The Hai Xi International Hotel.
Shen Tazhi drove directly into the hotel’s underground parking lot to avoid the intense midday sun. He led Jiang Que into the hotel lobby to check-in.
To check-in, they needed an ID, and Jiang Que’s ID was a temporary one issued by the Anomaly Investigation Department. The receptionist took a few puzzled glances at the ID before setting it down for registration.
It was strange. That high school student looking person wearing sunglasses is an adult, right? Why was he still using a temporary ID?
The receptionist was quite puzzled.
But since the ID could be scanned, she didn’t dwell on it and proceeded to assign a room, smiling as she handed the room key card to Shen Tazhi, putting the matter out of her mind.
Throughout the process, Jiang Que curiously observed the unfamiliar procedure by Shen Tazhi’s side. When he saw Shen Tazhi take out his own ID, he was even more intrigued. As they stepped into the elevator, he asked, “Can I see the ID you just used?”
“Sure, take a look.”
Shen Tazhi, who was putting his ID back into his wallet, paused and handed both IDs to Jiang Que.
Taking the two hard cards, Jiang Que looked at his ID, which had a picture taken by the Anomaly Investigation Department at some point, showing a handsome youth with a stern expression that looked intimidating.
Touching his own face, Jiang Que mused, “Huh, do I always look this scary?”
He then looked at Shen Tazhi’s ID. On it, Shen Tazhi was clad in a black suit jacket, looking serious and focused ahead.
Examining the ID and comparing it to the real Shen Tazhi in front of him, Jiang Que concluded, “This photo is so ugly.”
Shen Tazhi chuckled, “Are you trying to say I look good?”
Jiang Que nodded confidently, “You are indeed good-looking.”
Jiang Que spoke the truth. Shen Tazhi was indeed considered handsome among humans, but his “good looks” were not as meticulously crafted and doll-like as Jiang Que’s. Shen Tazhi’s handsomeness had a more refined and distinguished air, with a touch of British elegance. However, after the passage of time, it had gained a gentle quality from having its edges smoothed out.
Yet, beneath this exterior lay a heart as dark as night, concealing dangerous undercurrents beneath its mild demeanor.
In summary, he was complicated and difficult to understand. It was no wonder that even the driver from the Anomaly Investigation Department couldn’t quite describe what kind of person Shen Tazhi was.
Jiang Que had scrutinized the IDs enough and handed both cards back to Shen Tazhi, casually asking, “Is this ID also given to you by the Anomaly Investigation Department?”
“Yeah,” Shen Tazhi glanced at the surveillance camera in the elevator.
Coincidentally, the elevator reached the twenty-seventh floor at that moment. Shen Tazhi led Jiang Que out of the elevator before continuing, “Because you need these IDs to live a normal life in human society, the Anomaly Investigation Department issued you a temporary ID, which I am in charge of.”
“In your care? Why?” Jiang Que asked.
Shen Tazhi carefully selected his words to answer, “Because I opposed the Anomaly Investigation Department to contain you with regular containment entities, believing that you can live as a human. They agreed, but as a condition, I needed to become your guardian after you passed the tests, responsible for your actions.”
This was the first time he had brought up the Anomaly Investigation Department’ internal affairs in front of Jiang Que. Jiang Que listened attentively, eager to learn more details from Shen Tazhi.
However, Shen Tazhi abruptly ended the conversation, saying, “We’ve arrived at the room, Que Que.”
Oh, is he not going to say more about the Anomaly Investigation Department?
Disappointed, Jiang Que withdrew his gaze and looked at the room where he would be staying for the next few days.
It’s not that he didn’t want to ask further questions, it’s just that the last time he mentioned the “natural disasters” and the Anomaly Investigation Department, Shen Tazhi’s reaction was too intense and he seemed upset.
Until he found the right way to inquire, Jiang Que didn’t want to bring up the topic himself. He could only wait for Shen Tazhi to slowly reveal more information.
Who knows when the next coincidental opportunity like this will happen…
The room door was pushed open, and Jiang Que looked inside. Instantly forgetting his previous disappointment, he exclaimed, “What a huge room!”
