Your Backpack

Xia Libing looked at the cake that had suddenly appeared on the plate in front of her, but showed no surprise. She reached out and picked up the cake.

She held the cake in her hands and examined it carefully, clearly noticing that the cake Xiang Kun had "revealed" was slightly different from the one she had "revealed."

Xia Libing stared at the cake for over a minute before slowly bringing it to her lips.

Of course, like Xiang Kun, she also didn't get to "taste" the cake.

After the cake disappeared, Xia Libing remained calm and asked Xiang Kun, "Are there any others?"

Then a crispy pork knuckle appeared on the plate in front of her. A minute later, after the pork knuckle had disappeared, she asked again, "Anything else?"

Xiang Kun shook his head. "No more."

Xia Libing seemed lost in thought.

Xiang Kun, seizing the initiative, asked, "Do you know what's going on?"

Xia Libing replied earnestly, "I did the same thing in my dream."

"How did you do that in your dream?" Xiang Kun continued to ask. He knew that there was a very important relationship between how Lao Xia "did both" those two things in his dream and how they "did both" in reality.

With a snap, Xia Li slammed her right hand on the table. When she lifted her hand, three one-yuan Coin were left on the table. She fiddled with them, arranging Coin side-by-side. "Made with these."

After saying that, Xia Libing looked up at Xiang Kun opposite her. Although her expression didn't change much, Xiang Kun could still sense what she meant: You gave me this Coin, so explain it to me.

Xiang Kun looked at the three Coin, nodded, and smiled, "Indeed, these Coin are a bit special. I've given these Coin to many people, Nana has some, Little Apple has some, but only you can use them to make Napoleon cake and crispy pork knuckle. Lao Xia, have you ever wondered why?"

Xia Libing remained silent, her right index finger lightly tapping each of the three Coin, seemingly deep in thought, or perhaps testing her patience with Xiang Kun.

Xiang Kun then said, "Lao Xia, do you have some kind of problem with your empathy and emotional cognition?"

Xia Libing countered, "After you lost your job, did you experience anything special that caused a huge change in you?"

Xiang Kun nodded. "Something did happen." He then touched his head. "I've gone bald..."

He could sense that Xia Libing was open to discussing her own situation.

However, Xia Libing, like him, wanted to find out the other party's situation first before deciding how much of her own information to reveal.

So naturally, their communication turned into a continuous process of probing.

But Xiang Kun wasn't worried. Anyway, there was plenty of time today. Judging from Lao Xia's attitude, he was fairly confident that he could make a breakthrough in the communication before dinner tonight. At worst, he could reveal some key information first.

Unexpectedly, plans can never keep up with changes.

Just as Xia Libing opened her mouth to say something, Xiang Kun's phone vibrated.

He glanced at the caller ID and immediately frowned—it was his mother calling.

He knew very well that his mother was now convinced that he was pursuing Lao Xia, and that she wouldn't call unless something major happened, knowing that he and Lao Xia were having lunch together.

After answering the phone, Xiang Kun heard his mother's anxious, slightly tearful voice. "Kun, your dad fell. We're at the Medical University First Hospital right now. Come over as soon as you finish eating."

"I'm coming right away... Mom, don't worry, where did Dad fall, and how is he now?"

"After he finished eating, he went out for a walk. He had just stepped out the door when he fell down the stairs. I heard the noise and rushed out. His head and face were covered in blood, and he couldn't move his body... I didn't dare move him, so I quickly called the hospital..."

"Mom, is Dad conscious right now?"

"He was conscious, and he told me not to tell you yet... We're in the emergency room, come over and we'll talk."

"I understand, Mom, I'll be right there."

When Xiang Kun was on the phone, his tone and expression remained largely unchanged; he even deliberately softened his voice to reassure his anxious mother. His mind raced, rapidly deducing his father's condition based on his mother's tone, demeanor, and the content of her conversation.

But in reality, from the very first word his mother said, Xiang Kun felt a surge of anxiety, tension, and concern, even mixed with a hint of inexplicable anger.

After ending the call with his mother, Xiang Kun quickly composed himself and realized the reason for his anger—it was directed at himself.

He had always been concerned about his parents' health. By using infrared thermal imaging and other sensory methods to build a cognitive model of them, he believed he could detect any potential health problems in advance and get them treated promptly. However, he never expected his father to fall down the stairs, an extremely dangerous accident for a sixty-year-old. For Xiang Kun, it was as if something he thought he had everything under control had suddenly gone wrong.

However, Xiang Kun quickly realized that this anger stemmed from an overestimation of his own abilities, a manifestation of arrogance. He couldn't possibly consider all factors; unexpected events are impossible to fully predict, and even if some things were foreseen, many factors were beyond his control.

This sudden emotional reaction made Xiang Kun realize that, subconsciously, due to his superhuman sensory abilities and the capabilities brought about by various mutations and evolutions, his desire for control and self-confidence were also constantly expanding, which in turn affected some of his decisions and emotions.

