The Mystery of Lin Tiannan

"It's okay, there's nothing to be shy about. We're already an Old Xiao, and I've helped him with all sorts of problems. Yeah, calm down." After coming out of the bathroom, Ye Wanqing's expression had returned to normal. She crawled back into bed, lay down next to Xiao He, and pretended that nothing had happened, silently praying that Xiao He wouldn't tease her about it.

"Little Pufferfish..." Xiao He moved closer to Ye Wanqing and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"What's wrong?" Ye Wanqing tensed up immediately, her heart racing: Was he going to laugh at me?!

"Merry Christmas." Xiao He gently kissed her on the cheek, then handed her a stocking. "A present."

Ye Wanqing was immediately moved. She took the socks, took out the gift box inside, and opened it.

It was a chubby pufferfish-shaped hair clip, clumsy yet adorable. Although it wasn't anything particularly valuable, Ye Wanqing fell in love with it the moment she saw it.

"When did you buy it?" Ye Wanqing turned to look at Xiao He and asked happily.

"Well... when we first started dating, we went to buy matching slippers or something, and I saw some in the store and secretly bought them, planning to give them to you for Christmas," Xiao He explained, patting her head.

"But I didn't prepare a gift for you," Ye Wanqing said with a hint of guilt.

"You are my gift." Xiao He chuckled, patting her little bottom. "It's okay, it's not anything very expensive anyway. Besides... didn't you give me the gift last night? O..."

"Ah--!" Ye Wanqing screamed, interrupting him, "You're not allowed to say those three letters!"

"Alright, alright, I won't say anymore." Xiao He couldn't help but chuckle, then hugged Ye Wanqing tightly. "Thank you, my lovely girlfriend. Why are you so adorable?"

"Ugh..." Ye Wanqing covered her face with one hand and pounded his chest with the other.

"Alright, alright, Merry Christmas, Little Pufferfish." Xiao He gently patted the back of her head to coax her. "If you stay cozy a little longer, you have to go to class. School doesn't close for Christmas. And I'm so hungry..."

"Then, then I'll get up and make you breakfast..." Ye Wanqing muttered, sitting up.

"I need to eat more this morning; I didn't eat much last night. I was busy taking care of the drunkards." Xiao He also got up.

The two went to the bathroom to brush their teeth together. Ye Wanqing stole a glance at him in the mirror, and then her face turned slightly red.

"Mua!" After brushing his teeth, Xiao He gave Ye Wanqing a big kiss on the head. "I love you."

"I love you too..." Ye Wanqing said shyly, lowering her head with a smile. Then she started to boil hot water and wring out a towel. Xiao He smoothed down her stray hairs from behind. "Shall we go to school today?"

"Hmm." Ye Wanqing nodded, then smeared the towel on Xiao He's face and wiped it.

However, after washing up, Xiao He saw that Ye Wanqing was wearing the hair clip he had given her.

This girl already looked a lot like Rem after losing some weight, and now that she's tied her hair up, she looks even more like her. However, Ye Wanqing is Ye Wanqing, and that won't change. Xiao He likes that shy and kind little girl; she's much cuter Rem.

"So cute, my Little Pufferfish..." Xiao He spun Ye Wanqing around in mid-air and laughed. Ye Wanqing patted his shoulder in annoyance, "Oh, okay, you're making me dizzy."

After putting her down, Ye Wanqing glared at him. "You didn't even know to buy something cuter."

"Who could be cuter than Little Pufferfish?" Xiao He asked with a meaningful smile.

"No, the Little Pufferfish is the cutest. Much cuter than those vixens!" Ye Wanqing said with a huff, "Let's go."

When Xiao He arrived at the school by bicycle, he realized that the world had truly been changed by the Mutant.

Previously, the boys at school talked about various games and anime, but now they're discussing the upcoming Mutant Competition. This competition officially started in March, and it's now the end of December.

"The competition starts in two months," Xiao He sighed. Ye Wanqing asked curiously, "Nervous?"

"A little... after all, it carries the expectations of many people," Xiao He said nervously. "What if we disappoint them?"

"I'm here for you," Ye Wanqing said, stroking his head. "Even if everyone else is disappointed in you, I will still love you."

"That's enough." Xiao He nodded with a satisfied smile, but then suddenly remembered something.

"Um, Wanqing..." Xiao He hesitated for a moment, but Zhou Huimei and Yin Jia suddenly came up from behind, patted them on the shoulder, and then greeted them with smiles, "Merry Christmas! How about going out all night tonight?"

"Hey, don't be such a Westernizer. You two just want an excuse to go out and have fun." Ye Wanqing glared at them both, and Yin Jia smiled smugly, "Of course! How about a triple date? Please..."

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Ye Wanqing asked with some suspicion.

