Shen Ming stopped in his tracks, momentarily unsure whether to approach this bizarre scene before him.
Ye Yang puffed out his chest and tried to spread the leaves on his back.
He had been waiting here for quite some time. He didn’t know what Shen Ming looked like—he had tried adding the contact information Director Tu gave him, but the request had never been accepted. With no other option, he had resorted to waiting outside the man’s door.
The moment Shen Ming’s long legs appeared in his field of vision, Ye Yang had a feeling that this must be the person he was waiting for. He immediately perked up and raised the letter of introduction from Director Tu high above him. Strangely enough, even though everyone spoke of the Northern Dark Warrior as a majestic and intimidating figure whom no one dared to look directly at, Ye Yang felt no fear whatsoever.
What Shen Ming saw, however, was a pitiful little leaf sheep, its soft body straining to stand upright by the door. It looked like it was struggling—like it might slide down the smooth door panel at any second and slip right through the crack under the door.
Oh, antennae aside, this leaf sheep seemed shorter than the gap under the door. If it slipped inside, would that count as trespassing right in front of the homeowner?
No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than Shen Ming saw the little leaf sheep seem to realize the same thing. It trembled the leaves on its back, hastily moved a little further from the door, and tried its best to raise the letter of introduction with its antennae.
The reason Ye Yang was here was all about his upcoming enrollment.
Earlier, to let Ye Yang take the college entrance exam, Director Tu, Director Bai, and Yu Bei had worked together to create a perfect set of documents for him.
From now on, officially speaking, Ye Yang was an orphan from a welfare home in Nanhai Province. He was about to enroll in the Marine Biology Department of Dongzhou University, one of Huaxia’s top institutions. He would receive state subsidies, including a monthly living allowance of two thousand yuan, various holiday benefits, and a scholarship stipend.
To avoid revealing any cracks or arousing suspicion, Ye Yang could no longer live in the YCG dormitory. Tu Manli had arranged for him to stay in a small studio apartment outside.
“Perfectly, Shen Ming lives there too. I’ll put you in a single unit right across the hall. Get to know each other quickly and familiarize yourselves. You’ll need to study hard under your mentor.”
When Ye Yang arrived at the apartment, he found it quite coincidental—it was right across from the park where Director Tu had found him. It would take less than two minutes to walk from the park to the apartment building.
…
Seeing Shen Ming just staring at him without a word, Ye Yang steeled himself and spoke up: “Professor Shen, hello. My name is Ye Yang. Um, this letter was entrusted to me by Director Tu for…”
Before he could finish, the letter was taken from his antennae.
Ye Yang choked on his words and looked up. Shen Ming’s face was perfectly composed as he examined the letter carefully, as if he hadn’t just been staring blankly a moment ago.
Shen Ming remembered now.
It wasn’t his fault he had reacted slowly. No lesser demon had ever dared to look him straight in the eye like that. Most greater demons didn’t dare either. This was a rather novel experience for him.
After he had replied to Yu Bei, he hadn’t received any further information on the matter and had nearly forgotten about it.
Besides, all he knew was that Ye Yang was talented and was an aquatic creature. He had no idea that his original form was this adorable.
Ye Yang had appeared in his original form on the advice of Little Thirteen, who knew that Shen Ming was a mysterious big shot. Little Thirteen thought the first impression Ye Yang made was crucial—this was a rare opportunity. If Ye Yang could build a good relationship with Shen Ming, he could basically walk sideways through YCG from then on.
He thought Ye Yang’s original form was incredibly cute, a huge plus, and insisted that Ye Yang present himself that way.
Though Ye Yang didn’t quite understand how being cute could help him build a relationship with a big shot, he obediently followed the advice.
That said, he was now starting to regret it. Watching Shen Ming finish reading the letter, then pull out his phone and tap away without saying a word for ages, the already nervous little sea hare grew even more anxious.
Geez, he had known he should have used his human form. Everyone else used human forms. Wasn’t it rude of him to show up like this? But suddenly changing into human form now would also be weird… Was his mentor not speaking because he disliked him? What if he sent him back?! Then he definitely wouldn’t be able to go to university.
As these thoughts swirled through his mind, moisture quietly seeped away. The body size Ye Yang had been trying so hard to maintain to make himself more noticeable began to shrink.
Shen Ming finally finished his back-and-forth with Tu Manli and Yu Bei. He looked down to see that the already tiny little sea hare had gotten even smaller. Its gray translucent antennae drooped behind its head, and all its leaves were wilted.
Shen Ming, who hadn’t spoken face-to-face with another demon in decades, deliberated for a moment. Finally remembering that they were still at the doorstep, he opened the door and said, “Come in first.”
Then he saw those cute little antennae spring right back up. The little sea hare glided smoothly into the house, leaving a transparent trail of moisture behind.
·
One person and one sea hare sat facing each other—one on the sofa, the other curled up on the coffee table.
This was Shen Ming’s first time being a mentor. After communicating with Yu Bei, all he understood was that he needed to protect, supervise, and teach Ye Yang. But as for how to actually do any of that, he was completely clueless.
Outsiders always thought Shen Ming was profound, inscrutable, cold, and unapproachable. But the truth was, Shen Ming was like this: when faced with a problem, his first choice was to figure it out on his own. If that didn’t work, then he simply wouldn’t solve it—because asking someone else for help was absolutely out of the question.
