Chapter 86: Like an Old Friend Returning (VI) Like a dream, like dew, like a dream, like a bubble...

Zhang Deng decided to taste the bitter fruit of love alone.

Just peed a few drops of cat urine quietly and don't tell anyone.

He felt that Wei Yuanye should have no way to deal with this matter. Not just should, but definitely had no way.

After he returned, he still felt a little sad and sent a message to Chi Xiaoxia: "What are you doing?"

"My bestie," Chi Xiaoxia said, "I'm super busy. Let's talk after get off work."

Zhang Deng had no choice but to hold it back again.

He held it in until Wei Yuanye returned to the dormitory. He noticed, to his surprise, that Zhang Deng wasn't typing away at his computer. Wei Yuanye handed him the ice cream he'd bought and said, "Hurry up! It's melting."

Zhang Deng quickly stood up and took it. He took a bite and found it tasted like mint chocolate, which opened up Zhang Deng's nasal cavity.

Zhang Deng used his acting skills to great effect, saying as naturally as possible, "Jia Ming came to see me today."

Wei Yuanye was stunned for a moment, and instead of washing up immediately, he asked, "What are you doing?"

Zhang Deng ate his ice cream while saying, "Because he said that my world has problems again, and he wants us to go on one last mission together."

Wei Yuanye asked: "Did you agree?"

Zhang Deng said, "He looks quite sincere."

"After all, I've helped you a lot," Zhang Deng said. "I just couldn't bear to refuse. Should I have refused?"

He looked at Wei Yuanye inquiringly. Wei Yuanye didn't seem to doubt it, but said, "I'm fine with anything."

"Do you want to go?" Wei Yuanye said, "I thought you didn't like it."

Zhang Deng: "It's a good opportunity for me to go back and spend time with Xiao Mi. I miss her so much."

Wei Yuanye thought for a moment and said, "That's fine. When are we going?"

Zhang Deng recalled Jia Ming's words before leaving: "If possible, leave as soon as possible. Time is money. Do you want to tell him about this, or should I go and notify him officially?"

What Zhang Deng asked was for him to tell him himself.

Zhang Deng said, "We can leave in the next two days."

He didn't want to do it too early, nor too late, he just wanted to postpone it for one or two days. He needed to say goodbye to Chi Xiaoxia, or meet her, although he still had to forget her, so it didn't make any sense.

Wei Yuanye said, "Then the day after tomorrow."

"Pack your luggage tomorrow," Wei Yuanye said. "You should also tell Chi Xiaoxia that I don't know how long you'll be gone."

Zhang Deng said, "Yeah."

He finished the ice cream in a few bites and said to Wei Yuanye, "It's not as delicious as KFC."

"It's just right so I can eat more when I get back." Wei Yuanye said casually, then went into the bathroom.

But Chi Xiaoxia didn't reply until midnight. Zhang Deng tried asking again, but Chi Xiaoxia didn't reply until the next morning: "Oh my god, I worked overtime until after 1 a.m. last night and passed out. I have to work overtime today too. I'm dying. What's wrong with you?"

Zhang Deng said, "I have to go on another mission. Bestie."

Chi Xiaoxia sent a "?" half an hour later.

Zhang Deng explained, and after a while, Chi Xiaoxia sent him a communication request.

Zhang Deng picked up the phone. Chi Xiaoxia seemed to be hiding in the bathroom and sending him a video. He asked, "Why did you agree to this?"

"I couldn't help but agree," Zhang Deng said, using the same trick he had used on Wei Yuanye to deceive Chi Xiaoxia. "He was a huge help in Wei Yuanye's career change."

"Bullshit," Chi Xiaoxia cursed, "What does it have to do with him? Wei Yuanye has enough experience on his own."

Zhang Deng: "You can't say that. He also helped me come to this world. We should thank him for being together."

Chi Xiaoxia said, "You're such a hopeless case. You two are together because you're beautiful, kind, and talented, and you're the only one who can charm Wei Yuanye. Otherwise, how could you, with so many people trying to help him, win his heart? You just love thanking people blindly."

