GRMFBS CH279

At 6:30 AM, the alarm clock rang continuously for three full minutes, forcing him awake against his will.

Zhan Yan: …Forgot to turn off the alarm yesterday.

Get up for what? Why get up early after staying up late?

He turned off the alarm and went back to sleep.

“Yan Yan, come have breakfast once you’re awake,” Zhan Yunkai’s voice traveled right through the door.

Zhan Yan: …

The soundproofing at the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau is simply terrible!

He sat up with a head of messy curls and protested to his dad: “Dad! You know everything now, you can’t use your standards to demand fitness results from me anymore!”

Even if he trained his entire life, there was no way he could compare his strength to these big bosses, alright?

Zhan Yunkai smiled warmly as he served a massive table of breakfast: “So are you getting up or not?”

The mouth-watering aroma wafted straight into his nose. Eight or nine plates of diverse breakfast treats covered the table.

Zhan Yan swallowed hard: “Dad, why did you make so much?”

Zhan Yunkai: “We can finish it all anyway; it won’t go to waste.”

Now that his disguise was completely gone, Zhan Yunkai simply cut loose, preparing an excessively lavish breakfast at superhuman speed.

Unable to resist the temptation of breakfast, Zhan Yan quickly washed up and obediently sat at the dining table, waiting to eat together with his parents.

“Don’t eat too fast until you’re stuffed; there’s more later,” Ji Yueming said affectionately.

Zhan Yan noticed the items sitting on the nearby cabinet.

Item descriptions activated:

[This is Reagent A-073, featuring aromas of white peach and coffee; it is a proprietary internal product developed by the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau used to replenish spiritual energy depletion while soothing spiritual energy stress, developed by…]

[This is a Purple-veined Fruit, sweet and slightly sour in taste, having the efficacy of healing spiritual energy and replenishing spiritual energy consumption, grown in…]

[This is an Elementary Essence Pill, bitter in taste, refined by Pill Master Bian Xinbi, possessing the effect of soothing spiritual energy pressure and gradually replenishing spiritual energy consumption, requiring…]

…

[This is milk toast handmade by Lin Yuan Ghost King Zhan Jinli, shockingly sweet, capable of soothing, replenishing consumption, and providing slight healing for all soul power, can…]

[After Chongming Demon King Zhan Yunkai and Tianshi Ji Yueming discovered that you were eating the bread made by Lin Yuan Ghost King Zhan Jinli to replenish your spiritual energy, they felt you were truly too pitiful and searched for alternatives separately.]

Ahhh, Mom and Dad are wonderful!

After finishing breakfast, Zhan Yan felt sleepy again.

His parents brought over that pile of items for him to try.

There weren’t many of these items, but they had all been meticulously selected; their potency wasn’t necessarily overwhelming, but they were exceptionally gentle with zero side effects—they had even tested Zhan Yan for allergies beforehand.

Zhan Yan tried them one by one. After finishing, he wasn’t sleepy anymore; he was full of vigor, feeling like he could scroll through gossip for another whole day and handle yet another exposed disguise without any pro—Phooey, phooey, phooey! No, if any more disguises fell, it would be Xiao Gu’s.

His parents both watched him expectantly: “How is it?”

“Is it working?”

Zhan Yan: “It works!”

He recalled Nie Yu telling him before that the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau could provide reagents to replenish an information-type’s spiritual energy consumption, but he had turned it down himself.

Wuu-wuu-wuu, look at what he had missed out on before!

Look at how pitiful the child was.

Zhan Yunkai and Ji Yueming packed up a stash of portable pills and medicinal reagents for him.

After testing the reagents, Ji Yueming asked gently:

“Yan Yan, is there anything else you want to tell Mom and Dad?”

In the early morning, she and Old Zhan had received messages separately stating that the concept coverage over “spiritual” and “network” was gradually unraveling, and Deep Shadow also intended to talk to them about this matter.

Counting it all up, Deep Shadow had helped their family quite a bit, and they ought to repay him—they had even issued wanted bounties for him in the past.

