GRMFBS CH228

Zhan Yan was very nervous too. He nervously petted Xingxing to destress; kneading a little kitten was great for relieving tension.

Xingxing thoroughly enjoyed the five-fingered human massage, turning his head under Zhan Yan’s hand. Scratch over here, yes, scratch over here too. The chin feels amazing as well, meow~

…Hey, don’t scratch just the chin!

Annoyed from being petted too much, Xingxing hopped down from Zhan Yan’s lap. Honestly! Why was he acting exactly like that guy who vigorously brushed his fur two days ago!

Xingxing squatted nearby, looking at Zhan Yan unhappily.

Zhan Yan was watching the gossip strips refresh.

Knowing he had to meet his sister today, classmate Xiao Gu had made extensive preparations. These included, but were not limited to: researching Yang Ran’s treatment plan, pondering how to converse with Rong Sui, how to greet her, how to treat Yang Ran, how to dress…

He had put on the fake face he used in Infinite. This face would allow Rong Sui to recognize him at first glance.

Classmate Xiao Gu had decent aesthetic taste; when sculpting his fake face back then, he had made it quite handsome. But back then, people always treated him like a pushover because of his youthful baby face, which made him extremely irritable. So when sculpting the face, his objective had been clear: make himself look fierce at a glance so no one dared mess with him, saving him the hassle of being looked down upon.

Consequently… this face looked a bit menacing.

Looking menacing was very helpful for surviving in Infinite, but exceedingly unfriendly for meeting family.

Yet Gu Jiancheng couldn’t switch to an obedient, sensible, upright face either—the reason Rong Sui had never suspected Deep Shadow was Gu Jiancheng was precisely because Deep Shadow looked like someone destined to remain solitary his whole life.

If he suddenly switched to such a well-behaved face, aside from terrifying people, what if Rong Sui managed to strip off his persona just from that slight clue? How much would he lose out on!

So he couldn’t change his face.

To soften the fierce aura brought by this face, Gu Jiancheng had tried on twenty-eight outfits back and forth yesterday.

The shopping mall sales assistants had spot-on taste; their eyes lit up upon seeing his fake face, styling him entirely in pieces that emphasized an imposing aura.

They looked good, but made him look even more ferocious.

Gu Jiancheng had to emphasize that he wanted clothes that made him look harmless to humans and animals alike.

The sales assistant tried earnestly to persuade him: Your face simply isn’t suited for a well-behaved look. See how handsome you look right now? The store manager even wanted to recruit him as a model to shoot promotional photos for the shop, guaranteeing that sales for the outfits he tried on would soar.

Gu Jiancheng remained unmoved. The sales assistant had no choice but to do her best to pair him with clothes that softened his demeanor.

Zhan Yan had seen all of this in the gossip strips. He checked the brands and sizes, preparing to secretly buy all of those outfits whenever he had free time.

The restyled Gu Jiancheng wore a white top and dark blue trousers, presenting a clean, crisp, and streamlined look. If he didn’t tense up, his aura reigned in, he looked quite devoid of any threatening edge.

Zhan Suiru had made ample preparations as well.

Her considerations included, but were not limited to: what items Deep Shadow might need, whether there were areas requiring spiritual-type assistance, whether he needed clues from her past contacts with Infinite, focusing purely on pragmatic utility. She was still in the same Artisan attire from the black market—a black trench coat and a wide-brimmed hat, with supernatural items shielding her face.

Zhan Suiru hadn’t bothered altering her facial appearance to Rong Sui’s likeness. It was just a face; if her identity as Zhan Suiru didn’t involve her family, she wouldn’t even want to hide it. Deep Shadow wasn’t the type to judge people by appearances, and people who had survived Infinite tended to value practical interests far more.

The two met.

Gu Jiancheng: … Why has Rong Sui adopted an occultist aesthetic? Turns out she likes this style? Did I wear the wrong clothes today?

Zhan Suiru: Ah… it really is Deep Shadow’s appearance. But his outfit is so casual; would my heavily concealed appearance seem insincere?

The room fell into an inexplicable hush.

Da Wule let out a soft click of his tongue.

Standing alone, neither looked out of place, but seeing them together felt extraordinarily strange.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that their dressing styles needed to be swapped to feel right.

“Rong Sui?” Gu Jiancheng slowly swept his gaze across the room. Confirmed: he knew everyone else, and none of them were Rong Sui. So this person bundled up so tightly that their gender was indiscernible was indeed Rong Sui.

“Rest assured. Nothing will happen to Yang Ran.”

Zhan Suiru froze for an instant, the corners of her mouth slowly curving upward.

