Chapter 59: Suspicion
Jian Tang saw the news in the company group chat.
This time, CEO Feng’s visit was incredibly sudden. Even the administrative department hadn’t received word, leaving everyone completely caught off guard.
Fortunately, CEO Feng didn’t express any dissatisfaction regarding everyone’s messy workstations, nor did he call another all-hands meeting. He simply strolled casually around the workspace a few times. During this time, when some employees tentatively reported their work to him, he would stop and listen, not seeming like a completely hands-off manager.
Taking advantage of the fact that CEO Feng hadn’t toured his way over yet, Jian Tang hurriedly retrieved the “Dream Dust” Lord Fila had given him from his spatial card.
The substance was contained in a small, transparent glass bottle. Colorless, odorless, and formless, it looked like an empty bottle at first glance.
Jian Tang fished out another thumb-sized plastic vial and squeezed a green potion into his eyes as if applying eyedrops.
Once the liquid had fully absorbed into his pupils, he looked at the bottle of Dream Dust again. The scene was now vastly different—inside the transparent bottle, a brilliant, nebula-like cluster of light was slowly flowing and floating, appearing like a dreamlike, beautiful mini-universe of its own.
Jian Tang uncorked the bottle and extended a tiny golden spoon—a miniature version of a “dreamcatcher”—inside to stir it around.
The fine, ethereal stardust of the Dream Dust instantly adhered to the dreamcatcher, gathering into a clump like thick honey.
Jian Tang withdrew the tiny golden net and smeared a bit of it onto his fingertips. The brilliant Dream Dust immediately clung to his fingers, shimmering with flowing starlight, exceptionally beautiful.
Jian Tang shook his hand, but the sparkling Dream Dust remained coiled around his fingertips; its adhesive quality was excellent.
Jian Tang idly grabbed a few paper stars from a small cardboard box on his desk—he had folded a lot of paper stars for practice when writing his love letter to Feng Xun earlier. Unwilling to throw away the unused ones, he had left them in the small box.
Jian Tang pinched the little stars one by one with his fingertips. The Dream Dust adhered to them quite easily, looking as though it had applied a starlight filter over the paper stars.
Ha, it’s actually pretty nice.
Having verified the adhesive effect of the Dream Dust, Jian Tang smeared the remaining dust from the dreamcatcher onto his hands. He then grabbed a document as cover and went out to look for CEO Feng.
At this moment, the atmosphere in the workspace was a bit subtle.
Everyone who had work to report had already finished doing so, yet CEO Feng neither went to his executive office nor left the workspace. He continued to pace back and forth in this area, like a great white shark patrolling its territory, or perhaps like he was waiting for someone.
“Hello, CEO Feng!”
Seemingly calm but internally anxious, Jian Tang walked up to the task taker. Worried the man wouldn’t remember who he was, he intentionally introduced himself: “I’m Jian Tang from the Sales Department.”
“Oh.” The man nodded, repeating, “Jian Tang.”
“CEO Feng, these are last month’s sales figures. Please review them.”
Jian Tang pretended to be a proactive employee who reported everything diligently, voluntarily handing the paper document to CEO Feng.
Sure enough, just as the Duke of Nightmares had said, a task taker outside of an instance couldn’t see the Dream Dust at all. The man showed no suspicion whatsoever, accepting the document without reservation and flipping through it a couple of times.
Following the man’s movements, the Dream Dust adhering to the paper document gradually spread onto his fingers.
It worked! It was actually that simple!
Jian Tang cheered quietly in his heart.
But in the next second, he was utterly dumbfounded. The starlight Dream Dust that was supposed to cling to the man seemed to hit some kind of smooth barrier; unable to grip on at all, it rustled down and quickly dissipated into the air.
Jian Tang: ???
Why won’t it stick?!
Refusing to give up, he edged a bit closer. His hand hanging by his side brushed past the corner of the man’s clothes seemingly by accident, and this time he finally saw it clearly—the Dream Dust attempting to cling over was being deflected by something.
Is it a defensive item? Or the task taker’s personal skill?
Whichever it was, Jian Tang didn’t dare make another reckless move.
He swiftly lowered his head and instinctively took a step back—whenever his subconscious detected danger, his instinct was always to strike the most suitable posture for fleeing.
Right beside Jian Tang happened to be another colleague’s workstation, which was piled with a lot of clutter. When Jian Tang stepped back, he accidentally knocked into a stack of folders balanced on the edge of the desk. With a loud crash, the folders toppled to the floor, scattering papers and documents everywhere.
“Ah!” Jian Tang gasped in fright, quickly apologizing, “I’m sorry!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine, I’ll pick it up myself.”
How could Jian Tang let someone else clean up a mess he had caused? He hurriedly knelt down to gather the papers. To his surprise, the seemingly aloof and serious CEO Feng also squatted down, helping him and the colleague pick up the scattered documents.