Adjusting his emotions and reflecting on himself happened in an instant. It seemed that after finishing the call, Xiang Kun didn't pause at all and immediately stood up to say goodbye to Xia Libing: "Lao Xia, my dad fell down the stairs and is in the hospital now. I have to go there. We can talk about the 'cake' later."

However, Xiang Kun noticed that Xia Libing's eyes looked somewhat blank. Then he suddenly recalled Xia Libing's state when he answered the phone just now.

Although his attention was focused on what his mother was saying and his father's fall, his ability to collect sensory information about his surroundings had become instinctive. So, even though he didn't notice it at the time, he actually collected Lao Xia's state and reactions.

Looking back now, he realized that the emotional state he had just entered, although brief, was intense. It must have triggered the ability of "Emotional Assimilation" for a moment, and Lao Xia was clearly also affected, experiencing the same emotions.

Previously in Tongshi Town, when Xiang Kun used the "Twelve Yellow Men" he carried to indirectly influence emotions, everyone else was affected in a similar way to "Emotional Assimilation," except for Lao Xia, who did not show any emotional changes.

At that time, Xiang Kun was thinking about whether he could find an opportunity to use "Emotional Assimilation" directly on Lao Xia to see if it would have any effect, but he never had a suitable opportunity.

Unexpectedly, this unintentional "Emotional Assimilation" immediately confirmed his idea— Emotional Injection items like the "Twelve Yellow Men" could not affect Lao Xia's emotions; they were simply not "capable" enough.

Moreover, judging from Lao Xia's current expression, she seems somewhat surprised and confused by her sudden emotional change.

Normally, based on Xiang Kun's previous experience of "Emotional Assimilation" of others, the person whose emotions are assimilated is unaware that they have been affected. It is very likely that Lao Xia has never experienced this kind of emotion before, which is why he is confused after the emotion disappears.

"I'll go with you." Xia Libing quickly snapped out of her daze after hearing his words, picked up the three Coin on the table, and put on her coat.

The two hailed a taxi and quickly arrived at the Medical University Affiliated First Hospital. They made a phone call and headed to the location Mom Xiang.

Seeing his mother's expression and judging her mood, Xiang Kun breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that his father's problem was probably not serious.

"Luckily, your dad's bones are strong, he's mostly fine. He just has a bit of a bruise on his butt, a scraped knee, and a head injury with a mild concussion. He needs to be hospitalized for observation for a couple of days." Mom said, then looked at Xia Libing: "Oh dear, Xia's here too. Didn't you even have lunch?"

"We've already eaten, Auntie." After Xiang Kun's instructions yesterday, Xia Libing stopped pretending to be "well-behaved" and replied in her usual normal state.

After a while, after accompanying Dad Xiang, who had received some basic treatment, to the ward, Xiang Kun immediately conducted a comprehensive "examination" of his father's physical condition. He basically confirmed that there were indeed some bruises in the muscles and soft tissues, which were not serious, and there should be no bleeding in the brain.

Of course, since the doctor said his father would be hospitalized for observation for two days, he wouldn't take it upon himself to send his father home. So after chatting in the ward for a while, he told Xia Libing to go back and rest first. After all, she hadn't rested much last night because of the dream he had guided her through, and the "Fantasy Manifestation" ability that Lao Xia had "developed" afterward, and she was sleep-deprived.

Xia Libing didn't say much. After saying goodbye to Dad Xiang 'Mom Xiang, she left.

Watching Xia Libing, Dad Xiang, lying on the hospital bed, said to Mom Xiang with some dissatisfaction, "I told you I'm fine, it's just two flights of stairs, I won't die, you don't need to call your son..."

Xiang Kun said helplessly, "Dad, it's the New Year, don't say such unlucky things."

Contrary to her usual behavior, Mom Xiang didn't argue. She just pursed her lips, went to pour some hot water, and then said to Xiang Kun, "Since your dad is alright, you can go play with Xia later. I can watch over things here by myself."

Lying on the hospital bed, Dad Xiang strained to look up and said, "Yes, I'm fine. This little injury is nothing. Back in the day..."

Xiang Kun naturally did not leave. He took the opportunity to enter a "Hyper-Sensory State" several times, perceiving his father's physical cognitive information, and trying to find a way to use the magnetic field created by "Super-Linked Object" to treat the trauma to the body tissues and influence that cognitive information.

Of course, he wouldn't use it on his father immediately until he was absolutely certain and had conducted experiments first.

Around 4 PM, Xiang Kun suddenly received a call from Xia Libing.

"I'm returning your backpack to you. Come down to the parking lot and pick it up," Xia Libing said on the phone.

"Okay." After saying that, Xiang Kun told his parents in the ward and went downstairs to the hospital parking lot.

He didn't ask Lao Xia why he didn't just come up. He knew that the backpack Lao Xia was talking about was the one he had brought the new clothes Yang Zhen'er had asked him to bring for Lao Xia the night before last. Normally, even if Lao Xia wanted to return the backpack, he wouldn't make a special trip at this time, or even come up and call him down.

