My CEO Harem Cultivation System

"Li Yang?"

The man raised his head, stared unsurely at her, as if wondering if it was actually her before nodding his head in greeting. He didn't exactly pull up to his feet and continued to stick with his spot on his house's porch, "Miss Lifen—what can I do for you?"

He was still polite as ever.

"What are you doing outside of your house?" Bo Lifen asked. She ignored his question and focused on the situation on hand. She looked down at the man seated down, and he didn't even stand to greet her properly. Was he too exhausted to even do that? There were no indicators at all. He didn't slouch, and there were no visible bags underneath his eyes.

He didn't even sigh, he only smiled briefly.

"Getting some fresh air, I suppose."

The CEO's mannerism was the same, his words were short and direct. Even clipped. Perhaps he wanted to get rid of her now—his first question immediately wishing to solve whatever was her reason for visiting. She could focus on that and get mad immediately, and yet she wouldn't.

There was something about him in this moment that showed a hint of something else. That beneath the surface, something was brewing up despite his continued insistence to be proper. Well, it wasn't as if she could know him after such a brief span of time—but she thought she could understand most of his facets after their encounter at her house.

Or at least understand that everyone had their defenses up when they were weak. Bo Lifen raised a hand to her hair and ran her fingers through them. She should tell him to get her great-grandmother's thermos and call it a day. That was what she was supposed to do.

Non-interference.

And yet this situation with him, it nagged at her. Similar to how a client would walk into her shop seeking tranquility, it was something that she couldn't just ignore—spiritual senses aside. Bo Lifen was used to dealing with both unruly customers and burnout ones.

Whether it wasn't visible, even if he tried to hide it away or didn't even think he was tired, it showed. She experienced it and felt like the situation was the same with him; she sighed. "Do you have some space?"

A little empathy hurt no one.

Unless you were with someone who'd drain you. But she didn't think he was that type. The man would move to the left and she plopped down beside him. Bo Lifen kept her knees close together, but the tiny space made it difficult to avoid brushing his shoulders.

And yet he didn't say a word. The man was still consumed with his thoughts or couldn't care at all.

… it irritated her slightly, but she cooled herself and let out a breath. "Are you alright? Did the Black Pearl Ocean Tea have no effect on your body?" Get things out quickly and focus on the situation on hand, she wouldn't jump between conversations. He didn't seem like the type to enjoy talks with meanings hidden beneath them.

"It did—but I wasn't aware that the tea was made from pearls." he said, his brows furrowing together.

Whether or not his lack of awareness was true, Bo Lifen shook her head. "You look tired. But that drink was supposed to help with rejuvenating the body, so I'm curious if you actually drank it." The woman didn't spare a glance at him and instead focused her vision up at a random streetlight. It was flickering badly despite the otherwise well-maintained street. She let out a sigh and finally eyed him. "My great-grandmother said you were a cultivator, is that true?"

If Li Yang was shocked—he didn't show it on his face, except for the tired smile on his face. He fiddled with his suit coat and took out a card. The man didn't give it to her, but the woman recognized the shimmer in it. "It seems you've figured it out as well. I had no idea that you and your family would also be involved in such a thing like this."

"You say that as if it sounds like a bad thing."

"That wasn't my intention."

"Of course… "

A silence came in between them, almost as thick as the energy that had been present before she came along. The qi and aura around him was somewhat suffocating, but had only focused around him. It was still in the air. But now that there was somebody else with him—Li Yang was subconsciously determined to keep things together.

If one were to probe into his mind, it would be him trying to decide which action he should consider now that the jig was up. Whether or not it was actually good that she learned of it—but then, did they know of it once he had visited Granny Lanfen or had figured it out later? Was this something that would add up to all of his currently existing problems on hand?

Li Yang could have wished that they'd said it at another time.

That it was much better that she didn't arrive at all and he could get some peace and quiet—the Panda had left to clean off 'filth' it said. As if the child that it had interacted with was a nuisance, or perhaps it was simply being petty.

Perhaps it would be easier to take into account once he'd manage with the other things—and yet life gave whatever it wanted to him. Was it life or the heavens even? He couldn't help but think that this was all premeditated. A good number of the people he knew personally had in proxy knew someone involved in this world's secrets.

And all of this was simply a way for entertainment.

He shook his head and turned back to his visitor, Bo Lifen, who had decided to sit beside him. Li Yang wouldn't have put much thought into it if not for the fact that she had talked with him, actually tried to talk with him this time instead of jumping into conclusions. Accuse him of being a pervert or get upset about him not telling about his brother.

She sounded like she cared about his state.

It was almost strange and unreal.

—-—-

Author Note: Setting up a mood is hard, and here I am listening to Howl's Moving Castle Theme depressive and dark version *cough* welcome to Premium Chapters, buy my Privilege!