Once his breathing had calmed, Chi Liu tidied up his appearance. He walked through the empty kitchen and messy living room before stepping out the door, ready to apologize and thank his neighbor. However, he paused, surprised to find the hallway empty; his neighbor was gone.

Did something come up, and did they go downstairs?

The apartment building’s front door features facial recognition for entry, so Chi Liu wasn’t concerned about them being locked out. He simply closed their door and returned to his own apartment across the hall.

He turned on the light, and a warm glow filled the entire space, the air thick with a sweet scent of cream and fruit.

In the living room, soft, adorable throw pillows rested on the light green sofa. Star-shaped cookies filled a bunny-shaped tray on the coffee table. On the nearby shelving unit were green plants and a yarn basket overflowing with colorful skeins of yarn. In the corner, a glass jar sat, vaguely revealing a finger bone.

The sliding glass door to the balcony was open a crack for ventilation, and the night breeze gently fluttered the snow-white curtains.

In his cozy and adorable home, Chi Liu finally completely relaxed. Fatigue washed over him. He stretched and began unbuttoning his shirt as he walked toward the bathroom.

The sound of rushing water swiftly filled the air. Chi Liu believed he needed to properly thank his neighbor later.

Or, maybe he could buy them a thank-you gift after his check-up at the hospital tomorrow?

Even though his neighbor appeared a bit odd, he believed he was a good person!

…

In the silent hallway, shadows in the darkness began to stir, quickly solidifying into a human form out of thin air.

Chu Qi stood there, removing his bear head.

His dark eyes stared at the metal door across the hall, his gaze easily penetrating the peephole and invading that private, cozy, and adorable space.

That space was filled with the young man’s scent, with traces of him everywhere.

He desperately wanted to enter—to be invited in—but he wasn’t allowed.

That young man would throw up if he heard him or saw him… He didn’t like him.

Chu Qi tilted his head in a robotic, jerky motion. He looked at the hand that had held Chi Liu’s. A thick, dark blue tentacle burst from his spine, snaking around his broad shoulder, greedily devouring the lingering scent of the young man on his pale hand.

Yet, a naive expression, a mixture of confusion and disappointment, appeared on his handsome face: What was this feeling that he had never felt before towards any being, including any NPC?

He could even feel it—the heart he had placed in another world was now unbelievably shattering the barriers of time and space, resonating with him in a violent, shared palpitation…

But Chi Liu wasn’t his believer; he didn’t recognize him, and he hated him so much that he would throw up…

Chu Qi stood alone in the hallway, his thin lips pressed downward in a disappointed line. The next second, his figure vanished from the space.

…

The next day, Secretary Wen clocked in first to record his attendance, then returned to the company entrance, where he met his night shift colleague—who happened to be on vacation today.

He traded half a ham for the canned eyeballs his colleague had drawn.

Secretary Wen put the can into his briefcase and said, “Thank you.”

Next to a super cool motorcycle, a green-haired girl with pigtails wore a rock-style T-shirt and ripped jeans, fashionable fluorescent headphones around her neck, chewing bubble gum. She hoisted the half-ham over her shoulder and said casually, “No problem, the ham looks super tasty.”

After a pause, she lowered her voice and asked, “Old Wen, who exactly pissed off the boss lately? He’s chewed through at least five thousand players in the Abyss dungeon… Tsk, tsk, tsk, you should hear the sound, even I find it creepy.”

Secretary Wen subtly twitched his lips, his expression both subtle and helpless. “Ah, that’s a long story—” He paused, then used a more accurate description: “Well, actually, I don’t know.”

He really didn’t know why the boss had suddenly become so… fixated on Little Chi.

He couldn’t even judge or describe what the boss’s feelings for him were.

The boss was back at work today after his business trip, and he wondered how he was doing.

The pigtail girl didn’t mind and continued, “By the way, where was that bartender’s bar again? I finally have a day off, I want to relax!”

The bartender’s drinks were totally her style!

Secretary Wen enthusiastically promoted his friend’s business: “It’s on the 66th floor of the Cloud Building across the river. It’s opening in about two weeks. Not only are the drinks and atmosphere great, but the owner is also very nice. You’re welcome to bring your friends to relax there after it opens.”

The girl replied cheerfully, “Got it! I’m off then~ You’re busy, Old Wen!”

With that, she casually strapped the ham to the back of her seat, started the motorcycle with a “vroom,” and quickly disappeared.

Secretary Wen also turned and walked towards the building.

He swiped his card and went to the top floor, opening the door to the president’s office as usual—generally, the boss would arrive about an hour later.

The moment he opened the door, he froze completely:

It wasn’t a big deal that the boss occasionally came in early, and it used to be shocking when the boss actively worked, but now, because of Mr. Chi, his venting-style work wasn’t a big deal either—but, what was that super cute bear doll head on the desk that was so shockingly out of place with the boss!

For a moment, Secretary Wen wondered if he was dreaming.

Chu Qi, who had been working all night, looked up with a smile, his whole body seemingly radiating dark energy.

Secretary Wen: “!!!”

Secretary Wen snapped to attention: “I’ll get to work right away!”

But before returning to his cubicle to work, Secretary Wen still sent a message to his friend:

[Are you going to the hospital for your check-up today? Hope everything’s okay.]

…

Chi Liu had just heard the electronic voice call his number when he received the message.

He replied and got up to walk towards the gastroenterologist’s office.

Facing the doctor, Chi Liu concisely and accurately described his symptoms, including nausea, drowsiness, and heightened senses of taste and smell. The doctor paused, then chuckled, “If I didn’t know you were a man, I’d think you were pregnant.”

