Lin Lan rested in the room for a while, unable to sleep. He was always thinking about the dream he had just had.
He lay on the bed, tangled for a moment, and suddenly received a message from Xie Zilu: Are you sick and not going to the hospital?
Lin Lan’s mind hadn’t fully recovered; he always felt something strange, and it took two minutes for him to realize: How do you know I’m sick?
Suddenly, he sat up in shock, looking around vigilantly. Except for Xiao Shengjing, no one had been in his room; it was impossible for anyone to tamper with anything. The curtains were also drawn, and nothing could be seen from the outside.
Xie Zilu sent another message: Rest assured, I didn’t install any surveillance in your room. I am a law-abiding citizen. When you’re sick, you should go to the hospital. Your health is the capital of the revolution.
A person who could disregard their own life telling him that health is the capital of the revolution? Lin Lan’s expression at this moment was as confused as an elderly person on the subway trying to figure out a smartphone.
Lin Lan: I’m not sick, why should I go to the hospital?
Xie Zilu: Avoiding the doctor is not a good thing, Lin Lan. I hope this game can last a bit longer. Please go to the hospital now, or I’ll come to your door.
The weight of the word “please” sounded rather intriguing. Lin Lan was still contemplating how to respond when Xie Zilu sent another message: Didn’t we agree that I get to choose the game venue? This time, I choose the hospital. You can set the game rules, and you should come over now. After getting treated, we can take our time playing.
Suddenly, Lin Lan thought of something and agreed.
Lin Lan: Alright, I’ll go to the hospital now. The game will start two hours later. Before that, I’ll send you the game rules. The condition is that you can’t step into the hospital during this time.
Xie Zilu: Fine.
Lin Lan quickly got up, tidied himself, changed into different clothes, and used the excuse of going to the hospital for a check-up to take leave.
Instead of going to the hospital immediately, he prepared a recording pen and a multi-functional knife, hiding them in his clothes. He put on a duckbill hat and a mask, ensuring that the other person wouldn’t recognize him immediately.
Two hours in advance, he arrived at the hospital but didn’t seek medical attention. Instead, he observed the surroundings. During the observation, he already sensed that people sent by Xie Zilu had arrived early, discreetly inquiring around.
Lin Lan lowered his hat and added a coat and mask, fully concealing his hair color. Those people didn’t recognize him.
Xie Zilu was indeed finding loopholes. Unable to come up himself, he had pre-arranged manpower to determine Lin Lan’s location. Truly cunning.
All of this was within Lin Lan’s expectations. He concealed his identity, leaving a secret mark at every position on each floor of the building.
Finally, he hastily blended into the crowd on the ground floor, where people were seeking medical advice. Today, the hospital was distributing medicine for free, making it the most chaotic place in the entire hospital. Simultaneously, it was a crucial passage for entering and exiting, providing an excellent vantage point to observe opponents, with an exit door in the rear for a quick getaway.
Two hours quickly passed. Lin Lan sent the edited message to Xie Zilu’s phone: I left a character on every floor of the hospital, except the first floor. In total, there are 7 characters that can be combined into a sentence. If you can find them all and send the sentence to my phone within 30 minutes, you win. Otherwise, I win. The winner can make a demand or ask for something, and the loser cannot refuse.
After reading the rules, Xie Zilu suddenly became interested in the game. He replied casually: Do you know how many of my people are in the hospital? Finding 7 characters is easy.
Lin Lan: Don’t be too quick to conclude, find them first. Also, let’s agree that we can’t cause a disturbance in the hospital; everything needs to be done secretly.
This statement indeed sparked Xie Zilu’s competitive spirit. Not long after, Lin Lan saw Xie Zilu entering from outside. He was wearing a deep brown suit, tall and slim, with sharp eyebrows and a commanding presence as he walked.
As he passed by the consultation room, he paused, scanning the crowd. Lin Lan quickly lowered his head, and Xie Zilu withdrew his gaze, heading straight upstairs.
Lin Lan wrote the characters in extremely concealed places. He had calculated the number of people Xie Zilu brought with him. Even if there were a maximum of two people on each floor, it would take at least half an hour to find them all.
Time passed slowly, and Lin Lan hid in the crowd, silently observing them.
People came and went from the consultation room in batches, creating a bustling atmosphere.
Lin Lan waited patiently, perhaps watching the countdown. At the 29th minute, he received a message from Xie Zilu.