The first thing in sight was a spacious living room with a coffee table and a small sofa. Across from the sofa was a television, and further back was a tea table and floor-to-ceiling windows.
The curtains of the floor-to-ceiling windows were drawn open, making the room bright and airy, unlike a typical hotel room. It resembled more of the small apartment he lived in at the Anomaly Investigation Department.
It was even larger than that small apartment.
Shen Tazhi inserted the room key card, pulled his suitcase, and Jiang Que into the room, then closed the door behind them.
“This is just the living room. The bedroom is on the right, and there should be a walk-in closet inside. On the left are the sauna room and study. Do you want to see the room first or go eat?”
Jiang Que once again marveled at the excessively large room, hesitated between the two choices, and then firmly said, “Let’s eat.”
The hotel’s buffet lunch was served from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. It was already past noon, and Jiang Que was worried that if they delayed further, he would only get leftovers.
“Alright,” Shen Tazhi smiled in response.
The two casually placed their suitcases in the living room, washed their hands quickly, and took the elevator directly to the revolving restaurant on the twenty-eighth floor.
The entire top floor was a restaurant. Shen Tazhi handed the room key card to the server at the entrance, then found a window-side table and sat down with Jiang Que.
At that moment, the hotel was bustling. Hai Xi International Hotel was only a kilometer away from Haitian Amusement Park. Many people were getting up at this time, preparing to have lunch before heading to the park. People carrying bags and wearing sunglasses were a common sight, so Jiang Que didn’t stand out among them.
Amidst the clinking of plates and chatter, Jiang Que, instead of finding it noisy, curiously looked out the window and said, “Shen Tazhi, this restaurant is really rotating. The buildings below are changing.”
Shen Tazhi also glanced down and responded, “There should be colored lights in the artificial lake below. It will look even more beautiful at night, and from here, you can see the fireworks at the amusement park.”
Imagining the scene, Jiang Que immediately said, “Then I want to come here for dinner at night too!”
The server coincidentally brought hand towels at that moment and jokingly said, “You should come early in the evening. There’s a fireworks show at the park today, so the revolving restaurant will be crowded.”
What a peculiar person.
Jiang Que took the towel, gaze fixed on the server.
Anger, resentment… Why did the server have these emotions? Was it directed towards him and Shen Tazhi?
No, that emotion wasn’t aimed at them. Then why?
Shen Tazhi took the towel, thanked the server, and seeing Jiang Que lost in thought, assumed he was worried about missing the fireworks. So he reassured, “It’s okay. Even if we don’t make it to the revolving restaurant, we can see the fireworks from the floor-to-ceiling windows in our room. You don’t have to worry about the crowd.”
Jiang Que snapped out of his thoughts at Shen Tazhi’s words, glanced at the server who had already walked away, and then smiled, “Okay, let’s get some food. I want to eat some small cakes!”
He quietly suppressed the doubts in his heart.
Whatever, as long as it doesn’t involve him and Shen Tazhi.
Maybe it’s the resentment built up from working.
Jiang Que didn’t pay much attention to this matter. After all, humans often harbor resentment for various peculiar reasons. There were plenty of humans in the restaurant exuding negative vibes, and there was no shortage of servers with exceptionally extreme emotions.
He lazily scanned the crowd, not bothering to look at the monotonous and unappetizing emotions around him. He wasn’t in the mood to analyze their psychology either. Instead, he pulled Shen Tazhi towards the dessert buffet table.
Square cakes, cupcakes, ice cream, chocolate… He grabbed all the small desserts he wanted to try.
Seeing Jiang Que filling a plate with various cakes, Shen Tazhi hesitated for a moment, then took a plate with a bit of food on it. He didn’t say anything and simply took the plates Jiang Que had selected.
Jiang Que was enthusiastically picking out various new and unfamiliar foods he hadn’t tried before.
Salmon, sushi, pizza… They all looked delicious. He also grabbed a Coke and a Sprite.
Before long, the not-so-large table was filled with plates by Jiang Que.
Shen Tazhi didn’t take much for himself, just a bit of cooked food. Most of the time, he was beside Jiang Que, either handing him plates or taking them away.
