Morning broke bright and clear, the sun shining brightly, with only a few clouds scattered across the sky.
In the living room, a mundane urban variety show played on the television.
Ai Lin held the remote, watching with great interest, while Hu Li was in the dining room licking a bowl clean, using her tails to tidy up the other dishes on the table.
Yu Sheng placed his laptop on the dining table, his eyes fixed on the screen since finishing his meal, utterly focused.
Hu Li, curious about what her "benefactor" was up to, watched him intently from a distance but, seeing his serious demeanor, dared not interrupt.
She would occasionally tilt her head to get a glimpse, but finding it incomprehensible, she would return to her tasks.
This went on until Hu Li finished washing the dishes in the kitchen, while Yu Sheng remained engrossed in the screen.
Ai Lin sauntered over from the living room, unlike Hu Li, she did not mind being polite.
Spotting Yu Sheng so focused on the computer, she dashed over and climbed up his pants: "Hey, what are you doing? Can I take a look?"
Yu Sheng swiftly grabbed the back of Ai Lin's collar and placed her on the table: "Don't make a fuss; I'm trying to write something."
"…Write something?" Ai Lin blinked in confusion, "Why?"
"…It's my job. I'm a writer."
Yu Sheng didn’t glance up, only spared her a sidelong glance, "You didn't think I was just a bum, did you? I earn my living."
Ai Lin paused, her little face showing surprise.
It seemed she had never considered that Yu Sheng needed to work or the complexities of money at home.
She looked as if she had just discovered a new world.
Yu Sheng didn't pay much attention to her reaction.
Instead, he continued, "Lately, expenses have been high. We've bought a lot for the house, plus I have two articles due that are overdue by half a month—I need to hurry up and finish this. Now go watch TV; don’t disturb me."
Ai Lin stood with her mouth agape for a moment and then suddenly realized something.
She shifted closer to Yu Sheng's side: "But you’re clearly watching videos online..."
Yu Sheng put on a stern face: "…This is a necessary process to get my thoughts flowing."
The little doll pointed at the screen: "But there's a forum page open behind the video."
Yu Sheng struggled to maintain his serious expression, though his eyes betrayed a hint of embarrassment: "Reading other people’s articles can be beneficial—often, one finds very creative ideas in forums. Isn’t it good to get inspired?"
Ai Lin raised her head: "But you haven’t even opened a document…"
"Why are you asking so many questions!" Yu Sheng finally lost his composure.
He set Ai Lin down on the floor.
"Have you ever written anything? This kind of thing requires expertise! The thinking and accumulation before writing are what truly matter..."
Standing at the table's leg beside him, Ai Lin placed her hands on her hips, tilting her head up in defiance: "So when do you start writing?"
Yu Sheng shot her a glare: "I’ll start writing as soon as you stop interrupting me."
The little doll pouted, turned, and walked back to the living room.
She muttered to herself, "Hmph, so many words from a procrastinator..."
Yu Sheng pondered for a moment and felt Ai Lin did have a point.
He then returned his gaze to the screen, letting his mind go blank.
He was a writer—though that might be a bit grand a title, in reality, he was just a second-rate author.
This was among the few connections between his "hometown life" remembered from a quiet seaside city and his life in this vast and unfamiliar town.
He had always done this, from that tranquil place to this colossal city.
It could be said he was quite fortunate.
But in recent days, an unusual number of unexpected events had happened, leaving him unable to settle down and write—he wasn’t short of ideas, but there were too many bizarre thoughts cluttering his mind, making it hard to decide what could fit into a story and what might lead to something unsafe.
Having encountered so many surreal things, a writer of bizarre fantasy found himself at a loss.
He sat at the computer, letting his mind drift.
After an unknown amount of time, he took a deep breath and swiftly closed down the video site and the forum page.
Yu Sheng, it was time to get serious.
Just think of Hu Li’s appetite, the new clothes for Hu Li, the materials for making Ai Lin's body—then think about the new TV that Miss Doll had been longing for.
There wasn’t that much savings to squander.
If I don’t write, I’ll truly be in a terrible spot! Never mind becoming a spirit realm detective; first, I need to figure out how to support everyone in this house!
So, Yu Sheng slapped his face, moved his mouse—he opened a game.
