Chapter 62 "Urban Beauty"?

In the end, Zheng Fan still agreed to the literary creation "plagiarism" enterprise.

If Miss Lin Yilin were to work in sales, she would undoubtedly be top-notch. Her composed demeanor gives you the illusion that she is exceptionally professional—though, of course, it doesn't have to be an illusion. While not overly enthusiastic, many people easily fall for this comfortable sense of distance. Building upon that, she would then gently whisper in your ear, introducing all kinds of benefits. When you are slightly swayed yet still hesitant, she would slightly knit her brows, her lips curving into a subtle arc, properly mobilizing facial muscles she might not use for days to display a faint, delicate grievance.

It is neither exaggerated nor conspicuous, but just enough to catch your eye, making you keenly aware of a subtle emotional contagion.

By the time you snap back to reality, it is already the moment she says "Thank you for your patronage" in an exceedingly calm voice.

Just like now. Though her expression remains neutral, based on their time together, Zheng Fan could tell she was in a quite pleased and delighted mood, hugging the still-warm copy of *The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes* that Zheng Fan had just printed out to enjoy it by herself.

That binary little sister is truly terrifying.

How on earth was she raised?

When this question popped into Zheng Fan's mind as he sat on the sofa, he couldn't help but recall his own past.

A pair of eccentric, irresponsible parents—not that they didn't care about you, they simply didn't care what kind of person you would turn into...

Truly, they didn't care at all.

...

"You're asking the meaning of your name? Hahaha, I saw that antisocial personalities were very cool in novels before, and your mother really liked those crazy-lunatic character tropes, so we just went with it. Sorry, haha, it was a bit casual."

"The nurse at the hospital even secretly muttered, 'Who gives their child such a casual name like "Anti"?' I overheard it, dying of laughter."

"Should we change it then? How about 'Dao'? The light of righteousness! So cool. It's fine, I remember people can change their names a few times in their lives; if you don't like it, you can change it later."

"Yeah, living happily is what matters most~."

...

Tch, my fists are clenching.

Zheng Fan opened his eyes, feeling that it was better not to delve too deeply into other people's pasts.

When you try to understand others, people with strong empathy will consciously avoid stepping on anyone's landmines.

However, what if the other person's entire past consisted of nothing but landmines? That would be hard to say.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

"Please come in," Lin Yilin replied instantly, answering the doorbell without a moment's pause even while her mind was completely immersed in her book.

The door was pushed open a moment later.

A black women's leather shoe stepped into the agency, the slightly high heel clicking crisply against the floor.

Walking in from outside was an exquisite urban beauty, wearing a deep blue coat over a white inner lining, her legs under a tight-fitting hip skirt covered in black silk stockings.

Her facial features were delicate, instantly brightening the eyes of anyone seeing her for the first time. She looked very youthfully vibrant, yet her perfectly applied makeup added a sense of maturity. She wore an emerald earring in her left ear, and a shoulder-length mane of purple wavy short hair swayed gently with her steps.

Her azure eyes were particularly expressive. If anyone ever wondered what "eyes that seem to speak" looked like, Zheng Fan probably had a reference sample right now.

Upon entering, the woman's gaze went straight to Lin Yilin behind the desk in the inner area.

"Jiajia?" Lin Yilin's eyes widened.

"Xiaolin~, long time no see!" The woman stepped forward quickly, opened her arms, bypassed the desk, and pulled Lin Yilin into a big hug.

"I haven't seen you since graduation, I've missed you so much! Have you been eating well on your own? You've gotten lighter than when we graduated. This won't do, my heart aches for you."

"Too close, and it's hot. Step away." Lin Yilin wasn't very used to such enthusiasm; even though such behavior had been commonplace back in university, she still couldn't adapt to it.

After pushing for a long time, she finally managed to push Jiajia away. "If you were coming, why didn't you give a heads-up..."

"Surprise!" Jiajia clapped her hands with a smile.

"Sigh," Lin Yilin sighed.

Zheng Fan leaned over the back of the sofa, watching this person.

