◎Imagining locking the human at home.◎
In the early morning, Yue Peihui opened the door and saw the boy already waiting early in the living room.
Lin Jingdu was still wearing that light blue pajamas, hadn't changed, hugging his knees on the sofa while scrolling on his phone. These days, the Evil God had gradually discovered the fun of phones and started voluntarily opening short video apps to watch videos.
He was very quiet, his gray and black irises glued to the phone screen. His black hair was messy from tossing and turning in bed, with a few strands sticking up. He buttoned his shirt carelessly, the collar open, revealing his fair and delicate collarbone.
The living room wasn't very bright; the curtains were only drawn on the dark side, and the sheer curtains still covered the floor-to-ceiling window, blurring the outside scenery. Some sunlight penetrated the sheer curtains and fell into the living room, leaving faint, flickering light spots on the brown floor, swaying and shaking.
Yue Peihui leaned against the doorframe, quietly watching the eerie focused on his phone. It was as if softness and harmlessness were his synonyms, as if the man's judgment was wrong, and he had to classify Lin Jingdu as a safe blue warning level.
The restless strands of hair on his head swayed, and the noisy background music of the short video finally stopped. The boy suddenly raised his eyes: "Ah, good morning." He obediently greeted, his sparkling eyes seeming even brighter, almost shyly asking when breakfast would be.
Stopping his scrutiny of Lin Jingdu, Yue Peihui straightened up and said lightly, "Good morning." Just as he walked to the stove, the black shadow that had been curled on the sofa suddenly "whooshed" and followed him, almost teleporting to Yue Peihui's side.
Yue Peihui: "…"
He first held down the Evil God's tentatively reaching claw: "Don't touch the kitchen utensils." He didn't use much force; the boy's wrist was very slender, and it seemed if Yue Peihui used a bit more strength, Lin Jingdu's wrist would break.
The guy caught on the spot looked at him in confusion, his expression seeming to say, "Why?"
Taking a deep breath, Yue Peihui slowed his tone: "Today, I'll be in charge of the kitchen, alright?" He was afraid some strange force might sneakily add "extra flavor" to the food.
Lin Jingdu felt a bit uneasy: "Are we really okay with this…?"
There's no host who doesn't cook while their pet cooks for them.
"Let's try it for one day first, okay?" The man's voice was low, like a coaxing whisper.
After hesitating for a moment, Lin Jingdu said, "Then I'll watch by your side."
That was an agreement.
Yue Peihui responded with a 'hmm' and began washing vegetables and cooking.
Soup was boiling in the pot, bubbles gradually rising to the surface, white steam swirling, and the aroma lingering.
"Gurgle."
Yue Peihui clearly heard a distinct sound.
The god who made the sound seemed completely unconcerned, his eyes fixed tightly on the pot shrouded in white mist, then his throat moved as he swallowed.
…He wanted to eat.
Even Yue Peihui himself didn't notice, but watching this scene, he couldn't help but curl the corner of his mouth slightly.
"Take the bowls and chopsticks and go sit at the dining table first," Yue Peihui said, gazing at the swirling white mist.
Completely unaware he was being ordered around, the Evil God nodded eagerly, grabbed the bowls and chopsticks, and obediently went to the dining table.
Watching the figure carrying the bowls and chopsticks walk away, Yue Peihui's eyes darkened slightly, unexpectedly feeling a bit reluctant.
Shaking his head, he dismissed the strange feeling inside, expressionless as he opened a medicine bottle from his pocket and dropped the colorless, tasteless medicine into a bowl of soup that had been seasoned.
The white mist parted for a moment as the liquid dropped, then quickly covered the surface of the soup with floating oil again.
After a while, the complete side dishes were finally brought to the table, along with two bowls of steaming hot noodle soup. It was an overly lavish breakfast, except it lacked the folded ear root Lin Jingdu had picked yesterday. Early in the morning, Yue Peihui decided to spare this strange being who had never tasted human delicacies.
The bowl of soup with the medicine was casually placed near Lin Jingdu by Yue Peihui. The young man, holding a spoon in his left hand and chopsticks in his right, followed Yue Peihui's movements with his eyes, his anticipation for enjoying the delicious food practically spilling out from them.
"Try it, how does it taste?" Yue Peihui pulled out a chair and sat down, speaking.
Lin Jingdu tentatively picked up a piece of cold dish with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. The salty and spicy flavor blossomed on his tongue, and the Evil God was instantly conquered: it was many times more delicious than the dried, fried strange corpse he had made himself!
Even the tentacles hidden in the shadow beneath his feet stirred anxiously, begging to be fed.
Almost like a whirlwind, Lin Jingdu finished all the edible dishes on the table, and even cleaned his bowl of rice completely.
Putting down his chopsticks, Lin Jingdu slurped up all the soup from the noodle bowl.
Yue Peihui had eaten almost all of his own food, only taking light bites of the other dishes, just enough to feel full. He quietly watched the strange being eating happily and asked, "Is it delicious?"
Usually, he could only read emotions from the other's eyes. Whether it was because his cooking was too good or not, Lin Jingdu nodded vigorously twice to express "very delicious."
Glancing at the dish plates on the table, now only scraps remained, Yue Peihui asked, "What do you think tastes best?"
"The noodles."
The porcelain bowl was placed on the clean table surface with a crisp sound. The young man licked his lips with lingering satisfaction and replied simply and clearly.
Perhaps the noodles were so good he wanted another bowl, as he licked his lips again.
Yue Peihui's gaze fell on the young man's lips and paused slightly.
Those lips, after being bathed in hot soup, were lightly tinted with a faint pink. When the tip of his tongue gently swept over them, it left a glistening sheen, looking soft and moist.
