PTGWD Chapter 41: Feed

Half a pig couldn’t fit in the fridge, so it had to be hung on the relatively cool balcony.

Lu Jianchuan had been full of energy on the way home, but as soon as they arrived, he quickly lost his strength. By the time Fang Xingzhou finished hanging the laundry and went upstairs, he found Lu Jianchuan slumped in the bathtub, fast asleep, the water long gone cold.

He gently woke Lu Jianchuan and told him to go sleep in bed.

Lu Jianchuan yawned, wrapped himself in a towel, and kissed Fang Xingzhou’s cheek with damp lips, murmuring, “Goodnight,” before sleepwalking toward the bedroom with his eyes barely open.

By the time Fang Xingzhou finished showering and washing off the smell of meat, Lu Jianchuan was already asleep on the bed, his hair only half-dry, the blanket untouched, his brow slightly furrowed as if he were having an unpleasant dream.

Fang Xingzhou picked up the hairdryer, set it to the lowest setting, and patiently dried Lu Jianchuan’s hair.

Just as it was almost dry, Lu Jianchuan’s body suddenly twitched, as if startled awake from a nightmare. His eyes snapped open, drenched in cold sweat, and met Fang Xingzhou’s gaze.

His rapid breathing was masked by the noise of the hairdryer. Lu Jianchuan’s pupils slowly focused, his chest rising and falling as he stared at Fang Xingzhou with a dazed, almost obsessive look, as if he couldn’t tell whether he was dreaming or awake.

Fang Xingzhou continued drying his hair, smoothing it with his fingers. “Did you have a nightmare?”

Lu Jianchuan took a slow breath, as if making a decision. He smiled at Fang Xingzhou, though his expression was somewhat somber, and whispered, “I’m sorry, darling.”

The distinct black and white of his eyes slowly merged into a deep crimson.

Fang Xingzhou froze.

As he watched Lu Jianchuan’s eyes gradually lose their human appearance, his heart began to race, a strong premonition surging through him.

Lu Jianchuan was about to alter his memory.

An overwhelming fear washed over Fang Xingzhou, his rationality crumbling. The air around them grew thick, the temperature dropping rapidly. The mysterious, intoxicating scent emanating from Lu Jianchuan intensified, reminiscent of a death flower blooming in hell.

Fang Xingzhou’s joints felt as if they were freezing. He heard the chattering of his teeth and caught a glimpse of his own reflection in those crimson eyes.

No…

He can’t…

His nails dug into his palms, the sharp pain jolting his brain. Fang Xingzhou took a sharp breath, and a miraculous surge of strength erupted within him. He managed to lift his hand and cover Lu Jianchuan’s eyes.

Lu Jianchuan: “?”

He opened his mouth in disbelief.

How had Fang Xingzhou, under the control of his mind, so easily broken free?

Was it because the egg had weakened his powers? Or had Fang Xingzhou been contaminated without his knowledge?

The hairdryer continued to hum, turning Lu Jianchuan’s cold sweat into warm beads. He gripped Fang Xingzhou’s icy wrist, trying to pull his hand away, but the grip on his eyes was unexpectedly strong, and he couldn’t break free on the first try.

The crimson in his eyes had already faded, replaced by the usual black and white. Lu Jianchuan blinked in the darkness, horrified. Regardless of the reason for his failure, he now had to face an inconvenient truth:

Fang Xingzhou had seen his non-human side.

Lu Jianchuan’s face drained of color. His lips parted several times, but no sound came out.

A brief yet agonizing standoff.

After what felt like an eternity, Fang Xingzhou slowly moved his hand away, meeting Lu Jianchuan’s now-normal eyes. He forced a stiff smile, trying to keep his voice steady. “Your eyes looked really dry. I thought I saw a lot of red veins.”

As he spoke, he reached out to examine Lu Jianchuan’s eyes, doing his best to hide the trembling in his fingers.

Lu Jianchuan was stunned for a moment, feeling Fang Xingzhou’s cold fingers gently lift his eyelids. Fang Xingzhou leaned closer, studying his eyes intently before saying, “They are a bit red. Let me put in some artificial tears for you.”

He turned off the hairdryer and left the bedroom to fetch the first aid kit, his footsteps quick, as if fleeing something.

Everything seemed perfectly normal.

Once Fang Xingzhou was gone, Lu Jianchuan finally caught his breath, a tentacle emerging to wipe the sweat from his forehead. The egg in his belly, startled by the close call, began to stir, as if realizing it had almost been rejected by its other parent.

