“Mr. Xu, how about Beili Park this afternoon?”
Xu Qinglai had just been about to put away his phone when Bo Ting’s follow-up message caught him off guard.
“Beili Park”?
If he remembered correctly, this was a lovers’ leisure park.
Practically one of Mengjia City’s internet-famous spots, with One Heart Lake inside—its meaning was great, drawing tons of couples to check in every year.
The air went silent for a moment; he couldn’t quite guess Bo Ting’s intention.
Of course, Xu Qinglai wouldn’t refuse.
“Sure.”
“I’ll come pick you up then.”
Bo Ting breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that Mr. Xu was satisfied with his choice, he happily exited the post, got up in a great mood, and went to wash up.
…
After spending the entire morning at Quiet Heart Private Hospital, the Resurgence Management Office finally pieced together what had happened yesterday.
That included more information on the Virtual-Real Eyes.
What surprised Lu Jingshan was that the Virtual-Real Eyes didn’t seem to mind their inquiries.
While taking Dean Lu Yicheng’s statement, Lu Jingshan had prepared for the possibility of memory confusion or inability to disclose Virtual-Real Eyes info.
But unexpectedly… the eyes “blessed” onto the dean’s face… remained very quiet.
This matched the records that the Virtual-Real Eyes didn’t like active interaction with humans.
“But you said the Virtual-Real Eyes showed reverence the instant it saw ‘Bo Ting’?”
Lu Jingshan asked instinctively.
Dean Lu touched the eyes on his face and nodded.
“It’s hard to describe the emotion specifically.”
“But… that’s the reaction I sensed.”
“And… what about Bo Ting?”
“Did ‘Bo Ting’ say anything else yesterday?”
Dean Lu shook his head.
“It seemed very friendly.”
“It just came to the hospital and observed for a few hours.”
Xue Hengfu looked at Dean Lu strangely, roughly understanding what the old man meant by “friendly.”
After all… the one from Taiping Luxury Garden had been very “friendly” when registering the ID too.
The kind of friendliness that sent shivers down the spine.
After finishing the statement, the moment they stepped out of the hospital, Xue Hengfu got a bit excited.
“Captain Lu, doesn’t this count as uncovering a big secret?”
When they questioned Dean Lu earlier, the old man hadn’t hidden anything upon hearing it might relate to Mengjia City’s survival. After hesitating, he revealed the Virtual-Real Eyes’ abilities.
This was info completely absent from prior records!
They hadn’t even heard of it before, so their understanding of the Virtual-Real Eyes was naturally limited.
Even the First Ability User Squad only knew it would revive and didn’t fully grasp the Virtual-Real Eyes’ function.
——“The moment the Virtual-Real Eyes fully opened, one could peer through those transparent eyes in the sky and glimpse the truest form of the world.”
This was also the reason why Dean Lu had been able to cure quite a few patients in recent years after receiving its blessing.
They had only come out for a routine investigation, but they ended up learning about something so major.
Xue Hengfu got so excited that he could already picture himself being praised back at the office for his meritorious service.
Lu Jingshan glanced at him helplessly.
“Don’t get too excited yet.”
Although they had clarified some things about the Virtual-Real Eyes, … the resident of Taiping Luxury Garden remained completely unknown.
For some reason, after hearing Dean Lu say that “one could glimpse the truth at the instant the Virtual-Real Eyes revived,” Lu Jingshan inexplicably felt a headache coming on.
…
Bo Ting first went to buy some ingredients for making desserts for Miss Zhou Ying. After returning them to the neighborhood, he straightened his clothes again.
He checked the time and messaged Mr. Xu.
“Mr. Xu, I’m done.”
Hmm, four o’clock—Mr. Xu should be getting off work around now, right?
A minute later, his phone buzzed with a reply from the other side.
“Good.”
After exiting the gates, Bo Ting walked a short distance along the main road ahead.
The road right at their neighborhood entrance was one-way, so he didn’t want to make it hard for Mr. Xu to park.
The familiar figure departed once more.
The Ability Users observing from Yuyu Milk Tea Shop were dumbfounded. By now, they were almost used to this guy’s high-frequency trips in and out of the neighborhood.
“What’s he off to do now?”
Meng Xiaokun subconsciously asked, rubbing his dark circles.
“Who knows.” Yan Qian shook her head. Once his figure vanished into the distance, she returned to the shop for the meeting.
He had only walked a few minutes ahead when he spotted Mr. Xu’s car parked by the roadside.
A faint smile appeared on Bo Ting’s otherwise expressionless face as he approached and opened the car door.
“Mr. Xu.”
“Let’s go.”
After Bo Ting got in, Xu Qinglai said to Uncle Sun up front.
