Chapter 161: 154, Little White Demon Bai Ziyu (Subscription Monthly Ticket Requested)
Lu Lin drove the Zhou Ziqiang siblings back home.
Zhou Ziqiang immediately started packing Xiao Ru’s belongings hectically.
This is Xiao Ru’s favorite little rabbit. That is Xiao Ru’s favorite dress. This is Xiao Ru’s favorite hairpin. And the cute beautiful girl’s stickers, princess’s accessories, figurines...
An 8-year-old child’s personal belongings alone filled a large suitcase, which made Lu Lin frown. She’s only eight years old. What would this look like at eighteen? And twenty-eight?
Xiao Ru sat on the sofa, quietly watching Zhou Ziqiang pack.
When Zhou Ziqiang finished and proudly announced that he had taken care of everything, Xiao Ru looked at him calmly and said, "Brother, you’ve been waiting for this day for a long time, haven’t you?"
"Huh?" Zhou Ziqiang was taken aback.
"I mean, brother, didn’t you have the idea of wanting to get rid of Xiao Ru a long time ago?" she continued. "Now that Brother Lu Lin has found a boarding school for Xiao Ru, you started packing my things the moment we got home."
Zhou Ziqiang was speechless, looking at Xiao Ru in disbelief. Why would an eight-year-old child have such thoughts?
Even though it was a boarding school, she would only be staying there from Sunday to Thursday; on Friday night, he would bring Xiao Ru back home.
Zhou Ziqiang looked at Lu Lin, an unspoken question in his eyes. Did you teach her that?
Lu Lin shrugged, his return glance clearly stating, Bullshit.
Zhou Ziqiang backed down.
"Xiao Ru," Lu Lin began, "brother has a question: when you go to school, are you going to take Xiao Bai, Da Bai, and Mr. Bai with you?"
"Yes. Why?" Xiao Ru looked seriously at Lu Lin.
"No problem, but you have to remember not to use your Star Skill during school, alright? Otherwise, if bad guys find out, they will eat all the little animals you bring out. They’ll make Dog Meat Hot Pot out of the big dog, turn the little fox into a white scarf, make gloves out of the little rabbit, and then roast and eat the rabbit meat. The big white goose will be turned into Braised Old Goose, and the white turtle will become a big pot of Turtle Soup. I hear it’s a great tonic..."
As Lu Lin spoke, he somehow found his mouth watering a bit more than usual.
Xiao Ru looked seriously at Lu Lin. "I know, Brother. I won’t display my Star Skills to others. Don’t worry. In the future, you don’t need to use such methods to scare me about the seriousness of things. I’m already eight years old, not some clueless three or four-year-old child."
"Okay." Lu Lin also backed down.
Xiao Ru’s official school start date was set for June 29th, just two days later, because Lu Lin and Zhou Ziqiang both had to report to Luse Alliance College on June 30th.
At the same time, Lu Lin had to prepare for an upcoming challenge. Even though he already had a target, Feng Yuanyu, Lu Lin felt he needed more preparation. After dinner, he went into the gym to practice the Ten Steps Kill and Inch Step.
「The next morning.」
After eating the breakfast Zhou Ziqiang had prepared, Lu Lin drove to Hua Qing Water Yard.
Long Qianli solemnly handed him a Storage Ring, telling Lu Lin to never, ever reveal it. Inside the Federation, Ninth Level Martial Artists and Level 8 Warriors basically all had a Storage Ring. However, most Seventh Level Golden Body Realm powerhouses did not. In the Federation, there were masters and Martial Artists dedicated to public service, but naturally, there were also those who acted solely for personal gain.
Lu Lin understood.
Once he exited Long Qianli’s office, he eagerly put on the ring and completed the ownership process. Opening the ring, it was completely empty; there was nothing inside. Fifty cubic meters sounded large, but it was really just equivalent to a 20-square-meter room with a height of just over two meters.
Lu Lin didn’t know how other people used their Storage Rings, but he had an idea. I’ll buy some simple and durable shelves later, along with plenty of other storage containers and boxes. I like the feeling of having everything tidied up.
On the second underground level, in the Performance Martial Arena where he had fought Chen Xiran the day before, Lu Lin saw the mysterious "headquarters researcher," Mister Bai Buyi.
Lu Lin already knew his name. Seeing him in person, he felt the man indeed lived up to his name. He wore a classic knee-length white lab coat and a pair of rimless glasses. His hair looked messy, but it just added to his character. His lips were thin. Through his glasses, his eyes, which always seemed full of wisdom, were visible.
"Hello, Bai Buyi." Bai Buyi took a step forward and offered his hand.
"Hello, Lu Lin. Is there anything you need me to cooperate with?"
With a slight upturn at the corners of his peach blossom eyes, Bai Buyi chuckled. "Cooperation? Not necessary. From now on, you will be my team leader. Please guide me."
"Huh?" Lu Lin took a step back. What’s going on? Just yesterday, wasn’t Director Long very clear that the headquarters researcher was coming down to get some information from him? Why has he suddenly joined my team?
