GRMFBS CH228

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Zhan Yan was also very nervous. He absentmindedly petted Xingxing to ease his tension. Kneading a small cat was very stress-relieving.

Xingxing very much enjoyed the human’s five-finger massage, turning his head under Zhan Yan’s hand. Scratch this side… yes, now scratch this side. The chin feels good too, meow~

…Hey, don’t just scratch my chin!

Annoyed by being petted the wrong way, Xingxing jumped off Zhan Yan’s lap. Honestly! Why is he acting just like that person who roughly combed my fur a few days ago!

Xingxing squatted beside him, looking at Zhan Yan unhappily.

Zhan Yan was watching the Gossip feeds refresh.

Classmate Xiao Gu knew he was going to meet his sister today, so he made a lot of preparations. This included, but was not limited to, studying Yang Ran’s treatment plan, thinking about how to chat with Rong Sui, how to greet her, how to treat Yang Ran, how to dress…

He was wearing the fake face he used in the Infinite [World]. This face would allow Rong Sui to recognize him at a glance.

Classmate Xiao Gu’s aesthetics were on point; when he pinched this fake face back then, he made it very good-looking. However, because his young-looking real face had constantly led people to treat him as a pushover, making him extremely irritable, he had a very strong purpose when creating this face: he wanted people to think he wasn’t to be trifled with at first glance, saving him from constantly being underestimated.

So… this face looked a bit fierce.

Looking a bit fierce was very helpful for living in the Infinite, but it was very unfriendly for meeting the parents.

However, Gu Jiancheng couldn’t just swap to an obedient, sensible, and upright face—Rong Sui hadn’t suspected that Deep Shadow was Gu Jiancheng until now entirely because Deep Shadow looked like someone destined to be alone for life.

If he suddenly changed to an obedient face, setting aside how many people he might scare, what if Rong Sui was just a tiny step away from exposing his secret identity? That would be a huge loss!

So he couldn’t change his face.

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

The mall’s sales assistants had excellent aesthetics. Upon seeing his fake face, their eyes lit up, and they matched him entirely with clothes that highlighted his imposing aura.

They looked good, but they made him look even fiercer.

Gu Jiancheng had to emphasize that he wanted clothes that made him look more harmless.

The sales assistant advised earnestly: Sir, your face really isn’t suited for an obedient style. Look how good this looks right now? The store manager even wanted to pull him to be a model and stick his photos in the store for promotion, guaranteeing that the sales of the clothes he tried on would skyrocket.

Gu Jiancheng remained unmoved. The sales assistant had no choice but to try and match him with clothes that could soften his aura as much as possible.

Zhan Yan saw everything in the Gossip feeds. He looked up the brands and sizes, planning to secretly buy all those outfits when he had time.

The newly restyled Gu Jiancheng wore a white top and dark blue pants, aiming for a simple and neat look. If he wasn’t tense and reined in his imposing aura, he actually looked quite non-threatening.

Zhan Suiru had also made many preparations.

Her thoughts included, but were not limited to, what props Deep Shadow might need, whether he needed mental assistance, whether he needed the clues she obtained when in contact with the Infinite, etc. She was all about pragmatism. She was still dressed in her artisan outfit from the black market: a black trench coat, a wide-brimmed hat, and a supernatural prop covering her face.

Zhan Suiru didn’t bother changing her face to look like Rong Sui. 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 their appearance; people like them who had survived the Infinite should value practical benefits more.

The two met.

Gu Jiancheng: … Why has Rong Sui turned into this mystical style? So this is the style she likes? Did I wear the wrong clothes today?

Zhan Suiru: Ah… it really is Deep Shadow’s appearance. But his outfit is so casual. Does my secretive attire make me seem insincere?

The scene fell inexplicably quiet.

Great Ritual Dancer clicked his tongue lightly.

When these two stood alone, they seemed fine, but why did they look so weird when put together?

He felt like if they swapped their clothing styles, the vibe would be just right.

“Rong Sui?” Gu Jiancheng slowly scanned the room. He confirmed it: he knew everyone else, so they definitely weren’t Rong Sui. Therefore, this tightly wrapped person whose gender was indistinguishable was indeed Rong Sui.

“Rest assured. Yang Ran will be fine.”

