Transformed into a heartthrob's simp, every day is a battleground.

Chapter 261 Wild Vegetable Brother

"Really?!" Fang Shuo asked instinctively, but then remembered that Yan Xun was nearby, so he lowered his voice and said, "Didn't I hear that Su Yumin doesn't have any close players?"

Deep down, he didn't really believe Lin Wen's explanation.

After all, no matter how he looked at it, Yan Xun didn't seem like the type to get involved with someone like Su Yumin.

"Many people on the forum have said this."

“And I know a player,” Lin Wen said. “His name is Pei Xingyan. I don’t know if you’ve heard of him.”

"Him?" Fang Shuo had indeed heard of this name before. "I have."

“He didn’t say he wanted to go through the backtracking process before, and it had already reached the assessment stage, but in the end he didn’t go through the backtracking process…” He looked at Lin Wen, “Did he fail the assessment?”

"In that instance, he encountered Su Yumin and Yan Xun."

Lin Wen said, "Pei Xingyan said he could sense that Su Yumin and Yan Xun had a good relationship."

“Maybe he’s spreading rumors?” Fang Shuo said. “He failed the retrospective test, so he got so angry that he started biting everyone he saw.”

“That’s possible.” Lin Wen didn’t refute him, but nodded in agreement.

“However, since he said that Su Yumin and Yan Xun know each other and have some relationship, we should still be careful,” Lin Wen said.

Yan Xun leaned back in her chair and whispered to Lou Yanchuan, "Fang Shuo seems to be whispering about me with Lin Wen."

Lou Yanchuan glanced at it and said, "Aren't they going to try to cover it up?"

"They probably tried to cover it up, but their acting was terrible," Yan Xun commented.

Fang Shuo probably couldn't hide anything. While talking to Lin Wen, he kept glancing at him, while Lin Wen concealed it well, only occasionally looking at him.

He was certain that he did not know Fang Shuo before.

She was also certain that Fang Shuo had treated her as usual at yesterday's party.

The change in attitude occurred after the other party returned home on a foggy day... Fang Shuo and Lin Wen only arrived at the party together after the fog cleared.

Yan Xun's gaze lingered on Fang Shuo for a moment before shifting to Lin Wen.

Lin Wen was whispering to Fang Shuo, her gaze secretly observing Yan Xun. Noticing Yan Xun's gaze, she also looked up.

Yan Xun leaned back in his chair and met her gaze.

"What's the matter?" Yan Xun spoke first.

Lin Wen shook her head, then looked at Fang Shuo beside her, choosing not to confront Yan Xun directly.

Yan Xun poked at the cake on the plate in front of him with his fork. He didn't know Fang Shuo, nor did he know Lin Wen.

Based on his and Lou Yanchuan's previous speculations about professions and NPCs, Lin Wen was clearly an NPC.

What puzzled Yan Xun a little was that the NPCs didn't seem to need to target him like this.

...He quickly went through the list in his mind, thinking about the people who had a grudge against him and who knew he had entered this instance.

He doesn't know many players in the game.

Only Sun Zhao, Gu Jia, and Li Wu knew he had entered this instance. If the three of them had a grudge against him, there would be no need for him to go to such lengths.

The rest.

Suddenly, a name popped into Yan Xun's mind.

Wen Yuanzheng.

Although the other party has died in the Evil Spirit Sea instance, the old man on the other party's body has not disappeared. Since he has the map of this instance, it is normal for the old man to know the detailed information of this instance.

But the question is, is it even possible?

Yan Xun looked at Lin Wen.

Could Lin Wen be an old man?

If the other person is indeed an old man, then whether she is an NPC or a player is probably debatable.

If the other party knows the information about the instance in advance, they can take advantage of the information gap and make them think that "she" is an NPC instead of a player.

Perhaps Yan Xun's attention was focused on Lin Wen for too long, because the other people at the table also noticed their little commotion.

Shu Fan's expression was a little unnatural, and Yan Xun guessed that he was worried that he would directly say that Lin Wen might be an NPC.

Finally, Yan Xun leaned back in his chair and looked out the window. "Can we call him in now?"

"Ask him for information as well."

The other people at the table had different opinions. Some thought it was unnecessary, wondering what an NPC could possibly ask, while others felt it wouldn't hurt to ask.

So Yan Xun pushed back his chair, stood up, strode to the door, and opened it—

Bamboo Pole stood at the door in a daze. He was probably startled by the sudden noise behind him. His body trembled violently, and he instinctively curled up.

He only relaxed slightly when he turned around and saw that it was Yan Xun.

“...It’s you.” Bamboo Pole said softly.

"Okay." Yan Xun leaned against the door. "Go in."

