After the matter was basically resolved, Su Kun felt like he had finally returned to the normal world and started to get back to regular tasks.

He found the contact information for the milk tea shop that the landlord had previously given him and signed up for a franchise. It had to be said, the franchise fee negotiated by the landlord was considerably lower than the normal price. The total cost, including the franchise fee and the deposit, was about thirty-five thousand.

However, this amount was not an easy sum for Su Kun.

He scraped together the money he had saved from less than two years of work and the rent from the old house. After paying the thirty-five thousand plus a year's rent deposit, he was basically left with nothing.

But just this was not enough to get the milk tea shop up and running. According to the franchise process, the headquarters would arrange for someone to handle the store design and renovation, and provide the necessary equipment and ingredients. These expenses were additional, and if the shop really got going, he definitely wouldn't be able to manage it alone—he'd need at least one more employee.

After adding everything up, he would need another ten to twenty thousand. And he still needed money to live on.

Geng Zimo, without saying a word, pulled out his card, held it loosely between two fingers, and, looking like he deserved a beating, said to Su Kun, "Here, take the reward, and remember to thank your lord."

Su Kun twitched his mouth and pushed the card back to him. "Save it. I can manage on my own. Don't you need to take care of your parents? Besides, if you give me your card now, when you go to H City next month, you might end up crying over the rent and cost of living there!"

Geng Zimo responded, "…Screw you." He then slapped the card onto Su Kun's face expressionlessly.

Although he couldn't refuse Geng Zimo and took the card, Su Kun didn't really plan to use it. Just when he was thinking about where to get some money, there was news from his hometown.

He and Aunt Zhang had settled all the trivial matters between their families. Aunt Zhang and Yingzi had also found a temporary place to stay and negotiated the rent, just waiting to move. So, on the weekend, Su Kun dragged Labourer Geng and brought along Bodyguard Gu for a grand move to the old house to move things, sign papers, and hand over the keys.

The reason it was grand was because, beyond Su Kun's plan, there were three other "people" who went along with Gu Yan.

It happened to be a cloudy day, with a gray sky and no sunlight. The temperature was cool but not cold, and the air had a slight dampness. Such weather was just right for non-human entities like Gu Yan.

Just past noon, Su Kun was in the old house's kitchen planning to make a simple meal for everyone who had been busy all morning. Geng Zimo, who never lifted a finger to do any housework, insisted on following him, claiming he wanted to help. In the end, he couldn't even handle picking vegetables properly, so he ended up pretending to wash them at the sink.

Through the window, he glanced at the few people sitting on the stone bench in the yard and asked Su Kun, "Are those the people from that special department you mentioned? Are they here for that little ghost?"

"Yes." Su Kun, who was tearing oyster mushrooms, also peeked outside and nodded.

"They haven't just come once, right? I saw them downstairs after work the day before yesterday, just as they were leaving the complex."

Su Kun twitched his mouth. "More than once. Since that day, it's only been four days, and they've been coming everyday…"

That night, after resolving the infant spirit in Fu County, the long-haired man and his group drove Qin Xiu and her son and daughter-in-law directly to the hospital. After settling them, they also sent Su Kun and Gu Yan home. Geng Zimo had hardly slept and Su Kun, after returning, told him everything that had happened.

Actually, Geng Zimo used to have a strong and firm scientific worldview, but after Gu Yan barged into their lives, it shattered.

And when Su Kun told him that the police had been cooperating with a special department that dealt specifically with supernatural matters, and that in this department in Li City, only one out of the three key members was human—the other two were an old spirit cultivated from a camphor tree and a centuries-old painting come to life—and that they wanted to recruit Gu Yan, who had the potential to become a fierce ghost...

Geng Zimo felt that his already shattered worldview had been stomped on several more times, turning to dust and blowing away with the wind.

"That little ghost still hasn't agreed?" He saw the group sitting around the stone table, trying to persuade again, and turned to ask Su Kun, "What do you think?"

Su Kun raised a water-droplet-covered index finger and shook it, looking solemn, "I strongly despise their behavior of trying to poach right in front of me. But I think Comrade Gu Yan has integrity and shouldn't be easily deceived."

Geng Zimo gave him a sidelong glance, "Pardon my bluntness, but his integrity is less secure when he's with you."

Su Kun: "..."

The conversation outside, which had been a low hum, suddenly became noisy. It seemed that the self-proclaimed master had received something.

He then loudly said, "The paper crane has returned. Let me read the approved joining benefits… Hmm, it says here, based on your situation, they will arrange a normal identity and household registration for you, provide regular compensation, and you can choose between ghost money and human currency. It counts as a civil service position."

Geng Zimo: "..." Suddenly feeling that being human is a bit of a scam; being a ghost is the right path.

