Chapter 3: The Notebook

“This is your so-called ‘paparazzi.’”

Yingying quickly analyzed the profile: “Lou Nan, sixteen years old. Entered the Zhihang Academy this September 1st. His entrance exam score was average, and the evaluations from his primary and middle school teachers show no highlights; he seems very ordinary.”

Xie Junping was only concerned about one point: “In other words, it’s unlikely he’s a ‘paparazzi’ or anything like that?”

Yingying did not directly respond, continuing the analysis: “The somewhat noteworthy note is that his guardian is listed as his paternal aunt. As for his parents, I checked: his mother died from complications during childbirth, and his father went missing a long time ago. Strange, is ‘death from childbirth’ still a thing now?”

“Are you suggesting…”

“His upbringing has been quite unusual, and his personality might be a bit eccentric. We need to observe further. Now, grant me access to your vehicle permissions, turn on all the surveillance systems, and I will observe synchronously.”

Xie Junping immediately complied. Shortly after the data synchronization was completed, Lou Nan’s steady, slow-running figure appeared at the crest of the overpass ramp.

It was only faintly light outside. The distant figure was blurry. Fortunately, the ‘Phantom’ hovercar’s surveillance system had been professionally modified and possessed strong detection and anti-detection capabilities. Xie Junping’s discovery of being ‘photographed’ was due to the smart computer’s automatic alert.

Xie Junping watched the ‘paparazzi’s’ every move through the surveillance system, but he couldn’t discern anything immediately.

Yingying, however, had already reached a preliminary conclusion: “Congratulations, Sucker, we can basically conclude that he didn’t come specifically for you.”

“Huh?”

“Did you hear his breathing?”

Through the surveillance system’s powerful sound wave collection and filtering functions, the low whispers of a target fifty meters away could be perfectly reproduced. The distinct breathing sounds of the morning jogger were no exception.

“Uh, is that ‘buzzing’ sound him breathing heavily?”

“Sounds like a bee, right? It should be a special breathing technique, accompanied by a peculiar way of articulating his words. I don’t know the specific effect; perhaps there’s no effect at all, as his lung capacity is only slightly better than average. But he is extremely focused. Look at his eyes, that light… Tsk, tsk… Would a sneaky paparazzi, harboring malicious intent, exert himself in such an intense workout right after committing the act?”

Xie Junping’s tension finally eased, and a smile unconsciously appeared on his face.

But in the next moment, Lou Nan, who was descending from the high point of the overpass, suddenly shifted his gaze. Judging from the footage transmitted by the surveillance system, it looked as if their eyes had met.

Thanks to the one-way film screen, no one could see inside the car from the outside, but Xie Junping was still startled.

“Did he spot us?”

“Your Phantom is too eye-catching, and besides, he’s much more sensitive than you thought.”

Yingying seemed intrigued as well: “He definitely noticed, but his expression barely changed. He’s not a person whose emotions show on his face. This type of person usually has many thoughts and is quite calculating. Yet, he can also maintain focus, so his willpower should be above standard. By the way, speaking of willpower, I just made a very interesting discovery. Want to hear it?”

Xie Junping was watching Lou Nan approach step by step, agonizing over how to deal with him. Where did he have the leisure to listen to this?

But Yingying didn’t care about him and continued talking to herself:

“According to the school records, Ronan’s home address is in the Blue Bay Community of Hewu District, a straight-line distance of nearly forty kilometers from Zhihang Academy. If he took the low-altitude public transport or subway, it wouldn’t be far, of course, but running all the way here? That’s a marathon every day! Based on his lung capacity, breathing style, and muscle structure, running that distance once is equivalent to stripping off a layer of skin (ba yi ceng pi), and if he does it every day… Aiya, aiya, that’s quite self-torture.”

“Holy crap!” Just thinking about the physical exertion made Xie Junping’s scalp tingle.

Yingying continued to analyze: “Judging from all of this, generally speaking, he won’t be impulsive. He won’t rush into a decision when the situation is unclear. But if you give him a bad impression or make him feel threatened, the consequences are hard to predict… Get out of the car now.”

“Huh?”

“Did you come here just to watch him run past? Come on, that clearly shows you have a thing about him. Get out quickly and have a chat with him. Didn’t you always take pride in being a socialite? Or are you only good for one thing: being a ‘Sucker’?”

Even though he knew it was a provocation, no man would willingly humiliate himself in front of a woman. Xie Junping took a deep breath, slapped his face, and tried to sober up a little more from his hangover haze. Only then did he open the Phantom’s butterfly door and step out.

Now, he was truly face-to-face with Lou Nan.

