Chapter 22
Wen Zhiling tossed and turned all night, not thinking about superpowers, vampires, variety show live broadcasts, or Li Xu, but about what it would feel like to fly on a plane, whether it would crash, what it would be like to crash on a desert island, how to survive on a desert island by collecting seashells and branches, and how to write a huge SOS on the beach.
I finally fell asleep as dawn broke. At 11 a.m., Zong Linhan knocked on the door: "The production crew is almost downstairs. It's about time to get up."
Wen Zhiling, with her messy hair, squinted at him, her eyes showing dark circles.
Zong Linhan crossed his arms and laughed for a moment, "Little Zhiling, you're going to miss the school bus for the spring outing. Did you pack your snacks and water bottle in your backpack?"
Wen Zhiling threw a pillow at the door, and Zong Linhan caught it and threw it back.
He walked out of the room, deliberately drawing out his voice, "Kids, when you go out to play, listen to your teachers and don't cause trouble for the school!"
Still?
What's wrong with you?
Wen Zhiling hugged the pillow, buried her face in it, and slept for the last two minutes.
"Is Teacher Zong in a good mood today?" Tao Tao looked back from the passenger seat after getting into the car.
"It's quite enjoyable to bring the kids out to play," Zong Linhan said.
“No…” Wen Zhiling strongly disagreed with this statement. She wanted to express her opinion, but she couldn’t pull out the seat belt. She buried herself in studying it, and Zong Linhan reached out and pulled it out forcefully, fastening it into the buckle below for her.
Sleep-deprived Wen Zhiling looked at the camera stabilizer in Tao Tao's hand, opened her mouth, and forgot what she was going to argue about.
Tao Tao asked with a smile, "Zhi Ling seems more nervous than last time?"
Wen Zhiling looked at the camera and forced a stiff smile. "Yes, a little."
"One o'clock?" Zong Linhan teased, "I almost slept until one o'clock."
Tao Tao and the driver both laughed. Wen Zhiling smiled, but inwardly cursed them with polite language.
Tao Tao conducted her routine interview with the two, asking questions such as their hobbies, expectations for the show, and anticipation for the island trip. Outside the window, the roadside trees flashed past quickly.
It was quite a distance from Zong Linhan's house to the airport, but Wen Zhiling felt like she arrived in no time. She thought she wouldn't be nervous once she got in the car, but as they approached the airport after exiting the highway, the planes taking off and landing were much bigger than those in the city, and the reality of the trip became clearer, making her even more nervous. They were even held up a little longer at security, and Zong Linhan chuckled the whole way, making Wen Zhiling's ears turn bright red.
The flight route to Meilan Island is newly opened. Strictly speaking, the tourist attractions are still under construction and not officially open to the public. Currently, only business travelers and locals are traveling there. The additional routes and flights were arranged by the Zong family with their help for the program. The program crew members were in economy class and were not filmed. There was no one else in first class.
After entering the cabin, Zong Linhan whispered, "You don't look like a proper tourist."
Wen Zhiling: "I'm numb, I..."
She glanced down to make sure the microphone was off. "I felt uncomfortable because I was thinking about the time I was asked to show my ID when buying tickets before."
Zong Linhan: "How old are you?"
Other planes could be seen outside the window. Wen Zhiling looked over curiously and said, "Sixteen."
When she left the Li family, she didn't want to stay in Jingnan for even a second longer. But without an ID card, she couldn't take a plane or train. She wanted to leave the city by bus, but she ran into the strictest ID verification policy. Unless she took one of two routes, the highway or the mountain road, it was impossible for her to escape Jingnan.
Wen Zhiling sighed, "I was unlucky. If I had left a day or two earlier, I would have left. If I had left a day or two later, the policy would have been relaxed."
Zong Linhan mentally deduced Wen Zhiling's life timeline. The oyster shell wouldn't open on its own; he had to find clues from the edges.
Zong Linhan: "When did you lose your identity?"
Wen Zhiling picked up a travel booklet and flipped through it. "I can't remember. I only vaguely remember things before I was fifteen. Is my amnesia related to my superpower?"
Zong Linhan: "Different superpowers cause different symptoms. If you really want to know, once we find the aperture, we'll send you into the lab for research..."
Wen Zhiling covered her ears with one hand and put the booklet over her face.
Zong Linhan took it down with a cold smile. "How have you survived all these years without an identity or family?"
Wen Zhiling peeked at him through the gap in the book: "Are you here to interrogate me?"
Zong Linhan: "Just chatting casually, and you told me your parents are in your hometown and you went to high school and university in southern Beijing, is that all a lie?"
Wen Zhiling was a little smug. "Hey, so you're saying my acting isn't bad either? You didn't even notice anything was off."
