Chapter 50: Copy (1)
50 – Copy (1)
Holding Zhi Zhen securely, he answered the video call—after all, Zhi Zhen was the main purpose of their videos, though over the past few days, it had only made brief appearances, meowing at Dong Jun a few times before Lin Xun and Dong Jun started their awkward small talk.
—Though it wasn’t exactly awkward. If they touched on professional topics, they could easily chat for hours without realizing it.
But not today. Something had happened today.
The video connected, and today Dong Jun was wearing a silver silk shirt, slightly ornate in style, with a crystal-clear cufflink of an indistinguishable material, exuding a classical elegance.
Lin Xun held Zhi Zhen’s paw and waved it at him.
Dong Jun smiled faintly.
He seemed to see the room’s furnishings through the camera: “You went out?”
“Mm.” Lin Xun shifted slightly to let Dong Jun see the room’s arrangement and the neatly placed supplies for Zhi Zhen in the corner.
He explained: “The house I lived in as a child… Well, over there is the computer I used back then. It’s not very functional now.”
Dong Jun seemed to be looking intently: “It’s very beautiful.”
Lin Xun: “When I was little, my grandfather taught me programming on this computer, using C.”
He smiled and continued: “But back then, I liked math more. My sister didn’t like this kind of thing at all. In the end, neither of us turned out like my grandfather. He was a very skilled engineer.”
Dong Jun: “You’re also very skilled now.”
“Maybe.” Lin Xun: “Today, people online said I’m all looks and no substance.”
Dong Jun: “If you’re unhappy, I can remove it.”
Lin Xun: “So you really can remove it at will.”
Dong Jun didn’t say anything, just smiled slightly.
“Alright…” Lin Xun hugged Zhi Zhen: “Then can I interpret this as you using me to indirectly come out? Do you feel troubled by your ‘wife fans’?”
Dong Jun slowly interlaced his fingers and placed them on the wooden desk: “If you insist on interpreting it that way…”
Lin Xun: “It’s hard for me to interpret it any other way.”
Dong Jun: “Then you really do seem like a kid.”
Lin Xun: “…”
He had other guesses, but he wouldn’t dare ask even with ten times the courage. If he guessed wrong, he might be so embarrassed he’d never be able to speak to Dong Jun again.
“I’m an adult,” he thought for a moment and said, “Anyway, my idol must have his reasons.”
Dong Jun: “You seem to have your own way of dealing with problems when you encounter them.”
Lin Xun’s eyes darted around nervously. He felt like Dong Jun was cornering him step by step.
But Dong Jun didn’t continue the topic.
He said calmly: “My schedule has changed. I’ll probably be back earlier.”
Lin Xun: “How many days earlier?”
Dong Jun: “Probably the day after tomorrow.”
“That’s tough,” Lin Xun said, “Um… I’ll probably be at home all afternoon tomorrow and the day after. You can come pick up Zhi Zhen, or I can bring Zhi Zhen back.”
Hearing its name, Zhi Zhen, who had been lazily sprawled on Lin Xun’s lap, lifted its head to look at Lin Xun and let out a soft “meow.”
Looking into its eyes, Lin Xun felt reluctant to part with it.
Dong Jun: “You two get along well.”
Lin Xun rubbed Zhi Zhen’s head: “Its personality probably gets along well with anyone.”
Dong Jun: “Actually, no.”
Lin Xun: “Hmm?”
Dong Jun: “It scratched Ruan Zhi and some others.”
Lin Xun was somewhat taken aback and looked down at the kitten.
—The kitten was diligently kneading on him, one paw after another, showing no sign of aggression.
Lin Xun: “Then I’m honored?”
Dong Jun smiled: “Perhaps I’ll need you to take care of it occasionally in the future.”
Lin Xun: “Of course.”
The conversation ended there. After a superficial exchange of pleasantries, the call disconnected.
Lin Xun let out a soft sigh, closed his laptop, and placed Zhi Zhen in front of him.
He said seriously to Zhi Zhen: “Sweetheart, I’m a little scared, really.”
Zhi Zhen meowed, seemingly confused.
Lin Xun: “Has your Dong Jun ever been in a relationship?”
Zhi Zhen tilted its head: “Meow?”
Lin Xun: “He seems quite experienced in keeping canaries.”
Zhi Zhen continued to meow innocently.
“But,” he frowned slightly, “why?”
Zhi Zhen: “Meow.”
Lin Xun: “…Forget it, I won’t talk to a little liar.”
