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Chapter 32

It\'s no wonder that anyone would be confused when faced with such a straightforward display of indifference.

Chu Zhishui\'s expression remained calm: "Director Ye, there\'s nothing confusing. You tell me a story, and I\'ll tell you one."

"What story?"

"It\'s not really a story, but a scientific fact. The Earth relies on the sun for life, but in about five billion years, the sun will become a \'red giant,\' with high temperatures scorching the surface and causing all life on Earth to perish. During its expansion, it might even swallow the Earth."

Chu Zhishui said seriously: "If you\'re worried about the future, you can keep the \'red giant\' in mind, along with other concerns."

Ye Huayu was incredulous: "How can I control the sun\'s affairs!?"

Chu Zhishui retorted: "Then how can I control the affairs of monsters?"

To Chu Zhishui, worrying about Xin Yunmao starting a war was as pointless as worrying about the sun swallowing the Earth—both were distant and irrelevant to her.

"No, these two things are different," Ye Huayu finally regained his composure. "You can certainly manage the monster\'s affairs if you stop bringing him to Yinhai."

Ye Huayu had recently realized that without Chu Zhishui, Xin Yunmao wouldn\'t leave Huaijiang. Though he couldn\'t understand their relationship, he deduced that Chu Zhishui had some influence over Xin Yunmao.

Chu Zhishui remained silent for a moment, then calmly said: "I\'m sorry, I can\'t promise that. It depends on the department\'s work arrangements."

"Chu, what does it have to do with work arrangements?" Ye Huayu raised his voice. "He\'s not a monster from our bureau, yet you brought him here. You might lose your job!"

Chu Zhishui looked at the agitated Ye Huayu and thought for a few seconds before suddenly smiling: "Oh, really? Losing my job? Have you prepared to sue me?"

Her smile was gentle, but her words were sharp.

Ye Huayu: "?"

Chu Zhishui clasped her hands and spoke methodically: "First, my position is with the Huaijiang Observation Bureau, and you are the director of the Yinhai Observation Bureau. It\'s questionable whether you have the authority to assign my work; second, unless a major work accident occurs, the bureau cannot arbitrarily dismiss employees. Please provide evidence of my violations; third, as a human working in the bureau, I feel you are discriminating against me based on species, which has caused significant harm to my mental and physical health. I may report this to the bureau."

She spoke without hesitation, clearly confident in her stance.

Ye Huayu was stunned by her logical argument and finally stammered: "When have I ever discriminated against you?"

Chu Zhishui calmly replied: "Even if you haven\'t discriminated against me, you have against him."

Ye Huayu argued: "I\'ve clearly stated that he is not a monster from our bureau!"

"So you\'re just like humans, appearing friendly until your interests are threatened. I thought only humans were like that, but it seems the principles are the same everywhere," Chu Zhishui sighed. "Director Ye, you certainly have a lot of human qualities."

Ye Huayu had once said that people in the bureau were shrewd and ruthless, and he disdained those who caused trouble for money and power. She had been hurt by his words, but now she realized he was no different from humans, just concerned with different things like aura or other matters.

Ye Huayu looked at her in confusion, not understanding her meaning.

"You cooperate when you need him, then fear being bullied once the crisis is resolved. What\'s the difference between the \'Dragon God\'s quarter\' and resources or money in the human world?" Chu Zhishui slowly raised her eyes. "Ask yourselves, if he really wanted to take it, would he wait until today?"

Although Xin Yunmao often boasted about himself, his words likely held truth; he was powerful among monsters. If he didn\'t covet the Dragon God\'s soul, it meant he had no interest in such things.

Ye Huayu frowned: "You\'re too simple-minded."

"It\'s not that I\'m simple, but you\'re too complex. You instinctively think the worst of others, perhaps projecting your own desires. Once you reach a high position, you want to trample others."

Because they themselves want to oppress others when they reach a high position, they assume everyone else is the same.

Chu Zhishui lowered her eyes: "As an outsider, I can objectively say that Director Hu and Chief Miao may not have a great relationship with him, but they are better than you in one aspect—they don\'t gossip about him, at least not with me."

