Chapter 16: Knowledge Blind Spot

After gaining a human body, the first real experience of staying up late was even harder to endure than imagined.

The morning sun was like a glossy salted egg yolk, hanging over the pale blue sea, drifting up and down among the scattered clouds moving with the wind. It was very beautiful, but Lin Jiangye had no heart to appreciate the dazzling morning light spilling across the horizon.

He wore a thick turtleneck cashmere sweater. The material was snow-white and soft, wrapping him tightly against the cold wind, but he only felt like he was… a dried-up hot air balloon.

Blown by the sea wind until he was on the verge of swaying apart, even his spirit was slowly leaking away. Amid the deafening roar of the helicopter blades, he sank into a daze.

No wonder Yu Wangxiao had specially reminded him last night not to be anxious, and to take his time reading.

Holding the tablet and reading in one breath until three in the morning, Lin Jiangye had not even finished the most basic popular-version documents, let alone the large amount of supplementary materials, paper references, and presentation slides inside.

Because of this, Lin Jiangye realized a serious problem—he actually had many knowledge blind spots.

Previously, his small difficulties with not being good at socializing and empathizing could at least be self-taught through high-intensity observation of humans. But this time, Lin Jiangye really could not understand much.

The way he and humans viewed the world was completely different.

For Lin Jiangye, understanding worldly things and the way energy operated was actually very simple and direct. He would use his eyes to look, use his soul to perceive, because he could see.

Humans, however… could not see. Most of the time, they could not see. They could only use scientific methods to analyze and verify, possessing many experimental methods with extremely rigorous procedures.

Lin Jiangye knew nothing about this human method. The original owner was only a university student, and he could not find sufficiently detailed knowledge in his memories. However, he actually admired it quite a bit, with a sense of excitement at having his horizons broadened.

After all, “perception” could frequently be wrong. It could easily be disturbed by one’s own abilities, field of vision, and many external factors. But those experimental processes that could be strictly reproduced greatly reduced the probability of mistaken understanding.

So he took the initiative to stay up late for the first time, browsing at high intensity through investigation files concerning “living dead” and “ghost children.” He did not regret it at all… which led to him being forced to once again experience the frail state of a human body.

His brain had been running for too long, and now his temples ached with swelling pain. After leaving the helicopter and getting back into the understated black sedan, Lin Jiangye could still faintly hear a buzzing in his ears.

“Young Master Lin, you need to rest properly. Chairman Yu will worry about you.”

As soon as the words fell, a warm latte appeared in Lin Jiangye’s hand. The car filled with the warm scent of caramel.

“Thank you, Uncle Chen. I’ll pay attention.” Lin Jiangye paused, then turned to look at the middle-aged man in the driver’s seat.

Chen Ming wore a thick brown leather jacket today. After getting off the helicopter, he quickly put on his non-prescription black-framed glasses again. This outfit better highlighted his plain, unremarkable appearance and the slightly kind smile of an elder.

But this man not only knew how to fly a helicopter, he also had extremely strong combat ability. The muscles in his arms stretched the leather jacket until it bulged.

Anyone Yu Wangxiao kept by his side was definitely not a simple character.

The power of caffeine made Lin Jiangye feel much luckier. He thought for a moment, then softly asked, “Uncle Chen, when was Moros Manor founded?”

“Mm… that stretch of islands has always been under Chairman Yu’s name. It should be almost ten years now?” Chen Ming drove steadily, thinking back thoughtfully. “When Chairman Yu’s elder brother was still executive president, the manor’s foundation had already been laid. I even flew the helicopter a few times to help transport construction materials.”

Ten years.

That was not a small number.

At that time, Yu Wangxiao had only just become an adult, and Yu Lin was still an elementary school student… Had he actually already noticed the abnormalities of this world so long ago?

The pink capture-target panel above his head could not also be some inexplicable experimental byproduct that he himself had produced, right?

Lin Jiangye quietly took a sip of latte, touched the tablet in his arms, and the doubts in his heart gradually thickened.

The materials Yu Wangxiao had shown him contained many research projects. They were not only biochemical-related studies targeting the living dead phenomenon, but also contained content on mysticism, theology, astrology, and astronomy.

Even if they did not reveal truly confidential research results, Lin Jiangye had no choice but to suspect that the reason he had been attracted to this world while drifting in nothingness and smoothly entered the body of one of the protagonists… might also have something to do with Yu Wangxiao.

Because in this world’s culture, Moros represented fate, and was also the name of the god of death.

God of death, god of death, god of death. If one said this was coincidence, it was absolutely impossible.

Ten years had passed. Yu Wangxiao must already have gained a great deal, yet he kept his mouth tightly shut to the outside world. In the past news of this world, there had never been any turmoil caused by supernatural phenomena.