Zhan Suiru paused, her mouth slowly curling up into a smile.

In that instant, she felt as if she had returned to an unknown number of reincarnation cycles ago.

At that time, Deep Shadow stood before her and said, “If I am still around on that day, I will definitely try my hardest to kill it!”

Later, on the day she detonated her ability core, perishing alongside her world, as she fell, she saw a deep, dark shadow charging resolutely towards the core of the Infinite.

Behind him, explosive thunder followed closely, and she saw the most brilliant light in the world.

The Deep Shadow before her had dark, deep eyes, but the madness and violence were gone from their depths.

She used to think Deep Shadow was like a star core ready to erupt at any moment, leaving only endless, deathly silence after the explosion. Now, she felt a steady flame burning in the depths of those dark eyes—bright and passionate, perhaps able to shine for a very long time.

Why be nervous? Hadn’t they fought side by side before?

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

He had already reached out his hand first.

She thought she could trust him, just as she had trusted every comrade who had supported the Hope Base with 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 a bit too friendly toward Rong Sui?

Zhan Yan observed remotely through the Gossip feeds.

Tsk tsk tsk, when Classmate Xiao Gu wants to coax someone, he’s too good at it.

That’s great. It seems they are interacting quite well so far. I probably don’t need to worry about Xiao Gu and Sister’s ‘secret identity’ meeting for the time being.

Next, they went to see the secret room to familiarize themselves with the environment in advance.

His sister had brought Yang Ran in that studio that had shrunk into a small pendant. This was more stable than having Yang Ran come over wearing an inhibitor—to avoid any accidents, they didn’t plan on letting Yang Ran stay in any environment that couldn’t isolate the power of the Infinite.

Zhan Yan stared nervously at the Gossip feeds, ready to watch Classmate Xiao Gu meet his future brother-in-law while wearing his secret identity.

There was a sudden knock on the bedroom door, and Zhan Yan jumped in fright.

“Yanyan, come eat lunch,” Zhan Yunkai called him.

Xingxing, having waited for ages without Zhan Yan coaxing him, was unhappy.

“Meow!”

The little kitten jumped up, opened the door, and went downstairs to eat by himself.

Only then did Zhan Yan realize he had accidentally upset Xingxing. Oops, I’ll coax him later. It’s already noon.

If he didn’t eat, his family would definitely think something was wrong. Since his sister and Xiao Gu were basically fine over there, Zhan Yan decided to go downstairs for lunch first.

Dad, Mom, and his brother were all there.

The originally scheduled time to treat Yang Ran was towards the evening. The environment affected the strength of superhumans; for Deep Shadow, whose ability was based on shadows, the night was his best environment to perform. Starting in the evening meant that by the time preparations were complete, night would just be falling.

Because they couldn’t be sure how long this treatment would take, this arrangement would maximize the use of the night.

Mom was only responsible for security and didn’t need to go early; she could still enjoy a lunch at home.

While eating lunch, Zhan Yan couldn’t suppress the urge to check the Gossip feeds.

Hmm, Yang Ran and Deep Shadow aren’t that close. He only met Deep Shadow a few times back then, unlike Sister, who chased and hunted Xiao Gu for a full three months.

His attitude toward Xiao Gu was friendly and curious, and within ten sentences, he was successfully swayed by Xiao Gu into recalling their camaraderie. Beautifully done!

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

Zhan Yan snapped out of it: “Ah? What’s wrong?”

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

Why was the child eating so absentmindedly? Old Zhan, beside them, was already doubting his culinary skills.

Zhan Yan: “Ah, it’s nothing. I teased Xingxing earlier and made him mad, so I’m worrying about how to coax him.”

Sorry, little kitten, you have to take the blame.

Xingxing, who was eating his cat food, pricked up his ears upon hearing this.

Meow, is he that remorseful? I’m not angry anymore, not angry anymore~

Dad and Mom weren’t very convinced. Xingxing was such a good little kitten, and so easy to coax. Would that make Yanyan worry so much that he couldn’t even focus on eating?

Zhan Jinli didn’t overthink it; he subconsciously believed it. Cats were quite troublesome.

“Is something on your mind, Yanyan?” Ji Yueming asked.

Zhan Yan: “No, no.”

