Fang Wen had already forgotten how exactly he sent Zhu Yuan off to work that morning. In any case, he had still been half asleep.
For the first time since his parents disappeared.
As he ate the simple breakfast Zhu Yuan had made for him, Fang Wen could not help sighing at how absurd reality could be.
Good lord… I really moved into my beautiful boss's house. We even slept in the same bed.
When they woke up, the two of them had practically ended up in each other's arms, their foreheads pressed together.
In the end, the farce concluded with Zhu Yuan heading off to work, cheeks flushed red.
But once Fang Wen thought back on his sorry past, he quickly calmed down again.
Right now, he could not even protect himself. He had no idea how long this peaceful everyday life could continue.
As for his parents, even after joining the force, he still had not managed to uncover a single clue. It was as though all traces of them had been completely erased.
Still, no matter what, getting stronger remained the top priority.
He dropped the dumbbell, looked at himself in the mirror, and stared at abs that had not quite turned into a proper six-pack yet.
"…Yeah. This is going to take some long-term planning."
Fortunately, he still had the system to help him.
"Show me the missions."
[Daily commissions have been refreshed.]
[The Trouble with Closed Clothing]: Because of you, Zhu Yuan left in too much of a hurry and even forgot that she's on her period today. As Zhu Yuan's 'little boyfriend,' shouldn't you do something about it?
[Deliver a 'hemostatic item' to Zhu Yuan.]
[Reward: Draw one skill each from the host and Zhu Yuan (chance of receiving fragments), Denny x2000, Zhu Yuan Affection +?]
[The Day Zhu Yuan Became an Adult]: During an investigation last month, Zhu Yuan confiscated a batch of unlabeled old videotapes. However, because she could not find any playback device, they were shelved for the time being.
[Bring a playback device to Zhu Yuan.]
[Reward: Skill draw, Denny x5000, Zhu Yuan Affection +?]
Special Commission:
[Tonight, the Two of You Will Sit in Silence]: Have you only just realized this is actually a romance world? How dense can you be, boy~~
[Find a way to bring the sulking Zhu Yuan home.]
[Reward: Skill draw, Denny x3000, Zhu Yuan Affection +?, unlock Zhu Yuan affection missions.]
A hemostatic item?
Bandages?
No, wait, that didn't make sense. What did bandages have to do with the mission description mentioning her period…?
Hold on. Could it mean… that thing?
All of Fang Wen's previous confidence instantly evaporated.
You're telling me I'm supposed to deliver that to Zhu Yuan?
She was unmarried, and so was he. Was this mission even remotely reasonable?
Though, come to think of it, it might actually be even stranger if they were married.
He certainly did not possess the bearing of some magnanimous old chancellor.
Looks like he could only give it to her when the two of them were alone.
As for the second commission…
"A playback device…" Fang Wen rubbed at the faint stubble on his chin.
He did happen to know someone who ran a video store.
If even they did not have one, he honestly had no idea where else he could borrow it from.
Besides, that mission title sounded kind of suspicious too.
Fang Wen frowned.
What exactly did it mean by Zhu Yuan became an adult?
Judging by the first mission, there was definitely something fishy going on.
Still, it looked easier to complete than the previous one. That first task really was a test of his shamelessness.
Fang Wen rubbed his face, trying to arrange it into the coldest expression possible.
From this moment on, I am Sigma Wen.
A romance world? Better solve my own problems first.
…
"That'll be 8,000 Denny in total."
"Card."
Dressed in casual clothes, Fang Wen came to 141 Convenience on Sixth Street, just like usual, to buy what he needed.
To conceal his real objective, he deliberately also bought some boxed lunches and sandwiches.
After all, it was common for Zhu Yuan to get so busy that she forgot to eat. If worst came to worst, he could always eat them himself, so it would not be a waste.
Sure enough, when the clerk scanned that soft rectangular item, she could not help glancing at Fang Wen.
But he was fully prepared for this.
Fang Wen be like—cold and expressionless.jpg
As long as the embarrassed one isn't me, then it's someone else!
Under the clerk's gaze—which shifted from confusion, to contemplation, to sudden enlightenment—Fang Wen marched stiffly out of the shop with military precision.
Only after blending into the crowd did he finally let out a sigh of relief.
This was all for the sake of getting stronger. This was merely the price of becoming stronger!