He was an extreme introvert, always had been. And after being forced to live in the human world, his condition had only worsened.
Even though Shen Ming and Yu Bei could barely be considered acquaintances from centuries ago, their only two interactions in the past hundred years had been the exchange of letters last time and a few brief messages today.
The reason he had messaged Yu Bei and Tu Manli just now was that the letter instructed him to call after receiving the person.
But someone with social anxiety could never make a phone call. Sending a message was already pushing his limits.
After sitting in silence for what felt like an eternity, Ye Yang couldn’t take it anymore and spoke up: “Professor Shen, what should we do now?” Director Tu had told him to follow his mentor’s arrangements, but his mentor didn’t seem to have any plans for him at all—he wouldn’t even spare him a glance. He wasn’t starting to dislike him, was he?
Shen Ming had been deep in a mental brainstorm. Caught off guard by this sudden question, he was startled—though he didn’t show it. He still wore that same indifferent expression, as if nothing could faze him.
Fortunately, he finally thought of something to say: “Do you have a place to stay? You could stay here with me.”
Ye Yang frantically waved his antennae back and forth. “No, no, that’s okay! Director Tu arranged a place for me. It’s right next door.”
Ye Yang was terrified. How could Shen Ming invite him to live together right off the bat? But then he reconsidered—maybe this meant that Professor Shen didn’t actually dislike him that much?
Shen Ming: “…Oh.” So he already had a place to stay.
The one topic he had managed to come up with had fizzled out. Shen Ming had no choice but to rack his brain for another.
Luckily, he wouldn’t have to think for much longer.
The Spirit Serpent suddenly materialized and spoke in human tongue: “Time for a walk~ Time to go out. Hey, little one, wanna come along? Oh wait, you’re so small. You probably can’t keep up.”
Ye Yang jolted upright in excitement. “I can keep up!”
So this was the legendary Xuanwu Spirit Serpent! How wonderful. Even if Professor Shen disliked him, at least the Serpent was friendly. There was still hope for him. He could finally transform into his human form!
The Spirit Serpent’s body shot upright. “Wait—” Before it could finish, the little sea hare on the coffee table had vanished.
CLATTER—CRASH—
A person suddenly appeared on the coffee table. The small surface immediately lost its balance and toppled over, taking with it a pile of papers, documents, and several glass cups and saucers. None of them were spared.
Ye Yang, however, was fine. The moment the table lost its balance, Shen Ming waved his hand and brought Ye Yang over beside him. Ye Yang sank deep into the sofa. Say what you will, but this sofa was really soft.
No, wait—this was not the time for that!
The small living room fell into complete silence. Ye Yang struggled to stand up from the sofa, sweat practically dripping down his face. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry (＞人＜;) I really didn’t mean to! I’ll clean everything up and pay for the damages!”
Sorry, Director Tu and Teacher Yu, for betraying your trust. Here I am, messing up on the very first day I meet my mentor. I’m probably not going to get to go to university now… My mentor will definitely send me back…
But before Ye Yang could even mourn his college life that hadn’t even begun, the very next second, the coffee table restored itself to its original position. Everything on it was exactly as it had been before. The floor was spotless, with no trace of glass shards to be seen.
Ye Yang was momentarily stunned. Without thinking, he blurted out: “But… aren’t we not allowed to use magic in the human realm?”
Now it was Shen Ming and the Spirit Serpent’s turn to be stunned.
After a moment, the Spirit Serpent let out a “hee hee hee” laugh. “No way, no way. Did you actually take that silly rule seriously?”
The snake was laughing so hard it was rocking back and forth. The sight was truly bizarre. After quite a while, the Spirit Serpent finally laughed its fill and asked again: “Do you know how long it’s been since that YCG handbook was last updated? For things like this, as long as no humans without spiritual power notice, it’s fine. Do you really live like a human when you’re alone at home?”
Ye Yang: “…” Yeah, come to think of it. Yesterday, when he was alone in his apartment tidying up, with no audience whatsoever, he had still dutifully used the washing machine and personally wiped down the cabinets and mopped the floor!
One look at Ye Yang’s face told the Spirit Serpent everything. This kid was way too honest. He was going to die laughing.
Ye Yang, being laughed at so loudly, couldn’t help but question it: “But… but if you make a habit of it, wouldn’t you accidentally slip up pretty easily?”
“YCG’s Crisis Management Department is very efficient,” Shen Ming said.
After the little fiasco just now, Ye Yang looked even more nervous than Shen Ming. And the little sea hare also seemed unaccustomed to dealing with people. This actually made Shen Ming feel considerably more at ease.
Ye Yang scratched his head, remembering.
The Crisis Management Department—the name sounded very impressive and high-end. But in reality, their main job was to eliminate any anomalous traces that non-humans had left—whether accidentally or intentionally—in human society.
For example, if some member of the avian race accidentally flew where a surveillance camera could see them, the Crisis Management Department would immediately alter the surveillance footage and the memories of the relevant personnel.
Just as Ye Yang was thinking about this, something suddenly weighed down on him. It was the Spirit Serpent draping itself over him. “Alright, alright, time for our walk. Let’s go, let’s go—I can’t wait any longer!”
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