Am I a Kamen Rider or the real young master who was switched at birth?

The night wind left the KTV's neon sign behind them. When Ye Yang carried Lin Ying out of the revolving door, the outside world was as quiet as if it had been muted.

The streetlights cast long shadows of the two people as they slowly moved forward on the paved sidewalk.

Lin Ying lay on Ye Yang, her arms loosely wrapped around his neck.

Her chin rested in the hollow of his right shoulder near his collarbone, and her long, silvery-white hair fell down from both sides, covering Ye Yang's chest like a curtain.

Her eyes were closed, her eyelashes casting two faint fan-shaped shadows under the streetlights, and a smile on her lips that only she knew how sweet it was.

"Are you feeling any better?" Ye Yang turned his head slightly and asked in a very soft voice.

Lin Ying lifted her face slightly from his shoulder. Her light gray eyes sparkled under the streetlights, like two stars just scooped from the bottom of a lake.

She glanced at Ye Yang, then quickly buried her face back, saying softly:

"Still—still a little dizzy. A tiny bit better than before—just a tiny bit. It's probably because the air outside is cooler than inside the room, and the breeze makes me even more dizzy."

As she spoke, she snuggled closer to him, pressing her face even closer.

Ye Yang felt that something was not quite right. He supported Lin Ying's shoulder with one hand, then reached back with his other hand, his fingers naturally resting on her wrist that was hanging in front of her chest.

His pulse was steady and strong, with an even rhythm, even more composed than the man who had just finished singing.

He tilted his head, a hint of amusement in his voice, and said, "Your pulse is even steadyer than mine—Old Qin said I'm now a fully qualified apprentice at pulse diagnosis, so don't try to fool me. Your heart was beating quite fast in the private room just now, but it's gone down now. Theoretically, you shouldn't still be dizzy."

Lin Ying stiffened almost imperceptibly against him. Then she slumped against his back, like a cat softened by the sun, her voice soft and sweet, utterly irresistible, as she said:

"I—I'm not lying to you. I'm not sick—I'm just—I'm too tired. I haven't been sleeping well these past few days."

"The auction... Before, I was thinking about those silent beast cores, and... I was worried that the organization's people might suddenly rush in. Later, when you chased after Hai Dong Da Shu out, I was watching the outside of the private room, afraid that you would get hurt."

"I—I didn't pretend to be sick. I just relax, and my whole body just... goes limp, I have no strength, and I just want to lie down."

Ye Yang lifted her up a bit to make her lie more steadily.

"Let's go back then. Anyway, Han Shuang and the others are still arguing about the arranged marriage inside, and my eldest and second eldest sisters will probably keep trying to break it up for a while. It's better if we leave first. You should go back and get some rest. If you sleep in tomorrow, you should be able to calm down."

Lin Ying didn't move. She looked down at the tips of her shoes, her hands twisted together in front of her.

She seemed to be going through an extremely difficult internal struggle. Her lips opened and closed several times, her ears turned red at a visible speed, and she made a few soft syllables in her throat, but she couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.

Then, as if she had finally mustered up her courage, she raised her head and looked at Ye Yang. Her silvery-white eyelashes fluttered gently under the streetlights, and the warm yellow light from the street reflected in her light gray eyes.

"I don't want to ride in the car—it'll be stuffy inside, and I'll feel even more dizzy. Could you—could you carry me back?"

After she finished speaking, she pulled her face back and hid the tip of her nose in the small section of his shirt collar that had been turned up.

Ye Yang paused for a moment. It would take at least half an hour to walk back to the Lin family from here, but the weather was indeed nice tonight, with a cool breeze. He could take a walk to clear his mind.

"Alright—let's walk back then. It'll be good for you to get some fresh air and clear your head."

He turned around so his back was to her, and bent his knees slightly: "Get on. But let me make this clear first, I learned my carrying skills from Qin Buwen. He said I'm not as good as Long Aotian, so you'll have to make do."

Lin Ying took a step forward and gently placed her hands on Ye Yang's shoulders.

Her fingers trembled slightly when they touched the fabric of his suit jacket, and then she leaned against him, pressing her cheek against his back.

Ye Yang supported her knees with both hands and stood up steadily.

She was surprisingly light, probably because she trained too hard at military school and had no extra weight on her body.

