Chapter 45 : Chapter 45
Chapter 45
Time quickly flew by to Sunday.
Ji Qing, having finished his daily training, took a quick shower in the training building and returned to his dorm room with a trail of steam. He casually hung his school uniform jacket on the back of his chair and picked out a set of casual clothes from his closet.
There was no need to be picky, as he would have to change after leaving school anyway.
Ji Qing sighed as he looked at his tired reflection in the mirror. He washed his face with cold water, then put on a baseball cap and a mask before leaving.
As time went by, the weather gradually turned cold.
The new students had received the winter school uniforms ordered by the school at the beginning of the month.
To be honest, Ji Qing could now feel the financial pressure of attending school. If he hadn't prepared enough money before he lost his memory, he would be worrying about living expenses right now.
The Popularity Value Shop didn't have a function to convert points into money.
Now, he could only rely on himself to cover all his expenses during school.
The autumn wind was crisp, and maple leaves rustled as they fell.
The sun leaned against the distant mountain peak, slowly setting in the west. Many boys were gathered in front of the basketball court, watching an ongoing amateur basketball game.
As Ji Qing passed by the small path next to the basketball court, he happened to witness a beautiful shot.
The scene immediately erupted in scattered cheers and applause.
The basketball club's instructor smiled as he flipped over the scoreboard, and finally didn't forget to shout loudly, "The winners, don't be arrogant, and the losers, don't give up!"
It had the flavor of his original world.
A trace of nostalgia flashed across Ji Qing's eyes. The wasteland didn't have formal soccer matches, and formal competitions for other hobbies were even rarer. Everything had to be aligned with abilities.
If it could assist in mastering abilities, it was good; if it couldn't, it was bad.
Compared to the field of music, which was related to abilities like sound waves and spirit words, these hobbies from the old world seemed worthless.
It had been a long time since Ji Qing had played basketball.
He sighed softly to himself, pulled the brim of his baseball cap down a little lower, and quickened his pace toward the school gate. Now was not the time for him to be sentimental.
The meeting place this time was a remote bar.
The bar was not as luxurious as the dance hall where they first met, nor was it as noisy as the bar where they met another time. Ji Qing sat alone in a corner of the bar, watching the goldfish swimming in the glass fish tank, and felt a rare trace of melancholy.
He was a little homesick.
After the novelty of the wasteland wore off, the first thing that welled up in his heart was homesickness. Ji Qing took a deep breath and forcibly diverted his attention.
He quietly observed his surroundings through the swaying wine glass in his hand.
Because the bar was in a remote location, there weren't many customers. Ji Qing was in the innermost corner of the bar, with a bare red brick wall behind him.
The chandelier at the next table cast a dim yellow halo, and the light music playing from the bar carried a hint of melancholy.
The resident bartender was standing behind the bar, chatting with a customer. He mixed drinks with ease while skillfully exchanging information with the customer.
Secretly, this bar was an intelligence hub.
Because of this, the bar staff would not proactively inquire about customers' identities or solicit them. Compared to the previous meeting places, this was more suitable for a secret conversation.
When Ji Qing came last time, he had paid special attention to the bar's environment: no surveillance, no recording, and even the few hired waiters were rare deaf-mutes.
These factors all verified Ji Qing's thoughts without a doubt.
But even so… Ji Qing looked at the terminal in his hand with a look of annoyance. The current time had already passed the time he was supposed to meet with Xie Chang’an.
Xie Chang’an was late.
How annoying, Ji Qing thought to himself.
Ji Qing casually picked up a book from the bookshelf next to him and flipped through it lazily. He thought impatiently, Seeing as this is Xie Chang’an's first time being late, I'll wait for him for a while.
But at most for five minutes.
Although, based on Li Yuan's persona, Ji Qing felt he should have slammed the door and left. But considering that Xie Chang’an had the ability item Li Yuan needed, it was better to wait a little.
Just as Ji Qing was looking down and browsing the book, the sound of hasty footsteps was heard.
