Chapter 39: 2.23

When Jia Hyson saw Tian Shun's eye color for the first time he reacted like this: '...' WTF isn't this a little too scary?!

Bebe: '!!!' How can this be?

Li Guiren's expression was unreadable. It had over two decades since the mystery is of Liao Zhiqiang and the memories weren't too clear for him but he remembers the emotions. The jealousy, the rage, the fear... the familiarity.

As if his arm was possessed, Li Guiren reaches out to touch his son for the first time. Immediately a brush of static electricity runs through him, lightening his eyes silver for a moment while his child's own silver eyes darken to inky blackness. He sucks in a cold breath of air as everything that hadn't been clear the first time suddenly clicks in his brain.

He finally knows who he is.

....

Tian Shun was a quiet child.

He didn't cry much as a baby and didn't talk much as a kid. He liked reading, drawing and playing in the garden. He had silver eyes, pale skin and fluffy black hair. Eyes and personality aside, he was a dead ringer for Li Guiren as a little boy.

Which meant he was stupid cute.

Like STUPID cute.

Jia Hyson: 'Aaahh quiet little boys are the cutest! Tian Shun is the cutest!' (ᗒᗜᗕ)՛̵̖

Bebe: 'Hello? Bebe would like to report a suspicious host,'

Jia Hyson: '…Can't you let me have anything nice?' (¬_¬)

Bebe: 'No.' ┐(￣ヘ￣)┌

Jia Hyson's favourite type of child was the cute timid artsy ones. Not only can they easily connect, it makes coaxing them to smile and chatter happily so much more rewarding. Jia Hyson liked Li Guiren a lot but he was the sort of bear child that liked to run around and make trouble which had been incredibly exhausting at times. He prefers the introverted bookworms like Tian Shun.

What they also found, was that while Tian Shun didn't inherit any of Liao Zhiqiang's memories he did seem to take one thing from him.

That was his pure yin body.

"Xiao Ren! Xiao Ren!" Jia Hyson chirps happily as he holds Tian Shun in his arms. Even though the little boy was still quite warm, his body temperature was a little cooler than a normal child's and the yin energy in his body made him even more comfortable to touch. "Look, look Xiao Shun drew a picture of us!"

Li Guiren turns around instinctively at Wei's voice even though he was in the middle of talking to a coworker that came over. However at the content of the words he immediately frowns, face turning cold. "Wei, didn't I tell you not to interrupt me about trivial things?"

Jia Hyson furrows his brows. Ever since Tian Shun appeared, Li Guiren has become rather snappy and unwilling to be around his son, looking at him like an enemy. Jia Hyson truly could not approve of this.

Even though a part of him had once stabbed you in the past the child now is innocent! After some testing from Bebe, Jia Hyson is confident to say Liao Zhiqiang is not Tian Shun or at the very least, Tian Shun's mind was still too young to take the trauma of taking in the memories of a middle-aged war veteran.

Plus, he'd read and written enough to know that if you treat a child with the expectation he will do evil, obviously nine times out of ten the child will end up doing just as you feared. That's not even a horror story thing, that's just a regular story thing people should know but almost never do ah.

It was even more disappointing considering Jia Hyson was there for Li Guiren's childhood and he knew how much he had suffered emotionally from his father's absent parenting. So Li Guiren more than anyone should know the harm it would do to avoid their child. And yet seven years later he's walked on a similar if not worse path than his father.

"...My apologies," Jia Hyson murmurs docilely. Even though he isn't happy he couldn't bear to make his family's Xiao Ren lose face in front of his subordinate. "Come on Xiao Shun, let's go play in the garden ah? It's nice and cloudy, perfect to find bugs."

"Okay," Tian Shun replies in his sweet milky voice nodding with his wide silver eyes looking like a little lamb. "Whatever you say Wei Wei."

Jia Hyson melts. Ah, ah, ah now he understands why some parents make another baby when the first one is old enough to get into their rebellious age! The sweetness in his heart is overflowing!

Closing the door he doesn't look back once at Li Guiren who's expression had gotten increasingly ugly. Meanwhile his subordinate, a new but promising rookie named Du Hong was staring with his mouth open and flushed cheeks at the door. Only when it clicked shut did he spring into action. "S-sir! Who, who was that?!"

Never in his life had he seen such a beautiful woman! As expected of his boss!

