Blind Girl

Lan Mu has completely resigned and is now free of all responsibilities.

Cheng Ming also submitted his resignation report and will officially have no ties to the newspaper next month.

The two were eating late-night snacks and drinking beer at a roadside stall when a chubby police officer walked up, put down his bag, and sat down. He picked up Cheng Ming's beer glass and drank several large gulps.

"Hey! Detective Ma is here? That's so gross, using my glass? Boss! Get another glass!" Cheng Ming shouted.

The chubby police officer wore a uniform that was stretched taut, with rolls of fat threatening to spill out from the button seams.

"Ma Xiang, I heard you're engaged? When's the wedding?" Lan Mu raised his glass to him and said with a smile.

"I'm applying for wedding leave! As soon as it's approved, we'll get married!"

Ma Xiang was Lan Mu's high school classmate. They were very close. After the college entrance exams, one went into journalism, and the other into the police academy. It was unclear how he became a police officer with his current physique.

As for Cheng Ming, he was Lan Mu's college classmate. Lan Mu was the one who introduced Ma Xiang to Cheng Ming. As it turned out, these two hit it off incredibly well. Over the years, they became even closer than Lan Mu himself. Lan Mu wondered if there was something more than friendship between them.

However, Lan Mu was surprised. Before he left for his business trip, he remembered Ma Xiang was still in the dating phase. How did he suddenly get engaged in just a few days?

When he posed this question, Ma Xiang said with a smile, "Hehehe, it's hard to help it when you're this charming. Look at my wife."

With that, Ma Xiang pulled out his phone's photo album, which was filled with pictures of him and a beautiful woman.

"No way! Is that your fiancée?" Lan Mu was astonished. He was still single, and this fatty was engaged to a beauty?

"Of course, it's true. I didn't believe it at first either. But then I had dinner with them that day and finally met her in person. I have to say! They really don't match!" Cheng Ming added from the side.

"Get lost!" Ma Xiang glared at Cheng Ming, then said, "You're just jealous of me! You'll see how handsome I am when I lose weight."

After the three chatted idly for a long time, Lan Mu finally got to the point.

"...That's how it is. I'm going to start my own studio, partnering with Cheng Ming for now. You have to help me!"

Ma Xiang's eyes widened in surprise. "No way? You want me to join? I'm a police officer!"

"I'm not asking you to join! You can still be a police officer. What I mean is, you provide me with news intelligence, and I'll pay you for it."

Ma Xiang was speechless. "Are you asking me to be an informant?"

"What are you talking about? Just tell me if you'll help or not! If there are any major cases, big cases, or important cases, you have to think of me!" Lan Mu said with a smile.

Unexpectedly, Ma Xiang's expression changed, and he said awkwardly, "Some cases are confidential. Don't force me to break discipline!"

Lan Mu was taken aback. "There really are? In Modu? What kind of case is so deeply hidden?"

"I can't say. Really. The higher-ups have issued strict orders that not a single word can be leaked. It's been a month, and it's still not solved! It's because of this case that I want to get married, but I can't even get leave!" Ma Xiang said with a troubled expression, taking another swig of beer.

Lan Mu didn't press him. "Alright, you have your discipline, and I won't make things difficult for you. If this case can be made public later, you have to notify me immediately!"

"Of course! No problem. I'll notify you if anything comes up in the future. As for the payment, you can decide. Actually, forget it. What if... you just treat me to a meal instead!"

"I understand! How about this, I'll keep the payment for you. You can take it from me directly when you need money for the wedding!" Lan Mu said readily.

After that, the three friends clinked glasses, drank, and continued to chat idly.

Ma Xiang suddenly asked, "By the way, where are you opening this studio? Rent isn't cheap these days."

"I'll open it at home! There's a photo studio downstairs. I can rent their darkroom for developing film. I just need to set up two computers at home. Once I buy the basic equipment, I'll probably be out of money. We'll see if I can make money later."

"Brother Mu, you're really bold! Throwing all your money into it like this?" Ma Xiang clicked his tongue.

Lan Mu smiled faintly and said slowly, "I have a career I want to pursue. Getting fired is exactly what I wanted!"

"I went through a lot during those ten-plus days in Fuzhou. I feel like people are really too fragile. I almost died at least three times. I feel like I can't go on living aimlessly anymore. When you face death, money really becomes an external possession."

"It's only a little over a hundred thousand yuan. I'm putting it all out there to chase a dream! It's not about being bold or anything."

"Brother Mu! We all support you! I've saved tens of thousands over the years, and I'm going all in with you!" Cheng Ming shouted loudly.