Xie Zilu: Lin Lan, are you playing with me?
Xie Zilu had found all the characters that Lin Lan had hidden in every nook and cranny, but he couldn’t send them to Lin Lan.
Because the seven characters, when strung together, formed: “Xie Zilu is a dog.”
Rather than admitting he was a dog, he would rather lose this game!
In the crowd, Lin Lan finally revealed a smile. As the time officially reached 30 minutes, he informed Xie Zilu, “Young Master Xie, you lost.”
Standing up, he pulled down the brim of his hat. Even through the screen, Lin Lan could sense Xie Zilu’s furious mood. Lin Lan continued to message him while getting up to leave.
Midway through the messages, two shadows cast down in front of him. Lin Lan realized the danger and immediately pocketed his phone, attempting to run backward. However, there were two people guarding behind him as well.
Lin Lan hadn’t expected that in such a pressing situation, Xie Zilu could still spare four people to block the door. Was this the ultimate gambling tactic?
Remaining calm, Lin Lan stepped back. Suddenly, someone lifted his hat from behind. Lin Lan instinctively reached for the multi-functional knife in his pocket, but before he could pull it out, it was violently confiscated. He was pressed against the wall, and his face mask was removed.
From behind, Xie Zilu’s voice, slightly sharp, reached his ears, sounding quite pleased, “Lin Lan, caught by me, huh?”
Lin Lan remained composed, “I am the winner now. You have no right to do anything to me. Young Master Xie, not following the rules?”
“Following the rules, how could I not follow them? But, Lin Lan, daring to play with me, you’ll have to pay the price.” Xie Zilu raised his hand, signaling his subordinates to make way, while with one hand, he pulled Lin Lan inside.
Lin Lan exerted all his strength to resist, but he couldn’t break free. He wondered how Xie Zilu, so slim, possessed such great strength.
Quickly reaching for his phone in his pocket to call for help, in the next second, his phone was also confiscated by Xie Zilu. With one hand, he dragged Lin Lan to the elevator, exhibiting astonishing strength that scared the surrounding people away.
Xie Zilu nonchalantly smiled, covering Lin Lan’s mouth. He casually said to the people around, “My sweetheart has a bit of a mental issue. Could you all please take the next ride?”
Everyone was startled and stepped back.
With a playful look in his eyes, Xie Zilu gently touched Lin Lan’s head. Pretending to be affectionate, he said, “Sweetheart, don’t be afraid. No matter how much it costs, I’ll make sure to cure you. After all, I like you so much.”
Lin Lan rolled his eyes, not bothering to argue with Xie Zilu about who had the real problem. Fortunately, he had left a backup plan before coming.
The elevator arrived, and Xie Zilu dragged him inside.
Finally able to speak, Lin Lan seized the moment, “Wasn’t Mr. Xie planning to play this game slowly? Are you trying to rush things now?”
“When did I say I want to kill you?”
“Then why did you bring me to the third floor?”
Xie Zilu chuckled, reaching out to pinch Lin Lan’s cheek. With slightly lowered eyes, it was evident that he was in a good mood. “Didn’t I say it? I brought you here for a check-up. No matter how much it costs, I’ll make sure to cure you.”
Lin Lan wanted to say that he wasn’t sick, and the one with the issue was Xie Zilu. However, he himself was not aware of it.
The elevator quickly reached the third floor, and Xie Zilu dragged him out again.
This was the VIP room, nearly deserted. The lights in the corridor outside were also malfunctioning, creating a dim atmosphere. Lin Lan couldn’t distinguish much, but Xie Zilu remembered every detail, even the room numbers.
Suddenly, Lin Lan remembered the marks he had left. He had calculated the time, and it should have been precisely 30 minutes. Yet, even with four fewer people, Xie Zilu still managed to find them on time.
Was he too familiar with the layout of this hospital? Was he so adept at it despite being busy every day? Moreover, hadn’t he been studying abroad before?
Lin Lan suddenly thought of a possibility, “Xie Zilu, have you often come to this hospital for medical treatment before?”
Xie Zilu’s footsteps paused, and his gaze instantly turned cold. He didn’t say anything, still using his astonishing strength to drag Lin Lan inside.
Lin Lan grabbed onto the railing, trying to delay as much time as possible. “Mr. Xie, didn’t I win this game? Why does it feel like I’m the loser?”
