Otherworldly Affairs Office

Watching Ye Jiumu take out a small pump-like device from the Na Ring, then slowly insert a long tube into the crevice, and press a button on the pump, the small pump started to shake slowly with a buzzing sound.

Having participated in quite a few missions, Pei Yan knew this little thing was a miniature internal energy extractor, designed specifically to collect excess or already leaking energy from crevices for research and storage purposes.

"Give me a hand! Your mechanical arm won't get tired from holding it," Ye Jiumu said, handing the tube to Pei Yan.

Pei Yan didn't mind and switched his mechanical arm to take the tube and hold it high, watching the scattered gas in the crevice being absorbed bit by bit into the tube, transforming into a semi-liquid state and flowing into the internal energy extractor. Pei Yan instinctively raised his hand to check his watch: "How long will this take? Can we finish it before they come back?"

"Why panic? We've already checked; this family has five members, the man and woman have jobs, and the kids go to school. During the day, only the two elderly are at home, and they've been attracted by the senior discount activities organized by the community; they won't be back for a while. Besides, isn't Xia Yu and Zhao Yuanhu down there keeping watch for us? Nothing will happen." Ye Jiumu said, taking out a cigarette but then, remembering they were in someone else's house, not wanting to leave traces, reluctantly putting the cigarette box back.

"You say, what if, I'm saying what if, the homeowner returns unexpectedly and they block us in here, what do we do?" Pei Yan leaned against the wall, no longer nervous, smiling as he teased.

Ye Jiumu leaned on the doorframe, smiling, and replied: "What else can we do, admit to being thieves and get caught, take a beating without fighting back, then wait for the police to come, take us away, make a turn and come out again—anyway, we're not using our real faces, what are you afraid of?"

Thus, the two chatted idly to pass the time, from the bureau's recent situation to international affairs. After some banter, the discussion naturally turned to girls.

"How's the progress with Zhao Yuanhu over the past month?" Ye Jiumu shifted the topic, looking at Pei Yan holding the tube with a lively expression.

On hearing the question, Pei Yan pursed his lips and replied with little enthusiasm: "What progress? What progress could there be? Most of the time, aren't we acting together? You've seen it."

"Oh, then it's our fault, tsk, miscalculation. This task should've been you two, this small space with a man and woman cohabiting will surely spark some chemistry. Don't worry, Pei Yan, next time we encounter such a task, I'll definitely give way." Ye Jiumu said as he mimicked a regretful expression and laughed teasingly.

"Enough, being alone with her is even more awkward."

Ye Jiumu froze upon hearing this and asked puzzledly: "Why? Are you shy? Don't tell me you have no interest in her. I saw you staring at her that day, eyes wide—apart from being a bit reserved usually, I think she's quite nice. You don't have issues with her love for ethnic attire, do you?"

"Of course not. Do you really not know why?" Pei Yan finished speaking, rolled his eyes at Ye Jiumu, and straightened his body leaning against the wall, deciding to be straightforward: "I admit that when I first met her, I indeed developed a fondness for her. She is indeed my type, but she's here to monitor me; I can't just walk into someone's surveillance."

"Oh, you knew? Xia Yu's judgment is spot on; she said it wouldn't escape you. When did you find out?" Ye Jiumu nodded and asked.

"Found out that very night." Pei Yan replied, his mood somewhat bleak. As he mentioned, Zhao Yuanhu was indeed his type—a bright spark amongst the three girls he knew in the bureau. Xia Yu was passionate and straightforward, matching Pei Yan's temperament but not someone he'd want to date. Liang Qian's character fit his standards, but her figure... And Zhao Yuanhu's appearance truly made his eyes light up, giving him a heart-throbbing feeling.

Especially that night, Zhao Yuanhu selflessly jumped into the lake to save him—an absolutely stunning moment when his heart felt tightly grasped. If things ended like that, perhaps after the mission that night, Pei Yan would have truly pursued her, aiming for a double-sweet success in career and love.

But when he was struck by the Black-robed Man's ice needle, entering a state of pseudo-death, he saw her relieved expression and understood everything. At the time, he didn't overthink due to the battle, but during subsequent interactions, Zhao Yuanhu always maintained a distance, telling him she was fulfilling a task—not genuinely caring; the supposed affection was merely his self-indulgence.

Faced with this result, Pei Yan felt annoyed but helpless, as she never claimed to like him and repeatedly risked herself to protect him. He couldn't blame her—that would be unmanly.

However, asking Pei Yan to abandon his identity to pursue her wasn't something he could muster; he understood being monitored and protected during missions, but he didn't want his privacy continually exposed for assessment.

Consequently, the atmosphere between Pei Yan and Zhao Yuanhu was extremely awkward, even though they were partners. They almost had no private exchanges, maintaining an understood distance and preserving the secret they both knew, neither breaking this facade.

"Still young, liking someone means you should boldly pursue! Or you'll regret it later!" Ye Jiumu said, closing the internal energy extractor, taking the tube from Pei Yan and packing the items away. The accumulated internal energy had mostly drained, and it was time to start repair work.

Pei Yan sidestepped out of the bathroom to let Ye Jiumu repair the crevice, turning to retort his teasing: "You're always talking about me, what about you and Xia Yu?"

Ye Jiumu bent down to take out an ointment bottle from a tool bag. Hearing this, he paused before straightening up with a chuckle: "You know, Wang Wenze's big mouth must've told you."

Pei Yan shrugged: "No need for him to say, everyone in the bureau can see.".

Ye Jiumu took out a smear of ointment from the bottle, applied it to his hand, raised it to the edge of the crevice, then stimulated the internal energy at the palm. The ointment on his hand slowly vaporized and floated above the crevice. Watching the crevice gradually heal under the gas, he spoke: "Our situation is different from yours. It's complicated and can't be explained to outsiders, but I feel that we're in a good place now. If she truly... one day.'

He paused, licked his lips: "Then I'll accept and wish them well."

Pei Yan saw his expression, sighed deeply with his hand on his forehead, and said: "You two are truly living up to the names your parents gave you!"