Transformation

"This Little Pufferfish ..." Xiao He walked behind Ye Wanqing, watching her stride forward with a lollipop in her mouth, and couldn't help but chuckle: she looked like a teenage girl.

But then I thought about it again, and realized she was only nineteen, so it seemed normal.

After walking for a while, Ye Wanqing turned around and found that Xiao He had been left more than half a meter behind.

"Hey, hurry up!" Ye Wanqing said coquettishly, turning back to take Xiao He's hand. The two quickened their pace. "Didn't you just say you were hungry? Let's go back and eat early."

"Hmm." Xiao He simply smiled and nodded, then reached out and patted her little head.

Ye Wanqing blushed slightly, lowered her head, smiled, and pulled him along as they continued walking, happily humming an unknown tune.

"He spoils his girlfriend like a daughter..." Xiao He muttered to himself, secretly admiring the owner of Willow Restaurant: That guy really knows how to charm girls, could he be a playboy...?

When the two returned home, they found Cui Man already waiting for them.

However, Cui Man didn't come alone this time; she brought Xia Yu with her. Both of them were dressed casually, giving off a refreshing vibe, like they were out shopping.

Cui Man was dressed quite fashionably, wearing a black jumpsuit with a black lace vest, which was both sexy and cool, and made her figure look particularly tall and slender; Xia Yu, on the other hand, wore a simple white babydoll top with brown shorts and flesh-colored leggings, with a cardigan draped over her shoulders, looking no different from a high school student.

Xia Yu waved to them from the side and greeted them, "Brother Xiao, Wanqing."

"Sister Man, if you come here so often, won't people find out who you are?" Xiao He frowned.

"How could that be? This house is mine!" Cui Man said nonchalantly. "It's registered in my name, isn't it?"

"So this is Sister Man's house?!" Ye Wanqing asked in surprise.

"Yeah, so it's perfectly reasonable for me, as the landlord, to come here, right? Nobody can tell." Cui Man waved her hand, then glanced sideways at the bags in their hands and teased, "Oh, you two went grocery shopping? Did you run out of condoms and went to restock?"

Ye Wanqing immediately recalled how she had been absentmindedly browsing the shelves, only to realize she had picked out condoms. Her face flushed red. "How could that be! I was just buying some daily necessities!"

"Sister Man, what are you doing here at this hour?" Xiao He frowned. "You're not going to drag me to an experiment this late, are you?"

"No, I just came to see my baby," Cui Man said with a smile.

"Tsk, let's get down to business." Xiao He glared at her.

"Alright, alright." Cui Man patted his head. "Here's a reward for you. You did a great job handling the AME Influenza. However, the higher-ups have decided not to publicize this. After all, the matter is over. Publicizing it might attract the interest of certain foreign forces in the AME Influenza, and it would be troublesome if they developed some variants. So let's just let it go. But..."

As she spoke, Cui Man winked at him. "Although we can't tell the whole world you're a hero, we still have to give you a reward. The country has always treated its heroes well. The higher-ups have decided to award you one million yuan and then give you a house in Beichang City."

"A house?" Xiao He asked curiously. Cui Man nodded. "Three bedrooms, two living rooms, and two bathrooms. You can choose the location."

"You'll let me choose any location?" Xiao He became interested.

In the past, Xiao He would have immediately decided to choose a property in the city center and sell it.

But now he's hesitant: should he sell it, or move in with Ye Wanqing?

Cui Man smiled and said, "How about it? If you've made your decision, we can start decorating right away, and you can move in as soon as it's finished. Or do you want to think about it?"

"Wanqing, do you like those big houses?" Xiao He asked abruptly.

Why did he ask me that?! Ye Wanqing's heart skipped a beat, and she replied, "I still prefer this apartment."

Although we found this house quite troublesome when we first moved in—the two of us fighting over the toilet, the water heater, and the washing machine—we realized after our relationship improved that this kind of house, neither too big nor too small, is definitely more cozy to live in.

When she got up to use the bathroom at night, she could hear Xiao He snoring, letting her know she wasn't alone; when they were washing dishes and cooking, the two of them would squeeze into the kitchen, their hands occasionally touching; when they passed through the narrow corridor, she could smell a faint fragrance emanating from him.

In such a small house, even if you want to stay away from someone, you'll feel very close, which makes you feel quite at ease.

"Let's talk about it later then." Xiao He nodded. "I haven't thought about it yet."

Ye Wanqing felt a surge of joy in her heart, then quickly changed the subject. "Sister Man, it seems you're planning to go out for a stroll?"

"Yeah, because we're going to be really busy soon, so we need to relax a bit before things get hectic." Cui Man sighed, resting her chin on her hand. "Sigh, you wouldn't believe it, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' phones are ringing off the hook right now."

"Is it because of Old Xiao's Miracle Factor?" Ye Wanqing asked as she packed the daily necessities in the bag.