Li Guiren's already dark expressionless distorted for a moment before it smoothed out into a wry smile, "That's just my childhood friend,"

Du Hong gaped at Li Guiren. "You have such a gorgeous woman as your childhood friend? Is she already married?" That could be the only reason why his boss hasn't pursued her yet. Ah, Du Hong laments at the cruelty of the world. He had already thought Li Guiren was a stunning man who could take any man or woman with just a smile. Who knew that there was someone else even more capable than him, to snatch such a beauty under his nose? Truly there are mountains beyond mountains.

"He's male." Li Guiren deadpans.

Du Hong: '!!!'

Du Hong felt his three world view shift. Is it possible for a guy to be so beautiful? Not even beautiful, if it was just beautiful than there were plenty of pretty men out there but this one had an appearance on the verge of heaven-defying! Like a painting of a fox demonness, albeit a flat-chested one, come to life the man was intoxicating to look at. The more he thought about it the less he seemed to care about the gender of the other. After getting over that initial shock he coughs awkwardly, "Oh, wow, and uh, is he also single or-?"

Li Guiren's expression stutters for a second before he breaks out into a wide grin, laughing heartily as he slaps the other on the back with a very heavy hand, "If you think you're good enough to win him over go ahead ah!"

Du Hong immediately flushes joining in the laughter with a trace of self-deprecation. "Hahaha how could I think that? Aiyah maybe if I had a face as good looking as yours boss."

Li Guiren chuckles again like he truly was amused by his subordinate's antics. Inwardly however, he was busily eating vinegar. Even though Wei had learnt a skill that allows him to be more human, since Wei still felt uncomfortable with Li Guiren's touches he secretly felt such a skill was incredibly useless. All it ever seemed to do was attract the birds and bees around him.

Wei was already extremely beautiful, like a pale white solitary flower bathed in moonlight in a forest clearing but as a malevolent ghost his negative aura gave him a malicious and frightening air that curved the attraction somewhat. When he is pseudo-human that aura is suppressed and Wei's appearance becomes less ethereal, giving him a healthy flush to his cheeks and reddening his lips, changing his intimidating air immediately into a seductive one that could coax even abstinent heavenly immortals back to earth.

After sending Du Hong away his usual smiling face turned into one of gloominess. There was not a trace of the usual happy go lucky but hardworking and earnest detective that the people on the force know and admire.

Remembering Wei's words he strides through the house to peer through a window facing the garden. Dark eyes watch the scene of his beloved Wei and his son play happily together in the flowerbed. Tian Shun was giggling and Wei was weaving a flower crown with his own long black hair decorated with a variety of leaves and flowers. With the sun setting in the background the image was especially intimate.

Li Guiren clenches his jaw, jealousy and panic clawing inside his chest. When he was younger he wished to grow up quicker to stand by Wei's side, and now only once he has achieved that small wish did he realise how wrong he was. With his damn body he can't even touch Wei now without hurting him! He can only truly watch from a distance as Wei and that wretched little existence will become as close as he once was with him, no, maybe even closer given the brat has a pure yin body.

Pure yin body. Li Guiren silently sneers. Of course he would have that.

"Wei!" He calls out after a minute of silently enduring with his tank of vinegar he had been guzzling, "It's almost dinner time!"

"Okay!" Wei replies back, his smile gentle and soft. Li Guiren absentmindedly imagines if the taste is as sweet as it looks. Unfortunately he's doomed never to know.

As if sensing his thoughts Tian Shun glances up at him while Wei was coaxing him back inside and then says something before lunging up to pull down Wei's face with his grubby little hands, giving the youth a sloppy wet kiss on the cheek.

Li Guiren wonders if anyone would suspect him of murdering his own child. Nobody but Wei probably. Unfortunately Wei was more important to him than everybody in this world combined.

Still, silently he grits his teeth and glares at Tian Shun, something must be done about the boy.

He may not have the means to kill him but sending away?

That is very, very easy ah.

And so at seven years old Tian Shun was shipped off to boarding school. Overseas.

It was easy to say that was the first time Jia Hyson and Li Guiren had ever had such a big fight.

Jia Hyson: 'My babyyyy QAQ'

Li Guiren: 'Hmpf, out of sight, out of mind,'

Bebe: '…It's like a scene of sending away the illegitimate child out of the main household ah.'

The ensuing blow up after Tian Shun was sent away resulted in Jia Hyson sulking away in the demon house with the other ghosts. Li Guiren eventually coaxes him back with sweet words and promises of reconciliation with his son. After a few weeks and soon a tentative and shaky status quo was established. The pair of them after a few years of being quite distant with each other what with Li Guiren's busying work life and Jia Hyson's insistence of caring for the child, slowly began to reconnect with each other.

