“Look, Xi Sen just posted a group photo on social media.”

At the workbench, Yang Jiahe eagerly shared the latest gossip with Xi Xianqing. “She went to District One for the assessment, right? You’ve got to admit, this girl’s foundation from the Fashion Academy is very solid. The representative officer of District One is famously strict and ruthless, but with that modified uniform, she managed to give off a bit of that man of steel star vibe.”

Xi Xianqing lifted his gaze and glanced at the phone Yang Jiahe held up.

Xi Sen’s assessment had started earlier than his, so she had already completed her journey through District One’s military base.

In the group photo, she stood beside District One’s current representative. The camera had captured the moment when her spiritual manifestation, a Jackdaw, spread its wings.

It was undoubtedly a remarkably healthy Jackdaw spiritual manifestation—with a gaze as calm and cold as its owner’s. Its powerful wings stretched wide, revealing sleek, jet-black feathers. It’s a commemorative photo with a great sense of power and camera-readiness.

Even in Xi Xianqing’s eyes, this was a near-perfect assessment group photo that left no room for criticism.

“Her affairs have nothing to do with me. It’s enough to focus on myself.”

Suppressing the suffocating feeling in his chest, Xi Xianqing shifted his gaze back to the design draft in front of him. “For the Sakura petals, I still want to use bezel-free inlay for the topaz. It’ll create a stronger visual impact.”

“You’re quite thoughtful.”

Yang Jiahe chuckled. “Fine, fine, fine. Let’s try bezel-free inlay for the Sakura petals. As for the pearl inlay process, we’ll stick with what we discussed earlier for now. But regarding the angle for the agate scales, I think we should prepare an alternative design…”

Xi Xianqing nodded absentmindedly, sketching a few refined lines on the draft.

When he inadvertently looked up, his line of sight fell to the garden lawn outside the living room’s floor-to-ceiling window.

The door of the experimental lab pod standing in the middle of the garden was slightly ajar, and bright incandescent light streamed from a small window on the cabin wall. He couldn’t tell what the person inside the pod was busy with.

Before long, Zhou Zhou tiptoed out of the cabin, crossed the lawn, and stepped into the villa.

Rustling noises came from the living room. Out of the corner of his eye, Xi Xianqing saw Zhou Zhou enter the guest bedroom where Zhu Ming was staying.

A few minutes later, Zhou Zhou came out, holding the light screen that Zhu Ming often used, and headed back toward the garden.

However, after taking a few steps out of the guest bedroom, as if he suddenly remembered something, he once again returned to Zhu Ming’s bedroom.

When he emerged again, he was carrying two pillows. Behind him, his Siberian roe deer spiritual manifestation wagged its head happily from side to side. One person and one roe deer made their way back toward the garden.

“Hey, are you still listening?”

Yang Jiahe tapped Xi Xianqing’s elbow with her pen. “Your soul completely flew.”

Xi Xianqing came back to his senses and wordlessly squeezed the pen in his hand.

“Still saying you didn’t care about the assessment, but ever since you saw Xi Sen’s photo, you’ve been out of it.”

Yang Jiahe only thought that he was distracted because of the assessment. She shook her head with a laugh and stood up. “Come on, just tell me where the wine cabinet is. Let’s have a drink as master and disciple and relax a little.”

Xi Xianqing didn’t usually drink while working, but after staring at the messy scratches on his paper, he said after a long moment of silence, “The wine cabinet is next to the fridge in the kitchen.”

The alcoholic Yang Jianhe, patted his shoulder and walked toward the door.

Xi Xianqing forced himself to focus, exhaling slowly before sketching a few more refined lines on his draft.

Soon after, there was a knock at the door. Assuming it was Yang Jiahe returning with the drinks, he called out, “Come in.”

However, Xi Xianqing immediately realized something was off—Yang Jiahe’s high heels would never make such a quiet sound.