Lu Jianchuan clutched his stomach, his mind blank, sharing a deep sense of lingering fear with the little creature inside him. He murmured, “We almost got kicked out of the house by your dad…”

The embryo’s fragile heart rate had skyrocketed to 150.

Lu Jianchuan decided he couldn’t use his powers so carelessly anymore. Fang Xingzhou had become increasingly perceptive lately, perhaps because the fetus was too small to control its own powers, subtly contaminating its other parent.

As long as he didn’t reveal any fatal flaws before the child was born, everything would be fine. Once the child was born… with a new life connecting them by blood, Fang Xingzhou might be able to accept the reality more easily.

The two of them sat on the bed, recovering for several minutes.

Fang Xingzhou returned with the artificial tears, having washed his face with cold water in the bathroom to suppress the fear bubbling up from deep within. His thoughts churned.

He walked back into the bedroom.

Lu Jianchuan was now wide awake. He rolled out of bed, hugged Fang Xingzhou, and nuzzled his cheek, his voice hoarse. “I’m so tired. Did I do something weird in my sleep? Why did you cover my eyes?”

Fang Xingzhou’s voice was calm, though with a barely detectable tremor. “I wanted to wake you up to dry your hair, but I noticed your eyes were bloodshot, so I covered them to protect them from the light.”

Both of them were desperately trying to cover for each other’s slip-ups. Lu Jianchuan had never lied so smoothly before.

“…My eyes do feel uncomfortable. Zhouzhou, could you take another look for me?”

He sat on the edge of the bed, wrapped his arms around Fang Xingzhou’s waist, rested his chin on Fang Xingzhou’s ribs, and tilted his head up, showing his reddened eyes.

To make the lie more convincing, he even added a few extra blood vessels to his eyes.

Fang Xingzhou’s fingertips brushed against his lower eyelid, staring intently for a few seconds.

“It’s nothing serious. I’ll put some artificial tears in for you,” he said hoarsely. “Don’t do this again, or I’ll be angry.”

Lu Jianchuan’s heart skipped a beat.

He wasn’t sure what Fang Xingzhou meant by “this,” but he didn’t dare ask directly. He sniffed subtly, assessing Fang Xingzhou’s emotions through his scent. After a moment, he replied cautiously and earnestly, “Okay, I won’t.”

Given how perceptive Fang Xingzhou had become, tampering with his memory again might lead to complete exposure. Lu Jianchuan’s temples throbbed. He would have to be even more careful in the future.

Fang Xingzhou gazed deeply into his pupils, unscrewed the bottle of eye drops, and carefully administered a drop of artificial tears into Lu Jianchuan’s eyes.

Lu Jianchuan, too nervous, stared unblinkingly at Fang Xingzhou’s expression, even forgetting to blink when the liquid hit his pupils.

…His acting was terrible.

Fang Xingzhou couldn’t help but laugh, the icy numbness in his limbs finally beginning to thaw.

As he laughed, Lu Jianchuan laughed too, belatedly blinking. The artificial tears trickled down his cheek.

“Let’s sleep,” Fang Xingzhou said. “I’ll watch over you.”

Somehow, Lu Jianchuan seemed to hear the unspoken words behind that—[Don’t try anything while I’m asleep].

His shoulders tensed, and he nodded, pulling Fang Xingzhou down onto the pillow with him.

True to his word, Fang Xingzhou stayed by his side until he fell asleep.

Once Lu Jianchuan was asleep, Fang Xingzhou placed his hand on his belly, confirming that the baby inside was also asleep. Then he gazed at Lu Jianchuan’s face for a long time, well into the night.

Lu Jianchuan slept deeply, his brow slightly furrowed again, as if trapped in the same nightmare.

Fang Xingzhou lay in the darkness, slowly piecing together the myriad of details into a logical web. Finally, he turned over, reached for his phone on the nightstand, and sent a message to Li Xuan, whom he had recently added as a contact.

“Are you free tomorrow? Let’s meet at the café across from the hospital at 12:30 PM.”

…

The next day, Lu Jianchuan’s father called Fang Xingzhou, inviting the couple over for a family dinner that evening. Apparently, the statement “Lu Jianchuan is starving to death” had scared him, and he wanted to make sure his nominal second son was still alive and well.

Fang Xingzhou dropped Lu Jianchuan off early on his way to work, giving himself some free time—and Lu Jianchuan some as well.