Li Guiren once again bought Jia Hyson's doll to crime scenes, less for help like he had done when he was still a rookie wet behind the ears, but more just for company and companionship. Meanwhile Jia Hyson who didn't have Tian Shun to take up his time, didn't have many things to do anymore and if he wasn't with Li Guiren he was playing with the other ghosts and cultivating his spiritual power.

Recently he decided to redecorate the demon house. After so many decades it was really on the verge of collapse. While he had no intention of turning it into a five-star hotel it would be best to do something about the termite situation at least ah. They still had some time left so even if they repainted a bit the paint will quickly peel off after a few years anyway.

[Ding, ding! Congratulations for unlocking Corrupter of Children level 1! Wow, someone actually got this? What a piece of shit! Oh damn, is this still recordin-]

Jia Hyson, who was casually decorating the house: ...wow what sort of dark malice suddenly hit me out of nowhere?

Bebe: 'Huh, apparently for successfully and singlehandedly corrupting three children onto the wrong path one can get rewarded. There really is no god.' 눈_눈

Jia Hyson: '???' When did this happen?! The only child he can corrupt isn't even in the country okay? And who was the third kid?!

Bebe: '...Host, do you remember that during one of the killings in the house a child saw the whole thing but you let him go free and even gave him candy?'

Jia Hyson: '...That counts?'

Bebe: 'Well... clearly it had some effect on the kid ah. Apparently as long as the majority of the corruptive motives stem from you it counts, you don't necessarily have to be directly involved.'

Jia Hyson: '...'

After a moment Jia Hyson realized something after rereading the basic description.

Jia Hyson: 'Fuck, is this a passive skill?' It can't be he's actually stuck with such a title?!

"Bebe what does this skill give me?"

Bebe opens up the details and begins to read them out, also quite curious. "Corruption of Children, a passive skill which will automatically increase your natural favourability and trust with children. Good children will be tempted to follow you and explore their wicked side. Bad children will admire and revere you like their boss. Limitation: Persuading them to accomplish tasks which can be construed as 'naughty', 'malicious' and 'downright criminal' will be much easier than persuading them to do good deeds. Most effective for children under twenty but can work for people that are considered a 'Man-child'. Black-hearted adults may also have a favorable impression of you."

Jia Hyson: '...' Oh god. Is the system trying to get him arrested? Why was there such a shady skill in the first place?!

Bebe: '...' Disgusting. Bebe has been disillusioned by the system to offer such a special skill. 눈_눈 As for his host who earned such a skill... should just go get arrested already.

Jia Hyson: 'Bebe... you, you know I'm not-"

Bebe: 'Don't talk to me, pervert.'

Jia Hyson: QAQ I hate this fucking world wuwuwu

After a few months a routine had almost been set. Cultivating till dawn. Going to work with Li Guiren. Visiting the demon house. Writing a response letter to Tian Shun. Either staying over at the demon house or heading back home with Li Guiren to cultivate his powers at night.

Then, Christmas break happened and Tian Shun didn't come home.

Jia Hyson: '...I'm going to cry.' ಥ_ಥ

Bebe: 'What school did that guy send him to? Hogwarts?!'

"Xiao Ren... Xiao Shun really isn't coming?" Jia Hyson asks Li Guiren forlornly.

Li Guiren looks helplessly at him, itching to hold him close and hug him tightly in a comforting embrace. "This time really isn't my doing," he defends weakly, draping a thick blanket over Wei's shoulders so he can lightly wrap his arms around him, "maybe Tian Shun really likes it there?"

Jia Hyson flinches a little at the searing heat Li Guiren emits, even through the fabric but forced himself to ignore the pain for the other's sake. "I suppose..." he mutters.

Li Guiren sighs, feeling a little guilty about sending his own letter accompanying Wei's last correspondence to his child, essentially telling him to stay in the dorms this holiday season. However, he's sure he'll get more and more accustomed to ignoring the guilt. For Wei, he's already gotten used to gore at such a young age. There wasn't much he was willing to do to monopolize him. "Maybe next year?"

"Mn.. I suppose..."

Tian Shun did not come back next year. Or the next. If he hadn't been consistently sending weekly or at the very least fortnightly, letters Jia Hyson was really sure the child must have straight up died. It was a world based off a horror story. Even though America doesn't have Sadako type ghosts, they still have quite a lot of slashers ah.