Zhang Deng had no other way to prevaricate and could only say, "Anyway, I just agreed for some unknown reason."

Chi Xiaoxia was so disappointed with her: "You."

"When are you going?"

"tomorrow."

Chi Xiaoxia exclaimed: "Tomorrow?!"

"I can't ask for leave at all," Chi Xiaoxia said, "Can't I wait for two days?"

Zhang Deng had no choice. He didn't want to go, because if he went, he would never come back. But he had to comfort Chi Xiaoxia: "It's okay, it's not like you won't come back."

Chi Xiaoxia said, "That's true."

"Then I won't send you off this time," Chi Xiaoxia said. "Contact me when you get back. We can go out and play again. Oh, and I'll water your little love for you, don't worry."

Zhang Deng said, "Ah, no need."

Zhang Deng said naturally, "I want to take it back this time. Xiao Mi hasn't seen Xiao Ai for a long time."

Chi Xiaoxia exaggerated, "I really don't understand you. It's a cat and a cactus. You think they have feelings for each other? You still believe in Snow White, don't you?"

Zhang Deng: "Snow White is a somewhat ordinary story."

Chi Xiaoxia said, "Forget it, I'm hanging up now. I'm really busy. Zhang Xiaodeng, come on, I know this won't be a problem for you."

"Yes," Zhang Deng wanted to cry, but he held it back. He gave himself a cheering gesture and said, "I am the best."

Chi Xiaoxia repeated, "You are the best. Bye."

Zhang Deng also said, "Bye-bye."

It was actually very strange. Zhang Deng thought to himself after hanging up the phone, Chi Xiaoxia and Wei Yuanye were both very smart people, but no one had ever doubted his lies. It could be seen that Zhang Deng's lies were really very real and reasonable.

It can also be seen that in their hearts, Zhang Deng is actually such a person, soft-hearted, hopelessly romantic, irrational, and does whatever he thinks.

Their acquiescence also means that they support Zhang Deng in doing these things. Their unconditional tolerance of Zhang Deng has led to their losing him in this way.

However, Zhang Deng thought to himself that losing him was not a big deal.

The world is like this. It is not an earth-shattering event for one person to lose another.

The next day, Zhang Deng simply packed his luggage.

Because of his fetish, he didn't have many things. He just had an old schoolbag, a laptop, a mouse, a stack of sticky notes, a cactus pot, some clothes, and some things that had been given to Wei Yuanye, which he didn't plan to take away.

Zhang Deng looked at the small knife in his bag and fell silent.

There is a small word "Li" engraved on it.

He couldn't remember when the knife appeared in his schoolbag, and it didn't seem like something he would collect.

Wei Yuanye saw it and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I forgot whether this knife is mine," Zhang Deng asked, "Is this mine?"

Wei Yuanye: "It's not mine."

Zhang Deng: "Then I'll take it."

Wei Yuanye said: "That's fine."

I held the knife in my hand and felt inexplicably comfortable and at ease, as if it had been held like this before.

I will protect myself in the future, Zhang Deng thought, and took the knife.

Wei Yuanye didn't go out to work today, and the two of them were bored at home. In the afternoon, they went through some application procedures before the mission according to the procedures, obtained supplies and funds, and then went for a walk in the square after finishing.

The two of them seemed very relaxed among so many people rushing around. They sat on a bench, head to head. In fact, they could not get any sunlight. The clear blue sky above them was just a huge screen, but the weather here was warm all year round, and there was a kind of death-like tranquility.

Zhang Deng felt heartbroken when he thought that Wei Yuanye would have to live in such a place without sunlight for the rest of his life.

Zhang Deng really wanted to tell him that if he had the chance in the future, he should leave here. Although the future was great, the individual's pain was not insignificant.

But when he said this, there was a sense of tragedy and grandeur, like entrusting an orphan to someone's care. It made Wei Yuanye alert, so he held it back. He planned to wait until they were about to part before saying it.