He started eating seriously.

Zhan Jinli suddenly realized something. Oh right, my little brother is a brother who lies now! How could coaxing Xingxing make him lose his appetite for Dad’s cooking?

Zhan Jinli slowly turned his head and started staring.

Zhan Yan: …

Quick, think of another excuse.

Zhan Yan suddenly remembered the article about excessive fitness being harmful to health that Classmate Xiao Gu had searched for him. He tapped it open and forwarded it to the family group chat. He continued to keep his head down and eat silently.

Everything was understood without words!

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

What Are the Dangers of Excessive Fitness?

Oh, so he lost his appetite because he remembered he had to do extra training tonight?

Should we… reduce the amount a little more?

We can’t reduce it too much! Physical health is also very important.

But I still feel something is not quite right with my youngest son. Hmm… Later I’ll go have a chat with Teng Jian. Later when I go to the bureau I’ll investigate Teng Jian.

Zhan Jinli continued to stare at his brother.

Is this a lie, or isn’t it?

He couldn’t tell.

After eating, Xingxing washed his face, voluntarily jumped onto Zhan Yan’s lap, and meowed softly at him: “Meow~”

I forgive you.

The kitty was too pure; Zhan Yan couldn’t help but feel guilty.

He hugged Xingxing. Xingxing is the cutest little kitten in the world.

Zhan Yan opened the fridge, planning to get his brother’s sweet bread.

Ah… To ensure the bread was fresh, his brother never brought much home, and now there’s only one bag left.

Zhan Yan started staring at his brother.

He looked down and typed: “Brother, I want to eat bread.”

He looked up again, looked at his brother, and smiled.

Zhan Jinli: My brother’s smile is so sweet and good.

“I’ll go make some.”

Zhan Jinli got up and went to the bakery. They didn’t have all the ingredients at home.

After lunch, Ji Yueming went to a branch office near the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau, where there was a special passage that would take her directly to headquarters.

Zhan Yunkai also found an excuse to leave the house.

Zhan Yan carried the sweet bread upstairs.

He continued refreshing the Gossip feeds.

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

There were many different departments in the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau, which easily led to conflicts. Previously, the Research Department and the Equipment Department often tore into each other; the Logistics Department somehow got involved, and the Operations Department joined in just to watch the fun. Later, amidst all the arguing, the Information Support Department secretly held an anonymous poll asking everyone to vote on which was the most important department in the bureau.

The cafeteria was honorably elected.

It wasn’t Ning Xi bragging, but he had personally recruited the head chef of the cafeteria. Upon learning there was a chef with the “Super Taste” superpower, he immediately made the decision to recruit him into the bureau.

However, most of the cooking now was done by the head chef’s apprentices. He couldn’t cook for the entire bureau alone.

Black Wolf hadn’t gone to the secret room; he wasn’t needed for this matter anyway, and he didn’t want to see Deep Shadow’s double-standard mocking face. Heh, heh my foot! Hehehe!

After finishing his morning tasks, he went straight to the cafeteria. Black Wolf felt very happy every time he entered the cafeteria.

He ate heartily and never wasted food. The head chef liked him a lot and often cooked special meals for him.

While Black Wolf was eating, he saw Ning Xi bring Rong Sui and Deep Shadow into the cafeteria.

Oh, the Deputy Bureau is using the cafeteria to tempt people again.

In the past, when Ning Xi wanted to poach someone, he would use this trick: inviting them to eat in the cafeteria at mealtime, quietly tempting them with delicious food.

Hmph! With Deep Shadow’s stinky temper, he definitely won’t join the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau, and he won’t get to enjoy the delicious food in the cafeteria. Let him eat it once so he’ll crave it forever!

Over there, they had also started eating.

Nie Ling kept his head down and ate silently. Getting stuck on an experiment made him irritable. After being cooped up in the lab, he relied on this meal for comfort.

Great Ritual Dancer looked at this silly child and proactively set the stage for their Deputy Bureau: “The roast meat today is pretty good, want to try it?”

Zhan Suiru: … It’s quite good. But an ordinary person can’t compare to my dad’s cooking skills.

Gu Jiancheng: It is quite delicious, but it’s not as delicious as what my boyfriend brought from home.

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