Looking down from above for a long time, the man's eyes grew darker and more reserved, shrouded in a layer of shadow.
Sensing the other person's distraction, Lin Jingdu lifted his eyes to look at him and asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
Hurriedly averting his gaze, Yue Peihui felt ridiculous: what had he just been thinking? He replied softly, "Nothing."
Lin Jingdu said "Oh" and asked, "What seasoning did you put in the noodle soup?"
"Seasoning?" His stalled thoughts began to turn. The man raised his eyebrows and repeated the word.
Lin Jingdu nodded: "Yes, because it's so delicious." He sounded a bit discouraged, "Anyway, I can't make this kind."
Yue Peihui said noncommittally, "The noodles are delicious, not because of the seasoning."
The young man widened his eyes a bit: "Really?"
…Then he was truly a failed host, unable to make human food as well as his own pet.
Glancing at Yue Peihui, Lin Jingdu whispered, "Would you dislike me as a host who can't cook?"
Yue Peihui: "…"
He comforted the disappointed Evil God with a numb expression: "No, I wouldn't dislike you." After quickly saying this, the man stood up to start cleaning, "Finished eating? I'll wash the dishes."
"Eh, then I'll also…" Lin Jingdu wanted to help but was pushed back into his chair by his human.
Yue Peihui glanced at him and said, "You just sit, I'll handle the rest." After speaking, he turned around and went to clean the kitchen himself.
While tidying up, Yue Peihui expressionlessly lowered his head and sent a message.
[Remember to reply to the research department, their medicine is useless.]
After a pause, he added: [Not completely useless, it can still be used as seasoning.]
Receiving the message, Ji Xuyang: "?"
Is it so useless it can only be used as seasoning?
Ji Xuyang: [Got it!]
[By the way, boss, I reported the matter yesterday. Sister Tao Yu and the others also came to help handle the follow-up.]
[Good.]
[But last night, it seems a few more people fainted. We moved them back to the bureau for treatment, but it's strange…]
[We found the 'mirror' is missing.]
Yue Peihui stopped washing dishes, his gaze slightly narrowed. The sound of running water continued, and the man sighed softly as he turned off the tap, turning to glance at the young man still sitting at the dining table, staring at him without blinking.
The young man cupped his face with both hands, meeting Yue Peihui's gaze without shyness or looking away, boldly returning the look with eyes that said, "What's wrong?"
Shaking the water droplets from his hands, the man grabbed a nearby dish towel and wiped them simply, then asked directly, "Yesterday you went off alone… was it to kill a strange being?"
He asked so directly and suddenly that Lin Jingdu couldn't even react in time to decide what expression to make.
After Yue Peihui's question, the open kitchen suddenly fell silent.
Quietly picking up his vest, Lin Jingdu played dumb: "What are you talking about? You mean those scary creatures? Me alone? How could I kill them? Just avoiding them is already good enough."
The man rested his hand beside the sink and lightly tapped it, the silver edge making a crisp sound: "Since you know, next time don't pick up strange corpses to cook."
"…" Once again being scolded by his own pet for past actions, Lin Jingdu said dejectedly, "Got it."
Yue Peihui looked at him without a flicker of emotion and continued, "I know you have special abilities, but next time…"
"…still pay attention to the people around you."
Lin Jingdu chewed on this sentence from his human. Did it mean that when he dealt with strange beings, he also had to care about the lives of other humans?
So strange, the Evil God didn't understand.
He couldn't comprehend this reminder and looked at Yue Peihui with confusion, asking, "Why care about the same kind?" In the Evil God's understanding, the death of the same kind was commonplace. No one cared about each other's lives, even friends. When they died, it was perhaps just a faint 'what a pity' and occasional nostalgic remembrance later on.
Yue Peihui's gaze passed over the young man sitting by the dining table and looked far beyond the sheer curtain covering the floor-to-ceiling window. The cityscape was faintly visible behind the curtain, and the deep blue sky could be glimpsed.
The strange being before him was craving an answer to this question, a different species waiting for a response.
The man raised an eyebrow, choosing not to lecture on grand principles but instead said in a low, clear voice: "Mutual assistance and cooperation are important survival choices for most social animals. Humans are no exception."
"Biological instinct?" The Evil God, who had lived alone for a long time, understood a little and asked.
"You could say that." The man’s gaze swept over him. "Do you understand now?"
At the moment the gaze passed over him, Lin Jingdu had the illusion of being seen through by a human. He nodded slowly and said, "Next time… I'll pay attention."
The sound of water resumed. Yue Peihui casually asked, "What are you planning to do later?"
Lin Jingdu thought for a moment, about to say "I plan to indulge in watching movies in the audio-visual room all afternoon," when his phone suddenly chimed with a long string of messages from a very talkative person.
The young man shut his mouth, not voicing his plan, and instead reached for the phone nearby.
Sure enough, the only person who would send messages so rapidly was "Shan You Si."
The other party first expressed concern about Lin Jingdu's pet life: [Little Jingdu, how have you been getting along with your pet lately?]
[Have you asked your human if they go to work, what kind of friends they have? Humans are very social creatures with strong social needs ^ ^]
[By the way, are you interested in going out with me? I feel like I haven't seen you in a hundred years.]
Ignoring the last invitation, Lin Jingdu's gaze fixed on the penultimate message.
What does 'strong social needs' mean…?
The Evil God, who had been deluded into thinking keeping the human locked in this house was enough, was stunned.
[Author's Note]
Later, the Evil God never tasted the flavor of those noodles again.
Evil God: Could it be that seasoning really makes a difference? (Pondering)