As long as he left the house openly, Lu Jianchuan would undoubtedly have countless ways to obtain food and satisfy the insatiable hunger of the child in his belly.

After finishing his morning shift, Fang Xingzhou texted Lu Jianchuan to ask if he had eaten well.

Lu Jianchuan, who usually replied instantly, took half an hour to respond this time. He said, “Wife, Dad took me to visit another farm today. I was in the pigpen and didn’t see your message. Had lunch and ate a lot. You should eat well too, and remember to come home early tonight.”

The pigpen, huh… Fang Xingzhou smiled.

He put away his phone, crossed the crossroad, and headed toward the café across from the hospital. He looked up and saw the person he had invited sitting by the window on the second floor, nodding at him from afar.

It had been a while.

Li Xuan was still wearing his long coat, a baseball cap pulled low to hide the terrifying scar on his eyebrow. He was patiently stirring his coffee, his cold, hard demeanor seeming out of place in the cozy café.

Fang Xingzhou sat down across from him and shook his hand politely. “Officer Li, sorry to make you come all this way.”

Li Xuan habitually scanned Fang Xingzhou quickly and smiled. “It’s nothing. You can always reach out if you need help. Serving the people is our job.”

Fang Xingzhou called the waiter and ordered a double-shot black coffee and a sandwich.

Li Xuan raised an eyebrow as Fang Xingzhou downed the coffee, strong enough to kill a rat, in one gulp. The scar on his brow twitched slightly, like a living centipede.

“Drinking something that strong, you might not sleep tonight,” he said.

Fang Xingzhou added milk foam to his second cup of coffee and stared at the surface as he spoke. “The human body is full of untapped potential. If you drink too much coffee, you build a tolerance, and you need to drink stronger and stronger brews to get the same effect. Some forms of contamination are the same—after prolonged exposure, you gradually develop antibodies.”

Li Xuan’s pupils contracted slightly.

After a brief silence, he stopped stirring his coffee and set the spoon on the saucer. He got straight to the point, smiling. “It seems Dr. Fang is here today because of Mr. Lu?”

It was a pointed probe.

Fang Xingzhou was even more direct. “Yes.”

“My partner isn’t human, Officer Li. That’s what I’m here to discuss with you today.”

Li Xuan’s heart sank, though his expression remained unchanged. He stared directly at Fang Xingzhou’s face, trying to gauge his intentions, and didn’t take the bait.

Not involving ordinary people in the “mysterious world” was the first lesson all special agents learned during training.

Even if Fang Xingzhou was the lover of an A+ special entity, Li Xuan wouldn’t easily reveal any details. Unless… the special entity itself had leaked the secret, in which case it was their job to step in and handle the aftermath appropriately.

“Not human?” he said. “I’m not quite following, Dr. Fang.”

He kept his eyes on Fang Xingzhou.

But just as Li Xuan was eager to hear more, Fang Xingzhou leaned back in his chair, cut the sandwich into five perfect pieces, and ate one slowly, chewing deliberately.

“Sorry, I was too busy this morning and didn’t have time to eat. Would you like something? All things on me,” Fang Xingzhou said.

Li Xuan’s heart, which had been hanging in suspense, dropped heavily. He couldn’t help but sigh, unsure whether the jellyfish or Fang Xingzhou was harder to deal with. He smiled wryly. “With that horror-movie opening, my appetite is completely in your hands now. I don’t think I can eat.”

Fang Xingzhou chuckled. “Then forgive my rudeness. I’m quite hungry.”

Li Xuan: “Take your time. Eating is important. We can talk after you’re done.”

Silence settled between them.

Li Xuan watched as Fang Xingzhou quietly and quickly finished his sandwich, his thoughts wandering. He knew Fang Xingzhou had come today because of Lu Jianchuan, but why had the jellyfish suddenly exposed itself? How much had it revealed? Did Fang Xingzhou already have concrete evidence of its non-human nature? How should they handle the confidentiality issue? Fang Xingzhou was no ordinary doctor—the image of him holding a knife at the wedding banquet was still fresh in Li Xuan’s mind. This was going to be tricky. He’d probably have to write a several-thousand-word report when he got back…

Five minutes later, Fang Xingzhou finished his sandwich, and the scales in Li Xuan’s mind had tipped toward belief.

