Afterlife Department

The next day. 

"You were fired because you were accused of sexually harassing your officemate?" the former human resource department head said as they walked down the boardwalk leading to the pavilion at the end. 

The man walking behind him following him nodded. "Yes." He answered. 

The former human resource department head grinned as he turned and meaningfully looked at the man behind him. "She must be a very beautiful girl, then?" he said. 

"Yes. They are beautiful." The man answered as he pushed up his eyeglasses with a finger. "But, they are a boy.." He said. 

The former human resource department head stiffened for a moment before he smiled at him and patted his shoulder, indicating he sympathizes with him. "Being a homosexual isn't a sin." He said as he resumed walking. "Instead, I see it as a gift. To be able to be attracted to another man's body as a man… I say viewing another man's body as a piece of art, that is a gift." He told him. He didn't notice that the man behind him looked stiff as he followed him. 

Di San did his utmost to not look unnatural as he nodded as an agreement to the former human resource department head's words. "Yes." He said, his voice indifferent. 

However, the former human resource department head viewed it as Di San being embarrassed. "Don't worry. Everyone here are all open-minded people. We won't see you as an enemy just because you are attracted to men." He told him as he patted his shoulder in reassurance. "People of the underworld are outcasts, so we will understand your feelings as one of us." He said before he greeted the bodyguard standing outside the pavilion. 

No. I don't want you to 'understand' me at all! Di San refused in his head, but outside, he just smiled. "Thank you." He said. Not really! 

The former human resource department head laughed. "Right. You can call me Lao He." He said. "Lao Xie's inside drinking tea. You can go and talk to him." He said before he walked back and left. 

Di San sighed before he glanced at the bodyguard. The bodyguard nodded at him, indicating for him to keep going. Di San did as he was told, and stepped inside the pavilion. He saw a folding screen, and so he stopped in his steps. "Lao Xie." He called. 

A sound of a porcelain hitting a stone table as it was placed down can be heard. "Are you the one Lao He recruited, the one called Xiao San?" Lao Xie asked through the folding screen. 

"Yes, I am." Di San answered. 

"How did you end up here?" Lao Xie asked. 

Di San sighed. "I was fired because an officemate accused me of sexual harassment." He answered. "In fact, we've never met each other before. He has someone backing him up in the company, while I don't. The company can't afford to offend the one backing up my officemate, and so they sacrificed me. No investigation was held." He said, grievance in his voice. 

"Such injustice." Lai Xie said, his voice laced with a sigh. "Come here, child. Join us." He told him. 

Di San's eyes lit up. I passed? He thought, but his face remained indifferent. "Thanking Lao Xie for his offer." He said and slowly walked around the folding screen. Then, he saw the back of a man sitting across Lao Xie. "Lao Xie, good day." He said and bowed. 

Lao Xie chuckled. "Such a polite and handsome child. Take a seat." He told him. 

"Thank you." Di San said. Since he felt it is disrespectful to sit near Lao Xie, he sat on the chair beside the man, instead. He pulled the chair and inadvertently glanced to the man, only to be frozen shocked when he saw the man's face. 

Lao Xie noticed Di San's reaction. "What's wrong, child?" he asked and glanced at the man across him. "Such a handsome man, too, right?" he said. 

"En." Di San recovered his expression and stiffly sat on the chair. He looked indifferent and cold, but he was raging inside. Why is Gu Shi here?! He roared in his mind as he secretly glanced at the man who looked like Gu Shi. No, no. Gu Shi is in the Afterlife Department. How can he be here? He isn't Gu Shi! 

The man might have noticed him staring at him and he turned. Di San immediately retracted his gaze and lowered his head. This is impossible! Gu Shi is a grim reaper. Once someone becomes a grim reaper, all his reincarnations are erased! Thus, Gu Shi shouldn't have a reincarnation in this world! So, why?! 

"Child?" Lao Xie called when he noticed Di San became silent. 