It was too tiring to gather thoughts; maybe a quick round against the computer would help him relax…
Just as he was about to start, he felt a bump on his calf—Ai Lin had snuck back from the living room, her head colliding against his leg: "Yu Sheng, are you playing a game?"
"Hey, why do you need to poke your nose in everything!" Yu Sheng's face heated up a bit.
He bent down to shoo her away but hadn’t raised his hand yet when his pocket vibrated, followed by a ringing from his phone.
Checking the phone, he saw another unknown number.
Yu Sheng hesitated but then answered, holding it to his ear: "Uh, hello?" A young woman’s voice, a bit hesitant and flustered, came through: "Um, hello! Is this Mr. Yu? I’m here on behalf of Director Bai Li Qing to deliver the registration form."
Yu Sheng paused, then realized—this was the matter he had discussed with “the director” before; he had almost forgotten about it!
"Right, that's me. I recall there’s such a thing," Yu Sheng quickly stood, setting aside his thoughts about Ai Lin, looking out the window, "I'm at home. Where are you right now?"
“I should be right outside your house, but I can’t see it,” the voice sounded quite nervous. “The director told me to call before I arrived, but I forgot and only remembered when I got here…”
“Just a moment, I’ll come open the door.”
As he said that, Yu Sheng walked toward the entrance.
Ai Lin called out from behind, “Hey, who is it? Do I need to disguise?”
Hu Li, looking a bit anxious, emerged as well: “Do we need to change?”
“No need, no need,” Yu Sheng waved his hand. “It’s the person here for your ID cards.”
Before he finished speaking, he had already reached the door.
Peering through the peephole, he saw a girl not far away holding a phone—dressed in a neat black suit with short hair, she was looking around in the open area.
She looked just like some temp worker sent out after being tasked by her superior.
Yu Sheng pushed the door open casually.
The short-haired girl, lost in thought, was startled upon seeing him.
She quickly turned her head, staring blankly at the suddenly appearing door and the figure standing at its threshold.
"Mr. Yu!" She came to her senses, hurriedly taking a few steps toward the entrance, clutching a briefcase, “Hello! I’m Ren Wenwen from the Special Operations Bureau’s Second Team—just call me Wenwen. May I come in? I still need to take pictures for the registration…”
“Oh right! Here’s my identification, you can take a look.”
While speaking, she fumbled from her pocket to pull out a small black notebook and showed it to Yu Sheng.
Yu Sheng glanced at it and noted that it looked similar to the identification the others—Li Lin and Xu Jiali had shown before.
Frankly, he didn’t need to verify her credentials—after all, the only ones who knew his phone number and “66 Wutong Road” were the special operations personnel and Little Red Riding Hood.
Oh, and those three locksmiths from before.
“Come in.” Yu Sheng stepped aside, holding the door open while feeling a bit puzzled: Was it just his imagination, or did this girl, claiming to be “Ren Wenwen,” seem especially nervous? However, it didn’t feel like the nervousness Li Lin and Xu Jiali displayed when they first arrived at 66 Wutong Road…
But he couldn’t quite put a finger on it.
Ren Wenwen stepped inside, and Yu Sheng looked back outside, noticing the area around the door still empty as always before casually closing the door.
Ai Lin and Hu Li looked curiously at this unexpected visitor.
Ren Wenwen mirrored their curiosity, examining the doll and the fox spirit with interest.
"How does the process go?" Yu Sheng approached, noting the three in the living room still in a daze, and asked, "Should we register them first, or start with my registration?"
“First… first register their legal identities,” Ren Wenwen hastily responded.
She quickly took out some forms from her briefcase and pulled out a portable device from her bag, “You’re looking to register an independent team, right? We need to sort out the identities of each member first. Fill out these two forms, and then I’ll take their photos to make their cards—I brought the equipment with me, and my colleagues at the office are ready, so we can create the IDs and input them into the system on-site.”
Yu Sheng watched as she deftly laid out a pile of items on the table, then she pulled out two pens, looking up at the little doll (66.6 cm) on the table and the fox spirit beside her. “Are you going to fill it out by yourselves?”
Hu Li blinked, glancing at the forms on the table, then looked at Yu Sheng, her eyes wide with helplessness.
She didn’t know any of these characters…
With a sigh, Yu Sheng stepped forward and took a pen: “Let me do it for her.”
(End of Chapter)