Coming downstairs, Lin Lan could feel that the upstairs Xie Zilu had been watching him all the time, with cold and sharp eyes, as if trying to see through him.
Pretending not to care, Lin Lan took a taxi and left.
Once in the car, he breathed a sigh of relief and immediately messaged Xiao Shengjing: Captain, you don’t need to come. I’m on my way back.
Xiao Shengjing: Okay.
Xiao Shengjing: Nothing happened, right?
Lin Lan: No, I just had a little chat with him.
Xiao Shengjing: What did you talk about?
Lin Lan: Not sure yet. I’ll tell you after I finish investigating.
He took a taxi back. After arriving, he directly went to his room and began frantically searching for everything related to Shengyuan High School.
There was no information about it online, whether positive or negative. No discussions could be found on major social platforms, and any posts related to it were promptly deleted. Lin Lan reluctantly found Shengyuan’s forum, but he had to log in with a student ID to access its content.
Lin Lan tried to register but couldn’t succeed. He quickly grabbed his voice recorder and went to the next room to find Xiao Shengjing, “Captain, are you there?”
A blurry voice came from inside, “Hmm?” Lin Lan heard the sound of water in the bathroom and sneakily opened the door, “Captain, are you taking a shower?”
The opening of the door startled Xiao Shengjing, and he immediately turned off the shower, his voice becoming alert, “What are you doing?”
“I have something important to discuss with you. I’ll wait until you finish showering.” Lin Lan proactively entered the room and locked the door behind him.
Locking the door produced a crisp “click” sound, very distinct. Xiao Shengjing heard it, “Why did you lock the door?”
“I need to ask you something private, and I’m afraid others might overhear.”
“?” This statement was bound to make people speculate.
Lin Lan had been to Xiao Shengjing’s room many times, treating it as his own and feeling comfortable. He sat on the gaming chair, adjusted the height, and saw on the computer screen the recently finished ranked game by Xiao Shengjing. There were a bunch of unread messages below and friend requests above.
As someone with a bit of OCD, Lin Lan couldn’t stand it and insisted on opening them all.
“Captain, there’s a little meow meow that added you, seems like a streamer. I accepted it for you.”
“Don’t accept, she wants me to carry her, and I can’t handle it.”
“Oh no,” Lin Lan was quick and had already clicked, “What should I do? I accepted her. Should I unfriend her?”
“Never mind, leave it.”
“Sigh… I’ve already unfriended her.”
“…Do you know how many viewers she has in her livestream room?”
“Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean to.” Lin Lan continued clicking down, “Captain, there’s someone named Axiu looking for you to duo queue, seems like a streamer. I rejected it for you.”
“Don’t reject, I just agreed to a showdown with him.”
“Oh,” Lin Lan thought it was another streamer seeking attention, and he had already clicked reject, “Should I shamelessly ask him to invite me again?”
“…Forget it, I’ll explain to him later.”
“Oh,” Lin Lan quickly saw the next message, “Hey, Captain, someone is asking if you’re free tomorrow, and wants to invite you to a friendly match. Should I accept for you?”
Shao Shengjing took a deep breath, “Lin Lan, do you have OCD? Do you have to open every message for me?”
Admitting to being caught, Lin Lan honestly said, “Sorry, Captain, I do have a bit of OCD.”
Helpless, Xiao Shengjing sighed. He originally didn’t plan to make a fuss about this matter, but then he heard Lin Lan exclaim, “Ah, this person who added you seems to be ENG’s mid-laner. I rejected it for you, should be okay, right?”
“Lin Lan,” Xiao Shengjing couldn’t bear it anymore, “can you stop messing with my account?”
Lin Lan also knew he had a wandering hand. He slapped his disobedient hand, sat back obediently, and said, “I won’t touch it anymore.”
Xiao Shengjing put on his clothes. He rushed out without even bothering to dry his hair. He leaned over, reaching over Lin Lan to deal with the pop-up messages. A moist fragrance wafted over.
Lin Lan only felt a shadow falling over him, then he saw Xiao Shengjing’s fingertips flying over the keyboard, neatly handling all the mess he left behind.
Droplets of water fell from the tips of his hair, sliding down Lin Lan’s neck, and sending a chill through him.
He tried to get up, only to realize that he was completely encircled by Xiao Shengjing, with no room to get up at all.