No one noticed that Zong Linhan had just turned eighteen at that time and was completely obsessed with love, so he couldn't see anything.
He was secretly investigating Zong Linyang's whereabouts when his location was leaked. He was attacked and seriously injured by a superhuman and barely escaped before collapsing unconscious. He woke up in Wen Zhiling's house, where she had him tied up.
The kidnapper was even more bewildered than he was, saying that he had collapsed at her doorstep and that she had saved him.
Zong Linhan wouldn't believe a word of the suggestion to rescue someone and then tie them up. Wen Zhiling insisted that they should use force first and then diplomacy to avoid misunderstandings.
At the time, he had a bad relationship with his family. His parents strongly refused to let him continue working at the Bureau of Surveillance. The two sides were deadlocked for several months, and they hindered his schedule at every turn. In order to continue to track down clues, he decided to continue to play the disappearance game. He pretended to believe Wen Zhiling's words, and used the excuse of being under a lot of work pressure to want to escape the world for a while. He temporarily stayed at her house, paid her rent, and investigated whether she was a part of the conspiracy.
Looking back now, I realize that his suggestion to live with her was the beginning of his infatuation.
After that, things spiraled out of control. He would mind if she came home late, and he would pick her up from her workplace. After arguments, she would storm out, and he would sulk but secretly follow her out. She was working and studying hard, so he learned to cook and brought her lunch and dinner at her workplace. When they weren't on assignment, they would kill time at a nearby movie theater, waiting for her to get off work so they could pretend to bump into each other and go home together.
It's so unreasonable that people who are busy with their studies spend most of their time at their workplaces.
When he came to his senses, his gaze was already following her every moment, staring at the small section of skin exposed when she raised her hand to hang the clothes to dry. The restlessness of the sweltering summer made Zong Linhan always awkwardly look away, thinking that he should stay further away from her, but his body was always closer to her.
Zong Linhan changed the subject back: "You don't have a single relative you can remember?"
Wen Zhiling: "No, my parents probably passed away when I was very young. After that, I was probably sent to an orphanage, but the things I can remember clearly are after I was fifteen years old."
"Actually, I did seek help from the authorities at first. They have a system for tracking missing persons. When they were collecting information, I overheard them talking about reporting it, and I got a little scared. It was just my gut feeling, I guess? Anyway, I ran away."
Considering what happened to her after leaving Zong Linhan, her intuition was quite accurate. Wen Zhiling glanced at Zong Linhan, unsure whether her experience of almost being taken away by a group of people was related to him or the Bureau of Extraordinary Investigations.
Seeing that Zong Linhan's expression didn't change, Wen Zhiling continued, "I was lucky to meet a kind person who took me in. I'm very easy to take care of; I can survive on a meal and in a small corner. That family, like Aunt Qiao, didn't ask about my identity and just let me stay."
Based on Wen Zhiling's statement, Zong Linhan estimated that she had known Li Xu for about fifteen or sixteen years.
Zong Linhan, like a patient hunter, planned his area, gradually narrowing it down, and finally extended his hunting net. "Why did you leave again later?"
Unfortunately, the plane took off at that moment, and Wen Zhiling's attention was drawn to it. She leaned against the window and whispered "Wow!"
The "wow" lasted for a long time, as if the "wow" would only end when the topic was over.
Zong Linhan waited for a while, guessing that the clam shell was tightened and he had even screwed in a round of screws, so he wouldn't be able to get anything out of it today.
He put on an eye mask and took a nap, no longer enjoying Wen Zhiling's clumsy acting.
-
The plane landed on Meilan Island, where the island was humid and hot, showcasing the charm of summer.
The villa has a huge garden and three floors, with two suites on each floor. Guests stay on the second and third floors, the first floor is an event space, and there is a staff living area in the long corridor at the end.
Wen Zhiling and Zong Linhan lived on the third floor. The living room had a large wooden window that, when pushed open, offered a panoramic view of the distant beach and the blue sea and sky.
A breeze blew in her face, carrying the scent of ocean waves. Wen Zhiling looked down; the room had an even higher ceiling, the distance from the third floor to the ground was equivalent to five floors in other buildings.
The two rooms were similar in orientation and layout. Zong Linhan walked around and noted the location and maximum angle of the cameras.
Seeing him walk into the living room, Wen Zhiling beckoned him over and pointed to the area below the window, where many small, protruding bricks were distributed on the decorative surface. "It's so high up here."
Go find the aperture. Are you going down here in the middle of the night?
Zong Linhan understood the implication, lowered his eyes to gauge the distance, and hummed in agreement.
Wen Zhiling conveyed a "6" with her eyes.
After measuring the distance from the bottommost protruding decoration to the ground, Zong Linhan patted her shoulder. "Let's rest for a while and then go downstairs. The others should be here soon. The production team just told me that the group with the highest game score will get a reward: they can choose to skip a morning."
