Genius Club.

Chapter 416 Mask
Yan Qiaoqiao wants to see me...

Still "can't wait"?
What is going on here?

Lin Xian remained silent, looking down at the space-time clock next to the laptop.

The numbers above stabilize to the spacetime curvature of the current world line -

0.0000336
no doubt.

The world line has changed.

The future development trajectory has also embarked on a new direction and a new path.

So……

The same old question.

The established fact that my head and body were separated on July 7th...will this change?

In fact, predicting the date of your own death is really difficult to do.

Whether it was Angelica in the fifth dream informing him of her death,

Or in the sixth dream, Turing honestly confessed the fact of his death.

In fact, these are all spoken by other people and there is no confirmed information.

Although Lin Xian did not doubt the authenticity of the information... he was indeed in a very passive situation and knew almost nothing except a date.

Including now.

Since the world line has changed, will I still die on July 7?
Looking at the bright side, I was saved, and the assassination planned for July 7th also disappeared with the shift of the world line.

This is of course a win-win for everyone, and I don’t have to worry anymore.

but……

If you think in a bad way -

[Because of the changes in the world line, the established history has also changed; the time-space assassin also beheaded himself, but the date was not July 7th, but he killed himself many days in advance! ]

……

This concern is not unfounded.

After all, the future development trajectory has changed, so all changes are natural, naturally including one's own life and death.

Could it be that……

[Did Yan Qiaoqiao recover her memory ahead of time? Now she can't wait to see me, is she here to take my life?]

Lin Xian remained calm.

Said softly:

"It's Qiaoqiao. What happened to her? Why does she suddenly want to see me? It's quite sudden."

"hehe."

Zhao Yingjun on the phone chuckled:
"This child has really grown up. You will never guess what she wants from you."

"I really can't guess."

Lin Xian answered truthfully.

It’s not that he really couldn’t guess it, but the result of his guess was indeed a bit scary.

"Is Yan Qiaoqiao normal these two days?"

Lin Xian asked:
"Like changes in her body, personality, etc. Has she suddenly become stronger, quieter, etc?"

"No."

Zhao Yingjun was surprised that Lin Xian would ask such a question:
"Qiaoqiao has been pretty normal these past few days, not much different from usual. Since yesterday she's been saying she wants to see you...Okay, I won't hide it from you anymore."

Over there on the phone.

Zhao Yingjun's voice was full of laughter:

"Qiaoqiao... wants to give you a [surprise]."

Surprise.

Lin Xian smiled bitterly when he heard this word.

What is a surprise?
It can't be a shock, right?

but.

Lin Xian still caught some clues in Zhao Yingjun's words.

To put it bluntly, what Lin Xian fears most is that Yan Qiaoqiao suddenly regains her memory, and then she starts to show her filial piety and sacrifice her relatives for the sake of justice.

But according to Zhao Yingjun, there has been no abnormal change in Yan Qiaoqiao in the past few days.

As two people who spend every day together.

If there was really something wrong with Yan Qiaoqiao, Zhao Yingjun would definitely tell her the first time.

That means...

The current Yan Qiaoqiao has not recovered her memory as Lin Yuxi.

Therefore, your life should be safe for the time being.

Thinking of this logic, Lin Xian also breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems that the idea just now was indeed too extreme.

Right now, the most direct way to confirm whether there has been any change in the July 7 U-turn tragedy is to go to bed early and have a dream to see what the seventh dream looks like, and try to find your own history in it.

But this is not a panacea.

It depends on whether you can meet someone you know.

In short.

Since Zhao Yingjun knew clearly what the "surprise" Yan Qiaoqiao had prepared for her, there was nothing to be nervous about and she could just go to the appointment boldly.

He has been very busy recently and he hasn't seen Yan Qiaoqiao for a long time.

"Okay."

Lin Xian responded directly:

"It's getting late now, let's go straight to the restaurant."

