When Jiang Que checked the message, he didn’t intentionally avoid Shen Tazhi, so Shen Tazhi also saw the message from Du Lulu.
Beside him, Shen Tazhi chuckled wryly, “The Anomaly Investigation Department really hit where it hurts with that offer.”
“So, are you going?” he asked.
Glancing at the message again, Jiang Que hugged his tentacle in contemplation for a moment, then said:
“Let’s go. We were planning on going to the Anomaly Investigation Department for a check-up anyway; it’s just that this time, it will be more comprehensive.”
“As for the conversation with their head… let’s just have it. Regardless of what they say, I won’t be joining. It’s too much trouble.”
Maintaining his position leaning against Shen Tazhi, Jiang Que looked up and asked, “Is this okay?”
“Of course,” Shen Tazhi had no objections.
With Shen Tazhi’s confirmation, Jiang Que began to message Du Lulu:
[Jiang Que: Okay, when?]
Du Lulu seemed to be waiting by her phone, as she replied swiftly:
[Du Lulu: You can come whenever you want, just give me half a day’s notice beforehand.]
“Anytime…” Jiang Que found it difficult to decide. He decided to continue asking Shen Tazhi, “Are you busy later? When would be a good time for us to go?”
After considering his schedule for the next few days, Shen Tazhi said, “Let’s go in the next few days. After resolving Sharp’s death, I’ll be taking over Shen Liushi’s business, so the transition period might be a bit busy.”
“Alright.”
Agreeing, Jiang Que messaged Du Lulu with a reply of “tomorrow” and then shut off his phone directly.
Seeing his response, Shen Tazhi instinctively asked, “Do you still want to go to the amusement park this afternoon?”
He remembered that Jiang Que hadn’t enjoyed himself much last time and had mentioned waiting until the third day to go together.
As Shen Tazhi pondered this, memories of the biting kiss on the Ferris wheel surfaced, causing him to avert his gaze slightly, looking towards the amusement park nearby.
If they went again today, what should they play with this time?
However, Jiang Que’s response was unexpected.
“No, we’re not going to the amusement park today.”
Jiang Que decisively denied.
He raised his hand and gently touched Shen Tazhi’s lips, which had turned red from his actions earlier, whispering, “Let’s go home and rest. You seem a bit tired.”
Though it was his doing.
It took Shen Tazhi a few seconds to realize what Jiang Que meant by “tired.” Already feeling somewhat embarrassed, he blushed even more and turned his head, saying, “I’m not tired. If you want to go play, it’s fine. You don’t have to worry about me.”
“Shen Tazhi.” Jiang Que called his name.
The handsome young man sat up from his embrace. At some point, Shen Tazhi found it difficult to treat Jiang Que as just an inexperienced child. Although he still loved Jiang Que’s coquettishness, he couldn’t ignore the sharp and dangerous gaze in those eyes.
Shen Tazhi couldn’t help but back away slightly on the sofa as that sense of danger became more apparent.
Jiang Que’s elegant fingertip poked at his chest.
“I said you’re tired. Let’s go back and rest. I don’t want you to push yourself to play with me. Am I that unreasonable?” Jiang Que raised his delicate chin.
“N-no, not at all,” Shen Tazhi stammered as Jiang Que’s touch tickled him.
Jiang Que raised his exquisite chin. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s pack up and go home. I don’t want to be around so many humans anymore. They’re annoying.”
Especially now with so many police officers around, and soon the members of the Adonis family would be causing trouble.
Shen Tazhi would agree to all his unreasonable demands, let alone reasonable ones. Seeing that Jiang Que truly had no interest in the amusement park, he quickly packed their belongings, informed the police team in advance, and left.
Due to his backpack being torn, Jiang Que left still wearing the white sleeping gown.
To avoid drawing attention to the strange bulge on his back, Jiang Que used the same method as in the morning, shrinking his tentacles and letting them hang down to the ground, concealing the abnormal thickness of his back with the width of the gown.
However, he found the floor outside the room dirty, and the tentacles were reluctant to touch it, refusing to drag across the floor. Stubbornly holding up the pointed tips of his tentacles, even if they were getting tired and shaky, he firmly refused to drop them.
They were clean tentacles, and dragging them on the ground was audacious in their view!
When Shen Tazhi opened the car door for Jiang Que, he finally realized that Jiang Que had been wearing a dress all morning. He couldn’t help but glance at it a little longer, starting to think about what suitable clothes would be for Jiang Que if there were no more backpack.
Misinterpreting Shen Tazhi’s gaze, Jiang Que sat confidently in the car and asked, “What are you looking at? Is there something wrong with me wearing a sleeping gown?”
