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Chapter 22 - Chapter 17: Why Should I?

Hu Xiaoyu glanced at Yu Tan, whose face was as dark as water. Amidst the surprise, there was a hint of excitement.

Could it be... Yu Tan found out about the gift he was preparing?

Logically, since it was Liu Luanzhou's birthday, of course, he had to give a gift.

Hu Xiaoyu had planned to give him a protective talisman. The skill of drawing talismans was something he had learned from Yu Tan in his past life. Though his mastery was half-baked, once imbued with spiritual energy, they still made for excellent protective charms.

But once he prepared a gift for Liu Luanzhou, Hu Xiaoyu naturally thought of Yu Tan too.

Whatever he gave to others, Yu Tan should get something even better.

He knew he was being hopelessly biased, but he just couldn't help wanting to give Yu Tan something as well.

The most valuable thing the fox clan had to offer was Qingyu jade.

Qingyu jade was condensed from a fox spirit's spiritual energy. It had many uses—from protection and calming the mind to assisting cultivation. The stronger the fox, the more powerful the jade. In the demon world, it was considered a treasure; for humans, even a sliver could benefit them for life.

Hu Xiaoyu had been trying to condense Qingyu jade over the past few days, using up his meager reserves of spiritual energy. That's why he had been unusually sleepy.

At this moment, the two stared at each other, both silent.

The gift he had prepared for Yu Tan wasn't ready yet—it was only a half-finished jade. Part of him feared being exposed, yet another part secretly wished to be.

Just thinking about it made him a bit bashful.

Yu Tan watched the flickering expressions on Hu Xiaoyu's face and felt increasingly stifled.

What—was he already daydreaming from just one encounter?

He had thought about walking away, but changed his mind. That would only give the little fool a chance to run off to Liu Luanzhou. No—he would be the one to decide if he left or stayed.

After a rapid flurry of thoughts, Yu Tan's expression softened. "What did you promise Liu Luanzhou?"

Hu Xiaoyu thought, That's it?

He didn't know the grudge between Yu Tan and Liu Luanzhou. And although the original host had tried to get close to Liu Luanzhou, he had mostly been rejected and knew little.

So, Hu Xiaoyu answered frankly, "Liu-ge called a few days ago and invited me to his birthday party."

Yu Tan raised a brow at him. The boy's pale, delicate face looked utterly honest.

He slowly walked down the stairs. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Hu Xiaoyu bounced down a step, hands on Yu Tan's shoulders. "Was I supposed to?" Then he added, "Got it. Next time someone invites me to a birthday party, I'll tell you. Unless... you want to come too? I'll talk to Liu-ge, he—"

Yu Tan grabbed his hand and held it in his palm. "I don't want to go. And you're not going either."

"But I already promised," Hu Xiaoyu argued.

"Then un-promise it!" Yu Tan's voice went cold. "You belong to me now. Got it?"

"Why?"

"No reason. You just can't."

"Can I take leave?"

"No."

"Then deduct my pay—count it as absence…" Hu Xiaoyu mumbled.

Demons never broke promises lightly. But Yu Tan wouldn't give a reason. So unreasonable!

In this lifetime, Yu Tan was so… willful.

They couldn't reach an agreement, and the whole Yu residence fell into a weird atmosphere.

Yu Tan, usually cold and reserved, would mention Hu Xiaoyu in eight out of ten sentences. Now he isn't speaking to him at all. Though they still went to work together, it was as if Hu Xiaoyu didn't exist.

Uncle Hong had gone home for a week.

Ah Jiu, who had already been warned once, dared not interfere in their affairs.

Normally, Hu Xiaoyu would have clung to Yu Tan and forced him to talk.

But now, he was pouring all his energy into condensing the jade, draining his strength. Except for mealtimes, he was constantly drowsy.

Of course, he could still manage a conversation. But he knew Yu Tan didn't want to talk, so he gritted his teeth and tried to finish the jade as quickly as possible. Maybe then Yu Tan would forgive him.

Through the surveillance feed, Yu Tan saw the boy lying belly-up on the bed, in the same position since morning. His frown deepened.

Sleeping all day and night—that wasn't normal.

He ordered Ah Jiu, "Arrange medical checkups for everyone in the house."

After a pause, he added, "Everyone. No exceptions."

