Strange, Too Strange

Lu Jingren placed a hand on Zhang Youji's head. His fingers twitched when he made contact with the child's hair. It was soft but a bit dry due to the split ends that were probably caused by too much exposure to the sun and a lack of nutrients.

Zhang Youji was very frail and thin for a child his age.

Upon contact, Zhang Youji's fingers also twitched as the handsome big brother's thoughts and memories leaked into his mind. He was dazed for almost ten seconds, trying to sort out through the hazy thoughts and onslaught of memories. This meager ten seconds seemed like a whole year as he stood in place without moving an inch.

...

"Jingren! Look! I made you longevity noodles! Try some please."

"Jingren, you're really making things hard for me. You'll get sick if you don't get enough sleep!"

"I know a few massage techniques. Come and lie on the bed."

"Lilian, are you going to leave me...? What did I do wrong? Tell me, I want to understand."

"Lu Jingren! Who told you that you could skip breakfast? Get up!"

"... Lu Jingren, you beast! Boohoo... don't you know any restrain?"

...

Zhang Youji's brows furrowed as he held his head, experiencing a dull ache. This was odd. He was not sure if he was seeing a myriad of dreams or memories. They all felt vague but the voices of people speaking to each other were loud and clear.

Then, there was absolute silence. He waited for a few more minutes but heard and saw nothing again. Goosebumps started to rise from his skin. This was a truly odd encounter.

He 'saw' and 'heard' nothing..

Nothing!

He stared at the big brother infront of him with a strange look. Too quiet. The man's thoughts were too quiet.

Normally, people who were quiet on the outside were talkative inside their minds but this does not seem the case for Lu Jingren.

Zhang Youji was very puzzled.

This was the first time he met someone whose thoughts were hard to decipher. It was silent but he also did not dislike this feeling. Since he could not turn off his ability, everytime he made contact with people, he would be assaulted with the cacophony of noise from dozens of memories and thoughts going on inside a person's mind.

This was the only time he's encountered someone who did not make his head ache.

But the big brother's dreams were really too personal that he felt like eavesdropping. This was similar to the feeling he got everytime his mother and father would talk while he would be asked to go to his room.

Strange.

The big brother was too strange.

It wasn't confirmed yet whether they were dreams or memories but they seemed as though they were real and the handsome big brother kept thinking about them. Zhang Youji glanced behind, searching for a face before his gaze locked on Lilian Mo.

Zhang Youji looked at the beautiful big sister with pity and Lilian Mo who saw this, instantly shivered, sensing danger from that glance.

'What...? What is with that look? ' Lilian Mo suddenly realized that Lu Jingren had touched Zhang Youji's hair. Did this mean that Zhang Youji's ability had already awakened and he was able to read Lu Jingren's thoughts and memories?

Lilian Mo's heart began to beat wildly at this realization. That glance filled with pity that was directed her way was unfathomable and it had to come from Zhang Youji of all people. The child pawn that Sister Xi had raised in her past life.

Lilian Mo swallowed as her arms itched to move. She told herself to relax, reminding herself that this Zhang Youji was not the same child from her past life. This Zhang Youji hadn't done anything against her just yet.

Most of all, Lilian Mo was curious. Why had Zhang Youji acted that way? Why did he look at Lilian Mo with that kind of gaze?

Lilian Mo's thoughts suddenly strayed as she entertained the idea that Zhang Youji might have realized that Lu Jingren was holding a grudge against her and that the grudge was so deep that Lu Jingren was already planning many ways to dispose of her or to atleast get even with her.

Even if this was possible, she was not afraid of him. If they fought, so be it. If he tried to kill her or do her harm, she would not be merciful.

Lilian Mo was no longer the same person. She could stand on her own. The previous life's trajectory where she ended up being his prisoner would no longer happen.

She clenched her smoking fist.

In this life, she would stand at the peak without anyone controlling her.

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