"All in your head! You should save it to find a wife!" Lan Mu said with a laugh, but he was very touched.

Cheng Ming had been a good friend since they met in college. They graduated and started working together, and he was a partner Lan Mu could trust implicitly. When Lan Mu decided to go solo, Cheng Ming resigned without a second thought. Lan Mu knew he couldn't stop him and felt guilty, secretly vowing to succeed with him.

Ma Xiang had the same strong bond with them. Seeing their bold commitment, he felt a desire to join in, but unfortunately, as a police officer, he could only help in other ways.

"Brother Mu, have you decided on a name for your studio? As far as I remember, your naming ability is off the charts... terrible!"

Lan Mu knew he was bad at naming things and said with some embarrassment, "Uh, it's tentatively called... Lan Cheng Studio."

"Pfft!" Ma Xiang spat out his beer. Seeing Cheng Ming looking at him with a wry smile and no words, he was stunned. "Really?"

Cheng Ming nodded speechlessly, confirming the name.

"Lan Cheng... My heavens, Brother Mu, if I partnered with you, would it be called Lan Xiang?" Ma Xiang couldn't help but retort.

Lan Mu was furious. "Get lost!"

When Lan Mu woke up the next day, his head was splitting. He didn't know how much he had drunk last night; it was impressive that he could still make it home.

However, the hangover was extremely uncomfortable. He got out of bed and intended to wash up, but suddenly his foot slipped, and he almost fell.

"My nose is stuffy, my throat hurts, and my forehead is hot. I think I have a fever."

Lan Mu touched his forehead and couldn't help but cough a couple of times.

"I haven't drunk this much in a long time. I must have caught a cold last night and gotten sick."

"Tsk tsk, haven't even started my hustle and I'm already sick. What a loser I am..."

Lan Mu chuckled self-deprecatingly. Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he transformed into the White-haired Lion.

Feeling the surging power in his body, all symptoms of nasal congestion and dizziness vanished.

"Ah! This feels great! I'm just starving!"

In his White-haired Lion form, Lan Mu opened the refrigerator and took out all the sausages, cured meats, and other preserved foods he had stored, devouring them all.

"Still not full! And the taste is so much worse than wild game. Looks like I'll need to stock up on meat at home from now on. I turn into a big eater when I transform, hope I can afford it?"

After replenishing his energy in his White-haired Lion form, Lan Mu transformed back into his human form.

Looking at his human body again, the hangover was gone, the dizziness was gone, the fever was gone, and the nasal congestion was gone.

He had returned to his healthiest state, feeling refreshed and invigorated.

"So convenient!"

"Rumble..."

Lan Mu's stomach growled loudly. He then remembered that his human form hadn't eaten anything yet. He probably threw up all the late-night snacks from last night.

"Never mind, I'll go out to eat. It's already noon."

Lan Mu was currently unemployed, unlike before when he had to run around for interviews and write articles every day. He hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time.

His living situation was excellent, with a small plaza nearby that had many shopping malls, supermarkets, and fast-food restaurants.

He walked into a fast-food restaurant and, after finishing his meal, still felt unsatisfied.

"Did the hunger from my White-haired Lion form transfer to my human body?"

Lan Mu ordered a second meal, still not enough. He ordered a third. Only after finishing the third meal did he feel somewhat full.

"My appetite has gotten so much bigger. Does using my ability to repair my human body require consuming food for energy?"

"But it's not too bad. At worst, I'll just eat a couple more fast-food meals than before."

Leaving the fast-food restaurant, Lan Mu headed straight for the nearby computer mall.

He planned to configure two decent computers and also go to the telecom office to get fiber optic internet installed.

Lan Mu took a shortcut, turning down two small streets, when he suddenly heard arguing ahead.

He looked up and saw a young girl with her eyes closed, struggling and waving a walking stick.

A middle-aged couple was pulling at her, saying, "Why are you running around? Hurry up and come back with us!"

The girl looked about eighteen or nineteen, like a high school student. She had a delicate appearance, wore no makeup, and her hair was simply tied back. Her aura was completely different from the high school girls Lan Mu remembered.

Her clothes were also very simple, probably just a thirty-yuan T-shirt and jeans. Her most striking feature was her very fair skin, as if she rarely went out in the sun.

Her voice was soft, but at that moment, she stubbornly shouted, "I'm not going back! I want to find my mother!"

"Your mother is dead!" the middle-aged woman shrieked, then kicked away the stick in the girl's hand.