Her long, silvery-white hair fell down from both sides, brushing against Ye Yang's arms, carrying a faint scent of shampoo.

She buried her face in his back, then gently closed her eyes, a smile that only she knew appeared on her lips.

A night breeze blew from the street corner, brushing against the ends of her hair that hung outside Ye Yang's arm. She secretly opened one eye to peek at Ye Yang's profile, then quickly closed it again, snuggling closer to his back like a kitten that had found the best sleeping position.

Ye Yang carried her slowly along the sidewalk, the sycamore trees on the street casting dappled shadows under the streetlights.

After walking for a while, he turned his head slightly and asked her, "Are you feeling any better?" Lin Ying lifted her face off his back a little and softly hummed in agreement.

Ye Yang thought that the girl was probably really tired, so he didn't ask any more questions, but simply made his steps more steady.

The road from the KTV back to the Lin family's house happens to pass by the most famous snack street in Jiangcheng.

Before even reaching the street corner, the surging crowds and the aroma of various foods wafted towards you.

The charcoal fire at the barbecue stalls exploded with orange-red sparks in the night, the grilled squid sizzled on the scalding hot iron plate, and the uncle selling fried yogurt tapped the iron plate with a spatula, shouting, "A combination of hot and cold, don't miss it!"

The whole street felt like it had been stuffed into a giant oven filled with the warmth of fireworks, making you feel warm from the stomach to the heart.

Lin Ying shifted slightly on Ye Yang's back. She heard a soft gurgling sound from her stomach, and she quickly pressed her stomach, as if that would suppress the sound.

But Ye Yang's ears were too sharp. He paused, turned his head to look at the silver-haired kitten on his back that was pretending nothing had happened: "Are you hungry?"

Lin Ying's face flushed bright red, reaching her ears. She buried her face in Ye Yang's back, stammering for a while before finally managing to squeeze out the words:

"Just a little bit—just a little bit. I was so busy drinking hot cocoa in the private room that I didn't eat much. Han Li gave me that cookie, saying I looked like I was about to faint from hunger—but I was too embarrassed to finish it all because Han Shuang kept staring at me."

"I—I'm just hungry, not dizzy. The dizziness happened earlier, now it's hunger. Two—two different things."

Ye Yang looked at the brightly lit food street ahead and chuckled, "Shall we eat at home or now?"

Lin Ying gently squeezed the collar of his shirt, her soft, sweet voice coming from behind him: "Eat something—now. My head feels a little better now—really. It's just that I'm so hungry, I feel like I could swallow a whole cow."

Ye Yang carried her into the brightly lit snack street, becoming the most eye-catching sight on the entire street.

People around started whispering. A little girl selling milk tea almost poured the tapioca pearls into the oil pan of the fried chicken stall next door. Several girls who were shopping together turned their heads to look at the teppanyaki tofu stall several times as they walked past it.

Lin Ying felt those gazes gathering towards her from all directions.

She buried her face deep in Ye Yang's back, her voice muffled and panicked as she said:

"Or—please put me down. I can walk by myself. There are too many people here—they're all looking at us. Is my hair a mess? Are your clothes wrinkled because of me?"

"How about we hurry up and find a secluded spot to talk? Or—we can eat somewhere else, it doesn't have to be here. I remember there's a convenience store up ahead, we can buy instant noodles to take back and eat."

Ye Yang didn't seem to care at all. He even lifted her up slightly, firmly supporting her knees, and said in a natural tone:

"Didn't you say you weren't feeling well and couldn't walk steadily? There are so many people here, what if you fall? Besides, instant noodles aren't enough. It's okay, I'll carry you. What do you want to eat? I know this street well."

As he said this, he glanced back at Lin Ying and saw her peeking half her face out from over his shoulder.

Her light gray eyes sparkled in the surrounding neon lights as she listened with curiosity and attentiveness to his detailed and knowledgeable introduction of each stall.

"This roasted pig's trotters are amazing. The outside is roasted until crispy and crunchy, while the inside is soft and chewy. You can even see the strings when you bite into them—no, the pig's trotters don't actually have strings, but they're just incredibly fragrant."

"And that sizzling tofu, sprinkled with chili powder and cumin, makes the neighbor's kids drool. When I was in the orphanage, I always thought about bringing them steamed buns to eat, but I didn't have enough money back then, so I could only buy one serving to share. Now you can have as many servings as you want."