He shut the little liar in the bedroom and went to the study next door.
Part of the bookshelf contained Lin Ting’s old sketchbooks and favorite literary works, but the larger portion was technical books.
He picked out a few hefty volumes on computer fundamentals, held them in his arms, and prepared to leave.
A yellowed sticky note drifted down from a Linux textbook.
Lin Xun set the books down and bent to pick it up.
It was a slender white sticky note, likely used as a bookmark or to mark important content. Written on it in black ink was a word resembling a name, but with punctuation in the middle.
Co·Lin
The handwriting was elegant and fluid.
What was this? Lin Xun frowned.
He didn’t know what “Co” meant, but “Lin” was Lin—was it his grandfather’s old possession? But the old man didn’t use such sticky notes; they were more popular among middle school students, and his grandfather’s handwriting wasn’t like this either.
Co…
Code?
Lin Daima?
Lin Xun: “?”
There was only Lin Suanfa in the world, so what was Lin Daima?
Moreover, Lin Xun was certain he had never read this book.
He put it back but kept the matter in mind—he prided himself on knowing every detail of this study, yet today, an unexpected discovery had emerged.
Carrying the books back to his room and placating Zhi Zhen, who was slightly annoyed at being shut in, he returned to his bed.
The bed and blankets were soft, and it wasn’t the size of a single bed. A faint scent of sunlight and wood seemed to linger around, just like in his childhood memories.
He thought he would struggle to fall asleep due to his troubled thoughts, but in fact, enveloped by this familiar and comforting scent, he drifted into sleep almost as soon as he closed his eyes.
In his dream, he was still in this room, solving math competition problems. Birds chirped from the pomegranate tree downstairs, and a serene piano melody drifted from the neighbor’s house across the street.
He spent a long time solving an indeterminate equation, only to conclude that it had “no solution.”
The dream was short, and Lin Xun was awakened by the sound of birds.
Another ordinary day began. He ate the breakfast his sister had made herself, greeted the old neighbors, and finally pruned the pomegranate tree—during which Zhi Zhen performed the feats of climbing the tree and getting stuck in its branches.
After finishing what needed to be done, they drove back to the capital.
Though they had only been away for a short day, the dark clouds piled over the city had grown twice as heavy.
Lin Ting: “A heavy rain is coming.”
Lin Xun: “Probably.”
He thought for a moment: “You should hurry back to school.”
Lin Ting: “I won’t be staying for long.”
Lin Xun: “Mm.”
He knew this black cloud layer wasn’t ordinary dark clouds, but demonic Qi.
The “Happy Harmonious Family” group chat summarized the daily demonic creature situations every day, and the situation was growing increasingly severe. More and more Cultivation disciples were leaving their sects to come support the capital—according to last night’s mutual boasting among seniors in the group, Old Man Huo alone had already slain over a hundred demonic creatures.
The journey passed in silence as the little Jetta slowly drove to the residential building.
At the entrance of the unit building stood two unfamiliar elderly women in floral-patterned clothes, holding the hand of a seven or eight-year-old boy, constantly peering into the hallway.
The moment Lin Xun got out of the car, they caught him.
“Young man,” one elderly woman said in a booming voice, “do you know where Old Doctor Huo lives?”
Old Doctor Huo?
Lin Xun knew very well.
He: “You’re looking for him?”
The elderly woman: “Exactly! I heard from my old friend that a Doctor Huo recently appeared in Chaoyang District, and he’s quite skilled at treating epilepsy and convulsions!”
Lin Xun: “.”
Doctor Huo treating epilepsy?
No, he only knows how to physically knock people unconscious, then falsely claim he cured their madness.
Lin Xun: “Doctor Huo doesn’t treat epilepsy. If you need brain treatment, I suggest going to Tiantan Hospital.”
“They’ll just make you undergo surgery! In my opinion, traditional Chinese medicine—” As she spoke, she showed Lin Xun the little boy she was holding by the hand. “Such a good child, now trembling every night, talking nonsense, and listless during the day. I need to have Doctor Huo take a look.”
“This requires medical equipment for examination, auntie. You need to believe in scien—”
Just as Lin Xun was speaking, a mechanical voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
“Side quest ‘Midnight Whispers’ triggered. Quest description: At midnight, another person will reside in his mind. Quest reward: 20 Spiritual Power, Chaos Treasure Box x1.”
Lin Xun fell silent, no longer trying to persuade the elderly woman to believe in science.
Sorry, I forgot—this is an unscientific world.