[NEW MISSION]
Convince Wei Feng you're not hiding anything major
Reward: +15 Beauty Points
Lin Yuer looked at Wei Feng's panicked expression and made a decision.
Partial truth. Give him something.
"Okay, look." Lin Yuer lowered his voice. "The truth is... I don't really know why he said that. Maybe someone I knew taught me some moves when I was younger? I honestly don't remember much from before the orphanage. But I'm not this 'Phantom' person."
It was close enough to the truth to feel genuine.
Wei Feng studied him. "...You really don't know?"
"I really don't." That part was technically true—he didn't know why Kai Zhen was being so direct about it.
Wei Feng's expression softened. "Okay. I believe you. But Yuer... if weird stuff keeps happening, you'll tell me, right? I'm your best friend."
"I will," Lin Yuer lied, feeling guilty.
[MISSION COMPLETE]
Beauty +15 (Total: 47/100)
The rest of lunch passed in tense silence, with students whispering and pointing. Lin Yuer kept his head down, ate quickly, and tried to ignore the weight of everyone's stares.
_____
After School
Lin Yuer waited by the school gates, watching the Maybach pull up right on time.
He got in, and the familiar scent of expensive leather and Xie Yunlan's cologne hit him.
"How was the rest of your day?" Xie Yunlan asked.
"Your friend Kai Zhen showed up."
Xie Yunlan's expression didn't change, but something flickered in his eyes. "Did he?"
"He offered to train me. Self-defense."
"And?"
"And he said something weird. About someone named Phantom." Lin Yuer watched Xie Yunlan's reaction carefully. "Who is that?"
For a moment, Xie Yunlan's mask slipped. Pain. Longing. Grief.
Then it was gone.
"Someone I knew. Someone who died three years ago." His voice was carefully neutral. "A very skilled... operative. Kai Zhen thinks you move like him."
"Is that why you're helping me? Because I remind you of a dead person?"
The question came out harsher than Lin Yuer intended.
Xie Yunlan was quiet for a long moment.
"At first... maybe," he admitted. "But now?" He turned to look at Lin Yuer directly. "Now I'm helping because you're you. Lin Yuer. A sixteen-year-old student who shouldn't have to face bullies alone."
He means it.
Even if he suspects, he genuinely cares about Lin Yuer as a person.
"Thank you," Lin Yuer said quietly. "For today. For everything."
"You're welcome." Xie Yunlan smiled slightly. "Now, let's get you those new glasses."
The Optical Shop
The store was intimidatingly expensive, all marble and glass and designer frames that cost more than Lin Yuer's monthly food budget.
A salesperson rushed over when she saw Xie Yunlan. "Mr. Xie! Welcome!"
"My young friend needs new glasses. Something durable, high quality."
Lin Yuer was ushered into a chair and suddenly surrounded by people showing him frames.
Xie Yunlan picked one up—simple, black, modern—and placed it on Lin Yuer's face carefully.
"There. Much better."
The salesperson held up a mirror.
Lin Yuer blinked at his reflection. The glasses actually... suited him? They made him look older, more refined. Combined with his improved features from the beauty points, he looked almost—
"These are ¥15,000," the salesperson said cheerfully.
Lin Yuer choked. "WHAT?!"
"We'll take them," Xie Yunlan said calmly. "And a spare pair. Same style."
"I can't let you spend that much—"
"You can and you will." Xie Yunlan's tone left no room for argument. "Consider it part of the scholarship."
[NEW MISSION]
Accept the gift graciously without guilt
Reward: +5 Beauty, +5 Self-Worth
Lin Yuer took a breath. Normal students would be grateful for help from a billionaire.
"...Thank you, Xie Yunlan. Really. I appreciate this more than you know."
Xie Yunlan looked surprised, then pleased. "You're welcome."
[MISSION COMPLETE]
Beauty +5 (Total: 52/100)
Self-Worth +5
While the salesperson prepared the glasses, Xie Yunlan stepped away to take a call.
Lin Yuer sat there, trying not to think about how much ¥30,000 could buy. Food for months. New clothes. Textbooks.
But these are nice glasses, he admitted to himself.
His phone buzzed.
Unknown number: [I know what you are. - SR]
Lin Yuer's blood went cold.
Shen Rui. The underground king.
Another message: [Don't panic. Just wanted to introduce myself. We should talk. Soon.]