While carrying Lin Ying on his back, Ye Yang nimbly weaved between the various stalls, continuing his eloquent introductions.

Lin Ying rested her chin on Ye Yang's shoulder, listening to him utter the names of foods she had never heard before. She thought Ye Yang's way of speaking was more interesting than any food documentary she had ever seen.

Finally, Ye Yang picked out several snacks according to Lin Ying's usual tastes, and then gently placed Lin Ying on the plastic stool behind the stall.

This barbecue stall is the most popular spot on the whole street, with people coming and going, and the noise drowns out the volume of whispers.

Lin Ying sat on the slightly wobbly plastic stool, her hands neatly placed on her knees, her light gray eyes curiously and earnestly surveying her surroundings.

The barbecue stall next door was emitting white smoke, the uncle at the next table was haggling with the proprietress for an extra spoonful of chili, and two kids across the street were arguing fiercely about who should take the first sip of the milk tea.

She felt as if Ye Yang had taken her to an amusement park she had never been to before, where everything was so new and exciting that she wanted to take a closer look.

Ye Yang handed a skewer of freshly grilled squid to Lin Ying's mouth.

The squid tentacles were still steaming slightly on the skewers, the sauce gleaming an enticing caramel color under the light, and cumin seeds and chili powder were evenly sprinkled on top.

He held out a tissue in his other hand, waiting below, and said in a light tone, "Try it, this place has the best grilled squid I've ever had. The owner used to run a food stall by the sea, and his seafood grilling skills are a family tradition."

Lin Ying looked down at the skewer of steaming squid in front of her, then looked up at Ye Yang's hand, which was holding a tissue under her chin.

She hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to eat. From childhood, her dining table had always been set with exquisite plates and cutlery, and each dish had a fixed way of being eaten.

The squid skewer in front of her, stuck straight on the metal stick and still dripping sauce, was clearly not within the scope of the set of utensils she had learned to use.

She leaned closer, gently bit the very end of the squid tentacle with her lips, and then slowly backed away, trying to pull it off the skewer.

The squid tentacles were more resilient than she had imagined. She tried to pull them but couldn't budge them. She froze there, her mouth still on the squid tentacles, her eyes wide open as she stared at Ye Yang.

She felt that she looked like a kitten holding a ball of yarn in its mouth, not knowing how to let go.

Seeing her in a dilemma, Ye Yang tried hard to suppress his laughter and picked up another bamboo skewer to help her remove the squid tentacles from the iron skewer.

The squid tentacles finally landed in Lin Ying's mouth. She chewed them twice, and then her light gray eyes suddenly lit up.

The savory aroma of the sauce, the spiciness of the cumin, and the natural sweetness of the squid exploded in her mouth simultaneously. She paused for a moment, then covered her mouth with the back of her hand and let out a genuine gasp of surprise:

"Mmm—delicious! This flavor—I don't know how to describe it, it's just—a very lively flavor."

Ye Yang couldn't help but laugh as he watched her with sauce on her lips, oblivious to it, and as she tried to describe the taste in her mouth.

He instinctively reached out and quickly wiped the sauce from the corner of her mouth with a tissue.

Lin Ying felt the rough texture of the tissue brush against the corner of her mouth, and she froze for a moment as if a pause button had been pressed, her ears slowly turning red.

Just then, the excited chatter of several girls came from the next table.

They were probably students visiting the food street, carrying hot milk tea and kebabs they had just bought.

They huddled together, scrutinizing the table with an extremely professional gossip-loving eye.

Lin Ying's hearing was more acute than Ye Yang's. She heard every word the girls said as soon as they opened their mouths, and her face turned red from her ears to her forehead at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The girls next to them changed the subject and continued whispering among themselves.

Just as Ye Yang was about to turn his head to explain, he suddenly felt his sleeve being tugged very lightly.

He looked down and saw Lin Ying clutching a small piece of fabric from the cuff of his right sleeve with two fingers.

She didn't look at him, but her voice was even softer than before as she said, "Let's go, it's too crowded here, I want to eat somewhere less crowded."

Ye Yang looked at the hand that was gripping his sleeve and responded, then tied the bag of snacks in a knot on his wrist and bent down in front of her again.