Chi Liu smiled. “You’re joking.”

The doctor busily typed on the medical record, saying, “Let’s do a gastroscopy first. Have you fasted beforehand?”

Chi Liu nodded.

The doctor typed on the form and continued, “Painless, right?”

Chi Liu was about to answer “yes,” but his hand instinctively went to his abdomen, which was still as flat as ever.

He frowned slightly in confusion, and, as if compelled by some unknown force, said firmly to the doctor, “No, a regular gastroscopy.”

A painless gastroscopy required anesthesia.

For some reason, he felt… that it would harm something important to him…

The doctor looked at the young man, who didn’t seem to be short on money, with surprise, but didn’t press the issue and typed on the form.

…

After the gastroscopy, Chi Liu lay there for a long time before recovering. He got up and took the test report, his brow furrowing in confusion: his stomach was perfectly normal.

But the nausea he felt every day was so real…

Did he not fully understand the report?

He didn’t continue to think uselessly, thanked the medical staff, and returned to the doctor’s office.

The doctor paused, looking at Chi Liu’s overly pale face, white lips, and cold sweat on his forehead, and said, “Are you okay? Sigh, that’s how regular gastroscopies are; they must be very uncomfortable.”

Chi Liu’s hand was still instinctively on his abdomen, as if comforting something apprehensive and anxious. He smiled slightly at the doctor: “It’s okay.”

The doctor sighed and quickly looked at the report in his hand. After reading it, he was stunned: “Hey, there’s nothing wrong with your stomach, it’s incredibly healthy!”

It had been a long time since he had seen such a healthy stomach in a young person who likely had an irregular lifestyle!

The doctor said, “Nausea can also be caused by many other things, like seasonal changes or food problems. I can only say that your stomach is in excellent health. Or you can do a CT scan to check other things?”

Chi Liu’s hand paused on his abdomen. After a long while, he smiled: “Thank you, but no.”

He seemed… unsuitable for a CT scan—just as he was unfit for anesthesia.

It was a completely inexplicable idea, but he inexplicably didn’t want to go against it.

After a pause, he said, “If other symptoms appear, I will seek medical attention on time.”

After thanking the doctor again, Chi Liu left the hospital.

…

After leaving the hospital, Chi Liu didn’t go home immediately.

He went to a nearby convenience store, sat in the nearest seat, and the waves of dizziness finally subsided.

It was almost noon, and the sunlight streaming in through the glass window was dazzling. Most of the office workers hadn’t left work yet, and the convenience store was temporarily empty.

Having eaten almost nothing all morning, Chi Liu bought a rice ball and ate it slowly with warm milk.

His hand was still gently on his abdomen, as if subconsciously comforting the thing that was still frantically worried.

Next to Chi Liu sat a young woman dressed in expensive clothes. She was gorgeous, but for some reason, she looked very haggard. She was on the phone with someone, her other hand anxiously rubbing the paper cup of hot coffee: “Lily, I’m really scared… I don’t even dare to go home…”

“Yes, yes, ever since he came back from his business trip a few days ago, he, he hasn’t been abusing me anymore… He’s suddenly being overly nice to me, almost as gentle as a perfect husband…”

“But that’s why I’m scared!” The woman was a little agitated, her voice trembling, low and fast: “I was originally going to file for divorce, but you know what? I feel like he’s just wearing his old skin, but inside he’s become a different stranger… I know it sounds unbelievable, but I can’t help but be scared…”

At this moment, her finger trembled slightly, and the cup of hot coffee was knocked over, spilling towards her.

Chi Liu’s pupils shrank, and he quickly grabbed the cup.

The woman hung up the phone, startled, and looked at Chi Liu: “Thank you so much.”

Chi Liu smiled gently at her: “You’re welcome.”

He was about to ask if she needed help, but the woman had already stood up. She forced a smile at Chi Liu and hurried out of the store.

Chi Liu thoughtfully watched the woman’s back, frowning slightly.

…

Yingwang Building.

With a “bang,” Chu Qi suddenly stood up, and the desk neatly split in half.

Secretary Wen couldn’t hear the sound in his cubicle, but he could feel the vibration. He quickly pushed open the door and asked, “Boss, what’s wrong?”

Chu Qi stared blankly, his pupils slightly constricted, the edges faintly glowing with a blurred red light. He said, “Just now, a formless consciousness was calling out to me…”

A very anxious call.

It said that its mother was very hungry, very uncomfortable, and not doing well…

He couldn’t ignore that consciousness, and he couldn’t ignore the “mother” that consciousness spoke of…

Chu Qi looked at Secretary Wen: “I’m off work.”

Secretary Wen: “???”

He didn’t understand anything the boss just said! What consciousness? Why was the boss suddenly leaving work?

Before teleporting, as if compelled by some unknown force, Chu Qi looked at the bear doll head on the desk.

…

In the convenience store, Chi Liu felt much better after eating the rice ball and drinking the warm milk. He cleaned up his trash and was about to leave when he heard a burst of exclamations from the already crowded store.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over him. Chi Liu paused and looked up, his eyes widening:

A handsome, tall man in a suit stood in front of him, holding an extraordinarily luxurious bento box—clearly packed from a high-end restaurant.

But that wasn’t important.

What was important was that it was his neighbor he had met the night before! And he was wearing that strange bear doll head even outside!

Chu Qi silently handed over the bento box that he had cut in line to get.

Chi Liu was completely stunned: “Huh?”

——————–

Little Chi’s shocked cat face: Huh?