Wei Yuanye stroked his forehead and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Zhang Deng said, "Thinking about the plot of my novel."

Wei Yuanye: "What do you think?"

"I can never imagine the best," Zhang Deng said, "because my expectations are too high."

Wei Yuanye noticed his mood and said, "Unhappy?"

"You haven't been in a good mood lately."

Zhang Deng became alert. He had let his guard down a bit too much. He was afraid that if he tried to hide it, it would only make it more obvious. Instead of denying it, he said, "Actually, there is a little bit."

Wei Yuanye asked, "Why?"

Zhang Deng said, "Maybe you're not feeling well. If you go on another mission, your memory will be wiped out again, and I don't want that."

Zhang Deng's talent meant he could always come up with very reasonable excuses for himself. Even Wei Yuanye couldn't see through his lies. Wei Yuanye said, "It's okay, actually. This should really be the last time."

Zhang Deng sighed, "I don't want to erase my memory either. That offshore Qi-dolphin seems to have a grudge against me."

"I guess it's because you have a different smell." Wei Yuanye said casually.

Zhang Deng was stunned for a moment and asked, "What does it smell like?"

Wei Yuanye said: "Hmm? For example, the smell of a female offshore dolphin."

Zhang Deng: "Isn't that something that's hard to come by? How could I possibly have it?"

Wei Yuanye smiled and said, "That's right."

Zhang Deng: "Maybe I really saw it in the last world. Anyway, I don't remember it. It's really unlucky."

Wei Yuanye held his hand and said, "It's usually bad luck. After all, we are still together."

Zhang Deng thought to himself, "Oh, I'm going to be very unlucky soon."

He held Wei Yuanye's hand and said, "Well, as long as we are together, there will always be a way."

Before leaving, Zhang Deng suddenly thought of something. He sent a message to Yu Xing, the only friend he had made here: "I'm leaving."

Yuxing quickly replied: "Going on a mission?"

Zhang Deng: “Yeah.”

"Thank you for telling me," Yu Xing seemed very surprised. "When are we leaving?"

Zhang Deng: "Tomorrow."

Yu Xing asked again: "How many levels will it take to come back?"

Zhang Deng didn't know how to respond, so Yu Xing asked again, "Oh, where are you?"

Zhang Deng told him that he was at the square. Not long after, Yu Xing unexpectedly came running over. He came so fast that it felt like less than five minutes to Zhang Deng. Zhang Deng asked, "How did you come so fast?"

Yu Xingdao: "I happened to be practicing physical fitness nearby."

"Oh," Zhang Deng said, "school has started, right? Are you in military training?"

Yu Xing laughed and said, "It's a strange name, it's about the same. The first two years were all physical education classes."

Zhang Deng said, "Is it okay to skip class?"

Wei Yuanye said: "Nothing."

"Do you always skip classes?" Zhang Deng asked.

Wei Yuanye said: "No."

"Not even once?"

Wei Yuanye: “Not even once.”

Zhang Deng: "You are so amazing."

Wei Yuanye asked, "Did you skip classes when you were studying?"

Zhang Deng also shook his head: "Very little."

Yu Xing smiled and said, "Actually, I don't know how to do it either. I just wanted to see you off."

Zhang Deng said, "I know. I just didn't have any friends at that time."

Wei Yuanye said: "I don't have any friends either."

Yuxing: "So I cherish you two friends very much."

Zhang Deng was actually a little touched. He really didn't expect Yu Xing to be so sincere. Zhang Deng always had a kind of intimacy with Yu Xing, even though they had only known each other for a short time.

Yu Xing sat next to Zhang Deng, feeling like he wanted to say something but couldn't. After thinking for a long time, he leaned over and asked Wei Yuanye, "Who are you..."

Wei Yuanye said: "I am."

Yu Xing smiled and said, "Do you know what I'm going to say?"

"You started studying," Wei Yuanye said, "I roughly know what you heard."

Yuxing said, "There are many legends about you in school."

Zhang Deng asked curiously, "What are you talking about?"