As Lin Ying watched that familiar figure reappear before her, the faint smile on her lips deepened even further.

She obediently climbed up, then buried her face in the back of his neck and closed her eyes contentedly.

After leaving the food street, the world became quiet again.

Ye Yang walked slowly along the river embankment. The streetlights became increasingly sparse, and the fishing lights flickered on the distant river surface.

Lin Ying lay on his back, one hand holding a bag of snacks, the other clutching a piece of fabric from his sleeve, and didn't say anything more.

Ye Yang didn't urge her, but simply walked slowly along the embankment lined with osmanthus trees.

The osmanthus trees are not yet in full bloom, but a few early bloomers have already eagerly sprouted buds, secretly letting out a few sweet fragrances in the night breeze.

Lin Ying suddenly reached out and gently pressed his shoulder.

"Shall we sit here for a while? I want to finish eating these things before going back—they won't taste good if they get cold. Besides, it's so quiet here, and the river breeze is so pleasant."

Ye Yang looked in the direction she was pointing, then placed her on the stone bench by the embankment.

The river water gently lapped against the embankment at my feet, and the neon lights of the distant city blurred into a gentle halo in the night.

Lin Ying sat on the stone chair, gently placing the paper bowl on her lap, and ate the sizzling tofu that Ye Yang had bought for her in small bites.

After eating for a while, she suddenly stopped eating and turned her head to look at Ye Yang.

The moonlight fell on her profile, making her light gray eyes appear exceptionally clear.

"Ye Yang—will you marry into the Han or Zhou family in the future?" She looked down at the half-eaten skewer of grilled squid in her hand, her fingers unconsciously twirling the bamboo skewer.

"Just now, Sister Han Shuang said she wanted her father to prepare the bride price, and she said it as if she wasn't joking. And Sister Zhou Zhi—she's usually never excited. I've known Sister Zhou Zhi for many years, and the last time her hands trembled was last year when she was dissecting a highly venomous monstrous beast. So—I want to know what you think."

Ye Yang was stuffing a whole takoyaki into his mouth when he heard the question and almost jumped off the stone chair because he was burned.

He took several deep breaths of cold air before he could swallow the small meatball.

He opened his mouth, fanned his tongue with his hand, and then gulped down a large mouthful of cola before he could catch his breath.

He placed the can of cola on the stone bench and said with a hint of helplessness in his voice:

"All this talk of arranged marriages is just them spreading rumors. I've only known Sister Han Shuang for a few days; I've met her once at a banquet and once at an auction."

"I don't know Zhou Zhi very well. Although she is indeed very capable and has helped me a lot, the way she looks at me is more like she's looking at a specimen that needs protection. And—"

His tone suddenly became more serious, and his gaze shifted from the fishing lights on the river back to Lin Ying's face.

"Right now, all I can think about is the Zero Organization. Where is that cocoon Shen Yunzhou left behind? The people in the organization are still watching us from the outside. At a time like this, I don't even want to waste time sleeping, let alone think about anything else. Marriage or anything like that—I haven't even considered it."

He placed the empty Coke can on the stone bench, then pushed the takoyaki paper bowl toward Lin Ying.

He turned the bamboo skewer in his mouth around and pointed with the clean end at the piece of tofu in her bowl that she hadn't eaten yet.

"Didn't you say you were going to swallow a whole cow? How come you haven't even finished a piece of tofu yet?"

Lin Ying lowered her head, softly hummed in agreement, then used a bamboo skewer to pick up the slightly cooled tofu and put it in her mouth to chew slowly.

As she chewed, she repeated a few words in a voice only she could hear: "Never thought about it—um."

As she chewed, she suddenly noticed that the corners of her mouth seemed to be turning up, so she quickly picked up the paper bowl to cover her face.

After a while, Lin Ying neatly placed the chopsticks on the paper bowl.

A night breeze blew from the river, gently lifting the stray hairs on her forehead. She reached up and tucked the hair behind her ear, then mustered her courage to speak.

"Today—in the private room, when I heard you say that you were 'just a passing online singer'—" Her fingers unconsciously traced the edge of the paper bowl as she looked at the still flickering fishing light on the river not far away, her voice gradually fading.

"I'm really happy. I've listened to every single one of your songs countless times. When I'm exhausted after training, when I can't sleep at night, when I'm wrapped in a blanket in my dorm watching the snow fall outside—I listen to them all the time."