“Captain,” Lin Lan raised his head to look at him, catching a glimpse of his sturdy jawline. Xiao Shengjing was focused while handling the messages, his bangs slightly covering his eyes. The disheveled hair made him look like the big brother next door, losing much of the usual sense of distance, “Go blow-dry your hair. I won’t touch your messages.”
Xiao Shengjing didn’t believe his nonsense at all. After replying to the last message, he got up to dry his hair, “What do you want to tell me?”
Lin Lan remembered his original purpose for coming here, quickly took out his recording pen, and played the entire conversation with Xie Zilu for him.
“These are the three questions I asked him today. The first question confirmed that the treatment plan was forced on me by Xie Zilu, and Wu Ming is in cahoots with him. For the second question, he claimed not to be the one who forced me to die. I haven’t figured that part out yet and need to investigate further.”
“For the last question, Captain, do you remember the group of people who attacked me in the alley that day? The one leading them wore a clown mask, was thin, and liked to wear rings. I suspect that person is Xie Zilu. If it’s not him, when I asked, he would definitely answer without hesitation. Since he refused to answer, it means it must be him.”
Lin Lan’s speculation was correct. Given Xie Zilu’s personality, he wouldn’t bother lying and would refuse to answer if it proved his involvement.
Xiao Shengjing, after listening to the recording, furrowed his brows slightly.
He had some impressions of this group of people. “Indeed, Shengyuan has a group of students engaging in some shady transactions. They wear masks and use voice changers, leaving no traces behind. Even if they accidentally leave evidence, powerful figures would step in to cover for them, making them even more audacious and a nightmare for all students.”
But he never expected Xie Zilu to be the leader.
There was another thing Xiao Shengjing wasn’t sure if he should mention, “This group has been involved in several murders, and the police have investigated multiple times without any success. If that person is really Xie Zilu.” He looked at Lin Lan with concern, “He didn’t dare to answer you because this matter might land him in prison.”
Lin Lan was somewhat surprised. He didn’t expect to catch onto his weakness so quickly. But how could he obtain evidence?
“Captain, can you log in to Shengyuan High School’s forum? I want to check if any photos might help me retrieve some memories.”
“The forum is only accessible to current students. Once you graduate, the account becomes inactive.” Xiao Shengjing took out his phone and started some operations, “I’ll lend you an account.”
The account was quickly borrowed, and Lin Lan sat nervously, watching as Xiao Shengjing entered the username. However, the login attempt failed.
“What’s going on?”
“It should be the IP issue. Only IPs within the school can access their forum.” Xiao Shengjing remained calm. He reached out and swiftly created a virtual ID with a school-related IP. This time, it worked, and he successfully logged in. “It’s good now.”
The interface displayed Shengyuan’s unique eagle emblem, and a few school-related test questions appeared, requiring answers within 5 seconds.
Fortunately, Xiao Shengjing answered them accurately, and the interface finally led to the forum.
Lin Lan didn’t expect a forum to be so mysterious. As he clicked into it, the front part seemed normal, with regular friendly exchanges. However, the further he looked, the more incomprehensible it became.
Strange posts with peculiar vocabulary began to appear, accompanied by a bunch of people enthusiastically chiming in below.
Xiao Shengjing explained, “These are the secret codes within their circle. Only they can understand them.”
Taking the mouse, he provided some information, “See this lock symbol? This is the school club’s encryption mark. You must join the club to see their encrypted posts.”
Lin Lan clicked on one, but it indicated that he wasn’t a member of the club and couldn’t view it. “Captain, have you joined any clubs?”
Xiao Shengjing explained, “I’ve only joined the Student Council, and the posts there mainly focus on work-related content.”
Apart from the Student Council, there were some peculiar school clubs. As he scrolled through, he found one with the word “Gotham.” It, too, had encrypted files.
He instinctively clicked on it, but as expected, he couldn’t view anything.
The club introduction for “Gotham” had only one sentence: “Welcome to the land of desire.”
Its founder’s profile picture was a clown’s mask, with 171 members and ranking first in popularity among all school clubs, leaving the second-place Student Council far behind.
“These are the people who bullied me in the alley,” Lin Lan confirmed, as the group of bizarre characters had a Gotham-style vibe, with the leader wearing a clown mask. “Is there no way to decrypt these encrypted posts?”
