GRMFBS CH281

Zhan Yan looked at the Gossip System, his head buzzing instantly. The mug mead mugwort rice cake in his mouth suddenly lost all its flavor.

It’s over, it’s over! How could he have forgotten about this…

Back when Tianshi had tried to recruit Approaching Science, she mentioned being willing to give him a Lightning Talisman. He had said he needed six, so he turned it down. Why on earth did he say he needed six? Couldn’t he have just accepted that single Lightning Talisman back then?!

How was he supposed to cover this up now?

Say it was for Xingxing? Xingxing hadn’t even come to their house back then! He had already confessed his timeline of when he dropped his aliases to his parents; his mom would realize immediately upon checking the dates that when he asked for six Lightning Talismans, not a single person in the family had dropped their cover yet.

If he could travel back in time, he would grab his own collar and scream right into his past ear: “Accept Tianshi’s offer! Don’t say you need six!”

Unfortunately, he wasn’t Candle Dragon.

What other reasonable excuse could he pull out of thin air? Say he was a fan of Tianshi back then and wanted to keep one for his personal collection? Or that he got too excited and accidentally miscalculated the numbers? He…

Zhan Yan thought for a long time, but not a single reason held water.

His parents loved him, but they weren’t stupid…

Seeing that Zhan Yan hadn’t taken a single bite for half a day, Gu Jiancheng used his chopsticks to pick up a piece of pickled fruit for him. “This is delicious.”

Zhan Yan looked at Gu Jiancheng’s happy, blissful, and utterly clueless face, sighing in distress inwardly.

Eat, eat away. Not eating won’t solve the problem anyway.

—

Back at home, his parents were still discussing the topic.

Zhan Yunkai asked, “When did Yan Yan say he wanted six Lightning Talismans?”

Ji Yueming recalled the timing. “At the start of the first semester of his senior year last year.”

Back then, nobody had dropped their disguises yet. It was completely normal for Yan Yan to want to swap for enough talismans to cover the whole family.

Thinking about how hard Approaching Science had grinded away at tasks just to exchange for standard Lightning Talismans, Ji Yueming felt a mix of amusement and heartache. He hadn’t even let his academic studies slide—how exhausting must his days have been?

Zhan Yunkai recalled his own tragic, rejected bronze statuette: …Yan Yan wanted six Lightning Talismans, yet he never once considered getting a protective bronze statuette that I personally dotted the eyes of? Are Lightning Talismans really that cool?

He raised his head, only to see his wife looking right at him.

Right! Lightning Talismans really are that cool!

Ji Yueming asked, “What are you thinking about? Who do you think Yan Yan wanted that sixth Lightning Talisman for?”

“It should be someone he met at university… Suiru, did Yan Yan get a girlfriend at university?” Zhan Yunkai narrowed his eyes, a glint of golden light flashing across his pupil-within-a-pupil.

Activating divine power!

He wasn’t some controlling pervert, so he had never specifically used his dual-pupil divine power to check if his family members were lying.

With these family members of his, as long as he didn’t activate his dual-pupil divine power, he couldn’t see through a single one of them. Tianshi and Rong Sui had top-tier mental strength—he might be able to tell if Jinli was lying, but that kid almost never spoke anyway.

Zhan Suiru replied, “Ah… I’m not really sure. I don’t think so.”

Deep Shadow wasn’t Yan Yan’s girlfriend. So she wasn’t lying.

Zhan Yunkai didn’t spot any traces of falsehood on his daughter. Hmm… so she really doesn’t know.

However, her not knowing didn’t prove that Yan Yan wasn’t dating someone.

Ji Yueming said with regret, “If only I’d remembered this sooner.”

Then Old Zhan could have just asked Yan Yan directly.

Zhan Yunkai clicked his tongue. “I can’t see through him.”

Bai Ze possessed absolute knowledge of all things, and his control over the concealment and revelation of information was near-absolute. If he lied, it could only be deduced through logic.

Beneath Zhan Suiru’s tough, calm mental cover, her inner thoughts were wildly churning: Dad even brought out his divine powers! Is that really necessary… well, maybe not for a normal partner, but Deep Shadow is definitely worth it.

Why do I feel a little bit of schadenfreude?

Ah… whatever, I can’t do anything about it anyway. Guess I’ll just cheer on the little couple!

Ji Yueming said, “Yan Yan is already a fifth-year student; it’s completely normal for him to be in a relationship.”