Lin Jiangye could not help thinking that this person had hidden things so deeply that he had probably long since suspected Lin Jiangye’s identity too. That was why, at the Gu family home, he had openly asked, openly tested him, and openly installed all kinds of high-end monitoring equipment… finally forming their current subtle yet harmonious way of getting along.

This fact should have made one’s hair stand on end, but it instead gave Lin Jiangye a little more sense of security.

After all, they were friends now.

Mm. A generous employer, a partner in pretending to be a couple, and a good friend.

***

The black sedan quietly stopped beside the teaching building without attracting anyone’s attention.

“Young Master Lin, go to class first. I’ll bring you lunch at noon. Before Chairman Yu went on his business trip, he specifically instructed that before your next physical exam, you shouldn’t eat too many snacks. If there’s anything you want to eat, I’ll buy it for you.”

“Okay. Thank you, Uncle Chen.”

Like instructing a child… Lin Jiangye silently complained in his heart. He did not show dissatisfaction in front of the overly kind Chen Ming and drained the latte in one gulp.

But after he got out of the car and walked only two steps, he could not help turning back. He opened the car door again and narrowed his eyes, carefully checking the interior.

After confirming there were no listening devices, Lin Jiangye lowered his voice and seriously asked, “Uncle Chen, do you think your boss is a bad person? Don’t worry. No matter what you say, I won’t tell him.”

Chen Ming froze slightly, then immediately laughed loudly. “Aiyo, my little young master, that really isn’t an easy question to answer. How should I put it… I’m willing to die for him, and that isn’t flattery.

“Young Master Lin, as long as you never become his enemy, you can climb onto his head and build a bird’s nest. Believe me, I’ve known Chairman Yu since he was still a tiny little thing.”

“…Oh. Okay, I understand.”

Why would he build a bird’s nest on his head? Lin Jiangye was utterly confused, and in the end, he could only attribute it to one of the ways humans expressed intimacy.

In any case, this answer did indeed make him feel more at ease. He seriously thanked Chen Ming, then held the tablet and went upstairs with his head lowered.

For the large eight a.m. lecture, the classroom was already packed with people. Lin Jiangye swept his gaze around and silently looked toward the familiar pink-haired head in the back row. The boy with a lip piercing was sleeping very soundly, as always.

On his left sat Li Yushen, lazily spinning a pen. Lin Jiangye hesitated for a moment, then sat in the empty seat beside the two of them.

Although Li Yushen was the unlucky doctor friend from the later part of the original book, his attitude toward him was not too bad. And his father was clearly in a cooperative relationship with Yu Wangxiao… Preliminary judgment: approachable.

“Yo, little lamb’s here?”

Lin Jiangye took his computer out of his backpack. Hearing this, his movements paused, then he put the tablet away. “Mm, hello.”

Li Yushen chuckled and tossed him two pieces of chocolate. “Your dark circles are a little obvious. What happened? Did your family’s person torment you all night?”

“Thank you. No, I’m still a virgin.”

Li Yushen: “…”

Lin Jiangye completely ignored his shocked expression. He swallowed the chocolate in one bite, raised his head to stare at the PPT projected on the screen, and earnestly began typing notes.

“Um, little lamb, can I ask a very rude question?” Li Yushen secretly took a long while to recover, using his elbow to jab wildly at the shoulder of the pink-haired boy beside him. Then he curiously lowered his voice and asked again.

“You can.” Lin Jiangye’s gaze remained fixed on the PPT.

“Forget Uncle Yu for now, but why did Yu Lin never touch you? Didn’t you start dating him in freshman year? Damn… Yu Lin can’t be impotent, right?”

“Who? Who’s impotent?! You?” Just then, the pink-haired boy who had been jabbed awake by the elbow suddenly sat upright.

Li Yushen hurriedly covered his mouth. “Shh, shh, shh, we’re in class. Why are you shouting so loudly? Do you want to be hunted down?”

Their movement grew bigger and bigger. The classmates sitting around them seemed to silently stop typing and began pricking up their ears to listen.

Lin Jiangye smiled helplessly and could only lower his voice, directly reciting the original text from the book. “He wanted to keep himself pure for Lin Jingyao. If he casually touched a counterfeit like me, it would be a desecration of Xiao Yao.”

“Huh? Is he sick? You and that little white lotus don’t look alike at all, right?” Li Yushen frowned uncomfortably, feeling as if his worldview had suffered a huge impact.

The pink-haired boy stuck his head out to echo him, his tone sleepy. “Ah-Shen, you’re way too much of a good boy. You don’t know anything. Actually, Young Master Yu has always been like that. After drinking too much, he either goes crazy or gets horny. I ran into him at bars several times before, and every time, the person accompanying him was different… hilarious. And he still has the face to act like some deeply devoted man.”