"It's your turn to speak."

Bamboo Pole didn't ask why it wasn't his turn to speak before, but now it was his turn to speak.

He seemed quite used to this unfair treatment, simply nodding, then looking at Yan Xun, who was almost blocking the doorway, with a troubled expression, "I can't get through."

Yan Xun looked down at himself, then at the gap next to the door. "That's enough."

"That's enough of you."

He wasn't wrong. The bamboo pole was extremely tall and thin, just like his nickname. If you were careful, you could easily squeeze through the gap between Yan Xun and the door frame.

Bamboo Pole looked somewhat troubled.

He looked at Yan Xun again, as if hoping that he would change his mind.

But Yan Xun remained motionless, leaning against the door frame, showing no intention of moving aside.

Bamboo Pole seemed to realize that Yan Xun was making things difficult for him... so he took a deep breath, curled up, and prepared to squeeze past him.

Just as his body was about to touch Yan Xun, Yan Xun stepped back, clearing a path for him to pass.

"?" Bamboo Pole looked at Yan Xun in confusion.

"If you're unwilling and find it inconvenient, why don't you just tell me to move aside?" Yan Xun asked.

Bamboo Pole seemed to understand his meaning. After a while, it seemed that Bamboo Pole understood Yan Xun's implication and stammered, "...But you said you could get through."

“But it seems like you don’t think that way,” Yan Xun said.

Bamboo Pole's expression changed, looking a little aggrieved and confused; in short, it was...

You know perfectly well, so why are you making things difficult for me?

It looks just like a stray dog ​​that whines after being kicked.

But he couldn't say these words, so he could only look at Yan Xun silently, expressing his dissatisfaction with his eyes.

“If you don’t want to, just say so.” Yan Xun remained in that position, turning back to look at the group of people craning their necks and staring at them at the table—like a flock of geese eyeing a feeding bowl—this inappropriate analogy suddenly popped into his head.

"For example, just now, when your roommate told you to leave," Yan Xun asked, "did you just obediently walk to the door and stand there?"

Bamboo Pole was somewhat clumsy with emotions, but he also subtly sensed that Yan Xun was dissatisfied with Cun Tou's behavior of ordering him around.

He couldn't tell if it was kindness or pity, so he could only awkwardly say, "I'm used to it."

He looked at Yan Xun, "...Don't be angry."

"I'm used to it."

Yan Xun: "…………………………"

He looked at the bamboo pole with disbelief. "You said you're used to it?"

Yan Xun didn't know how to describe his feelings at that moment. If he had to say something, it would be that he advised his friend not to wash his underwear with a cold face and dig for wild vegetables with tears in his eyes. His friend replied, "I'm used to it. Washing my underwear with a cold face saves electricity, and digging for wild vegetables is healthy too."

Yan Xun stared at the bamboo pole for a while, then said, "Whatever makes you happy."

"Wild Vegetable Bro, please."

He made an inviting gesture as he spoke.

Although Zhugan didn't understand why Yan Xun called him "Wild Vegetable Brother," he was still a little happy inside. "Is this the nickname you gave me?"

Yan Xun: "? Is that so?"

Yan Xun thought to himself, "Is this an expression of dissatisfaction towards him?"

Unexpectedly, the bamboo pole happily replied, "That's great."

"I've heard that close friends often give each other nicknames." He looked at Yan Xun. "Have our relationship gotten better?"

This was the first time Yan Xun had been rendered speechless by someone. Of course, he could also say that even when the relationship was bad, nicknames would be given to each other.

Seeing how happy Zhugan was, he decided not to say anything, otherwise he would really feel like a villain who kicked a stray dog.

Perhaps because they had been lingering at the door for too long, the man with the buzz cut was getting impatient. "What are you two talking about?"

"Hurry up and come in."

Lou Yanchuan chimed in, "It would be troublesome if we accidentally ran into a neighbor." He looked at Yan Xun and Zhugan, "Let's go inside and talk."

Yan Xun took a few steps back, with Zhu Gan following behind him, and closed the gate behind him.

After Yan Xun returned to the dining table, he sat back in his original seat, while Zhu Gan remained in the corner.

Du Yun looked at the bamboo pole and asked, "Why don't you tell me about yourself?"

Bamboo Pole looked a little bewildered, glancing around. "What did you say?"

"Shall we talk about your past?"

“For example, he just lost his job and suspects he has a conflict with the company.” Du Yun pointed to the shirt. “The two of them are best friends who grew up together.”

"What about you?"

Du Yun asked, "Why don't you talk about your past too?"

Bamboo Pole looked a little puzzled, as if he didn't understand why they, as ordinary neighbors, were sitting here talking about the past.