Although neither of them knew Deep Shadow well, Approaching Science had a great relationship with Deep Shadow.

Her question made Zhan Yan’s heart skip a beat. He quickly ran through everything in his mind; other than Xiao Gu, he really had nothing left—his older brother’s and sister’s disguises had already been stripped bare.

Under a sense of bad premonition, Zhan Yan quickly pulled up a random matter he suddenly recalled to fill the gap: “Ah… well, Xiangliu has been using an alternate account to bash Dad online.”

Zhan Yunkai: ?

Is Xiangliu really this childish?

Ji Yueming: ?

Is Xiangliu looking for a beating?

However, that wasn’t what they intended to ask.

Zhan Yunkai couldn’t be bothered to hold a grudge against this defeated subordinate, while Ji Yueming secretly noted down a strike against Xiangliu.

Zhan Yunkai asked directly: “Are you very familiar with Deep Shadow?”

Ahhh, dead, dead, dead… They really were asking about Xiao Gu!

Zhan Yan managed his facial expression with great difficulty.

“Ah, yes, we met online,” he said, buying time while frantically flipping through gossip posts.

No way, no way? Why did Mom and Dad suddenly bring up Deep Shadow? Had Xiao Gu’s identity been exposed? It shouldn’t be…

He found the gossip post.

Ahhh, it was just because Deep Shadow was going to discuss Monster Doctor together with the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau and the Wan Yao Alliance; Mom and Dad simply remembered that Approaching Science was on familiar terms with Deep Shadow.

Gave him a fright; he thought Xiao Gu had been exposed.

“He reached out to collaborate with me quite a few times; I help him look up anomalies, and he goes to clean them up. Generally, as long as he has free time, he clears anomalies without caring about payment.

“I investigated him and found no bad deeds—he even gives candy to the children he saves.

“Deep Shadow is also a bit cold on the outside but warm on the inside; he’s not very easy to get along with before getting to know him, but once you’re familiar, he’s great. Oh right, his sequelae are cured now too, so he’s even easier to get along with.”

Working hard to put in a good word for Xiao Gu!

There was skill in putting in a good word; one couldn’t just praise endlessly in a straight line, otherwise Mom and Dad would definitely notice something was off.

Ji Yueming: “Do you know how Deep Shadow’s sequelae were cured?”

This point had always puzzled the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau; if it could be popularized, that would be wonderful.

Zhan Yan: “Um… I’m not too sure either.”

After all, he hadn’t seen a gossip post explicitly stating that Deep Shadow’s sequelae were cured because he was dating him, right? So this didn’t count as lying. He genuinely couldn’t confirm it.

Both big bosses were very curious about Deep Shadow. Zhan Yan was questioned to the point where he was breaking into a sweat.

Damn it… what kind of hellish quest was this? When two big bosses got serious, their perception was far too sharp; any tiny loophole could easily be spotted.

Fortunately, halfway through the questioning, his phone rang.

Zhan Yan looked at the message; it was from the dorm group chat, sent by Bao Qingshan, asking him when he would return to school because he had massive gossip to share.

Thank you for saving my life! The gossip wasn’t important; what was important was having a legitimate reason to interrupt and stop talking about Deep Shadow.

“It’s my roommate; school starts tomorrow, and he’s asking when I’ll head back,” Zhan Yan said.

The kid starting school was an important matter and couldn’t be delayed. Things regarding Deep Shadow could be asked later.

Zhan Yunkai: “I’ll drive you.”

Ji Yueming: “I’ll come along.”

Having just experienced a disconnection, neither of the couple felt completely at ease. Yet they couldn’t arrange for others to protect Yan Yan either; making things too unusual would only invite exposure.

Luckily, Xia Yuexian and Luo Luoluo had already arranged investment projects and filming crews in Beiling City; after a short while, they would be able to head over in shifts.

Sigh, it would still be best if someone could constantly guard Yan Yan’s side.

School started tomorrow. The couple drove Zhan Yan to school first, then headed home.