"That song, 'Little Dimples'—every time I listen to it, I think the person who wrote it must be a very, very gentle person. Now that I know he's sitting next to me, wiping the sauce from the corner of my mouth, I feel—this is probably the best thing that's happened to me this year. So—are those people online saying you wrote a song for your first love true?"

Ye Yang placed the bamboo skewer next to the paper bowl and tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of the stone chair a few times.

He suddenly laughed and said firmly, "Fake—all fake. I don't know where those comments came from, things like first love in school, rich girl, her dad disapproving—written more completely than a novel."

"When I was in the orphanage, let alone dating, Aunt Zhang was so strict. If I dared to date too early, she would deduct my allowance until next year."

He pointed to the magenta camera on his chest and said earnestly:

"My first love was this camera. It's the most important thing I have in my past and present lives—besides Aunt Zhang and the Lin family. So don't worry, all those rumors online are made up. I don't even know what my first love looked like."

Lin Ying chuckled softly. She placed the paper bowl on her lap, looked down at the remaining skewers in the bowl slowly soaking into the sauce, and couldn't suppress the faint smile on her lips.

"Then—can you teach me? Teach me to sing—just when it's just the two of us, and nobody else is around."

"I want to learn your song 'Little Dimples'—I've secretly practiced the chorus several times, but I always crack when I sing the transitions. Or anything else is fine too—I'll learn whatever you write. I—I'm not picky."

She paused for a moment, probably realizing that she had spoken too quickly and hastily, and quickly added a sentence to correct herself.

"Consider it—consider it an extra lesson from when you taught me to play the leaf flute. You said you'd teach me to make a sound, but I still haven't learned."

Ye Yang readily nodded and said that there was nothing difficult about it. He would teach her when he had time when they got back, and he could continue to teach her how to blow leaves. Anyway, the osmanthus tree was still in the yard and wouldn't run away.

After receiving this affirmative answer, Lin Ying visibly relaxed.

She leaned back against the stone chair, her hands resting on the edge, and looked up slightly at the moon in the sky.

The moon is very round tonight, and its silvery light shines on the river, blending with the distant fishing lights, making it impossible to distinguish which are the stars in the sky and which are the lights on the water.

She looked up at it for a long while, then took a deep breath and said in a very soft voice:

"So—if I can't sleep tonight—just—just plain can't sleep. I have a lot of things on my mind, can I come to your room to find you?"

After she finished speaking, she immediately looked away from the moon and focused her gaze back on the bowl of sizzling tofu on her lap, which had already cooled down.

She didn't dare to look up at Ye Yang's expression, but stared at the piece of tofu that had rolled to the edge of the paper bowl and was glistening in the moonlight, her voice growing softer and softer.

"I don't mean to bother you. I just want to hear you sing a song. Or you can go about your business and I'll just sit quietly next to you."

"I can help you organize the cards—although I don't know much about your armor, I can sort the cards by color. Or—or—"

She finally mustered the courage to raise her eyes, glanced quickly at Ye Yang, and then immediately looked away, shrinking back into the shadows under the moonlight. "Or—just stay here."

Ye Yang forked the last takoyaki from the paper bowl and put it in his mouth, then said matter-of-factly:

"Of course you can. Come over if you can't sleep. I usually stay up late too, either organizing cards, adjusting the camera, or writing songs."

"If you come, you can chat with me—and help me try out my new headphones. Besides, your second sister's room is right next to mine. She plays games every night, and if you go to her room and listen to her cursing her teammates until the early hours, you'll definitely have even less sleep."

Lin Ying placed the bamboo skewers next to the paper bowl, crossed her hands on her knees, lowered her head, and let her long, silvery-white hair cover her face.

Moonlight fell on her silvery-white eyelashes, casting two tiny, fine shadows under her eyes.

Then she nodded gently, as if using this gesture to memorize every word Ye Yang had just said.

Okay. It's settled then—I'll come to you if I can't sleep. You don't need to wait for me, just go about your business—don't worry about me. I'm not going to bother you—it's just—it just helps me fall asleep listening to you sing.

She picked up the last piece of tofu from the paper bowl and put it in her mouth. The tofu was indeed a little cold tonight, but she thought it tasted good even cold.