Translator: Moonlit
Editor: Aiya-ge
Even if Walter used the hypnosis technique, they shouldn’t think he is Gu WenCheng!
But as soon as this thought floated through their minds, they sensed something was wrong.
Hypnosis, even if it made them believe this person is Gu WenCheng, would Walter’s own actions be exactly like Gu WenCheng’s?
Even when they regarded him as Gu WenCheng, every movement and action faintly revealed a familiarity they couldn’t ignore.
They didn’t know if this was the effect of hypnosis, but Ji Yu and Ling Nian’s breathing became heavy. They thought of a certain possibility and stared at Walter without blinking.
Incredulous, unbelievable, various emotions flashed through their hearts, ultimately turning into fiery gazes fixed on Walter.
Admitting it in front of a boyfriend and admitting one’s other identity in front of companions were entirely different feelings.
Li ZouXing felt his hand being tightly held by Gu WenCheng. The other party appeared calm and collected. One hand holding him and the other hand reaching upward until it touched the mask.
Everyone present, no matter who, gradually lowered their voices in response to his actions.
Walter’s true appearance was too intriguing.
Pairs of eyes stared at him. As a renowned star thief who had seen all walks of life, Walter hesitated when his hand grasped the edge of the mask.
Li ZouXing discerned his hesitation, and at the same time, Ji Yu and Xi Nan cleverly confirmed their speculations from his actions.
“…”
The expressions on their faces were complicated, and for a moment, they didn’t know how to face this scene with what attitude. Their past memories of Walter became exceptionally dramatic, and the bittersweet experiences condensed into two words, “WenCheng.”
These two words pressed on Walter like a towering mountain, and the suave and cool star thief lost his composure. His heart kept rising and falling.
Xi Nan and Si Wo Lin looked at each other in shock, then turned to look at Walter in astonishment.
Incredulous, “You’ve been hypnotized too?!”
But Ling Nian and Ji Yu’s expressions didn’t seem like a joke. Ji Yu sighed and shook his head gently.
“Walter, how could you possibly be Gu WenCheng?” Xi Nan asked in a panicked state and turned to Li ZouXing for help. “ZouXing, Walter isn’t Gu WenCheng, right? They just mistook him, or they’ve been hypnotized, isn’t it?”
How could Walter be Gu WenCheng!
It must not be Gu WenCheng… He just called Walter an old man, a perverted uncle, and even let him touch him!
If he’s really Gu WenCheng… how disgusted Gu WenCheng must be? How much beating will he get?
A heavy silence spread, and Xi Nan’s attitude led to misunderstandings, causing Walter’s heart to sink.
Li ZouXing spoke at this moment, especially seriously, giving strength to his partner, “He is.”
Two resounding words.
His voice broke the tense atmosphere, and Walter took a deep breath, his long, slender hands supporting the jaw beneath the mask. His tone regained Walter’s dominance and confidence, “Curious about the face under this mask?”
The posture was relaxed and comfortable like Walter’s, but the voice was Gu WenCheng’s voice.
The same tone, the same speaking habits as Gu WenCheng.
This hint was already clear enough.
The Dream Team clenched their fists nervously and nodded solemnly.
Walter’s mask slowly moved upwards, as if time had slowed down until he revealed his chin and lips.
The corners of his mouth still held a smile, with attractive and full lips, and the curve was extremely familiar to his teammates.
Now, it was the turn for the teammates to take a deep breath.
It’s Gu WenCheng.
No doubt. This smile, this feeling, it must be Gu WenCheng.
No discomfort. Definitely not hypnosis.
The eccentric old man, Walter, turned out to be their teammate, Gu WenCheng, of the same age.
Even Ling Nian and Ji Yu, who had their suspicions, were left speechless by the shock.
The people of the Empire naturally admire the strong, and there is heroism in everyone’s heart. For this group of young people, Walter will always be a different presence.
Because of his strength, because of his freedom, because of his uniqueness.
The companions turned into their former idol, a unique and renowned interstellar strongman. They spent day and night with Gu WenCheng, joking and laughing with this strongman, even teasing him about his relationship with Li ZouXing.
The cute members of the Dream Team had expressions like a knocked-over palette, rapidly changing in various colors. They looked at Walter’s eyes, which became increasingly strange. They had a desire to go up and beat him, mixed with disbelief that this was really their teammate.
Walter. That’s Walter.
Ah!
They understood now; this must be Gu WenCheng pretending to be Walter, cooperating with Li ZouXing to fool them. Gu WenCheng must be impersonating Walter!
Saying it like this makes a lot of sense… what a trick.
The Dream Team’s expressions collapsed, and they fidgeted awkwardly.
Li ZouXing examined their expressions. All dazed and none of them had regained their senses.
