that didn’t stop Zhou Yuansong from yelling on the other end. “How do you know that the Qiongqi didn’t carry toxins? Get to Que Mountain Hospital for a check-up within half an hour!”
Shi Wenze moved the phone a little farther away from his ear. “Director Zhou, I’m still outside. Hello? Hello?”
“Overtime?” Lin Su asked.
“Because of that Qiongqi earlier,” Shi Wenze emphasized. “I’m not usually this busy, so if you need something—”
“The day after tomorrow, there’s an event,” Lin Su interrupted. “It’s Xia Jiayang’s fan meeting. Are you coming?”
His expression was natural and dignified, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Shi Wenze, still a little stunned by Lin Su’s “of course, everyone should go to Xia Jiayang’s fan meeting” cool attitude, couldn’t refuse. Even if he hadn’t been stunned, he wouldn’t have said no.
“I’ll come.”
“Good.”
Shi Wenze’s old phone kept vibrating, and if he didn’t leave soon, Zhou Yuansong might come in person to drag him out.
Lin Su opened the door for him. “Go to the hospital after you’re done.”
“No need, just some surface wounds.” Shi Wenze wasn’t keen on admitting he had been pressed into the ground by the Qiongqi, especially since he had to go to the hospital for a check-up. Although the fight wasn’t exactly a loss, it certainly wasn’t a win either. Who knew what that creature was made of? Who could control the illegal medical institutions nowadays?
Lin Su watched Shi Wenze’s back until he disappeared, then turned to close the door. He quickly walked to the sofa, grabbed his phone, and dialed. “What time does your event start the day after tomorrow?”
“What event?” Lin Lu, unable to find his Bluetooth headset, had to hold the phone between his shoulder and head. “I’m busy sorting files right now. If your thing isn’t urgent, we can talk later.”
“I’m going to Xia Jiayang’s fan meeting.”
“Bro, I’ve told you so many times, we’re not running any illegal schemes, no drug gatherings or brainwashing classes. You don’t need to keep an eye on me all the time.” Lin Lu swapped the phone to the other hand and opened the filing cabinet with one hand. “And it’s all young girls. Karaoke, photos, hot pot—you’re the only guy—”
“It’s not just me, there’s another person.” Lin Su commanded, “Get me two tickets, it’s settled.”
Lin Lu thought he might have taken the wrong medication. He was about to explain further, but suddenly, not paying attention, the phone slipped from his shoulder and hit the floor with a loud “thud.”
“…”
Sure enough, animal anomalies were never a good omen. Her brother was an anomaly too.
Meanwhile, Shi Wenze had just arrived at Que Mountain Hospital and was immediately taken to the emergency center for a check-up. It took over an hour before he was finally free.
Lan Weiwei handed him the medical report, her expression serious. “Shi, you should prepare yourself.”
Shi Wenze, too lazy to even open the report, tossed it back at her. “Seeing your face like the sky is falling, I know it’s nothing serious. I’m leaving, we’ll talk later.”
“Talking about Xia Jiayang again?” Lan Weiwei tried to tease but was clearly uninterested. “I don’t have time, I’m working overtime.”
“Based on my observations, your so-called overtime is mostly just eating instant noodles. It’s settled.” Shi Wenze walked into the elevator. His original clothes were stained with blood, so the hospital had given him a temporary patient gown. The blue-and-white striped outfit instantly drew a lot of attention when he appeared in the Monster Management Commission building.
Xu You also came over, circling Shi Wenze once and then sincerely commenting, “Most people look pretty pathetic in these clothes, but you’re different. You look like a lunatic killer just escaped from the asylum. Anyone who runs into you is unlucky.”
“If you can’t speak properly, keep quiet. Meeting a handsome guy like me, that’s called a stroke of luck,” Shi Wenze leaned against the wall and stretched his bandaged legs. “The emergency center’s people, their skills… they’d be wasted if they didn’t go to Egypt and work as mummies.”
“You don’t look like you’ve got serious injuries. You fought and came back on your own, why go to the hospital?” Xu You complained. “Thought you were seriously hurt.”
“I didn’t want to either.” Shi Wenze put his arm around Xu You’s shoulder, sighing in frustration. “But some people care too much and made me go get checked after I was done.”
Xu You was grossed out by his overly sentimental tone. “Are you crazy? The only one who cares about you is Director Zhou. I was right next to him when he called.”
Shi Wenze didn’t bother explaining. “What about the others?”
“In the office,” Xu You pointed behind him. “Apparently, that Qiongqi just became a class-A wanted criminal. Even though you didn’t catch him, you’ve got footage, and you got injured, so at least you can get a consolation prize.”
Shi Wenze wasn’t interested in consolation prizes, but he had a new idea. “How many of these things do you think I’d have to catch to get a Ferrari?”
Xu You was stunned. Catching wanted criminals to buy a sports car? That was a refreshingly unique approach to getting rich. He eyed Shi Wenze suspiciously. “You’ve never been interested in cars before.”
“Can I change my mind?” Shi Wenze pulled up a chair. “Come on, think of a way.”
“I don’t even know what to think,” Xu You rejected immediately. “If it’s under a hundred thousand, we can talk. But if you’re aiming for a Ferrari, my friend, you’re just going to have to drink some hot water.”
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