Having found a demon, I've decided to raise her.

Uh... wait... what was I originally planning to do?

Chen Ming was so happy that he forgot himself. Suddenly he realized that he was supposed to ask her a lot of questions. How could he have forgotten all of that?

He watched the Outer God wolf down his food, his silly grin fading slightly, and said—

"Oh, by the way, I haven't asked your name yet. I'm Chen Ming."

"Forehead."

She raised her deep eyes, smiled at him, and said—

"My name is—".

"what?"

The powerful figures present suddenly felt something strange; when she uttered her name, they were struck by a sense of incomprehension.

Chen Ming, however, remained calm and said—

"Your name is so long."

"Yeah, I think so too."

She nodded in agreement.

Emperor Yao couldn't help but tug at his clothes and said—

"Honey, can you understand me?"

"What? You don't understand?"

Chen Ming then realized that the "name" he had just heard was not an ordinary thing; the "information" it contained was beyond the comprehension of his wives.

Only he can decipher it.

It's a bit strange.

Seeing the strange expressions on everyone's faces, the other person scratched their head, chuckled twice, and said—

"Actually, everyone can just call me Phoenix, which is a name I used for a while."

“…Phoenix, right? I understand.”

Chen Ming nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly, and said—

"Is this the first time you and I have met?"

"Of course, have we met before?"

Phoenix tilted his head.

Chen Ming hesitated for a moment, then said—

"You ate at my place, and then you had no money."

"W-what's wrong? Didn't you say you were inviting me...?"

Phoenix's expression turned timid again, as if he were afraid that Phoenix would change his mind.

"..."

Chen Ming fell into deep thought; he could already deduce what would happen next, and said—

"You will travel back in time and use a card to pay for my meal. That card influenced some of the development process. Although the overall outcome didn't change, I didn't travel alone. That's the changed 'process'... right?"

"what?"

Phoenix opened his mouth, seemingly completely unaware of what he was saying, and said in confusion—

"What, what do you mean? Boss, are you predicting the future? Will I travel through time? Why? I just want to get home right now, otherwise my wife will get angry."

"!"

Chen Ming's eyes widened as he listened to her words.

The flow of cause and effect was suddenly cut off. She didn't go back to the past, nor did she give him the card. She simply left the universe and was pulled away from the thread.

What an ingenious move!

How can they possibly conceal the secrets of heaven like this?

He was capable of doing it too, but he hadn't expected the other person to be so much more experienced.

The light in Chen Ming's eyes dimmed, and after a long pause, he finally spoke—

Why did you help me?

"what?"

Phoenix was even more confused. Why was the boss acting so strangely...? Was he alright?

……

P.S.: Good morning! ┗( ω )┛

Chapter 1583 Aftermath: First Encounter Like an Old Friend (7)

Phoenix was completely baffled by Chen Ming's nonsensical words. While eating dumplings, he looked at him with a puzzled expression and said—

"I haven't helped you, boss. I already said we only met for the first time today..."

Chen Ming frowned slightly and said—

"What you perceive as our first meeting is actually several encounters with you in my eyes. If you don't go back to the past and instead leave now... it will create a bizarre paradox: you helped me, yet you didn't."

The result and the process remain the same, but her figure will no longer appear in the cause and effect.

why?

Why did you do this?

Chen Ming really couldn't understand why the person in front of him was helping him in such a roundabout way.

Phoenix scratched his head and said—

"I really haven't helped you, boss... You're so capable, is there anything I can help you with?"

It seems she had already figured it out: Chen Ming was the will of this universe, a god of an absurdly high status. It was hard to imagine that such an existence would need her help in any way.

Chen Ming, however, was quite certain—

"You've helped. Although you've used such ingenious methods to deceive the heavens, you yourself might not even have any karmic consequences..."

"If there is no cause and effect, doesn't that mean I didn't do anything?"

"There is no cause and effect, but you definitely did it."

"..."

Wow, this person is a bit unreasonable.

Phoenix looked troubled, twirled a tuft of white hair, and sighed—

"Boss, are you sure you haven't mistaken me for someone else?"

"Are you saying that wasn't you?"

"Um, tell me first what kind of person you met."

Phoenix crossed his arms, looking like he was listening intently.

Chen Ming looked at her without looking away and said—

"She looks exactly like you, a woman with white hair and blue eyes. She had a camera and said she was a tourist. She ate my meal but didn't pay."

"Then it's not me!"

Phoenix's eyes lit up, and he said—

"Look at me more closely."

"..."

Chen Ming took another careful look at her: her well-proportioned figure, her smooth long hair, her delicate face, and the tone of her voice.

"Exactly the same."

"Where are they exactly the same?"

Phoenix slammed his hand on the table and said—

"Look closely, my hair isn't white."

"?"

"Look again, my eyes aren't blue either."

"??"

"And there's one more crucial point."

She raised her head and said—

"I'm a real man."

"???"

Chen Ming looked at her as if she were an idiot. Hair color and eye color were meaningless to people of their level; they could be changed easily.

And the other person actually said she was a man?

That's even funnier.

In Chen Ming's eyes now, everything is exposed, and such lies are completely useless.

"...Do you think I would believe such a thing?"

That's not me.

"I said she is you."

"I, this..."

Phoenix's eyes widened. How could this guy be so unreasonable?