That was what Fang Wen told himself.
Next up was asking the siblings across the street at the video store whether they had an old playback machine.
While thinking about when it would be best to deliver everything, Fang Wen headed toward the comparatively quiet video store at the street corner.
Head lowered, Fang Wen suddenly felt someone bump into him.
Sixth Street might be a small place, but there really were a lot of people passing through.
He waved it off, indicating he was fine, and kept walking.
[Denny - 23,209,150.]
[Sanitary pad -1.]
The system suddenly flashed this line of notification.
?
My money? Did some kind of automatic payment go through? But there's no way it would deduct that much, right?
Wait.
That sanitary pad—
Fang Wen immediately lowered his head and discovered that the plastic bag now contained only a few lunch boxes and sandwiches.
He patted his pocket.
His bank card—the one holding several months' worth of salary—was gone too!
"What the hell is wrong with you? You're robbing a cop too?!"
Are you some kind of death poet or what?!
Fang Wen instinctively pulled out his phone, but on second thought—if he reported this, then when the stolen items were recovered, there would also be a pack of sanitary pads among them.
And he, as the victim, would have to go to the Public Security Bureau's Guangying Branch in his district to make a statement.
His coworkers worked there.
Including Zhu Yuan.
Holy hell. No way. The consequences would be too horrifying. A sigma man had to rely on himself to solve his problems!
Thinking back to that bump just now, Fang Wen immediately spun around and spotted a hooded figure sneaking into a narrow alley.
You little bastard—where do you think you're going?!
The chase began instantly, and the thief, realizing he had been exposed, clearly had no intention of sitting around and waiting to be caught.
He kicked into what looked like nitro acceleration right on the spot, making Fang Wen's eyes widen as he sprinted after him.
The guy actually had illegal modified parts installed on him?
He chased, he fled, but no way in hell was he getting away.
Just as the thief vaulted over walls, leaped across obstacles, and flipped into a garage ahead—seconds away from escaping—a lifeline appeared.
"Stop him, Zhe!"
"Ah? Huh?" The cereal-loving brother, carrying a stack of boxes, let out a baffled cry.
…
"Behave yourself."
Fang Wen slapped a pair of handcuffs on the little thief, securing him off to the side.
Then he turned to look at Zhe, who was still standing there with a lost expression on his face.
"Thanks, Zhe. This guy was stupid enough to steal my salary card just now. I'm taking him to the station in a bit."
"Oh, oh—Brother Wen, were you out on patrol?"
"…Didn't I tell you not to call me that? Just call me Fang Wen, or Wen-ge is fine."
"Alright then. I'll call you Wen-ge like Belle does."
"Mm. You two go on with what you were doing. I need to ask him something."
Only after Zhe went back through the rear entrance of the video store did Fang Wen lower his voice and ask,
"Where did you hide that thing?"
"Didn't you already find it? The bank card?" The thief looked utterly defeated and answered in resignation.
"I mean that thing. Don't tell me you still don't get it!"
"What?"
"…The sanitary pads."
"???" x2
Belle: Ah… did I interrupt something? Please, carry on, carry on.
The clever, pixie-haired Belle had apparently pushed open the small garage door at some point. Her delicate cheeks were faintly red.
"That's not what you think, Belle!"
…
"It's all a misunderstanding."
"Mhm, mhm, mhm. A misunderstanding indeed." Belle nodded furiously. As for how much she actually believed, who knew.
At any rate, the pack of sanitary pads they found nearby was definitely real.
Blinking innocently, Belle stared at Fang Wen with a wide-eyed expression.
It made the old veteran's face redden in spite of himself.
"Forget it. Let's just drop it here. None of you are allowed to mention this again, got it?"
"Ahem." Fang Wen cleared his throat.
"Zhe, do you guys happen to have an old playback machine here?"
"We do, actually. Wen-ge, what kind of tape are you trying to watch?" Dressed in casual clothes, Zhe propped up his chin and raised an eyebrow.
"Mm. We confiscated a batch of old videotapes earlier, but all the labels had been torn off. We want to check what's on them."
Zhe nodded, looking as though he understood.
After borrowing the player, Fang Wen viciously kicked the little thief once more.
"Stay put. Imagine robbing a police officer. Just wait until I get back—I'll reward you with a few months of prison food."
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
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