Finally done selecting what he wanted to eat, Jiang Que sat down at the table, happily picking up a piece of cake he had been craving for a while.
The small square cake, cut into bite-sized pieces, was red velvet, with white cream and strawberry jam in the middle, looking veryā
“Not tasty.”
As Jiang Que took a bite, he furrowed his brow in disappointment.
It wasn’t that it was inedible, as nothing could taste worse than the malice in the abyss. However, this cake was nothing like the delicious ones he and Shen Tazhi had at home.
The cake base was hard, as if it had been left out overnight, the cream was too heavy, and the jam in the middle wasn’t strawberry but raspberry, making his teeth sore from the sourness.
Shen Tazhi also tried a piece and nodded in understanding, “The cream and jam in the cakes here aren’t that great, and the cake base is a bit hard. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to eat it.”
After all, this wasn’t a luxury hotel, and the buffet that could be accessed with a room key wouldn’t use the best ingredients for desserts.
Regretfully looking at the two remaining pieces of cake on the table, Jiang Que still insisted on finishing them, despite his disappointment.
It’s just not that tasty, but it’s not inedible. I can take another bite.
After finishing the cake, Jiang Que picked up his glass and took a sip of Coke. His face twisted in distaste, and he stuck out his tongue, saying, “This isn’t good either, it tastes like watered-down Coke, not like the one I drink at home.”
Shen Tazhi hadn’t had Coke at the buffet before; he wasn’t particularly interested in beverages. Hearing this, he paused for a moment and said, “Watered-down? Do you want me to get you a different drink?”
Jiang Que shook his head with a grimace, then picked up a piece of salmon with his last hope.
After tasting it, he put down his chopsticks and leaned back in his chair in despair.
The salmon was dry, feeling like a large piece of fat that had been frozen for days before being taken out. It was undoubtedly the worst dish he had eaten so far.
Looking at the two remaining dishes on the table, Jiang Que said dejectedly, “This is nothing like what I expected…”
This wasn’t his fault. After leaving the abyss, Shen Tazhi had prepared the best of everything for him in terms of food, clothing, and necessities. Jiang Que naturally assumed that all human food should be as good as what he had at home, so he had high expectations for this buffet.
Unfortunately, the three dishes that arrived shattered his expectations completely.
Shen Tazhi couldn’t help but chuckle, “Desserts at buffets are rarely delicious. The seafood at this price point not being fresh is normal. Do you want to try some of mine?”
He handed Jiang Que the plate with grilled lamb chops and crayfish that he had picked up earlier. Jiang Que weakly picked up a lamb chop and took a bite. Suddenly, he sat upright.
“This is delicious!”
The grilled lamb chops were generously portioned, lacked any gamey taste, and Shen Tazhi had sprinkled some pepper and chili flakes on top, which was Jiang Que’s favorite savory flavor.
Even though it was a bit charred and not as good as what he had at home, it was still much better than the previous dishes.
Shen Tazhi put on gloves and peeled a shrimp for him, saying, “You can take more cooked food. The cooked food at buffets generally isn’t too bad.”
Jiang Que gnawed on the lamb chop and nodded in agreement, but he started regretting not having rice to go with it. It felt odd not eating a staple food with the meal.
Shen Tazhi put the peeled shrimp on his plate and picked up the salmon that Jiang Que had barely touched. He calmly finished it and then asked, “They also have sushi and pizza here. Do you want more?”
Clearly, if Jiang Que didn’t eat, Shen Tazhi would have to eat these not-so-tasty foods on his behalf.
Jiang Que naturally didn’t want Shen Tazhi to eat the unappetizing sushi and the pizza with overly thick crust and no cheese. He learned his lesson about randomly selecting dishes.
After finally finishing his own selections, Jiang Que couldn’t really eat anything else. He reluctantly popped a few cherry tomatoes into his mouth.
Apart from the lamb chops and peeled shrimp that Shen Tazhi gave him, nothing else suited his taste.
Frowning, Jiang Que sipped on plain water and looked at Shen Tazhi, who was smiling while eating braised pork with potatoes across from him. He remembered Shen Tazhi’s hesitant expression earlier when he was picking out food and slowly realized, “You knew those weren’t good, and you deliberately didn’t tell me.”