The two were separated by about forty meters. Xie Junping adopted the dignified demeanor he used during his student council campaign and waved at Lou Nan from a distance to greet him.

Through the built-in earpiece, Yingying’s voice sounded deep inside his brain: “Very good, you look presentable. Pay attention. Don’t put on airs. Your current image should be that of a shameless, decadent, but relatively frank Playboy. Also, be a little more honest; he is much smarter than you think.”

Xie Junping truly felt like he was back in the election period, similarly managing his public image under the constant guidance of his staff. Fortunately, Yingying’s request was not difficult; it was practically a natural performance for him.

He saw Lou Nan slow down ahead of him. His eyes looked directly over, his expression still showing little change, and he gave no response, making him difficult to gauge.

Xie Junping decided to take the initiative. He took a few steps forward: “Hey, classmate, I apologise. I’d like to talk to you.”

The distance between them closed to ten meters. Only then did Lou Nan nod in greeting: “Senior Student Xie.”

Xie Junping’s heart skipped a beat. He instinctively asked, “You know me!”

Yingying’s displeased voice chimed in: “Why are you panicking?!”

Almost simultaneously, Lou Nan replied: “Number 24. I attended the club promotion and guidance session you hosted, Senior Student.”

“Oh, right. That was indeed one of them.”

Xie Junping silently cursed himself for being such a fool. He quickly reorganised his words and asked, though he already knew the answer: “What’s your name, Junior Student?”

“Lou Nan.”

“Alright, Junior Student Lou Nan, I apologise for interrupting your morning run. But I need your help with something. Yes, it’s about that embarrassing thing just now. I can’t exactly be seen in public right now… Shall we talk in the car?”

Yingying praised lightly: “The self-deprecating tone is effective.”

Lou Nan thought for a moment and did not refuse.

Lou Nan slid into the car and sat in the passenger seat, placing his notebook on his lap. His posture was upright, making him look like a conventional, honest student.

Seeing Lou Nan was cooperative, Xie Junping secretly sighed in relief and sat back in the driver’s seat.

Following Yingying’s instructions, he didn’t close the car door, avoiding the psychological suggestion of a confined space. He then took a bottle of energy drink from the mini-fridge in the back and handed it over: “Get some hydration.”

“Thank you, Senior Student.” Lou Nan remained polite and distant. He accepted the drink but did not open it.

Yingying’s advice came in again: “Idiot, stop beating around the bush. This type of person is quick-witted and has many ideas. It’ll be trouble if he makes a misjudgment. Pay attention: you were too vague before. What ‘embarrassing thing’? Just say the time and place directly!”

Xie Junping quickly cut to the chase: “Junior Student, forgive my abruptness, but I want to ask, about ten minutes ago, around 5 a.m., were you on the self-propelled conveyor belt by the twin East-Facing Towers?”

Ronan held the cold drink bottle and simply replied, “Yes, Senior Student.”

“Uh, did you see me coming out of the nightclub?”

“I did.”

Xie Junping smacked his forehead, feigning extreme frustration. Five parts of this were acting, three parts were venting, and two parts were waiting for Yingying’s instructions.

Yingying did not disappoint. The instructions quickly arrived: “He hasn’t deliberately sought the initiative. You ask, he answers. There’s a high probability that he lacks social skills, but he doesn’t come across as naive, so he likely cares about his personal image. This type of person usually responds better to soft approaches than hard ones, but don’t discuss money immediately.”

Xie Junping instantly understood. He immediately forced a bitter smile: “Junior Student, I, your senior, really disgraced myself today. I have no excuse for this kind of thing, but this is a very critical time…”

He brought up his goal of obtaining the Honour Association’s ‘Veteran’s Medal,’ then put his hands together and bowed a few times to Lou Nan, half-exaggeratedly, half-sincerely:

“I know this isn’t exactly honourable to ask, but Junior Student, could you possibly turn a blind eye this time and let me off the hook? My reputation is secondary, but that medal is truly, truly important to me!”

Xie Junping’s performance this time could absolutely be called top-tier. Not only did he lower his posture significantly, but his face also carried a hint of that roguish, cheap smile typical of a playboy, which highlighted his shamelessness. This indirectly mitigated some of the severity of the situation and avoided stimulating any potential greed in Lou Nan, which could lead to greater trouble.

Lou Nan remained calm: “Senior Student, you don’t need to do that. I’m not a gossip, and I certainly won’t speak ill of others behind their backs.”

“Uh, I trust you, Junior Student, but in the information age, photos and videos aren’t exactly secure…”

“I didn’t take any pictures. I just thought the scene was unique, so I made a quick sketch for remembrance.”