No matter how many times Uncle Sun saw it, he still couldn’t quite get used to Mr. Bo’s face in the back seat.
He had grown accustomed to the shark-head look before, but now seeing this… stunningly beautiful face, Uncle Sun couldn’t comprehend why Mr. Bo had ever gone for something so outrageous.
Was this just what young people were into these days?
But seeing how both Mr. Bo and Mr. Xu treated it as normal, Uncle Sun swallowed his questions.
With a cheerful acknowledgment, he drove toward Beili Park.
Xu Qinglai: “Did you eat lunch this afternoon?”
Bo Ting was about to say he’d just grabbed something casual when he saw Mr. Xu hand over an oily paper bag.
The aroma of a sandwich wafted out through the bag.
Bo Ting’s eyes lit up.
“Did Mr. Xu prepare this for me?”
“Yeah.”
“Worried you might not have eaten on the way.”
It was just a small thing, and Xu Qinglai didn’t think much of it.
But Bo Ting was pleasantly surprised.
Mr. Xu was so thoughtful.
Thinking this, Bo Ting unwrapped the sandwich. Just as he was about to take a bite, he suddenly remembered something and broke off half to hand to Xu Qinglai.
“Want to try some?”
It looked like the other man had just gotten off work too—maybe he hadn’t eaten either.
“Sure.”
Xu Qinglai lowered his gaze slightly, looking at the food offered over the paper bag, and reached out to take it.
For some reason, Bo Ting felt like Mr. Xu’s fingers had accidentally brushed his?
Their eyes met, both holding the same spot.
Bo Ting instinctively let go.
“Here.”
Half the sandwich was transferred to Xu Qinglai’s hand, as if by chance.
Bo Ting didn’t make a big deal of it and naturally withdrew his gaze.
The car drove for an hour before arriving at Beili Park. After Uncle Sun parked in the lot, he stayed behind.
As soon as Bo Ting and Mr. Xu got out, Bo Ting stretched out comfortably.
“The air outside is still the best.”
The park was full of greenery. Though people came and went, it felt far more pleasant than the city center.
Xu Qinglai looked at Bo Ting, whose brows had relaxed completely, his tone steady.
“If you like it, we can come here more often in the future.”
Bo Ting nodded.
“But Mr. Xu must be busy with work every day, right?”
After all, as a company president, he probably had a lot to handle.
Bo Ting turned to him. “Whenever Mr. Xu has time, you can invite me anytime.”
“Oh, right.”
“There are quite a few couples around here.”
As Bo Ting walked, he noticed several young couples.
Seeing him walking side by side with Mr. Xu, they first paused in surprise, then greeted them warmly.
Bo Ting was a bit puzzled but instinctively returned their friendly gestures out of politeness.
Xu Qinglai suddenly let out a soft chuckle.
“Because this is a lovers’ park.”
“Hmm, it’s basically the default spot on social media.”
Bo Ting: …Huh?
Bo Ting blanked for a moment before slowly processing what Mr. Xu meant.
Wait—this was a lovers’ park?!
He had seen online that lots of couples came here, but he hadn’t realized it was exclusively one.
No wonder the couples they passed had looked at them with such approving gazes—had they… misunderstood?
Damn it.
That replying netizen had totally misled him.
He had said in the post that he was going with a good friend, but apparently they weren’t “real” friends!
“Sorry, I didn’t check properly.”
Bo Ting felt a little awkward and scratched his cheek. But they were already in the heart of the park now, and leaving without exploring seemed like a waste.
“Does Mr. Xu mind?”
He turned to the man beside him.
Xu Qinglai’s classically gentle features softened even further.
“Not at all.”
“It’s an interesting experience, isn’t it?”
Huh?
Bo Ting nodded, surprised that Mr. Xu saw it that way.
That was a relief.
Truth be told, after an hour-long drive, it would be a shame to leave without seeing anything.
“Then shall we keep going?”
“Yeah, let’s.”
After passing through one stretch of path, the stares they drew gradually lessened.
Bo Ting finally reached the lakeside area from the photos and let out a breath of relief.
“Finally, fewer people.”
Thinking of how Mr. Xu, a straight guy, had to endure everyone’s couple stares just to keep him company, Bo Ting felt a bit guilty.
As a fellow straight guy, he totally got how awkward that was.
Bo Ting secretly decided to make it up to Mr. Xu somehow.
Looking up ahead, he spotted a stall selling souvenirs and pondered for a moment before turning to head over.
“Wait for me a sec, Mr. Xu.”
A few minutes later.
Bo Ting returned with a phone charm. As he approached from afar and prepared to hand it over, he suddenly noticed—Mr. Xu’s handsome, mild features seemed to flicker for an instant… like a black phantom lurking and devouring deep in the ocean?