Shen Tazhi simply responded with an “Hmm.”
Jiang Que: ?
Feeling tormented by the buffet, he looked at Shen Tazhi with a tearful expression, “How could you bully me like this?”
Finishing the last bite of potatoes, Shen Tazhi chuckled, “Even if I had told you earlier, you would have tried them anyway. It’s not a bad thing to let you find out for yourself.”
Jiang Que was speechless because Shen Tazhi was right. Even if he had been warned, he would have tried the food anyway.
Butā
“If you had told me earlier, I wouldn’t have taken so much,” Jiang Que continued to complain.
Shen Tazhi replied, “I did offer to eat it for you earlier, but you refused.”
Jiang Que glanced at Shen Tazhi, catching the fleeting amusement in his eyes, and snorted in response, ignoring him.
It was intentional bullying, Shen Tazhi was a bad guy.
As Jiang Que gradually got to know Shen Tazhi a bit better, he realized that Shen Tazhi was not as perfect and gentle as he initially thought. Shen Tazhi had flaws, could be ruthless, had moments of self-consciousness, and even had a mischievous side.
Completely misjudged by Shen Tazhi’s initial facade.
“Alright, don’t be angry anymore, don’t ignore me, it’s all my fault,” Shen Tazhi’s voice came from the other side, smiling gently.
He reached out and ruffled Jiang Que’s head, “I wanted to tell you earlier that the buffet might not be very tasty, but I didn’t want to dampen your excitement about the revolving restaurant. How about I take you to eat something delicious this afternoon, okay?”
With a sincere apologetic tone, Jiang Que generously forgave Shen Tazhi and turned back, saying, “Okay.”
Although initially it was because Shen Tazhi was perfect to the point of not seeming human that Jiang Que liked him, in reality, Jiang Que didn’t dislike the current Shen Tazhi much. Otherwise, he would have distanced himself when Shen Tazhi’s true character began to show.
Jiang Que recalled Shen Tazhi’s flushed ears and evasive expression when he mentioned “kissing,” and his gaze kept falling on Shen Tazhi’s lips.
Rather than saying he didn’t dislike him, it was more like…
He wanted to provoke Shen Tazhi into showing more flustered expressions.
He wanted to see him cry, see him break down; in short, he had many malicious thoughts.
He wanted to break through Shen Tazhi’s shell, to evoke more intense emotions from Shen Tazhi beyond just the affection of an elder.
Even behind his sunglasses, Jiang Que’s gaze still had an undeniable presence. Shen Tazhi strangely touched his own mouth corner and asked, “Is there something on my mouth?”
“No,” Jiang Que withdrew his gaze, innocently grabbing Shen Tazhi’s arm, who had just teased him, and said with a smile, “Gege, let’s go see the room. I want to see the room.”
Why did he suddenly call him “Gege”…
Shen Tazhi, who had been called by his name by Jiang Que for the past few days, felt a sudden pause at being addressed as “Gege”. He instinctively felt something was off but couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was wrong when met with Jiang Que’s innocent and soft gaze.
Being led by Jiang Que towards the elevator, Shen Tazhi could only see the back of his head. Previously, he had either led Jiang Que forward or walked side by side with him. It was rare to see Jiang Que’s back like this. Shen Tazhi suddenly realized that Jiang Que seemed to have grown a bit taller.
When Jiang Que had his physical examination at the Anomaly Investigation Department just after leaving the abyss, he was about 1.75 meters tall at most, barely reaching Shen Tazhi’s shoulders. Now Jiang Que’s head was at Shen Tazhi’s chin level.
How did he grow so much in just a few days?
Shen Tazhi couldn’t help but think. At this rate of growth, in less than a month, Jiang Que might not be able to nestle into his embrace like he used to.
Would Jiang Que feel wronged then?
Thinking of this scene, Shen Tazhi smiled briefly, but then a sense of impending crisis that had lingered since that day began to spread:
Jiang Que was growing too fast. Shen Tazhi didn’t know how long he could maintain his current poised state.
