Chapter 34 - Role Playing the Dark Horse Character

Chapter 34: Four-Way Stage, Love Awaits You Even before diving into the new update, Li Li had an inkling that she would be featured this time. She recalled the first appearance of 'Li' when the cartoonist deliberately edited to portray 'Li' as a cool and aloof figure. How would the cartoonist handle the scene between 'Li Baige' and Yi Ming's encounter this time around? In the last chapter, Yi Ming and his friends were threatened by bounty hunters. Amidst their evasive maneuvers, the sister of the twins, along with Tang and three other boys, became separated, followed sequentially by the brother losing track of Yi Ming and his group as well. Therefore, when Li Li encountered Yi Ming, only Yu Xiao was by his side. Li Li climbed out of bed, poured herself a glass of water, and greeted her roommate while refreshing her throat: "You're not going to sleep yet?" Her roommate nearly buried her head into the computer, "Not until I finish this PowerPoint!" “Go for it, darling. I have a paper looming over me too.” Leisurely holiday time often feels fleeting, and after midterms, a surge of hectic coursework follows. Li Li's major is Mathematics, entailing a slew of assignments, essays, and presentations. Talking about assignments always induces headaches. Li Li pondered for a moment, "Did you buy the haunted house tickets for tomorrow?" Upon seeing the disguised 'Li' in the comic world, she sensed she was about to meet An Heyu—the elder brother of An Huyu, in earnest. She had already learned from Yue Qing about how 'Hei Ge's' identity reached the ears of the nobility. It wasn't leaked by the former Ability Guild but was due to An Heyu's abilities, as he had learned about 'Hei Ge' from the dead. In that SSS-level bounty information, 'Hei Ge' had only a name and the identity of being an illusionist, lacking a photograph or other identity information. It's as if a ghost appeared out of nowhere. When she decided to take on the identity of 'Hei Ge', all those who were supposed to die had already met their end. Thus, if the dead could relay the name 'Hei Ge', does that mean they can witness events even after death? Otherwise, there's no explaining how An Heyu knew the name 'Hei Ge'. The thought of this possibility made Li Li feel the air chill, with a shiver running straight to her head. Could there really have been ghosts watching her then? But let’s be clear—she's genuinely afraid of ghosts. It was precisely due to this fear that she noticed the inconsistency after seeing the impersonated 'Li'. The nobles apparently didn't believe 'Li' and 'Hei Ge' were the same person; otherwise, they would have included that information in the bounty. What did An Heyu actually see, and how much has he withheld? Li Li thought, he would come looking for her. She definitely needed to brace herself before meeting An Heyu; otherwise, she would constantly feel like invisible spirits were looming around him. "It's tomorrow, after 3 PM post-classes," the roommate replied without lifting her head from the computer screen, eyes glued onto the PowerPoint slides. "Okay, I'm heading to bed. Remember to sleep early." Li Li set down the glass and bade her roommate farewell before climbing into bed. Then she opened her phone to read the comic. This time, the color splash of the comic featured the twin brother and sister, updating their profiles as well. The brother is named You You, and the sister is named Mo Mo, both standard members of the lower class. In the splash, You You and Mo Mo held hands, each wearing a white crew-neck long shirt, the hem reaching their knees. You You smiled at the camera, and so did Mo Mo, though her eyes narrowed into crescents, resembling two curved lines. Because Mo Mo couldn't see—she was blind. Both had gray hair, with You You's eyes being round and brown. Their abilities were already showcased while battling the bounty hunters—You You's mimicry-type ability fortified himself, whereas Mo Mo, also a mimicry-type, had a unique ability called [Puppet]. She could control living beings marked by her as if strings were attached between her and the puppets' joints. While attempting to aid others with her ability, Mo Mo attracted the bounty hunters' full attention once they learned about her power. Flipping open the comic, the plot began with Yi Ming and Yu Xiao collaborating to neutralize the bounty hunters. They lured the three hunters into an alleyway, then used Yu Xiao's ability to seal the exits. Meanwhile, Yi Ming plucked a hair to wield as a blade. In the cramped space, the bounty hunters couldn't evade and were ultimately defeated by Yi Ming and Yu Xiao. [It's been so long since we saw the Sunfish in action. I'm so touched!] [Losing-hair Corgi—how much hair did our little corgi lose today?] [I counted—132 strands.] [So, Yi Ming is doomed to baldness eventually?] [I'm turning bald and strong too (Little Corgi version).] Li Li thought, no shounen manga would truly let the protagonist go bald; at worst, there's always a wig. If he ever truly went bald, there'd be countless ways to cure it in a world of abilities—Tang’s healing might even restore Yi Ming’s scalp follicles. If all else failed, Li Li could turn illusion into reality, conjuring a head of genuine hair for him. Afterward, the two boys returned to searching for their companions. The previous day, the twins had guided them around the city, so they believed the twins would wait at a known rendezvous spot. The scene then shifted to Tang and Mo Mo’s perspective. Li Li observed the animated Tang, now far more resilient