Hu Chenrui and Miao Li likely had their own concerns about Xin Yunmao, but they didn\'t express them to her. She had private conversations with Director Hu, who never spoke ill of Xin Yunmao; Chief Miao often challenged Xin Yunmao but eventually let him into the observation department.

She had thought Xin Yunmao was just an outsider in the Huaijiang Bureau, but it turned out that monsters outside talked about him more, unable to even maintain a facade of peace.

It was hard to imagine what his life had been like for a thousand years, or how he felt when she mocked him for never experiencing kindness.

He had said: "Not all monsters are in the same world, just as humans aren\'t. You can stay because of different environments, and so can I."

As a human, she could stay, and his kind treated her better than him.

"To be honest, my initial impression of him was very bad, and I said many harsh things, but I\'ve never been retaliated against. He\'s not the vengeful type," Chu Zhishui looked at Ye Huayu and smiled. "Why not try to understand him? You have more time to interact with him than I do."

Ye Huayu questioned: "Do you think understanding him can change anything?"

Chu Zhishui calmly replied: "I don\'t know what it can change, but it might benefit your safety as a monster."

Ye Huayu: "?"

She asked with a smile: "Do you like green tea?"

Ye Huayu was suddenly sidetracked and asked: "By the way, how do you grow green tea? Old Hu is keeping it a secret from me."

Ye Huayu had tasted the green tea and wondered what black magic the Huaijiang Bureau used to nourish monsters with tea.

Chu Zhishui calmly said: "It\'s nourished by his aura."

"???"

She smiled brightly: "So, if you want good green tea every year, try to understand and accept him. And remember to buy tea at four times the price next year."

Ye Huayu was still processing the first piece of news when the second one left him stunned: "Wait, how can you raise the price like that?"

The green tea from the Huaijiang Bureau was already close to the market\'s highest price, and now she was asking for four times that amount.

Chu Zhishui remained unflustered, explaining: "Oh, because next year\'s tea crop will suffer, so there will be some price fluctuations."

The emotional turmoil between the Huaijiang Bureau and the Yinhai Bureau had ruined the tea garden, so the price of green tea would naturally rise.

Ye Huayu found it absurd: "You know about next year\'s tea disaster this year!?"

He\'d believe such a far-fetched reason only if he was a fool!

"Of course, if you insist he\'s not from our bureau, then there will be no green tea or safety for your monster form," Chu Zhishui tilted her head, looking innocent. "I\'m not his department head, so I have no reason to control him. It wouldn\'t be hard to imagine him destroying a building or two, right?"

Ye Huayu was taken aback by her words. He nervously swallowed and reminded her, "You just said he wouldn\'t retaliate."

"He won\'t retaliate on his own, but I can remind him. After all, I\'m human. The higher one\'s position, the more adept one is at oppressing others. Maybe even oppressing monsters. You should understand this principle the best." Chu Zhishui said with a smile, "Which one will Director Ye choose?"

Ye Huayu: "..."

This human is just like Hu Chenrui, a sly old fox with a smile! The scariest part is that she has no demonic aura but is accompanied by an untouchable deity!

Ye Huayu remained silent for a long time, going through a mental struggle before finally, under the threat, he was forced to change his stance, his voice weak, "He has been one of the Economic Development Department staff members of the Huaijiang Bureau since ancient times."

Facing the peacock\'s compromise, Chu Zhishui clapped her hands with a beaming smile, not sparing any praise, "You really know how to handle things!"

Ye Huayu left in defeat. Observing her expression, he tentatively asked, "What about the green tea..."

"Four times the price," Chu Zhishui said, "If you find that unpropitious, you can also change it to five times."

Ye Huayu promptly closed his beak.

At the office door, Chu Zhishui suddenly remembered something before leaving. She stopped and turned back, "By the way, there\'s something I\'ve been meaning to tell you."

