Chapter 39: Dancing

"Find some time to get your driver's license. I'll buy you a car so it won't be such a hassle every time you come back," Shen Jianjun urged as he dropped Shen Siyuan off at the bus.

"I know," Shen Siyuan replied dismissively.

"You know, you know—it's always the same answer. So, where is the license?" Shen Jianjun asked, sounding annoyed.

"Hehe..."

The reason Shen Siyuan hadn't bothered to get a license was, first, that he found it troublesome, and second, he didn't really need one. His daily commute was just a straight line between two points; riding a bike was far more convenient than driving. Besides, even if he had the money to buy a car, maintenance and insurance were no small expenses. Although his family was reasonably well-off, they weren't exactly wealthy, and he didn't like asking his parents for money. Of course, he certainly wouldn't refuse if his mother insisted, as she had today.

"I'm off."

Shen Siyuan boarded a bus headed straight for Binhai, found a seat, and pulled out *The Embrace of Wind* to read. As for Shen Jianjun, he waved, started his motorcycle, twisted the throttle, and left without a hint of hesitation. After all, it wasn't the first time he had seen his son off; he was used to it.

When Shen Siyuan returned to Binhai, it was just past five o'clock. Thinking about how he had been on a blind date in the morning, digging holes at noon, and was already back in his Binhai home by the afternoon, the back-and-forth left even him feeling exhausted. He thought about getting some proper rest once he got inside.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he opened the door, he saw Doudou standing on the table, wiggling her bottom like a fluttering moth, her whole body shaking. It was both frustrating and amusing. Standing below, Yin Xingyue looked anxious, as if she were trying to get her to come down. When the door suddenly opened, both of them froze.

"Big Brother Yam!"

Doudou caught a gust of wind and lunged straight at Shen Siyuan. Looking at the chilling wind rushing toward him, Shen Siyuan’s heart stirred, and he felt a sudden flash of insight related to *The Embrace of Wind* that he had just been reading. But this wasn't the time for that. He reached out and snatched the little creature out of the air. The little thing flailed her limbs, finding no purchase.

"What are you doing?" Shen Siyuan asked indignantly. He glanced at his computer desk, relieved to see nothing had been messed up—though he supposed that made sense, as they were ghosts and couldn't touch physical objects.

"I was performing a dance I just learned for my big sister," Doudou said with an innocent expression.

"You two have met?" Shen Siyuan looked toward Yin Xingyue, who was walking over.

"Master of the Banner..." Yin Xingyue called out timidly, her eyes filled with complex emotions. She felt a mix of curiosity and surprise toward Shen Siyuan, but also deep reverence.

"You're like Doudou; just call me 'Big Brother'," Shen Siyuan said. Yin Xingyue obediently changed how she addressed him.

Shen Siyuan set Doudou down, and the little one immediately began hopping around again. "How did it go back home? Was the problem resolved?" Shen Siyuan asked casually. On the day he returned to his hometown, he had released Yin Xingyue, telling her to go home and handle her own affairs. As for how she handled it, with her current ability to manifest at will, she could easily scare her beastly stepfather out of his wits.

Yin Xingyue shook her head.

"Why?" Shen Siyuan was surprised. Was her stepfather really that bold? Could he face someone who was already dead and not be terrified?

Yin Xingyue replied, "He's gone."

"What do you mean, gone?" Shen Siyuan asked, puzzled.

Doudou looked up at the two of them talking. Seeing that no one was paying attention to her, she began spinning in circles, anxious.

"He hasn't been home for several days. My mother went to his company, but couldn't find him. She reported it to the police, and they said he's missing and are currently investigating."

"Missing?" Shen Siyuan was surprised. People don't just go missing for no reason. Had he gone into hiding, or was he kidnapped? "Then we can only wait and see if the police can find him." Shen Siyuan didn't have a better solution.

Yin Xingyue nodded slightly and turned her gaze to Doudou.

"I don't need to introduce you, you two have already met, right?" Shen Siyuan put down his luggage and smiled.

Hearing this, Doudou shouted immediately, "Big sister is my good friend!"

"By the way, I haven't asked—why aren't you at home keeping your mom and dad company? Why did you run back here?" Shen Siyuan asked.

"I came to find Big Brother Yam to play. Being all by yourself is... isn't it very... not fun?"

"You mean lonely, right?"

"Yes, yes! That's what I meant, you took the words right out of my mouth!" Doudou said, circling around him.

Shen Siyuan grabbed her and tapped her on the head. "You're a handful, standing on my table and wiggling your bottom."

"I was performing a dance for my big sister. Do you want to see, Big Brother Yam?" Doudou covered her little head and looked up, full of anticipation.

"Sure, let's see what kind of dance you've learned," Shen Siyuan said. Doudou immediately began shaking her head and wiggling her bottom.

Yin Xingyue watched the interaction between Doudou and Shen Siyuan with envy. She admired Doudou’s cheerful and lively nature, and she envied the way Shen Siyuan doted on her. Aside from her grandmother, she had never experienced that kind of warmth from anyone else.

"Haha, that's breakdancing! Where did you learn that?" Shen Siyuan couldn't help but laugh at her adorable appearance.

"I learned it on TV! Isn't it impressive?" Doudou said, looking proud.

"Yes, you're very impressive, but please, next time, don't climb onto my table to dance."

"Hehe..." Doudou laughed, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Big Brother Yam, let me tell you, I met a big bad guy yesterday," Doudou said suddenly, hands on her hips, looking indignant.

Shen Siyuan looked at Yin Xingyue, wanting to ask her what had happened, but she shook her head to indicate she didn't know.

"Tell me, what happened?"

"I saw an uncle tie up an auntie and hit her hard with a whip. The auntie was screaming 'wa-wa' and crying so sadly..." Doudou waved her little hands, looking furious.

Shen Siyuan’s jaw nearly dropped. What kind of things had she been watching?

"You didn't show yourself and scare them, did you?" Shen Siyuan asked.

Doudou shook her head. "It was so scary, I was afraid, so I ran away. I wanted to find Big Brother, but you weren't there, so I met my big sister instead..." Doudou scratched her head, then suddenly remembered. She looked embarrassed and added, "And then I forgot. Big Brother, hurry up and call the police to catch the bad guy!"

Shen Siyuan was left speechless, not knowing how to explain it to her. He brushed it off and asked casually, "Where did you see this?"

"In that broken-down building over there." Doudou pointed in a direction.

"Huh?" Shen Siyuan sensed something was wrong. After pressing for more details, he realized she was talking about an unfinished construction project. Was it some kind of niche fetishist? But that didn't seem right—this was the city center; why would they be playing such a dangerous game in an abandoned building in the middle of the night?