Xiao Shengjing shook his head. Being a programming student himself, he knew well, “Shengyuan’s defense system is comparable to a national level.”
The truth was right in front of them, yet locked away.
Truly frustrating.
Lin Lan went through all the non-encrypted posts from Gotham. Each post’s content seemed inexplicable, yet there was a group of people enthusiastically agreeing below, resembling a group of diseased individuals.
Unable to comprehend, Lin Lan asked, “Doesn’t the school do anything about this?”
Xiao Shengjing explained, “Forming cliques is a crucial lesson at Shengyuan, so many wealthy people like to send their children there.”
No wonder they acted so recklessly; there was an entire chain of interests behind them.
Lin Lan saved all the visible images and sent them to his account, saying, “Captain, I’ll head back now. Thanks for today.”
“Lin Lan,” Xiao Shengjing suddenly stopped him. His hair was still wet and disheveled, resembling the friendly neighborhood big brother. Concern was evident in his eyes. “Even if you’re certain that Xie Zilu is the masked man, don’t stir up trouble without evidence. I’m afraid Xie Zilu might act recklessly.”
Lin Lan nodded, “Okay.”
Back in his room, Lin Lan carefully examined the saved photos one by one. Only a few managed to trigger the original host’s memories, and they were all unrelated to significant matters in the school.
Repeated memory traversals took a toll on Lin Lan’s mental state. He persisted halfway through but couldn’t continue, opting to rest with his head covered.
The next morning, when Jiang Jin saw Lin Lan’s pale face resembling a corpse, he was startled. “Did you not sleep well? Do you need to rest a bit more?”
Lin Lan shook his head and prepared himself a cup of coffee. Through the mirrored surface, he saw that he looked as terrible as a ghost who hadn’t slept for three days. It seemed he couldn’t be too aggressive; he needed to plan carefully.
Rubbing his whitened face, Lin Lan passed by Brother Mu, who, upon seeing him, thought he was sick and insisted he go to the hospital for a check-up.
Now Lin Lan was DT’s treasure; this household couldn’t afford to lose him.
Drinking his coffee, Xiao Shengjing suddenly appeared in front of him. Frowning at his condition, he said, “Brother Mu asked me to take you to the hospital.”
“No need,” Lin Lan touched his face in the mirror. “I just didn’t sleep well.”
Xiao Shengjing didn’t insist further. After thinking for a while, he suggested, “If you don’t want to go to the hospital, let’s go out and relax.”
Coincidentally, Lin Lan didn’t feel like training either. With a face as pale as a ghost, he went out. Xiao Shengjing bought him a cup of milk tea, which significantly improved his spirits.
Both of them walked slowly without speaking.
Lin Lan remained silent due to his preoccupations. He was contemplating where to find evidence against Xie Zilu. As they walked, he accidentally bumped into Xiao Shengjing’s back.
Xiao Shengjing didn’t speak because he was thinking about how to comfort Lin Lan. Seeing Lin Lan in such a distracted state, he became a bit worried. “Did those photos remind you of something unpleasant?”
Not exactly, it was just that memory traversal was mentally taxing, and Lin Lan still hadn’t fully recovered.
He was about to speak when Xiao Shengjing walked towards him and opened his coat, enveloping Lin Lan entirely in his embrace.
Lin Lan was caught off guard. He was held tightly by him and froze on the spot.
Sunlight fell from above, and the river breeze swept past his ears. The coat wrapped him securely, shielding him from the harsh wind.
Xiao Shengjing was quite tall, almost engulfing him entirely. Strangely, his embrace didn’t feel suffocating; it was like a sturdy hug from a protective friend, providing a sense of tranquility.
At this moment, Lin Lan surprisingly felt a bit envious of the original owner. At least, in the original owner’s harsh past, there had been a senior who protected him, preventing things from becoming too tragic.
Resting his forehead against Xiao Shengjing’s chest, although he didn’t consciously dwell on it, Lin Lan couldn’t help but acknowledge that the original owner’s experiences reminded him of his own.
Before entering the esports scene, Lin Lan’s life hadn’t been smooth sailing either. His parents had died in a car accident, and after staying with relatives for two years, he was swindled out of all the savings left by his parents. He was then sent to an orphanage, where nobody cared about his well-being.
Even in a place like the orphanage, there were cliques and factions. Arriving late, Lin Lan didn’t fit in with them and was frequently bullied.
