Imagination

A moment later.

Lin Xinyi followed Miyano Shiho to a rather upscale-looking Western restaurant.

At a reserved window seat inside the restaurant, Miyano Shiho's older sister had already been waiting for quite some time.

Miyano Shiho's sister was also a beauty, but unlike her iceberg-like younger sister, she seemed gentler, warmer, more cheerful, and more approachable.

Seeing her sister arrive late, the older sister immediately went up to her with a hint of concern and gave her a tight hug.

After a round of concern and greetings, even Miyano Shiho's usual icy expression gradually melted in her sister's warm embrace.

Of course, once she remembered that Lin Xinyi was standing nearby—

Miyano Shiho immediately lifted her head from the embrace and tried her best to turn away, refusing to let Lin Xinyi see the warm smile on her face that would "ruin her character setting."

At the same time, Lin Xinyi came face-to-face with Miyano Shiho's sister.

Seeing this "bodyguard" who was practically part of the background, the gentle Miyano sister gave him a pleasant smile and nodded politely in greeting.

From the sisters' conversation, Lin Xinyi roughly learned that this Miyano sister was named "Akemi"—Miyano Akemi.

But that was the extent of what he knew about Miss Miyano Akemi.

Because the Miyano Sisters wanted to talk alone, and as the accompanying bodyguard, he naturally would not sit at the same table as them.

"You two talk. I'll sit over there."

Lin Xinyi conscientiously moved several tables away, leaving the Miyano Sisters plenty of private space.

He sat down alone, while Miyano Shiho began chatting with her sister as usual.

Lin Xinyi could not hear their conversation clearly.

However, his gaze still unconsciously lingered on the Miyano Sisters, especially Miyano Akemi.

Something seems off...

Miss Miyano Akemi is a bank employee?

The outfit Miyano Akemi wore had had its labels removed, but it was clearly a bank employee's uniform.

She had probably rushed over to see her sister straight after work, without even having time to change.

And that contradicted Lin Xinyi's earlier guess.

Based on the limited clues and his own identity as a "bodyguard," he had previously inferred that Miyano Shiho was a young heiress with a powerful background.

But now, if Miyano Shiho really was a rich young lady, why would her sister be wearing the uniform of an ordinary bank employee?

Could she be a rich girl doing grassroots work to gild her résumé?

The moment the thought surfaced, Lin Xinyi felt that something was wrong with it.

No... Her handbag looks like an ordinary civilian product too. It doesn't look like something a wealthy person would own.

He fixed his gaze on the leather handbag Miyano Akemi had brought with her.

Yes, as an iron-straight man with no time for romance, he had nonetheless developed a certain degree of expertise in women's fashion, high-end shoes, handbags, and similar fields.

That was mainly because—

When encountering an unidentified female corpse whose identity was difficult to confirm, forensic examiners often had to use the victim's clothes, shoes, and bags left at the scene to infer her dressing habits, financial means, and spending level, helping the police further narrow down their investigation.

If the victim wore niche-brand clothing or limited-edition shoes and handbags, it made the police's identification work even easier.

And now, based on his experience, Lin Xinyi roughly concluded that Miss Miyano Akemi's financial means seemed to be no more than average.

How could this be...?

How could Miyano's sister be an ordinary bank employee with limited money?

Could their family's child-rearing philosophy be to raise rich daughters poor, letting them experience ordinary life?

No, that's not right...

Lin Xinyi suddenly came to a realization.

He suddenly noticed a problem.

His imagination had been constrained all along by the common sense of the real world.

This is another world with supernatural powers!

Many things that could never exist in reality might happen here. This kind of place doesn't follow science, common sense, or logic at all.

In a supernatural world, anything is possible...

I should let go and imagine boldly!

At that moment, Lin Xinyi abruptly opened the door to a "new world."

Armed security, a cold and aloof superior, a heavily guarded laboratory, an excessively young female scientist, his assignment to protect Miyano Shiho, and the supernatural powers that had already come to light—

All the clues he had gathered so far converged in his mind.

Lin Xinyi could not help but let his imagination run wild—

Hypothesis One:

Perhaps this was a world where martial artists, magic, and superpowers existed.

The company where Lin Xinyi worked appeared to be an ordinary biotechnology company, but was actually an illegal experimental base secretly established by the underground criminal syndicate to find a way to break through the limits of humanity.

Miyano Shiho might be a genius female scientist who had undergone human modification and possessed extraordinary intelligence and top-tier martial talent.

The original Lin Xinyi had merely been an ordinary thug sent by the organization to monitor that female scientist. He had poor talent, shallow skills, low status, and suffered the contempt of his colleagues every day.

But now, he was the transmigrated protagonist who had crossed over with profound martial arts from Earth.

The rest of the plot went without saying.

Lin Xinyi would rely on an ancestral secret manual to ascend through the realms, then meet Miyano Shiho, come to understand her, fight alongside her, battle monsters and level up all the way to the top, and overthrow the underground syndicate behind the company.

But to his utter surprise, that syndicate would only be a lackey of some technology conglomerate, and the syndicate's boss would be nothing more than an ant in that conglomerate's eyes.

