"Let's go…"
Shen Siyuan shut down his Computer and slowly got up.
The Little One beside him was already getting impatient, her little bottom wiggling back and forth as if that would speed things up.
"Alright, don't be anxious, we'll definitely make it in time," Shen Siyuan comforted her with a smile.
Because the Finance Department was located at the very back of the Office, whether one took the stairs or the Elevator, they had to pass by their Operations Department.
And in an internet Company, the partitions between departments were large floor-to-ceiling glass panels, so you could see everything clearly.
Shen Siyuan glanced back at the empty Office.
Everyone had already left. He casually turned off the lights, and the faint blue glow from several computer towers became clearly visible.
Their computers were still on, either AFK in a game or downloading movies.
Shen Siyuan didn't bother with it and just closed the door.
The Programming Department across the hall was still brightly lit, and boisterous sounds could be heard from time to time. Of course, they weren't discussing Work, but having a LAN party.
The Little One turned to head back inside to find her Mom, but Shen Siyuan pulled her back.
"We can just wait by the Elevator entrance. It's not like she's going to jump out of a window."
This sentence seemed to amuse her, and she giggled nonstop.
Seeing the Little One familiarly place her small hand into his own, Shen Siyuan smiled and asked, "I still don't know your name. How old are you?"
"My name is Doudou, and I'm Mountain Sleep."
The Little One's speech was still a bit slurred; she pronounced 'three years old' as 'mountain sleep'.
Shen Siyuan was stunned for a moment before he understood.
"Your nickname is Doudou, what about your full name… what's your full name?"
"Full name… full name… my full name is Tao Hongdou! Aren't I amazing?"
After speaking, the Little One clenched her small fists, her face wearing a "come on and praise me" expression.
Shen Siyuan didn't praise her out loud, but reached out and stroked her little head. The Little One immediately squinted her eyes like a kitten and nuzzled against his palm.
Children weren't really that different from little pets, they liked being held and petted…
The Little One had been dead for over two years, and it had been a long time since anyone had touched her like this. Even at night when she secretly snuggled into her Mom and Dad's arms, they couldn't see or feel her, so there was naturally no sensation of touch.
That's why the Little One seemed so happy.
The two arrived at the Elevator entrance.
It was past the rush hour to Get Off Work, so there was hardly anyone by the elevators.
So Shen Siyuan waited quietly.
Doudou grew a little anxious and ran back and forth several times before she finally saw her Mom walk out unhurriedly, a bag slung over her shoulder.
Doudou followed beside her, reaching out her small hand to try and hold hers, but failed time and time again.
Finally, with a wronged look on her face, she went back to Shen Siyuan.
"Big Bwother…"
"Alright… alright… I'll let her see you in just a moment."
*
When Jiang Wenxin saw Shen Siyuan standing by the Elevator entrance, she merely gave him a brief glance and didn't greet him.
Although they were in the same Company, with several hundred people, it was impossible to know everyone. Besides, they weren't in the same department and had no interactions, so naturally, she wouldn't just greet him out of the blue.
Shen Siyuan also glanced at Jiang Wenxin. She was a young madam in her thirties with very fair Skin.
Her red dress made her Skin seem even fairer. She wasn't very tall, but had a curvaceous figure, delicate features, and a good disposition.
She looked like a pampered wife from a wealthy family.
However, her complexion didn't seem very good.
Even under the thick layer of foundation, her weariness was hard to conceal.
Doudou was at her side, hopping up and down, trying to get her Mom's attention, but her Mom, as always, ignored her existence.
Doudou then squinted suspiciously at Shen Siyuan, as if to say, 'Are you lying to me?'
Shen Siyuan was amused by her expression and whispered, "Just a little longer."
Hearing this, Doudou stared blankly at Shen Siyuan, then sighed and stood obediently to the side, looking up at her Mom from time to time, then back at Shen Siyuan, appearing exceptionally well-behaved.
Although Shen Siyuan's voice was quiet, it still caught Jiang Wenxin's attention. She glanced at him again.
Shen Siyuan hadn't expected her to look over, so he gave her a slight smile.
Jiang Wenxin couldn't help but be slightly dazed.