Xie Zilu tugged him a couple of times, unsuccessful. After struggling for so long, he was getting a bit tired, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
He loosened his grip a bit, taking a deep breath. “Let’s consider it a win for you.”
“What do you mean ‘consider’? I clearly won.” Lin Lan argued logically. “You brought a group of people, and I’m alone. This wasn’t a fair duel from the beginning. What’s wrong with using a bit of intelligence?”
Xie Zilu didn’t refute him, just examined him with a probing look, then strangely smiled, “Alright, it’s your win.”
As the winner, Lin Lan could make a request or ask for something from the loser. Xie Zilu was curious about what he wanted, “Go ahead.”
Lin Lan had already decided before coming, “I want Jiang Xi’s contact information.”
He still believed that Jiang Xi’s troubles were related to the original host, and Jiang Xi, as the witness to all the calamities of the original host, must know something.
Xie Zilu laughed, his hands in his pockets. After pondering for a while, he finally decided, “Okay, I’ll give it to you later.”
He grabbed Lin Lan’s arm again, striding into the consultation room. “This is a doctor I often use. I’ll ask her to give you a full-body examination later.” As he spoke, the force in his hands lightened, losing the initial brutality and gaining a bit more reasonableness.
Lin Lan could feel that Xie Zilu didn’t harbor ill intentions towards him. The one he had malicious intent with was the original host; Xie Zilu’s attitude towards him had always been ambiguous since the original host’s death.
Xie Zilu was a complex person, and Lin Lan truly couldn’t understand him.
He suddenly stopped and asked Xie Zilu another question, “Was it really not you who forced me to take sleeping pills?”
“Heh,” Xie Zilu chuckled, “Lin Lan, use your brain and think. If I really wanted you dead, why bother with personality therapy? It’s a waste of money and effort.”
This was another aspect that Lin Lan found strange. Initially, he thought Xie Zilu was just playing around, tormenting the original host to death, but now it seemed like he wasn’t.
Xie Zilu suddenly turned around, staring directly at him. There was an indescribable emotion in his eyes. He lightly touched Lin Lan’s cheek with the ring on his hand. The icy and sharp sensation resembled the feeling he got from Xie Zilu himself. “Lin Lan, I’ve said that we are the same kind of people. I finally encountered you, how could I bear to let you die?”
After saying this, he pushed Lin Lan into the room. “Go ahead, I’ve scheduled a comprehensive examination for you. I’ll be waiting for you outside.”
Lin Lan was full of doubts. Before entering, he insisted that Xie Zilu give him the phone. Initially reluctant, Xie Zilu gave in when Lin Lan said, “I’ve set a timed alarm. If you don’t give it to me, the police will come.”
Xie Zilu laughed, handing him the phone, his eyes full of interest. “Well, should I be grateful I didn’t lay a hand on you? Otherwise, I’d spend the rest of my life in prison?”
Lin Lan had actually deceived Xie Zilu. He didn’t install any timed alarm software. Before coming, he had sent a message to Xiao Shengjing, telling him that he encountered Xie Zilu at the hospital and asked him to come to the hospital entrance to pick him up. He specifically emphasized that if he didn’t come down in 15 minutes, he should call him. If the call went unanswered, he should call the police.
In this time frame, Xiao Shengjing might already be downstairs.
Lin Lan got the phone and reassured Xiao Shengjing: I’m fine now, Captain. Please wait for me a bit longer, and we can go back together.
Xiao Shengjing instantly replied: Okay.
Lin Lan put away the phone and entered the room for the examination. Inside was a beautiful female doctor. She was not young, but her mature and natural smile exuded a charm that comes with time. “Hello, I’m the doctor conducting your examination this time. My last name is Zhou, and you can call me Dr. Zhou.”
“Hello, Dr. Zhou.”
Dr. Zhou gave him a very gentle impression. Her voice was soft, lacking any aggressiveness. Lin Lan cooperated with her through all the examinations, and they chatted casually throughout the process.
Feeling that the timing was right, Lin Lan suddenly asked her, “When Mr. Xie comes for a check-up, does he also chat with you like this?”
Dr. Zhou smiled and shook her head.
Lin Lan wasn’t sure if her head shake meant Xie Zilu never came for a check-up or if he didn’t chat like this. Dr. Zhou’s confidentiality measures were impeccable.
The examination concluded, and Lin Lan put on his coat before leaving.
