Under the night sky, the streetlights tore a gash through the darkness.
Ruan Mingxi followed unhurriedly behind the figure in the white shirt ahead of her.
“Hey, Senior Brother.”
The person in front turned around, looking slightly surprised. “What’s wrong?”
“Saying you respect Xiao Fan’s choice.” Ruan Mingxi clasped her hands behind her back, stepping on the shadows cast by the streetlights. “But really, you don’t want him to become a girl, do you?”
The night wind blew through the street, sweeping up a few dead leaves by the roadside. Lin Xincheng’s steps faltered for a moment.
“How I feel doesn’t matter,” he said. “What matters is what he himself thinks.”
“Oh.” Ruan Mingxi drew out the word. “You didn’t deny it, so that means yes.”
Lin Xincheng raised an eyebrow. “If that’s all you have to say, this topic can end here.”
An empty soda can lay by the roadside, missed by the trash bin.
Ruan Mingxi bent down, picked it up, and tossed it backward without looking.
Clang-thud. The can landed perfectly in the bin.
“Score!” She immediately broke into a smile and gave herself a thumbs-up. “Bingo! Pretty impressive, huh? Your sister Xi is amazing, right?”
Lin Xincheng couldn’t help but laugh, and the slightly tense atmosphere relaxed.
“That’s the classic ‘eating humble pie’ gesture.”
“Huh?”
“Every protagonist who flashes that gesture ends up messing up.”
“Hmph.” Ruan Mingxi’s eyes curved into crescents. “Isn’t Senior Brother here? No matter how wild I get, I won’t flip.”
Lin Xincheng turned at the intersection, but the direction wasn’t the dormitory the Public Security Bureau had assigned them.
“Don’t think like that,” he said. “I’m not omnipotent. Sometimes I can’t keep an eye on everything. If you can stand on your own, don’t rely on others.”
“Is that so?” Ruan Mingxi followed at a leisurely pace, one hand cupping her chin. “But Senior Brother doesn’t think that way himself.”
Lin Xincheng stopped and turned to look at her.
The streetlights stretched their shadows long across the ground.
But Ruan Mingxi acted as if she hadn’t noticed his gaze. “You took everything onto your shoulders without asking anyone’s permission first.”
She tilted her head. “And then you tell others with a straight face not to rely on you. Isn’t that weird?”
The wind blew between them.
Lin Xincheng’s gaze remained calm, but the silence began to ring deafeningly.
Ruan Mingxi tucked a strand of wine-red hair blown by the wind behind her ear. “You didn’t tell Xiao Fan about the charges secretly handed down by the Federal Court against Professor Bai and Professor Song.”
“He wouldn’t be able to do anything even if he knew,” Lin Xincheng said. “It would only add to his burden.”
“But he’s already made his decision.” Ruan Mingxi looked at him. “Even if he has to live as a girl from now on, he chose to accept it. He’ll find out the truth sooner or later. How long are you planning to hide it?”
“I’m not deliberately hiding it.” Lin Xincheng’s tone was calm. “When the time comes, he’ll naturally know.”
“Then why did you tell him,” Ruan Mingxi said slowly, “‘It’s okay, leave everything to me to investigate, you just need to live your own life’?”
“Because you don’t want him to get involved, right? The behemoth behind those two professors that’s impossible to shake off.”
The night wind lifted Ruan Mingxi’s hair. She said, “A Sublimator who appears with no background but carries a treasure will be coveted, deceived, and schemed against by all sides.”
“These troubles will keep coming, so you want to shoulder everything yourself, letting him live as an ordinary person, weathering no storms for the rest of his life.”
Lin Xincheng was silent for a moment.
“That was also Xiao Fan’s own wish,” he said. “To find someone he likes, someone who likes him, and build a warm home.”
“Even if he faces a little wind and rain, it’s okay. The world of Sublimators has no place for that wish.”
He lowered his voice a little. “Especially… since he’s the child of those two professors.”
Ruan Mingxi rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “So you don’t want him to become a Sublimator. You want to hide him away in a corner, right?”
She let out a soft sigh. “That’s really arrogant, Senior Brother Xincheng. Always making decisions for others and then shouldering all the responsibility yourself.”
Lin Xincheng was silent for a long moment, then sighed helplessly. “Are you mocking me again?”
“Not at all.” Ruan Mingxi waved her hand with a smile. “I just wanted to tell Senior Brother that Xiao Fan is a very brave kid.”
“He’s already made his choice. We just need to walk with him for a while; we don’t have to carry everything for him.”
“I’m not as much of a worrywart as you think.”
“Oh~” Ruan Mingxi deliberately drew out the sound, then revealed a meaningful smile. “You say one thing but mean another. The moment you found out Xiao Fan was attending Night School, didn’t you still come running to be a teacher?”
A cool breeze rustled past their ears.
Lin Xincheng turned and continued walking. When he passed a late-night street stall, he stopped.
He bought two cups of warm soy milk and two servings of mung bean cake, then handed one set to Ruan Mingxi.
Ruan Mingxi didn’t stand on ceremony. She took the soy milk and took a sip.
“Senior Brother, you still haven’t told me where we’re going?”
“It’s just ahead.”
They walked on, and before long, they arrived at the entrance of a primary school.
A blue signboard read: Blue Sky Primary School.
At the school gate, a boy in a blue uniform with a red scarf around his neck kept looking out.
His foot moved half a step forward, then retreated, as if scared of something. Even his nose wrinkled up.
“Xiang Xiaohua.” Lin Xincheng walked over and called out.
The boy was startled at first, then saw someone approaching him. He immediately turned to run like a frightened rabbit.
