Chapter 39: Dancing

“When you have time, go get your driver’s license—I’ll buy you a car so you don’t have to go through all this trouble every time you come back,” Shen Jianjun said as he saw Shen Siyuan off.

“I know,” Shen Siyuan replied vaguely.

“You ‘know’—you always say that. So where’s your license?” Shen Jianjun snapped.

“Hehe…”

Shen Siyuan hadn’t taken the driver’s test because he found it troublesome and unnecessary.

His daily commute was a straight line between home and work; driving was less convenient than biking, and buying a car wasn’t just about the price—maintenance and insurance were significant expenses.

Although Shen Siyuan’s family was comfortable, they weren’t wealthy, and he disliked asking his parents for money.

Of course, he wouldn’t refuse when his mother acted like today.

“I’m off.”

Shen Siyuan boarded a direct bus to Binhai, found a seat, and pulled out [Bao Feng Mian] to read.

Shen Jianjun waved goodbye, started his motorcycle, revved the throttle, and drove off without a hint of hesitation.

After all, this wasn’t the first time he’d come to see his son—he was used to it.

Shen Siyuan returned to Binhai just after five.

He thought back: this morning he’d been on a blind date, at noon he’d been digging a hole, and now he was back home in Binhai.

All this back-and-forth weariness—even for Shen Siyuan—was exhausting.

So he planned to rest properly once he got home.

But when he opened the door, he saw Dou Dou standing on the table, wiggling her butt like a fluttering moth, shivering all over—both infuriating and hilarious—while Yin Xingyue stood below, looking frantic, clearly trying to get her down.

Seeing the door suddenly open, both froze.

“Sweet Potato Pot!”

Dou Dou dashed through the air straight toward Shen Siyuan.

As the gust of wind rushed at him, Shen Siyuan’s mind stirred—he suddenly recalled what he’d just read in [Bao Feng Mian], and something within him seemed to awaken.

But now wasn’t the time to think about it—he reached out and grabbed the little thing.

The child hung in midair, limbs flailing uselessly.

“What are you doing?” Shen Siyuan asked irritably.

Then he glanced at his desk—nothing was disturbed. Then again, they were ghosts; they couldn’t touch physical objects.

“I’m showing Sister my new dance,” Dou Dou said with innocent delight.

“Have you two met?” Shen Siyuan asked, turning to Yin Xingyue as she approached.

“Banner Master~”

Yin Xingyue timidly called out to Shen Siyuan, her eyes complex.

She felt both curiosity and surprise toward him, yet also deep reverence.

“Just like Dou Dou, call me Brother,” Shen Siyuan said.

Yin Xingyue obediently changed her address to “Brother.”

Shen Siyuan set Dou Dou down; the child immediately bounced back to life.

“How was it back home? Did you solve your problem?” Shen Siyuan asked casually.

On the day he returned to his hometown, he’d let Yin Xingyue out so she could go home and handle her own issues.

Given her current ability to appear at will, she could terrify her monstrous stepfather into a heart attack.

Yin Xingyue shook her head.

“Why?” Shen Siyuan asked, surprised.

Was her stepfather so bold? A dead person appearing before him—and he wasn’t even scared?

Yin Xingyue said, “He’s gone.”

“What do you mean, ‘gone’?” Shen Siyuan asked, puzzled.

Dou Dou looked up at the two talking; when no one paid attention to her, she grew frantic and spun in circles.

“He hasn’t come home for days. Mom went to his company but couldn’t find him. She called the police—they said he’s missing and they’re investigating.”

“Missing?” Shen Siyuan said, startled.

His gaze fell on Yin Xingyue. No one vanished without reason—was he hiding deliberately, or had he been kidnapped?

“We can only wait and see if the police find him.”

Shen Siyuan had no better solution.

Yin Xingyue nodded slightly, then turned her gaze to Dou Dou.

“I don’t need to introduce you two—you’ve already met, right?” Shen Siyuan said with a smile as he put down his luggage.

Dou Dou immediately shouted, “Sister is my best friend!”

“By the way, I haven’t asked you—why did you come back? Aren’t you supposed to be home with your parents?” Shen Siyuan asked.

“I came to play with Sweet Potato Pot. Sweet Potato Pot is all alone, isn’t it… isn’t it really boring?”

“You mean lonely, right?”

“Yes, yes, that’s what I meant—you stole my words!” Dou Dou said, spinning around Shen Siyuan.

Shen Siyuan grabbed her and tapped her small head.

“You’re such a brat—climbing on my table to wiggle your butt.”

“I was dancing for Sister. Sweet Potato Pot, wanna watch?”

Dou Dou rubbed her head, tilted her neck, and looked up expectantly.

“Sure, let me see what dance you learned,” Shen Siyuan said.

Dou Dou immediately began shaking her head and wiggling her butt.

Beside them, Yin Xingyue watched with envy as Dou Dou interacted with Shen Siyuan.

She envied Dou Dou’s cheerfulness and Shen Siyuan’s indulgence toward her.

She’d only felt such warmth from her grandmother—never from anyone else.

(Publish the gif already.)

“Hahaha, you’re doing a rave! Where did you learn that?” Shen Siyuan laughed at her adorable antics.

“I learned it from TV! Isn’t it cool?” Dou Dou beamed with pride.

“Yes, you’re amazing—but please, don’t climb onto my table to dance next time.”

“Hehe~”

Dou Dou giggled, slightly embarrassed.

“Sweet Potato Pot, I’ve got to tell you—I met a really bad guy yesterday!” Dou Dou suddenly stuck out her waist, pouting.

Shen Siyuan turned to Yin Xingyue, wanting to ask what had happened.

But Yin Xingyue shook her head, indicating she didn’t know.

“Tell me what happened.”

“I saw a man tie up a woman and beat her with a whip—she screamed and cried so sadly…” Dou Dou waved her tiny hands, indignant.

Shen Siyuan was stunned—what had she been watching?

“You didn’t reveal yourself and scare them, did you?” Shen Siyuan asked.

Dou Dou shook her head. “It was so scary—I ran away.”

“I wanted to find Pot, but Pot wasn’t home, so I met Sister…” Dou Dou scratched her head, then suddenly remembered.

She said apologetically, “Then I forgot. Pot, hurry up and call the police to catch the bad guy.”

Shen Siyuan was speechless, unsure how to explain to her.

So he evaded, asking casually, “Where did you see this?”

“That broken building over there,” Dou Dou pointed.

“Huh?”

Shen Siyuan sensed something odd.

After pressing for details, he realized she meant an abandoned construction site.

Was it some outdoor enthusiast? But that didn’t make sense—it was downtown, and at night, in an abandoned building, doing something so loud?