Looking up, he realized that it was Zhu Ming peeking his head through the door. At some point, he’d left the lab pod. “Are you busy?”

Xi Xianqing’s hand froze mid-stroke, though his voice remained indifferent. “What is it?”

Zhu Ming said softly, “Did I disturb your work?”

Xi Xianqing: “It’s fine.”

Zhu Ming nodded but didn’t enter the room. “If you don’t mind, could you come to the experimental lab pod for a moment?”

The man in the wheelchair spoke softly, his tone polite and measured, maintaining a boundary so flawless that it was nearly impossible to pick out any faults.

However, Xi Xianqing inexplicably felt a pang of strangeness in his heart.

No one spoke on the way from the living room to the garden.

When they entered the experimental lab pod, they saw Zhou Zhou in his lab coat, who was busy at the back of the pod, handling various bottles and jars in front of the equipment.

With his back to Xi Xianqing, Zhu Ming slipped on a pair of sensory gloves and said, “Can you release Dish Soap?”

Xi Xianqing frowned, not sure what he was up to, but he complied, summoning his green peac0ck.

Zhu Ming bent down and gently stroked the peac0ck’s long, beautiful plumes. Then he straightened up and looked at Xi Xianqing. “Can you take five steps back and stay still?”

Xi Xianqing was puzzled, but after a moment, he still did as he was told.

Then he saw Zhu Ming nod once before swiftly raising his hand and with a “bang”—

He closed the experimental lab pod without hesitation.

Xi Xianqing: “?”

His spiritual manifestation was left inside the pod, while he himself was unceremoniously locked out. He could only make out faint voices from within the pod.

The second before Xi Xianqing’s chest heaved, his fury threatening to boil over, the door was finally opened again.

Zhu Ming sat in his wheelchair by the door, his gaze lowered as he stared thoughtfully at his gloved right hand.

Standing quietly at his feet, Dish Soap held its head high, its tail feathers still drooping in a calm and composed manner.

Zhu Ming gently exhaled, removed the glove, and made a few notes on his light screen. “Aright la. There’s nothing more I need to check.”

Xi Xianqing’s brows furrowed, “What did you do?”

“Just a small test.” Zhu Ming switched the light screen to the calendar, his pen pausing briefly. “By the way, when’s your assessment photo due?”

Xi Xianqing spat out, “17th.”

Zhu Ming’s pen halted before circling the date on the calendar. He muttered with some headache, “Hmm, only 23 days left.”

The harsh incandescent light of the pod accentuated Zhu Ming’s thin and pale jawline. With his head lowered, he seemed different—his usual playful indifference replaced by a rare trace of concern, his brow slightly furrowed.

As if demons and gods were at work, Xi Xianqing parted his lips slightly and spoke in a hoarse voice, “Actually, just now at the door…”

Zhu Ming lifted his gaze and met Xi Xianqing’s eyes.

Xi Xianqing pursed his lips, and before he had time to speak again, Zhou Zhou’s loud voice echoed from behind him. “Zhu-ge, for each well, it’s still an extra 0.1 microliters of reagent, right?”

Zhu Ming turned his head. “Yes, 0.1 of both forward and reverse reagents. Use pure water as a control for the same volume below that, and repeat each set three times.”

Zhou Zhou chuckled. “Got it, got it. You’re still sticking to your old habits ah… Say, after this batch is done, can we eat the white jade bayberries? I’m craving for them.”

Zhu Ming: “Finish adding the reagents first, don’t be distracted. Use the pipette gun.”

Zhou Zhou shouted cheerfully, “Got it la.”

Zhu Ming exhaled quietly before turning back to Xi Xianqing and looking at him. “What were you about to say?”

Xi Xianqing didn’t speak for a long time.

His striking green eyes locked on Zhu Ming’s face, and he replied coldly, “Nothing. Just wanted to remind you that there isn’t much time left for the assessment. I hope you’ll show results soon.”

The corner of Zhu Ming’s mouth moved slightly, “I will try my best.”