Nine years pass by and Jia Hyson had already grown even more numb to it. Even though he had incredibly strong suspicions about Li Guiren's part in Tian Shun's constant refusal to go home- suspicions confirmed by Bebe- he couldn't do anything to stop it other than fight with Li Guiren. Before the tenth year rolls by Jia Hyson finally could not take it and exploded.

The demon house story starts when the main characters are seventeen! It's already bad enough he didn't get to see his second dumpling grow up but if the story is ruined…!

Silent treatment. Throwing things. Killing people in protest. Shouting and screaming. It was definitely the biggest tantrum Jia Hyson had ever committed. He had even gotten the other ghosts to join in. Only after threatening to commit suicide by running to the nearby monastery did Li Guiren finally acquiescence.

Tian Shun was coming home.

…

When Tian Shun finally comes back, Jia Hyson insists on meeting him at the airport. Li Guiren reluctantly agrees. Luckily Tian Shun was taking the midnight flight back so there were no worries about the sun when driving.

While waiting for to see Tian Shun after nearly ten years Jia Hyson was pacing around Li Guiren nervously. "Ah, I can't believe Xiao Shun will finally come back,"

Li Guiren rolls his eyes but despite his annoyance at the topic at hand his gaze is still soft and fond when looking at the humanised Wei. "It hasn't been that long,"

Jia Hyson glares at him, this spicy chicken father, "You! What 'it hasn't been that long'?! One month is enough to complete change a person and yet you dare have the face to say that it hasn't been that long when it was you who sent him away?" He spits angrily, "Xiao Ren, I really don't know where I went wrong with teaching you. Everything but your attitude toward your son is practically perfect ah."

"That kid is…" Li Guiren hesitates, but after many years of this argument he already knows the best answer is submissiveness and silence, "You're right Wei Wei," He coaxes in a sticky sweet tone, "But I don't think you did anything wrong raising me, it's just my own issues. I'm sorry."

Bebe: '...Bebe has so many things to say to this but Bebe will not.'

Now it was Jia Hyson's turn to roll his eyes but it was clear he was appeased and amused by the heavy flattering from the now middle-aged handsome police detective. "Aiyah I suppose you can be forgiven ah, but you must treat Xiao Shun nicer okay? Once he graduates high school there really might not be any way to fix your father-son relationship anymore." God knows his own father-son relationship was so terrible to the point one of his main regrets in his original life was that he never got to kill the bastard himself. Or at least, said a few choice fucking words at his deathbed.

Ah thinking about it again Jia Hyson can't help but lament. When he was younger he had written various speeches he had planned. Every time he wrote an unlikeable arrogant and chauvinistic father figure in a story he would make sure to dedicate his own father for the 'inspiration'. Such a goddamn shame he never got to make any finishing moves.

Jia Hyson: 'Actually, Bebe, is it possible to do a computer ghost thing in my original world? You know, to fix some unresolved… grievances and such.'

Bebe: '…You mean to fuck up your enemies and people who pissed you off isn't it?' 눈_눈

Jia Hyson: 'If I say no would you believe me?'

Bebe: 'Yes.'

Jia Hyson: 'Really?'

Bebe: 'Haha hell no,'(∩❛ڡ❛∩)

Jia Hyson:  ಠ_ಠ

Li Guiren smiles warmly at Wei but internally he had already blackened beyond belief. It was the kind of black color that was so dark no light could penetrate it. The kind of black color if someone could make would be cherished by all artists because of how undoubtedly soul-suckingly black it was. If he had the means he would have arranged the airplane carrying his son to crash.

In any other situation maybe he wouldn't be so cruel but now that there were in such a position, with his hands tied behind his back due to his yang properties and his son with his golden finger coveting what's rightfully Li Guiren's... don't blame him for being ruthless ah.

When Tian Shun arrived Li Guiren felt his resolve harden at first sight.

Because... his son had grown up to be a really handsome young man!

Tian Shun had taken the best parts of both Li Guiren's masculine imposing looks and Tian Xinyan's sleek elegant and intelligent appearance resulting in a man that can turn heads wherever he goes. His silver eyes catch in the light, making him look like a man out of a fantasy novel, his hair is a little long and wavy, styled in a charming windswept fashion. As he walks it seems to rustle lightly giving the impression an invisible breeze lives inside his hair for the sole purpose of making him look more amazing than before.