Of course, there was nothing wrong. Jiang Que’s face was already exquisitely beautiful, transcending gender, with a youthful figure, fair skin, and a glimpse of his slender legs when wearing the light white dress.
It wasn’t about femininity; it was about the perfect match between the dress and Jiang Que’s beauty, creating a unique and appealing look that suited him perfectly.
Shen Tazhi smiled and quickly replied, “It looks great. I was just thinking about what kind of clothes would suit you better in the future.”
After all, the clothes with holes on the back didn’t seem quite suitable for the transparent tentacles.
As he took the driver’s seat, Jiang Que realized his misunderstanding and decided to tease a bit, covering his mouth in feigned surprise, “Could it be? You actually plan to buy me dresses in the future? Are you a pervert?”
Shen Tazhi fell into an eerie silence.
Jiang Que stayed quiet too, as he caught a hint of “that doesn’t sound too bad” from Shen Tazhi’s eyes, which made him blush suddenly. “You’re really a pervert!”
Shen Tazhi started the vehicle and earnestly replied, “No, I just thought it would be convenient for you… and it really looks good.”
With a deadpan expression, Jiang Que continued, “Oh, and you’d also love it if my skirt lifted up to reveal eighteen tentacles, right?”
Though Jiang Que knew Shen Tazhi didn’t mean it that way and probably didn’t understand the joke about “skirt lifting1those memes where the guy is using a urinal and a ‘girl’ next to him lifts up their skirt to reveal a bigger d*ck than them“, Shen Tazhi blushed and fell silent.
Intrigued, Jiang Que pursued, “Why are you not speaking? Don’t you like my tentacles?”
Shen Tazhi hesitated before answering, “…I do.”
It seemed like it was best not to joke around with Jiang Que so casually in the future.
When they returned home, it was already noon, and Shen Tazhi ordered takeout to eat with Jiang Que.
The takeout was the cold noodles that Jiang Que had requested, featuring resilient noodles neatly topped with shredded cucumbers, bean sprouts, and baby bok choy. A generous spoonful of minced meat was placed on top, with a mix of small green peppers, sesame paste, sesame oil, and vinegar for seasoning, creating a refreshing and appetizing, slightly spicy flavour perfect for the summer.
After finishing the meal, Jiang Que went upstairs to take a shower while Shen Tazhi stayed behind to choose new backpacks and clothes for him. He had an assistant buy the items from the mall and deliver them to the house.
When Jiang Que came downstairs after his shower, he was greeted by a couch full of backpacks and clothes.
Jiang Que took a step back in shock. “Why are there suddenly so many clothes?”
Shen Tazhi didn’t expect to have chosen so many clothes himself. He had simply bought what he thought would suit Jiang Que. Looking at the mountain of clothes in front of him, he said, “I, uh… picked out a few new clothes for you. Take a look and see if you like any of them?”
But this was way beyond a “few” clothes, wasn’t it?
Perplexed, Jiang Que walked over to the couch and started rummaging through the clothes to see what Shen Tazhi had bought.
There was a loose-fitting new traditional Chinese-style top in black with mid-length sleeves and a gold bamboo pattern. The design was quite stylish, and when worn, it should complement him well and help cover up the unnatural curve on his back.
However, he couldn’t find the bottom piece to match the top. Seeing the pile of clothes, it seemed like it would be difficult to locate it anytime soon. So, Jiang Que temporarily set the top aside using his tentacles, planning to find the matching bottom later.
There was also a thin jacket, clearly meant for autumn. Why did Shen Tazhi buy autumn clothes for him in the summer?
The backpacks were more or less normal, but the quantity was a bit surprising. Jiang Que had already found five or six just by rummaging through them.
He also found a pair of black trousers that he could take, along with the new traditional Chinese-style top. They could be taken together later.
A hat, arm sleeves, short-sleeved shirts…
Jiang Que continued to search through the clothes and found several pieces suitable for the current season.
Suddenly, he squinted his eyes, reached into the pile, and pulled out a small white dress.
This white dress was much nicer than the cheap sleeping gown from the hotel. It was a single-layer cotton and linen dress with a doll collar and short sleeves, featuring small cotton lace edges around the collar and hem. The cut was designed to naturally accentuate the waist, with three beautiful white pearl buttons from the collar to the waist.
Jiang Que held the dress up against himself, realizing it reached just above his knees, showing a section of his slender legs.
He looked at the visibly flustered Shen Tazhi and teasingly remarked, “Gege, so you really do like this?”
Shen Tazhi hurriedly explained, “No, I’ll remove that dress later. It must have been overlooked by the assistant and purchased inadvertently.”
