Chapter 127: The Alter Ego Says He Loves Me (16)
Xiao Ji didn’t tell Xiao Yinnian about the accident.
He only silently returned control of the body to Xiao Yinnian when they arrived at the bottom of his apartment building.
Xiao Yinnian had just woken up and knew nothing about the accident on the road. He stretched and thanked Xiao Ji.
As soon as he got out of the car, he saw a boy wearing a baseball cap standing by the elevator entrance of his building.
Seeing Xiao Yinnian appear, the boy looked up, pushed the brim of his cap up, and grinned.
“Surprised? Unexpected, right?”
Xiao Yinnian was astonished. “Lin Chuan? How did you find me?”
Lin Chuan actively issued an invitation. “Want to go eat? My treat. I have something to talk to you about.”
The two of them sat down in a private booth at a hot pot restaurant near Xiao Yinnian’s home.
Lin Chuan took off his hat and said to Xiao Yinnian, “It’s a coincidence. I stayed at my young uncle’s house last night. Early this morning, he got a call from an employee asking for leave.”
“We were having breakfast at the time. I thought the voice on the phone sounded familiar, so I asked casually. Who knew? That employee really was named Xiao Yinnian.”
“I asked him for your address and thought I’d try my luck. And here I am, I actually bumped into you.”
Xiao Yinnian clinked glasses with Lin Chuan. “Wow. You’re my boss’s nephew?”
Lin Chuan laughed heartily. “Just you wait, Year-Bro. Later I’ll brainwash my young uncle for you. I guarantee you’ll soar to the top.”
The two of them chatted as they ate.
As they were talking, Lin Chuan suddenly slapped the table. “I almost forgot the main business.”
Xiao Yinnian raised an eyebrow. “There’s more?”
Lin Chuan’s playful expression vanished, replaced by seriousness. “Today, I originally wanted to exchange for an ‘Identity Swap Card’ in the points mall. But while I was browsing, I found another card. I think you might be interested.”
Xiao Yinnian looked at him. “What is it?”
Lin Chuan stood up, walked to the door of the booth, locked it, and then opened his own mission panel. He went to [My Bag] and showed it to Xiao Yinnian. “This.”
Xiao Yinnian looked closely and saw a card with a drawing of twins on it. Four words were written on it:
[Soul Splitting.]
Xiao Yinnian narrowed his eyes. “This is…”
“The normal way to use it is in certain specific mission worlds to split your soul into two, becoming two people. First, you get an extra partner you can completely trust. Second, you can get double the points—a win-win.”
Lin Chuan paused. “But if used on you, maybe it can temporarily split ‘the other one’ out.”
“But I’m not sure if you’d want it, because I feel like when he’s one with you, it’s like…”
“I want it. Where can I buy it?” Xiao Yinnian interrupted Lin Chuan immediately.
Even if it was temporary, this meant that in the next mission, he could meet Xiao Ji face-to-face in advance.
At this moment, he could clearly feel the blood flowing faster in his veins.
It was an indescribable feeling of excitement and anticipation.
Lin Chuan opened his mouth. “This is a limited card; it’s a random drop. Check if it’s in your shop?”
Xiao Yinnian quickly opened his exchange mall and scrolled from top to bottom. Unfortunately, he didn’t see the card.
A look of disappointment was written plainly on Xiao Yinnian’s face.
Seeing him like this, Lin Chuan suddenly laughed. “What’s the rush, Year-Bro? Cards can be gifted. I’ll just give it to you.”
Xiao Yinnian wanted it, but he hesitated. “Is this very expensive?”
Lin Chuan shook his head. “If your ‘other half’ hadn’t carried me to victory last time, I wouldn’t have escaped so smoothly. That running speed—I couldn’t have achieved it even if I died trying.”
“Even then, in the seconds before we left, I felt like someone behind us touched my ankle.”
“In short, it’s not as expensive as my life.”
Xiao Yinnian understood Lin Chuan’s meaning.
Firstly, he wanted to express his gratitude. Secondly, in the mission world, finding a trustworthy partner wasn’t easy. Lin Chuan intended to continue doing missions with Xiao Yinnian in the future.
The two of them hit it off and exchanged contact information.
Ever since he got that card, Xiao Yinnian had been in a state of excitement.
He even felt impatient for the next mission to arrive.
But there was no sign of the next mission for a long time.
During this period, Xiao Yinnian gradually balanced his way of interacting with Xiao Ji.
Simply put, whenever he encountered something he didn’t want to do, he would call out softly for Xiao Ji.
For example, if he couldn’t get out of bed in the morning, Xiao Ji would go to work in his place while Xiao Yinnian continued to nap inside the body.
For example, when work meetings were too tedious, Xiao Yinnian would secretly slack off.
When he had insomnia at night, Xiao Ji would tell ghost stories in his head with that monotone voice of his to help Xiao Yinnian adapt to future mission backgrounds in advance.
It wasn’t until a month later, when Xiao Yinnian came home from work and was about to change clothes, that the mission panel automatically popped up.
This time, the panel offered three mission options.
[1. The Senior Sister in Red. Main mission completion rate 100%. Maximum points per person: 10,000.] [2. Nomo Hotel. Main mission completion rate 100%. Maximum points per person: 30,000.] [3. Ancient Village Secrets. Main mission completion rate 100%. Maximum points per person: 50,000.]
Xiao Yinnian’s brow twitched. “A-Ji?”
Xiao Ji looked at the mission panel, unperturbed. “You decide.”
Xiao Yinnian thought about it and made a call to Lin Chuan. “Did you receive the mission notification?”
Lin Chuan hummed. “I was just about to call you. What are your missions?”
Xiao Yinnian told Lin Chuan his three options.
Hearing this, Lin Chuan clicked his tongue. “My first two options are different from yours.”
Xiao Yinnian’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “The higher the points…”
Lin Chuan didn’t wait for him to finish before picking up, “The higher the points, the lower the clearance rate and the higher the mortality rate. The fact that you unlocked a 50,000-point mission on your second go is mainly because you performed too well last time.”
“But you have to think it through, Year-Bro. You don’t have much experience. I’ve done seven missions, and the highest mission I’ve unlocked so far is only 30,000 points.”
“Once you choose, there’s no turning back.”
Xiao Yinnian pursed his lips and asked for Xiao Ji’s opinion. “I can’t make the call, A-Ji.”
Xiao Ji hesitated for a moment and said calmly, “The maximum points per person is 50,000. If we use that card, maybe this time we can solve everything once and for all.”
“Xiao Yinnian, do you trust me?”
Xiao Yinnian looked at the one-minute countdown remaining on the mission panel. His palms began to sweat.
He didn’t answer Xiao Ji’s question.
He only said firmly to Lin Chuan on the other end of the phone, “I choose option three.”
Translator’s Note: “Year-Bro” is a bit of a localized translation for Nián-gē (年哥). It sounds like “Big Brother Nian” but with a more modern, casual vibe. Also, A-Ji (阿寂) is the affectionate way Xiao Yinnian calls Xiao Ji.
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