Qi Yu was startled by 007’s upgraded functions, then immediately overjoyed, perking right up.
The little rose straightened its stem stiffly, its leaves trembling uncontrollably. “Why didn’t you tell me about something this good earlier? Come on, come on, let’s try it out!” Qi Yu couldn’t wait to return to human form.
He missed hotpot, skewers, desserts, ice cream! He was not going to keep eating fertilizer and plain water every day.
007 hemmed and hawed for a long while before saying, [That’s a mission reward. It can’t be used right now.]
“Mission reward?” The smile at the corner of his mouth froze, and Qi Yu’s brain struggled to catch up. “Wait, 007, are you kidding me? The mission is to matchmake the male and female leads, but I can’t take human form, how am I supposed to matchmake anyone?” Wasn’t this a dead loop?
“Or, don’t tell me you expect a flower to complete the mission?” If Qi Yu had a body right now, he would definitely have rolled his eyes countless times.
[Well… you could cultivate until you can take human form,] 007 stammered, finally managing to string together a sentence after a long pause.
“How many years would it take me to cultivate my way into human form? Besides, if I transform myself, what do I need your reward for?” Did it really take him for a fool?
[Then I’ll go submit a request to the higher-ups.] After saying this, 007 went silent.
Qi Yu was only too happy for the peace and quiet.
He looked left and right, confirmed no one was around, braced his two branches, and pulled his entire flower up by the roots. This time he had experience, he was careful, and only a little soil was shaken loose by his roots.
Perfect!
Qi Yu pointed his two “feet,” hopped onto Gu Yuheng’s seat, and stomped on it viciously several times. Only after venting his anger did he easily make his way down to the floor along the seat.
Whew~ Finally some fresh air. If he didn’t come out and move around soon, his limbs were going to rust.
…
*Click * The sound of the door opening rang out abruptly.
Gu Yuheng hurried back to the office. He first looked toward the desk and at that look, his eyes bulged, his face turning frighteningly gloomy. He strode quickly to the desk. “Baobao?”
In the white jade flowerpot, there was only a pile of soil left.
The little rose had vanished.
[Holy crap, A-Yu! Wake up! How did you fall asleep? Gu Yuheng is back! Wake up!] 007 had just finished filing its report with superiors and came back to find Gu Yuheng looking like he’d lost his wife, it nearly scared the piss out of it.
Just as it was wondering what happened, it saw Qi Yu had pulled his roots out of the soil and was lying in front of the floor-to-ceiling window sunbathing. The sunlight must have been too nice, he’d fallen asleep.
Half-dreaming, Qi Yu felt someone gently scoop him up, and 007’s chattering rang in his mind. He struggled to wake up, but drifted off again.
But in Gu Yuheng’s eyes, the scene looked entirely different. His little rose had been pulled out of its pot by someone, and was limp and wilted from being out of the soil. The usually lively, energetic rose showed no reaction even when he picked it up, perhaps it had been out of the soil too long, it struggled as if trying to move, but only managed a single tremor.
It broke Gu Yuheng’s heart.
With the gentlest of movements, he replanted the little rose in the soil and watered it.
“Li Min, come in here.” Gu Yuheng’s face was ice-cold, a storm brewing in his eyes.
Hearing Gu Yuheng’s tone over the phone, Li Min knew something had gone wrong, he just didn’t know what.
Sure enough.
The atmosphere in the office was cold to the extreme, like a storm about to break.
“President Gu.”
“After I left, someone entered my office.”
Li Min’s heart skipped a beat. “I’ll go check the footage right now.”
Gu Yuheng nodded.
Qi Yu had woken up the moment the assistant came in, and when Li Min said he was going to check the surveillance footage, he jolted.
It’s over, it’s over.
[007! Help me!]
007 was rather speechless at how things were developing, and it stayed silent.
[Bro! Bro 7! Help your little brother out!] Qi Yu cried out to 007 in his mind.
[He already knows you can talk. What’s the harm in him knowing a bit more? Why not just tell him?] That way it wouldn’t have to waste its energy.
[No way!]
If Gu Yuheng found out he could run and jump, wouldn’t the man keep watch over him every second of the day?
007 went silent.
[007? Qi-qi? Bro 7?] Qi Yu called out tentatively. No one answered.
Meanwhile, Li Min pulled up the surveillance footage, his expression turning rather strange.
Knock knock knock,
Qi Yu jolted. It’s over, he was about to be exposed.