The colleague was flattered by the unexpected help, and Jian Tang couldn’t resist stealing a few glances at CEO Feng, promptly locking eyes with the man.
“What were you panicking for just now?” the man asked out of nowhere.
Jian Tang was startled almost to the point of crying out. Fortunately, having been frequently frightened lately, his psychological resilience had been forcibly built up. He feigned a daze and said, “What?”
The man stared at him for a moment, then suddenly reached out.
Jian Tang’s heart instantly leaped into his throat. Before he could decide whether to dodge, the man’s hand had already landed on him… right at his cuff.
—From the fold of his cuff, the man plucked out a paper star.
To an outsider, it was just an ordinary paper star, but to Jian Tang, whose eyes were enhanced by the instance potion, he could see the paper star shimmering with the light of the Dream Dust. It must have accidentally fallen into the lapel fold of his sleeve when he was testing the adhesiveness of the dust earlier.
Seeing CEO Feng examining the little star closely, Jian Tang was terrified that the man would spot a flaw and quickly stepped up to claim ownership.
“I folded that just for fun.”
The underlying meaning was: I’m the owner of that paper star, hurry up and give it back.
“Oh.” No wonder it looked familiar. It was indeed the exact same type of paper star used to make the love letter back then; it was likely folded during the youth’s practice.
In other words, it was something folded specifically for him.
Jian Tang watched open-mouthed as CEO Feng slipped the paper star straight into his own pocket. The movement was incredibly smooth and completely righteous, without a single shred of hesitation or guilt over committing highway robbery.
Jian Tang: ???”
Is that yours?! How can you just rob me like that! Let go of my star, you bastard!!
Although he desperately wanted to ask for the paper star back, Jian Tang was too chicken to speak up.
He felt that CEO Feng already suspected him slightly. If he spoke out rashly, it might backfire, drawing CEO Feng’s attention to the abnormality of the paper star instead.
The other party was stronger than he had imagined; he couldn’t afford to add to his own suspicion. As for the Dream Dust on the paper star, Jian Tang could only gamble that CEO Feng wouldn’t study it meticulously. Once the Dream Dust on the paper star slowly dissipated over time, he would be safe.
After helping the colleague gather the papers, Jian Tang also reclaimed his own document from CEO Feng and immediately bolted back to his private office.
According to the tracking reports from his colleagues in the chat, the moment Jian Tang left, CEO Feng left the company right after, officially concluding today’s sudden inspection.
The winner of Brother Cheng’s wager was undisputedly Jian Tang. The other party was very sporting, immediately transferring the redemption code for the hot spring couple’s suite to Jian Tang. It was valid for a year, so they could go anytime during this period.
Jian Tang felt happy about his good luck on one hand, but on the other hand, he worried that CEO Feng might pull a sudden u-turn at any moment and fiercely drag him out as an undercover agent.
Fortunately, his worries seemed to be superfluous. Right up until the end-of-day bell rang, there was absolutely no movement from CEO Feng’s side. The abnormality of the paper star must not have been exposed.
Heck yeah! A close call, but I cleared it smoothly!
Jian Tang put his mind at ease, clocked out of work, and went happily to find Feng Xun to celebrate the Qixi Festival.
This was Jian Tang’s first time celebrating a human festival, and it was also the first festival he was spending with his wife after obtaining one.
The couples on the street today were visibly much more numerous than usual, and merchants were sparing no effort in marketing Valentine’s Day events. It gave one the illusion that everyone in the entire world was dating on this day. The air was thick with the sweet scent of romance, and happy, sweet couples could be seen everywhere. Such a dense festive atmosphere made Jian Tang feel it was highly novel and interesting.
They went together to the couple’s restaurant he had booked for dinner, and afterward, they exchanged Qixi gifts—
Jian Tang had bought materials online and hand-made two keychain plushies shaped like chibi versions of himself and Feng Xun;
Feng Xun gifted a pair of silver couple’s rings named “Intertwined Branches.” The design featured two strands of silver twigs winding together, which Jian Tang liked immensely upon looking at them.
A bit later in the evening, they went to the cinema to watch a movie together.
The screenings on Qixi were naturally dominated by romance films. Feng Xun had selected the one with the best reputation, which told the story of a pair of childhood sweethearts who developed feelings for each other in their youth, were forced apart by war as they grew up, and endured countless hardships in between. Neither had ever given up on the other, constantly searching for one another with all their might, and finally reuniting touchingly many years after the war ended, true love conquering all.
This was a movie adapted from a true story. Now, the real-life prototypes of the two protagonists had already passed away in old age. At the very end of the film, the production team used a brief sentence to summarize the real story following the movie’s timeline—
> [They remained in love after marriage, supporting each other through thick and thin, growing old together and spending a happy life together.]
Jian Tang liked this movie very much. Even on the drive back home, he was still reflecting on the story.
