Regarding the matter of awakening lightning abilities after transformation

"Because it's not very polite to call someone by their first name." After all, Miss Su was her boss, so Gu Cheng smiled awkwardly.

"Is this how you always get along with your friends?" Su Wanxi raised an eyebrow, seemingly dissatisfied with this statement.

"Of course not." Friends wouldn't use such a formal form of address... Wait, Miss Su, what do you mean?

"Su Wanxi, or just call me Wanxi." Su Wanxi looked at Gu Cheng earnestly, her clear eyes reflecting Gu Cheng's image.

Gu Cheng felt her heart skip a beat, as if she had been hit by something, and her throat went dry.

Quickly drink some juice to calm down and also to soothe your throat.

"Wan...Su...Wanxi." The two words sounded too intimate, and Gu Cheng opened her mouth but couldn't say them, so she had to settle for calling her by her full name.

Although it was intermittent and sounded like a newborn baby learning to speak, the basic meaning was still conveyed.

"Mmm." Su Wanxi gave a sweet smile, her beautiful eyes curving into crescent shapes.

"Can I call you like Qin Kexin?"

"Orange~" Before Gu Cheng could respond, she whispered softly.

The voice was like the chirping of swallows in the warm spring of March, melodious and lingering.

The phone on the table suddenly started flashing, its screen constantly switching between the time and the charging status. Gu Cheng felt like a boiling teapot, constantly belching steam.

"Okay, okay, I'm not kidding anymore. From now on, I'll call you Gu Cheng, and you shouldn't call me Miss Su anymore, it's too awkward."

Su Wanxi propped herself up on her arm and stopped teasing her.

"Su Wanxi".

"Yes, that's it."

Su Wanxi picked up a few more bites of food and continued to eat in small bites.

"This eggplant dish is also very good; the texture is fantastic!"

"The stir-fried shredded pork smells so good!"

Gu Cheng was extremely satisfied to receive such straightforward praise from Su Wanxi.

"What's wrong with you?" The girl stared at her blankly, her eyes seeming to hold some strange emotions. Su Wanxi asked curiously.

"It's nothing... I just feel that the current environment is a bit different from what I expected."

"different?"

"Well, my original plan was to take you to a Western restaurant. Like those French restaurants you see on TV, with candlesticks, rose tablecloths, and wine glasses, with waiters standing on either side holding 1982 Lafite." Compared to a professional restaurant, she had none of that here.

"Oh, and there's also a matching band."

In fact, the only things for dinner were the incandescent light bulbs on the ceiling and cheap bottles of juice; Su Wanxi's elegant demeanor was completely out of place here.

"That's nothing, your cooking is delicious!"

Another straight shot! Gu Cheng felt like her tail was practically wagging in the air.

"Thank you for the compliment." She touched her long hair by her ear, trying to hide the blush on her face.

Previously, Su Wanxi had always been an unattainable beauty in Gu Cheng's eyes, but today she found that Su Wanxi was more approachable than she had imagined, like a lovely and warm older sister next door.

This made her even more eager to see it.

But then again, why is she able to eat so much for dinner...?

One plate on the table was already empty, but Su Wanxi showed no sign of stopping.

Thinking of the other person's fair and slender legs and ample chest, Gu Cheng couldn't help but sigh, "Maybe this is the kind of physique that can't gain weight no matter what you eat."

"Gu Cheng, have you found a new job recently?"

As dinner was nearing its end, Su Wanxi put down her glass and asked her curiously.

"Doesn't your work at the Hermitage Bureau count...?"

"No, I mean a side hustle."

Since it's a semi-compulsory membership system, relaxing some of the rules can help members maintain a positive mindset. For example, the Hermit Bureau doesn't object to members taking on part-time jobs; you just need to complete weekly training and necessary attendance.

"Not for now." Gu Cheng has indeed had a lot of free time lately, and she herself feels a little unaccustomed to it.

"So, would you be interested in working at the flower shop?"

Su Wanxi placed her finger against the corner of her mouth, making her luscious lips appear even redder.

"flower shop?"

"Yes, it's a shop run by an elder in my family. She's going on a trip soon, so the shop is short-staffed."

"Sure," Gu Cheng agreed without even asking about the payment.

Such a straightforward attitude made Su Wanxi feel somewhat guilty. The task assigned by Director Song was, to put it nicely, a special favor, but to put it bluntly, close surveillance. In any case, her motives were far from as simple as they appeared on paper.

"Let's talk about it later... Would you like some tomato soup?" Su Wanxi chose to move on from the topic beforehand. With such a delicious meal, why dwell on unpleasant things?

