Chapter 45
On her first night in an unfamiliar house after leaving the seaside city, Wen Zhiling couldn't sleep well.
Ever since her outburst on the show, she has been having recurring nightmares.
This time, she was sitting on the game carpet.
The game carpet has many small squares, and the gameplay is similar to Monopoly. It's a multiplayer game with marked paths. Different areas have different settings, such as shops, cities, exchanges, and land.
But she didn't have any playmates, so she often used it to make up bedtime stories to lull herself to sleep.
On the left is a stack of paper sailboats, with a paperclip at the bow, which serves as a radar pointer for detecting enemy activity.
The customized route is complex, starting from the Reynolds Islands marked on the game map, bypassing the Great North Sea, circling Moyes Island, and finally entering Triss Bay.
She couldn't play games like this every night; only on certain days, for special reasons. She heard the door open, and the person who came in finished giving instructions at the door, seemed to look at her for a while, and then walked in.
He sat on the sofa, taking a rare moment of free time, and watched her simulate a voyage from beginning to end.
That night, Captain Wen's journey was full of adventure and excitement. He fought with a mutated great white shark, shook off giant tentacles and octopus monsters in three chases, and even disguised himself as a stone to evade enemy patrol boats in just half an hour.
The story was fantastical and bizarre; a thin layer of sweat beaded on her forehead. The sentences were spaced very short, as she was eager to deliver a captivating and exciting performance, while also worrying about whether she could bring the Tiffany safely back to shore. When the story ended, she applauded herself, happy that she finally had an audience.
The gray wool slippers brushed against her pajama bottoms.
She looked up, gripping the returning sailboat.
The man rested his chin on his hand, his gaze falling on the makeshift harbor constructed of playing cards. "Why are we anchored in Tris Bay?"
In this Monopoly-style game map design, Tris Bay is a place with limited resources, frequent wars, and trade that disappeared twenty years ago, making it a poor and undesirable place.
If he had paid closer attention, he would have seen her eyes light up, as if she had been expecting him to ask that question for a long time.
-
The next day at noon, Zong Linhan drove downstairs.
He unlocked the door with his key, rolled up his sleeves to reveal his slender wrists.
Wen Zhiling had just come out of the bathroom and glanced at the door. "Have you had lunch?"
Zong Linhan hummed in response, glanced around the room, and noticed that the table and trash can were spotless. "Didn't you say you ate too?"
"I was just about to eat." She opened the instant noodles on the table, poured freshly boiled water into the bowl, and her face turned rosy from the steam.
"Instant noodles again." Zong Linhan said helplessly, "Did you suffer from not eating junk food for fourteen days on the island?"
“That’s right,” Wen Zhiling said. “I wanted to eat it in the middle of the night last night.”
Zong Linhan: "..."
Wen Zhiling's long hair was wet and fell over her shoulders, with water droplets running down her cheeks. Her skin was moist and fair, making her look particularly pure.
Feeling a little uncomfortable under Zong Linhan's undisguised gaze, she looked at him for a while and, seeing that he didn't seem inclined to speak, asked, "By the way, how are things going with your brother... um."
Zong Linhan approached from behind, wrapped his arms around Wen Zhiling's waist, rested his chin on her shoulder, then turned her around, cupped her face, and showered her with tender kisses.
Her chopsticks were still suspended in mid-air. Besides the instant noodles, the air was filled with his familiar citrus scent. She returned the gentle kiss, thinking how good it was that he had changed her medication after she came back.
After a long while, Zong Linhan finally released her, pressing his forehead against hers.
“You and my brother are both back.” His fingertips gently brushed her cheek. “It’s like a dream.”
"Isn't it good for dreams to come true?" she laughed.
He helped her bring the instant noodles to the table, and smiled, but didn't voice his worries. This gift was too beautiful and precious, like a crystal ball hanging in the air, swaying in the wind, making one wonder how much wind it could withstand, and whether it would shatter into pieces soon.
-
Under the harsh white lights of the laboratory, the needle pierced the pale blue blood vessel. Wen Zhiling held her breath, watching the blood slowly flow into the collection tube through the flexible tube.
"Relax, it'll be over soon." The woman wearing a mask spoke gently, her fingers steadily holding the needle in place.
The environment was airtight, with no windows, and a tightly closed door isolated everything, so even Zong Linhan couldn't get in.
It was too quiet; she felt uncomfortable.
Just then, a muffled thud came from next door, and the entire wall trembled slightly.
