However, just as Yu Mian felt a moment of excitement over the much-needed mental power, he suddenly realized that the reward only sounded good.
After all, Huo Yan’s cousin looked like a walking danger zone!
Having the courage to take the reward was one thing, but surviving to enjoy it was another…
From Huo Ting’s perspective, the sensation of the glass jar in his palm was faintly cool to the touch.
Under the golden crystal chandelier in the hall, the transparent jar reflected shimmering light that was mesmerizingly beautiful.
The soft golden glow within the conch shell looked like a fallen star from the universe, hiding in the corner and emitting a gentle radiance.
It was watching him.
Almost as if it was staring back at him.
Huo Ting subconsciously felt this strange intuition, though he had no basis for it.
In the next moment, however, the small golden fish retreated deeper into the conch shell as though startled, leaving only the soft, veil-like tail fin trailing outside.
The sight inexplicably sparked endless imaginings.
“Isn’t he cute? Hm?”
“He’s shy! Stop staring at him!”
Huo Yan noticed that everyone in the room seemed transfixed and even a little dazed, and he couldn’t help but puff up with a bit of pride.
After all, he wasn’t worried about whether his cousin would let him keep the little fish.
Because from childhood to adulthood, there weren’t many things that could catch his cousin’s interest.
And if something didn’t interest him, he’d usually hand it over to him without much resistance, as long as he asked.
In this regard, Huo Ting was nothing short of a generous big brother.
Besides, his cousin was planning to throw away the aquarium anyway—taking out one fish he liked shouldn’t be a big deal, right?
However, when Madam Inas and the others saw the conch shell, their expressions shifted subtly as they seemed to recall a rather absurd rumor.
They subconsciously looked up at Huo Ting but hesitated to say anything, afraid that Huo Yan, oblivious as he was, might step on one of his cousin’s hidden landmines.
“Cousin? Give him to me! Don’t throw this one out—I’ll take care of him, okay?”
Huo Yan was completely unaware of the strange tension in the air. Instead, he stood up with great enthusiasm, eagerly trying to take the jar from his cousin’s hands.
However, with Huo Ting’s nearly 190 cm height, Huo Yan’s attempts were clearly a bit of a struggle.
The little radish-head jumped several times until he was out of breath before realizing a problem.
“Cousin, why are you holding it so high? I can’t reach it!”
Huo Yan stretched out his hands, looking both anxious and eager as he stared at Huo Ting.
“…Leave it with me.”
After a brief silence, Huo Ting finally responded.
This left Huo Yan, who had been craning his neck, momentarily stunned. Once he understood, his eyes widened in disbelief.
“What!? But weren’t you planning to throw it away!? Why do you suddenly want it now that I’ve picked it up!”
Huo Yan trailed after Huo Ting like an agitated little tail, running in small steps.
“Cousin, cousin, please, are you angry? I promise I won’t mess with you again! I’ll study hard from now on, and I’ll even give you massages…”
“Just give this one to me, please!”
His voice was tinged with desperation, a mix of urgency and longing.
Huo Yan assumed that Huo Ting was upset because he had complained to their grandfather about keeping the aquarium, and now, as usual, his cousin was teasing him on purpose.
“Huo Yan! Stop right there! Don’t bother your cousin in the study…”
“Leave it be. Huo Ting has been tense for so long, he deserves to relax now that he’s home.”
Just as Madam Ines was about to chase after him, Huo Dong stopped his wife with a chuckle.
As a close relative, Huo Dong could easily tell that Huo Ting was much more relaxed after returning home. It was obvious he was teasing Huo Yan.
The journey had been long and perilous. Due to the shifting political tides, the exploratory team had been forced to cut their mission short midway.
Since both his and his wife’s mental powers were more suited to theoretical research and lacked offensive capabilities, Huo Ting had been tasked with escorting the group back to the central star.
It was said that before picking up the exploratory team, Huo Ting had faced a rather severe alien beast attack.
Fortunately, he seemed unharmed along the way.
Returning safely was no small feat.
“And isn’t it just a little fish? If Huo Yan likes it, we can have Qian Ni buy a whole bunch tomorrow.”
Huo Dong looked at his son’s enthusiasm. To anyone unaware, it might seem like the glass jar contained some rare treasure.
“It’s probably just a fleeting fancy.”
Madam Ines sighed softly.
—
Inside the study, Huo Ting walked over and directly opened the window.
The vast night sky outside was brilliantly starry. The night breeze caused the wine-red curtains to flutter slightly, and the golden tassels swayed gently.
Though the old residence was dated, its location was excellent.
From the window, one could overlook the most bustling area of the central star. At this moment, countless lights shone brightly, giving a sense of peace and stability.
Meanwhile, Huo Yan stood by the edge of the desk pitifully. Without his cousin’s permission, he didn’t dare touch the jar sitting on the table.
All he could do was make eyes at Yu Mian, who was inside the jar.
—‘It’s over, it’s over. Cousin caught me!’
—‘Wuu, if everything had gone smoothly, I would have already brought you back to my bedroom by now!’
Yu Mian was equally in despair.
He hadn’t expected his relocation plan to completely fail!