However, he wasn’t as weak as the original owner. He would resist, charge forward, and fight with all his might to give the other party a thorough beating, making them realize that he was not someone to be messed with.
Later, in the esports world, he faced numerous unfair situations, but he gritted his teeth and climbed to his current position step by step.
Throughout his growth, there wasn’t a senior extending a helping hand to rescue him. Even Silly Dog only got to know, like, and pursue him after his legendary performance. So, often, Lin Lan felt that Silly Dog couldn’t empathize with him.
But this world’s captain seemed different from the one in that world.
Xiao Shengjing held him tightly in his arms, his voice gentle, “If you want to cry, go ahead. I won’t laugh at you.”
Although Lin Lan had endured hardships before, it wasn’t to the extent of crying, especially considering that those things happened many years ago, and he had long stopped caring about them.
“Captain, um…” Lin Lan tried hard, but he really couldn’t cry. “You might have misunderstood. I really didn’t sleep well last night.”
Ignoring Lin Lan’s words, Xiao Shengjing continued to hold him tightly, as if he wouldn’t let go unless Lin Lan cried, “I know, go ahead and cry. It’s okay.”
Forced to stay in his embrace, Lin Lan found it warm and somewhat helpless. There was even a moment when he considered telling Xiao Shengjing that he was a different Lin Lan from another world.
The consequence of being too comfortable was that Lin Lan, who was mentally exhausted, accidentally fell asleep. Afraid of falling, he instinctively held onto Xiao Shengjing’s waist.
This time, Xiao Shengjing didn’t reprimand him. He just allowed Lin Lan to hold on, and hold on, and then…
“Did you fall asleep?”
“Hmm?” Lin Lan subconsciously wiped the corner of his mouth. “I don’t drool.”
“…”
After returning, Xiao Shengjing helped Lin Lan take sick leave, allowing him to go back to his room and rest. But why did it feel like he couldn’t sleep well after leaving the captain’s embrace?
Lin Lan got up again, looking at the pale face in the mirror. He slapped himself hard. He was a bit confused. Could it be that he was possessed by the original owner’s emotions? That would be terrifying.
He quickly covered his head and fell into a deep sleep. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he received a message from Lu Shi: Did Brother Mu talk to you?
Lin Lan: No, what’s going on?
Lu Shi, impatient to type, sent him a voice message instead, “How could he not talk to you? Brother Mu talked to each of us yesterday. He even gave me a raise. Feifei got a substantial increase too. Also, I heard that the captain has secured his shares. Now, he’s not just the captain; he’s also a shareholder in our team.”
Lin Lan was a bit bewildered: Huh? You all got raises?
Lu Shi: Yeah, so I wanted to ask if you got a raise. Everyone got one; it wouldn’t make sense if you didn’t, right?
Lin Lan scratched his head, wondering if it was because he had been taking sick leave frequently lately, and Brother Mu was not pleased.
Immediately, Lu Shi sent another message: I guess Brother Mu is planning to give you shares, but it hasn’t been confirmed yet, so he hasn’t talked to you.
Lin Lan found this absurd: Impossible.
Lu Shi: Why impossible? Yesterday, after Wu Tianqi finished talking, his expression didn’t look good. I bet he didn’t get the shares. If he doesn’t get them, there’s a good chance Brother Mu decided to give them to you.
Lin Lan didn’t believe Lu Shi’s unfounded speculations. In the original world, everyone kept saying he was about to get shares in IB, and the boss teased him every day about being a future shareholder. However, year after year passed, and he never saw any sign of those shares. So, he had learned not to hope for things that might not happen.
Moreover, he hadn’t done much for DT, so why would Brother Mu keep the shares for himself?
Lin Lan chose to selectively ignore this topic and continued to sleep with his head covered.
He slept until the evening, and everyone else had finished training, leaving only a few people. Lin Lan finally got up.
Wearing slippers and feeling hungry, he wanted to make instant noodles for himself when he heard a particularly prolonged voice beside him: “Lin Lan.”
Lin Lan was startled; he still had a ham sausage in his mouth and looked at the person in front of him with a horrified expression. “Brother Mu, what are you doing?”
Brother Mu smiled, his eyes were naturally small, and when he smiled, it gave a mysterious and kind feeling. “Lin Lan, haven’t had dinner yet? Why are you eating something so nutritionally deficient? Order yourself some good takeaway. I’ll have the finance department transfer 2000 yuan for your nutrition later. Take good care of your health; health is the capital of the revolution.”
