Their eyes met, and they both understood each other perfectly.
Nie Xuan, however, sighed, "An individual’s power is really too weak, relying on the country is the best choice."
"Of course, you can rely on the country, but not everyone in this country is reliable." Xu Huo drained his glass and patted him on the shoulder, "If you raise your personal expectations to the level of the country, sooner or later there will be problems."
Nie Xuan stared at his retreating back for two seconds before turning his head with a smile and, imitating him, rolled the glass around.
After leaving the bar, Xu Huo tried to hail a cab to get home, but the drivers all refused him when they heard where he wanted to go.
"We don’t drive to densely populated residential areas at night, young man. You should think of another way."
Fortunately, the subway hadn’t stopped running, so Xu Huo tied his shoelaces and ran to the nearest subway station.
There were very few people on the subway, and they kept their distance from each other, occasionally glancing at the new real-time surveillance installed inside the carriage and several security guards.
Xu Huo found a seat, took out his phone to check messages; first, Chief Wu informed him that his family had moved into a secure district, followed by concerns from his parents, and Lady Fang reminded him to remember to see a psychologist.
There was also a message from Zhou Ning thanking him and saying she had found a glove-like item in the game that he could get from her anytime.
Another message was from Yan Jiayu, telling him she had found an interesting random dungeon in the neighboring city and invited him to join her.
The message had been sent the day he went to the Hundred People Art Gallery, and there had been no follow-up for the past few days; she must have gone by herself.
He switched off his phone and began to doze off leaning there.
At that moment, a person who had been sitting at the other end of the bench with a hat covering his face took off his hat and was about to stand up when he suddenly heard someone speak, "You’d better stay put."
The man in the hat turned around sharply only to see the man who had just seemed drowsy now looking at him sidelong, his cold gaze filled with annoyance at being disturbed.
The man in the hat stiffened and then obediently sat back down.
Xu Huo closed his eyes again.
"Next station, Bailu Park, please watch your step if you’re getting off." Half an hour later, the subway arrived at the station.
Xu Huo stood up and got off, while the man in the hat hesitated but didn’t.
When he got back to the place he rented, just as he opened the door, a kitchen knife flew towards him.
Catching the knife in midair, Xu Huo casually placed it on the shoe cabinet next to him and said to the person inside, "Did you pass the preliminary train exam?"
"Cousin, you’re so clever, you knew I would definitely pass the prelims." Yu Qingqing set down another knife, walked over with a smile to help him with his slippers, and said, "I’ve been at your place for a day now, did you just come back from a dungeon? What about that annoying Li Chun? Is he dead?"
The Girl in the painting appeared behind Xu Huo, poking her head out.
Yu Qingqing snorted and pointed to the already cold food on the table, "Look, I made this. I learned it from the chef on the preliminary train."
Xu Huo glanced at her, "You’re quite rich, huh?"
"Of course," Yu Qingqing proudly said, "Before boarding the train, I transferred all the money from my mom’s card to my account. Money talks; the preliminary train wasn’t as difficult as they say it is."
"Call your mom, so she doesn’t bombard me with texts." Xu Huo sat down at the table.
Yu Qingqing snatched the Girl in the painting’s chopsticks, snapped them in two, and tossed them into the trash, ignoring her pitiful look. She continued, "I won’t call her. She wants me to see that Tang Guangbo; I don’t like that guy."
Xu Huo’s expression remained calm, signaling for the Girl in the painting to go get another pair of chopsticks, "If you don’t like him, don’t see him, and don’t accept anything from him."
Yu Qingqing nodded incessantly, sitting beside him with her hands supporting her cheeks, her eyes sparkling, "Do you know what my profession is?"
Without waiting for Xu Huo to ask, she answered her own question, "A psychological analyst, how about that? Doesn’t it suit me perfectly?"
"With my special ability, I can analyze someone’s current psychological state the fastest. Cousin, why do you look so excited when you haven’t slept in days?"
Xu Huo lifted his eyelids and gave her a glance, "And what else did you see?"
"Hmm... I also saw that you’ve been single for over twenty years and need a girlfriend. I have quite a few friends who admire you, how about I introduce one to you?"
"And didn’t you see that if you don’t shut up in the next three seconds, you’re definitely in for a thrashing?" Xu Huo looked at her coolly, "Now that you’ve become a player, you won’t die so easily."
Yu Qingqing shrank back a little, but soon the smile on her face faded, and she sat up straight with a fierce look in her eyes, "Last time, you told Li Chun to hit me."
"The day you can beat me, you’re welcome to challenge me." Xu Huo laid down his chopsticks and said seriously, "Yu Qingqing, you can’t fool others with your disguise, nor can you fool yourself. Since you’ve entered the game, you’d better recognize your true self soon."
"How can you be so sure I’m deceiving others and myself?" Yu Qingqing asked with a cold smile, "I have the ability to protect myself."
Xu Huo stared at her for a few seconds, then said, "Real schizophrenics aren’t like you. Also, I’m not schizophrenic either."
Yu Qingqing lifted her chin, "I know you’re not, and I’m not trying to imitate you."
Xu Huo rubbed his forehead and stood up, "If there’s nothing else, you should head back home early. Also, stop installing tracking systems on my cell phone, and tell your friend to go home. He has the same scented water on him as you do. Next time you go out on a job, wipe yourself down with a cleansing potion first."
Yu Qingqing stormed out indignantly as if insulted, but after a while, she came back to knock on the door. Xu Huo put down the dishes he was washing halfway and went to open the door for her. The person outside had put on a smiley face again, "Cousin, I want to stay at your place for a few days."
Xu Huo patted her head, "Come on in."
Yu Qingqing slipped in under his arm and started directing the girl in the painting to wash dishes again.
The two of them were noisy and boisterous. Now the girl in the painting could use the reading function proficiently, adding another voice to their quarrels. Xu Huo simply took a bath and went to his room to sleep.
But Yu Qingqing was right; he was in such an excited state that he couldn’t fall asleep at all.
He opened the game panel, took out the bottle of Dream-Fulfilling Elixir, and drank it after confirming it had a sleep aid function.
After lying down again, he fell asleep within a few minutes.
"...do you remember these mahjong tiles’ patterns?" In his field of vision, a tall doctor in a white coat was speaking.
A chubby little hand reached out to the table and turned over a mahjong tile, prompting a laugh and praise from the doctor, "Good, what did the fingernails of the third person you encountered from the ward to the treatment room look like?"
"Pink-white with lots of vertical lines," answered a young voice.
The doctor reached out and covered the view from above, which shook slightly as he rubbed.
"I want to go out and play with the puppy," said the young voice.
The doctor shook his head, "You are sick; children who are sick should not like puppies; it can hurt you."
"Puppies don’t bite."
"It has nothing to do with whether the puppy bites or not. Any strong emotional fluctuation is not helpful for your condition. Here is a puzzle; can you find the missing piece in this puzzle?"