“Walter’s age shouldn’t be 18,” Si Wo Lin forced himself to stay calm, fearing that this might be Gu WenCheng playing with Li ZouXing. “He already made a name for himself twenty years ago.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Xi Nan kept nodding, still shockingly unable to divert his gaze, examining Walter from top to bottom, left to right. “Exactly! How old is Gu WenCheng, and how old is Walter!”
Their voices could easily reach Li ZouXing and Walter’s ears. Li ZouXing suddenly realized that accepting Walter as Gu WenCheng seemed a bit too hasty.
To make his boyfriend, who enjoyed speculating, believe in the perfect disguise of his usual alter ego and that he had never recognized him in that disguise.
Li ZouXing cleared his throat and hurriedly tried to salvage the situation. “That’s right, Walter’s reputation has been around for many years…”
Walter dared not move.
They all keep calling him a perverted uncle, how could he admit to actually being an uncle?
If, for example, ZouXing found out that he had returned to a younger age while heavily injured due to NK-03… If he discovered his real age, how could ZouXing endure dating a thirty-eight-year-old man?
A man who had never dated before, once he began a real relationship, would inevitably experience various disparities and subtle self-doubt because of the age difference.
Being uneasy due to the age gap, being uneasy because of the difference in mentality, it was precisely because he cared too much that Gu WenCheng no longer seemed like Gu WenCheng.
The other was still young, their body was fresh… While he had returned to his youth, his mentality had matured.
…and also, he’s so young.
If his real age came out, that would really be a huge minus.
But if he really cares… no, what he cares about is how Li ZouXing sees it.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt that he absolutely couldn’t reveal the fact that he had returned to a younger age.
But once he exposed himself as Walter, they would definitely inquire about his age. Under the guidance of his teammates, if ZouXing really cared…
Absolutely not!
While he was lost in his thoughts, Li ZouXing was also thinking about the previous events.
If Gu WenCheng found out that he had long since figured out that he was Walter, with Gu WenCheng’s thought process and acting skills, he might turn everything upside down.
So… he hoped nothing would go wrong.
Gu WenCheng was an action-oriented personality.
Just as he had decided not to reveal it for now, he immediately put the half-mask back on. Just as Weiss had just finished inspecting the body and came down, without saying a word, he turned and ran off, leaving everyone stunned and staring.
He.turned.and.ran.
…he ran away; this is definitely Gu WenCheng.
Xi Nan and Si Wo Lin, who were initially uncertain, instantly confirmed it. This was unquestionably him; they didn’t make a mistake.
Li ZouXing hadn’t anticipated that he would pull such a stunt. He stood there in utter bewilderment, his face displaying an expression that said, “Can he really do this?”
His teammates couldn’t believe it either. Despite voicing doubts about Walter’s age, deep down, they were already 99% convinced. They were just a step away from saying, “It doesn’t matter who you are; you’re still our teammate,” and then this guy ran away!
Darn it!
He ran off without saying a word, even with his mask halfway off and his disguise almost removed!
He must be given a good beating for this! They absolutely couldn’t tolerate it! This was Walter, and he ran away right in front of them!
Li ZouXing: “…”
Ling Nian: “…”
Ji Yu: “…Haha.”
That one laugh acted as a switch, and everyone burst into laughter.
The mental lock that had restrained them had dissipated, and facing Walter’s panicked escape, as long as they thought it was Gu WenCheng, and remembered his expression, they found it incredibly amusing.
Just as Li ZouXing described, a prestigious figure who was far away on the horizon turned into a silly companion rolling in the mud with them the next day. The immense gap brought by this transformation was instantly filled with laughter. They didn’t feel like strangers at all; they just wanted to laugh, really wanted to laugh, and couldn’t help but laugh.
“Oh my goodness, what is Gu WenCheng doing?”
“Hahaha, did we scare Walter away? Hahaha?”
“You’re still laughing? What if we make Walter, the little darling, cry?”
The teasing was merciless, and they couldn’t help but laugh even louder.
“His mask was halfway off,” Li ZouXing laughed until his face hurt, placing a trembling hand on his friend’s shoulder and raising a big thumbs-up. “He really lives up to being Gu WenCheng.”
Truly the protagonist; ordinary people couldn’t pull off such a stunt.
As they laughed, they felt that all the previous questions were no longer a concern.
When your boyfriend is immature, you teach him; there will come a day when he becomes mature.
Besides, Gu WenCheng wasn’t immature; he just didn’t take himself seriously because of love.
Weiss walked out of the elevator and heard the laughter echoing through the entire floor. At first, he was a bit tense, but he realized that only the Dream Team was there. He relaxed. “What’s going on?”
The Dream Team waved their hands and continued to laugh, unable to put their feelings into words.