So why didn’t he tell Mom and Dad… Ah, the kid’s grown up and has his own thoughts now.

Zhan Yunkai said, “He was only just starting his fourth year when he wanted to give them the Lightning Talismans. And if he liked them enough to gift them a Lightning Talisman, they must have been dating for more than a year.”

Yan Yan wasn’t led astray right when he started university, was he?

Ji Yueming nodded. “He worked so hard to save up all those points; he must really like the other person.”

Zhan Yunkai suggested, “Let’s take a quiet trip to his school to sneak a peek.”

The couple reached an agreement.

Zhan Suiru lowered her eyes slightly, putting on an obedient front.

Ahhh, Mom and Dad are going to his school! How should I break this news to Yan Yan later? How will Deep Shadow react when he finds out? Ah, I really want to tag along and watch, too~ Should I find an excuse to go with them?

It would be a tragedy to miss out on something this fun…

After reaching a consensus, Zhan Yunkai and Ji Yueming exchanged a glance, tacitly deciding to move on to the next part of their conversation.

“I’m going out to buy some groceries,” Zhan Yunkai said as he stood up.

Zhan Suiru, caught midway through enjoying the drama, blinked blankly.

Huh? How did the conversation suddenly jump to this?

Ji Yueming said with a smile, “Go ahead, go ahead. I want some tomato soup, so pick up some tomatoes. Suiru, is there anything you want to eat?”

Zhan Suiru blurted out, “Ah? Oh, I don’t really have a craving for anything. Don’t we still have sweet fermented rice wine at home?”

Zhan Yunkai had already walked to the door. He pointed at the fridge and said, “There’s still milk curd and fruit jam inside.”

Before Zhan Suiru could process how the plot had developed to this point, Ji Yueming had already called her over to bring out the fermented rice wine, milk curd, and various flower-fruit jams to the coffee table.

The TV was turned on to a recent hit drama, and the table was piled high with snacks from the cabinet. Zhan Suiru held a bowl of ice-cold milk curd, scooping a bite together with the rose jam drizzled on top into her mouth.

Just like that, it passed? We’re back to everyday family life already?

Though it doesn’t seem wrong either. Her parents already knew about Rong Sui’s situation, and she had finished explaining everything regarding her younger brother.

Zhan Suiru gradually relaxed.

Ji Yueming chatted with her casually. “Was that puppet clerk in Jinli’s shop made by you?”

Zhan Suiru complained, “Yeah. Yan Yan forgot to tell me Brother’s secret identity back then. I only realized it when I went to his cake shop and saw the puppet.”

“Mom, you have no idea how annoying Brother was when placing his order. He made me revise a single order eighteen times!”

“Then when he comes back, drag him to the amusement park.”

“Haven’t his divine powers not recovered yet?”

“Yan Yan said Deep Shadow helped find Di Ting’s horn. By the time he gets back, he should be restored.”

Zhan Suiru clicked her tongue inwardly. What do you mean Deep Shadow helped find it? It was definitely Yan Yan helping him again. Honestly… if Deep Shadow ever dares to treat my brother badly in the future, the whole family will beat him up together!

On the TV screen, the main character was about to embark on a dangerous mission and was calling his family, telling them he had to take a long journey far away.

Zhan Suiru was watching intently when she suddenly heard a quiet whisper by her ear, sounding like a sigh: “When kids run into trouble, they don’t tell their parents… all they think about is risking their own lives…”

Zhan Suiru turned her head and met Ji Yueming’s eyes.

Her mother’s eyes were gentle and bright, like a clear sky carrying a poignant sadness, as if rain was about to fall.

A sudden wave of guilt washed over Zhan Suiru.

“Back then, I…”

—

Meanwhile, Zhan Yan was remotely following the drama from afar. He was so distracted he forgot to eat, prompting Gu Jiancheng to feed him another bite of mugwort rice cake.

He chewed while letting his mind wander.

Ahhh, Sister is so loyal! She didn’t blab about me dating Deep Shadow.

So there’s still room for me to maneuver. Let me think about how to make up a story…

Wait, why are Mom and Dad coming to visit me? Isn’t it just dating someone? Is there really a need to take it so seriously…

Zhan Yan stared at the gossip feed in distress, losing his appetite completely.

Xiao Gu leaned over like a big silly dog and asked, “Does it not suit your taste?”

“It does, it does.” How could something fed by the silly Xiao Gu not suit my taste?