"Since Qiaoqiao prepared a surprise for me... then I'll treat her to a meal in return. Ask Qiaoqiao what she wants to eat, and I'll book a restaurant and let you know. We can just meet up there."

A long-distance negotiation.

Finally decided to go eat hotpot.

Thinking back to the time when the fake Yu Xi wolfed down the food in the hot pot restaurant, Lin Xian was really confused...

Is hotpot a lost tradition in Future World?
Why does every time traveler like hot pot so much?
hang up the phone.

Lin Xian picked up the things on the ground, picked them up, and walked towards the Alpha commercial vehicle.

After putting the laptop on the seat and closing it, Lin Xian looked up at the driver, Xiao Li:

"Let's go to this hot pot restaurant."

……

noon.

Lin Xian deliberately arrived a little late and looked inside through the transparent glass window of the hot pot restaurant. He could clearly see the figures of Zhao Yingjun and Yan Qiaoqiao.

He specially selected this position.

Close to the window, so you can observe from the outside.

He squinted his eyes and looked at Yan Qiaoqiao for a while... Indeed, he didn't find anything unusual.

The eyes, demeanor and expression are all the same as before.

Her figure hasn't changed, she's still as petite as ever.

No matter how you look at it, he is very different from the God of War Lin Yuxi. He doesn't seem like the kind of violent killer who can cut a person's neck.

Lin Xian let out a breath.

It was a matter of life and death, so it was always better to be careful. After confirming that it was safe, he walked towards the door of the hot pot restaurant, pushed it open, and sat opposite Zhao Yingjun and Yan Qiaoqiao.

"Lin Xian, you are here."

Zhao Yingjun looked up at him and handed him the electronic menu on the table:
"Qiaoqiao ordered a lot of meat. Do you want to add something else?"

"no, I'm fine."

Lin Xian's mind is not on this:

"Just place the order. I just had breakfast not long ago, so I'm not very hungry. Today I mainly came to see Qiaoqiao."

Turn your head.

I noticed that Yan Qiaoqiao was staring at the gradually boiling hot pot in front of her, looking very expectant.

"By the way..."

Lin Xian looked at the two of them:

"What's the surprise? I'm really looking forward to it."

Zhao Yingjun smiled mysteriously.

He stretched out his right hand and rubbed Yan Qiaoqiao's head:

"Qiaoqiao, didn't you prepare for a long time yesterday and plan to give it to Lin Xian today? Why are you embarrassed now?"

"No."

Yan Qiaoqiao stared at the hot pot and shook her head:
"I'm waiting for the meat."

"..." "..."

Lin Xian and Zhao Yingjun looked at each other in silence, wondering who they inherited this gluttonous physique from.

But Yan Qiaoqiao was obviously also being stubborn.

After Zhao Yingjun opened up the situation for her, she no longer stared at the hot pot, but turned around, opened her small backpack, and carefully took out the things inside.

Pass it to Lin Xian:

"Brother Lin Xian, this is for you."

Lin Xian looked at what she handed over.

That is……

A watercolor painting in a frame!
Moreover, it was a watercolor painting of a fairly high standard. Although it did not reach professional standards, it was definitely top-notch among amateurs.

The entire picture depicts the upper body of a young man.

Frowning slightly.

Rubbing his chin.

Thoughtful.

This……

Isn't this me!?

Lin Xian looked at this "Self-Portrait" and couldn't help laughing:

"Is this a painting of me? Qiaoqiao, did you draw this?"

Yan Qiaoqiao nodded:

"I drew it yesterday."

Lin Xian took the not-so-big painting frame and looked at the details carefully. It was indeed a good painting. It was hard to imagine that it was created by a beginner:

“Your painting is so good…”

Zhao Yingjun smiled slightly when he saw this:
"Right? I was also quite surprised. I didn't expect Qiaoqiao to have such a talent."

"It all started a few days ago when I took her to the park. There were many stalls selling children's toys there, and she was quite interested, so we went to take a look."