In this fleeting moment, she felt as if she were seeing him from who knew how many cycles of Reincarnation ago.

Back then, Deep Shadow stood before her and said, “If I am still around that day, I will definitely put everything on the line to destroy it!”

Later, on the day she detonated her core to perish alongside her world, amidst the descent, she saw a deep, dark shadow charge recklessly into the core of Infinite.

Following close behind him was explosive lightning, revealing the most dazzling light in the world.

The Deep Shadow before her eyes still possessed unfathomable dark irises, but the mad frenzy at their depths was gone.

Once, she felt Deep Shadow was like a stellar core teetering on the verge of eruption, destined for endless dead silence after the blast. Now, she felt a steady flame burning deep within those dark eyes—bright, blazing, and perhaps able to illuminate for a very long time.

Why be nervous? Hadn’t they fought shoulder-to-shoulder in the past?

“They are worth it,” Deep Shadow had once said.

He had already extended his hand first.

She figured she could trust him, just as she had trusted every comrade who once supported the Hope Base alongside her.

“Thank you.”

Gu Jiancheng: “No need to thank me. Aren’t we old acquaintances?”

Ning Xi: This feels even weirder.

Isn’t Deep Shadow being a bit too friendly toward Rong Sui?

Watching through the gossip strips from afar, Zhan Yan clicked his tongue repeatedly.

Tsk, tsk, tsk, when classmate Xiao Gu wants to charm someone, he really knows how to charm them.

How wonderful. Judging by appearances, their interactions were going great so far; Xiao Gu’s masked encounter with his sister didn’t need his intervention for now.

Next, they headed to inspect the secret chamber to familiarize themselves with the environment in advance.

His sister had brought Yang Ran sealed inside that miniature pendant workshop, which was far more stable than letting Yang Ran wear an inhibitor out in the open—to prevent any mishaps, they didn’t plan on letting Yang Ran stay in any environment incapable of isolating the power of Infinite.

Zhan Yan stared intently at the gossip strips, waiting to watch classmate Xiao Gu meet his future brother-in-law while wearing his persona.

A sudden knock on the bedroom door made Zhan Yan flinch with a start.

“Yan Yan, come down for lunch,” Zhan Yunkai called out to him.

Having waited ages without Zhan Yan coming to coax him, Xingxing had grown grumpy.

“Meow!”

The little cat hopped up to nudge the door open and trotted downstairs to eat on his own.

Only then did Zhan Yan realize he had accidentally upset Xingxing. Ah, I’ll coax him in a bit. To his surprise, it was already noon.

Skipping lunch would definitely make his family think something was wrong. Since things were essentially smooth on his sister and Xiao Gu’s end, Zhan Yan decided to head downstairs for lunch first.

Mom, Dad, and Brother were all present.

Originally, the scheduled time for treating Yang Ran was set near dusk. The environment influenced a supernatural user’s strength; for Deep Shadow, whose abilities revolved around shadows, nighttime was the optimal condition to unleash his power. Starting near dusk meant that by the time preparations were complete, night would conveniently fall.

Because they couldn’t be certain how long the treatment would take, this arrangement maximized the advantage of the night.

Mom was only responsible for perimeter security, so she didn’t need to go early and could enjoy lunch at home.

Eating lunch, Zhan Yan simply couldn’t rein in his urge to check the gossip strips.

Mmh, Yang Ran and Deep Shadow aren’t that familiar. He had only met Deep Shadow a few times back then, unlike his sister who had chased Xiao Gu for a full three months.

His attitude toward Xiao Gu was friendly and curious; within ten sentences, Xiao Gu had successfully led him to reminisce about their battlefield camaraderie. Nicely done!

“…Yan Yan? Yan Yan?” Ji Yueming called out.

Zhan Yan snapped out of it: “Huh? What is it?”

“What are you thinking about?” Ji Yueming asked.

Why was this child eating so absentmindedly? Beside him, Old Zhan was already having an existential crisis regarding his cooking skills.

Zhan Yan: “Ah, it’s nothing. I accidentally annoyed Xingxing while playing earlier, and I was worrying about how to coax him.”

Sorry, little kitten, you’ll have to take the blame for this one.

Xingxing was eating his cat food when his ears suddenly swiveled over at the mention.

Meow, is he that remorseful? Not angry anymore, not angry anymore~

Neither Mom nor Dad bought it entirely. Xingxing was such a good, obedient kitten, and so easy to coax. Would he really make Yan Yan so anxious that he couldn’t even focus on eating?

Zhan Jinli didn’t overthink it, instinctively believing him. Cats truly were quite troublesome.