Lin Xincheng reached out and pressed his shoulder. “Don’t go.”
The boy instantly covered his head. “I’m sorry! Don’t hit me!”
Lin Xincheng felt a bit helpless. ‘Do I really look that scary?’
He shot a glance at Ruan Mingxi.
She immediately caught on, crouched down, and rubbed the boy’s head with a smile.
“Don’t be afraid. We’re here to help you. What happened? Tell big sister.”
The pretty sister’s approachability was clearly higher.
The boy paused, and his wariness visibly eased. “You… aren’t you guys that Wang Qiang hired to beat me up?”
Ruan Mingxi turned to look at Lin Xincheng, her eyes full of confusion: ‘What exactly are we here for?’
Lin Xincheng didn’t explain. Instead, he handed over the soy milk and mung bean cake.
The boy swallowed. He wanted to take it but hesitated.
“It’s okay.” Lin Xincheng smiled. “I’m a friend of your father’s. I came specifically to find you. I know your name.”
The boy muttered quietly, “Scammers say that too. They always say they’re friends of your mom and dad.”
“Take it.” Lin Xincheng stuffed the breakfast into his hands, then smiled again. “I not only know your name—I also know the girl you like is called Chen Xinxin.”
The boy froze instantly.
“She’s always the first to raise her hand to answer questions in class—sunny and cute. Your favorite class is PE because you happen to line up right behind her during laps. You can see sweat trickling down into her clothes, outlining her figure. Because of her, you have a special fondness for girls with buck teeth—you think they’re warm and outgoing.”
“Wait!” The boy’s face turned beet red. “Stop! Don’t say anymore!”
His hands didn’t know where to put them.
Lin Xincheng couldn’t help but laugh. “Can you trust me now?”
The boy nodded with a red face. “I believe you…”
Lin Xincheng pressed his shoulder, his smile fading into a serious expression.
“All of this was told to me by your future self. I came from the future. I’m also a friend of your future self.”
The boy’s jaw dropped, his face full of disbelief, clearly wondering if this was some new kind of scam.
“Your future self will become a famous scientist in the Federation. No one will dare bully you anymore.”
“All those who looked down on you will regret being blind, and they’ll come to you to be friends.”
Lin Xincheng crouched down to eye level with the boy.
“You’re going through some tough times now, but don’t be scared. This is only temporary.”
“Your grades will keep getting better. You’ll get into a great academy, make a lot of money, and live the life you want.”
The boy’s eyes gradually lit up. “R-really?”
“Really.” Lin Xincheng nodded with a smile. “But your future self specifically asked me to remind you—all of this comes from your own hard work. If you slack off just because you know you’ll succeed, then all of that future will disappear.”
“I won’t slack off!” The boy tensed up and nodded quickly, then remembered something. “What about Wang Qiang?”
“The kid who always bullies you?”
“Yeah.”
“In the future, you bravely fought back. All the other bullied kids stood up too. Later, the teacher found out about his behavior and called his parents to school. He cried and apologized to everyone.”
The boy was stunned, as if he could hardly imagine such a scene.
“Also… also…”
Lin Xincheng checked the time. “You can only ask one more question. I’m almost out of time to go back to the future.”
The boy’s eyes shone even brighter. “What about Chen Xinxin?”
Lin Xincheng smiled. “The future Chen Xinxin said she likes boys who are hopeful, optimistic, upright, brave, gentle, and devoted.”
“Do you think you can become that kind of person?”
The boy immediately clenched his fists and nodded fiercely. “I will!”
“Then that’s right.” Lin Xincheng patted his shoulder gently. “The future Chen Xinxin will also like you like that.”
The boy’s ears were completely red.
After a few seconds of silence, he asked quietly, “How long until I grow up?”
“Don’t rush.” Lin Xincheng took a digital card from his pocket and tucked it into the boy’s shirt pocket. “This is a security card issued by the Federal Social Security Bureau for orphaned children. There’s a monthly allowance of five hundred credit points.”
“Make sure to eat well. Have eggs and milk for breakfast. Go to bed early. Grow up properly. That’s how you’ll step by step become an excellent adult.”
The boy looked down at his pocket and nodded hard. “Mm.”
Lin Xincheng stood up, waved at him, and turned to leave.
“Big brother—” The boy suddenly took two steps forward. “I don’t know your name yet.”
Lin Xincheng didn’t look back. He just waved his hand. “No need to know. I’m just one insignificant friend among all the friends you’ll have in the future.”
His figure gradually receded and disappeared into the night.
Ruan Mingxi caught up. “Who was that boy? Did Senior Brother come all this way just to give him a security card?”
“He’s the son of the first victim in this Blood Plague incident.”
Ruan Mingxi was taken aback. “Driver Xiang Tao’s son?”
“Yeah.”
She suddenly understood.
“How sad. His father was killed by a Blood Descendant, and his mother has shut herself off.”
“It’ll pass.”
“Huh?”
His gaze was firm. “As long as you hold on to hope and keep working hard, you can get through all of this.”
Ruan Mingxi slowed her pace, a curious look on her face. “But handling something like a security card—did Senior Brother really need to come personally?”
Lin Xincheng was silent for a moment. “It was just a coincidence. When I was going through the victim files, I saw a poetry collection on the desk. I suddenly felt like coming over.”
“What poetry collection?”
“Shervich’s If Life Has Deceived You.”
Ruan Mingxi was momentarily stunned.
She watched the silhouette walking away, and after a few seconds, the corners of her mouth slowly lifted.
‘He’s even more of a worrywart than I thought.’