“This is the ‘paparazzo’ you mentioned.”
Yingying briefly analyzed the data: “Luo Nan, 16 years old, entered Zhixing College on September 1st this year. His entrance exam scores were average, and the evaluations from his primary and middle school teachers didn’t highlight anything special; he seems very ordinary.”
Xie Junping only cared about one thing: “So, it’s unlikely to be a ‘paparazzo’ or anything like that?”
Yingying didn’t respond directly, continuing to analyze the data: “What’s worth noting is that his guardian is listed as his aunt. As for his parents, I checked, and his mother passed away due to difficult childbirth, while his father disappeared very early on. Strange, is ‘difficult childbirth’ still a thing now?”
“You mean…”
“His upbringing environment is quite special, and his personality might be a bit eccentric. We need to observe him further. Now, release your vehicle’s permissions and turn on all monitoring Systems. I need to observe synchronously.”
Xie Junping immediately complied. Soon after the data synchronization was achieved, Luo Nan’s steady jogging figure appeared at the top of the overpass slope.
At this time, the sky was only faintly lit, and the distant figures were very blurry. Fortunately, the ‘Phantom’ hovercar’s monitoring System, having undergone professional modifications, possessed strong detection and anti-detection capabilities. Xie Junping’s ability to discover he was being ‘photographed’ was also due to the Car Intelligent Brain’s automatic warning.
Xie Junping observed the ‘paparazzo’s’ every move through the monitoring System, but he couldn’t discern anything for a while.
On Yingying’s side, however, she already had a preliminary conclusion: “Congratulations, you fool. It can be basically concluded that he didn’t come specifically for you.”
“Huh?”
“Did you hear his breathing?”
Through the monitoring System’s powerful sound wave collection and filtering functions, it was possible to perfectly reproduce a target’s whispers from fifty meters away, and the clear breathing sounds of the morning runner were no exception.
“Uh, that ‘buzzing,’ is he panting?”
“Sounds like a bee, doesn’t it? It should be a special breathing method, and also special enunciation. The specific effect is unclear, maybe there’s no effect at all; his lung capacity is only slightly better than an average person’s. But he’s very focused. Look at his eyes, that brightness, tsk tsk… Would a paparazzi with ill intentions exercise so hard after committing a crime?”
Xie Junping’s tension finally eased, and a smile unconsciously appeared on his face.
But in the next moment, Luo Nan, who was descending from the high point of the overpass, suddenly shifted his gaze. From the footage transmitted by the monitoring System, it seemed as if he had met his eyes.
With a one-way film for shielding, it was impossible to see inside from outside the car, but Xie Junping was still startled.
“He found us?”
“Your Phantom is too eye-catching, and he’s much more sensitive than I imagined.”
Yingying also seemed to have developed an interest: “He definitely noticed, but his expression barely changed; he’s not someone whose emotions show on his face. Such people generally have many thoughts and are quite calculating. Yet he can maintain focus, so his willpower should be above average. Oh, speaking of willpower, I just made a very interesting discovery. Do you want to hear it?”
Xie Junping watched Luo Nan approach step by step, struggling with how to react, so he had no leisure to listen to that.
But Yingying didn’t care about him and continued on her own:
“According to the school’s data, Luo Nan’s home address is in Blue Bay Community, He Wu District, with a straight-line distance of nearly forty kilometers from Zhixing College. If he takes a low-altitude bus or subway, it’s certainly not far, but running over there means a marathon every day! Based on his lung capacity, breathing method, and muscle structure, one run is like shedding a layer of skin. If it’s like this every day… oh my, that’s quite masochistic.”
“Holy cow!” Xie Junping felt his scalp tingle just thinking about the exertion.
Yingying continued to analyze: “Judging from the above, generally speaking, he won’t be impulsive. Under unclear circumstances, he won’t rush to make a decision, but if you give him a bad impression or make him feel threatened, the consequences are hard to predict… Now, get out of the car.”
“Ah?”
“Did you come all this way just to watch him run by? Please, isn’t that obviously showing you have ‘ideas’ about him? Get out of the car quickly and have a chat with him. Didn’t you always pride yourself on being a ‘socialite’? Or is ‘fool’ your only attribute?”
Although he knew it was a provocation, no man would willingly humiliate himself in front of a woman. Xie Junping took a deep breath, patted his face to try and clear his head from the hangover-induced grogginess, and then opened the ‘Phantom’s’ butterfly doors, stepping out.
Now, he was truly face-to-face with Luo Nan.