Ye Huayu was afraid she would demand exorbitant prices again or have Xin Yunmao destroy the building. His heart skipped a beat, "What is it?"

Chu Zhishui sincerely said, "Your watch is really outdated. To be honest, it makes you look quite tacky."

She hadn\'t been able to say this when she first arrived at the Yinhai Bureau, but now that they had such an in-depth exchange, adding this remark didn\'t seem too offensive. She suspected the peacock director had been duped by someone, otherwise, how could he have chosen such an ugly style.

Ye Huayu was stunned for a moment. He let out a loud squawk, like a big bird enraged, shouting at the top of his lungs, "You can insult my demonic nature, but you can\'t say my watch is ugly!"

Chu Zhishui: "..." So insulting his watch was worse than insulting him?

At the entrance of the Yinhai Bureau, Du Zigui drove to the guesthouse, and even Ye Huayu and other monsters came to see them off.

Seeing the grand procession, Chu Zhishui knew it wasn\'t for her. She had been worried that the Yinhai Bureau monsters would clash with Xin Yunmao again, but the morning\'s office conversation seemed to have had some effect on Director Ye.

Ye Huayu and the others no longer had a murderous aura, merely genuinely seeing them off.

Ye Huayu looked at Xin Yunmao, whose expression remained calm. His face changed unpredictably before finally bowing his head and respectfully bowing, "Farewell, Divine Lord."

The arrogant and flamboyant peacock retracted his eye-catching feathers and finally looked at the monster before him seriously.

Xin Yunmao was taken aback by this scene, not understanding Ye Huayu\'s change in attitude, especially since the peacock hadn\'t been beaten. He raised an eyebrow, looking puzzled, "Quite unexpected."

Ye Huayu forced himself to say, "Thank you for the tea, Divine Lord."

Through Chu Zhishui, he learned the truth about the tea, realizing there was something more to it. Regardless of other matters, the green tea with demonic aura nourishing effects meant they owed him.

Owing something meant repaying it; that was the monster\'s way.

Xin Yunmao remained silent for even longer this time. Only when he was about to leave the bureau with Chu Zhishui did he lightly reply, "It\'s a trivial matter."

He cultivated the tea garden not for them, but their reactions were unfamiliar to him, as if it was the first time in a thousand years he had interacted with outside monsters without ulterior motives.

Sitting beside him, Chu Zhishui\'s expression softened as she politely smiled, "Director Ye, then we\'ll be off."

"Yes, please give my regards to Old Hu."

"Of course, we\'ll try to visit Yinhai often."

"Good."

At the airport, Du Zigui drove Chu Zhishui and Xin Yunmao to the terminal. He opened the trunk, ready to help take out Chu Zhishui\'s luggage, but Xin Yunmao reached out first, startling Du Zigui into hastily retracting his hand.

Xin Yunmao ignored him, calmly placing the suitcase on the ground and naturally pulling it to Chu Zhishui\'s side.

Du Zigui was astonished by this scene, never expecting Xin Yunmao to carry luggage or show such a down-to-earth side. After a moment\'s thought, he dispelled his fear and gave a sincere smile, "Then welcome the two of you to visit Yinhai again."

Chu Zhishui quickly said, "Thank you, you\'ve been very busy these days."

Du Zigui was undoubtedly the most exhausted monster on this trip, constantly busy driving them around.

Xin Yunmao also nodded to Du Zigui, further astonishing him.

After saying goodbye, Du Zigui drove off, leaving just the two of them.

Chu Zhishui turned back to see Xin Yunmao holding the suitcase, curiously observing the terminal entrance. Among the bustling crowd, he didn\'t look like a mysterious great monster but more like an ordinary person touched by the mundane world.

Thinking about it, she was no longer curious about Yinhai City, but he hadn\'t really explored it much. Unfortunately, there wasn\'t enough time this time.

"I suddenly have an idea. We can take more business trips in the future," Chu Zhishui said with a smile, "Next time, without the pendant, we\'ll really take a plane."