Xie Chang’an stood at the door of the bar, trying to hide his nervousness as he looked around. Ji Qing quietly observed Xie Chang’an's actions: his performance was much better than when they first met.
At that time, Ji Qing could easily get information out of him. Now, he had learned to disguise himself.
But the bartender at the bar still noticed that something was wrong with Xie Chang’an, because he had been standing at the door for too long. Just as the bartender was about to go up and ask, Xie Chang’an moved.
There was no sign of Li Yuan in the front hall of the bar. Li Yuan should be in the back.
Xie Chang’an reasoned to himself as he walked deeper into the bar. Although his reaction when he first arrived at the bar was suspicious, his current actions were correct.
The bartender stopped his actions, and the other customers also averted their gazes.
They had already realized that Xie Chang’an was here for an appointment.
Ji Qing's eyes calmly reflected Xie Chang’an's figure. He didn't plan to call out to him. Let Xie Chang’an try to find him himself.
Although Ji Qing felt a little strange inside. Because of the endless fan creations on the manga forum, he inexplicably felt a bit like a parent watching a cub take its first wobbly steps.
Fan creations are really harmful.
Ji Qing unconsciously swirled his wine glass. The ice cubes in the glass made a crisp clinking sound against the wall of the glass. The sound was not obvious, not even as clear as the light music playing from the bar, but it could still attract the right person.
Xie Chang’an stopped in his tracks and calmly looked around.
He knew that he couldn't let his gaze linger in one direction for too long. A long stare would bring him unnecessary trouble, but because of this, his gaze also passed over the disguised Li Yuan.
Useless child, Ji Qing evaluated.
Just now, Xie Chang’an's gaze had swept over his position, but he hadn't noticed him. It seemed he still had to rely on himself to find him. How helpless.
Fine, let him hit a brick wall, Ji Qing thought.
Just as Xie Chang’an was about to go deeper into the bar, his footsteps suddenly paused.
He finally realized Li Yuan's location from the movements he had seen of Li Yuan sobering up in the past. Today, Li Yuan was not wearing his signature black trench coat, nor was he wearing his eye-covering mask.
Black trench coat, black mask… Xie Chang’an used to identify him by his clothes, but today Li Yuan was not wearing any of them.
Today he was wearing a black jacket, a black baseball cap, and dark sunglasses. He sat in a corner of the bar, casually flipping through a book placed on his lap, looking like a young man on vacation who had accidentally wandered into this place.
Seeing this, Xie Chang’an walked towards Li Yuan's booth with mixed feelings.
He had never seen Li Yuan dressed like this before. Perhaps it was because he had initiated this meeting, and the meeting time had delayed Li Yuan's normal rest.
"You're late."
Li Yuan looked down and flipped a page, not even looking at Xie Chang’an.
"I'm very sorry," Xie Chang’an said with a guilty tone. "I was held up on the way, and… um…"
The more Xie Chang’an spoke, the more he realized the inappropriateness of his actions. Not just for being late this time, but also for trying to explain himself to Li Yuan now. Li Yuan didn't need to hear his explanation.
So Xie Chang’an sat down silently and handed the package in his arm to him.
Li Yuan glanced up and saw that Xie Chang’an had actually put the ability item in a gift box. There were some mud stains left on the gift box, which was probably the reason for his tardiness.
He immediately looked up at Xie Chang’an.
The sleeves of his clothes were slightly muddy, and his black hair was also a little messy. It seemed that he had run into some conflict with someone who had appeared out of nowhere on his way here.
"You always seem to get into trouble," Li Yuan said to himself with feigned trouble. "Why is that? I believe you can figure it out."
Xie Chang’an scratched his head sheepishly upon hearing this.
He naturally knew that he looked too easy to deceive. Whether it was his clothes or his demeanor, he was far from being someone who had been in the dregs of society for a long time.
Li Yuan reached out and took the gift box. His slender fingers casually shook the gift box, and a faint clinking sound immediately came from inside.
Could this be considered a gift?
Li Yuan felt amused. He asked casually, "Whose idea was this?"
