You Really Think You're Somebody?

Meanwhile, seeing out of the corner of his eye that the group had all walked away, Yu Xing turned his attention back to dealing with the stall owner.

Not long after, the stall owner brought out a bowl of noodles. The broth was bright red, and the aroma of chili oil filled the air, making one's mouth water.

"Here, it's on me!"

The noodles were served to Yu Xing didn't stand on ceremony. She took a disposable knife from the express box on the table, tasted it, and said, "It's alright."

It tastes like noodles, and the red color is indeed chili oil, not some kind of color-matched liquid used in horror movies.

"That's great. Looks like my cooking skills haven't gotten worse. You can have some more if you want."

The open-air noodle stall has five tables. It's not crowded yet, and the noodles for the few customers have already been prepared and served, so the stall owner has time to chat with them.

Yu Xing was eating noodles while the uncle sat beside her, chattering away to himself.

The stall owner, an older man, had slightly dark skin and calloused hands, looking somewhat weary from the struggle to make a living. However, he was surprisingly talkative, going on and on about Yu Xing's childhood.

He first listened to the stall owner reminisce about the feeling of holding a baby, and then talked about how difficult it has been to make noodles these past few years, and how he missed the days when everyone ate noodles and there weren't so many new and exciting foods to compete with him.

Yu Xing seized the opportunity to probe further. "I was too young when you mentioned that time, and my memories are hazy. But as far as I can remember, there was an uncle who was quite kind to me when I was little."

The stall owner scratched his head and smiled happily, "Right? I love kids the most. My son is naughty every day, but I've never scolded him. Hehe, I guess I'll be a good dad!"

Yu Xing's eyes flashed, but she remained calm and asked, "Uncle, how did you and my dad become so close?"

The address of "Uncle" delighted everyone, and the stall owner immediately perked up. "Hahaha, back in the day I was your family's personal chef! If I hadn't injured my hand and couldn't handle the high-intensity cooking, I wouldn't be here running a noodle stall!"

"So that's how it is," Yu Xing sighed. "That's such a pity."

The stall owner sighed deeply, "Speaking of which, your father treated me quite well. I had a very good relationship with Old Brother Fang, but we lost touch in the last two years, which is a real pity."

Yu Xing heard the crucial part and wanted to press for answers, but then suddenly realized something—why was his father's surname Fang in this world?

Considering his name hasn't changed, it's reasonable to assume his "family" should all share the surname Yu.

Fortunately, he hadn't forgotten that when he first created this character, the system gave him a complete setup—he wasn't his parents' biological child.

So, in this world, he should have been surnamed Fang, but after leaving Nanshui Town, he changed his surname to match the name "Yu Xing".

But why is it... Fang again?

In some scenarios where a character needs to be played, the system seems particularly keen on associating him with the surname Fang, such as Fang Xiaoyu in the Dead Spirit Island Rookie Tournament and Fang Fu in the Death Parallel Line Fang Mansion...

Even if Yu Xing wanted to convince herself that it was a coincidence, it was unlikely to succeed.

Is there any necessary connection between this and him?

A series of possibilities flashed through Yu Xing listed them as points of suspicion, then naturally continued, "Why did you stop contacting each other? Weren't you friends?"

"Your dad's health hasn't been very good these past two years, so he rarely goes out and stays at home, not contacting anyone anymore." The stall owner shrugged. "He's probably just not up to the task anymore. He has a lot of old ailments from his youth, and they all seem to have come knocking on his door as he gets older."

"There are still rumors in town that your stepmother abused him and didn't take good care of him. Sigh, of course, these rumors are not credible. Just like when you left, there were rumors in town that you ran away because your family treated you badly."

"Oh~" There's also a stepmother.

Yu Xing took another bite of noodles.

The stall owner didn't notice anything amiss with his attitude. "So, it's all just rumors, right? Some people are just gossipy. Don't take it to heart. Now that you're back, you should go home and check on things."

Yu Xing thought, whether it's a rumor or not is uncertain.

Yu Xing had limited understanding of the investigator role, and could only glean glimpses of the character's life trajectory from the fragments of information provided by the system during simulation missions.

All he knew was that the character was a painter who had gained some fame in the industry and was considered a successful person.

But when I was little?

The system never mentioned this; the initial setup only stated that he wasn't their biological son and that he accidentally learned of a terrible conspiracy within his family, which led him to learn many survival skills before finally leaving home.

However, even from the system's description of the mission, it's clear that the painter "San's" home is anything but a happy and harmonious family; it's downright eerie.

The stall owner, who had been rambling on, suddenly asked, "Little Xing, are you leaving again this time you go home?"

Yu Xing paused, inexplicably reluctant to tell the truth, and simply gave an ambiguous answer, "I don't know, we'll see."

The stall owner's smile remained unchanged as he began to speak on behalf of the "Fang family": "Not to be rude, but your family really misses you. The other day I saw your brother and sister-in-law buying vegetables at the market, staring at potatoes for a long time. Don't you love potatoes the most? I think they were just thinking about you..."

Yu Xing: "..." No, not at all. In my opinion, they are just considering which potato to buy.

"Now that you're back, don't leave again. A family should stay together. Any grudges you've held onto for so long should be forgotten by now."

"Old Brother Fang wasn't bad to you, was he? Although he might have been a bit strict with you when you were little, he disciplined you for your own good. Even when he got angry and hit you a couple of times, Old Brother Fang himself felt bad about it." The stall owner started lecturing, but Yu Xing's polite smile faded.

So San's dad used to hit him.

Judging from this stall owner's attitude as a fanatical Old Brother Fang, his words are completely biased. He even admitted that he was "a bit fierce" and "hit you a couple of times" in this matter. It seems that he was not just fierce, but also hit you quite hard.

At Yu Xing's current level, even such a small hint is enough for him to instantly determine his own position.

Similarly, they now know how to better play this role.

"Are you saying that the pain is felt by him, even though I'm the one who's hurt?" Yu Xing had completely lost his appetite for the bowl of noodles in front of him, and he asked with a half-smile.

The stall owner replied matter-of-factly, "Of course! Every time he hits your Old Brother Fang, it hurts even more than it hurts you! He's your dad!"

"That's really strange. He hit me, it's me who's bleeding and injured, so how could he be in more pain than me?" Yu Xing put down the chopsticks, her voice low and somber. "Is he dying of a heart attack right now? If his heart is fine, I don't believe he's in more pain than me."

"Oh dear, why are you talking like that? He's still your father..."

"Uncle, just because I'm being polite doesn't mean you can really speak to me as an elder." Yu Xing sneered, his previously restrained aura silently spreading out, his eyes behind his glasses revealing a chilling intensity.