Di San took a deep breath as he suppressed his shock. "I've embarrassed myself in front of Lao Xie." He said and forced a laugh. "Lao Xie is right. He is really handsome." He said and stiffly smiled as he turned to Gu Shi. 

"Thank you." Gu Shi calmly spoke. 

Di San felt another blow. Even his voice is similar to Gu Shi!!! 

Lao Xie chuckled. "Right. I call him xiao Shi. He is the tenth child I've taken under my wing." He said. "His name is 'Gu Shi'." He told him. 

If Di San was holding a cup, that poor cup must've been crushed to fine powder. What?! He is really Gu Shi's reincarnation?! "What a coincidence." He said and laughed, hiding his tension. "I am 'three'. Is this fate?" he asked in a joking manner, but his hands underneath the table are clenched into fists. 

Lao Xie already heard from Lao He that Di San is a homosexual, but he has no qualms with it. Instead, he joked back. "I also feel this is fate. How about it, xiao Shi?" he asked and turned to Gu Shi. 

Gu Shi naturally also heard what Lao He told Lao Xie before. He has a shy expression on his face, but without disgust. "I'll leave this for xiao San to decide." He calmly replied, but his ears are tinged with pink. He called Di San 'xiao', since he is older than Di San. 

Lao Xie boisterously laughed. "Then, I'll give you my best wishes, my children." He said. "I remember, Lao He said you know that youngster Yi Ling?" he asked. 

Di San's face turned red from the teasing. He felt he shot himself on his foot. Fortunately, Lao Xie changed the topic. "Yes." He nodded. "It was him who referred me here. I was really lost back then…" he said. 

However, Lao Xie was thinking of another thing as he listened. "Is that youngster a homosexual, too?" he asked. 

Di San was startled, but he immediately replied. "Yes." He answered. "However, he has someone in his heart, so it's impossible between us." He said. 

Lao Xie's interest was piqued. "Oh? Do you know who?" he asked. 

Hearing the question, Di San secretly smiled. "Yes." He answered. "It was someone named 'Huo Ling'." He said. 

Lao Xie immediately froze before he calmed down and stared at Di San. His gaze probing. Di San calmly stared back, his eyes guileless. "How did he know xiao Ling?" he asked. 

Di San acted surprised by Lao Xie's intimate address of Huo Ling. "Lao Xie… you know Huo Ling?" he asked. 

"Yes." Lao Xie answered. His voice sounded he doesn't want to elaborate. 

Di San didn't push him. "In fact, Yi Ling was once saved by someone. He told me he wanted to go abroad to find the person, leading to him working under Raymond Chase." He explained. "When I next contacted him, that was after I was fired and is looking for a job, he told me to go here. And so, I flew here in this country." He said. 

Lao Xie fell silent. He knew Huo Ling's altruistic character, thus he didn't doubt Di San's words. "It is really fate." He sighed. 

"Lao Xie?" Di San called when he saw Lao Xie's somber expression. 

"It was nothing." Lao Xie took a deep breath and smiled. "The tea is about to go cold. Let's finish it." He said. 

"Yes." Gu Shi answered as he poured Lao Xie's cup, before he poured one for Di San. 

Di San didn't speak again and pondered while drinking the tea. "Right." He heard Lao Xie spoke. "Where is that youngster Yi Ling now?" he asked. 

"Oh." Di San said as he placed down his cup on the table and turned to Lao Xie. "He said he has some matters to take care of." He answered. 

"Jonathan gave him a task?" Lao Xie asked. 

Di San shook his head. "No." he answered. "He told me he has found a lead of Huo Ling's family." He said. 

Lao Xie froze as his eyes widened in shock. 

However, Di San acted as if he didn't see it. "Right. I remember he told me last night when he called me – " he continued. " – he told me he saw a woman strikingly similar in appearance with Huo Ling." He said. "He said she's Xi Ningxi." 

A loud crash was heard after Lao Xie's cup broke when it fell on the floor.