Chapter 11: You Know Him?
“What’s his name?”
Tang Yu’an paused, realizing he was asking about his younger brother.
With no memories to draw from, the past fading like mist, Tang Yu’an truthfully admitted he didn’t remember.
“Since waking up, I’ve forgotten everything about the past.”
Only vague fragments occasionally flashed through his mind, leaving faint traces in his dreams, only to vanish upon waking.
It was good not to remember, best to forget all the unpleasantness. Wei Langxing calmed down a bit, then asked cautiously after a moment of silence: “Then… do you want to regain your memories?”
Without a mission requiring it, Tang Yu’an saw no need to create trouble for himself: “I think I’m fine as I am now.”
Wei Langxing strongly encouraged this sentiment: “You’re right, we should look forward, not backward. If unimportant things are forgotten, then so be it… Come on, let’s not talk about this anymore, let’s eat!”
He placed a piece of meat on Tang Yu’an’s plate.
“Eat more. Look how thin you are, your clothes are practically falling off!”
Tang Yu’an put down his phone, letting the matter drop.
Honestly, he wasn’t interested in what had happened between him and his “brother.” It was probably just a disagreement, nothing significant, nothing that affected him.
This “brother” was just an empty shell to him. He didn’t even know his name and had no intention of interacting with him again.
He dismissed it lightly, but Wei Langxing, focused on his food, thought differently.
He was brainstorming, replaying Tang Yu’an’s words in his mind, trying to piece together a story from the fragments, but realizing how little Tang Yu’an had actually revealed.
He recalled an article he had read, about how people sometimes chose to forget unpleasant memories after experiencing trauma, to lessen their pain.
But what happened could only be concealed, not erased. The scars remained, a constant reminder.
He suddenly remembered Tang Yu’an saying he was afraid of being locked in a dark room. If he had no memories, perhaps it was a conditioned fear.
Wei Langxing poked at his food absentmindedly, almost piercing the plate.
After dinner, he excused himself to buy something, leaving the building. Finding a quiet spot, he paced back and forth, then finally dialed Pang Jin’s number.
No answer.
He sent a message—
“I know you’re there. I’m not asking you to fire Zuo Tinghan, I have something else to discuss.”
The phone rang immediately.
Pang Jin chuckled: “Xiao Wei, I was making coffee and didn’t hear the phone. And what do you mean by your message…?”
Heh, the old fox was acting again.
“Cut the act… No more nonsense. Tell me, what do you know about Yu’an’s family?”
Pang Jin, usually so smooth-talking, fell silent. Wei Langxing heard the sound of a lighter on the other end.
He waited patiently. After a long while, Pang Jin finally spoke: “Why are you suddenly asking about this?”
His reaction confirmed he knew something. Wei Langxing was sure he had found the right person.
“We talked about it briefly. I’m just curious.”
“Xiao Tang has no memories. Why are you worrying about things he doesn’t even remember?”
Sensing the resistance in Pang Jin’s words, Wei Langxing couldn’t help but have several bad premonitions.
“So you won’t tell me?”
“It’s not that I won’t tell you, but did you get Xiao Tang’s permission to ask me about this privately?”
Now it was Wei Langxing’s turn to fall silent.
Pang Jin subtly hinted: “Have you considered that if Xiao Tang doesn’t want to investigate himself, he might not want others to know either?”
Pang Jin exhaled a puff of smoke, like a sigh.
“Xiao Tang has a new home now. His life will get better and better. He doesn’t need to look back.”
Wei Langxing thought of the group chat Pang Jin had created for them, called “A Family of Talents.” He had initially scoffed at the name, but now it seemed fitting.
And the articles he posted in the group, like “The Team is Our Home, Harmony Depends on Everyone,” suddenly seemed thoughtful coming from the old fox.
However, he would never admit he was lagging behind in caring for Tang Yu’an: “You make it sound so nice, but didn’t you investigate secretly? What does that make you? A hypocrite?”
“You brat, that was my responsibility! I have to check someone’s background before recruiting them. I’m…”
“Alright, I get your point.” Wei Langxing looked at the building behind him, thinking about ways to make the interior more welcoming.
