After Li Fengâs parents saw Han Feiâs dance, they told Han Fei a story they didnât want to remember.
âMy mother died when I was young. My father held up the whole family. Back then, his dance was not appreciated by the mainstream media. Plus, he was quite stubborn. He always only got the small part. Later, due to some conflicts, he was forced to leave the dance crew. He had to work odd jobs to keep us fed.
âBack then, we were really poor. However, father taught us to have pride. Only people like that will live with light. My father was a really good person. After the new neighbor moved there, he went to help a lot because he knew the couple was blind. He even told us kids to play with the neighbor boy.
âThat was when I knew him. His name was Gao Xing.â When Li Fengâs father said this name, his face paled.
âGao Xingâs father lost both of his eyes and one ear in a car accident when he was young. After he grew up, he married a girl who was born blind. Their lives were hard and surrounded by darkness until they had Gao Xing. They named him after happiness. Gao Xingâs arrival was a light into their dark cage. The couple treated the child as a present from heaven.
âGao Xing was raised by blind parents. He had his parentâs good qualities like kindness and gentleness. He was very understanding for his age. He knew that his parents were different from him, so he would use methods other than sight to communicate with them. He would sit beside his parents and describe to them the appearance of his new friends. He would make clay dolls and place them in his fatherâs hands. He would bring flowers home to fill the small space with fragrance.
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âBack then, blind people rarely left the house. Goa Xingâs parents were the same. They depended on weaving stuff to survive. They would leave the house once every weekend. They would bring their woven stuff to the merchants and then go to the market to buy some groceries. Whenever they were outside, Gao Xing was their eyes. He led his parents down the street and accepted the strange looks of others. The blind parent couldnât see the different mocking expressions, but Gao Xing could. When he was very young, he learned the true evil nature of human beings.
âIt was also back then that Gao Xing understood something. He had to work harder than other children to have a normal life.
âThen Gao Xing started school. When Gao Xing met peers his age, he started to change. Other than teaching him kindness, Gao Xingâs parents also instilled fear of the outside world into him. When the other kids talked about the toys they had, Gao Xing realized he had nothing; When the other kids had their parents come to pick them up, Gao Xing had to go home alone; When the other kids were bullied at school, their parents would come to school to fetch them, Gao Xing had to suffer this silently. He didnât want to give his parents trouble. He also didnât want the other children to know his parents were different.â
At this point, Li Fengâs father sighed. âThat school was very desolate. One teacher had to look after so many children. I have no idea whether Gao Xing was bullied or not, but I am sure that was the only school his parents could afford to send him to.â
âThe child had a horrible life. Thatâs not what I expected.â Han Fei was looking for the mastermind of the three crime organizations.
âThen, the intelligent city project started. There were many relocations, robotic advancements, and so on. Robots took over many manual laborers. The blind couple couldnât get work as weavers anymore.
âMy father had a kind heart. After finding out about this, he lied that he knew a few big bosses and would buy the coupleâs stock every month. During that period, the underside of my bed was filled with that stuff.
âThis continued for a long time. The intelligent city slowly came into being, and the two tech giants rose. Our zone slowly became abandoned. More people moved away.
âWhen I was in high school, one night, my father knocked on my door. He told me in a serious tone, something that I still remember to this day.
âHe warned me to stay away from Gao Xingâs family, and we would move away soon.
âI had no idea what he saw or heard. I just thought he was weird. At school the day after, I saw Gao Xing. He was thinner, and he had wounds under his long sleeves. He greeted me with a smile like usual. His expression was sunny. His eyes were filled with kindness and joy.
âI wanted to go to him, but I remembered my fatherâs warning, so I ignored him and left. I could still remember the surprise and disappointment on his face. I was probably his only friend at school.
âEverything changed three months later. When I was preparing for the college entrance exam, Goa Xingâs parents were killed. The murderer was a thief. He was discovered by Gao Xingâs parents, and he killed them in a struggle.
âAfter I heard this news, I went to comfort Gao Xing. His parentâs funeral was the last time I saw him. He told me that he would one day live in the cityâs tallest and most luxurious building. Since people wouldnât respect him, he would make everyone fear him. I couldnât understand what he was saying. I couldnât understand how a kind boy turned out to be like this.