Then, he heard Fang Xingzhou speak in a measured tone:

“After Deer got pregnant, it became difficult for him to maintain his disguise. He needs to eat hundreds of pounds of meat every day, and his memory-altering abilities have been affected, leading to many sloppy mistakes. I had an open conversation with him yesterday, and he told me everything.”

…So it was true.

The scales tipped decisively in one direction.

Lu Jianchuan, being pregnant and living closely with an ordinary human, couldn’t hide his identity as easily as he had over the past decade. Li Xuan had guessed that Fang Xingzhou would eventually find out about Lu Jianchuan’s true nature, but he hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.

Only four months in…

But years of handling dangerous situations had ingrained caution in Li Xuan. He didn’t say anything, only replying, “Everything? Does that involve me? Or is there something you need me to do?”

Fang Xingzhou: “Naturally, it involves you, Officer Li. It seems you and your colleagues aren’t ordinary police officers but are specifically tasked with managing non-human entities like Lu Jianchuan. You occasionally collaborate with them, leveraging their powers to handle tricky cases—like Wang Fei, for example.”

Li Xuan: “……”

Fang Xingzhou stared intently at every subtle change in Li Xuan’s expression and smiled. “Are you thinking about how to make me sign a confidentiality agreement?”

Exactly right.

Not only was he thinking about how to get Dr. Fang to sign a confidentiality agreement, but he was also pondering how to write a five-thousand-word report on the leak.

Li Xuan forced a bitter smile. This time, he neither confirmed nor denied, but his silence spoke volumes.

Fang Xingzhou’s eyes darkened imperceptibly.

Having probed this far, he shifted the conversation, leaving room for maneuver. “Of course, I only know the broad strokes. That’s why I invited you here today—to discuss the specifics and seek your advice on how to navigate the rest of the pregnancy.”

Li Xuan fell silent for a moment.

“Dr. Fang, as you’ve surmised, our work is of a… special nature,” he finally said. “Without proper authorization, I can’t share too much information with you. But since you’re Lu Jianchuan’s next of kin, if it’s about how to help him through the pregnancy, I can discuss it with you briefly.”

The fish had taken the bait.

Whether or not he obtained useful information today, Li Xuan’s reaction had already confirmed that Fang Xingzhou’s earlier speculation was largely correct.

…That fake engagement banquet had been a covert operation involving Lu Jianchuan and Li Xuan’s team. Wang Fei might not have been human either and had likely not been imprisoned but instead digested by Lu Jianchuan as nourishment.

Moreover, from a timeline perspective, this operation might also be connected to the truth behind Lu Jianchuan’s pregnancy.

Fang Xingzhou took a sip of his coffee, his expression unchanging. “That’s perfect. Officer Li, I won’t put you in a difficult position. I’ll only ask questions related to Lu Jianchuan. If anything touches on classified information, you can refuse to answer.”

Li Xuan quickly interjected, “One addition: since Mr. Lu isn’t here today, I can’t answer anything too personal.”

“No problem,” Fang Xingzhou agreed.

He looked directly into Li Xuan’s eyes and asked, “What’s the codename you’ve given Lu Jianchuan? Have you studied his true form?”

The first question was already too sensitive. Li Xuan felt a slight chill on his scalp under Fang Xingzhou’s gaze but only smiled and shook his head, remaining silent.

Fang Xingzhou didn’t press further and quickly moved on. “Is your organization a civilian group or a government agency?”

Li Xuan: “We’re directly under the government, with a higher authority than the public security system in City C. I understand your concerns, Dr. Fang. We won’t take any harmful actions against Lu Jianchuan. Both he and his child are extremely valuable to us, both emotionally and practically.”

Emotionally…

It seemed they had been working with Lu Jianchuan for many years. The Lu family’s business had close ties with the government, and perhaps it was through their connections that Lu Jianchuan’s parents had accepted a monster as part of their family.

Fang Xingzhou continued, “How long have you known Lu Jianchuan?”

Li Xuan: “Personally, about six months.”

“And how long has he been part of your organization?”

Li Xuan shook his head again. “That’s classified information.”

Fang Xingzhou changed the subject, no longer pressing for details about their identities, and moved on to the main issue. “Since he became pregnant, he’s been experiencing a series of symptoms. Have you been in close contact with him? Is there a solution, especially regarding his dietary needs?”

Hearing this, Li Xuan fell silent for a few seconds, feeling a deep sense of emotion.