“Hey, Old Pang, do me a favor.”
Whenever he spoke in this tone, it meant trouble. Pang Jin became wary: “What do you want?”
“The building feels a little empty. I need some funds for renovations.”
Pang Jin snorted. This kid was trying to get money out of him.
“Don’t worry about that. It won’t be empty for long.”
Wei Langxing was alert: “What do you mean?”
“Your new teammate is coming. At this time… he should be arriving soon.”
Having anticipated that the team wouldn’t just be the three of them, Wei Langxing wasn’t surprised.
Whoever it was, they couldn’t be more difficult than Zuo Tinghan.
But he was curious who had caught Old Pang’s eye: “Who is it?”
“You know him. It’s… the rich kid you arrested during that vice raid.”
“What?!”
At the same time, Tang Yu’an, browsing information on the StarNet, heard a commotion in the hall and went out to investigate.
Standing by the stairs, his eyes met those of a young man below with bright yellow hair, heavy makeup, and a sleeveless tank top paired with cargo pants.
The man paused, his eyes widening slightly, then rushed up the stairs, stopping two steps below, his muscular arms on full display, the metal sequins on his clothes shimmering.
“I was wondering why the sky wasn’t bright this early. Turns out the sun has landed here.”
Before Tang Yu’an could process his words, he enthusiastically extended his hand: “I’m Xie Cun, the new recruit reporting for duty.”
His palm was warm, almost burning Tang Yu’an’s hand.
[Detected Protagonist Number Three, Xie Cun, bound.]
It seemed this protagonist was a bit rebellious, with his unique style…
Tang Yu’an gave his most perfect smile: “I’m Tang Yu’an. Nice to meet you.”
Xie Cun pulled out a pen: “Which three characters? Can you write them down for me?”
“Sure, sure… but I don’t have any paper…”
Xie Cun pulled at his shirt: “Write it here!”
“Huh?”
This was a first. Tang Yu’an hesitated, pen in hand.
“It’ll stain your jacket. It won’t wash out easily…”
Xie Cun looked at him insistently: “Consider it a welcome gift. Okay?”
It was the protagonist’s request. Although Tang Yu’an didn’t understand, he complied.
After he finished writing, Xie Cun asked for his citizen ID, then took out his phone and started typing, telling him to wait a moment.
Assuming he had an important message to reply to, Tang Yu’an obediently stood aside and waited.
After about two minutes, Xie Cun handed him his phone.
Confused, Tang Yu’an looked at the document displayed on the screen.
Why was he showing him this? It seemed to be about a newly discovered asteroid…
Wait, why was he listed as the owner?
As he stared in shock, Xie Cun smiled casually: “A return gift for you.”
As if he had just given him an ordinary trinket.
Tang Yu’an shoved the phone back: “This is too valuable. I can’t accept it.”
“This is nothing,” Xie Cun shrugged. “I have money to burn.”
Tang Yu’an was about to refuse again when a knock interrupted them.
“My delivery is here.” Xie Cun signed for the heavy package, placing it on the floor. He then produced a butterfly knife from somewhere, flipping it skillfully, making Tang Yu’an nervous that he would accidentally slice off his fingers.
Xie Cun glanced at him: “Want to learn?”
“No… It looks dangerous.”
Xie Cun opened the box, pulling out something and tossing it over: “This is even more dangerous.”
Tang Yu’an looked closely; it was a golden racing trophy.
In just a few minutes, he had determined that this protagonist was a thrill-seeker.
Although he wasn’t interested himself, Tang Yu’an never hesitated to offer praise: “You’re amazing. You won first place.”
Xie Cun opened the box completely, clapping his hands: “This box is full of trophies. I’ll set up a display in the hall later.”
“Need any help? Wei Langxing and I assembled a bookcase last time, so we have some experience… Wei Langxing is our captain. Do you know him?”
“Yeah, we’re old friends.”
“Oh, that’s good…”
At least they wouldn’t clash this time.
“We go way back. He even arrested me once.”
Tang Yu’an: “???”
