Ch 203: The Cannon Fodder Won’t Play Along Anymore [QT]

The next morning, Mu Xing made a video call to Zhong Lin.

Zhong Lin, seeing Mu Xing still in pajamas, said in surprise: “Don’t you have something to do today? Why are you calling me so early?”

Mu Xing frowned at his bad complexion: “Why do you look so haggard?”

Zhong Lin yawned: “I’ve had no energy lately, maybe because I stayed up too late playing games before. It’s fine, now that I’m home my dad won’t let me stay up all night, I’ll recover soon.”

Mu Xing asked him: “Where are you?”

Zhong Lin was confused: “Of course I’m at home.”

He said unhappily: “Bro, do you see what time it is?”

Mu Xing said directly: “Get up, I’m going to your house now.”

Zhong Lin: ?

“Aren’t you busy today…”

Mu Xing cut him off: “Not anymore. I need to see you.”

Zhong Lin yawned: “Then come, I’ll sleep a bit more. Just come in, we’re not strangers, no need to tidy up.”

After ending the video, Mu Xing went straight to the Zhong house.

That black jade qilin, he thought about it and took it with him.

Zhong Lin lived at home, he was also the younger son of the Zhong family, with one older brother.

Different from the Mu family, his brother was young and accomplished, the definite heir of the Zhong family.

Zhong Lin didn’t need to take on the family business, Father Zhong only hoped he could learn a little and help his brother.

When Mu Xing arrived, the rest of the Zhong family had already gone out.

The Zhong family’s housekeeper knew him, so he went straight in and pushed open Zhong Lin’s bedroom door.

Zhong Lin was sleeping soundly with his blanket.

Mu Xing reached out to touch his forehead, it was very cold.

He unceremoniously patted the blanket, Zhong Lin woke up with a start: “Who!”

Seeing Mu Xing, he rolled his eyes: “You scared me to death!”

Then he shivered hard and muttered: “It’s already April, why is it still so cold?”

Mu Xing looked at the sunshine outside and his pale face, suddenly asked: “You feel very cold?”

Zhong Lin yawned: “Yeah… maybe I caught a cold, always cold, no energy.”

As he spoke, he couldn’t help hugging the blanket tighter: “So strange, today I feel even colder.”

Mu Xing casually asked: “Did you go to the hospital?”

Zhong Lin weakly nodded: “I did, the doctor said I’m too weak, told me to get more sun and exercise.”

Mu Xing suddenly asked: “How long have you had this?”

Zhong Lin looked blank: “What do you mean?”

Mu Xing said: “Afraid of cold, sleepy, absent-minded.”

Zhong Lin answered vaguely: “Can’t really remember, maybe half a month.”

Mu Xing said: “There’s black energy clinging to you, not a good thing. Did you go somewhere you shouldn’t? Or buy something you shouldn’t have?”

Zhong Lin: ???

He looked at Mu Xing in confusion: “What are you talking about? Why can’t I understand?”

Mu Xing said briefly: “You’re possessed.”

Zhong Lin’s eyes cleared a little, then he laughed: “What kind of joke is this? Xingxing, after years apart, you’ve become a fortune teller?”

For young people their age, who would believe this?

Mu Xing put on a stern face and made something up: “Don’t doubt it, our family’s ancestors were from the mystic sect, later generations know a bit of it. There’s evil energy at your forehead, that’s why you’re weak.”

As he spoke, his eyes swept over Zhong Lin’s room and landed on the open suitcase in the corner.

“Can I look at your suitcase?”

Zhong Lin became interested, smiling: “Go ahead, nothing to hide. Let’s see what you’re up to.”

He didn’t believe Mu Xing at all, thought it was some prank.

Mu Xing turned over a few clothes and found a box, opened it.

Inside was a cartoon female figurine.

Mu Xing didn’t know the character, but the craftsmanship was exquisite, and next to the box was a bag with a few sets of fine clothes.

He picked up the figurine.

Zhong Lin instantly jumped out of bed, no trace of weakness: “Why are you taking my wife? I’m telling you, I only have one! This is a limited edition! Even if you’re my brother, I’ll never give her to you!”

Mu Xing looked into the figurine’s beautiful eyes.

“What are you?” he asked.

Zhong Lin: ?

“No, this is my wife! I can’t bear to give her to you, how can you insult her like that?”

He grumbled: “If you want something else, I’m not stingy. But this is limited edition, if I give it to you I’ll never have it again. I remember you’re not even into these, why steal what I love most…”

He kept chattering on the side, making Mu Xing’s head ache.

Mu Xing said to the figurine: “If you don’t speak, tomorrow I’ll burn you to ashes. Without this body, you can’t survive, right?”

Zhong Lin finally realized Mu Xing wasn’t talking to him but to the figurine.

He couldn’t hold back his laughter: “No way Xingxing, you’re really playing along? Do you have some hidden camera on you, letting people watch my reaction?”

Mu Xing looked at him like an idiot, turned to leave: “If you won’t speak and keep harming people, I’ll go to the kitchen now…”

“No, don’t burn me!” A thin, sharp voice suddenly rang out in the room.

Zhong Lin froze.

He looked Mu Xing up and down: “No way, Mu Xing, you made this so realistic, even dubbing the voice yourself?”

