"Don’t squirm. Be good."

"Who told you to cover up? Just lie still!"

"Yuan Shimo! I’m giving you three seconds. If you keep squirming, I’m going to get rough—"

Eight o’clock at night.

Yi Nuo stood at the door, listening to Miss Jiang’s commanding voice from inside the room. His hand, poised to knock, froze. For a moment, he wasn’t sure if he should interrupt.

He stood quietly for a moment, confirming there were no... blush-worthy sounds coming from inside.

Seizing the moment before anything he shouldn’t interrupt could happen, Yi Nuo knocked.

Footsteps approached. Yi Nuo counted down in his head, and just as he reached zero, the door opened from within.

The girl opened the door a crack and poked her head out, whispering, "What is it?"

Yi Nuo’s gaze fell upon her.

The girl’s eyes were sparkling. She looked as though she had just been exercising—her cheeks were flushed, and she was breathing in small gasps as she spoke.

His thin lips pursed slightly. Yi Nuo offered the tray forward, saying respectfully, "Miss, you spent a long time driving today. You have your spiritual power class tomorrow, so I’ve warmed a glass of milk to help you sleep."

"Thanks." Jiang Qingli stepped forward, took the milk, and drank it.

Yi Nuo glanced up. Through the crack in the door behind her, he caught a glimpse of Yuan Shimo lying on his side on the bed.

The boy’s pajama top had been pulled askew, loosely revealing half of a shoulder, pale as jade. His arm was draped over his forehead, and the tips of his ears were red.

’He looks like an innocent youth being forced into prostitution.’

Yi Nuo narrowed his eyes, a cold, unsmiling smirk gracing his lips.

"I’m finished," Jiang Qingli’s voice cut through his thoughts.

Yi Nuo snapped back to reality and took the empty glass from her. "Good night, Miss."

"Okay." Jiang Qingli smiled at him. "Good night."

With that, she went back into the room.

The door closed, and he could faintly hear her footsteps heading toward the bed.

Yi Nuo stood in the darkness for another moment before turning to leave.

Inside the bedroom, Jiang Qingli sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at the boy. "Stop being so modest. We have to get this over with so we can sleep."

Yuan Shimo pressed his lips together and lowered his arm from his forehead. His voice held a note of resignation. "Female master..."

"If you know I’m your female master, then be good and let me heal you."

Jiang Qingli lunged, catching the boy off guard. She grabbed both his arms and pinned them above his head.

Yuan Shimo’s pupils quaked.

She was doing the exact same thing he’d done to her when he’d lost control during his heat.

Jiang Qingli lowered her head, moving closer.

Seeing that she was about to force her way into his spiritual world, Yuan Shimo suddenly cut in, "...You’ll find it disgusting."

"What do you mean?" Jiang Qingli didn’t understand. "It’s not my first time entering someone’s spiritual world. I’m very good at this, you know. Don’t think I’m so fragile."

"That’s not what I mean." Yuan Shimo looked down, his lashes casting an anxious shadow over his face.

"Did you lie about your pollution level?" Jiang Qingli guessed.

"No."

"Then what is it?" Jiang Qingli asked, looking earnestly into his eyes.

A strand of her hair brushed against his cheek. The soft, tickling sensation made the tension in Yuan Shimo’s mind coil tighter, and his breathing hitched.

He was like a man cornered, clutching a desperate secret.

He wanted to reveal it to save himself but feared the secret would only bring him greater danger.

"You can tell me, if you want," she said gently. "I’ll keep it a secret."

Jiang Qingli released his hands and waited patiently.

She could tell that Yuan Shimo wanted to tell her.

He just needed a moment to gather his thoughts.

Under her encouraging gaze, Yuan Shimo said in a low voice, "My Superpower... it’s not what the official records say."

Jiang Qingli froze for a second, then laughed. "No wonder you were so nervous. You were afraid I’d find out you falsified your records."

Her utter calmness was something Yuan Shimo wasn’t prepared for.

