The sudden lazy voice in the broadcast momentarily stunned Xia Xingye. After a long pause, he finally said, “I should have known you’ve been watching this side all along… Is this your ability? Remote communication? So, you’ve been paying attention to what’s happening here from the very beginning…”
“Don’t make me sound like some Bluetooth device. Similarly, I’m not watching this side because of you,” the young man on the other end said casually. It seemed that when facing others, he had reverted to his usual, laid-back tone.
His voice was filled with persuasiveness, making one feel that this person had everything under control and was confident of victory.
“Then why?” Xia Xingye sneered, “Was it my brother who asked you? Did he also ask you to monitor me? I’ve said it before…”
“Stop, stop, stop. I have no interest in the blood-soaked drama of who died because of whose decision, who hates whom, or the complicated relationship between two brothers who grew up together but are not related by blood,” Chu Tianshu said coldly. “I’m here for only one reason—”
With every word he spoke, Xia Xingye’s face grew paler. He seemed to lose strength instantly, leaning his head against the wall.
—To hit a snake, aim for its seven-inch vital spot. Lin Huai inexplicably recalled this saying. It seemed that every word Chu Tianshu spoke struck Xia Xingye’s pain points.
The two of them seemed to have entered a world known only to advanced players, filled with love and hate, childhood sweethearts, prodigies, bickering lovers, youth, and mutual destruction. Lin Huai was excluded from this world, feeling inexplicably irritated.
For some reason, he felt that Chu Tianshu, when communicating with Xia Xingye, seemed somewhat unfamiliar. Stripped of his playful and carefree facade, there was no trace of sophistry or the deliberate or unintentional tenderness. This sharpness wrapped in laziness momentarily made him feel…
However, Chu Tianshu’s next sentence shattered his illusion: “—Of course, I’m here as the leader of our Huai Huai’s fan club, charging forward for his debut.”
Lin Huai: …
“I heard Chen Liexue gave you 200,000 in commission,” Xia Xingye sneered. “I really don’t understand. After he kicked you out of Chenxing, he still favors you so much. Isn’t he supposed to be rational? He…”
Chu Tianshu shamelessly said, “Well, chasing stars costs money. While chasing stars, I can also earn some extra cash to buy trending spots and promotions for our Huai Huai…”
Lin Huai: “You two can continue chatting, but don’t forcibly drag me into the conversation.”
“Alright, let’s get back on track,” Chu Tianshu coughed, then spoke seriously, “The purpose of me connecting this call is—”
“One, to inform you that I’ve found the map.”
“Two, to advise you to stay away from our Huai Huai. Idols belong to everyone, not something you can monopolize with sweet talk.”
“Three, Lin Huai, wait for me at the museum for three days,” Chu Tianshu said. “After three days…”
Lin Huai: “After three days, what?”
Chu Tianshu: “I’ll take you~ flying up to the sky~”
The broadcast suddenly cut off. Both Lin Huai and Xia Xingye’s faces twitched, though obviously for different reasons.
Finally, Xia Xingye spoke first. After calming down, he smiled softly, “Lin Huai, has anyone ever told you that you resemble someone quite a bit?”
His voice carried a hint of coaxing: “Chu Tianshu is a strange person. He seems approachable and unpredictable, but in fact, he’s not interested in most people. It seems he treats you specially. Do you want to know why?”
Lin Huai deliberately said, “I know. It’s because I resemble someone who looks like a crow.”
Xia Xingye: …
Lin Huai added, “Being somewhat like Wan Wan is also my fortune.”
Lin Huai killed the conversation with two sentences. Xia Xingye’s attempt to sow discord was unsuccessful. After a while, he asked, “Then what do you think of him?”
Lin Huai blinked without hesitation: “He’s a dork.”
Xia Xingye: Alright then.
“Forget it,” he put on his hood. “Since the map is already in his hands, there’s no point in competing for it anymore.”
After saying that, he tapped his earlobe, and the Fierce Ghost boy who had been silent all along stood up and followed him.
“Did a losing business and now planning to slink away?” Lin Huai said lightly.
“Of course not. There’s still a lot worth exploring in this world,” Xia Xingye turned to look at him. “Do you know the origin of the ‘Civilized World’?”
Lin Huai silently watched him.
“In fact, this world was originally called ‘Nuclear Winter.’ The struggle between mutated monsters, humans, and super-powered radiation people is the essence of this world,” Xia Xingye said. “Only after someone came to this instance, eliminated all the mutated beings, and established the underground city did the situation in this world temporarily ‘improve.’ As the price for building the underground city, he buried a few things beneath it…”
“Go check out the history museum on the second floor,” he said. “Using history as a mirror, you might gain a lot.”
Then, he smiled again: “Sorry for wasting your time with all this. Now, I have to leave. You know, in any world, as long as there’s conflict, it’s the best opportunity for businessmen to make money.”
After saying that, he left with the Fierce Ghost boy in a light-hearted manner.
‘…This guy, even after taking a loss, still has to act cool when leaving…’ Lin Huai pouted.
He didn’t have much trouble finding the second-floor history museum Xia Xingye mentioned. His actions weren’t just motivated by Xia Xingye’s words, but also because he had a faint, familiar feeling when he first arrived here.
In the history museum, all the historical materials were arranged by year. He quickly found the materials from the year the greenhouse was established.
—And there, he saw a photo.
The moment he saw the photo, his head started throbbing with pain. The photo showed the first governor of the greenhouse and two silhouettes.