Hong Yijia, Lin Yilin's university classmate who currently worked at the Bureau as an external consultant. She and Lin Yilin had been close friends in college, practically besties.

However, after graduation, they had gone their separate ways. Although Hong Yijia also worked here in Xixike, the two of them hadn't seen each other in nearly a year. She was a busybody who only kept in touch online to discuss various matters.

Her voice, appearance, and attire all looked quite mature, and she exuded a vibrant energy overall.

Standing next to Lin Yilin, she didn't look like a peer, but more like... a sister?

If the generation gap were calculated any larger, Zheng Fan felt it might become somewhat offensive, though that was just a fleeting thought in his mind.

In any case, she was not the type of person Zheng Fan found particularly interesting.

Speaking of which, when Lin Yilin had described this friend to Zheng Fan, she had also mentioned that she wasn't very keen on Zheng Fan interacting with her.

Who knows why.

"Why do I have the feeling that someone is casually scrutinizing me, even offending me, and then dismissively saying they're not interested right after doing so?" Hong Yijia suddenly turned her head without warning toward the sofa where Zheng Fan was, speaking with curiosity.

Zheng Fan: "..."

What the hell? The moment she turned her head just now, Zheng Fan thought he was looking at a female ghost twisting her neck 180 degrees. Wasn't her neck okay at that speed?

And can she literally read minds just because he was thinking about her inside a phantom projection?

"Just the right amount of perplexity. Whenever I pull this stunt, anyone seeing me for the first time reacts with this exact confusion. I'm used to testing situations this way. Hehe, aren't you going to introduce your current partner, Xiaolin?" Hong Yijia said with a light chuckle, finally looking back at Lin Yilin.

Zheng Fan was shocked.

Could this chick actually read minds?

Even more annoying!

Hong Yijia looked somewhat surprised. "Such clearly targeted aversion? Xiaolin, is your new partner this smart? Although, if they were chosen by your standards, they must indeed have some unique qualities..."

Zheng Fan narrowed his eyes.

No, wait. It wasn't mind-reading to that extent. Rather, it was similar to how Zheng Fan read the overflowing emotions of his marked targets.

Then Zheng Fan raised both hands and made a giant X toward Lin Yilin.

Lin Yilin looked at him and faithfully relayed the message: "He doesn't want to see you."

"It should be on the sofa. There's a very obvious indentation of a heavy object, which I noticed as soon as I walked in. Although the phantom scent inside the agency was initially so faint that it made me doubt myself, judging from this, my guess was right."

"Awooo!" Toast suddenly sprang out and lunged directly at Hong Yijia.

Hong Yijia raised her hands to catch it. However, she misjudged Toast's impact force upon catching it and stumbled backward unexpectedly, but she quickly adjusted, neutralizing the momentum and wrapping her arms around Toast after taking just one step back.

"Toast?" Looking at the struggling creature in her hands, Hong Yijia's head was full of question marks.

Toast struggled desperately, but shockingly failed to break free from the woman's grip. In the end, it gave up entirely and looked straight at Zheng Fan.

Boss Anti! I followed your orders and charged, but this woman is a female demon king! This perfect Toast has done its absolute best!

Zheng Fan: "..." He desperately wanted to curse it for being useless, but hadn't the heart.

"So cute. Xiaolin, you've really struck it rich now, keeping creatures like this. How come I never run into such adorable phantom entities?"

"Luck..." Lin Yilin snatched Toast away to prevent Hong Yijia from continuing to knead it, then quietly replied.

"Your luck has always been better than mine," Hong Yijia sighed with emotion.

"Clearly I've dealt with phantoms since I was a child, but no phantoms have ever targeted me, nor are they even willing to fulfill any of my fantasies. Exactly where is my super-cool, dark-style handsome phantom whose exterior is icy-cold, whose interior is abstract and unserious, who spends money like water, but who still remembers to buy me gifts?"

Lin Yilin silently looked at Zheng Fan and shook her head imperceptibly. On that habitually calm face, Zheng Fan could catch a few traces of helplessness. Usually, Lin Yilin only looked like this when Zheng Fan was stirring up trouble.

Zheng Fan: ???

Kick this abstract woman out!