Wu Tianzhen said he would be back soon, but it was clear that the journey from Changbai Mountain to Hangzhou was not as short as he had imagined, nor were his parents' nagging easy to end.
He didn't know if the interaction between the ice-cool guy and the refined patron would be harmonious. This kind of blind box excitement made him restless even at home.
If he kept asking Xiao Hua, he felt like he wasn't trusting them. But Fatty was still in a tug-of-war with Zhang Haike and the others, so he couldn't ask Fatty to inquire about the situation with Xie Yuchen.
After much thought, he decided to find some things for Xiao Zhang and Xiao Hua over there to do, minimizing the possibility of conflict.
And so—
Xie Yuchen inexplicably received a stack of encrypted video resources from Song Shuning, with a note asking him to play them for Zhang Qiling.
Xie Yuchen: ...
"You know Song Shuning?" Xie Yuchen quickly checked the security of the video package. After confirming it was fine, he asked casually.
Zhang Qiling was sitting upright on the sofa, his posture so proper that he looked like a primary school student attending a serious class.
The TV was showing "The Temptation to Go Home," which he had been longing to watch, but he wasn't paying much attention. Most of the time, he was staring blankly at the edges of the screen.
Hearing Xie Yuchen's question, he struggled to focus his scattered gaze, rummaged through his blank mind for a moment, and finally shook his head innocently.
...He didn't know if his shake meant he didn't know or couldn't remember.
Xie Yuchen genuinely felt that he had been foolish to ask him this question. He sent the video package to the optical brain in Zhang Qiling's hand: "Song Shuning just sent this, asking you to watch it. It's up to you whether you want to open it."
The pop-up window for successful video package transfer appeared on the optical brain, blocking more than half of the screen.
For Zhang Qiling at this moment, "deciding whether to watch it himself" was a difficult question. He stared at the screen for a long time, but the pop-up window stubbornly remained on the optical brain display. So, he finally clicked it tentatively.
Ailly, who had been crying her eyes out on TV, disappeared instantly. Zhang Qiling felt his ears suddenly become much quieter.
"The Temptation to Go Home" was closed, and Song Shuning's video package content took its place.
Xie Yuchen glanced casually and happened to see a silly smiling face of Wu Tianzhen appear on it.
The background was a vast expanse of white, which looked quite familiar, seemingly at the entrance of the Forbidden Land in Changbai Mountain.
"...Hello everyone, my name is Wu Tianzhen, and today I plan to explore the legendary Forbidden Land of Changbai Mountain!"
In the video, Wu Tianzhen's face still carried the innocent and fearless look of a newborn calf, his eyes bright, seemingly unaware of the dangers of the forbidden land.
Xie Yuchen knew that Wu Tianzhen had been obsessed with exploration live streams for a while, but he didn't expect him to be so reckless, and he felt a moment of speechlessness.
However, at this point, he understood the content of this video package.
...This was probably the video material about Zhang Qiling collected by Song Shuning and his official team.
The video was still playing, and Wu Tianzhen's screams were continuous, no less than Ailly's wails earlier.
But Zhang Qiling didn't find it noisy at all. He even leaned forward slightly, appearing to be fully engrossed in watching Wu Tianzhen escape.
This video package was not short. Although it was visibly trimmed and edited, it was enough for Zhang Qiling to watch it intently for a whole day.
Xie Yuchen did not pry into others' past hobbies. In fact, he had a meeting scheduled for the next morning. So, after instructing his assistant to pay attention to Zhang Qiling's dietary needs, he decisively left the scene and went up to the study on the second floor.
Zhang Qiling glanced at Xie Yuchen's retreating back, confirmed he was still within a safe distance, and quickly withdrew his gaze, concentrating all his energy on the television.
The video was now playing his appearance. The vivid images and clear sounds all proved that these were indeed his past experiences.
Zhang Qiling felt a sense of familiarity, but his mind was still completely blank. It was as if a huge lock and chain in the depths of his memory had completely sealed off his past.
He didn't focus on that lock and chain but stared intently at the screen, trying his best to remember those past events.
During this time, Xie Yuchen's assistant asked him several times what he wanted to eat. The dishes with their fancy names all seemed unfamiliar. Zhang Qiling glanced at the menu blankly and remained silent for a moment.
But fortunately, Xie Yuchen's assistant was highly competent. She keenly noticed the essence of being a "cripple in life" beneath the cool exterior of Zhang Qiling and quickly retracted the dazzling menus, stopping the loss.
"...Then sir, shall I arrange it for you?"
This question, which only required a "yes" or "no" answer, clearly rescued Zhang Qiling. The assistant saw Zhang Qiling's eyes light up imperceptibly, and then he nodded solemnly with a blank expression.
...I have to say, the assistant felt a bit endeared.
Mr. Xie had prepared ample funds, and the assistant felt she couldn't waste such favorable conditions. So, not long after, she prepared a "feast" encompassing a variety of Eastern and Western cuisines.
The variety was vast, and all sorts of food were laid out on a full table. Fortunately, she still had a sliver of reason that allowed her to control the portion size of each dish.
Zhang Qiling paused, recalling Wu Tianzhen and Fatty feeding him fruit in the hospital, and felt a sense of inexplicable familiarity.
So, when Xie Yuchen, after finishing his work late at night, slowly descended the stairs, loosening his collar, he saw Zhang Qiling mechanically stuffing another bun into his mouth, chewing dazedly while staring at the television.
At that moment, the TV was showing Cangshan, and Fatty, trapped on the cliff, uttered a legendary line—
"...If Brother Xiao really shines brightly at the Baima Club in the future, this segment of the video will definitely help him defeat all rivals and become the top performer!"
Xie Yuchen: ...?
Zhang Qiling's chewing motion paused for a few seconds, then he raised his cup and took a few sips of water.
"Baima... Club?" he slowly repeated the words. His tone was still calm, but Xie Yuchen distinctly heard a hint of curiosity in his voice.
"Can I—"
"You cannot go." Xie Yuchen interrupted Zhang Qiling's eager question. The feeling of exhaustion washed over him again.
After being rejected, Zhang Qiling froze for a moment, then accepted the reality and continued to eat his bun with his head down.
However, a trace of disappointment lingered around him.
On the TV, Fatty started shouting for Song Shuning to delete this segment, but judging by the fact that Zhang Qiling could still hear the words "Baima Club," it was clear that Song Shuning had not complied at all.
Xie Yuchen inexplicably felt a sense of rebellion from Song Shuning, whom he had never met.
...For some reason, he felt that everyone around him seemed to be more or less abnormal.