Mu Xing motioned for him to look at what was in his hand.

The pretty figurine’s glass-like eyes slowly turned twice on their own, and its mouth suddenly moved: “I didn’t harm anyone…”

“Holy shit!”

Zhong Lin jumped back, lost his footing, and fell headfirst onto the bed.

This figurine had been taken out right in front of him by Mu Xing, there was no way it was a trick.

These past days he had touched it inside and out countless times, there was absolutely no mechanism for movement.

Those eyes and mouth—how could they move?

Mu Xing also thought this scene was extremely bizarre.

He tossed the figurine back into the suitcase. Zhong Lin, wrapped in his little blanket, felt the bed wasn’t safe either, and sneakily scooted next to Mu Xing, deciding to abandon both suitcase and clothes altogether.

“What… what is this thing?”

The figurine’s eyes turned and stared straight at him, making Zhong Lin instantly shut his mouth.

“I’m not some thing!” she accused unhappily. “You lecher!”

Zhong Lin: “…”

Mu Xing: “…”

He could see that the thing attached to the doll had no murderous aura, so it was indeed as she claimed, she hadn’t harmed anyone. But the way she said that was quite thought-provoking.

Meeting his childhood friend’s meaningful gaze, Zhong Lin cried out in grievance: “What the hell! How am I a lecher! I’m still a pure flower of youth!”

As a pure-blooded gaming otaku, all his youth was dedicated to the two-dimensional world, he hadn’t even dated a girlfriend!

“Bah! You lifted my skirt! Took off my clothes! And kissed me, shameless!”

Mu Xing: “…”

Zhong Lin: “…”

Zhong Lin felt terribly wronged: “Help! How was I supposed to know you were alive! You’re my wife! Why can’t I kiss you! And taking off clothes, that was changing skirts for you!”

He had bought only the best, even more expensive than his own clothes.

Now, looking at this figurine again, there was no longer any burning love of a husband toward his wife.

With tears in his eyes, Zhong Lin looked at Mu Xing: “Xingxing, my good brother. I’ll give my wife to you. You’re so powerful, you definitely know how to handle her, right?”

But Mu Xing felt something was wrong.

In the original plot, Zhong Lin died.

He had thought it was because of this figurine, but after talking to her, looking again, although she was wrapped in evil energy, there was no murderous or bloody aura. Clearly at most she had played some pranks, but never truly harmed a life.

He asked the doll: “Was it for this reason that you deliberately harmed Zhong Lin?”

The doll had never before met someone who could see through her, and was very frightened.

She cried: “I didn’t harm him, wuwuwu, I just wanted him sick for two days, to teach him a lesson, so he wouldn’t strip me again. I’m a girl too, I get shy!”

Zhong Lin: “…”

He suddenly wasn’t as scared of this strange thing anymore.

He awkwardly explained: “I—I didn’t know my wife… no, I didn’t know you were alive! I thought you were just a figurine. I even bought lots of little skirts for you.”

The doll’s mouth moved as she sobbed, ignoring him.

Mu Xing asked suspiciously: “You said sick for two days? Look at Zhong Lin, he’s clearly much worse.”

The doll pouted: “That’s not my fault. He stays up all night gaming, never exercises, never gets sunlight, doesn’t eat properly…”

In short: Zhong Lin’s state, aside from the doll, was mainly due to his own weakness.

Zhong Lin: “…”

At this point, Mu Xing was certain that in the original plot, Zhong Lin’s death probably wasn’t because of this figurine.

If not her mischief, then why did he mysteriously die in the bathroom?

Suddenly the doll trembled inside the suitcase: “S-something! So scary!”

Mu Xing asked: “What’s scary?”

The doll’s eyes stared straight at him: “On you… so terrifying!”

Mu Xing’s heart sank.

On him…

He took out the small black jade qilin from his pocket: “This?”

The doll shook violently, then fell silent.

Sensing it, Mu Xing was speechless: this being inhabiting the figurine had actually fainted from fright.

He walked over, put the figurine back in its box, and packed it away.

He asked Zhong Lin: “I’ll take this with me, you don’t mind, do you?”

Zhong Lin quickly waved his hands: “No problem, no problem!”

His eyes shone as he looked at Mu Xing: “I never expected it, Xingxing—no, Master Mu! You actually had such skill hidden! Could it be you’re the legendary metaphysic master, a hidden expert?”

He asked mysteriously: “Do ghosts and gods really exist in this world?”

Mu Xing glanced at him: “I don’t know if they do. But if you don’t train your body, you really won’t make it.”

Zhong Lin gritted his teeth: “Tomorrow I’ll sign up for a class!”

Mu Xing thought of the black jade qilin in his hand, and his gaze grew deep.

He said goodbye to Zhong Lin and went to the Mu family company.

That evening, before he even got home from work, he received a call from Mu Rong.

“Why did you give the black jade qilin to your brother?” Mu Rong asked angrily.

Mu Xing replied innocently: “I think, Father, as parents you can’t play favorites. All these years you’ve doted on me, and Mother too. Big brother had nothing. This black jade qilin is more symbolic than practical. Today at the company, he saw it and really liked it, so I gave it to him.”

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