Yu Xingdao: "Because every course in the school has a ranking list from previous years, and on the ranking list of every course, there is a number 679."

"Of course there's also a 752," Yu Xing said. "Everyone says he's defected."

Zhang Deng remembered this incident and said, "Oh, that first place."

Yu Xing laughed and said, "Not all of them are first place. Some are 679."

Wei Yuanye said frankly: "He is better than me."

Yu Xing said: "Everyone says that you are now the strongest individual soldier of the World Tree."

"Although some records have been broken, your name is still on the leaderboard," Yuxing said. "It's been so many years, and I'm starting to train now. It's really difficult."

Zhang Deng said, "You can do it too."

"Maybe." Yu Xing didn't seem to have much hope. He asked Wei Yuanye, "Can I ask you a few questions?"

Wei Yuanye gestured to ask.

Yuxing said, "Do you think hard work is very useful?"

"A necessary condition," Wei Yuanye said, "is that everyone works hard, so there's no need to emphasize your own hard work."

Yuxing said, "I understand."

Yuxing: "Then it's more of a talent, right?"

Wei Yuanye thought about it, and he didn't seem to know how to interpret his own achievements. He said, "Maybe it's just luck."

"I'm not sure," Wei Yuanye said. "It's been so long. At that time, I also felt that the people around me were not very smart."

Yu Xing smiled and said, "Maybe you are just too smart."

Wei Yuanye was not one to underestimate the enemy. He denied this statement and said, "Maybe we are trying to find the wrong place."

Yuxing said: "Well, maybe I really don't have enough talent."

Zhang Deng said, "But you've only just started. Wei Yuanye certainly wasn't great right from the start of school."

"Yeah," Wei Yuanye said, "and I was always in second place back then. I felt like a bit of a loser then."

Yu Xing smiled and said, "I didn't expect that after so long, you are still the second best, and the second best tree in the world."

This means that the citizens cultivated by the World Tree are already the best in the first batch, and it will be difficult to replicate them in the future.

Zhang Deng said, "Aren't there some subjects where you are better than that person?"

Yuxing said, "I've found that in all the rankings, he's better than you in terms of technique, but you're better than him in terms of strategy."

"He's better at shooting, close combat, disguise, and so on," Yu Xing said. "You're better than him at combat readiness planning, psychological profiling, and reconnaissance."

Zhang Deng said, "It's just that my brain is better."

"Have you seen him?" Zhang Deng suddenly felt a little curious. He asked, "Who is he?"

Wei Yuanye seemed very cautious about labeling someone. He said, "It's been a long time. I remember he was quite good."

He considered the word carefully before saying it. "A lot of people like him, so he must be a good person."

Yu Xing said, "I heard that too. They said that person has a good personality and you have a bad personality."

Wei Yuanye smiled slightly, as if he didn't take this evaluation to heart.

Zhang Deng asked, "Do you have a bad personality?"

Yu Xing: "Everyone says he's like a living devil."

This is different from the Wei Yuanye Zhang Deng knows. Could it be that he is young and energetic?

Zhang Deng glanced at Wei Yuanye, and Wei Yuanye touched his nose with his hand, feeling a little embarrassed.

Yuxing said, "This may be because of being aloof."

Before leaving, Zhang Deng learned some more about Wei Yuanye.

Wei Yuanye never mentioned his past, because his past seemed extraordinary. He was good at everything. It would be a bit of a show-off if he mentioned it, and Wei Yuanye didn't like it. But Zhang Deng was actually very curious. He wanted to know how Wei Yuanye had come this far. Now it seemed that everything was traceable.

Wei Yuanye is a person who is very strict with himself. He must feel very annoyed about being surpassed, so he has been working very hard. Despite his efforts, he still ranks second. He must be very annoyed and has a bad temper. Unfortunately, that person has a good personality, so he can only get angry with himself.

Zhang Deng thought about it and started laughing, thinking it was very cute.

Although they were about to part, he was still happy that he had learned some new details.