“Ai, truly bizarre… Brother, you’ve had it hard. Seriously, everyone here has suffered under Yu Lin’s persecution. How about we become friends?” Li Yushen secretly clicked his tongue and stuffed a few more pieces of chocolate into Lin Jiangye’s hand. His attitude inexplicably became fawning. “Come, come, let me introduce you first. This pink little cutie beside me is Ji Ting. He has pure and harmless hobbies, only likes drinking and sleeping, and is harmless to humans and animals.”

Snack bribery was very effective. Lin Jiangye was silent for a moment, then quietly put all the chocolates into his pocket and softly asked, “What do you want?”

“The two of us are now firmly on your and Uncle Yu’s team. We’ve repented thoroughly and support true love’s victory. We beg to cling to a big thigh, beg not to be retaliated against, build a friendly campus together, and jointly promote harmonious doctor-patient relationships…”

The pink-haired young man named Ji Ting’s lips twitched, and he punched Li Yushen in the back. “Enough. Stop going crazy. You’re embarrassing me.”

Li Yushen let out an “ow,” finally attracting the old professor’s death stare. The classmates around them who had been eavesdropping hurriedly sat upright too, pretending to be fully focused.

“I understand. Wangxiao is still on the plane. I’ll send him a message and tell him you two are good people.” Lin Jiangye watched the two of them mess around and could not help smiling again. “I’ll treat you to lunch at the small cafeteria at noon.”

“Wow, generous. Then I want duck leg in soybean paste sauce, plus a plate of char siu.” Li Yushen was dodging the professor’s stare, bending at the waist and hiding behind a classmate while giving him a thumbs-up.

“It’s not generosity,” he hurriedly explained seriously. “My meal card was topped up by Yu Wangxiao with fifty thousand yuan. I really can’t finish it by myself. He said I could use his money to treat others… to avoid waste.”

Ji Ting laughed once and raised his brow. “Lin Jiangye, how come I never noticed before that you’re actually pretty fun? You don’t need to explain so much every time. In A City now, no one dares provoke you anyway.

“Besides, you’re that big boss’s man. Pay attention to your image. Package yourself as a little more mysterious. If something happens, let them guess it themselves.”

After Lin Jiangye listened to this, he slowly digested it for a moment. His eyes gradually lit up. “That makes a lot of sense. Teach me more. I’ll treat you to dinner tonight too.”

“You’re too polite. Just buy me two bottles of whiskey.”

“Ji Ting, don’t scam him!”

…

The smile at the corner of Lin Jiangye’s lips did not fade for a long time.

It seemed he was gaining more and more friends. Perhaps part of it was due to his own effort, and part of it could not be separated from the lure of Yu Wangxiao’s name, but the goodwill that came from the heart all seemed very real.

From his friendly roommates to the supporting characters who had seemed likely to aid evil in the original book, they were now all merely ordinary university students who played and joked around.

Everyone was vivid and normal, with their own unique thoughts and desires. Human life should have been this free to begin with, rather than gradually becoming unrecognizable like in the plot.

However, one sentence among the worldly wisdom Ji Ting taught him did not turn out to be accurate.

In this huge A City, there were still many people who dared provoke Lin Jiangye.

Especially when Yu Wangxiao needed to go on a business trip, when the shadow brought by that name finally left A City temporarily… the malice ready to stir would quickly surface.

For example, Lin Bingsheng and Qiu Zhen, the Lin couple who had racked their brains trying to raise their adopted son onto a higher branch, as well as their irritable eldest son, Lin Yu.

Even though he had already turned on Do Not Disturb mode, Lin Yu’s messages continued to pour in endlessly, occupying the top of WeChat for a long time and almost freezing Lin Jiangye’s new phone too.

Lin Jiangye, come home for dinner tonight. The driver will pick you up. Come back with Xiao Yao.

Don’t want to talk to me? You’ve gotten bold, haven’t you? You’re dating and now you don’t even care about your parents? Mom and Dad told you to come home for dinner!!!

You must come home for dinner tonight. Otherwise, I’ll go to A University to find you. Don’t think I can’t do anything to you just because you have bodyguards. Idiot, the Yu-Lin cooperation hasn’t ended yet. In front of a project worth several billion, what do you count as?

Lin Jiangye, I’m telling you, I suggest you don’t make this a big deal. Even if I beat you half-blind, this is still our Lin family’s family dispute. No one can interfere.

Come back on time. Don’t force Dad to get angry.

Lin Jiangye sighed. The last bit of sleepiness remaining after staying up late disappeared along with it.

Why was this older brother even more annoying than Yu Lin… How about he simply went home and beat him up?

After all, Yu Wangxiao’s favorability had been rising very quickly recently, so his physical condition had improved quite a bit. If he could beat Yu Lin last night, then he could beat Lin Yu tonight.

And it was precisely the harassment messages Lin Yu sent that provided him with a very good line of thought.

—If he hit his biological older brother, that should count as a family dispute too.