After a brief pause, Xi Xianqing added, “We’re at a critical stage in the team’s design process right now. I hope you’ll keep things quiet on your end. Don’t keep wandering around the garden—it’s distracting people.”

“Understood. We’ll try to stay in the experimental lab pod most of the time and avoid disturbing you.”

Zhu Ming gazed at him calmly, “But perhaps you could consider drawing the curtains in the living room. That might be more effective. What do you think?”

His tone was so calm that he couldn’t be picked on.

Xi Xianqing glared at him, a knot of frustration stuck in his chest. “I will. Don’t worry.”

Zhu Ming sat in the wheelchair and didn’t speak.

After staring at him for a long moment, Xi Xianqing clenched his jaw, turned on his heel, and walked away.

The curtains in the living room had been drawn tightly shut for nearly three weeks, sealing off both sunlight and moonlight and cutting all visual connection between the living room and the garden.

Xi Xianqing, along with Yang Jiahe and the artisans, meticulously discussed the intricate details of inlaying. From initial modeling, polishing, and stone selection to the final steps of embedding and polishing, each phase demanded the utmost precision and could not be rushed.

The two-in-one jewelry design itself was complex. Each piece had to stand alone with its own unique integrity, yet also complement the other when stacked together.

The snake element was polished repeatedly, with each scale’s angle measured to perfection. The pearl representing the sheep underwent a stringent selection process until they finally chose the most vibrant and lively one.

True to his word, Zhu Ming barely disturbed Xi Xianqing during this time.

Over the course of 20 days, their daily interaction was limited to one peculiar routine—Zhu Ming would hand over bottles of strange, colorful potions with different tastes. Xi Xianqing would drink them, attempting to channel his spiritual energy and control Dish Soap’s tail feathers.

However, every single day, it invariably ended in failure.

“No movement.”

Another night, Zhu Ming removed his sensory gloves and rubbed his temples. His gaze lingered on Dish Soap, whose feathers remained utterly still. For the first time, his usually composed expression revealed a hint of bewilderment. “13 different potions… and surprisingly, none of them worked. You might as well be the ultimate immune body.”

Xi Xianqing’s face wasn’t good either.

The first psychoactivator Zhu Ming had made for him—the one that caused the allergic reaction and sent Dish Soap into a frenzy—was supposed to be the most efficient among his expectations.

The subsequent potions targeted different receptors with lower expected efficacy. Even so, Zhu Ming and Zhou Zhou had worked tirelessly in the experimental pod, hoping sheer quantity would yield results. All they needed was the faintest reaction to prove they were on the right track.

Zhu Ming was already in a bit of a trance. He ruffled his hair and exhaled. “Your photo assessment is the day after tomorrow, right?”

Xi Xianqing was silent for a little while, “Tomorrow.”

Zhu Ming froze, disbelief written all over his face. He quickly opened the calendar on his light screen and checked the date. His expression twisted for a split second, like a student stuck on the final exam question. “Even one more day would’ve made all the difference ah.”

Back when the first potion caused an allergic reaction, Xi Xianqing had already anticipated the outcome. Achieving a successful plume display before this first assessment was unlikely.

A condition he hadn’t been able to cure since birth wasn’t going to be magically solved. He wasn’t pinning his hopes on Zhu Ming developing a panacea in just two months.

“I’ve been in touch with Aunt Ye and Shen Ying. We managed to secure a chance for a second photo session a few months from now. Unexpectedly, Shen Ying didn’t ask much.”

Xi Xianqing calmly said, “Publicly, we’ll claim that the photo is being withheld for confidentiality reasons. Unlike Xi Sen, we won’t be releasing it on social media right away.”

Zhu Ming seemed to be relieved.

However, he immediately stared at Xi Xianqing’s profile with hesitation. “But if you don’t release the photo right after the assessment, won’t it seem too much of a cover-up? Won’t people start speculating that something’s wrong?”