Wen Zhiling looked up and saw that the experimenter was not moving at all, skillfully pulling out the needle and applying hemostatic cotton.
The vibration lasted for quite a while, and even through the walls it was terrifying to hear.
Wen Zhiling asked softly, "Are there other people with superpowers locked up on the other side?"
The experimenter said, "The next room is an office. The supernatural abilities are concentrated in another building, where other laboratories conduct testing and management. The commotion just now was probably caused by two groups fighting again. It happens often; they disagree on things, so it's just friendly communication between offices."
Wen Zhiling got up to leave, but the lab technician stopped her. "Wait a minute, Captain Zong will come to pick you up. The situation at the bureau is quite tense right now. If you get kidnapped by someone after you leave this room, I'll be punished."
Wen Zhiling sat back down and watched the lab technicians label the blood collection tubes.
The two sat in silence for a while, a faint awkwardness hanging in the air.
The experimenter glanced at her and initiated the conversation, "Are reality TV shows scripted?"
Wen Zhiling: "Hmm?"
The researchers said, "The variety show you and Captain Zong participated in released a preview yesterday, and it's getting quite popular."
Wen Zhiling was slightly taken aback. The woman took out her phone and opened a trailer video.
The screen flashed images of her and Zong Linhan walking upstairs and arranging the study together, and also captured the two having a heart-to-heart talk in front of the projector, with her "genuine" tears falling.
Wen Zhiling: "..."
I saw it so suddenly.
"Look at the comments," the researcher said, pointing to the rapidly scrolling text on the screen. "They're all talking about you."
[This heartwarming variety show is perfect for watching while eating, please edit it quickly!]
[It's acting, right? The way she cuts vegetables so fast, she must have sped it up.]
[Standard practice for the show: a large sum of money is wagered on a couple; once placed, it's done.]
Ahhh, the country owes me a handsome older brother!
The siblings' interaction is so natural, much more real than any dating reality show!
Overwhelmed with shame, Wen Zhiling silently pressed the pause button.
The lab technician noticed her discomfort and kindly turned off her phone. Just as they were about to say something, the commotion outside grew louder. After listening for a while, she reassured her, "Don't worry, if things get out of hand, the security guards will come up."
Wen Zhiling nodded, noticing that the experimenters' attitude was too natural, which was quite different from what she had expected, and asked, "Aren't you afraid of people with superpowers?"
The woman's gaze behind her glasses held a gentle smile. "In my eyes, people with superpowers are no different from patients with weakened immune systems who frequently catch colds."
Wen Zhiling carefully chose her words, "I don't think everyone can guarantee they're rational."
She recalled her out-of-control state and the strange creatures she saw beneath the experimental base on the island, which resembled a viscous liquid sliding across the ground; it was hard to imagine that they were originally human.
"Perhaps Captain Zong has told you that in our system there are two factions: those that can be reversed and those that cannot. In research, some argue that it is irreversible, but I firmly stand on the side of reversibility. My job is to conduct research, understand and find breakthroughs. To be honest, my sister was once a member of the core team. She once revealed, quite unexpectedly, when she was drunk, that this research had made a very significant breakthrough. It's just a pity that the experimental base was later destroyed by some unknown superhuman, resulting in the loss of data."
The experimenter looked at the collection tube in his hand: "You are the most normal superhuman I have ever seen. There may be a breakthrough here."
About twenty minutes later, Zong Linhan picked up Wen Zhiling and left the office.
As she walked out of the building, she felt someone watching her from behind. Turning around, she saw a middle-aged man watching them get into their car through a glass window on the top floor.
“Director Yu from the ecological faction has been trying to get rid of our family for more than just a day or two,” Zong Linhan explained proactively.
"Were you fighting next door just now?" Wen Zhiling asked.
Zong Linhan: "Meng Run, someone forged documents while I was away, trying to take you away. He caught them red-handed, and a fight broke out."
Wen Zhiling: "..."
Zong Linhan looked at her: "Are you scared?"
“No,” Wen Zhiling said. “I’ll write a report as soon as I get back.”
Zong Linhan:?
Wen Zhiling searched for information online and decided to repay Deputy Captain Meng with practical actions by contributing to reducing the welfare of the other faction.
The vehicle drove out of the police station.
Zong Linhan said, "By the way, have dinner with my brother in a few days. He really wants to see you."
-----------------------
Author's Note: Wrapping up the story! There's not much complicated plot; it ends when Zhi Ling regains her memories and becomes a normal person again! ovo
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