Sigh… maybe I should just let the fact that I have a boyfriend be exposed, but the fact that my boyfriend is Deep Shadow still needs to stay hidden a bit longer. Otherwise, he feared that all the brownie points Xiao Gu had painstakingly earned with his parents would drop straight back down in the exact same manner. Zhan Yan could already guess how his parents would react—So you had an ulterior motive all along when you helped Rong Sui and the Ghost King Lin Yuan? Purely manipulative!

He couldn’t tell Xiao Gu who his parents were. His dad was using divine powers now; he himself had Xingxing from the Gossip System and possessed solid acting skills, but if Xiao Gu tried to lie to his dad, he’d likely get caught immediately. If his parents found out and thought Xiao Gu had led him astray, then Xiao Gu would truly be doomed.

While Zhan Yan was worrying, he saw his sister confessing to their mother about what she had done back when the apocalypses overlapped.

Sis… I definitely didn’t tell Mom and Dad that you were seeking death back then! You exposed that yourself!

Ji Yueming had already guessed eight or nine out of ten.

She had seen the battlefield where Rong Sui fought at the time. The activation trigger for a Lightning Talisman was different from a Feather Talisman; a Feather Talisman sensed the wearer’s condition, whereas a Lightning Talisman sensed external conditions. Under those circumstances, it was impossible for her Lightning Talisman not to be triggered.

The only explanation was that Zhan Suiru had taken off the Lightning Talisman.

Under what circumstances would someone take off a silver locket they never let leave their side?

Ji Yueming also recalled Yang Ran and the puppet clerk in the cake shop—they possessed puppet bodies indistinguishable from living humans.

Back then, Suiru had said she was going to an art salon and would be back in a few days. Whom had she intended to let return?

—

Zhan Yan temporarily stopped watching the gossip feed. Let Sister explain things to Mom.

Since his parents were coming and wanted to see Xiao Gu…

Sigh, can I find a way to stall for time? How can I get Xiao Gu to win over my parents’ favor as a normal boyfriend—and in a way where his favor won’t drop even after his disguise falls?

The difficulty level is a bit high… Most importantly, whether Xiao Gu can keep his “Deep Shadow” disguise intact in front of Dad.

Zhan Yan flipped through the Gossip System.

The little star in the ability column was only a tiny bit away from leveling up.

He had originally wanted to max out this star to attach to his mother, but through a series of accidents, the energy bar had been cleared twice. Now, it was finally close to being fully charged again.

Since his parents had already dropped their disguises, his mom didn’t need this star anymore. It would be better to fill it up and attach it to Xiao Gu instead.

He would keep grinding ability entries right now!

After packing up their things, Zhan Yan prepared to lie on the bed, using the excuse of resting to grind the entries.

Having been separated for many days, and on top of finally raising his future brother-in-law’s favorability, Gu Jiancheng was extremely excited.

He wanted to cuddle! Even if they couldn’t do much in the dorm room, sitting together and chatting would still be nice.

So why is Yan Yan going to sleep so soon? Didn’t he say he missed me just this morning…

Zhan Yan closed his eyes and rubbed the large head that leaned over.

“I’m tired. Let me lie down for a bit.”

Gu Jiancheng: Disappointed…

Then again, Yan Yan woke up suddenly early this morning, so he probably didn’t sleep well. Those two large suitcases were pretty heavy, too.

Anyway, now that he was ready to meet the parents, next time he might as well just go straight to Yunjin City to pick Yan Yan up for school.

Thinking about it now, the only thing left stopping him from being together with Yan Yan was Infinite. Since Yan Yan was tired, he would go deal with Infinite right now!

Energized, Gu Jiancheng pulled out his communicator and began urging the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau and the Wan Yao Alliance.

Are we still holding a meeting about Monster Doctor and Infinite or not? These are all major issues!

Stop stalling! Let me have this meeting within these next two days!

—

Ji Yueming and Zhan Yunkai received the message one after the other.

Zhan Yunkai frowned slightly. This was indeed a serious matter. The breakdown of the network and mental concepts had already begun to loosen; no one knew if Infinite possessed the means to slip through the cracks.

“Looks like we probably won’t be able to go see Yan Yan over the next couple of days.”

Ji Yueming sighed with emotion. “As expected of Deep Shadow. He even managed to drag the Retirees’ Alliance over.”

Their hatred for Infinite truly ran deep.