Ah Jiu thought he might have figured something out and made sure Hu Xiaoyu got the best doctor.

The results were handed directly to Yu Tan.

Hu Xiaoyu, meanwhile, had no idea.

During the checkup, blood was drawn—which gave him a huge inspiration.

Given his current spiritual power, the jade he could make was only average—for a nine-tailed fox, that is.

But there was a way to condense top-grade Qingyu jade: with heart's blood.

Fox demons could produce a drop of heart's blood every hundred years. Hu Xiaoyu hadn't yet turned two hundred—he had exactly one drop.

Extracting it was like pulling out one's bones—it hurt so much that tears streamed down his face.

But once that tiny drop of precious blood was infused into the jade, it instantly doubled in size—almost the size of a palm—and radiated pure spiritual energy.

The whole process took place in his spiritual sea.

From Yu Tan's perspective, all he saw through the monitor was the boy curled up on the bed, eyes watery, lips trembling—as if trapped in a nightmare.

Yu Tan watched coldly for a few seconds before suddenly shutting off the feed.

Ten seconds later, a knock sounded at Hu Xiaoyu's door.

The jade was finished. It just needed to be nurtured in his spiritual sea for two more days.

Hu Xiaoyu was startled awake by the knocking. His whole body was drenched in sweat, as if he had been pulled from a river. His chest ached.

He got out of bed slowly, only to find no one at the door. Maybe it was his imagination?

It had been five days since they had run into Liu Luanzhou.

With his heart's blood gone, Hu Xiaoyu's chest throbbed, and he craved Yu Tan's embrace more than anything. That warmth was the one thing he longed for in this human world.

He did what he always did—followed his instincts and knocked on Yu Tan's door.

Yu Tan opened it and looked down at him. His voice was cold, the same as that night under the moon. "What do you want?"

If the little fool would just apologize now, he could pretend nothing had happened.

Hu Xiaoyu tugged at his sleeve. "I'm tired. Can I sleep with you?"

Yu Tan fought down a wave of emotion and asked coldly, "Nothing else do you want to say?"

Hu Xiaoyu knew what he meant. But a promise was a promise—he couldn't just break it. So he shook his head.

And then, Yu Tan pried his hand off and shut the door.

Looking down at his fingers, Yu Tan noticed something strange—Hu Xiaoyu's hand, usually warm, had felt… colder than his own.

He thought of the clean bill of health in the medical report and dismissed it as his imagination.

That night, Hu Xiaoyu didn't come down for dinner.

He was cold, his chest ached terribly—a side effect of losing his heart's blood. It will take a while to recover.

Ah Jiu brought up the food, then took it back down.

Seeing Ah Jiu return alone, Yu Tan's face darkened. "Lock the dining room. No one's allowed in tonight!"

That evening, lightning split the sky, followed by rolling thunder.

Summer storms were common in Shen City.

Hu Xiaoyu jumped off the bed, dragging his blanket as he ran to Yu Tan's room.

He was so nervous he lost a slipper and nearly tripped.

Yu Tan hadn't gone to bed yet. He stood up at the sound of thunder.

The knock had barely landed when he opened the door—only for a furry head to burrow into his chest.

The storm raged outside.

Hu Xiaoyu's face was pale. "Yu Tan, can I sleep with you tonight?"

Yu Tan touched his icy cheek. His gaze softened, but his voice stayed hard. "Why should I? Because you didn't listen?"

Hu Xiaoyu looked at him in confusion.

Yu Tan pinched his chin and demanded coldly, "When you want something, ask for it. You know what I want to hear."

He stared at the pale face lit by the hallway light—his own heart twisted painfully. But his expression stayed harsh.

Hu Xiaoyu didn't answer.

That moment of hesitation was all it took.

The door slammed shut, locking him out.

Inside, Yu Tan slammed a fist against the door.

He tried to hold back the urge to open it immediately. The little fool needed to learn a lesson. He waited nearly a minute—

Then opened the door again.

And froze.

Then came panic like he'd never known.

At the threshold, the blanket lay crumpled, silently proclaiming its owner's retreat.

Yu Tan rushed next door. The door was wide open—one slipper by the bed, the other by the doorway. No one inside.

He called softly, almost tenderly, "Xiaoyu... come out."

Outside, the storm howled and rain lashed the windows.

No one answered.

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