The two were about forty meters apart. Xie Junping adopted the demeanor he used during his student council election, waving to Luo Nan from afar to greet him.
Through the built-in earpiece, Yingying’s voice seemed to echo deep within his mind: “Very good, you look decent. Pay attention, don’t put on those airs. Your current image is that of a shameless, degenerate, but still straightforward Young Master. Also, be a bit more honest; he’s much smarter than you think.”
Xie Junping truly felt like he was back in election season, similarly managing his image in front of voters with constant guidance from his advisors. Fortunately, Yingying’s demands weren’t difficult; it was almost his natural performance.
He saw that Luo Nan in front had slowed down, his eyes looking directly at him, his expression still not showing much change, nor did he show any intention of responding, making him difficult to read.
Xie Junping decided to take the initiative. He took a few steps forward: “Excuse me, classmate, I’m sorry, I’d like to talk to you.”
The distance between them closed to within ten meters. Only then did Luo Nan nod in greeting: “Senior Xie.”
Xie Junping’s Heart suddenly skipped a beat, and he reflexively asked: “You know me!”
Yingying’s displeased voice rang out: “Why are you panicking?!”
Almost at the same moment, Luo Nan replied: “Number 24, I attended the club promotion and guidance session hosted by Senior.”
“Oh, right, there was indeed such a session.”
Xie Junping inwardly cursed himself for being useless, then rephrased his words, knowingly asking: “What’s your name, Junior?”
“Luo Nan.”
“Alright, Junior Luo Nan, I’m sorry to disturb your morning run. But I need your help with something. Yes, it’s about that embarrassing incident just now; I’m not really presentable right now… Shall we talk in the car?”
Yingying lightly praised: “The self-deprecating tone was used well.”
Luo Nan thought for a moment and didn’t refuse.
Luo Nan got into the car and sat in the passenger seat, placing his notebook on his lap. He sat upright, looking like a well-behaved, honest student.
Seeing Luo Nan’s cooperation, Xie Junping secretly breathed a sigh of relief and sat back in the car.
According to Yingying’s instructions, he didn’t close the car door, avoiding the psychological implication of a confined space. He then took a bottle of energy drink from the mini-fridge in the back seat and handed it over: “Replenish some fluids.”
“Thank you, Senior.” Luo Nan remained polite and distant, taking the drink but not opening it.
Yingying’s prompt came in again: “Idiot, don’t beat around the bush. This kind of person thinks fast and has many ideas. Making a misjudgment will be troublesome. You need to pay attention; before, it was too vague. What embarrassing incident? Just state the time and place directly!”
Senior Xie cut to the chase: “Junior, forgive my bluntness, but I wanted to ask, about ten minutes ago, around 5 PM, were you at the self-moving conveyor belt in the East-bound Catamaran Building?”
Luo Nan held the cold drink bottle and simply replied: “Yes, Senior Xie.”
“Uh, did you see me coming out of the nightclub?”
“I did.”
Senior Xie slapped his forehead, feigning extreme vexation. Five parts of it were acting, three parts were venting, and two parts were waiting for Yingying's instructions.
Yingying did not disappoint him; instructions quickly arrived: “He didn't deliberately try to take the initiative; you asked, he answered. There's a high probability that he lacks social skills, but he doesn't appear immature, so he likely cares about his personal image. Most of the time, this type of person responds better to softness than hardness, but don't talk about money directly.”
Senior Xie understood instantly and said with a bitter smile: “Junior, as your Senior, I really disgraced myself today. There's nothing I can say to defend myself regarding this matter, but now is a very critical period…”
He brought up the matter of wanting to obtain the “Elder's Medal” from the Honor Society, then clasped his hands together, bowing several times to Luo Nan, half-exaggerated and half-sincerely saying:
“I know this isn't exactly the right way to say it, but Junior, could you turn a blind eye and let me off the hook this time? My reputation isn't a big deal, but that medal is truly, truly important to me!”
Senior Xie's performance this time could absolutely be called top-notch. Not only did he adopt a very low posture, but there was also that somewhat scoundrelly, playboy-like smirk on his face, highlighting his thick skin and indirectly defusing some of the seriousness of the situation, avoiding stimulating Luo Nan's potential greed and causing greater trouble.
Luo Nan, however, remained calm: “Senior Xie, you don't need to be like this. I'm not a gossipy person, nor will I speak ill of others behind their backs.”
“Uh, I trust you, Junior, but in the information age, photos and videos aren't very secure…”
“I didn't take any. I just felt that the scene was quite special, so I drew a quick sketch as a memento.”