His expression stiffened for a moment, and Lu Lin said, "Really? I didn’t hear Director Long mention this. She said I was to assist you in understanding some things about the Kongming White Ape."
Bai Buyi smiled. "I just thought of it. You have many secrets, and I want to understand you more deeply, so I made a temporary decision to join your team."
A temporary decision? Lu Lin was helpless. Is this the temperament of a headquarters researcher? So unpredictable. Wait, doesn’t his regular job require someone to take over or a handover first?
"Well, no need," Bai Buyi said, as if reading his mind. "I have my own independent laboratory and chat room. I report directly to the Director; no one else has the authority to manage me."
Only the Director can manage him, Lu Lin realized. This Bai Buyi either has a formidable background, is invincible in strength, or is extremely gifted.
"Well, okay then," Lu Lin conceded. "Our team has two other members, Chen Xiran and Fang Gang. Let’s all meet in a couple of days when I’ve finished my current tasks."
"Okay, I will follow the team leader’s arrangements."
Seeing that Bai Buyi was so easygoing, Lu Lin casually asked, "By the way, you just arrived in Chongnuo City. Do you have a place to stay? If you don’t mind, you can stay at my home for a while."
"I actually don’t have a place. In that case, I’ll trouble you, Team Leader."
"Huh?" Lu Lin was stunned again. I was just being polite. We’ve just met, and he didn’t reject the offer at all. Although I wouldn’t have any designs on a guy, shouldn’t he have refused, at least a little?
"What’s wrong, Team Leader? Shall we go?" Bai Buyi asked.
"Ah, uh... alright. But I’ll have to report your temporary decision to Director Long. You go up first; I’ll be right there."
Having already spoken, Lu Lin naturally wouldn’t go back on his word.
Unexpectedly, just as Xiao Ru had left, Bai Buyi arrived. By the weekend, the number of people in the house had actually increased. If I had known earlier, I would have chosen the big villa at Keming Street No.13, Lu Lin thought with some regret.
After reporting to Long Qianli, Lu Lin drove Bai Buyi home. Neither of them spoke during the journey.
Lu Lin resolved not to let down his guard. Bai Buyi clearly has a motive for coming. For someone whom no one at headquarters, aside from the Star Coordinator Division Director, had the authority to manage, I must be extremely vigilant.
As soon as they returned home, Xiao Ru, who was bringing slippers for Lu Lin, saw Bai Buyi following him, and her eyes widened.
"You, are you Bai Ziyu, the Demon Prince?"
Bai Buyi shook his head, then smiled and nodded. "Yes, I am Bai Ziyu from the TV drama ’Dare to Love My Princess.’ I’m glad you know me, my dear Princess."
"WOW!" Xiao Ru’s eyes were practically sparkling with little pink hearts. She glanced at Lu Lin hesitantly before saying, "I’m sorry, Demon Prince Bai Ziyu. Xiao Ru is now Brother Lu Lin’s girl. If you had come one month earlier, then I would... have accepted you both."
Lu Lin and Bai Ziyu exchanged a look, both seeing a hint of trouble in each other’s eyes. This little girl is really something, they both thought.
When Zhou Ziqiang came out of the kitchen and saw Bai Buyi, he couldn’t help exclaiming for a long moment, "You, you, you’re not that Demon Prince, what’s-his-name..."
"Silly brother, it’s Demon Prince Bai Ziyu!" Xiao Ru interjected, hands on her hips. "You’re never serious about anything. It’s so frustrating."
"Right, right, Bai Ziyu! Aren’t you a celebrity? What are you doing at our house? Is this a reality show? I don’t see any cameras or photographers..." Zhou Ziqiang looked around curiously, leaving Lu Lin speechless.
After chatting for a while, Bai Buyi finally revealed his identity to Lu Lin. His main job was actually an actor. Due to his outstanding looks and a touch of otherworldly charm (or celestial aura), he often participated in period martial arts or xianxia productions. He typically played half-human characters with Demon Race or Immortal Clan bloodlines, roles for which he was widely praised. Even if the TV dramas and movies he had participated in hadn’t been major blockbusters, he had unexpectedly become a breakout star. Especially ’Dare to Love My Princess,’ which Xiao Ru and Zhou Ziqiang had mentioned. It was broadcast exclusively on QingShan Video. When the blooper reel and trailer were released, they amazed countless netizens. By the time the main drama launched, Bai Ziyu had become a National Idol.
Ultimately, only someone like Lu Lin, who didn’t watch TV dramas and didn’t surf the internet, knew nothing about Bai Buyi. Bai Buyi’s vermicelli could easily recite his birthday, zodiac sign, favorite color, favorite animal, hobbies, his favorite activities, and a whole series of details that Bai Buyi himself might not even know.
Alright, I didn’t expect we’d get a celebrity on our team, Lu Lin mused. "In the future, when you go out on missions, are criminals going to ask you for autographs or something?" he joked casually.
Who knew that Bai Buyi would think about it seriously for a moment, then nod and say, "It’s possible."