“They went through so many hardships, it’s truly wonderful that they could be together in the end,” Jian Tang sighed for the $n$-th time.
No wonder many humans liked watching romance movies. The feeling of two people being mutually attracted to and caring for each other was truly too good to watch. Jian Tang felt he wouldn’t get tired of it even if he watched it ten more times.
However, this didn’t mean he was one hundred percent satisfied with the film. The biggest regret within it was—
“Why didn’t the movie film their story after marriage?” Jian Tang asked. “Using just a simple sentence to summarize their subsequent happy life without filming the specific details for us to see, isn’t that being a bit too lazy?”
Feng Xun: “Probably because compared to a happy life after marriage, audiences prefer to see the twists, turns, and hardships before marriage. A story with conflict is what draws attention, whereas a happy life is often peaceful and similar, making it hard to pique the audience’s interest.”
“But I really like watching a peaceful, happy life.” Jian Tang thought of his Book of Destiny. The married life recorded by the great monster didn’t have any hardships or twists; it was entirely composed of trivial, ordinary family routines, yet he had read it with immense relish, never tiring of it.
“Yeah.” Feng Xun’s gaze swept past the lights of ten thousand homes outside the window, and he let out a soft laugh. “I like it a lot too.”
Jian Tang was delighted that the other party shared his opinion: “Do you think our current life counts as a peaceful, happy family life?”
The man glanced at him, his tone faint and meaningful: “The status you’re giving me right now seems to only be a boyfriend.”
“T-then let’s make a hypothetical first! Let’s assume two years have already passed, and we’re already living a married life just like the protagonists in the movie. Is that background okay?”
Feng Xun took a deep breath—How did it turn into two years before we can get married now!
Amidst their conversation, they had already driven back into the Xingfu Yuan neighborhood and steered the car into the underground garage.
The two got out of the car. Jian Tang was still immersed in the hypothetical scenario he had proposed earlier, but the more he thought about it, the more he felt that the future wouldn’t be too different from the present.
“Why do I feel like even two years from now, our life won’t be much different compared to how it is now?” he muttered to himself while pressing the elevator button for the fourth-floor apartment.
“We’ll still live together, commute to work together, go on dates together, eat together, watch movies together, and spend a lot of time together…”
The elevator began to ascend. Feng Xun took hold of his lover’s hand, watching the changing floor numbers alongside him.
“Yes,” he said, “the us two years from now and the us now might not change too much, and life two years from now might not alter too much from life now. Isn’t that nice?”
With a ding, the fourth floor arrived. They stepped out of the elevator, and the familiar apartment door was just a few paces away.
Jian Tang swung their clasped hands, revealing a massive smile: “It’s nice, very nice!”
The underlying color of a happy family life was inherently peaceful and serene. No twists, no accidents, no unrequited love, no heartbreaking anguish, and certainly no breaking up and getting back together or earth-shattering drama. There was only the long-flowing protection and attachment, a tacit understanding and companionship.
An ordinary family life that could be seen through at a glance might be boring and tedious to many people, but to the remnants who had drifted and wandered through the Anomalous World for hundreds of years, it was what they dreamed of most.
Jian Tang unlocked the front door with his fingerprint, and Feng Xun turned on the main light in the living room. Warm light instantly flooded this cozy little home.
“Do you still have an appetite for a late-night snack?” Feng Xun gestured with the takeout bag in his hand.
“Yes, yes!”
The man ruffled his hair: “Little greedy cat.”
“Heehee, if I’m a little greedy cat, then you’re a big greedy cat.”
Feng Xun smiled without refuting him, carrying the things into the kitchen.
Jian Tang was a step slower, still changing into his slippers at the entryway.
The kitchen light turned on, and the aroma of the microwave heating up the midnight snack quickly drifted out. Through the frosted glass door, Jian Tang saw the busy silhouette inside, suddenly experiencing a powerful sense of fulfillment and happiness.
This was exactly the family life he wanted.
There was someone in the home, and there was a light in the room. The person lit the light, the light illuminated the person, and the hearts of both individuals held the person across from them.
He had fought for hundreds of years, endured so much hardship, shed so much sweat, and even hesitated not to shoulder a massive debt—wasn’t the calm and serenity before his eyes exactly what he sought and pursued?
He truly hoped this calm and serenity could last a bit longer.
No, it wasn’t a hope; it definitely could. It would definitely last for several years, decades, or even centuries.
A soft smile played at the corners of the youth’s mouth as he hung his jacket onto the coat rack by the door.
Feng Xun’s jacket was also hanging in the exact same position, but perhaps because the other party had walked in too quickly just now, the jacket wasn’t hung very securely. Jian Tang simply took it down for him, intending to hang it up again.
With a clatter, something fell out of the jacket pocket.
Jian Tang looked over—
Resting on the floorboards was a paper star.
—It was a paper star swirling with the starlight of the Dream Dust.
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