“Removed later?” Jiang Que caught onto the point. “So, this dress was your choice?”
Shen Tazhi fell silent for a moment and whispered, “…I only chose this one dress.”
This is his way of acknowledging it.
Realizing this, Jiang Que chuckled lightly and said before Shen Tazhi could apologize, “Don’t worry, I really like it.”
He then placed the dress into the pile of clothes he had chosen earlier, preparing to take them upstairs together.
Shen Tazhi wanted to explain, “Que Que, that’s not what I meant. I just thought the dress looked really good…”
“Very good-looking, and very suitable for me?” Jiang Que asked.
He finished Shen Tazhi’s unfinished sentence directly, leaving Shen Tazhi standing there awkwardly, unsure of what to do.
Jiang Que smiled and said, “What are you nervous about? I’m not angry, really.”
To him, it was just a dress. Jiang Que never considered himself human, so he didn’t care about human gender distinctions. Moreover, it was just a piece of clothing. If it looked good, that was all that mattered. Previously, when he teased Shen Tazhi in the car, calling him a pervert, he hadn’t expected Shen Tazhi to actually like seeing him in a skirt.
Besides—
Using his tentacles, Jiang Que pulled Shen Tazhi, who was standing a bit far away, closer to him and brought his face right in front of his own.
Shen Tazhi’s gaze first froze, then started to shift around, clearly hesitant to meet his eyes.
See, this behavior stemmed from Shen Tazhi’s excessive fondness for him. How could Jiang Que possibly be angry?
Ever since emerging from the Abyss, he had keenly observed how others reacted to his appearance, understanding just how remarkable his looks were to humans. Jiang Que loved Shen Tazhi’s preference for every aspect of him, from his appearance to his personality.
He smiled and kissed Shen Tazhi’s cheek, saying, “You think I’m good-looking, so you buy me many beautiful clothes. That makes me happy, that’s all.”
Shen Tazhi finally relaxed slightly, but then realized something, tensing up again and said, “You don’t have to—”
Jiang Que grinned mischievously, “In the future, I’ll wear them often at home.”
“You don’t have to wear them, actually,” Shen Tazhi weakly argued back.
“Oh, then you’ll wear them?” Jiang Que raised an eyebrow.
Shen Tazhi: …
Shen Tazhi was unusually left speechless by Jiang Que, or rather, since Jiang Que had scolded him earlier today, he had started to realize that ‘Jiang Que is actually an adult.’
In the past, he might have lightly agreed, considering it a way to cheer up Jiang Que. But now, he hadn’t found the right way to treat Jiang Que, so how could he answer such a difficult question?
Jiang Que chuckled, “I was just kidding. You can’t even wear them. Hurry up and help me put away all these clothes, or we won’t finish until dinner.”
Saying this, he let go of Shen Tazhi. Shen Tazhi stood still for a moment, seemingly reflecting seriously on whether he had overthought things.
Jiang Que selected clothes while casting a sidelong glance at Shen Tazhi’s actions, smiling with his eyes.
He had no ulterior motives; he just wanted to tease Shen Tazhi a bit.
After spending the afternoon leisurely tidying up the clothes, they had dinner. Shen Tazhi began working in his office, while Jiang Que sat beside him, playing on his phone.
The Adonis family had arrived. Although Sharp’s death had nothing to do with them, considering Sharp had returned to the country for Shen Liushi’s sake, if the Adonis family wanted to blame Shen Tazhi, they could.
However, surprisingly, Officer Wu seemed to have done something because the Adonis family hadn’t come looking for them.
Jiang Que clicked his tongue, “He’s quite capable. I thought he was just an ordinary person who adored his wife.”
“Perhaps,” Shen Tazhi glanced at the information on Officer Wu on the computer, then continued, “Officer Wu sent me Sharp’s information. Our earlier speculations were indeed correct.”
“The data shows that Sharp was a fervent follower of a bizarre religion during his lifetime, worshipping a deity represented by a monstrous creature with countless tentacles. This is quite a scandal and has been well-hidden by the Adonis family.”
Frowning, Jiang Que asked, “What kind of nonsense did he believe in?”
“I’m not sure,” Shen Tazhi replied. “Officer Wu didn’t provide many details. He just mentioned the existence of such a religion. Presumably, Shen Liushi told him about you, which is why he suddenly came to take over Shen Liushi’s business in the country, just to investigate whether you really have many tentacles as Shen Liushi claimed.”
When mentioning Shen Liushi, a hint of wariness flashed in his expression.