than during her tearful introduction. It was Tang who led Mo Mo in escaping, losing the bounty hunters' chase. Mo Mo followed Tang throughout, unable to discern the path. The bounty hunters trailed Yi Ming and Yu Xiao away, allowing Tang and Mo Mo to venture toward the square they'd visited the previous day. They had been there the previous evening when Mo Mo remarked on the beauty of the doves constantly circling but always returning home. Tang reckoned Yi Ming would remember this comment. "They weren't there last night," knowing the outcome, Li Li sighed lightly. Something must have transpired afterward. As she flipped onward, sure enough, on the next page, a man clad in a coat with a somewhat disheveled woolen shirt underneath walked past the girls crouched on the square's edge. Tang abruptly lifted her head, noticing the man's stubble. With cat-like eyes, she blinked and exclaimed, "Uncle next door!" In the following frame, the man halted and turned his head. He approached, scrutinized Tang's face, and pushed up his black-rimmed glasses, "Daughter of Tang Zeng?" [Turning the corner to meet an acquaintance, the Four-Way City is indeed small.] [Known entities in the Four-Way City: Yi Ming, Hei Ge, Tang, and Tang's childhood-next-door uncle.] [What kind of person is Tang's father? The intrigue deepens.] Li Li reminisced; the 'Uncle Next Door' Tang mentioned was probably the one who gifted sweets to the children. She hadn't expected them to encounter each other in the Four-Way City. Unsurprisingly, the plot then showed the 'Uncle Next Door' inviting Tang and Mo Mo to his home, introducing them to his name, "Little Tang might have been too young back then to remember my name. I'm called Le (Yue) Shan; just call me Uncle Le." The comic thoughtfully marked the pinyin to avoid ambiguity. Li Li stared at it for a moment before turning the page. The narrative returned to Yi Ming's side, where he and Yu Xiao searched an entire day without finding Tang or Mo Mo, nor locating You You. They had indeed checked the square but returned at night since Yi Ming suspected this spot had the highest likelihood of encountering them. "Oh right, today’s the Reunion Festival," upon their return, Yu Xiao remarked, observing the celebratory citizens in the Four-Way City. "Reunion Festival?" Yi Ming did a mental calendar check, "I completely forgot." Adjacent panels depicted Yi Ming reminiscing, as his adoptive father once celebrated this festival with him. Shuang Buyan's face, as usual, revealed only his mouth, with the manga artist refraining from illustrating his eyes. "A family gathers during this time to celebrate surviving another year," Shuang Buyan had mentioned. As Yi Ming reminisced, the crowd thickened, and he was accidentally jostled by the throng. He lost sight of Yu Xiao amid the bustling heads and struggled to squeeze out of the crowd. Once he emerged, he lifted his gaze. The panel depicted two figures in profile, their eyes meeting. It was the moment Li Li met Yi Ming under the guise of Li Baige. Under the cartoonist's prism, the suddenly appearing young man bore a distant expression, his eyes void of light. An earring dangled by his ear, with attire typical of bounty hunters—a clean, black hooded coat. The young man's demeanor was akin to the frigid polar ice caps, as well as the still surface of a pond unperturbed by a passing breeze. Li Li paused at this point, comparing the appearances of her three alter egos. When she played 'Li', she used her own face, naturally giving her a feminine look that was lean and a bit gentle, but with her sharp eyebrows and eyes lending her a cool and detached vibe. For 'Hei Ge', she amplified that sharpness, stripped it of gentleness, making it look both more mature and more aggressive. As for 'Li Baige', she dialed down the sharpness, retained the gentleness, and made it more boyish, like extreme calm after a storm. The appearances of these three identities were entirely different. She deliberately altered the shape and position of her facial features when crafting these identities, and even styled the bangs differently. In the comic, they were portrayed as completely different individuals. To Li Li, 'Li Baige' and 'Li' bore no resemblance at all. The subsequent plot unfolded just as Li Li had experienced it. This time, the cartoonist refrained from editing or omitting anything, recreating the day's scene faithfully. Just when Li Li thought the cartoonist had turned over a new leaf, she turned the page. Yi Ming saw An Huyu approaching 'Baige'—beside Li Li—calling out, and the cartoonist switched 'Baige' to 'Bro Baige.' Li Li: ... Although she had a cheeky intention when naming herself, she hadn’t expected it to carry over into the comic world and out. After finishing the update and opening the forum, it was around 12:40 AM. Despite the late hour, readers remained active. As Li Li scrolled, she expected to find threads discussing her despite having only made a brief appearance. [Li Tao, who did Yi Ming think of when he saw this 'Bro Baige'?] Li Li: Sigh. She anticipated that she would be called "bro" for the foreseeable future. Author's Note: Li Tao, let's discuss rationally. From now on, updates will be at midnight, but if you can't stay up, feel free to check it in the morning! Waking up to new updates is delightful, right? Heartfelt thanks to all the subscribing angels! Feel free to enjoy more discussions in the comment section. An extra two chapters will be added. I'll try my best to double update tomorrow! For rules on additional updates, refer to the author's note in Chapter 24.