Young people are always full of vitality, Wiss understood. Especially since they are all great contributors. He looked at them with a good mood and noticed something amiss, “Huh, where’s your teammate, Gu WenCheng?”
As soon as he said that, the Dream Team found another point to laugh about, and their laughter echoed throughout the entire hotel.
“…,” Weiss stared at the Dream Team as if they were crazy.
Under the scrutiny of such a gaze, the Dream Team’s faces froze from laughter. They desperately wanted to stop, but it was as if they had been struck in their laughter points. No matter how hard they tried to control themselves, they couldn’t stop. Their muscles ached from laughing so much.
As long as they thought about Gu WenCheng being so silly, and using Walter’s alter ego, which he had always been showing off only in front of them, they couldn’t stop laughing. No one could make them stop.
Weiss stood there waiting for quite a while, and when the laughter finally died down a bit, he was about to ask again where Gu WenCheng had gone. Just then, footsteps echoed from the other end of the corridor. A few seconds later, Gu WenCheng walked out from the corridor.
He had a clear gaze, a calm smile, and his steps were unhurried, as if he had no idea what had just happened. He appeared to be completely unaware, a baby who knew nothing.
Li ZouXing looked at him like this, and involuntarily, the scene of their first meeting crossed his mind. He suddenly had a feeling of déjà vu.
Their first encounter was in the central square of the North Star. Gu WenCheng had walked confidently and proudly through the crowd, exuding youthful arrogance and the serene demeanor of a mature man. At that time, Li ZouXing had thought to himself that this was undoubtedly the protagonist.
But now, Gu WenCheng’s expression and demeanor remained unchanged, still unique and radiant. However, Li ZouXing was now thinking to himself, “What a silly person he is.”
With that thought, he also started laughing.
Thinking about his boyfriend and laughing, that smile was enough to make anyone’s heart flutter.
Pretending not to know what had just happened, not admitting that he was Walter, and putting on such a serious self-deceptive act made him incredibly adorable.
Watching him pretend to be calm but act so timid was amusing.
But other than him, the members of the Dream Team were about to burst into laughter.
They struggled to give Gu WenCheng some face and tried to control their mouths to stifle their laughter.
Gu WenCheng had really thick skin. He asked in a seemingly natural tone, “Why are you all so happy?”
His gaze was half worried and half curious, perfectly embodying the mindset of a conscientious teammate who had no idea about the recent events.
The teammates exchanged glances, and then they collectively changed their expressions, silently staring at Gu WenCheng.
Gu WenCheng’s heart skipped a beat, but his face remained composed.
Their alternating between laughter and crying had already raised suspicions in Weiss’s eyes, and he began to wonder if they had been affected by some new kind of neuro-disrupting agent from Chongye.
Li ZouXing was afraid that he might actually report something like “The Dream Team’s brains are malfunctioning” to higher-ups, so he wrote a line on his communicator and showed it to Weiss. Weiss had an epiphany and stopped worrying. He folded his hands behind his back and watched the Dream Team’s antics with a smirk.
This was the time to put their acting skills to the test!
Ling Nian repeatedly motivated them through the mental channel, excluding Li ZouXing and Gu WenCheng from the team’s communication, “We’ve been fooled by Gu WenCheng so many times, and now it’s finally our turn to turn the tables.”
“Come on, everyone,” Ji Yu also changed his demeanor, “after we’re done fooling WenCheng, we’ll have to prank Zou Xing.”
Good kids gone bad. At first, the Dream Team was full of little angels, but now they seemed to be growing some devilish horns on their heads.
Because they had been fooled by Gu WenCheng so many times, just the week they spent practicing cool combat poses in the virtual world, they were made to strike many cringe-worthy poses. It was like a dark chapter in their history.
But they weren’t going to let it slide. With Gu WenCheng pretending to be Walter, their teammates wouldn’t be mad at them, so they decided to get back at him!
The mischievous factor had risen as Li ZouXing and Gu WenCheng took turns fooling them. This time, it was their turn for revenge.
The Dream Team put on a dramatic performance, with tears in their eyes and expressions of great suffering, as they apologized to Gu WenCheng, “WenCheng, we’re sorry. ZouXing, he… ZouXing has been defiled.”
Li ZouXing: “???”
What is this?
How was he defiled?
Li ZouXing stared at them, and the Dream Team quickly signaled to him.
Gu WenCheng: “…Well, is that so…”
They actually… didn’t recognize him.
His ability to hide himself, is it really that strong?
No, maybe… Gu WenCheng’s expression held a hint of disdain; his teammates were actually this foolish?
Author’s note:
Gu WenCheng (bitterly): Why are you all so foolish!
Dream Team: “Demonic laughter*