After saying this, he patted Lin Lan’s shoulder with a benevolent smile. With his hands behind his back, he went back to the office.
Leaving behind a stunned Lin Lan, was he not planning to give him a raise and instead wanted to appease him with a 2000 yuan nutrition fee?
Capitalists were indeed bloodsuckers.
Too dog-like.
Soon, the 2000 yuan nutrition fee had been deposited.
Lin Lan still chose to eat instant noodles; he didn’t want to order takeaway in the middle of the night.
While halfway through his meal, Coach Zhang returned from outside. Initially in a rush, he immediately became friendly and approached Lin Lan, patting his shoulder. “Lin Lan, eating instant noodles?”
With the instant noodles in his mouth, Lin Lan watched him warily.
Coach Zhang affectionately took his hand, showing fondness like an elder to a younger one. “Instant noodles are not nutritious. You are at a crucial time for growth now; make sure to eat well.”
He took out 200 yuan from his pocket and handed it to Lin Lan. “Take this, buy something good to eat. I won’t bother you with coach matters.”
After saying this, he hurriedly entered the office to attend to his urgent matters.
Lin Lan looked at the money in his hand, feeling perplexed.
Being so attentive, it must be that they weren’t planning to give him a raise. Instead, they were offering some indifferent care.
Indeed, capitalists were the root of all evil.
Nowhere could escape their exploitation.
Lin Lan vigorously finished the instant noodles, not leaving even a drop of soup.
When Lin Lan just finished his noodles, Xiao Shengjing came out of the office. Wearing glasses and holding documents, he looked scholarly. As he walked by, he suddenly stopped, looking at the instant noodles in Lin Lan’s hand. “Didn’t Coach Zhang give you money? Why are you still eating instant noodles?”
Not wanting to bring up this matter, but once mentioned, Lin Lan got angry. “That wasn’t a nutrition allowance; it was a pie-in-the-sky fee. Everyone gets a raise, but not me. What’s the meaning of that? 2000 yuan to dismiss me?”
Looking at the 200 yuan on the table, he added, “2200.”
Lin Lan was so angry that his face distorted, resembling a pufferfish.
Xiao Shengjing looked at him and suddenly burst into laughter. “Lin Lan, have you ever thought about why Coach Zhang, who is so busy, would care about you?”
Confused, Lin Lan asked, “Isn’t he just giving me empty promises?”
Xiao Shengjing was quite helpless. He squatted in front of Lin Lan, finding his angry expression increasingly amusing. “Lin Lan, Coach Zhang isn’t making empty promises. He cares about you because he considers you one of us. He’s genuinely worried about your health and asked me to pay more attention to you. Besides, now, you’re the backbone of DT; how could they not give you a raise?”
He patted Lin Lan’s head, still finding it amusing. The laughter in his eyes couldn’t be contained. “You’ll understand in a few days. Just be patient.”
Lin Lan’s ruffled feathers were smoothed out by Xiao Shengjing. He asked him, “Are you a shareholder in DT now?”
Although the news had not been officially announced, it was basically a done deal. Xiao Shengjing nodded without hesitation.
Lin Lan looked at him seriously. “Now that you’re a shareholder, you have to keep your word. If you don’t give me a raise, I’ll make a fuss every day.”
Xiao Shengjing chuckled again.
He suddenly wondered how Lin Lan would make a fuss about it.
Lightly scratching a few times?
Author’s note:
Seeing the comments, let me explain it to everyone.
The protagonist’s personality is indeed like this—mischievous and talkative. If he gets angry, you’ll have to come and coax him. However, once he’s coaxed, if there’s no issue, he’ll dare to do it again next time. But this behavior is limited to people he’s familiar with. He doesn’t take anything seriously and is not very attentive. If you can’t accept this personality, there’s nothing I can do.
Additionally, between male friends in the gaming world, checking game messages is normal. Invitations pop up for timely handling, and during training and live broadcasts, everything related to the game is open and transparent. There’s no privacy in in-game messages, so it’s perfectly normal for Lin Lan to help Xiao Shengjing handle a message while he’s showering. There’s no need for discomfort among readers.
![Fake Sweet Omega [BL]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/僞裝甜O.png "Fake Sweet Omega [BL]")