With that, Lou Nan opened his notebook and activated the soft, paper-like screen, showing his recent work to Xie Junping.

Seeing the blurry lines and shadows, Xie Junping felt slightly relieved.

Just as he was about to speak again, Yingying suddenly said, “Get the notebook into your hands.”

The person on the other side spoke so fast that Xie Junping almost misheard the word as “snatch.” A cold sweat broke out immediately.

Xie Junping froze for two seconds before he could think of a suitable excuse: “Junior Student, isn’t carrying a notebook like this all the time inconvenient? Does it have a special purpose?”

Xie Junping was actually speaking the truth. Lou Nan’s loose-leaf notebook was structured with a soft screen bound together with traditional paper pages. With the soft screen, the traditional pages seemed unnecessary. And if he used the traditional pages, the soft screen was a burden.

As he spoke, he reached out his hand, putting on a curious, investigative look. In truth, he was slightly apprehensive, fearing Lou Nan would get angry and complicate things further.

Lou Nan was quite open about it, handing the loose-leaf notebook to him: “This type of notebook was very popular during the Third World War. That’s because during wartime, or in the wilderness, where charging facilities aren’t ubiquitous, electronic products can easily turn into scrap. In those times, traditional pen and paper were more reliable than electronics. And when logistics are abundant, it can quickly improve efficiency. The soft screen can be replaced at any time, and the cost isn’t high.”

“Oh, a product from the Third World War… are they still being produced decades later?”

Lou Nan smiled, which softened his facial contours: “My grandfather loved this type of notebook the most and once bought over a thousand copies in one go. The one I’m using now is one of them. And my grandfather made at least several hundred similar notebooks, each one filled to the brim, but I can’t see most of them now.”

“Wow, so it’s an antique.” Xie Junping flipped through it casually. He saw that most of the notebook was still blank, with only a few pages scribbled with some formulas, numbers, and simple diagrams, appearing to be casual jottings. He couldn’t make out anything about them in a short time.

Xie Junping’s attention was mainly on the soft screen. The drawing software hadn’t closed yet. He swiped his finger, switching through one page after another, and asked casually:

“Is the soft screen also fifty years old?” That drawing software looks quite unfamiliar.”

“No, I… bought it later.”

Without Yingying’s reminder, Xie Junping could tell Lou Nan had temporarily changed his answer.

But soon, he was captivated by the stream of images.

In browsing mode, Xie Junping saw many drawings similar to the scene he was in earlier, both on and off campus. Scenes from classrooms, on the streets, and even some pictures of bars, nightclubs, and party venues were listed one after another, presenting a rich panorama of diverse human figures.

Xie Junping was slightly stunned. As a well-educated second-generation rich kid, he had some basic appreciation for art.

Although every one of these sketches was quite rough, and some didn’t even depict any background, Xie Junping was familiar with these places. He could always figure out what place, what scene, and what person was being depicted by the tension and relaxation of the figure outlines in the sketch…

Uh, the last point was too exaggerated. He meant that he could perceive the strong body language expressed by the figures outlined in these sketches, under the circumstances of that moment.

To put it more mystically, one could see focus, excitement, decadence, and frenzy in the sketches… The rough lines depicted the atmosphere of the image’s scene and the emotions, and even the attitude of the people in the picture.

The lines Lou Nan outlined with his electronic pen clearly possessed a sharp quality that seemed to tear through the surface imagery, pointing directly to a certain truth hidden deep within the human heart.

Xie Junping inexplicably broke out in a sweat: Holy crap, did I just discover a new Picasso?

Flipping to the last page and seeing the sketch that used him as the model, Xie Junping was actually momentarily lost in thought until Yingying’s voice snapped him awake:

“He was clearly excited when talking about the notebook and his grandfather. I just looked up the information and found something very interesting… Idiot, flip back a few pages! You’ve been spacing out for too long; be careful he doesn’t misunderstand.”

You’re the one who’s talking to me! Xie Junping mentally cursed Yingying a hundred times, yet he had to act like a puppet and do as she said.

Yingying’s voice continued to filter in: “His grandfather’s name is Luo Yuandao. He used to be a researcher, but he had no noteworthy achievements. However, in ’83, which is 13 years ago, he was accused of secretly conducting live human experiments in the wilderness with nomad forces during the Third World War and the period immediately following…”

Oh my god!

The finger Xie Junping used to swipe the screen trembled. Perhaps it was his guilty conscience, but he felt Lou Nan was staring at him. However, it was inappropriate to speak now, so he could only steel himself and carry on.