Shen Tazhi had originally thought that by sending Shen Liushi to prison in his past life, they would be even. But he never expected that even in prison, Shen Liushi wouldn’t stay quiet, and he would target Jiang Que. If that was the case, there was no room for Shen Liushi to stay any longer.
He certainly wouldn’t mention these thoughts to Jiang Que. Shen Tazhi always hoped to show his best side to Jiang Que. He smiled and said, “In any case, this matter has come to a close. Officer Wu and his team will handle the rest. When do you want to visit the Anomaly Investigation Department tomorrow?”
After some thought, Jiang Que replied, “After breakfast? Once we finish the examination and meet with Director Wu, it should be around noon. That way, we can have lunch at their cafeteria.”
“Xi Jing took me to their cafeteria last time, and the food was quite good. You should give it a try too.”
He always enjoyed sharing delicious food with Shen Tazhi, and the meals at the Anomaly Investigation Department were no exception.
“Alright,” Shen Tazhi agreed, “I’ll contact Director Wu first and have him send a car to pick us up tomorrow morning.”
Why did they need a car from the Anomaly Investigation Department? Couldn’t they just go by themselves?
Jiang Que didn’t quite understand, but he nodded in agreement.
It was just having an extra driver; as long as it wasn’t the annoying guy from last time, it was fine.
With this thought in mind, after showering that evening, Jiang Que happily picked out the clothes he would wear the next day. He skillfully climbed into bed and nestled into Shen Tazhi’s embrace.
Turning over, he felt as though there was less space in Shen Tazhi’s arms recently. Not giving it much thought, he used his tentacles to guide Shen Tazhi’s hand to his back, humming as he let him touch the small tentacles growing there.
A light gray tentacle had grown a bit longer on his back, excitedly wrapping around Shen Tazhi’s pinky finger and refusing to let go.
‘ZhiZhi!! Stick!’
Jiang Que nudged Shen Tazhi, “Finally have some free time. Gege, touch me.”
At first, he would get teary-eyed at a touch, as if he was about to cry, but now he was actively asking Shen Tazhi to touch his small tentacles.
Shen Tazhi fell into silence.
So, those tears must have been tears of comfort after all.
The next day.
Jiang Que lazily climbed out of bed, stretched, and yawned. The small tentacle that had been satisfied the night before trembled, mimicking his actions, before shyly curling up.
Oh no, he had been overwhelmed by the touching last night and let go. What a shame.
But the little tentacle hadn’t grown any longer, so it couldn’t sleep wrapped around Shen Tazhi like the other tentacles.
The small tentacle was both shy and sad, curling up into a ball to digest its overly complex emotions.
Jiang Que glanced at it disdainfully before quickly freshening up and heading downstairs.
Shen Tazhi wasn’t in the room; he must have been preparing breakfast.
As expected, when he reached the bottom of the stairs, Shen Tazhi was just setting the breakfast on the table.
Hearing footsteps, Shen Tazhi looked up and saw Jiang Que descending the stairs. He smiled and said, “Let’s have breakfast. The Anomaly Investigation Department’s car should be here after we finish.”
Jiang Que agreed and quickened his pace.
Breakfast consisted of shredded chicken and lean meat congee with pan-fried dumplings. The congee was soft, and the golden-brown dumplings were crispy. Shen Tazhi even brought him a plate of vinegar, and Jiang Que happily dipped all the dumplings in vinegar, causing the tentacles on his back to swirl with joy.
“Delicious! Tastier than the breakfast outside. Finally, we get to have a home-cooked meal,” Jiang Que sighed before taking another sip of the fragrant congee.
Coming back home was so blissful.
Shen Tazhi had finished eating and propped his chin up, looking at Jiang Que. “You always praise the food I make. Is it really that good?”
Although his cooking skills were passable, they probably weren’t as exaggeratedly good as Jiang Que claimed, right?
Initially, it could be explained that Jiang Que had never eaten human food before. But since leaving the Abyss, Shen Tazhi had ordered meals from restaurants several times, and yet Jiang Que still seemed so fixated on his cooking.
“It really is different from others,” Jiang Que insisted. “Even the slightly burnt parts of the dumplings taste completely different from those outside.”
Shen Tazhi shook his head helplessly, thinking he should take Jiang Que to enjoy even tastier foods in the future.
As they chatted, Jiang Que finished his breakfast, and the driver from the Anomaly Investigation Department had arrived, waiting outside.
Since they were departing from the villa’s garage directly to the Anomaly Investigation Department, Jiang Que didn’t bother hiding his tentacles and simply walked with his eight large tentacles and the small one, alongside Shen Tazhi, to the garage.