The only possibility is that Lao Xia needs to talk to him about something but it's inconvenient to say it in the ward, and carrying the backpack is just an excuse.

Upon arriving at the parking lot, Xiang Kun quickly located a white Camry using the "Super-Linked Object" Coin on Lao Xia's person. Upon seeing him, Lao Xia reached out from the car window and waved to him.

Xiang Kun walked to the parking space, opened the car door, and sat in the passenger seat, saying in surprise, "This is the first time I've seen you drive."

"This is the third time I've borrowed a car from my third aunt since I got my driver's license," Xia Libing explained briefly, then turned and reached for her backpack from the back seat, handing it to Xiang Kun.

As soon as Xiang Kun got his hands on the backpack, he realized it was full of things, and quite a lot of them.

However, without him needing to guess, Xia Libing said directly, "There are some things inside for you to see."

Xiang Kun tentatively asked, "Should I take it back to see?"

Xia Libing said, "Look at it here."

Xiang Kun finally understood why Lao Xia had driven over; he wanted to create a place for a "secret meeting."

Xiang Kun unzipped the backpack and took out all the contents.

There is a tablet computer, a file box, and a black leather-bound notebook.

Xiang Kun looked up at Lao Xia, who then glanced at the tablet and gestured for him to start with the computer. "All the information about me is in there."

So Xiang Kun turned on his tablet and, at Lao Xia's prompting, opened a PDF document.

At a glance, Xiang Kun knew what it was—it contained Lao Xia's medical records and various related diagnostic and treatment materials.

At first, when Xiang Kun the document, he pretended to flip through it slowly, but soon he started flipping through the PDF document quickly, no longer pretending to have a fast reading ability, because he already knew about Lao Xia's situation, and he also understood that Lao Xia had directly told him all the secrets.

After reviewing most of the documents, he quickly realized that the reason why Lao Xia suddenly changed his strategy and took the initiative to reveal his hand and disclose all the secrets was largely due to the "Emotional Assimilation" he subconsciously experienced when he received a call from his mother at noon.

The document contains a large amount of information narrated in the voice of Lao Xia's parents, and it is clear that this information should have originally been with the doctor who treated Lao Xia before.

According to her parents, when Lao Xia was born, she was no different from other babies, except that she cried relatively less. Basically, whenever she cried, it was either because she was hungry or needed a diaper change. And routine physical examinations showed that Lao Xia was a very healthy baby with no abnormalities.

Even at just over three months old, she had already mastered the pronunciation of many sentences, learning faster than most children. This delighted her parents, who felt their daughter was very smart.

Not only is he smart, but Lao Xia also learns to walk much faster than other children. He was able to stand up by himself while holding onto the wall at a very young age, and soon he was able to crawl around everywhere on his own, showing strong physical fitness and a good sense of balance.

But as time went on and Lao Xia grew older, her parents became increasingly suspicious.

Their daughter was almost too "well-behaved." She never "acted up," and after learning a few simple words to express herself, she never cried again. No matter how they teased her, she never laughed; her most frequent expression was staring at them with wide eyes, just like she looked at everything around her.

At first, Lao Xia had many toys, all kinds of toys. But before long, Lao Xia would take all of these toys apart.

Moreover, unlike other children who violently dismantle toys, tearing or smashing them, she painstakingly finds the vulnerable parts of the toys and disassembles them piece by piece.

For example, she would use nail clippers to trim the stitches of those dolls and toys piece by piece, then take them apart from the edges. After taking them apart, she would even collect and arrange the cut thread ends.

Plastic toys can always be disassembled into individual parts, neatly arranged.

When Lao Xia found a screwdriver one day and tried to take apart the TV, her parents finally realized something was wrong and took their daughter to see some child psychology and behavior specialists.

However, after various examinations and tests, Lao Xia received all sorts of confusing diagnoses, with almost none of them being completely consistent. Moreover, many experts and doctors believed that Lao Xia actually had no problems and that his parents just needed to interact and guide him more.

Because Lao Xia's physical and brain examinations showed no problems, Lao Xia parents didn't dare let her take any medication or undergo any radical treatments. So they could only take extra care of her, not letting her be alone, preventing her from disassembling potentially dangerous items, spending more time playing with her, watching cartoons and playing games together.

It wasn't until Lao Xia started kindergarten and several things happened that her parents realized their daughter needed more professional help and treatment.

Although the timeline is largely synchronized, and I've already covered some Spring Festival Gala content, you should be able to see that the parallel world in the book doesn't have the COVID-19 pandemic. This is partly to mitigate potential risks, and partly so that readers, after witnessing so much in reality, don't have to experience these things in the book. In the book's world, there's no pandemic, Kobe and his daughter didn't encounter any accidents, and everyone can happily go about their normal lives... Of course, in reality, everyone should still take precautions, stay healthy, and take good care of themselves and their families. If you're feeling bored at home, I recommend checking out some excellent content creators on Bilibili Hamburger.