"Sigh, if I don't let my boyfriend do something productive with me tonight, all he'll think about is going to brothels," Zhou Huimei rolled her eyes and said. "Even though we'll probably end up going to brothels anyway, at least he should spend some time with me before that."

"Exactly," Yin Jia nodded, "My boyfriend started checking my safe period a week ago, just to prepare for today."

"This is too scary, my Old Xiao so much better..." Ye Wanqing said with a hint of disgust, then took Xiao He's arm and muttered, "Alright then, we'll go shopping with you, but not too late, we have things to do tomorrow morning."

After finishing their two afternoon classes, they went directly to the school gate to meet up. Xiao He also met Zhou Huimei and Yin Jia's boyfriends. Zhou Huimei's boyfriend was named Lu Chen. He was about 1.78 meters tall, wore glasses, had small eyes, and a square face. He looked like an honest and simple person, but as soon as he saw Ye Wanqing, his gaze swept over her impressive bust.

This displeased Xiao He, so he adjusted his position and stood in front of Ye Wanqing.

As for Zhang Guangyao, he was a very thin boy who was 1.85 meters tall. Judging by his appearance, he probably only weighed about 120 pounds. He was as thin as a telephone pole, and Xiao He was worried that he would be blown away by the wind.

Zhang Guangyao glanced at Ye Wanqing briefly, clearly somewhat amazed, but didn't pay her too much attention. He just whispered impatiently to Yin Jia, "How long are we going to walk around? Let's go to the hotel soon."

At least he was direct, Xiao He thought to himself.

Even though she was somewhat dissatisfied, Yin Jia didn't dare to express it directly. After all, her boyfriend's family was quite well-off, and she hoped to live a life of luxury with him in the future. So, she could only patiently persuade him, "Well, we should at least eat, right? Then we can walk around a bit and then go to the hotel, okay? Don't spoil the fun for everyone..."

Of course, Xiao He only heard their conversation because his hearing was more acute than that of ordinary people; the others were unaware of it.

After exchanging pleasantries, it became clear that the guys weren't really interested in shopping and were just going through the motions to appease their girlfriends. So, after a few more pleasantries, they hailed two taxis and arrived at the Fine Food and Fashion Street.

At the beginning of the shopping trip, the three couples split into three separate groups to buy food from different stalls.

"Your hands are so cold." Xiao He breathed on Ye Wanqing's hands and rubbed them for her.

Ye Wanqing said pitifully, "I'm already wearing a lot of clothes. It's damp and cold here in Beichang City, so wearing more won't help. I shouldn't have come out. It's freezing outside at night. It would have been so much more comfortable staying at home, hugging my boyfriend to keep the blankets warm..."

"It's alright, Zhang Guangyao will be taking Yin Jia to the hotel soon, so let's go back early then," Xiao He said, warming her hands.

"Really? It seems her boyfriend really only wants to sleep with her..." Ye Wanqing muttered softly.

The three couples each bought their own snacks, but they would still get together occasionally to chat about the taste of the snacks they bought.

After dinner, they started browsing clothing and shoe stores, but since they were still just college students with limited spending power, they mostly just browsed and rarely bought anything. However, Xiao He and Ye Wanqing were different.

"Hey, Xiaoqing, would you like a pair of high heels?" Xiao He asked curiously, looking at the pair of high heels in front of him. "Your ankles are so beautiful, you'd definitely look gorgeous in high heels, and with stockings, you'd be absolutely stunning..."

"You're drooling!" Ye Wanqing couldn't help but chuckle. "But I can't wear high heels. I tried them on when Sister Man gave me the uniform, but I couldn't walk steadily at all... and my feet hurt so much."

"What will we do after we get married? Won't you wear high heels either?" Xiao He kissed her on the head and laughed. Ye Wanqing blushed slightly. "Well, I'll try my best on that day."

"Or you could just wear flats," Xiao He said with a smile, resting his chin on her shoulder and wrapping his arms around her slender waist. "Anyway, the wedding dress will be a long gown, covering your feet."

"Ugh... I never said I wanted to marry you," Ye Wanqing said softly and coquettishly, acting all coy and girlish.

"How adorable my Wanqing..." Xiao He couldn't help but exclaim. Although there were quite a few people in the shop, Xiao He felt that he and Ye Wanqing had their own little world, completely undisturbed by others.

However, at this moment, a commotion arose behind him. Xiao He turned around and glanced back, only to find that it was Zhang Guangyao, who was currently arguing with another slightly older man with curly hair. Judging from their conversation, it seemed that the curly-haired man had bumped into Zhang Guangyao while walking, causing his phone to fall to the ground.

"I've already apologized, what the hell do you want from me?!" the curly-haired man asked irritably.

"Is this how you apologize?! It's like I'm begging you to apologize! You have no sincerity at all!" Zhang Guangyao questioned angrily.

Yin Jia, standing nearby, advised, "Forget it, the phone isn't broken anyway..."