Xie Chang’an: "A female friend of mine."
Li Yuan commented nonchalantly, "There's no need to embellish. We both know you've only made one friend in high school."
Xie Chang’an was speechless. "..."
He really wanted to refute what Li Yuan had said, but in fact, he hadn't made any new friends yet. Although many classmates had tried to curry favor with him and get close to him after the individual competition, the only one he could talk to was Gu Lingxue.
In terms of socializing, this high school experience was almost the same as not having one for Xie Chang’an.
Li Yuan neatly tore open the gift box packaging and took out the bronze mirror inside. The bronze mirror was the real thing he had seen in the manga, so there was no possibility of it being swapped.
When his fingers touched the surface of the mirror, he felt a very weak and difficult to detect energy fluctuation, much like the fluctuation of an ability in operation.
Although that was the case, Li Yuan still wanted to complain…
"Why did you get a mirror?"
"Because… I felt like only the mirror was useful," Xie Chang’an explained with difficulty. "The effects of the other items were not obvious, but the use of the mirror was."
Xie Chang’an mumbled in a low voice, "It's said that it can reflect memories…"
Li Yuan didn't react upon hearing this. He lowered his head and observed the ancient bronze mirror without a change in expression: the pattern on the handle was intricate, and the surface of the mirror was as hazy as water mist, a bit like a dressing mirror from an ancient boudoir.
Li Yuan felt a subtle feeling in his heart.
Which ability user would carry such an antique bronze mirror with them in life? Could a bronze mirror be used as a weapon? Was it perhaps for a use similar to a crystal ball for divination?
Li Yuan didn't say a word about this.
He put the bronze mirror into the hidden pocket inside his jacket while raising his hand to stop Xie Chang’an from trying to explain how to use the mirror.
Li Yuan's tone was cold. "No need, I can handle it."
Did he really think he had watched the manga for nothing? He would absolutely not listen to Xie Chang’an repeat it, and he had no need to listen.
Xie Chang’an said in a muffled voice, "...Okay."
But soon, Xie Chang’an couldn't help but ask, "Can we still meet?"
He had been thinking about this question shortly after getting the mirror. Li Yuan's goal was the World Book that the school was storing, and he had previously ordered him to get an ability item from the school.
This ability item would definitely help Li Yuan find the World Book, but after finding the World Book—
Was there still a need for them to meet?
"Young man, it seems you've gotten over your depression from Thursday," Li Yuan propped up his chin and teased with a meaningful tone. "I didn't expect you to be more concerned about whether you can see me than the emblem?"
"Are you treating me as some kind of spiritual support?"
Li Yuan's question was very direct, leaving no room for Xie Chang’an to bluff his way through.
Xie Chang’an’s body suddenly tensed.
After a long silence, he said a little awkwardly, "I guess so… after all, we're friends, right…"
"If you don't believe it yourself, don't say it to me," Li Yuan nonchalantly commented.
His tone paused, then he answered directly, "It depends on the situation. If nothing unexpected happens, we won't see each other again, but I can't guarantee there won't be any accidents."
It seemed Li Yuan didn't intend to maintain the relationship. Xie Chang’an was secretly disappointed.
But for him, being able to smoothly end this coercion was not a bad thing. After half a semester of influence, Xie Chang’an had come to realize that going to school was his best way out.
He would not leave the school.
Li Yuan suddenly said, "Your performance in the individual competition was not bad."
"You watched?" Xie Chang’an looked up in shock upon hearing this. He had originally thought Li Yuan would only wait for him to bring back the prize, but he didn't expect him to have the leisure to watch his match.
Recalling his poor performance in the finals, Xie Chang’an instantly felt restless.
"Of course I would take a look," Li Yuan couldn't help but chuckle lightly. "To prevent you from running away after withdrawing from the competition. Then I wouldn't have anywhere to take revenge."
Xie Chang’an said coldly, "...Oh."
This sentence was like a bucket of cold water that instantly woke Xie Chang’an up from his embarrassment just now. Li Yuan was still the same unpredictable Li Yuan, even if he was occasionally easy to talk to.