Xie Zilu was still waiting outside, standing on the balcony and smoking. Cigarette butts littered the ground beneath him, and ashes stuck to his polished shoes. He slightly furrowed his brows, not too old, but with a thoughtful demeanor.
Hearing Lin Lan’s footsteps, he dropped the cigarette butt. “Finished?”
“Yeah,” Lin Lan adjusted his zipper and looked up at him. “Jiang Xi’s contact information?”
Xie Zilu didn’t expect him to be in such a hurry. He furrowed his brows and habitually took a cigarette, placing it at the corner of his mouth. “I’m a man of my word. I said I’ll give it to you, and I will. Let’s wait for the examination report tomorrow. If you’re indeed healthy, I’ll give it to you. If there’s an issue, come straight to the hospital, get treated, and then I’ll give it to you.”
He lit the cigarette, taking a deep drag. The forceful way he smoked suggested he might finish the whole cigarette in a few puffs.
Lin Lan, feeling uncomfortable with the smoke, touched his nose.
Xie Zilu seemed to notice and held the cigarette, scrutinizing him. “Bothered by it?”
After saying this, he threw the remaining cigarette at his feet, stomping it out. His posture while stomping out the cigarette was aggressive, enhanced by the ring on his hand and the tattoo on his neck, making him look far from a law-abiding citizen.
Lin Lan was starting to believe Xie Zilu’s words a bit. If he truly wanted the original owner dead, there were a hundred ways, and he might even go crazy and do it personally.
Coming downstairs, Lin Lan relaxed a bit. Xie Zilu casually hooked his shoulder, pretending to be affectionate. “Shall I take you back?”
Lin Lan tactfully sidestepped. “No, I’m afraid Mr. Xie might take the opportunity to assassinate me. I dare not ride in your car.”
Xie Zilu chuckled softly, finding Lin Lan amusing. He thought this person was straightforward and blatant in everything he did, leaving no room for concealment. This, paradoxically, made others hesitant to harm him.
He used the ring on his hand to playfully graze Lin Lan’s cheek, in a good mood. “Fine, I’ll head back now.”
Retracting his hand, he coolly put it in his pocket and took a few steps. Suddenly, he thought of something interesting, turning around with an interested look. “Lin Lan, should I be the one to set the rules for the next game?”
Lin Lan nodded. “Sure, but I’ll choose the location.”
“Alright, I’ll wait for your notification.”
Without hesitation, Xie Zilu got into his luxury car and left. After he was gone, Lin Lan messaged Xiao Shengjing: Captain, where are you?
Xiao Shengjing: In the examination room. Lots of people, can’t come out.
Lin Lan rushed over and found the corridor crowded with people, a chaotic mix of those trying to pass through and those moving in the opposite direction. The crowd was tightly packed together.
Being tall, Xiao Shengjing stood out in the crowd, struggling to move outward.
Lin Lan waved to him, gesturing to come from the side. Xiao Shengjing began the difficult task of moving towards Lin Lan, visibly uncomfortable with physical contact, and his brow remained tightly furrowed throughout.
“Captain, how did you end up in the middle of the crowd?”
Xiao Shengjing had seen a figure resembling Lin Lan and, without thinking, squeezed in, only to realize it wasn’t him. Attempting to get out, he discovered the crowd had grown thicker.
He didn’t want to discuss this incident and asked Lin Lan, “Is your matter resolved?”
Lin Lan nodded, walking and sharing his speculation with Xiao Shengjing. “Xie Zilu might not be the culprit; I feel he currently has no ill intentions towards me. Therefore, the clues on his side might not reveal much. We only have the lead on Jiang Xi now. Xie Zilu has agreed to provide me with Jiang Xi’s contact information. I’ll get in touch with her, and then we can decide our next steps.”
Xiao Shengjing nodded. It was a relief that Xie Zilu showed no ill intentions towards Lin Lan. He had been concerned that if Xie Zilu were the murderer, Lin Lan’s investigation might lead to trouble.
“Then, let’s focus on checking Jiang Xi for now.”
Returning to the team, Lin Lan’s mind was still occupied with various speculations until he sat down and opened his computer. Thanks to Lu Shi’s persistent reminders, he noticed that his keyboard had been replaced.
“Oh? Is this my new keyboard?” Lin Lan picked up the keyboard, confirming with Xiao Shengjing, “Captain, did you buy me this new keyboard?”
Lu Shi teased, “Oh, and you’ve even changed to pink keycaps?”
