Chapter 24
Tang Shen’s breathing hitched.
The hand rubbing his forehead dropped heavily, and it took him a while to find his words: “Dad, are you saying he’s Jing?”
“Yes.” Chi Yu’s cheerful voice suddenly paused, as if he had seen the remaining photos.
“Eh.”
Tang Shen’s heart, which had just settled, suddenly lifted again: “Dad?”
“How strange.” Chi Yu, lying in his husband’s arms, raised the phone to show Tang Zhengqing the photos. “Jing seems a bit off.”
Given the situation involving their youngest son, who had been forced to leave them shortly after birth, Tang Zhengqing was still very concerned.
He followed Chi Yu’s gaze to the phone, which displayed some photos Tang Shen had sent.
The person in the photos had a similar appearance to Chi Yu, but compared to his beloved, the person in the photos seemed more relaxed and casual.
Chi Yu’s hand slid down the photos, and immediately, Tang Zhengqing frowned as well.
The photos below seemed to have been taken during high school and university. Though the features were the same, it felt like the person in the first photo and the ones below were two different people.
Tang Zhengqing: “What’s going on?”
Chi Yu gently caressed the photos through the phone screen: “It seems like only half of him is there.”
Tang Shen, on the other end of the phone, heard the entire conversation between Chi Yu and Tang Zhengqing.
“Half of what?” He asked.
Chi Yu replied: “Only half of the soul.”
After speaking, he muttered softly: “Damn, there must have been a problem with the magic spell. No wonder forbidden techniques are forbidden for a reason.”
However, based on Chi Yu’s words, Tang Shen confirmed one thing—
That is, Chi Jing was indeed his brother.
He closed his eyes, feeling the weight lifted from his heart.
“Father, I’m going to find him.”
Tang Zhengqing’s demeanor became serious as well.
“Alright, we will go to Huaguo tonight.”
“Haishi, he’s… I mean, my brother is in Haishi.”
“Got it.”
As daylight gradually gave way to dusk, Chi Jing sat at an outdoor table in the garden. The shadows of the greenery along the road stretched long with the setting sun, and his figure almost blended into the twilight.
He leaned back in the wrought iron chair with his legs crossed, a cushion behind his lower back to make the position more comfortable.
He was enjoying the evening breeze, with a glass of red wine on the table beside him.
Before it got dark, the sound of a car approached his residence, eventually stopping in the garage of the villa next door.
He picked up his wine glass and took a sip just as his phone vibrated a few times.
The screen lit up automatically, showing a WeChat message.
[Jiang Yucheng: The wine in the villa’s collection is quite strong, don’t drink too much.]
He looked at the message and glanced around.
His gaze settled on Jiang Yucheng across the fence of the neighboring villa.
The two villas seemed to have been specially designed, separated only by a short wooden fence.
Jiang Yucheng stepped over the fence and walked up to him.
Chi Jing looked away and took another sip of wine.
His cheeks were already flushed, but not to the point of being drunk; his mind was still clear.
“You live next door?”
Jiang Yucheng glanced back at the house that originally belonged to Yang Qianhu and nodded boldly: “Yes, I live next door.”
Chi Jing smiled: “Are you sure?”
“Moved in just yesterday.”
Chi Jing smirked: “How convenient.”
“Very convenient.” Jiang Yucheng took the wine glass from his hand, “Stop drinking.”
Chi Jing leaned back against the chair, lazily lifting his eyelids: “What are you doing?”
“Don’t want you to get drunk.”
After Jiang Yucheng spoke, he suddenly squinted his eyes: “Where are your horns?”
Chi Jing leaned back, looking up at the nearly black sky.
“They were gone when I woke up this morning, but something else has grown.”
He didn’t notice it in the morning when he went downstairs wearing a hat to meet Mu Jingshan. But after going back to bed for a nap, he found out that the horns that were growing on his head had disappeared.
He was only happy for a second before realizing he was lying on his newly grown bat wings and tail, making him groan involuntarily.
Jiang Yucheng paused, “Wings or a tail?”
He had read many books about succubi afterward and knew that besides the small horns like demons, this species would also grow bat wings and tails.
Chi Jing: “Both, and they are in their early stages.”
This was getting even stranger.
If he had simply arrived in this world inexplicably, with his soul inhabiting the original owner’s body, then he should be using a human body.
But would a human body grow succubus horns, bat wings, and even a tail?
He couldn’t figure out the reason, so he went to the wine cellar to find a bottle of red wine and sat in the yard to drink.
Jiang Yucheng’s eyes were cast down, and his gaze landed on Chi Jing’s head.
The soft black hair swayed in the evening breeze, and the horns that used to be hidden in the hair were gone.
“Do you need a doctor?” he asked in a cold voice, “I can get you a confidential team.”
“No need for now.” Chi Jing waved off his offer, “Have you had dinner?”
Jiang Yucheng, who had just returned from a banquet, lied without changing his expression: “No.”
“Then let’s go, I’ll treat you to dinner.”
Chi Jing stood up, holding the table for support, his body swaying as he almost fell into Jiang Yucheng’s arms.
Jiang Yucheng caught him with one hand and rubbed his forehead helplessly: “Let’s eat at home, I’ll have the restaurant send something over.”
Chi Jing hadn’t expected the wine to have such a strong after-effect.
He steadied himself with his help and shook his head: “A bit dizzy.”
“I told you the wine was strong. Watch out!”
Seeing his unsteady steps, Jiang Yucheng simply picked him up in his arms and carried him inside.
He was placed on the sofa, and Jiang Yucheng called his assistant to order food.
By the time he finished handling the food order, Chi Jing had already recovered from the worst of the dizziness and was lying on the sofa, staring at the patterns on the carpet with dazed eyes.