After all the effort, not only was he back where he started, but now he was even closer to this dangerous man, Huo Ting!
“…Are you two talking?”
To their surprise, Huo Ting turned around the next second and caught them red-handed.
?
“No, I wasn’t! I was just making some faces.”
Huo Yan immediately realized that if he wanted to get back the jar, the best strategy was to make Huo Ting lose interest in it.
He absolutely couldn’t let his cousin discover Yu Mian’s miraculous nature!
“…”
Huo Ting simply glanced at Huo Yan without saying anything and returned to the desk.
After examining the tabletop for a moment, he frowned slightly and looked at Huo Yan.
“You’ve been at my desk?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’ve been doing my homework here. The view is great, and it helps me focus. So I got permission from Qian Ni to come over.”
“But I didn’t rummage through your stuff! I’m just passionate about studying!”
Huo Yan mumbled nervously as he leaned against the desk.
Meanwhile, inside the jar, Yu Mian’s small fish tail almost exploded from tension.
‘No way! I did my best to restore everything to its original state!:
‘How could this guy still notice someone had used it??’
Thankfully, Huo Yan managed to cover for him… or things would have ended disastrously.
The only bit of good news was that this was an old private residence, so there were no surveillance cameras installed inside.
Faced with Huo Yan’s earnest explanation, Huo Ting unexpectedly let out a rare laugh.
“Passionate about studying, but failing exams?”
Huo Yan: !
Hearing his failing grades being teased, Huo Yan’s face immediately started burning.
In fact, he usually didn’t care, but now, his cousin’s words were sure to be overheard by Yu Mian in the crystal jar!
“Hey! Stop making fun of me! I have my pride!”
Huo Yan grabbed the back of Huo Ting’s chair, but he didn’t notice Huo Ting straightening slightly to avoid physical contact.
“Qian Ni told me you’ve been running back and forth to the study constantly these days, even bringing meals here.”
Huo Ting’s casual remark while organizing the desk instantly silenced the anxious Huo Yan.
“Is it really for studying, or is it for that fish?”
“And pride? How many times have I signed your failing report cards?”
Huo Ting’s pointed questions made sweat break out on Huo Yan’s forehead.
Back then, he’d been too afraid to show his parents his grades, so he’d begged his cousin for help. Huo Ting had long been familiar with his academic record.
So bringing up this “pride” was a little strange.
It was almost as if it implied that someone else in the room might overhear their conversation!
Huo Yan knew that the more he talked in front of his cousin, the more mistakes he might make. But he really wanted to take the jar back to his bedroom!
“Young Master Huo Yan? Madam is calling for you. Also, you’ve already stayed up far too late tonight.”
Just as Huo Ting glanced down at the message on his light brain, a knock came at the door, and Qian Ni arrived to fetch Huo Yan.
“I… Fine, fine, I’m coming!”
“Cousin, promise me you won’t shake him randomly or throw him away! I’ll come find you again in the morning!”
Huo Yan felt like he’d never worried about anything this much in his life.
Only after Huo Yan left reluctantly, looking back at every step, and the study door was firmly shut did the room return to complete silence.
‘It’s over. Huo Yan’s been taken away, and now it’s just us left in the study!’
[Relax, we can play dumb. Pretend to be an ordinary fish, and wait for Huo Yan to come up with another plan tomorrow…]
Yu Mian, who was hiding inside the glass jar, grew nervous as he watched Huo Yan being led away.
Even the little system seemed a bit uneasy.
Unexpectedly, after Huo Yan left, Huo Ting merely glanced at the jar holding Yu Mian before connecting the muted, glowing light brain.
As soon as the device connected, another familiar voice came through. It was Secretary Hals:
“Are you alright? The medical team is on their way to the old residence.”
“Come quietly. It’s not serious.”
“Understood.”
Secretary Hals responded promptly. Since the young master preferred not to alarm the family in the middle of the night, they would act as if they were simply reporting on tasks.
After all, the Huo Dong couple wouldn’t be much help in this situation, and involving them would only cause unnecessary worry.
Inside the jar, Yu Mian overheard the conversation and was equally startled.
‘A medical team? So he’s injured? I couldn’t tell at all!’
[Um, it seems that way, but I don’t dare analyze this person…]
Just as the little system answered hesitantly, the long-dormant backend system suddenly issued a task:
[Daily Task Issued]
[Requirement: Please take care of the target within 30 minutes. Personally bandage and stop the bleeding to complete the task. Success will waive 7 days of rent and internet fees.]
[Countdown: 00:30:00]
Yu Mian: “…”
Yu Mian: ‘What the hell!?!’
‘System, is there something wrong with your backend?’
He was already trying to stay hidden—why on earth would they issue such a life-threatening task that required him to get close on purpose!?
And the most outrageous thing was that the reward for such a crazy task was just 7 days!?
This had to be a bug!
[Um, do you remember I mentioned the concept of equivalent exchange?]
The little system was equally stunned and finally explained in a hushed tone.
[I thought a simple task like cleaning the room would be enough. But maybe the house is too big, and the aquarium too luxurious, so the world rules determined that your required labor cost should increase…qwq.]