They had agreed beforehand that they would try their best to win the game, and if an unexpected situation arose and they couldn't come back, they could exercise their right to slack off and get away with it.
Wen Zhiling boosted morale, "Don't worry, we're guaranteed to win."
After all, her chances of returning to a normal human form depended entirely on finding the light ring.
Zong Linhan was called away for an interview, while Wen Zhiling went downstairs alone.
The villa is in a European style, with Baroque decorative patterns on the handrails. There is a small cherub sculpture on the corner of the second floor. It is pure white and tall. Wen Zhiling slowed down and took a second look.
The footsteps behind her slowed down, and Wen Zhiling turned around to see Li Xu.
He was going up from the first floor to the second floor, changing into a light beige island-style top and beach shorts. His skin was naturally tanned, a result of playing basketball and exercising for a long time. At this moment, he looked more like a sunny and cheerful young man, ready to play the guitar and ignite an island music festival at any moment.
The corner camera captured this scene perfectly: two people standing in front of the cherub statue, their expressions seemingly about to change at any moment, engaging in a pleasant or profound conversation.
Li Xu had one hand in his pocket, his palm clenched, his expression unchanged.
Wen Zhiling nodded slightly and smiled politely. When she sensed that he was about to speak, she quickened her pace and passed by him.
She ran a little too fast; in the blink of an eye, her hair flew up and she disappeared. Her footsteps as she descended the stairs were hurried and tense, like a taut string vibrating rapidly until a climax and then abruptly ending.
Li Xu knew the camera was directly above him, and if he turned around for no reason and it was edited into the footage, it would be magnified and cause unnecessary discussion. He only had time to look at the ground; her shadow quickly shortened and disappeared along with her.
Downstairs, a pair of guests were busy preparing dinner. They were cousins; the girl was an idol who debuted through a talent show, named Lu Siyi. Her eyes crinkled when she smiled, and she was as cheerful as Xiaomeng. She had sat next to Wen Zhiling at the last dinner gathering. The two were about the same age and got along quite well.
Although they are cousins, Lu Siyi and her brother both share the surname Lu. Lu Qin is a doctor; he only showed up briefly at the last gathering before leaving to answer a phone call.
Lu Qin's popularity is no less than Lu Siyi's. He is an expert in psychology and a regular guest in the observation room for marriage, breakups, and contractual relationships. He goes wherever there is a need to be a guest.
Wen Zhiling had heard Tao Tao mention that Dr. Lu had been doing medical research abroad for two years, but for some reason he suddenly returned to China and frequently appeared in the public eye. After Lu Siyi debuted, this statement naturally became that it was to promote her younger sister's debut.
Lu Qin is very handsome, wearing gold-rimmed glasses. He is even thinner in person than in photos, and has a cool and aloof demeanor.
Seeing Wen Zhiling come downstairs, Lu Qin nodded slightly, then lowered his head to cut the watermelon. He didn't put on a show of enthusiasm in front of the camera; he had a faint, almost deathly, feeling of not wanting to go to work. Wen Zhiling remembered his fans' teasing of him: a typical working-class person who leaves as soon as the show is over, and if you're 30 seconds late, you'll miss him.
Strangely, Wen Zhiling always felt a strange sense of familiarity about him.
The kitchen counter was long enough to accommodate six people working at the same time. Several cameras were set up opposite the counter, and a large line of staff stood behind it. Just walking from the stairwell was difficult for Wen Zhiling. She had to mentally reinforce the suggestion that she would get used to it after watching for a while.
Lu Siyi said that she looked at the ingredients in the refrigerator and there wasn't much. She would make some fruit salad to fill their stomachs first, and then they would go to the neighborhood together to discuss whether to buy local specialties or buy ingredients to cook.
Wen Zhiling has excellent knife skills and can cut fruit quickly.
While washing the bayberries, Lu Siyi was amazed by the knife skills that left afterimages. "Aren't you in a hurry? Your knife is too fast. Don't cut your hand."
Wen Zhiling deftly cut the watermelon off the rind and then into small pieces: "I used to work in a coffee shop, so I'm good at making light meals, drinks, and coffee."
Lu Siyi exclaimed with delight, "Then we're in for a treat!"
"I can't tell."
A tall shadow fell over the counter, and Li Xu looked down at Wen Zhiling arranging watermelons.
Not knowing when he arrived, Wen Zhiling slightly bent her fingers and handed a plate of sliced meat to Lu Siyi.
Li Xu: "I thought you were a bad cook, the kind of person who would burn the pot dry while making soup."
Wen Zhiling pursed her lips and rinsed the cutting board with water. Fortunately, Lu Siyi chimed in: "I am often told by fans that I look like I never lift a finger. Cooking skills are like inner beauty; appearances can't be trusted. My fans think my brother looks like he can cook, but actually, he's in the kitchen just killing fish."