He subconsciously glanced at Yan Xun diagonally opposite him, only to see that Yan Xun's gaze was fixed on the coffee in front of him, unaware of his gaze.

Lou Yanchuan noticed Zhugan's gaze and whispered to Yan Xun, "He's looking at you."

Yan Xun didn't move his mouth: "I know."

"Then why don't you look at him?" Lou Yanchuan asked without moving his mouth. "He's so pitiful."

Yan Xun found Lou Yanchuan quite perplexing. He glanced at him and asked, "When did you become so compassionate?"

"Aren't you the kind-hearted one?" Lou Yanchuan asked. "You always go up to cats and dogs and show them some concern."

They spoke in low voices and barely moved their mouths, so the others at the table did not notice their little exchange.

Seeing that Yan Xun hadn't noticed him, Zhu Gan was a little disappointed, but he cheered up and said, "They and I were college classmates."

"We lived in the same dormitory."

He stopped there.

Du Yun, who was waiting for him to continue speaking, waited for a while, and seeing that he hadn't spoken yet, asked in surprise, "Are you done?"

“…Hmm.” Bamboo Pole nodded. “Is there anything else I should say?”

"Tell me about your family situation," Du Yun asked. "How did you meet them?"

"And why do you work at night?"

Although he didn't understand, Zhu Gan continued, "I went to work because I needed money."

"We were college roommates, and we naturally got to know each other while living together."

He said this without looking at his buzz cut and shirt, "My family situation is very simple, I live alone."

Upon hearing this, the man with the buzz cut spread his hands, revealing an expression that said, "I knew it."

“We’ve asked them before,” the man with the buzz cut said, “but we didn’t get any useful information.”

"Is so-and-so coming today?" The man with the buzz cut glanced at his phone. "He said he's a bit busy at the amusement park and won't be able to make it to our gathering."

"Have you talked to him?" Shu Fan asked.

"Him?" The crew-cut man thought for a moment. "He comes from an ordinary family, not from the local area. He's a kind-hearted person in the dormitory and really enjoys working out."

"Oh, by the way, he and Bamboo Pole get along quite well."

The man with the buzz cut looked at the bamboo pole and asked, "You two seem to have a pretty good relationship, right? The one who likes to work out?"

Bamboo Pole probably never expected that Crew Head would talk to him. After hearing what he said, he thought for a while before nodding.

Since they had already exchanged information and there was nothing more to be gained by continuing the conversation, some people prepared to leave.

"I'm going home for a visit." Du Yun pushed back his chair and stood up.

The man with the buzz cut also stood up, "I'm going back too."

"If anything happens, we'll discuss it in the group chat."

In this instance, mobile phones could be used normally, so they created a group and invited all the players to join.

Of course, no one pulled the bamboo pole, since everyone at the table knew that he, like Shuangshuang, was an NPC.

“Then let’s leave too,” Fang Shuo said.

Lin Wen nodded as well.

Yan Xun then looked at Shuangshuang, "And you?"

"I want to stay a little longer," Shuangshuang said.

Yan Xun then looked at Shu Fan, who nodded in agreement.

So the remaining people left one after another, and for a while, only Yan Xun's family was left in Shu Fan and Duan Songen's house.

Once the door was closed again, Shu Fan stood up and said, "I'll go brew another pot of tea."

"I'll help you." Duan Songen stood up and followed Shu Fan.

Yan Xun and Lou Yanchuan sat where they were, while Shuangshuang happily dug into the cake... Only after Shu Fan and Duan Songen disappeared from the living room did Yan Xun speak, "Shu Fan must have noticed that Lin Wen is different."

“The clues about his profession are too obvious,” Lou Yanchuan said. “It’s not surprising that people guessed it.”

"I felt that Fang Shuo and Lin Wen were constantly sizing me up," Yan Xun said.

Lou Yanchuan, of course, also noticed the way the two people were sizing him up.

What are you trying to say?

"Do you think it's possible..." Yan Xun looked at Lou Yanchuan, "that Lin Wen is the old man?"

“The other party might not be an NPC, but actually a player.” He thought for a moment, “Because she knew the information about the dungeon map, she disguised her identity in advance and used words to make us mistakenly believe that she was an NPC.”

"That's possible," Lou Yanchuan nodded.

"So what do you want to do?"

Yan Xun did not answer; his gaze fell in the direction where Shu Fan and Duan Songen had disappeared.

"You want them to test the waters?" Lou Yanchuan immediately realized Yan Xun's thoughts.

“I can’t go,” Yan Xun said. “They’re wary of me.”

"They already have some doubts about Lin Wen's identity, so they can take this opportunity to verify their guesses."