Chapter 104 - My Costar Asks For My Hand In Marriage

Not a minute later Xin Hulei appears in his living room. 

His sudden appearance startles Yao Shen who almost drops his phone.

"Who was that?" Yao Shen asks, jumping to his feet and walking towards Xin Hulei, standing still in the middle of his living room.

Xin Hulei smirks, just barely, and extends him an arm. "Let's find out."

Yao Shen lets himself be pulled against his chest, closing his eyes when Xin Hulei's familiar warm scent envelops him. He feels as if it's been an age since he last saw him.

When he next opens his eyes he's no longer in his cramped apartment, but instead in a moderately sized condo. 

Xin Hulei's Beijing apartment is bigger than the one in Hengdian, as expected of a primary residence. While it's obvious from the twinkling nightview out of the large panoramic windows that it wasn't cheap, neither is it lavish or ostentatious. 

Yao Shen looks around at the living room, and finds it in pretty much the same chaotic state as the one in Hengdian, resembling a travel bag explosion site.

"Are you allergic to cleaning up after yourself?" Yao Shen asks, following Xin Hulei as he moves towards one of the closed doors.

"I like mess," he admits with a shrug. "It makes the house feel less empty."

Yao Shen's smile slips. He doesn't know what state Modu was in when Xin Hulei last lived there, but it's likely that circumstances weren't good.

He can imagine that perhaps there wasn't a lot of space for everyone, and people had to live in cramped conditions. Even so, Xin Hulei must have been happy there, and he must have enjoyed always having someone around.

It makes more sense now, why he prefers small apartments.

Xin Hulei leads Yao Shen into a bedroom, with a few built-in closet doors, a large bed, and a desk overlooking a floor-to-ceiling window in a similar setup to his bedroom in Hengdian.

Jincan's terrarium is pushed up against the window to get as much sunlight as possible. On the bed, Heimao is sleeping curled up in a ball.

Neither of them seem to notice Yao Shen's presence.

Xin Hulei takes the laptop and walks right back out towards the living room.

He takes a seat on the sofa and opens the laptop across his thighs. A few taps later he turns the laptop towards Yao Shen so he can see the screen.

It shows the same video Xin Hulei sent him, and like it, it has no sound.

Heimao is clearly visible disappearing out of frame as a cat, and returning moments later as a human. He seems to have some conscience of human modesty because he's wearing a pair of underwear, most likely stolen from Xin Hulei.

The confident way he sits down at the desk speaks of an action performed multiple times before. Lending credibility to Yao Shen's theory that he is the one behind the 'Heimao' account.

However, nothing could explain the second figure that shows up moments later, also only wearing a pair of boxers. The video Xin Hulei sent Yao Shen cut off abruptly, but now, he can see how the second man had a shocking mop of golden hair.

Not unlike Jincan's golden spikes.

Yao Shen turns to Xin Hulei, his eyebrows halfway up his forehead. "Is that-?"

Xin Hulei nods. "I think so."

In the video, the two people pour over the laptop, and then seem to disagree with each other on something.

Moments later, Heimao gets up, and closes the laptop, then he and the other man disappear from frame and don't reaper.

"Did they both reach the human form stage of their cultivation at the same time?" Yao Shen asks, confused by what he saw.

Xin Hulei shakes his head. "That's not likely, one of them must have reached it first and then advised the other. I just don't understand why they'd keep it from me."

Yao Shen points at the laptop with a snort. "It's pretty obvious! To go behind your back."

"What did they accomplish? Heimao sent you messages and tried to disprove rumors of our relationship online. How does that benefit them?"

That's a good question, and Yao Shen is mulling it over when, like a clap of thunder, he remembers what Jincan said the first time he visited Xin Hulei's apartment.

'Jincan will marry Master.'

As ridiculous as it is, it's the only thing that makes sense. He shares his theory with Xin Hulei, who doesn't fully believe it, but is willing to admit the possibility.