"There was a DIY booth where they gave you a plaster statue and asked you to color and draw whatever you wanted. It was just for children to play with... I didn't think too much about it at the time. Since Qiaoqiao wanted to play, I bought her one and let her sit in the booth and draw."

"The result... was completely beyond my expectations. Qiaoqiao's use of color and aesthetic taste seemed to be natural and natural. Although it was her first time to paint, she was very comfortable with the brush and paint... She quickly finished painting the white plaster toy, and it was so lifelike that the stall owner was shocked and asked me if this child usually took painting classes."

"Then Yan Qiaoqiao became obsessed with painting and painted many plaster figures in that stall. Each one was painted perfectly, with great color matching. She was simply a natural painter."

Speaking of it.

Zhao Yingjun raised his head and looked at Lin Xian meaningfully:

“Is this considered genetic?”

Lin Xian was still admiring the oil painting of himself and analyzed:

"Strictly speaking, painting is an acquired skill, and things learned after birth cannot be inherited. Otherwise...why are most children of artists no longer artists?"

Zhao Yingjun nodded thoughtfully:

"What you said makes sense. It suddenly occurred to me that many great artists in history seem to have no descendants."

"Beethoven, Leonardo da Vinci, Van Gogh... they all lived alone, had no offspring, and did not pass on their talents and artistic genes."

"But you are still lucky, at least..."

She glanced at Yan Qiaoqiao who was earnestly waiting for praise and smiled:

"At least there will be someone to carry on my artistic legacy."

Lin Xian withdrew his gaze from the watercolor painting and looked at Yan Qiaoqiao:
"So this is the surprise you said you would give me. It's a great piece of art. I like it very much. Thank you, Qiaoqiao."

"It must take a lot of effort to draw a picture like this. How long did it take you to draw yesterday?"

"All day long."

Yan Qiaoqiao said softly:
“I painted till night.”

moment.

Lin Xian felt the painting in his hand become heavier again.

Zhao Yingjun also added:
"Qiaoqiao drew many pictures, but she was never satisfied with them, so she drew again and again... She drew until the early morning, and then she was satisfied with this picture. She revised it for a long time before going to bed."

"I advised her for a long time yesterday, saying that for a beginner, especially a self-taught painter, it's already very good to be able to draw like this, and there's no need to set such high standards or be a perfectionist."

"But Qiaoqiao seemed to be obsessed. She made very high demands for no apparent reason. She said that you were very good to her and she wanted to paint the best picture for you to express her gratitude."

……

Listening to Zhao Yingjun's description.

Lin Xian could also roughly imagine the scene where Yan Qiaoqiao kept squeezing watercolors at home all day yesterday.

Crowded from morning till night.

I probably have to change the water in the bucket for washing brushes several times. And I am so serious about it...

I just want to paint the most perfect and exquisite portrait of myself.

Because of this, I stayed up until very late at night before going to bed.

Lin Xian couldn't help but sigh:

"It's a good idea, but there's no need to be so anxious... Qiaoqiao, you can take your time to paint and learn. I'm not in a hurry to receive a gift either. I'll be just as happy no matter when you give me this painting."

however……

Yan Qiaoqiao shook her head:

"It must be delivered today."

"Why?" Lin Xian was a little puzzled.

Yan Qiaoqiao once again extended her right index finger and pointed at the back of the picture frame in Lin Xian's hand:
“I wrote it down at the back.”

Lin Xian finally reacted.

It turns out there is something on the back.

He turned the picture frame over and found a handwritten greeting card pinned to the back. In the beautiful handwriting, three sentences were written:

[Happy Father’s Day to Brother Lin Xian!]

Thank you for being my dad and accompanying me to Disneyland...

Really happy. 】

……

……

For a while.

Lin Xian felt as if his airway was blocked by something.

It was an indescribable feeling.

He suddenly realized...

Why does it have to be today?

Why did Yan Qiaoqiao stay up so late yesterday and couldn't wait to see me today?

because……

Nowadays.

June 2024, 6, is actually Father’s Day.