Upon hearing this, the girl struggled even more fiercely. The couple, caught off guard, let go, but as soon as she turned, she stumbled and fell to the ground, unable to stand steadily.

"My mother isn't dead! You're all lying to me, she's definitely not dead!"

Seeing her break free only to fall, the middle-aged woman sneered and rushed forward, slapping the girl.

A red palm print appeared on the girl's face. She covered her face but stubbornly remained silent.

The middle-aged woman pulled her up from the ground, tightly gripping her hands, and said, "A few days without a beating and you've forgotten your own name? We raised you for over ten years! You'll always be a Su family member, and you'll listen to us!"

Lan Mu walked closer. After hearing a few sentences, he couldn't stand it anymore.

He also noticed that the girl seemed unable to see, a blind girl, and the walking stick had been kicked away earlier.

So, he couldn't help but say, "Hey, let's talk things out, no need for violence."

After speaking, he reached out and blocked the middle-aged woman's raised hand, as she was about to slap again.

Lan Mu grabbed the middle-aged woman's arm. The woman shrieked, "What are you doing? Let go of me!"

"Okay, okay..." Lan Mu promptly let go, feigning annoyance.

At this moment, the middle-aged man also rushed forward, reaching out to push Lan Mu, but Lan Mu dodged him with a twist.

"Who are you? Stop meddling! This is our family matter, understand?"

Lan Mu could tell that the couple was some kind of relative to the girl. If it were truly a private family matter, it would indeed be difficult for him to intervene.

"I'm not meddling! I just asked you to let her go. Talk it out properly, what's the point of forcing her?"

Perhaps seeing an outsider like Lan Mu, the middle-aged couple pouted and stopped hitting. The middle-aged woman then said, "Alright, Su Yue, did you hear that? I won't hit you anymore. Go home with me obediently, don't embarrass me out here."

The girl, Su Yue, however, retreated firmly and shouted, "No! Save me! They want me to prostitute myself."

Lan Mu, who was about to leave without further involvement, froze upon hearing this.

The middle-aged woman furiously grabbed Su Yue's hair and cursed, "What are you saying, you blind idiot? We raised you, found you blind dates, and this is how you repay us?"

The middle-aged man also roared, "Ungrateful brat! What's the use of raising a good-for-nothing like you?"

"Help! They want me to entertain men at home, I ran away because I didn't want to!" Su Yue cried.

While talking about prostitution, it turned into a blind date. Lan Mu, being an outsider, couldn't figure out the situation, but hearing them call each other names like "blind man" and "cripple," it was clear they weren't good people. Lan Mu then stepped in front of Su Yue, blocking the middle-aged woman's grasping hands.

"I said, stop touching! Speak clearly! Are you trying to abduct someone?"

The middle-aged man grunted, "Kid, I don't like you. I told you not to meddle! I'll show you what happens when you do!"

With that, he kicked out. Lan Mu wasn't one to back down and, with rising anger, kicked back.

His kick landed squarely on the middle-aged man's shinbone. At the same time, Lan Mu's right hand shot out, fingers aimed directly at the man's eyeballs.

At the critical moment, he changed his fingers into a fist and struck the man's face. A scream rang out, and the man stumbled backward, collapsing onto the ground.

Lan Mu took a deep breath. He had almost used the White-haired Lion's combat techniques just now.

Fortunately, his reaction was quick, and he changed his strike to a punch to the nose bridge.

He was young and strong, and he had never feared anyone in a fight. He had been the king of the kids growing up, so the older man was no match for him.

"Seriously, don't provoke me. I don't want to..."

Before Lan Mu could finish speaking, the middle-aged woman lunged at him with her hands, her fingernails long and sharp.

Her sharp nails raked across Lan Mu's face, grabbing his hair and tearing at his skin. It was like her signature "chicken claw frenzy" move.

Lan Mu initially didn't want to lay a hand on her, which led to him taking the brunt of it, leaving several bloody marks on his face.

This was why fighting with women like that was a losing battle; when they went crazy, most men were helpless.

His face scarred, Lan Mu, enraged, grabbed her hands and shoved her backward forcefully, sending her to the ground as well.

The woman refused to stay down, but Lan Mu roared, "Stop going crazy! If you keep this up, I'll cripple your husband!"

Hearing this, the woman glanced at her husband, who had been taken down by Lan Mu in just two moves, and finally stopped clawing at him.

"Why are you meddling in our business, kid? I'm calling the police to arrest you!"

Lan Mu sneered, "I'm meddling, and I'll see this through to the end!"

"Calling the police? Great! I'll help you!"

With that, Lan Mu directly called Ma Xiang.