“The assessment photo is a Xi Family tradition. If it’s delayed too long, there will certainly be rumors spreading.”

Xi Xianqing faintly said, “But compared to releasing a photo showing Dish Soap unable to display his tail, which would spark endless rumors, this is the best solution we can manage.”

Zhu Ming fell silent for a long while.

His brows furrowed slightly, and his fingertips lingered on the red circle on the calendar, lips pressed together as if deep in thought.

Xi Xianqing’s heart stirred. In a seemingly casual tone, he asked, “Do you want to come to the photo session tomorrow?”

Zhu Ming, lost in thought, took a moment to process the question. He then looked at Xi Xianqing and shook his head. “I… don’t think I’ll go.”

Xi Xianqing said nothing.

“After all, you know I don’t really understand much about design.”

Zhu Ming smiled at Xi Xianqing. “Your artisans and Aunt Ye will be there with you, right?”

Xi Xianqing originally wanted to say something, but the moment Zhu Ming’s light-hearted self-deprecating remark came out, the depths of his throat tightened and he couldn’t make a sound.

Because this was precisely what he had personally said a few days ago.

Zhu Ming didn’t notice the subtle change in Xi Xianqing’s expression. His gaze dropped to the green peac0ck huddled by his feet. “I’m planning to make a final desperate attempt tonight. Could you leave Dish Soap in the living room? Zhou Zhou and I want to run one final test.”

Xi Xianqing listened with growing irritation and sneered, “After so many days, why did you drag it out to the last day and not try earlier?”

Zhu Ming didn’t retort and seemed to be in a bit of a trance.

Finally, he exhaled softly, like someone making a final decision. Reaching into the medical kit, he pulled out a small vial of liquid, gently rolling it between his fingers. “This is the last one. Let’s try it, shall we?”

He handed the centrifuge tube containing the potion to Xi Xianqing.

The potion inside the centrifuge tube shimmered a pale mint green—a striking color compared to the countless dull ones Xi Xianqing had already consumed over the past few weeks.

Xi Xianqing studied it with a furrowed brow before tipping his head back and downing it in one gulp.

As Zhu Ming had requested, Xi Xianqing had left Dish Soap In the living room for him to observe before going to bed.

Even after closing his bedroom door, faint voices filtered through. Zhou Zhou’s loud, animated speech, followed by Zhu Ming’s calm reminders to “Keep it down” or “Let me try first,” reached his ears.

Xi Xianqing couldn’t hear much, nor did he want to, so he picked up the noise-canceling earplugs and stuffed them into his ears.

The potion seemed to contain some soothing ingredients. After spending the entire morning making final adjustments to his work, Xi Xianqing lay down and immediately felt an immense sense of relaxation. His eyelids grew heavy, and he soon fell asleep.

When he opened his eyes again, daylight streamed through the windows.

A casual glance at the bedside table first brought him face-to-face with Dish Soap’s beady little eyes. Only then did he notice the bedroom door was slightly ajar—someone had returned the peac0ck at some point without him noticing.

Xi Xianqing shifted his gaze, squinting at the clock. It wasn’t even nine yet.

The group photo was scheduled for 10:30. There was still time to sleep a little longer, and then…

Xi Xianqing sat up violently.

He was in disbelief. He locked eyes with the green peac0ck perched beside his bed, and for a moment, he thought he must still be dreaming.

The green peac0ck at the bedside shook its foot and puffed out its chest, standing even straighter. Its beady eyes widened with a sense of pride as it stared at its owner, boldly flaunting its form.

—Behind it, every one of its beautiful tail feathers was raised high, standing tall and erect.

The layers of tail feathers overlapped, with vibrant, jewel-like blue eye-shaped patterns adorning them. Together, they formed a massive, stunning fan-like display that shimmered like silk.

It had spread its tail.

Author’s Notes:

Dish Soap: I’ve decided to flaunt it la ψ(｀∇´)ψ