He didn’t know that Jiang Qingli had already been through this with Ye Linyuan—who had faked his identity, Superpower, and even his pollution level—and was now completely desensitized.

Jiang Qingli asked, "So, what is your real Superpower?"

’I’ll see it when I enter his spiritual world anyway,’ she thought. ’Might as well get the rundown now.’

Yuan Shimo raised one hand and held it suspended in the air.

’Is he asking for a handshake?’

Jiang Qingli took his hand and gave it a little shake. "How do you do."

Yuan Shimo blinked, taken aback. Her absurdly cute gesture dispelled his nervousness and anxiety.

"It’s not a handshake," Yuan Shimo said, the corner of his lip twitching into a small smile.

The next second, Jiang Qingli saw his shadow on the wall behind him straighten up. It raised a hand and waved at her, as if saying hello.

Then, her own shadow detached from her feet, slid up onto the wall, and shook hands with Yuan Shimo’s shadow.

Jiang Qingli: "..."

A shadow running away from its owner was the kind of terrifying stuff you’d see in a horror movie.

But the childish behavior of the two shadows dispelled the eeriness, making the scene comical instead.

Jiang Qingli guessed, "Your Superpower is controlling shadows?"

"Mm."

The sound from Yuan Shimo’s throat was barely a whisper. His fingers, hanging at his side, trembled slightly.

For hundreds of years, the Yuan Clan had passed down their power through a single heir in each generation. And every heir’s Superpower had been "Light."

But he, who had inherited his mother’s hair color, had awakened the opposite Superpower: Shadow.

The Yuan Clan saw him as an aberration. Du Yushan had even tried to destroy his Superpower, but after many failed attempts, he was forced to give up.

When reporting Yuan Shimo’s ability, Du Yushan changed his Superpower to match his own—the Wind Ability—to avoid gossip that might affect Patriarch Yuan’s career.

The room fell startlingly silent.

Yuan Shimo kept his eyes downcast, just as he had on the night his Superpower awakened, waiting for the inevitable disgust.

But in the next moment, his hand was suddenly grasped.

His fingertips were enveloped in softness. Only then did Yuan Shimo realize how cold his own fingers had become, as they passively—or perhaps actively—drew warmth from her.

The boy looked up in astonishment and saw her sparkling eyes.

There was no disgust or revulsion on Jiang Qingli’s face. She just leaned closer and asked with keen interest, "What else can your shadow do?"

’She... doesn’t find it disgusting at all?’

Yuan Shimo was dazed.

His quick mind seemed to have slowed, and like a puppet, he simply followed her cue and raised his hand to demonstrate.

Afraid of frightening her, Yuan Shimo only demonstrated a few simple abilities.

For example, his shadow could transform into any shape. Then, he stepped into a shadow on the floor without any resistance and emerged from the shadow cast by the wardrobe.

"Teleportation!" Jiang Qingli was genuinely stunned this time. She grabbed the corner of his shirt. "Can you take me with you? I want to teleport too!"

Yuan Shimo stood before her, uncharacteristically hesitant. "I’ll try."

He took Jiang Qingli’s hand and led her toward a shadow.

In just a few seconds, they passed through the darkness and reappeared on the other side of the room.

Jiang Qingli found this ability incredibly convenient. "You must have never been late for class, right? No matter how late you woke up, you could just teleport... I love this Superpower so much, I want it too!"

Yuan Shimo stared at her, stunned. His heartbeat grew deafeningly loud, almost to the point of making him dizzy.

His entire life, his Superpower had only ever been met with disgust, resistance, and fear.

This was the first time anyone had ever looked at him with sparkling eyes and said they liked it.

An overwhelming emotion surged through his heart, completely engulfing the boy.

He couldn’t resist it, nor did he want to.

Even if an abyss lay before him, he would fall into it willingly.

Yuan Shimo took a step toward her.

With his one step, the distance between them closed, shattering the polite, detached space he had kept.

The boy looked into her eyes and said softly,

"I like it, too."