As a mortal, she couldn\'t control what would happen a thousand years later, nor did she know how short a hundred years was for a monster. But within the time she could touch, she could give her monster friend some pleasant memories.

Now that she knew his identity, they might not be colleagues, but they should be friends.

Xin Yunmao looked at her deeply, his lips slightly pursed as if embarrassed, hesitating to speak, "I know you can\'t do without me, but you don\'t have to say it so directly in public."

It was said that a human plane ride only took a few hours. Unexpectedly, she needed his company for such a short time.

"???"

Chu Zhishui\'s tender feelings dissipated instantly. Hearing his absurd words, she couldn\'t help but rub her temples in frustration, gritting her teeth, "You should disappear somewhere without people right now."

Xin Yunmao asked in confusion, "Why so urgent?"

"I\'m afraid I\'ll lose control and hit you."

"..."

She shouldn\'t have felt sympathy and pity for the empty-headed bamboo monster. Maybe he didn\'t care about being coldly eyed or isolated by other monsters. His thought process was different from normal humans or monsters!

It was right that he hadn\'t spoken to other monsters in a thousand years. Otherwise, he would have surely revealed his narcissism!

At that time, other monsters wouldn\'t fear him starting a war but would think he had a problem with his head. The cool filter of the divine monster would shatter, revealing the true face of a funny and narcissistic god.

The next day, the business trip to Yinhai City came to an end. Chu Zhishui returned to the Huaijiang Observation Bureau, feeling a new atmosphere everywhere.

The familiar bureau was lush with vegetation, and the breeze seemed to have warmed Huaijiang a bit, gradually rising with a layer of summer heat. The environment of the Huaijiang Bureau remained tranquil and serene, contrasting with the bustling Yinhai Bureau in the city center, exuding the tranquility of a remote small town.

In the Economic Development Department office, Chu Zhishui was on the phone with Director Qin.

Director Qin\'s voice was full of joy on the phone, "Xiao Chu, we\'ve started cooperation with them, and we\'re trying to promote Huaijiang tea with local tea farmers. The live-streaming sales data is pretty good, and it looks quite promising."

"Your bureau also has products, hurry up and bring them over to try. It\'s a pity to miss this wave of popularity with recent promotional support."

"Okay, okay, thank you. We\'ll get on it right away."

Chu Zhishui had introduced Director Qin to the live-streaming sales team. Director Qin had local resources and policy support, while the live-streaming team had a mature process system. Unexpectedly, it really made Huaijiang tea a small hit. Since Huaijiang tea was a poverty alleviation product, it got a good recommendation spot on the app, attracting a lot of attention recently.

Director Qin knew that the Huaijiang Bureau didn\'t sell green tea, but he remembered there were other related products that could ride this wave.

The Yellow-Black-White Monster Trio had also recently made some achievements. Xiao Huang and Xiao Hei jointly developed a scalp nourishing cream, and Xiao Huang also made a unique flavored ginger candy on his own. Lao Bai had been late to the tea garden, just finishing up the ginseng on the mountain, and hadn\'t had a chance to participate in product development.

After the Observatory Brand tea experience, Chu Zhishui was familiar with the product packaging and other processes. She quickly arranged for the Observatory Brand ginger candy and scalp nourishing cream, completed the necessary procedures, and listed the two new products for live-streaming sales.

She often browsed the live streaming rooms out of boredom, and these days she frequently came across Huaijiang tea. She often saw familiar faces, all of them were tea farmers who used to gather at the entrance of the tea garden to chat. Some of them were really good at speaking, enthusiastically introducing tea, just as excited as when they explained to Chu Zhishui back then.

A few of them had quite high sales. One was a tea farmer who claimed to have 200 acres, with sales reaching 20,000; another was a brother who said he also grew white tea, with sales of 10,000.

Chu Zhishui then checked the sales of the products from the Bureau. Observatory Brand Scalp Nourishing Cream sold 81 units, and Observatory Brand Spicy Ginger Candy sold 34 units.

The contrast in data was bleak.

Chu Zhishui leaned back in her chair and sighed, "Damn, I still have to figure out how to promote it."