"It's not a matter of whether he's bad or not! It's that he has no manners!" Zhang Guangyao pushed Yin Jia away impatiently.

"Who the hell are you calling rude?" The curly-haired man, who was also with his girlfriend, was naturally embarrassed by being spoken to like that. He shoved Zhang Guangyao, and the argument escalated until even the shop assistants had to intervene to mediate. In the end, the two parted on bad terms.

However, even with the situation escalating to this point, Xiao He did not intervene.

He found both of them annoying, like children. If either of them had been more magnanimous, this wouldn't have dragged on until now. After all this arguing, neither of them would back down or dare to lay a hand on the other... It's like children arguing.

It's almost as if they're adding childish phrases like "rebound" or "rebound ineffective."

"What would you do if you were in this situation?" Ye Wanqing asked curiously. Xiao He thought for a moment and replied, "Either let it go, or beat him up. I wouldn't let it drag on like this, wasting everyone's time and making a fool of myself..."

"No fighting allowed..." Ye Wanqing frowned and scolded, "You're everyone's hero now."

However, after this incident, Zhang Guangyao's temper flared up, and he lost patience to continue shopping. So, in order to calm him down, Yin Jia had no choice but to take him to a hotel ahead of time.

Lu Chen and Zhou Huimei planned to go see a movie, so Xiao He and Ye Wanqing prepared to head home.

The two were waiting for the bus when a man grabbed Xiao He's shoulder from behind. Xiao He turned around and saw that it was the same curly-haired man from before, followed by three other men. It seemed that they were there for revenge.

"Not this guy..." the curly-haired man stared at Xiao He and demanded, "Where's that guy from just now?!"

"He went to a hotel with his girlfriend," Xiao He said absentmindedly, pointing behind him.

"Which hotel?! Which room?!" the curly-haired man asked impatiently.

"How would I know..." Xiao He said irritably, "Your companion went to a hotel with his girlfriend and you asked for her room number?"

Ye Wanqing glanced nervously at the group, then tugged at Xiao He's arm and said, "Old Xiao, the car's here, let's get in."

Of course, the car that arrived wasn't the one they were supposed to ride in; Ye Wanqing just wanted to leave as soon as possible.

"Did I fucking say you could leave?!" The curly-haired man grabbed Xiao He's arm, looked him up and down with disdain, and said, "Look at you, so poor, you reek of poverty... What kind of car do you drive? Why don't you drive it out and we'll have a run for our money?"

At that moment, a surge of anger erupted from Xiao He's heart. Without saying a word, he turned around, put one hand on the curly-haired man's neck, and easily pinned him against the bus stop sign, lifting his feet off the ground.

"Bump and run? How about we bump and run now?" Xiao He sneered. "A car? Tell me, what kind of car does a dead person need? A hearse?"

The man struggled frantically in his grasp, but could not break free no matter what he did. His face gradually turned crimson. Seeing this, the other three stepped forward and punched and kicked Xiao He, shouting for him to let go. However, it was like hitting a tree; they couldn't move him at all.

"Old Xiao, forget it..." Ye Wanqing said fearfully from the side.

However, before Xiao He could take any further action, two members of the Special Response Department dressed in black suits emerged from the corner and showed their identification to the four curly-haired men.

"We are from the Beichang City Police Department. We suspect the four of you of engaging in organized crime activities. Please cooperate with our investigation." The two Special Response Department members said bluntly, then took the four bewildered men away. Before leaving, one of them nodded to Xiao He, signaling the other two to leave quickly.

"..." Xiao He was still a little confused: it turned out that the Special Response Department had been secretly following them all along...

He and Ye Wanqing didn't waste the Special Response Department's kindness and quickly slipped back home.

"Thankfully, the Special Response Department arrived." Ye Wanqing breathed a sigh of relief as she changed her shoes. Xiao He hesitated beside her and asked, "Do you... do you think what I did just now was violent? You're not starting to be afraid of me, are you?"

"How could that be? You're my boyfriend," Ye Wanqing said, taking his arm. "However, your reaction just now was a bit excessive... You're usually not like this."

Xiao He frowned, hesitated for a long time, but finally decided to speak, "Wanqing, I have something to tell you, something that no one knows, not even Sister Man. I hope you won't be too disappointed in me after hearing it..."

Ye Wanqing's beautiful eyes widened. "Is it... about Lin Tiannan?"

Xiao He nodded uneasily. "Actually... I do know Lin Tiannan, but I haven't told anyone about it."

"You know him?" Ye Wanqing asked, somewhat surprised. Xiao He sighed, "Although he's not in the same department as me, he was a high school classmate of someone in my department named Di Xiehai. Back then, all the guys in our department created accounts on the same WOW server and started a guild. Lin Tiannan joined with Di Xiehai, so we met indirectly. We were just acquaintances, not friends, but that guy in my department was a particularly annoying noob. He was very irresponsible during raids, and his mistakes often caused the whole team to wipe. One time, I was really annoyed by him, so I said a few words to him."