Wen Zhiling continued, following Lu Siyi's words, "If you're so good at killing fish, I wouldn't dare to."
Lu Siyi didn't mince words, "I'm embellishing the story of killing fish. It's really just for decoration. I don't think I've ever actually killed a fish once, right?"
Lu Siyi went to see Dr. Lu, but he shook his head without even lifting his eyelids, as if he had nothing to do with the people and things around him. "I don't remember."
Most of the fruit on the table had been prepared, but Li Xu didn't help. He just stood across the counter, watching Wen Zhiling cut the fruit, like a supervisor.
It was strange that Wen Zhiling didn't talk to him despite being surrounded by so many people and cameras.
She hesitated for a moment, then asked with a smile, "How's Teacher Li's cooking?"
Li Xu said calmly, "It's alright, but better than my sister."
Li Wan happened to be in the corridor and, with her keen ears, caught the sentence. She immediately shouted downstairs, "Li Xu, are you looking for a beating?"
Several staff members were secretly laughing behind the camera.
Taking advantage of the small burst of laughter, Wen Zhiling considered her task complete and lowered her head to cut the cucumber.
Li Xu: "Give me one."
Lu Siyi complained, "Brother Li, you ate it all before it was even served."
Li Xu remained expressionless: "I'm hungry."
After Wen Zhiling finished cutting the cucumber, she cut the papaya. After Li Xu finished eating the cucumber, she picked up a piece of papaya with her chopsticks.
From the camera's perspective, Li Xu was watching fruit cutting with obvious boredom, but being stared at and filmed from a distance was uncomfortable enough for Wen Zhiling. Now, with such close-up shots, as if someone were using a macro lens to study her incredible knife skills, it felt like her lightning-fast knife work was being slowed down. Extremely uncomfortable, yet unable to show it, she began to regret coming.
As Li Xu slowed down his knife work, he began to speak slowly, "Has anyone ever told you that you look a lot like a female celebrity?"
Wen Zhiling: "Hmm?"
Li Xu: "You look familiar."
Wen Zhiling paused in her cutting motion. "They look alike, don't they?"
Lu Siyi, who was standing next to her, exclaimed "Ouch!" and couldn't stand it anymore. "Help! Brother Li, your pickup line is so outdated. This trick didn't work when I was still a student."
"Don't talk nonsense." Dr. Lu, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up.
Lu Siyi stuck out her tongue, chuckled, arranged the freshly cut fruit on a plate, and went to the cupboard to look for salad dressing.
Li Xu: "But Lin Han said you're mostly at the old house, so maybe I'm mistaken. I didn't see you when I was little."
He steered the conversation back on track. Wen Zhiling looked up at him, confused about his intentions. Was he unhappy that she hadn't replied to his message, or was he pretending not to know him? Was he going to reveal her past experiences in front of so many people?
Wen Zhiling bent down to cut the dragon fruit, and Li Xu's chopsticks smoothly picked up another small piece.
Wen Zhiling cuts a mango, and chopsticks reach out.
Wen Zhiling used the back of her knife to pry open the chopsticks. "This is a mango."
Li Xu: "Hmm?"
Wen Zhiling: You are allergic to mangoes.
Wen Zhiling was speechless; she had made a slip of the tongue.
Li Xu stared intently at her, his brown eyes holding a knowing look.
Wen Zhiling pressed her fingertip against the back of the knife and said seriously, "Are you allergic to mangoes? I think I heard someone say that, but I can't remember if it was Xiaoyue or someone else."
Li Xu put down her chopsticks. "Right, I almost forgot because I haven't had an allergic reaction in so long. Thanks for reminding me."
Lu Siyi: "Sister, you are so thoughtful. I wonder if the production team has prepared allergy medicine. It would be troublesome if you had an allergic reaction."
The staff upstairs reminded Li Xu to go up for the interview.
As Li Xu turned into the stairwell, Lu Siyi came over and asked, "Hey, sister, were you a fan of his too?"
She whispered, "I was a fan of his before I entered the industry, and I didn't even know about this."
Lu Siyi's whispered words couldn't be hidden from the microphone, but she habitually spoke in a low, hushed tone.
Their hushed conversation made it seem like they were exchanging secrets. Zong Linhan, who was coming downstairs, happened to see it and casually asked, "What good thing happened? Why are you being so mysterious?"
Wen Zhiling wanted to stop her, but with so many people around, there was no way to stop her.
“Brother Li Xu is allergic to mangoes.” Lu Siyi said upstairs, then realized what she meant and looked at Wen Zhiling, “Oh right, Brother Zong and Brother Li grew up together, right? No wonder you knew.”
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