Everything is difficult from the beginning, in the middle, and at the end. The road to wealth for the Economic Development Department is especially difficult. When will she ever be able to live a leisurely life like the Yinhai Bureau, where even collecting rent can make money?

During lunch break, Xin Yunmao usually didn\'t stay in the room. He would go to the big tree to sunbathe and complete his daily photosynthesis.

In the office, only Chu Zhishui and Jin Yu were left. Chu Zhishui lay flat in her chair, glancing up and spotting bubbles. Multicolored bubbles floated around the room, spinning in the sunlight, creating a magical and dreamy scene.

"Jin Yu, you\'re watching dramas again," Chu Zhishui said helplessly, "Don\'t watch when he comes back, he\'ll complain seeing all these bubbles."

"Wuuuuu... okay..." Jin Yu\'s eyes were red as she hunched over the screen, staring intently at the video, seemingly moved to tears, absentmindedly agreeing with Chu Zhishui\'s words, and producing endless bubbles.

Chu Zhishui was on a business trip to Yinhai City, and Jin Yu was alone in the room with nothing to do, so she started slacking off by watching dramas.

The simple Jin Yu would get emotionally involved in dramas, often producing large amounts of bubbles.

"You\'re really into these soap opera bubbles," Chu Zhishui remarked as she stood up, popping a bubble in front of her, and curiously walked over to Jin Yu, "Is it that good? Aren\'t domestic dramas usually trash?"

Jin Yu enthusiastically recommended, "Wuuuu... this drama is really good. I never used to watch dramas before, but this one everyone seems to be watching, there\'s a lot of discussion online!"

"Guess I\'m not human then," Chu Zhishui joked, "What\'s it about?"

"The female lead is a plant spirit who has cultivated into a human, and the male lead is a gentle and refined university botany professor. They gradually develop feelings after meeting, but now they can\'t be together due to their different lifespans, and it\'s probably about to get sad!" Jin Yu whispered, "I wanted to save a couple of episodes to watch later, but once I start, I can\'t stop."

Chu Zhishui\'s expression was subtle, "Not bad, you\'re also interested in humans, I thought you were only interested in fish."

This sounded like a clichéd modern fantasy romance drama, but she didn\'t expect it to be appealing not only to humans but also to monsters. Do monsters also fantasize about falling in love with humans?

Thinking about it, ancient tales like "Liaozhai" might also have an audience among monsters.

Jin Yu honestly said, "No, I\'m only interested in good-looking faces."

Chu Zhishui: "..." That was too real.

With nothing to do during her break, Chu Zhishui stood beside Jin Yu and watched a bit, chatting casually.

The pacing of the drama was quite fast, understandable why Jin Yu couldn\'t hold back, once you got into it, you\'d watch it all the way through, especially since the progress bar would automatically jump to the next episode.

Jin Yu\'s recommendation was successful, she happily asked, "Isn\'t it good? Isn\'t it good?"

Sometimes, people or monsters feel happier recommending something they like than enjoying it alone.

Chu Zhishui didn\'t want to disappoint Jin Yu, so she politely agreed, "It\'s okay."

The screen showed the male lead\'s handsome and affectionate face, the close-up made his eyebrows clear, his warm and bright gaze made Jin Yu hold her breath and squirm.

Chu Zhishui stood beside Jin Yu and didn\'t notice the bubbles in the room had disappeared, the air was clean.

A cold, resentful voice suddenly came from behind, "What are you watching?"

Chu Zhishui felt an ominous premonition and turned around to see a displeased monster: "..."

Xin Yunmao had returned unknowingly, pointing at the actor on the screen, he frowned, "Him? Good-looking?"

Chu Zhishui tactically stepped back, instinctively touching her face, she probed, "Well... not bad?"

Xin Yunmao felt a tightness in his chest, his face darkened, he crossed his arms unhappily, "Make a wish to me."

Chu Zhishui was puzzled, "Why?"

He retorted, "Make a wish to me, let me heal your eyes."

"..."