âAt the time, I pitied Gao Xing, but my father hated him. He didnât even attend the coupleâs funeral.
âAfter we moved away, my familyâs luck became better. Fatherâs dance was recognized and he earned so much money. We didnât need to worry anymore. We moved to the intelligent cityâŚâLi Fengâs father held his wifeâs hand. âWhen I almost forgot about Gao Xing, my father came to look for me one night. He told me something scary.
âWhen the thief entered the house, Gao Xing was the culprit who caused his parentâs death. He helped the thief to kill his parents.â
Li Feng heard this for the first time too.
âNot long after my father told me that, he went missing. On the third day of his disappearance, we received a pair of eyes and a note. The note said, Do you understand me now?
âThat was when my familyâs situation started to worsen. It was like our luck was used up. Everything I did, I failed at. The situation finally stabilized after Li Feng was born.â
Li Fengâs parents didnât want to talk about this, but they were surprised that Han Fei would know the elderâs dance.
âWere you threatened by Gao Xing? I remember the police offered to help with the disappearance, but you refused.â
âSorry. Thatâs all I can tell you.â Li Fengâs father looked at Han Fei. âStay away from him. Those who get too close, both with good and bad intentions, are all dead.â
âIâll be careful.â
âYou donât get it!â Li Fengâs father was anxious. âHeâs different from the other criminals! HeâŚâ Suddenly there was a strange sound. It sounded like a vase falling to the ground.
âIn any case, donât find him. Throw away that thought.â Li Fengâs father said firmly. âIf you havenât saved my daughter, I wouldnât tell you these things.â The call ended, and silence returned.
âThis is the first time Iâve heard about that person. My parents never told me these things.â Li Feng held her phone.
âThey have already told me a lot.â Han Fei called Li Xue. He wanted her help looking into Gao Xing. A few minutes later, Li Xue brought Han Fei bad news. There was no Gao Xing in the citizenry database. It was like this person didnât exist. However, the database did show that the blind couple was killed by a thief. They didnât have any children. The person Gao Xing appeared to only exist in Li Fengâs fatherâs mind.
âSomethingâs not right.â Han Fei frowned. At that moment, his phone vibrated. It was a call from Seaglass cat. âWhat happened?â
âVegebun just got attacked! They are not simple players!â
âIs she safe?â Han Fei stood up immediately and asked with concern.
âShe was targeted in the game. Iâll have Brother Huang explain it.â Seaglass Cat handed the phone to Huang Yin.
âHan Fei, the enemy this time is not simple. They are the infamous internet hackers!â Huang Yin lowered his voice. âI installed some plug-ins in Seaglass Catâs gaming hub. They would check for viruses. Those hackersâ goal is not to destroy Seaglass Cat and Vegebunâs accounts, but they want to find Seaglass Catâs identity in real life!â
âBut isnât Perfect Life protected by the photon computer?â
âThe Xin Lu Internet Safety protocol is meant to protect all citizens, but these hackers are not simple hackers. They are very good. This time, they work in groups too. I donât get it. Why would Sunny Boy be targeted by so many crazy people?â Huang Yin sighed.
âHow big of a chance that Seaglass Cat and Vegebunâs info had been leaked?â
âThe danger is low this time, but itâll only get worse.â Huang Yin had an expert assess the situation.
âThe online audition is almost over. Iâll back the virtual persona and play back my role.â Han Fei didnât want anyone to be hurt because of him.â
âOkay. Iâll inform Vegebun.â
âŚ
The thick curtains blocked off all the sunlight. Even though it was noon, this moldy room still had no light.
Inside a countryside building, a young man was counting money on the table. He hadnât touched cash for a long time already.
âAre you sure the hackers got the right person?â A man with a guinea pig mask sat across from the young man. He studied the document.
âYes. It should be a female player under the male persona. Weâve found the best behavioral analyst to study all of her videos to conclude her habits and personality.â The young man said without lifting his head.
âDid I get the wrong person? But why would her appearance be so coincidental?â Guinea Pig read the document, âFemale, shy, and has a bit of social anxiety around strangers. Will become more relaxed when sheâs in a familiar environment..â
Sunny Boy in the report was very different from the Sunny Boy Guinea Pig knew. âThis is too strange. I better verify this in person.â