He would keep fighting monsters, leveling up, and defeat the technology conglomerate.

But to his utter surprise, that technology conglomerate would only be a lackey of some reclusive sect, and the conglomerate's boss would not amount to even a fly before that sect.

Fight monsters, level up—

But to his utter surprise, that reclusive sect would only be a lackey of some alien force, and the sect master would be, in that alien force's eyes—

Uh... Something seems wrong here.

This version's setting is way too Chinese.

Since this is Japan in another world, maybe it won't follow the same tropes as China.

In any case, there were not enough clues. He could only guess.

And once Lin Xinyi's imagination started running, it could not be stopped.

Hypothesis Two:

The biotechnology company where he worked was simply an ordinary biotech company with a high level of secrecy.

Miyano Shiho was a conglomerate heiress and genius young scientist, characterized as emotionless, icy, and aloof.

Miyano Akemi, meanwhile, was a rich girl who enjoyed ordinary life, characterized as cheerful, gentle, and warm.

As for Lin Xinyi, he was merely a Japanese shut-in whose parents had both died. Though he possessed extraordinary skills, he had no drive and had been coasting along as a private bodyguard.

After that, naturally, through all sorts of coincidences, there would be various fan-service moments, girls throwing themselves at him, killer scenes, and love-triangle chaos between him and the Miyano Sisters.

During that time, there would also be all the standard elements: a cousin coming to his door, a beautiful girl falling from the sky, a childhood friend reunited after years apart, an enthusiastic blond-haired best friend, and so on.

Oh, he had nearly forgotten about the supernatural powers.

No problem. Just add martial arts and magic to the above setting. It would not affect the plot at all.

Uh...

This one seems a little too wishful.

Lin Xinyi soberly stopped imagining and continued thinking.

And this version doesn't make the biotech company setting stand out enough.

Speaking of biotech companies, heavily guarded laboratories are more common in American stories.

Hypothesis Three:

The company where Lin Xinyi worked appeared to be an ordinary biotechnology company, but was actually a virus research base set up by a multinational corporation.

Miyano Shiho was the genius scientist who knew the truth about the virus and was one of its main developers.

Lin Xinyi, meanwhile, was the captain of the combat team responsible for monitoring and protecting her.

The later plot was easy to imagine—the virus accidentally leaked, and everyone in the city turned into zombies.

Miyano Shiho injected herself and Lin Xinyi with the last two doses of antiviral serum. While struggling to survive amid the apocalypse, they fought against the multinational corporation behind it all.

During the struggle, they met a busty but brainless blonde beauty, a loyal and dependable Black soldier, a sleazy-looking Asian computer expert, and a gay couple devoted to each other—

The group formed a team and jointly exposed the multinational corporation's evil conspiracy, only to discover in the end that the true culprit was actually the American government and the American president hiding behind the scenes.

After overcoming countless hardships and defeating the American president, the final big boss, Lin Xinyi confessed to Miyano Shiho, the female lead, amid the ruins of the battlefield.

Just as the two were about to share a passionate kiss to the music—

A transgender person suddenly rushed out from the side and beat Lin Xinyi to death with a Golf Club.

It turned out Lin Xinyi had killed his father after he became a zombie, and he had come to seek revenge.

At the end of the story, Miyano Shiho sighed, "A zombie's life is a life too," and magnanimously forgave the murderer who killed Lin Xinyi.

"..."

"..."

What the hell am I even thinking about?

After letting his imagination run wild, Lin Xinyi covered his face helplessly.

Underground organizations, conglomerate heiresses, multinational corporations, human experiments, mutated viruses, genius young female scientists, imprisoned female researchers...

Could such ridiculous things really appear in my life?

Once his thoughts returned to normal, even he felt that he had seemed a little insane just now.

I'd better not think in such exaggerated directions...

My original guess might not have been wrong after all.

Maybe Miss Miyano Akemi simply likes experiencing ordinary life, which is why she works as a bank employee?

And maybe I really am just an ordinary private bodyguard.

Lin Xinyi comforted himself like that.

He wanted a peaceful life more than anything, and he had no desire for those earlier fantasies to become reality.

As he sat there thinking quietly—

A restaurant server suddenly approached with a smile. "Sir, please pay the bill."

"Pay the bill?" Lin Xinyi was slightly stunned.

"Yes," the server explained. "Our restaurant charges at the same time as ordering."

"This..." Lin Xinyi frowned slightly. "But I haven't even ordered yet. Why am I being asked to pay?"

"It's not your bill."

The server pointed toward the Miyano Sisters seated in the distance.

"It's the bill for those two ladies."

"They said you would be paying for this meal."

Lin Xinyi: "..."

I'm paying?

They're using my money again?!

Lin Xinyi realized that his previous guess had indeed been wrong.

The Miyano Sisters were definitely not rich young heiresses—

They were just two broke freeloaders!

Thank you to alliance leader Renmin Ribao for the generous support!

Thank you to hall leader Nevrous and fisher Slow Fisherman for the generous support!

Thanks! (*°°)=3