Chapter 3: Mom

"Let's go…"

Shen Siyuan turned off his computer and rose slowly.

The little kid beside him was already impatient, wiggling his little butt back and forth as if it could speed things up.

"Alright, don't rush—you'll make it in time," Shen Siyuan smiled to reassure him.

Because the Finance Department was at the very back of the office, whether taking the stairs or the elevator, one had to pass right in front of their Operations Department.

And in internet companies, partitions between departments were all large floor-to-ceiling glass panels, so everything was clearly visible.

Shen Siyuan glanced back at the empty office—everyone had already left—and switched off the lights; the faint blue glow of several mainframes became clearly visible, indicating they were still on, either idle or downloading.

Shen Siyuan didn't care—he just closed the door. Opposite him, the Programming Department remained brightly lit, occasional bursts of noise coming through—it wasn't work being discussed, but a group gaming session.

The little kid turned to walk inside, heading to find her mother, but Shen Siyuan grabbed her hand.

"We'll wait by the elevator. She's not going to jump out the window."

The remark seemed to amuse her—she giggled uncontrollably.

Watching Shen Siyuan's hand being gently slipped into by the little one's tiny fingers, he smiled and asked, "What's your name? How old are you?"

"I'm Dou Dou. I'm three."

The child still spoke unclearly—"three" came out as "shan shui." Shen Siyuan paused a moment before understanding.

"Your nickname is Dou Dou. What's your full name… what's your real name?"

"My real name… my real name… it's Tao Hongdou. Am I awesome?"

After saying this, she clenched her tiny fist, beaming with an expression that screamed, "Praise me!"

Shen Siyuan didn't praise her—he reached out and gently stroked her head. Instantly, she curled up like a kitten, eyes half-closed, rubbing her cheek against his palm.

Children are no different from pets—they love to be held, to be touched…

This little one had been gone over two years; no one had touched her like this in a long time. Even at night, when she secretly slipped into her parents' arms, they couldn't see or feel her—so there was no sensation at all. Thus, she was incredibly happy.

The two reached the elevator entrance—it was past rush hour, and no one was around.

Shen Siyuan waited quietly. Dou Dou grew impatient, running back and forth several times, until finally she saw her mother emerge slowly, carrying a bag.

Dou Dou followed beside her, reaching out to grab her hand—but each attempt failed.

Finally, she turned to Shen Siyuan, her face full of grievance.

"Guaoguo…"

"Alright… alright… I'll let her see you soon."

Jiang Wenxin saw Shen Siyuan standing by the elevator door—she glanced at him briefly, then ignored him entirely.

Though they worked at the same company with hundreds of people, not everyone knew each other, especially across departments with no interaction—so no one would casually greet a stranger.

Shen Siyuan also glanced at Jiang Wenxin—a woman in her thirties, very pale skin, dressed in a red dress that made her complexion even whiter. She wasn't tall, but her figure was full and graceful, her features refined, her aura elegant—clearly a wealthy, pampered lady.

Yet her complexion seemed poor—even thick foundation couldn't hide her exhaustion.

Dou Dou bounced beside her, jumping up and down, trying to get her mother's attention—but her mother, as always, ignored her completely.

So Dou Dou shot Shen Siyuan a suspicious sideways glance—as if to say, "Are you lying to me?"

Shen Siyuan found her expression amusing and whispered, "Wait a little longer."

Dou Dou stared at him, then sighed, standing quietly to the side, glancing up alternately between her mother and Shen Siyuan—looking extremely well-behaved.

Shen Siyuan's voice was quiet, but it caught Jiang Wenxin's attention—she glanced at him again.

Shen Siyuan hadn't expected her to look over—he offered her a slight smile.

Jiang Wenxin was momentarily stunned—she suddenly realized this young man's eyes were extraordinarily beautiful, as if possessing a magic that could swallow a soul whole—deep, distant, like a bottomless pool…

Fortunately, Shen Siyuan turned his gaze away, and Jiang Wenxin snapped back to reality.

Shen Siyuan himself hadn't noticed any abnormality in his body.

Even a rotten boat has three inches of nail—Nine Youmingjun was hailed as the strongest Demon Lord in the Great Wasteland in a thousand years, having escaped both the Nine Heaven Lei Jie and the encirclement of orthodox cultivators. Even as a mere remnant soul, that proved his might.

As the afternoon passed and he gradually merged and adapted, Shen Siyuan unconsciously began radiating subtle anomalies.

Just then, the elevator arrived. Shen Siyuan stepped in first, pressed the first floor, and walked to the back.

Jiang Wenxin didn't think twice—she entered, pressed B3, since she'd driven.

At that moment, Shen Siyuan flipped his palm—the Ten Thousand Souls Banner appeared in his hand. Recalling the hand seals, a wisp of Ding Youguang rose from the tattered banner, like a spirit serpent, gliding along his fingertip, landing on Jiang Wenxin's shoulder, then slipping into the nape of her neck and vanishing.

Dou Dou stood beside them, watching the scene with wide-eyed wonder.

"What are you staring at?"

Shen Siyuan gestured to Dou Dou.

Then he flicked his finger—another wisp of Ding Youguang landed on Dou Dou.

Jiang Wenxin had excellent hearing—she'd heard Shen Siyuan's "muttering" even outside the elevator, let alone inside.

So she thought: Such a nice young man—why is he mentally unstable? Curious, she wanted to turn around and look.

But just then, she felt her hand being pulled—she instantly flew into rage.

She thought: Not only mentally unstable, but a pervert too.

She whirled around, ready to yank her hand free.

But—

She froze, her face turning deathly pale.

For the tiny figure before her was the one she'd dreamed of night and day.

"D…Dou Dou?" Jiang Wenxin stammered.

"Hee-hee~ Mommy, you can see me at last."

Dou Dou beamed a huge smile—but as she smiled, her lips trembled, and she wanted to cry.

Then she burst into loud, wailing sobs.

Seeing her cry, Jiang Wenxin reflexively picked her up.

"Dou Dou, don't cry~"

"Dou Dou, be good~"

"You've cried until you look like a little calico cat~"

These were the words she often used to coax Dou Dou in the past; though countless questions filled her mind now, seeing her daughter's sorrowful face, her heart shattered into pieces.

"I'm so happy Mom can see me, but... but I just want to cry," Dou Dou said, pouting and sobbing.

"Don't cry... don't cry..." Jiang Wenxin reached out and wiped her tears.

Yet she found the tears vanished from her hand without a trace, feeling not the slightest dampness.

Recalling what Dou Dou had just said, she began to have a vague guess in her heart.

But she did not feel afraid.

There is a saying: every ghost you fear is someone others long for day and night.

Dou Dou is the one she longs for day and night; how could she be afraid to meet her again?

She held her daughter tighter, fearing she might vanish.

At that moment, the elevator arrived at the first floor; with a ding, the doors opened.

Fortunately, it was after work hours, so no one waited outside the elevator; even if there were, it would matter little—they would only think Jiang Wenxin was crazy, and what did that have to do with Shen Siyuan?

Shen Siyuan walked straight out past the two of them.

Still sobbing quietly, Dou Dou waved her little hand obediently and said through sobs, "Brother, goodbye."

"Goodbye~" Shen Siyuan waved back at her.

Jiang Wenxin suddenly understood something then; just as she was about to speak, the elevator doors closed and began descending.

As Shen Siyuan stepped out of the elevator and walked straight to the building's exterior, he was stunned by everything before his eyes.