Chapter 20: The Male Lead with X-Ray Vision VS Five Female Leads (20)
Huo Xian seemed not to notice Anna’s sudden change in expression. He asked naturally, “Miss An, what brings you here?”
Anna almost blurted out, “If she can come, why can’t I?”, a statement completely out of character. She managed to swallow the words back just in time, lightly curving her lips. “I didn’t know Mr. Ho had guests today. My apologies for the interruption.”
Before Huo Xian could reply, Liu Xu Xue smiled subtly. “It’s just friends getting together, Miss An. Don’t worry about it, please come in.” She stepped aside to allow Anna to enter.
While her words spoke of friendship, her actions resembled those of a hostess, causing Anna’s face to turn cold. A chill emanated from her, and her gaze towards Huo Xian now carried condemnation and resentment.
Huo Xian: “…”
He had discovered that women’s emotional outbursts were indiscriminate. The key was that he was the truly innocent victim, wasn’t he?
“Miss Liu, do you have anything else?” Huo Xian asked.
As intelligent as Liu Xu Xue was, she immediately understood the subtle dismissal in Huo Xian’s words. The slight stiffness in her smile quickly disappeared, and she regained her composure. “You can consider my proposal, Mr. Ho. You’re busy today; let’s reschedule for another time.” She didn’t suggest lunch or anything similar, because she knew the answer would be no. A clever woman knows what to prioritize.
Huo Xian inwardly thought: Please don’t. I really don’t want to make another appointment with you.
He politely said, “Goodbye.”
Liu Xu Xue smiled and waved goodbye to him. When she passed Anna, the gentle smile on her face completely vanished, replaced by icy coldness in her eyes. Seeing this, Anna slightly frowned, then chuckled inwardly. She knew that this young miss from the Liu family wasn’t as harmless and gentle as she appeared.
“Miss An, what brings you here?” Huo Xian’s home was empty, so he couldn’t entertain Anna. However, he had already made a date with Anna for the day after tomorrow. What was the reason for her sudden, unannounced visit?
Anna’s emotional control was excellent. After a brief adjustment, she had regained her composure, or rather, Huo Xian’s calm and collected demeanor convinced her that he and Liu Xu Xue had no romantic relationship.
Anna dismissed her bodyguard and, after a moment, said, “My brother isn’t my brother.”
Huo Xian’s eyelids twitched. “What do you mean?”
“Since ten months ago, after a life-saving operation, my brother became a different person.” Anna’s gaze was fixed on him, not missing the slightest expression on his face.
From any angle, Huo Xian showed surprise, his mouth agape for a long time.
[In the original timeline, An Chun had died during that rescue.] The system’s voice echoed in his mind. [An outsider trying to impersonate a character from the original world will easily reveal flaws in their speech and behavior unless they’re professional actors.]
[The host was also questioned by Huo En, but thanks to his protagonist status, he easily fooled him.]
Huo Xian didn’t know if he had heard the system, but he looked at Anna with a somewhat indescribable expression. This expression was clearly interpreted by Anna as: She’s sick and needs treatment.
However, Anna didn’t show any abnormalities. She continued, “‘Big brother’ woke up and demanded a luxurious lifestyle. He was no longer content with one or two caregivers but demanded eight, all young and beautiful girls. Although his physical condition didn’t allow him to indulge in pleasures, he did so as much as he could…”
Huo Xian slowly suppressed his surprise and listened intently.
Anna sighed, “Before the change, my brother was a very gentle boy. He was quiet, loved reading, liked painting, and was kind to everyone. Our parents and the maids loved him and felt sorry for him because of his illness, but he was also strong, giving each of us warmth with his unique gentleness.”
“His favorite place was his study. Whenever he had the energy, he would read books. If he felt well, he would paint portraits of his family and slowly color them…If he had been healthy, he would have become a world-renowned painter.”
Huo Xian’s face had become serious, but he didn’t interrupt Anna.
Anna suppressed the tears welling up in her eyes and her expression suddenly turned cold. “Therefore, I’m absolutely certain that the person who is greedy for pleasure and lives a life of luxury is definitely not my brother.”
That’s true; anyone with such a drastic personality change would be highly suspicious.
No, what does Anna’s belief that An Chun’s core has changed have to do with him?
Could it be…
That Anna thinks he is An Chun’s core?
It’s not impossible.
In the original timeline, An Chun was quiet and gentle, while the new core was luxurious and greedy for pleasure. This seems to match the original owner of this body.
“For more than half a year, ‘his’ body suddenly improved, almost to the point where he could move around freely. But three and a half months ago, he suddenly fell seriously ill again. Mr. Ho, do you know why?” Anna continued to stare at him without blinking.
Huo Xian had a hunch that there was a trap, but if he didn’t follow the question, Anna might nail him to a fact that she had already decided on. So he asked, “Why?”