Su Kun: "..." What the heck, even ghosts can get civil service positions these days?! Are you kidding me? Σ(っ°Д°;)っ

He turned his head and glared at the expressionless little ghost surrounded by the group in the yard, thinking: This is bad! The temptation is too great, he's going to defect!

But Gu Yan only raised his eyelids and asked, "What is a household registration? What does a civil service position mean?"

The master, stroking his beard, twitched his face violently, "..."

Su Kun: "..." Good, the hatred is successfully redirected. But it seems these things don't tempt Gu Yan, hehehehe.

While he was secretly feeling relieved and a bit smug, the long-haired man suddenly spoke up, "We can also give you a tangible, visible body."

Gu Yan, who had been indifferent to the idea of joining, suddenly stared at him, seemingly trying to gauge the truth and credibility of his words.

After a long silence, Gu Yan asked, "What do you mean by tangible? Mine, or someone else's?"

The camphor tree old lady, seeing a glimmer of hope, hurriedly said, "Yours! Of course, it's yours! We're a legitimate organization. How could we teach you to possess someone else? Right?"

Su Kun silently turned his face away.

Geng Zimo, unable to see Gu Yan or hear his words, could only infer the current situation from the others' conversation. But he guessed it was almost accurate. So he looked at the conflicted Su Kun and said, "Come on, share your thoughts on successfully being poached?"

Su Kun whimpered and covered his face, "The enemy is too cunning. They hit Comrade Gu Yan's weak spot. This is definitely going to be a betrayal."

Geng Zimo, drying the cabbage leaves, took a small basket and, while tearing the leaves, mocked Su Kun, "I remember half a month ago, you were doing everything possible to get rid of his coffin. Now that he's moving to a different place, why are you acting like this?"

Su Kun's mouth twitched silently twice, muttering, "He's a friend, you know."

Just as he finished speaking, Comrade Gu Yan, who had been hit in his weak spot, floated straight through the kitchen wall. His perpetually furrowed brow had relaxed, and his lips, usually pressed into a thin line, were slightly relaxed. The light from outside the window, though not dazzling, reflected in his dark eyes, making them look much softer.

According to Comrade Su Kun's analysis of the "face paralysis law", this indicated that Gu Yan was in a good mood, even quite happy. It probably had something to do with what those people outside had just said.

Initially, when he heard the benefits those people were offering, Su Kun felt an inexplicable sense of melancholy, thinking that Gu Yan would most likely agree. He pondered the source of this melancholy for a while and concluded that it was probably because he had come to regard Gu Yan as a life-and-death friend.

After living together in the same house for so many days and going through various chaotic events, their bond had deepened. The sudden thought of Gu Yan moving out to join those people made Su Kun feel a subtle jealousy, as if his friend was being taken away.

However, when he saw that Gu Yan seemed genuinely in a good mood, with a much more relaxed expression than usual, that jealousy vanished completely. It was replaced by a sense of relief and happiness—happiness for Gu Yan's happiness. This kind of emotion, rising and falling with another person's feelings, bringing moments of joy and moments of worry, was something Su Kun hadn't experienced in a long time.

Just as he was lost in thought, Gu Yan floated closer and said, "It seems I'll have to stay in your bedroom for a long time. With this new job, I'll probably be lingering in this world for quite a while."

Su Kun let out a surprised "Ah," somewhat taken aback. "Aren't you going to move to where they're staying?"

Gu Yan's previously relaxed expression tightened. "When did I say I was moving? They don't have a fixed residence... You—" He had originally thought that Su Kun was still uncomfortable with the idea of staying in the same house with him and hoped he would take this opportunity to leave. This thought immediately dampened his previously uplifted mood.

However, before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Su Kun's noticeably brighter smile and excited voice, "That's more like it! After all the times you've touched my chest, how can you just leave? At least let me touch back!"

Gu Yan: "..." So the focus is on touching chests? =_=

Though the reason was absurd, General Gu's frown still relaxed, and he seemed to be in an even better mood than before.

Su Kun stared at Gu Yan's back as he floated back through the wall and into the yard. He stood there for a while until Geng Zimo reminded him, at which point he realized his mouth had been grinning the whole time. He looked at his reflection in the window glass, subconsciously touching the corners of his upturned lips.

Several seconds later, he stood there dumbfounded.

Although Su Kun's emotional intelligence and IQ were often quite lacking, they weren't entirely in the negative. So, when the odd thoughts he had about Gu Yan, like finding him "sexy", along with those long-forgotten dreams of touching chests, and the sense of reliance and safety he felt when Gu Yan patted his head or rubbed his hair, all rushed back into his mind, combined with his current emotional fluctuations and the silly smile reflected in the window, Su Kun realized a startling truth—

Oh my god! It seems I've developed some sort of non-friendship-like affection for a cross-species face-paralysis ghost! What do I do! QAQ