“Yan Yan, is something on your mind?” Ji Yueming asked.

Zhan Yan: “No, nothing at all.”

He started eating earnestly.

Zhan Jinli suddenly realized. Right, our brother is now a brother who tells lies! How could coaxing Xingxing make him lose his appetite for Dad’s cooking?

Zhan Jinli slowly turned his head, initiating a direct stare.

Zhan Yan: …

Quick, think of another reason.

Zhan Yan suddenly recalled the articles classmate Xiao Gu had found for him on how excessive fitness harmed physical health. Tapping open the link, he forwarded it to the family group chat, then quietly lowered his head to continue eating.

Everything is said without words!

Zhan Yunkai and Ji Yueming exchanged glances, opening their phones one after another:

《What Harms Can Excessive Fitness Cause?》

Oh, so he’s losing his appetite because he’s dreading the extra workout tonight?

Maybe… reduce the intensity a bit?

Can’t reduce it too much! Physical health is very important too.

Still, they felt something was off with their youngest son. Mmh… I’ll go chat with Teng Jian later / I’ll look into Teng Jian once I head to the bureau.

Zhan Jinli continued to stare at his brother.

Was he lying, or wasn’t he?

He couldn’t tell.

After lunch, Xingxing washed his face, hopped onto Zhan Yan’s lap of his own accord, and let out a soft meow: “Meow~”

I forgive you.

The kitten was so pure-hearted that Zhan Yan couldn’t help but feel guilty.

He hugged Xingxing. Xingxing was the cutest kitten in the entire world.

Zhan Yan opened the refrigerator, intending to grab his brother’s sweet bread.

Ah… To keep the bread fresh, his brother never brought much home at once; only one bag remained.

Zhan Yan stared at his brother.

Looking down, he typed:

Zhan Yan: [Ge, I want to eat bread.]

Looking up again, he beamed at his brother.

Zhan Jinli: Our brother smiles so obediently and sweetly.

“I’ll go make some.”

Zhan Jinli got up to head to the bakery; the ingredients at home weren’t fully stocked.

After lunch, Ji Yueming headed to a branch near the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau, which had a special transit route granting her direct access to headquarters.

Zhan Yunkai found an excuse to step out as well.

Zhan Yan carried the sweet bread upstairs.

Back to refreshing the gossip strips.

Inside the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau, Xiao Gu and his sister had already familiarized themselves with the secret chamber. At noon, Ning Xi brought them to the cafeteria for lunch.

The Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau had many departments, making friction a common occurrence. In the past, Research and Equipment frequently clashed, Logistics somehow got dragged into the fray, and Operations joined the commotion to watch the drama. Later, amidst the endless bickering, the Information Support Department held an anonymous poll behind the scenes, asking everyone to vote on which department was truly the most important in the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau.

The cafeteria won the honor.

Ning Xi wasn’t bragging; the head chef of the cafeteria had been personally scouted by him. The moment he learned there was a chef whose supernatural ability was “Super Taste,” he immediately took the initiative to recruit him into the bureau.

Now, however, most of the cooking was done by the head chef’s apprentices; one person couldn’t cater to the entire bureau.

Black Wolf hadn’t gone to the secret chamber; he wasn’t needed for that matter, and he had no interest in seeing Deep Shadow’s double-standard mocking face. Hmph, sneer your head off, heh heh heh!

Having finished his morning tasks, he headed straight to the cafeteria; Black Wolf felt sheer bliss every time he entered.

He ate with immense relish and never wasted food. The head chef liked him a lot, often whipping up private off-menu dishes for him.

While Black Wolf was eating, he saw Ning Xi arrive at the cafeteria accompanied by Rong Sui and Deep Shadow.

Oh, the deputy director is using the cafeteria to tempt people again.

In the past, whenever Ning Xi wanted to scout talent, he used this exact trick—inviting them to the cafeteria at mealtime, quietly using gourmet food as bait.

Hmph! With Deep Shadow’s foul temper, he’ll never join the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau, nor will he get to enjoy the cafeteria’s delicacies. Eating once will just leave him drooling with cravings forever!

Over on their side, they began eating as well.

Nie Ling buried his head, digging in silently. Being stuck on an experiment was infuriating; after stewing in the lab, he relied entirely on this meal for comfort.

Da Wule glanced at the poor kid and proactively chimed in to support their deputy director’s pitch: “The roast meat today is quite good, want to give it a try?”

Zhan Suiru: … Pretty decent. Still, an ordinary person couldn’t hold a candle to her dad’s culinary skills.

Gu Jiancheng: It’s quite tasty, but still nowhere near as delicious as the food his boyfriend brought from home.