"I'm going to confront them with the video, and ask them for a direct explanation" Xin Hulei says, getting up to his feet with the laptop under his arm.

Yao Shen stops him. "No, I have a way to prove my theory."

---

Heimao meows when Yao Shen scoops him up into his arms and carries him to the living room. He starts purring right away as soon as he realizes that it's Yao Shen who's carrying him.

On the other hand, Jincan throws a fit when Xin Hulei takes him out of his terrarium. "Master, what is this male hussy doing here? I thought we would be free of him until winter."

Yao Shen shoots Xin Hulei a pointed look, conveying, 'See, I told you so' with a mere arch of his eyebrows.

Xin Hulei ignores Jincan's remarks and deposits him on the coffee table in front of the sofa, where Yao Shen also lets Heiamo jump out of his arms.

"I called Yao Shen over because I had an important announcement to make," he says, just as Yao Shen instructed him to.

Addressing both Jincan and Heimao, he continues, "as the two of you are my treasured friends and companions, I wanted you to be present as well."

Jincan's spikes start trembling along his spine. "Master...what is this?"

Heimao too sits up on the table, his crimson eyes fixed on Yao Shen.

Xin Hulei goes down on one knee and takes Yao Shen's hand in his, who gasps theatrically.

"Shen Shen, will you marry me?" Xin Hulei asks, his eyes shining with sincerity and an overflow of emotion.

Yao Shen lifts one hand to his mouth to hide his smile. The difference between him and Xin Hulei is that Xin Hulei can slip into any role at the drop of a hat, while Yao Shen needs to resort to tricks and subterfuge once in a while to hide his genuine emotions.

Predictably, Jincan starts screaming. "What? This can't be happening! Master has been befuddled by his tricks, he must have done something to cloud Master's mind."

Beside him, Heimao's fur stands on end although he doesn't make a sound.

Yao Shen looks at Jincan, and the corners of his mouth droop.

Letting his hand slip out of Xin Hulei's grip with a regretful sigh, he says, "You've said it yourself. Jincan and Heimao are your treasured friends. How can I marry you when they don't approve?"

Xin Hulei takes Yao Shen's hand back, his eyes pleading. "It's true that they are my closest friends, and have been with me for centuries, but they haven't cultivated to human forms yet. Therefore they don't understand human feelings."

Yao Shen makes another sound of protest, but Xin Hulei reels him back. "You don't know this because you've been a human all your life, but spirit animals like them can only feel very simple emotions until they cultivate a full human form. Jincan is just expressing the jealousy of an animal protecting its territory."

Jincan is protesting loudly, but Yao Shen is no longer focusing on him, all his attention focused on Xin Hulei. "If you're sure..."

Before Yao Shen gets a chance to finish his sentence, a sound, like wind rushing through an open window cuts him off.

The next second, a young man with a head of bright blond hair is kneeling on the floor at Xin Hulei's feet, his arms extended in deep prostration.

"Jincan begs Master to please reconsider."

Xin Hulei stands up from his kneeling position, the earlier besotted look gone from his sculpted features. "How long have you had a human form?"

Jincan remains prostrated in silence.

On the table, Heimao continues to observe the scene in silence, other than his raised fur, he never let the pretense drop.

He's clearly less impulsive than Jincan, or at least smarter.

Xin Hulei picks up on that. "Since you've lied to me I have no choice but to kick you out."

Jincan's head shoots up immediately, his eyes are a pale gold, like his hair, and filled with tears. For the first time, Yao Shen notices that the shells of his ears resemble butterfly wings, peeking out from the soft tufts of his hair.

Xin Hulei is unmoved by Jincan's teary eyes, and Jincan switches strategies. He points at the table behind him and whines, "then Master will have to get rid of Heimao as well, he lied too! He's had a human form almost as long as me."

Heimao lets out a tired sigh and slinks down from the table. "Idiot," he says, glaring at Jincan. "You fell into a trap."