Upon getting into the car, Jiang Que froze.
He locked eyes with the driver in the driver’s seat, who looked particularly familiar. They exchanged silent glances.
Wasn’t this the noisy and annoying driver from last time?!
Jiang Que’s expression turned cold, and he let out a disdainful snort before turning his head and leaning against Shen Tazhi.
The annoying guy had previously questioned why Shen Tazhi liked him, citing his looks and intelligence. So now he insists on being close to Shen Tazhi.
As soon as Shen Tazhi sat down, Jiang Que’s tentacles wrapped around him, and Shen Tazhi, feeling helpless yet indulgent, smiled and let Jiang Que have his way.
The driver in the driver’s seat: …
Was it really necessary to hold a grudge like this?
He was just following orders at the time!! If Captain Xi Jing hadn’t been nearby, he wouldn’t have dared to say a word to Jiang Que, a monster, in the first place!!
Seeing the driver and Shen Tazhi’s expressions in the rearview mirror, mirroring each other’s speechless and helpless looks, Jiang Que knew he had succeeded. He contentedly held onto Shen Tazhi’s arm and remembered his question from the previous day.
“Why do we have to wait for the Anomaly Investigation Department to pick us up? They’re hidden in the mountains, and even if we knew the route, they wouldn’t pose much of a threat to us.”
Shen Tazhi pondered for a moment before replying, “It’s not about the route, it’s about the road being difficult to traverse.”
Difficult to traverse?
This left Jiang Que even more puzzled.
The journey from the desert to the Anomaly Investigation Department had been smooth all the way, hadn’t it?
As Shen Tazhi finished speaking, there was a loud crash, and Jiang Que looked up to see that the car had somehow entered an abandoned factory.
Why had they been taken to the outskirts? Weren’t they going to the Anomaly Investigation Department?
Jiang Que silently raised his guard.
The next moment, as he raised his tentacles, accompanied by a thunderous noise, the ground beneath the car they were in began to sink.
Jiang Que watched in astonishment as the large machinery outside the car window began operating, only realizing they were entering a bright underground tunnel when the vehicle entered it.
This is… an underground city?
“This is one of the underground tunnels,” the driver conscientiously explained from the front.
This was also part of the task given to him by Director Wu, to give Jiang Que a rough idea of the Anomaly Investigation Department, at least to let him know the nature of the organization.
With this in mind, the driver suppressed his fear and tremblingly continued, “The Anomaly Investigation Department is a vast organization. Most of the people are hidden underground at the base or within the city, so it may not seem like there are many people on the surface.”
“We have constructed many underground tunnel entrances in the city like this one, to allow the members hidden within the city to quickly and discreetly return to the Anomaly Investigation Department. Of course, these underground tunnels also have scheduled shuttle services, and many people commute to work using them every day.”
Watching the vehicles speeding past around them, Jiang Que understood.
The Anomaly Investigation Department and containment of anomalies seemed out of place in modern society. If there were indeed so many people commuting to work at the Anomaly Investigation Department regularly, it might accidentally expose the location of the facility one day. After all, a mountain that could open up was too conspicuous.
However, building these underground tunnels specifically indicated that the Anomaly Investigation Department was quite wealthy.
Seemingly sensing his thoughts, the driver said, “Of course, these tunnels are meant to serve as air raid shelters for the country when necessary. But things are peaceful now, so there shouldn’t be a need to activate them any time soon.”
No, perhaps doomsday could be right around the corner.
With this thought in mind, Jiang Que spoke up, “So? Director Wu instructed you to tell me all this, right? What does he want you to tell me? Just say it.”
It wasn’t that he wanted to interrupt the driver, but the expression on the driver’s face made him feel that if he didn’t interject now, the driver might say something repulsive in a moment.
Startled by his unexpected question, the driver swallowed nervously before slowly saying, “I was supposed to show you the strength of the Anomaly Investigation Department, to instill confidence in you and find a way to win you over…”
“Oh,” Jiang Que replied calmly.
The driver was at a loss.
Why did he have to be sent on this mission?! He couldn’t even bring himself to say the rest of the lines!!
Who came up with those lines like “For humanity,” “The hero in the dark world,” “The silent hero”…?!
Meanwhile, at the Anomaly Investigation Department, Du Lulu, who was waiting for Jiang Que, sneezed.
She looked at the heroic lines she had written based on years of reading novels on the computer screen and scratched her head.
What’s wrong? Had she written so well that Jiang Que was moved to tears by her team leader, her team, and the Anomaly Investigation Department?
She always said no one could remain unmoved by her team leader, her team, and the Anomaly Investigation Department!