She suddenly realized that the eyes of the Young Man before her were exceptionally beautiful, as if they possessed a magical power that could Devour a person's Soul—deep, distant, like a dark pool…
Fortunately, Shen Siyuan took the initiative to look away, allowing Jiang Wenxin to come back to her senses.
Shen Siyuan himself hadn't noticed the abnormalities in his own body.
Even a rotten ship has three inches of good nails. The Nine Nether Lord of the Underworld was known as the most powerful Demon Lord in The Great Wilderness in a thousand years, and he had managed to escape the Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation and the siege of the Righteous Path.
Even as just a wisp of a Remnant Soul, it was a testament to his power.
After an afternoon of integration and adaptation, Shen Siyuan was unconsciously emitting some of that abnormality.
Just then, the Elevator arrived. Shen Siyuan stepped in first, pressed the button for the first floor, and walked to the very back.
Jiang Wenxin didn't think much of it. She walked into the Elevator and pressed the button for Basement Level 3; she had driven here.
And at that moment, Shen Siyuan flipped his palm, and the Ten Thousand Souls Banner appeared in it. Following the memory, he formed a Hand Seal.
A wisp of Eerie Light emerged from the tattered Ten Thousand Souls Banner, like a spiritual snake, slithering from his fingertip onto Jiang Wenxin's shoulder ahead. It then traveled up her shoulder, burrowed into the nape of her neck, and vanished.
Doudou stood to the side, watching this scene with a look of astonishment.
"What are you spacing out for?"
Shen Siyuan gestured to Doudou.
Then, with a flick of his finger, a similar wisp of Eerie Light landed on Doudou.
Jiang Wenxin had sharp hearing.
She had heard Shen Siyuan's "muttering to himself" outside the Elevator, let alone inside it.
So she thought to herself, 'Such a nice young man, what a pity he has mental problems.
' She grew curious and wanted to turn around to look.
But just then, she felt someone grab her hand, and she became furious.
'Not only does this person have mental problems,' she thought, 'he's also a pervert.'
She immediately turned her head, simultaneously trying to shake off the hand holding hers.
But—
She froze abruptly, her face instantly turning deathly pale.
Because the tiny figure before her was the very person she dreamed of day and night.
"Dou… Doudou?" Jiang Wenxin stammered.
"Hee hee~, Mom, you can finally see me."
Doudou gave a big smile, but as she smiled, her little mouth started to quiver.
She really wanted to cry.
And so, with a waaah, she burst into tears.
Seeing her cry so hard, Jiang Wenxin reflexively scooped her up into her arms.
"Doudou, don't cry~"
"Good girl, Doudou~"
"You've cried yourself into a little calico kitten~"
These were all phrases she used to use to comfort Doudou.
Although she had countless questions right now, seeing her Daughter's sorrowful face, her heart shattered into a million pieces.
"I'm so happy Mom can see me, but… but I just want to cry," Doudou said with a quivering lip, her voice choked with sobs.
"Don't cry anymore… don't cry…" Jiang Wenxin reached out to wipe away her tears.
But she found the tears vanished without a trace on her hand, without the slightest feeling of wetness.
Connecting this with what Doudou had just said, a suspicion began to form in her heart.
But she didn't feel afraid.
There's a saying: every Ghost you fear is someone another person desperately longs to see.
Doudou was the one she desperately longed to see.
How could she possibly be afraid to meet her again?
She hugged her Daughter even tighter, afraid she would disappear.
Just then, the Elevator reached the first floor.
With a ding, the doors opened.
Fortunately, it was after hours, and no one was waiting for the Elevator.
Not that it mattered if there was; at worst, they'd just think Jiang Wenxin was crazy. What did that have to do with him, Shen Siyuan?
Shen Siyuan walked straight past the two of them.
Doudou, still whimpering softly, obediently waved her little hand and choked out, "Big Bwother, goodbye."
"Goodbye~" Shen Siyuan waved back to her.
Jiang Wenxin suddenly seemed to understand something. Just as she was about to speak, the Elevator doors had already closed and begun their descent.
As Shen Siyuan exited the Elevator and walked straight out of the Office Building, he was stunned by the sight before him.