As soon as they opened the courtyard gate, the little maple tree swayed back and forth in the yard.

They both recalled Ning Xi’s previous reminder to inspect living creatures at home. This little maple tree at home had felt somewhat off to them before.

The couple headed straight for the little maple tree simultaneously and began their inspection.

Yet no matter how they examined it, this little maple tree merely looked like a minor demon who had recently gained sentience; right now, it probably didn’t even know that 1+1=2.

The little maple tree swayed confusedly again, shaking off its two prettiest maple leaves.

Zhan Yunkai picked up the maple leaves, his double pupils staring fixedly at the little maple tree. Why couldn’t he spot anything amiss? Could his innate divine ability really have an issue?

Zhan Yunkai murmured: “Why can’t I see anything? I felt earlier that this little maple tree demon was growing far too fast.”

Ji Yueming was conducting tests using equipment from the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau, and the data was entirely normal: “Yes, I only watered it once with plant growth fluid. Logically, it shouldn’t have grown this fast.”

Hearing that, Zhan Yunkai turned his head, and the couple’s gazes met again.

“I… secretly channeled demon power into it before too.”

…Case closed. The little maple tree was fine; both of them had simply been sneaking excessive supplements into it, feeding it up forcefully.

After inspecting the other plants in the courtyard, they found everything was completely normal.

Xingxing meowed at them through the glass door separating the living room and the yard.

Really now, leaving him home alone again yesterday. Sneaking out to have fun without taking him along!

Zhan Yunkai and Ji Yueming exchanged glances. Besides the flora, the only living creature left in the house was Xingxing.

The two opened the door.

Just as Xingxing was about to flop onto the floor and act cute, Ji Yueming scooped him up in one motion.

Holding a scanner shaped like a small comb, Ji Yueming began scanning, from the tips of his ears to the tip of his tail, his back, his belly, and all four paws.

The scanner started beeping around Xingxing’s neck, and on the screen, the small tag hanging from his collar was highlighted.

“Suiru made this, right?” Ji Yueming flicked the small tag and turned Xingxing towards Zhan Yunkai.

Xingxing tilted his head up confusedly, staring at the two: “Meow?”

What are you doing?

Zhan Yunkai carefully examined the tag and couldn’t help but praise: “Hidden remarkably well.”

If he hadn’t inspected it specifically, he wouldn’t even have discovered that this tag was an extraordinary item.

“There is a strand of Yan Yan’s hair inside,” Zhan Yunkai said. “Judging by its function, it’s meant to make animals wearing the tag affectionate toward Yan Yan.”

Both of them recalled the period when cats avoided him and dogs despised him.

Zhan Yunkai naturally took Xingxing, petting the cat while examining him thoroughly, saying in a less-than-certain tone: “Mmh… it really should just be an ordinary little kitten.”

He inspected him back and forth several times, while Xingxing thought Zhan Yunkai was playing with him, tumbling back and forth in his arms.

Hearing Zhan Yunkai’s tone, Ji Yueming chuckled.

Chongming Demon King had truly been rattled by the fact that everyone in the household had secret disguises. She had never seen him this unconfident before.

“Let’s bring Xingxing along when we go to Beiling City,” Ji Yueming suggested.

Recalling how depressed Yan Yan had looked back then, his eyes had lit up completely once he hugged Xingxing later.

Zhan Yan had kept the gossip posts on his parents’ end open the whole time, terrified that the two might spot a loophole and tear off Xiao Gu’s disguise.

Seeing that the matter had passed, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Hmph, Xiao Gu keeps making him worry so much; once they meet up, he’ll definitely make him pay it back!

Zhan Yan dragged his luggage, preparing to head back to the dorms.

Behind him, someone quickly walked over and took the suitcase from his hands.

Zhan Yan turned around; beneath the old ginkgo tree of early autumn, the young man in a gray shirt looked down at him with a smile, his eyes shining brightly like twin stars.

By the time Zhan Yan came back to his senses, he realized he had already wrapped his arms around Gu Jiancheng.

Ah, he had already missed him terribly too.