Jia Hyson: 'Oh no... he's hot.'

Bebe: '...Bebe admits you're not wrong and yet Bebe still hates you for it.'

Jia Hyson: 'I'm wrong you hate, I'm right you hate? Tell me, you were secretly a Mother-In-Law system before right?'

Bebe: 'Scram!' (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻

"Xiao, Xiao Shun?" Jia Hyson stutters, his humanoid body was very lifelike, it can even flush appropriately now that [I Can't Believe it's Not Human] reached level two. Right now it was mortifyingly making his pale cheeks pink coquettishly. "Is that really you?"

"Wei Wei," Tian Shun smiles. He looks a little skinnier and more scholarly than Li Guiren but definitely just as, if not more so, good-looking. When he's not smiling he looks cold and aloof, but when he smiles it's like the ice has melted and spring has come early, that sort of gentle and lovely feeling.

Jia Hyson swallows heavily. It wasn't completely because Tian Shun had become a stunning specimen of mankind, but also, now that the young man is closer he can sense… the yin energy in his body is very strong. Very enticing.

Before he can react, Tian Shun eagerly dropped his luggage and flew over to embrace Jia Hyson. For a second Jia Hyson stiffens up, bracing himself for the uncomfortable feeling that comes with interacting with the living. He's found over time that even in his pseudo-human state, touching people, not just Li Guiren, did not feel too pleasant since everyone had a lot of innate yang energy, even women were no exception- though they did feel easier to touch then men. It was best when they were shrouded with negative emotions such as fear or despair, at that point they become like ripened fruit, sweet and easy to pick.

However, Tian Shun, despite clearly being overjoyed, did not give any unpleasant feeling. In fact, to Jia Hyson's shock, Tian Shun felt good! Really, really good…

Completely opposite to Li Guiren's yang body which was painful to touch, Tian Shun's cool yin body made Jia Hyson feel reluctant to part from it. Not only did he feel nourished, the temperature was just right and the sensation was the most explicit physical feeling he had in a long time. Even in his human form his sense of touch and smell in the living realm were dulled and his taste for human food nonexistent. But now it felt like he was truly holding Tian Shun, he could feel the soft, silky smooth skin and the tingling cold puffs of air he breathed out.

Jia Hyson shivers, a soft moan comes out of him inexplicably as he leans further into the hug.

Before he could enjoy himself more however, a harsh fiery pain burns his shoulder making him cry out in surprise and suffering as he is pulled back by a ferocious looking Li Guiren. Seeing that his touch had repelled Jia Hyson so badly, his originally angry and possessive expression flickers out into horror and regret, quickly pulling back the offending limb like it was he who had gotten burnt instead.

"I.. sorry Wei," he apologises.

Jia Hyson forces a smile as he applies pressure on the injured shoulder, trying to circulate his spiritual energy toward the burnt area. If you looked underneath his clothing the flesh there would have been actually showing burn marks. He inwardly winces. Li Guiren had really gotten much stronger recently. "It's fine, let's go home ah."

Tian Shun takes his hand, his natural yin constitution supplying Jia Hyson with a cool, soothing feeling, like aloe vera it ebbs the previous pain a little. The smile Jia Hyson gives to him is much more sincere and grateful which isn't missed by Li Guiren's dark eyes filled with helpless jealousy. "Yes, we have a lot to catch up about,"

"Who told you to stay away for so long ah?" Jia Hyson scolds playfully as they all begin to walk to the car, "At this rate I almost forget we had another person in the family you know?"

"That's the idea," Tian Shun mutters, making Jia Hyson flick his ear in disapproval. Li Guiren however does not take it as a joke like Jia Hyson did face turning exceedingly ugly as he looked at his son who hadn't even greeted him yet. It was clear who he really came home for.

He really should have strangled this white-eyed wolf when he had the chance! Damn the consequences!

As Tian Shun settles back into the household, two weeks later a string of gruesome murders were discovered around the area. The people were mutilated in all sorts of creative ways and every victim was seemingly unrelated to each other. The only clue between them was a black mark somewhere on their bodies, the size of a cigarette burn.

Li Guiren obviously became extremely busy and Jia Hyson who had just reunited with their youngest family member didn't want to come with. He had only come for company before, Li Guiren had already grew up to be a fine criminal investigator, now he was only interested in nurturing emotions with Tian Shun.

Tian Shun who was enjoying reconnecting with Wei these days watches a tired Li Guiren rush out of the house with a serene smile.