Speak of the devil and he shall appear.
Li Yuan raised his wine glass and looked at Xie Chang’an through his sunglasses. "Your performance in the finals was not good. It seems it wasn't just because of the broken saber, but also because of your mentality, right?"
Xie Chang’an was silent. "..."
The things he saw after the individual competition had pulled his attention to other aspects, to the point where he had forgotten the depression at that time. For the past two days, Xie Chang’an had been repeatedly thinking about the details of the orphanage.
He had built one terrifying hypothesis after another in his mind, and then constantly overturned them.
Xie Chang’an didn't dare to believe that the orphanage where he grew up was actually a hotbed for a cult. He didn't even dare to take out the paper that had been warmed by his chest and actively seek verification.
But Xie Chang’an still remembered the feeling at that time—
He was very grateful to Lu Qingyin. It was she who had shown him a second possibility. The world was never black and white, and the situation at the orphanage was the same.
Everything was still inconclusive.
"At that time… it was just…" Xie Chang’an scratched his face awkwardly and said in a low voice, "I just suddenly felt that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't compare to those geniuses…"
"Now that I think about it, I feel like I was getting stuck in my own head."
Li Yuan nodded without comment upon hearing this. He thought with relief, It seems he doesn't need my guidance. That's something to be happy about.
The manga readers would also be happy about Xie Chang’an's change.
After this incident, Ji Qing had finally figured out Xie Chang’an's positioning. He should be a rare growth-type male protagonist in a shonen manga, but this growth referred not only to strength, but also to his state of mind.
"That's a pity then," Li Yuan sighed lightly. "I feel like you guys could have had a more exciting fight."
"That's probably impossible…"
Although he said that, a trace of regret still flashed across Xie Chang’an's face. He knew that even if he had been in the right state of mind, he still couldn't have beaten Zhou Que.
Zhou Que's high-temperature domain had eliminated the possibility of Xie Chang’an fighting a war of attrition, and his vigilance against him would not have allowed him to win through "trickery."
Thinking of this, Xie Chang’an said to himself with melancholy, "Although that's the case… I still feel that I can't compare to them…"
"You don't need to compare yourself to them. You just need to be better than others," Li Yuan's tone was calm. "You are already much luckier than many people."
Xie Chang’an looked up abruptly.
Through Li Yuan's sunglasses, he saw the crimson vertical pupils behind them. Even in the dim light, Li Yuan's red eyes were still glowing faintly.
Because of this, Li Yuan had never appeared with his true face, and Xie Chang’an had never seen his true face.
What was it like for the degree of aberration to worsen?
This question suddenly popped into Xie Chang’an's mind, but he didn't dare to ask. It felt like a healthy person asking a cancer patient how they felt.
The Infected had no human rights.
He could continue to go to school, continue to worry about the future… to the Infected, these things themselves were an extremely cruel kind of luck, especially now that he no longer had to worry about infection.
Xie Chang’an: "I…"
Just as Xie Chang’an was about to apologize for his unconscious arrogance, Li Yuan suddenly said, "Let's talk about something else. Show me the emblem. You brought it, right?"
Xie Chang’an's back instantly stiffened.
But he quickly calmed down and handed the paper in his shirt pocket to Li Yuan. "I tried to draw the outline of the emblem. Can you tell which organization it belongs to?"
He definitely could.
Because he had already seen the emblem in the manga long before Xie Chang’an handed him the paper. But this didn't stop Li Yuan from letting out a disdainful "tsk" when he unfolded the paper:
"Tsk, what an ugly drawing."
The emblem, which originally had the artistic conception of a "Madonna and Child," was drawn by Xie Chang’an into a crooked sketch of flowing water. In this situation, even if Li Yuan couldn't recognize it, the forum would only complain about the protagonist's drawing skills and would never doubt Li Yuan's persona.
The so-called persona crisis was just a misunderstanding.
Li Yuan couldn't help but laugh out loud. "I still overestimated you."
Xie Chang’an was bewildered. "...Huh?"