Father's Day has always been an inconspicuous and less remembered holiday among all the annual festivals.

Many men themselves are not aware of the arrival of the festival... and probably rarely receive gifts from children on this day.

But Lin Xian never expected it.

The first Father's Day in my life came so unexpectedly, and I received the first Father's Day gift in my life unexpectedly.

No words can express it.

Lin Xian admitted that he was indeed at a loss for words at this moment and didn't know what to say.

before coming here.

He was extremely suspicious of Yan Qiaoqiao's intentions and was afraid that he would lose his head.

After all, it’s a nice day, why are you so anxious to see me?

original……

I want to give myself a Father's Day gift.

Even though in Yan Qiaoqiao's eyes, he is not her biological father, that trip to Disney did make her feel the warmth and care of family.

therefore.

She just wanted to give herself a gift and express her gratitude on this special day of Father's Day.

Lin Xian still didn't know what to say.

After all, the relationship between the three people at the dinner table is so complicated... It's full of truth and falsehood, time and space, and it would be impossible to explain it clearly without elaborating for half an hour.

But it's okay.

The names are all fake, but the emotions are real.

"Thank you."

Lin Xian looked at Yan Qiaoqiao and said softly:

"In fact, I seldom receive gifts... I have never had the habit of celebrating my birthday, and no one has given me gifts on other holidays. This Father's Day gift came very unexpectedly and is very precious... I will cherish it."

He placed the glass picture frame gently on the seat next to him and moved it inward for fear that it would fall.

At this time.

The waiter also placed a large amount of mutton and beef on the rack, and the red oil and clear soup in the double-flavored pot on the table were boiling hot.

Yan Qiaoqiao pointed at the blood-red beef and mutton, her eyes shining:

"meat!"

"Good good."

Lin Xian took the initiative to stand up and put the meat into the pot for Yan Qiaoqiao with a smile:

"Eat more, gain some weight, and be stronger."

……

After finishing the hot pot.

It was rare for the three of them to meet, and Yan Qiaoqiao liked to stick to Lin Xian so much, so it was naturally impossible for them to disband on the spot.

So we went to the nearby park to play.

It was Sunday.

There were a lot of people in the park, adults and children filled every corner, and the sounds of playing and chasing were constant.

Naturally, there are always small vendors in such places.

"what."

Yan Qiaoqiao suddenly stopped and pointed at an old man in front of her who was selling various cartoon masks:

"Rhine Cat."

"Huh? Where?"

Lin Xian looked in the direction of Yan Qiaoqiao's index finger...

It really is.

This uncle's stall has a wide variety of cartoon masks, including Ultraman, Armor Hero, and some anime characters from the Sakura Country. It can be said that he has everything.

Lin Xian is not surprised at all that these super IPs have mask peripherals.

But the mask of the Rhine cat.

It was the first time he saw it in real life.

because……

This thing shouldn't exist!

Rhine Company has not sold the copyright to any toy company so far. All peripheral products are now produced and sold by itself. Among the various peripheral branches, there is no mask production line at all.

So it goes without saying that this uncle is selling pirated products.

"Do you want to?"

Lin Xian asked Yan Qiaoqiao.

"want to."

Yan Qiaoqiao looked at the children laughing and playing on the lawn next to her. They were wearing various Ultraman masks on their faces and posing in various ways, such as sliding or elbowing... They looked like they wanted to join the match.

"Then I'll buy it for you."

Lin Xian stood up:
"Which one do you want? An Ultraman like them? Or the Rhine Cat mask?"

"I like Rhine Cat's."

"Okay, let's go buy it now."

So, the three of them came to the uncle who was selling masks.

Lin Xian pointed at the Rhine Cat mask:
"How to sell this mask?"

"Five dollars each, ten dollars for three."

The uncle picked up the three remaining Rhine Cat masks and handed them over:
"There are only three left, let's buy them together! The three of us can wear them and we will be a complete family!"

Lin Xian was amused by the uncle's eloquence:
"How can a whole family wear masks?"

