Meeting

After finishing her instant noodles, Ye Wanqing insisted on making Xiao He a bowl of fried rice with eggs.

Xiao He was indeed hungry. How could a guy weighing over 150 pounds possibly be full from just a packet of instant noodles? So Ye Wanqing's bowl of fried rice was a huge help.

That's more like it... Watching Xiao He devour the fried rice, Ye Wanqing rested her chin on her hand, nodded in satisfaction, and felt that her day was finally complete.

After dinner, Ye Wanqing went to the kitchen to wash the dishes with him.

"Actually, it's fine if I wash it all by myself. Aren't you tired today?" Xiao He said, frowning.

"It's alright, I slept for a while, I'm much better now," Ye Wanqing said calmly, handing over the plate she was holding. "Here, rinse it clean."

Xiao He responded and took the plate from Ye Wanqing's hand. The two didn't say much, but they were very tacit. Their hands and arms would occasionally touch lightly, but neither of them felt uncomfortable.

A peculiar feeling rose in Xiao He's chest, then slowly expanded, making him feel somewhat lightheaded. Though faint, it was like the bowl of porridge he drank in the morning, gently and lovingly nourishing him.

Is this happiness? Xiao He couldn't help but wonder.

Ye Wanqing, standing nearby, was also a little dazed, unable to suppress her inner joy: Ugh, it's just washing dishes together, why am I so happy...?

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, it took me twenty minutes to wash a few broken bowls.

Before going to bed, Xiao He knocked on her door. At that moment, the girl was kneeling on the bed and "tidying up" her messy table.

It was called "tidying up," but it really just meant putting the things she might use at night on the bedside table so she could easily reach them. After tidying up, it felt even messier than before.

"Cough cough..." Seeing the chaos in front of him, Xiao He felt uncomfortable all over and couldn't help but cough.

"What?" Ye Wanqing glared at him warily. "You're not allowed in."

"Take your cold medicine." Xiao He tossed him a strip of capsules. "Weren't you sneezing all day? Take this and get a good night's sleep."

"Okay." Ye Wanqing glanced at the cold medicine in front of her and secretly pursed her lips: It was just a sneeze, why are you making such a fuss... If you care so much about me, then don't always argue with me.

But...

Ye Wanqing secretly glanced at Xiao He's back and thought for a moment: It seems like we've been arguing much less lately.

Xiao He returned to his room, turned on his computer, and stared blankly at the screen.

His mind was a mess right now. Ever since Ye Wanqing returned from the National Day holiday, and he suddenly realized what a beautiful and lovely girl she was, his attitude towards Ye Wanqing had changed. (Author's note: The number of heart gestures between you two has also changed.)

"Ugh, men are such pathetic creatures..." Xiao He complained, punching himself in the face. "Don't get attracted to someone just because they've become more beautiful! Seriously!"

The next morning, Ye Wanqing's knocking woke him up.

"It's still the National Day holiday, sleep a little longer..." Xiao He complained unhappily.

Ye Wanqing said from outside the door, "We're going to the Special Response Department today, didn't you remember? Get up quickly, or breakfast will get cold."

Breakfast! Xiao He immediately opened his eyes and got up at lightning speed.

As soon as you open the door, a pleasant aroma of grains wafts out.

Upon arriving at the table, one finds a bowl of eight-treasure porridge and a rolled pancake filled with eggs, pork tenderloin, and scallions.

Having a girlfriend who can cook is such a blessing! Xiao He felt like he was about to cry.

"Ah--" After swallowing a mouthful of eight-treasure porridge, feeling the warm and nourishing sensation, Xiao He couldn't help but close his eyes. Then he grabbed a rolled pancake and took a bite. The spicy and sweet scallions, fried egg, and pork tenderloin were even more delicious with the sweet bean sauce.

"How's your cold?" Xiao He asked, sipping his porridge.

Ye Wanqing shifted her gaze. "It's nothing serious. It wasn't that bad to begin with. Taking some medicine is just a precaution."

"That's good..." Xiao He nodded and continued eating.

For a moment, the two of them ate their meal, and the room fell silent.

"We should go buy some minced meat; we can make dumplings and steamed buns," Ye Wanqing said abruptly.

"No problem, I'll go buy it when I get back from the Special Response Department today," Xiao He replied.

"What kind of filling do you like?" Ye Wanqing asked tentatively. Xiao He thought for a moment and said, "For dumplings, chive filling would be very good. As for steamed buns... braised pork buns and fresh pork buns are both quite nice."

"Then let's make braised pork buns and chive dumplings," Ye Wanqing nodded. "When you don't feel like cooking, just steam some dumplings or buns. Don't always eat instant noodles; it's unhealthy."

"Yes..." Xiao He was somewhat moved: Did she do this for me?

After breakfast, they got into Li Zhiqiang's car and went to the Special Response Department. There were meetings and experiments scheduled for today.

This "experiment" made Xiao He a little uneasy. Every time he came to the Special Response Department to conduct experiments, he almost never got away with it. He wondered what kind of experiment he would be doing today.

However, the meeting started first, with Cui Man, Xie Haining, Xia Yu, and other members of the Special Response Department all present.

"The purpose of this meeting is to discuss what happened yesterday," Cui Man said with a solemn expression, "Namely, the fact that 'species other than humans could also be Mutant.' I don't need to explain how serious this is, right?"

"I don't think every creature can become Mutant," a technician said, raising his hand. "First, it must have the intelligence to realize it has Superpower, that is, it must possess a certain level of thinking ability. Otherwise, even if it has Superpower, it can only use them for its instinctive behaviors, such as hunting and competing for mating rights..."

"I agree with that. Without a certain level of intelligence, even Mutant cannot pose a threat to humans; they wouldn't have the concept of 'using Superpower.'" Another researcher chimed in. "But if it were a crocodile, shark, or jaguar—creatures that might attack humans...then things would be complicated."

A hush fell over the room. Cui Man waved her hand as if shooing away a fly. "Anyone who is Mutant falls under the purview of our Special Response Department. In the long run, the Special Response Department needs more manpower and Mutant to deal with various situations that may arise in the future. It's foreseeable that there will be more and more Mutant in the future, and our work will become increasingly busy. Everyone should be mentally prepared."

As she spoke, Cui Man rested her chin on her hand and pondered, "I have to go ask my old man for funds again..."

However, she quickly perked up, clapped her hands, and said, "Alright, that's enough for now. Everyone, remember to pay more attention to similar incidents in the future, and don't limit the Mutant to humans."

Then she turned to Xie Haining and Xia Yu: "You two continue training," followed by Xiao He and Ye Wanqing, "You two come with me; we're going to conduct some experiments on your abilities today."

"Sigh, are they going to draw my blood again?" Xiao He sighed and asked. Cui Man looked at him seriously and replied, "Today's experiment will focus on the two of your Superpower mechanisms."

"Me too?" Ye Wanqing seemed slightly surprised.

Cui Man nodded. "Last time, Wanqing's ability wasn't activated immediately, right? So today, our experiment will be based on the activation mechanism of your two abilities. We'll conduct various trials to understand the conditions and details under which your abilities trigger each other."