He knows. Or thinks he knows.
But how much?
Lin Yuer deleted the messages quickly as Xie Yunlan returned.
"Everything alright?"
"Fine. Just... spam messages."
Xie Yunlan didn't look convinced, but he didn't push.
When they pulled up to Lin Yuer's shabby apartment building, Xie Yunlan went very still.
"You live here?"
"Scholarship doesn't cover much," Lin Yuer said, trying to sound casual. "It's fine."
"Lin Yuer." Xie Yunlan's voice was serious. "This building looks structurally unsound."
"It has character!"
"It has code violations."
"I'm used to it."
Xie Yunlan looked like he wanted to argue, but Lin Yuer quickly got out of the car.
"Thank you again for the glasses. I'll see you later!"
He hurried inside before Xie Yunlan could offer to come up and see how bad it really was.
Lin Yuer made it to his tiny apartment and collapsed on his bed.
Today was too much. Way too much.
[DAILY MISSIONS COMPLETE]
Current Beauty Level: 52/100
Status: Officially "Attractive"
He looked in the bathroom mirror. The system wasn't wrong—he'd crossed some threshold. He was no longer plain or just "cute." He was genuinely attractive now, with defined features and clear skin.
No wonder people are staring.
Then his assassin instincts prickled.
Someone's watching.
He didn't move. Just became aware of the presence outside his window.
Fourth floor. Fire escape. One person. Controlling their breathing—trained.
The presence stayed for exactly three minutes. Then left.
Lin Yuer went to the window carefully.
On the fire escape sat a small business card, held down by a pebble.
He grabbed it.
Shen Rui
Information Broker
"Let's talk. You pick the time and place."
A phone number below.
He's giving me control. Interesting.
But also means he's confident. He thinks he already knows enough.
Lin Yuer stared at the card for a long time.
Do I call? Ignore it? What's the smart play?
[NEW QUEST UNLOCKED]
The Underground King's Interest
Multiple approaches available
He set the card on his desk and lay back down.
Not tonight. I need to think about this carefully.
Figure out what he knows. What he wants.
And how to handle him without exposing everything.
Lin Yuer closed his eyes, exhausted.
Tomorrow would bring new challenges.
And he needed to be ready.
Meanwhile:Xie Corporation
Xie Yunlan sat at his desk, watching security footage on a loop.
Lin Yuer walking. Moving. Reacting.
Side by side with old footage of Phantom.
The similarities were undeniable to a trained eye. The small things. The habits.
His phone buzzed. Kai Zhen.
[The kid's good. Too good. Want me to push harder with the training offer?]
Xie Yunlan typed back: [No. Don't scare him. I need more time to confirm.]
[You really think it's possible?]
[...I don't know. But I promised to find him. Even if it seems impossible.]
He looked at a photo on his desk. Him and Phantom, three years ago, grainy surveillance footage from a mission.
"Who are you, Lin Yuer?" he whispered. "Really?"
Military Base
Kai Zhen reviewed the analysis his team had done on Lin Yuer's fighting footage.
Three separate martial arts experts. All came to the same conclusion.
"Movement patterns consistent with subject: Phantom. Confidence level: 87%."
"Muscle memory evident. Training age: 15-20 years minimum."
"Assessment: Either trained by Phantom, or IS Phantom."
Kai Zhen stared at the reports.
Reincarnation. It's insane.
But if there's even a chance...
He picked up his phone and made a call.
"I need a full background check. Lin Yuer. Go back as far as you can. I want to know everything about him before age 14."
If Phantom came back somehow, I need to know.
And I need to protect him. Again.
Underground Network
Shen Rui sat in his office, surrounded by monitors showing various angles of Lin Yuer's apartment.
"Sir, the card has been retrieved," his assistant reported. "He hasn't called yet."
"He won't. Not immediately." Shen Rui smiled. "He's too smart for that. He'll wait. Assess. Plan."
"What makes you so certain he's Phantom?"
Shen Rui pulled up a file on his screen. Comparison analysis. Behavioral patterns. Movement studies.
"Everything matches. The way he thinks. Moves. Even the micro-expressions when he's calculating." He took a sip of wine. "I've been in this business for fifteen years. I know how to read people."
"So what now?"
"Now? We wait. And watch. Eventually, he'll make contact. Or I'll force his hand." Shen Rui's smile widened. "Either way, this is going to be very entertaining."
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