Having a human family member for a special entity really makes a difference… he thought sincerely. Especially when that family member is highly educated, emotionally stable, and deeply devoted.

Since the ant queen incident, the only thing Li Xuan didn’t doubt was the extraordinary bond between Fang Xingzhou and Lu Jianchuan. If he hadn’t witnessed this bizarre, obsessive love firsthand, he probably wouldn’t have said a word today.

So, faced with Fang Xingzhou’s question, he couldn’t hold back his urge to vent.

But as a government employee, he couldn’t make his complaints too obvious. Li Xuan carefully chose his words, speaking tactfully, “We’ve created a very detailed pregnancy plan for Mr. Lu, including comprehensive checkups, a complete dietary plan, a safe and comfortable birthing environment, and thorough postpartum care. However, since the Wang Fei incident, Mr. Lu has been extremely cautious, avoiding contact with us unless absolutely necessary, fearing that too much communication might raise your suspicions.”

“Through certain channels, we’ve learned that he’s severely lacking in food. The doctor in charge of his pregnancy has called him multiple times, but he refuses to answer.” Li Xuan maintained a smile. “We’ve also considered reaching out to you, but as you know, Mr. Lu has always considered you his rinciple. If he found out, he might get so angry that he’d swallow both me and the doctor as nourishment for the next generation.”

Fang Xingzhou: “…”

Li Xuan politely added, “For this meeting, I’ve kept a record of our conversation. If Mr. Lu questions me, for the sake of my safety, I may have to show him the record. Do you mind?”

“…I don’t mind,” Fang Xingzhou said, feeling a strange sense of dissonance, as if he were hearing about a completely different Lu Jianchuan from someone else. “I was the one who initiated this meeting. If he asks, I’ll explain.”

Li Xuan: “Thank you.”

Fang Xingzhou frowned slightly. “Does Lu Jianchuan… eat people?”

Li Xuan was taken aback, then couldn’t help but laugh. “Ah, I thought the same thing when I first started working with him. But after getting to know him, I realized Mr. Lu is a law-abiding citizen. That was just a metaphor.”

Fang Xingzhou’s tense shoulders slowly relaxed.

He asked, “Can you tell me what kind of food Lu Jianchuan needs now? Ordinary meat doesn’t seem to satisfy him, and as the fetus grows, its demands are increasing.”

Li Xuan replied, “What he needs isn’t any conventional food. It’s not something you can get through normal channels. We’re the only ones who can provide it. I can’t share more details at this time.”

Fang Xingzhou fell silent.

“What do you mean by ‘conventional food’? He seems extremely interested in my blood. Does that count as conventional?”

Li Xuan: “…”

Dr. Fang, do you have some misunderstanding about what “conventional food” means?

He glanced at Fang Xingzhou’s wrist and said, “In a sense, your genes have already merged with Lu Jianchuan’s through the child. Your blood naturally provides nutrients that surpass ordinary Earthly food. But I believe Mr. Lu wouldn’t want to consume your blood.”

Their genes had merged through the child…

The sheer romance of that statement made Fang Xingzhou’s heart skip several beats.

He took a slow breath, a faint smile appearing on his lips. He then asked, “Are there many beings like Lu Jianchuan hidden within human society?”

“Not many, but they do exist.”

“Does he need ‘non-conventional creatures’ as food?”

Li Xuan nodded.

As expected. Fang Xingzhou thought.

In his over twenty years of life, apart from Lu Jianchuan, he had never encountered any related “supernatural events.” Li Xuan wasn’t lying—these “non-conventional creatures” were likely strictly controlled by government agencies and wouldn’t be easily revealed to the public.

“So,” Fang Xingzhou said, “apart from joining your organization, I have no other way to easily obtain the food he needs.”

Li Xuan’s eyes lit up slightly, looking at Fang Xingzhou with interest. “Whether you join or not, we’ll provide food for Mr. Lu. That’s part of our agreement with him. However, if you’re interested in becoming my colleague… we’d be more than happy to welcome you.”

Fang Xingzhou simply smiled, not committing to anything.

Deer was currently clinging tightly to his human disguise, and any slip-up would make him anxious. Fang Xingzhou didn’t want to further upset the emotionally unstable expectant father.

Similarly, without more information, he wasn’t ready to fully trust Li Xuan’s words.

He said, “For an ordinary office worker, what you’ve just said is quite beyond common sense. I need more concrete evidence.”