Saying this, Luo Nan opened his notebook, illuminating the imitation-paper soft screen, and showed Senior Xie his recent work.
Looking at the blurry lines and shadows, Senior Xie felt slightly relieved.
Just as he was about to speak again, Yingying suddenly said: “Get the notebook into your hand.”
The Other Side spoke too quickly; Senior Xie almost heard the word “snatch,” and immediately broke out in a cold sweat.
Senior Xie paused for two seconds before thinking of an excuse: “Junior, carrying a notebook like this all the time seems inconvenient, doesn't it? Does it have any special purpose?”
What Senior Xie said was true. Luo Nan's loose-leaf notebook was designed to bind a soft screen and traditional paper together. With the soft screen, the traditional pages seemed to have no use. And if one used the traditional pages, the soft screen was a burden.
As he spoke, he reached out his hand, posing as if curious and inquisitive. In fact, he was somewhat apprehensive, fearing that Luo Nan would get angry and cause further complications.
Luo Nan, however, was very straightforward, handing the loose-leaf notebook to him: “This type of notebook was very popular during the Three Wars. Because during wartime, or in the wilderness, without ubiquitous charging facilities, electronic products could easily become scrap. At such times, traditional paper and pen were more reliable than electronic products. And when logistics were abundant, it could also rapidly increase efficiency; the soft screen could be moved at any time, and the cost wasn't high.”
“Oh, a product from the Three Wars… are they still being produced after decades?”
Luo Nan smiled, which made his facial contours even softer: “My grandfather loved this type of notebook the most back then. He once bought over a thousand copies in one go, and the one I'm using now is one of them. And my grandfather made at least several hundred similar notebooks, each one packed full, but most of them, I can't see now.”
“Wow, so it's an antique.” Senior Xie casually flipped through it, seeing that most of the notebook was still blank, with only some pages written with formulas, numbers, and simple diagrams, as if jotted down casually, and he couldn't discern anything about their origin in a short time.
Senior Xie's attention was mainly on the soft screen. At this moment, the drawing software hadn't exited. He swiped his finger, switching page after page, and casually asked:
“Is the soft screen also fifty years old? This drawing software looks quite unfamiliar.”
“No, it's something I… bought later.”
Without Yingying's reminder, Senior Xie could tell that Luo Nan had shown signs of changing his words mid-sentence.
But very quickly, he was attracted by a series of images.
In browsing mode, Senior Xie saw many drawings similar to his previous image, both inside and outside the campus. Scenes from classrooms, on the streets, and even some bars, nightclubs, and party venues were listed one by one, presenting a rich panorama of diverse people.
Senior Xie was somewhat dazed. As a well-educated second-generation rich kid, he still possessed some basic appreciation skills.
Although each of these sketches was quite rough, some even without any background, Senior Xie was familiar with these places. He could always understand what place, what scene, and what person was depicted through the bending and stretching of the figures' lines in the sketches…
Uh, the last part was too exaggerated. He meant that he could see the strong body language expressed by the figures' outlines in those sketches within the context of the scene at the time.
To put it more mystically, from the sketches, one could see focus, excitement, decadence, madness… Those rough lines depicted the atmosphere of the image's scene, the emotions of the image's crowd, and even the attitude of each person.
The lines Luo Nan outlined with the electronic pen clearly had a sharp sense of tearing through the surface image, directly pointing to a certain part of the truth hidden deep within people's Hearts.
Senior Xie inexplicably broke out in a sweat: Damn it, have I discovered a new Picasso?
Turning to the last page and seeing the sketch with him as the model, Senior Xie was actually somewhat dazed until Yingying's voice startled him awake:
“He was clearly more excited when he talked about the notebook and his grandfather. I just checked some information and found something very interesting… Idiot, flip back a few more pages, you've been 'spacing out' for too long, be careful he misunderstands.”
It was you talking to me! Senior Xie cursed Yingying hundreds of times in his Heart, yet he still had to act like a puppet on strings and follow her words.
Yingying's voice continued: “His grandfather, named Luo Yuandao, was once a researcher, with no particularly noteworthy achievements. However, in '83, which was 13 years ago, he was accused of having traveled far into the wilderness during the Three Wars and for a period afterward, collaborating with vagrants forces to secretly conduct live human experiments…”
Holy crap!
Senior Xie's finger trembled as he swiped the screen. Perhaps it was his guilty conscience, but he felt as though Luo Nan was staring at him. However, it wasn't suitable to speak now, so he could only tough it out.