Superheroes

(Thanks to Zhulu Between Cliffs for the 1500 x 3 reward.)

After completing the research on the "NP=P?" problem, Cui Man did not ask them to do anything else that day and sent them back to their apartment. The side effects of Xiao He's excessive use of his ability also surfaced. He felt utterly exhausted and lightheaded; even playing games was difficult, so he could only watch shows.

"Your ability is amazing..." Ye Wanqing sighed as she changed her shoes. "Do you know that 'NP=P?' ranks first among the Millennium Problems? They say anyone who solves a Millennium Problem can claim a one-million-dollar reward."

"Oh?" Xiao He raised his brows at once. "Then how about we work together and solve all the Millennium Problems? Seven problems, seven million dollars—more than forty million yuan! I get sixty percent, you get forty."

"If we're splitting it, it should be fifty-fifty." Ye Wanqing glared at him, and Xiao He immediately frowned. "Hey, aren't you being a little greedy? I'm the one solving the problems. Look at me—I'm so dizzy my head's about to burst. What's wrong with me getting a little more? Giving you forty percent is already generous enough, okay?"

"Pfft." Ye Wanqing stuck out her small pink tongue at him. "I refuse."

"Why?" Xiao He frowned. "I think this job has a bleak future. It might get harder and harder from now on."

"Because," Ye Wanqing said as she crouched by the wall to scoop Tuantuan's litter, "it just feels dangerous. What if solving all seven major problems causes some terrible consequences? You heard what that researcher said today too. This algorithm could make all encryption in the world into a joke. Aren't you afraid the things you calculate might destroy the world?"

"Well, that's true..." Xiao He muttered with a curl of his lips. "For an algorithm at this level, one million dollars is way too cheap. It should sell for at least a few hundred million."

"That's not the point, okay?" Ye Wanqing shot him an annoyed glare. "All right, enough. Go take a shower first."

"Oh? You're letting me shower first today?" Xiao He sneered. "Then don't blame me if there's no hot water halfway through."

"Can't I just heat some more water before I shower?" Ye Wanqing pursed her lips and frowned, her gaze filled with disdain. "An electric water heater just heats water slowly. You only need to heat it ahead of time. Usually, you insist on showering right after I finish. If you wait half an hour, it'll heat up another full tank of hot water."

"Is that how it works!?" Xiao He asked in surprise. "My family always used gas water heaters. How was I supposed to know?"

"Now you do." Ye Wanqing rolled her eyes. "All right, go shower. Consider it a reward for working so hard today."

And so, for the first time, Xiao He took a shower with hot water from beginning to end.

When Ye Wanqing came out after showering, Xiao He was on the sofa holding Tuantuan. This silver shaded cat was strange. Whenever it was with Ye Wanqing, it was especially fierce, either biting or scratching, but in front of him, it was exceptionally well-behaved and clingy.

"You clearly like cats so much. Why did you say you didn't like pets when I suggested getting one?" Ye Wanqing asked in confusion as she watched Xiao He play with Tuantuan.

"The thing about pets is that they'll always leave before their owners do," Xiao He said, lightly scratching Tuantuan beneath the chin with his index finger.

The cat lay in his arms with its eyes closed, looking utterly content, quiet and well-behaved.

"Then you could just keep a turtle," Ye Wanqing said. She reached over to pet Tuantuan's head, but after just one touch, the silver shaded cat swung its paw and smacked her hand, then let out a low "wuuu" at her.

"I'm the one who cleans your litter, feeds you, and bathes you!" Ye Wanqing said irritably.

"That's just how cats are." Xiao He replied weakly. "The more you want to cling to them, the less they like you. Give them some space and don't bother them. When they want to act cute with you, they'll come to you naturally."

"Why are you acting like some cat-raising expert?" Ye Wanqing muttered, casting him a resentful sidelong glance.

"When I was little, I lived with my grandma. She kept several cats. They were all ordinary domestic cats, but they were very smart," Xiao He explained. Ye Wanqing suddenly understood. "No wonder cats like you so much..."

"Sigh, lately, it's just..." Xiao He frowned and sighed. "It's really annoying."

"It has nothing to do with me." Ye Wanqing said angrily. "You're the one who never gets up earlier in the morning."

"I'm not talking about the bathroom. I mean this job," Xiao He complained. "It's just... how should I put it? Look, there aren't any proper missions. We're either getting rid of Typhoon or solving math problems."

"What do you want to do, then?" Ye Wanqing asked curiously. Xiao He lifted Tuantuan into the air and replied, "Like... villains. Isn't there a villain like Thanos or something? Why are all our opponents so random?"

"Idiot..." Ye Wanqing gave a mocking laugh. "It's probably because China is relatively peaceful. Besides, the mutation rate was low to begin with. The Special Response Department searched for so long and only found the two of us. Where would they find someone to play your villain?"

Xiao He shrugged, feeling that she had a point.

Then Ye Wanqing added, "Besides, I think things are pretty good as they are. Doing missions like these is what superheroes in China should feel like."

"Why?" Xiao He turned to look at Ye Wanqing in confusion.

"Because, look, America's superheroes go fight villains, then after beating them, they leave the public there to keep being exploited by the capitalist class, suffering in hunger and poverty. But China's superheroes should save people from suffering. The ones who improve other people's lives are the real heroes," Ye Wanqing said seriously.

Her words touched Xiao He somewhat. It was true: resolving Typhoon had successfully prevented everyone's economic losses, while solving the "NP=P?" problem could accelerate their country's computer development and help improve the public's smart lives in the future. Defeating those fictional villains would not change anyone's life; it would only restore life to how it had been.

Maybe that was what real superheroes were supposed to be like.

It turned out Ye Wanqing understood far better than he did. She had known all along what superheroes were supposed to be like. Her words made Xiao He see her in a slightly better light.

"Hold her and don't move," Ye Wanqing said. She came up behind Xiao He and reached out to pet Tuantuan in his arms.

That brought them a little too close. Ye Wanqing caught a very unusual fragrance coming from Xiao He. Normally, she hated it when boys wore perfume; she thought men who wore perfume were ridiculously affected. But for some reason, the scent on Xiao He smelled wonderful. It was somewhat familiar and made her heart flutter a little. As she stroked Tuantuan, she could not help taking a few more breaths of it.

"What are you doing?" Xiao He stared at Ye Wanqing suspiciously. Her face instantly flushed red, and she snapped in embarrassment, "You—what kind of grown man wears perfume? Isn't that disgusting!?"

Xiao He smiled faintly. The favorable impression of Ye Wanqing that he had only just managed to build vanished in an instant.

"Miss, that's not perfume. It's floral water, also known as mosquito repellent," Xiao He said with a smile that did not reach his eyes.

"What brand is it?" Ye Wanqing asked tentatively with a frown. Xiao He replied, "Liushen. If you want some, I can lend you mine."

"All right..." Ye Wanqing still felt her face burning, so she hurriedly turned around. "I'm going back to my room to rest."