After nine lifetimes of reincarnation, the yandere villainous heroine descends.

Shen Shuchou gently shook his head.

"Grandma, if I may ask, how does this nursing home manage to operate these days? Are there no other caregivers?"

Upon learning that the director had already passed away, Shen Shuchou temporarily suppressed his desire to inquire about the past and instead asked about the current situation of the orphanage.

The old man sighed softly as he spoke, his tone calm: "Alas, this welfare home has been around for too long. Now it barely survives on the help of some kind-hearted people. There are only a few children left in the home, and we can't afford to hire caregivers. On weekdays, kind-hearted neighbors occasionally come to lend a hand."

The old man spoke tactfully, but Shen Shuchou already understood the difficulties involved.

He looked up at the clock hanging on the wall; it was almost 11 p.m.

Unable to stay any longer, he got up and bid farewell to the old man. With the old man watching him leave, Shen Shuchou departed from Chengze Welfare Home.

Stepping out of the orphanage, Shen Shuchou took out his phone, which had been lying idle for days. He hadn't turned it on even once during his busy days out and about.

Opening the contacts app, the screen was filled with a huge number of unread messages, most of which were from Chu Siqi.

The latest message, sent an hour ago, reads: "I've bought the wreath. When are you coming to pick it up?"

Upon seeing this message, Shen Shuchou's lips twitched slightly.

He casually replied, "Remember to buy the red one; I like things that are festive."

The message had just been sent, and within three seconds the dialog box showed that the other party was typing.

The next moment, a reply popped up instantly.

"It's come back to life? Looks like we won't need the wreaths. I'll have to prepare some black dog blood."

Shen Shuchou ignored the message, swiped his finger, and slowly dialed a number.

A moment later, the call was connected.

"Who is it, disturbing my sleep in the middle of the night?"

A voice with a hint of arrogance and laziness came from the other end of the receiver.

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Shen Shuchou didn't waste any time on pleasantries and went straight to the point: "I am Shen Shuchou."

After he finished speaking, there was an instant silence on the other end of the phone.

In the brightly lit villa, Su Changkong was stunned when he heard the name "Shen Shuchou" coming from the receiver.

He had left his contact information with the other party a long time ago, and his number was also left in the villa he gave to Shen Shuchou.

Su Changkong never expected that one day, Shen Shuchou would be the one to call him.

"I'd like to ask you for a favor."

Shen Shuchou spoke.

"you say!"

Su Changkong's tone instantly lost its previous casual arrogance and became serious.

"There is a welfare home called Chengze on Chunhua Road. Could you please send someone to take good care of it? If it's convenient, you could also donate some supplies and money, as if I'm borrowing it from you."

Shen Shuchou spoke slowly.

Upon hearing this request, Su Changkong was slightly taken aback again.

He had thought it would be something serious, but it turned out to be just a request for him to look after a welfare home.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it!"

Su Changkong immediately agreed, his tone crisp and decisive.

Thank you.

Shen Shuchou's tone carried a hint of solemnity.

He hung up the phone immediately after speaking.

As soon as he put his phone away, Chu Siqi's messages came in like cannonballs, one after another.

"Where are you?"

"Tell me your location now, or I'll splatter you with black dog blood!"

Shen Shuchou did not reply. He put his phone back in his pocket, glanced back at the orphanage hidden in the night, and then turned and left the secluded path.

Just as he reached the fork in the road, a hand gently patted his shoulder.

Shen Shuchou subconsciously turned around, and a dark face suddenly appeared behind him.

"What? Brother Shen, it really is you!"

Upon seeing Shen Shuchou's appearance, a shocked shout immediately rang out.

Looking at that familiar face, Shen Shuchou's face also showed a hint of surprise: "Xu Yong?"

"Holy crap! It looked just like you from afar, haha, I can't believe it really is you, Brother Shen!"

Xu Yong burst into laughter.

He strode forward, grabbed Shen Shuchou in a hug, and then familiarly put his arm around his shoulder: "Brother Shen, have you eaten yet? If not, let's go get some. I know a place that's really authentic."

Upon hearing this, Shen Shuchou did not refuse, and smiled slightly: "Then you'll have to treat me."