The two silhouettes were at the edge of the photo, as if captured in a hurry. One of the silhouettes was wearing a white trench coat, tall and slim, with extremely delicate features. He turned his face away, deliberately avoiding the camera. Beside him stood another handsome young man, taller and with a carefree demeanor.
The moment he saw him, Lin Huai recognized him—
Chu Tianshu.
However, what brought him more fear was the white figure on the other side.
Because—that person—was unmistakably—
His own face, in the form of a Fierce Ghost, waking up in Wen County!
Although that person’s face, compared to his Fierce Ghost form, had less of a demonic allure and more of a refined handsomeness, it was—undoubtedly—himself!
That intense emotion might not be described as panic, but rather a sense of splitting from the depths of his soul.
—As if something was about to break out of his body.
At that moment, his body felt like it was being torn in half alive, and Lin Huai clutched his head, squatting on the ground. His fingers pressed hard against his skin, and he opened his mouth, letting out a silent scream.
…It was as if thousands of voices were screaming and laughing in his ears, and eventually, all the noise converged into one voice.
He seemed to see a person “standing” in a space, spreading his arms, laughing wildly at countless light circles.
‘Dare to take a gamble?’ he said, with blood continuously flowing from his eyes, down his pale skin, to his sharp jaw. ‘I’m what you want, aren’t I?’
‘Lowly creatures…’
‘Can be absorbed…’
“￥%…”
The dream-like murmurs eventually flowed like rivers into the sea, becoming one voice.
That voice was extremely cold, like frost on the roof.
“Alright,” it said.
When Lin Huai opened his eyes again, an hour had passed. He stood up from the cold floor, his fingers still trembling uncontrollably.
The strange memory remained in his mind, but he couldn’t dwell on it. Every time he tried to delve into this memory, the bizarre soap bubbles in his mind made his scalp tingle.
‘So disgusting…’ he thought, leaning against the wall, his face pale. ‘Is this what it feels like when your sanity hits zero?’
Even now, he had the energy to let his thoughts wander. Although he desperately wanted to deeply analyze the scene he had just witnessed, the objective conditions limited his actions. Just trying to connect the photo—of himself—with that scene was enough to make him want to vomit.
Lin Huai fought for control of his body between reason and the urge to vomit, and returned to the first floor with a pale face. When he arrived in the lobby, all the security guards had been tied up by the taskers and the other ninety-plus potential criminals. Except for a few taskers talking, the rest of the potential criminals stood silently in the lobby with their hands hanging down.
“Boss!” Lu Xiaotian spotted Lin Huai holding his stomach as he descended the stairs, his eyes lighting up. “You’re finally here… Hey, what’s wrong? You look like you’re about to throw up…”
Before he spoke, Lin Huai’s reason still held sway. But once he mentioned it, the urge to vomit came back with a vengeance. Lin Huai glared at him, pinched his own neck, and said lightly, “I’m fine.”
Lu Xiaotian: “Boss, don’t avoid medical treatment. If you’re sick, you need to get it treated…”
“I know medicine,” Zhao Jingtian frowned. He carried a sword and walked towards Lin Huai with an air of authority. “Give me your hand.”
Lin Huai was surprised: “You’ve studied Chinese medicine?”
“I am a descendant of a family of Chinese medicine practitioners. When I was young, I obtained a medical book…” Zhao Jingtian said, as he took Lin Huai’s hand without waiting for permission.
“Sounds more and more like a protagonist setting, as expected of you…” Lin Huai squinted, letting him take his pulse. “Did you also treat the granddaughter of the commander? And the single mother at the nearby Western restaurant…”
As soon as Zhao Jingtian touched Lin Huai’s cold skin, he frowned. Upon careful examination, he was shocked to find that this patient had no pulse. He raised his head, his hawk-like eyes staring straight at Lin Huai: “How come you don’t have…”
‘Forgot about this loophole…’ Lin Huai didn’t even blink. He pulled his right hand out of Zhao Jingtian’s grip and offered his left hand instead: “Sorry, I wasn’t ready earlier. Let’s try again.”
Zhao Jingtian: “Ready? What do you need to prepare?”
But Lin Huai’s face was innocent, as if all schemes and tricks had nothing to do with his pure smile. Zhao Jingtian quickly let go of his suspicions and took the other hand.
Lin Huai didn’t want to expose himself in front of his teammates, so he diligently and smoothly made his pulse beat. Zhao Jingtian held his hand, pondered for a moment, and his expression became even more puzzled.
His expression made Lin Huai feel doubtful. He rolled his eyes, feeling that his pulse was correct, so he made it beat even more smoothly.
Zhao Jingtian’s confusion deepened.
“Maybe… it’s too sluggish?” Lin Huai thought.
He tried to control his pulse to be as smooth as Google Chrome, but if confusion could be measured in tons, Zhao Jingtian’s confusion would be enough to flatten Antarctica. Lu Xiaotian saw his serious expression and anxiously said, “Zhao Jingtian, just tell us, what’s wrong with the boss?”
“Well…” Zhao Jingtian chose his words carefully, frowning deeply. “It seems to be a slippery pulse.”
“Slippery pulse? What’s that?”
“This kind of pulse is usually smooth and round, like beads rolling on a jade plate…”
“Smooth? Does that mean he’s not sick?”
“Zhao Jingtian, stop using fancy words. If there’s something, say it; if not, don’t talk nonsense!”
Everyone was confused. After a long while, Zhao Jingtian finally let go of his hand, looking directly into Lin Huai’s eyes: “If a woman is found to have a slippery pulse, it means…”
He paused: “She’s pregnant.”
A vein popped on Lin Huai’s forehead.
Author’s note: Lin Huai: My reputation is ruined.jpg