He heard footsteps approaching and soon, a pair of silver-black leather shoes appeared in his line of sight.
“Drink this.” Jiang Yucheng helped him sit up, holding a pill and a glass of water.
He firmly placed the pill at his mouth: “Take it.”
He glanced at the white pill and, without much resistance, stuck out his tongue to take it from his hand.
Jiang Yucheng then fed him some water to help him swallow the pill.
“Will this work on me?” Chi Jing doubted.
Jiang Yucheng hesitated: “The ingredients are safe. Or I could make you some honey water.”
“No need, I’m just a bit dizzy.” He slumped against him, “When will dinner be ready?”
“Half an hour, are you hungry?”
“Not really, just want to eat something.” He stretched out, “I feel like I need to talk to my dad to understand all these things happening recently.”
“Who? Wen Zhentian?”
“Chi Yu.” He relaxed, spreading his arms naturally on the sofa back, “My dad’s name is Chi Yu.”
Jiang Yucheng paused: “You know your biological father’s name?”
“Yeah, but he might not be in this world.”
He thought Chi Jing’s biological father had passed away, so he instinctively said, “Sorry.”
“Why apologize? He’s not dead.”
Jiang Yucheng:”?”
Chi Jing: “It’s hard to explain to you.”
As it turned out, human medicine did have some effect on succubi.
By the time dinner arrived, the slight drunkenness he had felt was almost gone.
He sat cross-legged at the dining table, enjoying dinner.
Midway through the meal, there was a knock at the door.
He didn’t feel like moving, so he glanced at Jiang Yucheng.
Jiang Yucheng shook his head helplessly, put down his utensils, and got up to open the door for Chi Jing.
The visitor was Mu Jingshan. He didn’t notice who opened the door, barging in with a storm of anger.
“I’m so pissed off. They must have guessed you’re about to sign with Extreme Entertainment, and they’re demanding a million in breach fees.” He.stormed into the dining room, coincidentally meeting Chi Jing’s eyes.
Chi Jing: “Good evening.”
“???” Mu Jingshan turned towards the door and met Jiang Yucheng’s eyes as he followed him in.
“Aren’t you…?” His voice trembled, “Jiang Yucheng?”
Jiang Yucheng brushed past him, returning to the dining table to continue eating with Chi Jing.
Chi Jing: “Go on, they only want a million in breach fees?”
Mu Jingshan’s attention was diverted, his fury rekindled: “Yes! How dare they ask for that much? They didn’t even provide you with an assistant, and now they want a million in breach fees?”
“Some people are just shameless.” Chi Jing seemed unfazed, “Let the lawyers handle it.”
Mu Jingshan suddenly remembered that it was he who had introduced the lawyer.
He quietly observed Jiang Yucheng’s expression but found nothing.
“Will it go to court?” Chi Jing curiously asked Jiang Yucheng.
Jiang Yucheng: “No, by the time the next travel show starts filming, this matter will be resolved.”
“So soon?” Chi Jing, unfamiliar with the law, thought it would take a long time to settle.
“Yang Qianhu is good at handling these things. Want some fruit?”
Chi Jing: “Sure!”
Jiang Yucheng had ordered an extra portion of fruit when he placed the food order. He opened it and handed it to him.
He unwrapped a disposable fork for him and then got up to take care of the used food containers.
“In a few days, go to the company to pick an assistant and a driver.” He said, “Also, do you want to meet Director Xu with me tomorrow?”
Chi Jing, biting into the sweet, crisp watermelon, lifted his head without much excitement or joy at hearing Director Xu’s name.
He looked up at him: “Director Xu?”
“That role suits you well.” Jiang Yucheng said, “Most importantly, it will help you break into the film industry, making it easier to earn money in the future.”
In that case… Chi Jing was indeed tempted.
Who wouldn’t care about money, especially when he was currently quite poor.
But he wasn’t one to earn money at any cost. He was worried about performing poorly and ruining the whole drama.
“Is it an easy role?”
“The character’s personality is very similar to yours; you can almost play yourself. The rest is up to Director Xu.”
“Hmm.” He nodded, “Alright, I’ll go!”
After all, the horns on his head were gone. As for the bat wings and tail, they could be hidden under clothes, so it wouldn’t be a problem.
Mu Jingshan stood dumbfounded on the side. He had tried to persuade Chi Jing for a long time with less success than Jiang Yucheng’s few words, feeling somewhat defeated.
“Fine, I’ll go upstairs to find the kittens.” He sorrowfully headed upstairs.
After dinner, the slight dizziness Chi Jing had felt was completely gone.
Mu Jingshan, who had previously urged him to find a new home for the cat, went upstairs with a cat toy, leaving him and Jiang Yucheng alone downstairs.
When Jiang Yucheng finished tidying up the dining table and came out, Chi Jing was sprawled on the sofa, watching a movie.
The movie, which he had carefully selected, was a literary film starring Jiang Yucheng. It was a classic, and he had won numerous awards both domestically and internationally for it.
Hearing the familiar lines from the speaker, he rolled up his shirt sleeves, unbuttoned the top few buttons of his collar, and walked around the obstacles to the back of the sofa.
He leaned over, gently nuzzling Chi Jing’s neck, his hot breath fanning over the delicate skin.
“After helping you so much, isn’t it fair to collect a bit of interest?” His voice was light, brushing against Chi Jing’s ear.
Chi Jing spread his limbs, relaxing further into his body.
“So, what kind of interest do you want?”
Jiang Yucheng’s slender fingers rested on Chi Jing’s shoulder, drawing him closer, almost engulfing him.
“Well… let me see your bat wings and tail, alright?”