"I have to do it!" Xu Yong said with a hearty laugh.

Ten minutes later, the two were already sitting in a private room at a roadside food stall.

Xu Yong picked up the wine bottle, poured Shen Shuchou a full glass, and casually asked, "Brother Shen, what happened to that old place where you used to live? I passed by a few days ago and saw that the whole area was being rebuilt."

Upon hearing this, Shen Shuchou picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and brushed it off with a few words.

"But what have you been busy with lately?" Shen Shuchou asked instead.

Upon hearing this, Xu Yong suddenly adopted a mysterious expression, leaned forward, and whispered in Shen Shuchou's ear, "Hehe! I've joined a rather special organization now."

A hint of doubt flashed across Shen Shuchou's eyes.

Xu Yong then continued, "I'm in Gray Order, but I bet you've never even heard of me."

Upon hearing these two words, Shen Shuchou's expression showed a slight surprise.

It wasn't that the name was particularly frightening, but rather that he had never actually heard of this organization before.

Is it reliable inside?

Out of concern for his old friend's safety, Shen Shuchou asked.

"I can't say for sure either," Xu Yong waved his hand, looking indifferent.

"You don't even know it yourself?"

Shen Shuchou became even more puzzled.

"My dad used his connections to find me a master, and I've been following him to cultivate. Although I haven't learned any skills, I ended up in this organization without really knowing what it was like. I even tried searching online, but I couldn't find any information. Eventually, I just stopped caring and started to just coast along."

Xu Yong spoke with an air of nonchalance.

After hearing this, Shen Shuchou did not ask any further questions.

A strong intuition arose in his heart that this organization called Gray Order was probably not as simple as Xu Yong thought.

Without hesitation, he took out his phone, found Su Changkong's contact information that he had saved before, and sent a message: Have you heard of Gray Sequence?

A short while later, Su Changkong's reply came quickly.

"Never heard of it. Let me look it up for you and I'll let you know later."

Upon seeing this reply, Shen Shuchou's doubts deepened.

Even someone like Su Changkong, who held a position within the Mingyou Bureau, had never heard of this name.

There are only two possibilities right now.

Firstly, it was just an insignificant small group, so it's normal that the Mingyou Bureau had no relevant records.

Secondly, this organization is extremely secretive and harbors hidden dangers.

His intuition made him lean more towards the second option.

But a question lingered in his mind: if it was really such a dangerous place, why would Xu Yong join in so easily?

"Brother Shen, what are you daydreaming about!"

Xu Yong spoke up, interrupting Shen Shuchou's thoughts.

"By the way, how are things between you and Chu Siqi now? You haven't already tied the knot, have you? I even suspect you're about to have a baby. Miss Chu publicly announced that she was pregnant with your child a while ago."

Xu Yong winked and grinned mischievously.

Upon hearing these words, Shen Shuchou's lips twitched uncontrollably.

"Hey? Brother Shen, tell me honestly, how's your relationship with Miss Chu going?" Xu Yong pressed.

"Nothing much."

Shen Shuchou picked up a peanut and put it in his mouth, his tone indifferent.

"Although I remember Miss Chu as having a rather domineering personality, to be honest, I think highly of the two of you."

After the joke, Xu Yong's expression became more serious.

"Who's talking behind my back about how arrogant I am?"

The next second, a spoiled voice suddenly rang out at the door of the private room.

Before the words were finished, the door to the private room was pushed open, and a petite figure stepped in.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Xu Yong shrank back sharply, turned to Shen Shuchou, and whispered, "Damn it! Brother Shen, you actually snitched?"

Shen Shuchou looked at Chu Siqi, who was standing angrily at the door, staring straight at him. After a brief silence, he slowly asked, "Have you bought the wreaths?"

"Hmph! I've already prepared the wreaths for you, and I've also prepared the black dog blood. I've even picked out a three-bedroom, one-living-room cemetery plot for you."

Chu Siqi stared at him intently with her beautiful eyes.

Xu Yong, who was standing to the side, listened to the back-and-forth conversation between the two and rubbed his hands together in confusion.

What kind of new way of flirting is this?

But why does it seem a bit sinister?

A chill crept up his back, and Xu Yong couldn't help but shiver.