"Did Lin Tiannan hire someone to beat you up?" Ye Wanqing asked nervously.

"If that's the case, then so be it," Xiao He chuckled. "Because I reprimanded Di Xiehai in front of the entire group, the next day he came to our department and humiliated me in front of everyone. He mocked that my game rank wasn't as high as his, then ridiculed that my family's financial situation wasn't as good as his, and even said things like, 'Why don't we drive out and have a race? Don't you know what kind of person you are?'"

"This is disgusting!" Ye Wanqing said with disgust. "Why don't you argue with him?"

"What's the use?" Xiao He sneered. "When he pulled out the money, he wasn't planning on talking about right or wrong. Am I an idiot? But I'm richer than you; I did something wrong? But I'm richer than you; you don't like cars? You're a poor bastard."

"Sigh, that's true. The values of this society have been distorted." Ye Wanqing sighed and said, "And then what happened?"

"That day, he was driving his MSDS with Di Xiehai in the car when he encountered me on the road," Xiao He said calmly. "Then, he drove his car towards me at high speed. But there was a certain distance between us, enough time for me to react and avoid it."

At this point, Xiao He turned to Ye Wanqing: "But I didn't avoid him, because when I saw him, I felt incredibly powerful, as if I could do anything, so I stood there waiting for him to crash into me."

"Then why isn't he slowing down?" Ye Wanqing asked, dissatisfied. "He's driving; in this situation, he definitely needs to slow down, right?"

"He probably thought I'd back down and run away at the last minute," Xiao He sneered. "Anyway, he crashed into me at a considerable speed and was then kicked away by me... He was taken to the hospital, where he suffered a spinal injury and was paralyzed on one side. Di Xiehai also suffered multiple fractures and spent more than half a year in the hospital."

"That's what Sister Man helped you resolve..." Ye Wanqing suddenly realized.

Xiao He nodded, then placed his hand on Ye Wanqing's shoulder. "I haven't told anyone about this... I never intended to tell anyone, but seeing how well you always think of me, I feel a little uneasy, as if I've been deceiving you."

"Silly boy..." Ye Wanqing touched his cheek and smiled, "He was in the wrong in this matter to begin with. Besides, even if both sides are right and wrong, I will stand by your side because you are my man and I should support you."

Hearing this, Xiao He breathed a sigh of relief. He touched Ye Wanqing's little face and kissed her on the lips. "She truly is my precious girl..."

"Hehe." Ye Wanqing smiled sweetly, then said with some curiosity, "But why would Lin Tiannan go to such lengths to help his friend? I always feel like there's something wrong with their relationship..."

"You know what, it's actually quite possible," Xiao He said irritably. "That guy has always been effeminate, I don't know if it's because he plays the guzheng or because he's just naturally effeminate, even his game name is 'Xiao Nanzi,' such an effeminate ID."

But at this moment, Ye Wanqing suddenly froze on the spot, her face full of surprise.

"What's wrong, Little Pufferfish?" Xiao He asked curiously, gently pinching her little nose.

"Old Xiao ... I think I might know this 'Lin Tiannan'." Ye Wanqing said in astonishment. Now it was Xiao He's turn to be stunned. He asked incredulously, "Really?! Are you sure the Lin Tiannan you know is the same Lin Tiannan as the one I know?"

Ye Wanqing nodded. "It's a friend of one of my high school classmates. I remembered it when you mentioned playing the guzheng. Because I've seen very few men play the guzheng, plus the online name 'Xiao Nanzi'... it must be right."

"No wonder..." Xiao He muttered to himself, "So it was only when you renamed someone else 'Lin Tiannan' that my Superpower worked, because you actually made me identify the enemy as a specific 'Lin Tiannan'..."

"That's the Lin Tiannan we both know." Ye Wanqing nodded. "I always thought it was strange... why could I change my name but not just use a new one? Turns out it's because I changed it to a specific 'Lin Tiannan'."

"Anyway, that's how it is," Xiao He said, his leg shaking nervously. "I hope you don't think I'm too mean."

"No, no," Ye Wanqing said cheerfully, grabbing his hand. "This whole thing was Lin Tiannan's fault. Whether he had chosen to slow down or change course, things wouldn't have turned out this way. But he didn't... and ended up like this. It can only be said that it was his retribution."

"But..." Xiao He sighed, "This is truly the first time I've ever hated someone to the point of wanting them dead. You know, I've always been quite popular in class, and I get along well with everyone."

"Then, you tell me..." Ye Wanqing looked at him hesitantly, tentatively asking, "Could your ability come from this?"

"..." Xiao He was silent for a moment, then said, "I don't know."