"You must cherish the opportunity, young man!"

Seeing that eloquence didn’t work, the uncle started using hunger marketing:

"You have to know that this Rhine Cat mask is not something you can buy whenever you want! I can guarantee you that if you leave my shop, you won't be able to find another store that sells Rhine Cat masks in the entire Donghai City! Believe it or not!"

"I believe."

Lin Xian nodded truthfully:
"Who would dare to sell something like this without copyright? If you get caught, you'll lose a lot of money... Only you dare to sell it."

"Then I don't want to sell pirated copies!"

The uncle used a combination of pitiful moves:

"There is no genuine product of this thing. Where can I get it? I am a law-abiding uncle and have been selling masks in this park for more than 20 years... If this Rhine Cat mask is genuine, I will definitely sell the genuine one!"

"So, young man, please be kind and buy all these pirated goods, so that I, your uncle, can have a chance to turn over a new leaf, turn back from my wrong ways, and make a comeback!"

"Alright, alright."

Lin Xian felt that the uncle’s eloquence was only worth 10 yuan, so the three Rhine cat masks could be considered a gift.

Scan the QR code to pay with your mobile phone.

One hand pays the other hand receives the goods.

Obtain Rhine Cat Mask X3.

"Soon the Rhine Cat Mask will have an official license."

Lin Xian told the uncle:

“【We must support genuine products.】”

The uncle shook his Mediterranean hair handsomely:

"Definitely next time."

……

Lin Xian handed a Rhine cat mask to Yan Qiaoqiao.

Yan Qiaoqiao put it on quickly, transformed into a Rhine War Cat, joined the army of sliding and elbowing on the lawn, and started a free fighting match.

Lin Xian took the remaining two masks, walked to Zhao Yingjun, and handed her one:
"One for each of us."

"I'll talk to Brother Wang later and ask him to find a better OEM factory to start producing genuine Rhine Cat masks... Whether it makes money or not is secondary. Anyway, this thing doesn't cost much and the profit is not much. Just consider it as cultivating the awareness of genuine products among the new generation of children."

Zhao Yingjun took the Rhine Cat mask with a smile and looked at it:

"Honestly, I haven't played with this kind of stuff since I was a kid, and I don't know what it's like to wear a mask."

Lin Xian looked at the Rhine cat mask in his hand.

Feel……

This mask is the source of all the troubles.

In the first dream, the big-faced cat was wearing a Rhine cat mask on his face; in the second dream, the Rhine cat mask was on his own face again.

In my dreams after that, there was no more occasion or need to wear a mask.

The biggest significance of a mask is to cover the face and conceal one's identity. Generally speaking, there is no need to wear a mask unless you are engaging in criminal activities.

He raised his head.

Look at the scorching sun in the sky shining through the treetops, casting rays of sunlight.

The seventh dream of the 0.0000336 world line...

What would that look like?

At this time.

Yan Qiaoqiao, wearing a Rhine Cat mask that covered her features tightly, trotted over and looked up at Lin Xian:

"nailed it."

"what?"

Lin Xian didn't understand for a moment:

"What's done?"

Swish.

Yan Qiaoqiao extended her judging index finger and pointed at the lawn where they had just played.

Lin Xian looked in the direction of the finger——

"hiss."

He couldn't help but gasp.

All the children who were playing and chasing each other on the lawn were now knocked down and thrown over! No one was standing up!

"I go……"

Lin Xian felt a little scalp-tingling, not knowing how to face the aggressive group of parents.

He reached out and pushed up the Rhine Cat mask on Yan Qiaoqiao's face, looking into her innocent and clear eyes:
"Everyone is playing games, it's wrong for you to take it seriously."

"I'm not serious."

Yan Qiaoqiao blinked and tilted her head:
"They fell before I could even exert any strength."

"hehe."

Lin Xian smiled speechlessly:

"You'd better not go in this direction. It makes people... feel insecure."

(End of this chapter)