Everyone in the training room was drawn to his keyboard – the Logitech GPROX, with an official price starting at 1299. It exuded a cool and eye-catching aura, especially with the newly replaced keycaps, which stood out.
Xiao Shengjing uncomfortably cleared his throat, “Uh, Brother Mu reimbursed it.”
Lu Shi deliberately raised his voice, “Brother Mu reimbursed it. Did Brother Mu say he wanted to change keycaps? Did he say he also wanted to buy headphones?”
He even showed Lin Lan the newly bought headphones, which were also quite expensive and part of a matching set. It could be said that he had spared no expense.
Looking at the newly replaced keycaps on the keyboard, Lin Lan was stunned for a moment. Although he had requested the keyboard, changing the keycaps did seem… a bit intimate.
In the original world, the silly dog went to great lengths to change the keycaps for him, showing a strange and obsessive attachment to the keys he frequently used.
What kind of peculiar preference was this? Is it engraved in the genes?
Ahem, Lin Lan suddenly found it challenging to look directly at the captain.
In fact, the pink keycap had nothing to do with Xiao Shengjing.
Who knew that during a promotion, a store insisted on giving away a few keycaps. He had thought of getting a nice-looking blue one, but they ran out of blue, leaving only pink. He had initially said he would take it home to install it himself. However, the salesperson misunderstood and directly installed it for him. He didn’t realize it at the time, and when he brought it back, he placed it on Lin Lan’s desk. To his surprise, Lu Shi, being curious, had dismantled it.
Xiao Shengjing felt that Lin Lan’s gaze towards him suddenly became strange. He really wanted to explain, but he couldn’t clarify it.
After enduring a long period, Xiao Shengjing waited until the end of training when everyone had left before finding an opportunity to pull Lin Lan aside.
“I have something to tell you.”
Initially, it was a casual conversation, but Lin Lan suddenly thought of that pink keycap, and he began to feel uneasy. “What, what do you want to tell me?”
“That keycap, it was a gift.”
“Yeah, a gift.” The silly dog in the original world had also told him the same.
“I originally wanted a blue one, but they only had pink,” Xiao Shengjing explained, sounding a bit nervous at this point, fearing that Lin Lan might think of him as a weirdo. “I didn’t ask him to install it; he must have misunderstood.”
The silly dog in the original world had said the same thing, but then he kept changing the keycaps endlessly, in various styles, getting more expensive with each change. Which store gives away keycaps every day?
Lin Lan didn’t expose him. For some reason, he suddenly felt a bit nervous, realizing that their hands were still held together. “Actually, pink is, well, quite nice.”
“Do you like it?”
“Well… I guess.”
Xiao Shengjing finally breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn’t forgotten Lin Lan’s previous warning: “You said you didn’t want me to like you, didn’t want me to be sticky, so I don’t want you to misunderstand.”
“Huh?” Lin Lan had already forgotten the words he had spoken.
His mind suddenly became a bit muddled. So, was that keycap just a misunderstanding? It wasn’t intentional on his part?
The lights in the training room suddenly went off, casting a dim and ambiguous light on the two figures.
Xiao Shengjing’s hand suddenly reached up to touch Lin Lan’s head. He seemed a bit hesitant. After contemplating for a while, he bent down, and the voice that fell on Lin Lan’s ear was soft and gentle, “So even if I like you, I won’t make you feel uncomfortable. Don’t worry.”
“Huh?” Lin Lan’s mind pumped again. He had no idea what Xiao Shengjing was talking about.
The person in front of him cleared his throat and patted the back of his head, “You’ve had a tiring day. Go back and rest.”
With a mind still in a whirl, Lin Lan returned to his room, feeling like his brain was turning into a mess. What did he mean by “even if he likes him”? Past tense or future tense? A statement or a hypothesis?
Damn it, was Captain just confessing? Was he? Was it a confession? Was he confessing? Or was he giving an example? Why does it feel like he can’t understand?
Lin Lan was going crazy. He wanted to rush over and ask him what that sentence really meant. If he didn’t clarify, he wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.
On the other side, Xiao Shengjing was equally uncomfortable. He stared at his phone, tense, indecisive, wondering whether he should explain further.
He didn’t know what he was saying at that moment. When he realized it, the words were already out. Now, he could only leave with a forced calmness.
Was it too late to regret now?
Author’s note:
Not only did Xie Zilu lose the game, but he also lost his wife.