Li Xuan: “…”

An ordinary office worker who had been in a relationship with an A+ special entity for ten years, easily accepted that his partner was a monster, and was now actively seeking food for his pregnant male lover?

“…I understand,” Li Xuan said politely. “After I return, I’ll apply to my superiors to provide some harmless ‘creatures’ for you to inspect before giving them to Lu Jianchuan.”

Fang Xingzhou: “Good. I look forward to it.”

“Let’s set a date ten days from now. I’ll expedite the process,” Li Xuan said. “If Mr. Lu’s current condition continues, meat prices across the entire province of C will skyrocket. I’ve already had my bonus docked for several months because of this.”

Fang Xingzhou: “Are you constantly monitoring Lu Jianchuan and me?”

Li Xuan: “No, we only pay attention when there’s unusual activity. Mr. Lu is aware of this.”

Seeing Fang Xingzhou’s gaze, he added, “You don’t have to trust me, but you must trust Lu Jianchuan.”

“Around his ‘nest,’ no creature can approach without him noticing. Even a glance from thousands of miles away through a camera would catch his attention.”

“Whether in the human world or the ‘non-human’ world, he holds absolute dominance. During the fake engagement banquet you know about, I had the privilege of witnessing his true form. At that moment, I experienced the shock of facing a deity for the first time.”

Li Xuan seemed to recall something extremely terrifying, his gaze growing distant as he leaned back in his chair, silent for a moment.

When he spoke again, his tone slowed, his voice carrying a deep emotion. “He is… an undefeatable, higher-dimensional being who willingly confines himself out of love. But that doesn’t mean he’s truly lost his power. Aside from you, I don’t think any human would dare to deceive or harm him.”

With those words, silence fell between them at the table.

Fang Xingzhou completely understood the emotions behind Li Xuan’s words.

He thought of Lu Jianchuan’s crimson eyes when he tried to alter his memory. Many past memories began to crack at the seams, and a cold fear seeped through, coiling around him like a snake.

He must have seen Lu Jianchuan’s true form before. Fang Xingzhou thought. It’s just that the memory was erased.

That form must have been so terrifying that it exceeded what a human could endure… That’s why the fear was etched into his bones, rushing to the surface at the slightest trigger, warning him not to delve any deeper.

Li Xuan’s eyes clearly carried the same shadow.

The two men stared at each other for a long time. Fang Xingzhou tried to steady his breathing, then downed the now-cold coffee in one gulp.

“Thank you for sharing, Officer Li,” he said. “Is there anything else I should be aware of?”

Li Xuan also raised his cup, finishing the remaining coffee, and forcefully pushed aside the memories of the tentacles. He said:

“One last reminder.”

“We’ve been monitoring the magnetic field around Lu Jianchuan. As the embryo grows, the magnetic field in Xiangxing Street has become increasingly powerful and distorted, which may attract the attention of other… things.”

“Power attracts power,” he said. “Be very careful of any unusual activity around you. If anything happens, contact me immediately.”

Fang Xingzhou’s pupils contracted slightly.

“Alright,” he said, standing up and extending his hand to Li Xuan. “Thank you.”

Li Xuan also stood and shook his hand again. “I should be thanking you, Dr. Fang. You’ve done most of the work for me.”

After exchanging a few polite words, Fang Xingzhou called the waiter to settle the bill. Li Xuan waved his phone and said, “It’s already taken care of. I told you at the engagement banquet that I’d treat you to a meal.”

Fang Xingzhou picked up his bag and walked downstairs with Li Xuan. “You all conspired to trick me into almost dying with Lu Jianchuan. Isn’t a sandwich too simple a meal?”

Li Xuan laughed.

The scar on his face moved with his expression, like a living parasite full of vitality. “Next time, it’s definitely on me. Not only will I treat you, but I’ll also treat Lu Jianchuan to some specially prepared delicacies.”

He paused here, emphasizing, “Real delicacies.”

Fang Xingzhou smiled. “Until next time.”

“Until next time.”

They waved goodbye and went their separate ways. Fang Xingzhou’s mind was abuzz with Li Xuan’s words as he tilted his head slightly, looking up at the blinding midday sun overhead.

He squinted, the membranes of his eyes producing a protective fluid to shield him from the direct sunlight.

When it came to raising strange creatures, he wasn’t lacking in experience.

After losing the jellyfish twenty years ago, he would now raise his monstrous lover and their adorable child, who carried their genes, in his own way.

Fang Xingzhou smiled at the sun.