However, Anna didn’t answer, but instead lowered her head and said, “Since his condition worsened three and a half months ago and he went to the ICU, his health has deteriorated. He’s been admitted to the ICU several times, and before each admission, he kept repeating a person’s name.” She looked up at Huo Xian again.
Clearly, that name was “Huo Xian”.
Huo Xian remained calm, communicating with the system in his mind: [Based on Anna’s statement, we can infer that ‘An Chun’s’ time travel coincided with the beginning of the Huo family’s decline. The Huo family’s decline and ‘An Chun’s’ improved health – could this be interpreted as the original owner’s luck draining away to nourish ‘An Chun’? ]
The system praised: [The host is very clever.]
Ignoring the praise, Huo Xian continued: [I came to this world three and a half months ago. Since then, ‘An Chun’s’ luck has declined, and his health has worsened. But he knows me and has mentioned me more than once. Can I guess that the Huo family’s collapse within just over half a year was partly due to his scheming?]
The system said: [The world bug of a body dying in the original timeline needs the protagonist’s luck to sustain life. The more impoverished the protagonist, the easier it is for the world bug to seize the opportunity to take their luck.]
[If the protagonist dies, the world collapses. Did ‘An Chun’ know this, which is why he didn’t kill me?] Huo Xian asked.
System: [Probably.]
Huo Xian continued: [Then I’m curious, I know this because of the ‘system’. How did ‘An Chun’ know? Or, does he also have a ‘system’? ]
The system was silent for a while before answering: [There are many ways to enter a different world through loopholes in the rules. The system can only investigate after the host completes the task.]
Huo Xian chuckled: [Although I don’t know what the rules are exactly, there are indeed a lot of loopholes, they could be patched up.]
The system fell silent.
“Miss An, what are you suspecting?” Huo Xian ended his exchange with the system and asked Anna.
Anna opened her mouth, suddenly unsure of how to answer. What was she suspecting?
Huo Xian crossed his legs and said calmly, “I’ve never met Mr. An Chun, nor do I know about this bizarre incident involving him. But I believe in science. Mr. An Chun’s physical condition can be determined by a doctor’s examination. As for his personality change, I do know that some people suffer from Dissociative Identity Disorder. Perhaps Miss An could have Mr. An Chun see a few psychologists.”
“But he knows you.” Anna’s tone became somewhat urgent. Realizing her emotional change, she adjusted again, and after her breathing calmed, continued. “He knows you. He said…you have X-ray vision.”
“Do you believe that, Miss An?” Huo Xian asked, his expression unchanged.
Anna’s lips moved. As she spoke the next few words, she herself found them absurd and laughable. This was a real world, not a fantasy setting. How could a person have supernatural abilities? But “An Chun” had spoken with certainty, even revealing Huo Xian’s relationship with the model Fang Man Yun. She had investigated this and found it unsettling, but also discovered that their contact had largely ceased after Huo Xian’s fall from a building.
In addition, “An Chun” had also mentioned numerous other romantic entanglements of Huo Xian. What she found most laughable was that the Liu family’s daughter, Liu Xu Xue, and the Qiao twins, Qiao Yi Xuan and Qiao Yi Rong, were all Huo Xian’s close friends. But today, seeing Liu Xu Xue again, she had already noticed Liu Xu Xue’s subtle affection for Huo Xian at the auction. Today, Liu Xu Xue’s open hostility towards her seemed to indirectly confirm that “An Chun’s” words weren’t entirely unbelievable? Also, the Qiao sisters did indeed have business dealings with Huo Xian, which was about the “Happiness Garden” residential complex that “An Chun” had predicted would be demolished. And Qiao Yi Rong, the younger twin, seemed to have some special interest in Huo Xian.
“An Chun’s” ramblings had caused Anna and her family great concern. But strangely, Anna’s parents, while worried, hadn’t actually done anything about it. They hadn’t even investigated Huo Xian, who “An Chun” repeatedly mentioned, even though Anna remembered her parents loving her brother so much.
She couldn’t describe the feeling. It was as if since her brother changed, the world had suddenly become illogical.
“Mr. Ho, can you meet ‘him’?” After a long time, Anna spoke again. Before Huo Xian could reply, she lowered her head again, nervously picking at her palm. “‘He’ may not need a psychologist, but I think I’m going to go crazy.”
Huo Xian didn’t know what she had thought about during those silent minutes, but it was related to “An Chun.”
The system seemed to understand Anna’s heart and told him: [The plot enters the world line, which will revolve around the protagonist, the male lead, and five female leads. Other characters will automatically be marginalized.]
[What kind of principle is this? Like NPCs in an online game?] Huo Xian casually asked.
The system didn’t answer, but instead said: [I suggest the host meet the world bug.]
Huo Xian: [After meeting ‘An Chun’, will the remaining luck on him return to me? A person who borrows a body and relies on luck to stay alive; without this luck, he would just be a corpse, right?]
Author’s Note: System: MD! This guy is so difficult!