"Mmm." Gu Cheng took the spoon and ladled some soup for herself.

After dinner was completely over, Gu Cheng prepared to go out and see Su Wanxi off.

"Thank you for your hospitality, but there's no need for more." She changed into her ankle boots and declined with a smile.

“Have a nice trip~”

"Okay, goodbye." The door closed, and Gu Cheng was left alone in the house again.

She first put the leftovers back in the refrigerator, then carried the plates into the kitchen.

"Have you seen enough?" She turned on the tap and muttered to herself.

"How did you find out?" Another voice suddenly popped into my mind, deep and familiar.

"What exactly are you? Why are you inside me?"

Gu Cheng frowned, her hands clenched tightly, her nails digging into her skin and revealing tiny bloodstains.

"Heh, your body?" The voice became somewhat mocking.

Section 41 Chapter Forty-One Another

"I marked the doorknobs of each room." Gu Cheng washed the dishes and put them aside, then picked up a dishcloth from the sink.

"What mark?" A curious voice echoed in my mind.

"The hair, only the hair on the bedroom door was broken." The hair scattered in the living room and kitchen was intact, and there was no sign that the bedroom window had been opened from the outside. All the clues pointed to Gu Cheng herself.

"I've answered the question, it's an equal exchange, isn't it your turn now?" she muttered to herself, as if she were really talking to someone.

"Heh..." The deep voice turned into a sneer.

"It seems you're not so stupid as to be beyond redemption." The fact that it was done in this way was indeed somewhat unexpected.

"You never intended to hide it in the first place," Gu Cheng said coldly. She had heard that kind of laughter before she lost consciousness, and she also had auditory hallucinations on the subway. This guy was so arrogant that he was holding a critique meeting in her head.

"You should have been a little slower to realize things."

After laughing enough, the voice in my head became even more frivolous.

"As a reward for discovering me, you can choose one of the following two questions for me to answer."

"How I entered 'your' body."

"And, who am I?"

"...Second question." Before awakening her abilities, she had never felt another being inside her body. Gu Cheng was eager to know if the thing in her mind was the creature that had modified her back then.

"Can't you recognize my voice?" The voice was deep and magnetic, with a hint of teasing in it.

"Answer my question." It sounded familiar, but Gu Cheng couldn't remember where she had heard it before. This suffocating feeling, as if someone was choking her, was about to completely wear down her patience.

"You're so forgetful, it's only been a little over a month."

"Stop keeping me in suspense!" A fine current suddenly surged around Gu Cheng. A little over a month had passed, coinciding with that night: the writhing flesh, the dim light, and the strange changes happening to her body. She would never forget these things.

"Hmph, don't be in such a hurry." He was even more curious about how Gu Cheng would react after hearing the news below.

"You can call me Gu Cheng, or..."

"Gu Chengyan."

Gu Cheng felt a chill spread from the top of her head to her limbs. She subconsciously clenched her fists and trembled uncontrollably.

"What do you mean? Do you think I'm stupid?" After a long while, she licked her dry lips.

"Whether you believe it or not is none of my business." After saying that, his mind went silent, and he didn't respond no matter how Gu Cheng called out to him.

......

Nighttime, Xicheng District, Lanjiang City.

Qi Bei leaned against the railing, gazing up at the sky at a 45-degree angle.

Severe air pollution obscured the brilliant starry sky, and only a few strong rays of light occasionally pierced through the murky air and fell into his eyes; even the faint halo of light felt precious to him.

"Phew." He took another breath of the fresh summer breeze outside, adjusted his collar, and walked into the underground bar.

The room was filled with a strong smell of smoke. On the dance floor, men and women dressed provocatively embraced each other and swayed their bodies to the rousing music.

"Hey buddy, wanna dance?" A heavily made-up woman pressed herself against his chest, her breath reeking of alcohol, and Qi Bei couldn't even make out her original skin color.

“No need.” He gently pushed her, and the woman was swallowed up by the crowd. Many hands roamed over her skin, and she seemed to enjoy it, letting out intermittent moans.

With a low curse, Qi Bei took the damp towel handed to him by the bartender, cleaned the foundation off each of his knuckles, and then sat quietly against the bar.

"What would you like to order?"

"MintJulep, extra ice."

"Okay, please wait a moment."

The bartender skillfully picked up the cocktail shaker, and a few fancy moves drew cheers from all sides.

"Is Mr. Zhan here?" Qi Bei lowered his voice, took a glass of water and brought it to his lips.

"Mr. Zhan instructed us not to disturb him in Box 12, Queens." The bartender's lips remained still as he continued mixing drinks.