"What else could it be?" Cui Man rolled her eyes. "She's been using both soft and hard tactics, even more clingy than my ex-boyfriend."

"But you weren't planning on giving them to them anyway, were you?" Xiao He glanced at Cui Man and smiled.

"We don't even have enough for ourselves, how can we give them any more?" Cui Man said irritably. "However, if everyone can really put aside their prejudices, we would be very willing to conduct research with other countries. But it's almost foreseeable that if the M Country discovers the artificial synthesis method of the Miracle Factor first, they will refuse to share the patent and then raise the price of the Miracle Factor by several hundred times."

"Definitely." "After all, it's the M Country." Xiao He and Ye Wanqing nodded in unison.

Cui Man rested her chin on her hand, crossed her legs, and swung her pretty little legs gently. "But the real trouble isn't with the governments and medical representatives of various countries, but with the wealthy—the richest people, oil princes, stock market gurus, insurance tycoons, and the like... They've offered incredibly high prices to acquire the Miracle Factor, prices you can't even imagine, prices so high that some people might resort to dishonest means."

"I think..." Xiao He raised an eyebrow; to be honest, he was a tiny bit tempted.

"Don't think about it, silly child." Cui Man waved her hand. "The amount each of them needs is enough to kill you several times over, which is why we don't recommend using Miracle Factor for personal treatment. Sigh, let's not talk about that. I have something important to tell you today."

As Cui Man spoke, she shifted her crossed legs to the other side. "Since the Miracle Factor incident, the higher-ups in the Special Response Department have decided to temporarily remove you from the front lines and instead assist the country in conducting scientific and medical research."

"Like a problem like 'NP=P?'?" Xiao He asked tentatively. Cui Man nodded. "Exactly, but it won't be something that far in the future. It will start with issues like desert greening and Plastic Decomposition. Unless it's an emergency or you're escorting the Mutant to prison, you won't be sent out."

As she spoke, Cui Man handed Xiao He a slip of paper. "Here, these are your research topics. You can choose one from these to start researching. It's up to you which one to choose, and there's no need to rush. Take a few days off first. However, I suggest choosing one that's simpler, one that won't be too strenuous after you activate your ability. You should have a feel for it yourself, right?"

"Hmm..." Xiao He nodded and looked at the topics listed: "Plastic Decomposition," "Land Desertification," "Global Warming," "Freshwater Scarcity," "Nuclear Waste Disposal," and "Environmental Energy," totaling six topics.

Upon seeing these six issues, Xiao He immediately became interested. Unlike fighting and killing, solving any one of these six issues could significantly improve humanity's current living environment. But which one should he begin with...?

"It should have been like this from the beginning," Ye Wanqing said with a hint of complaint.

"We didn't have enough Mutant in the Special Response Department before," Cui Man sighed. "But now Gluttonous Beast and Candle Dragon have grown to the point where they can complete missions, and there aren't that many Mutant incidents right now, so you guys can relax and switch to scientific research. That's all for now, I'm going to have some barbecue with Xia Yu."

"Aren't you bringing Old Xie?" Xiao He asked, glancing sideways at Cui Man. Cui Man chuckled, "That guy, if he has any spare time, he'll go back to be with his wife and kids. He wouldn't participate in this kind of group activity. But I can understand."

After saying that, Cui Man waved to them, "Alright, we won't disturb you two lovebirds any longer. Are you hungry, Xia Yu? Let's go get some barbecue! Do you want to try that lamb sashimi place today? It's a weird food."

"I'll turn into a sheep then, Sister Man ..." Xia Yu explained softly, then waved to Xiao He and Ye Wanqing.

After seeing the two off, Ye Wanqing complained, "I think they just want you to lay low for a while, because you've become too famous lately."

"Never mind them, let's go cook, I'm hungry." Xiao He turned Ye Wanqing around, pressing her shoulder, and led her to the kitchen. "What are we having for dinner tonight?"

Ye Wanqing smiled slightly and asked, "What would you like to eat?"

"If only there were braised fish, that would be wonderful..." Xiao He said, swallowing hard. "I could eat three bowls of it."

"But we didn't buy any fish." Ye Wanqing said, then smiled happily, "Hey, Old Xiao, let's get up early tomorrow morning and go to the market to buy fish, okay? We'll definitely be able to buy fresh fish, and we can also see if there's anything else you want to eat."

"Okay, it's a deal!" Xiao He nodded excitedly. Ye Wanqing thought for a moment and said, "How about we stir-fry some tomatoes and eggs, braise some chicken wings, and make some roasted potatoes tonight? Is that alright?"

"No problem!" Xiao He said, unable to help but sigh, "Eating is truly the happiest time of the day..."

"That's what I think too..." Ye Wanqing thought to herself, feeling a warmth in her heart, then suddenly a little angry. "Then why don't you just confess! You jerk!"

(There haven't been many votes for recommendations these past few days, I guess it's because there's no quick "vote for recommendations" entry here.)