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Bai Yujing unexpectedly welcomed someone he didn't expect, his ex-girlfriend Li Xinyan. He wondered how she found out he lived here. Recently, Bai Yujing had not contacted her, and he was surprised that Li Xinyan came to visit. Seeing his ex-girlfriend brought a strange sense of awkwardness.
Li Xinyan wandered around Bai Yujing's new house, which had seemed somewhat empty but was gradually filled with items due to Bai Yujing's recent shopping. "You seem to be doing well lately!" she remarked.
"Not bad, how about you?" Bai Yujing asked as he followed her.
Li Xinyan turned her head and replied, "What else can I do besides work? I heard you recently got a foreign girlfriend?"
Bai Yujing could only laugh awkwardly, unsure of what to say. Li Xinyan did not press further and sat down in the living room. Bai Yujing brewed a pot of tea and poured some for her.
"What made you suddenly think of coming here?" Bai Yujing asked.
Li Xinyan quickly pulled out a document from her bag. "I received your membership application notice. I'm here today to process your assessment for joining the association."
Bai Yujing was taken aback and picked up the document on the table, realizing it contained his information. He suddenly had a bad feeling. "Can I ask the name of the association you're talking about?"
"The World Wildlife Conservation Association, also known as the Endangered Species Protection Organization. I looked at your application; it should be your little girlfriend, right? She's quite pretty and a top student from Imperial College London. I didn't expect someone like you to be so popular," Li Xinyan said, crossing her legs. She was dressed formally in a women's suit, complete with a skirt, white shirt, and black stockings. However, Bai Yujing dared not look too much; he knew how difficult Li Xinyan could be and preferred to avoid provoking her.
Bai Yujing did not continue on that topic and directly asked, "Are you part of this organization too?"
Li Xinyan's expression immediately turned cold as she scoffed, "I think I mentioned this to someone before. My aunt Li Jie is the head of the China Branch of the Endangered Species Conservation Organization. The research institute I work at is jointly established by that organization and XG University. It seems you haven't paid any attention to my affairs; I have nothing more to say."
After saying this, Li Xinyan stood up abruptly, grabbing the document as if to leave. Bai Yujing quickly held her back. "Xinyan, don't be angry. I remember; I just didn't think about it in this regard. Who would have thought it would be such a coincidence?"
Li Xinyan turned back and glared at him coldly. "You're only thinking about your little girlfriend now, right? Besides, there's nothing more for us to discuss."
Bai Yujing didn't want things to become so tense between them. Even though they had broken up, their separation was due to various reasons and incompatibility. "Xinyan, can we talk properly? I don’t want our relationship to become so strained; even if we broke up, we are still friends."
Li Xinyan laughed angrily. "Bai Yujing, you're an adult now; can you be a bit more mature? Do you want to wish me happiness in the future? Let me tell you, you're my enemy. Seeing you do so well makes me feel miserable; I wish you were struggling right now so that you'd come crawling back to me just so I could mock and humiliate you! Don't come at me with that; I'm not buying it."
With that fierce attitude, Li Xinyan stormed out, leaving Bai Yujing somewhat bewildered. If she didn’t want him to pass through the assessment, she could just say so directly instead of coming over and throwing a tantrum. It was truly confusing; however, Bai Yujing had grown accustomed to Li Xinyan's ways. If one day she spoke gently to him, he would probably find it hard to accept that reality.
Lukongkong was outside the community gate drinking milk tea when he saw Li Xinyan hurriedly walking out from inside. He immediately waved his hand and shouted, but Li Xinyan did not respond and directly got into the car. Lukongkong opened the passenger door and sat down, only to find Li Xinyan leaning on the passenger seat, sobbing.
Lukongkong was taken aback: "Hey, hey, hey, Li Xinyan, don't scare me! Where's that strong woman, the academic achiever, the proud Li Xinyan? It's just a lousy man; if he dumped you, find someone better. With your qualities, what kind of guy can't you get?"
As soon as Lukongkong said this, Li Xinyan cried even harder: "I'm just unhappy; I feel so sad."
Lukongkong hugged Li Xinyan: "Oh, oh, oh, don't cry, don't cry. It's true; how could he let go of such a beautiful girl like you and go after some foreign woman? What terrible taste that man must have! We can't let him get away with this; we need to show him a thing or two."
Li Xinyan seemed to understand something and immediately sat up, wiping her tears: "That's right! I absolutely can't let him have it easy. Why should I be so upset while he gets to live comfortably? I'm not willing to accept that."
Lukongkong immediately began brainstorming: "Let's go back and think of a way to make this scumbag realize his mistakes."
At that moment, Li Xinyan's phone rang. Lukongkong picked it up and immediately hung up. Li Xinyan asked, "Who was it?"
"That scumbag!" Lukongkong said through gritted teeth, sharing the same animosity with Li Xinyan.
However, Li Xinyan knew Bai Yujing very well; she could see through his every move: "Don't mind him. He probably saw me rush out and is worried about me. Let him worry himself sick."
Indeed, just as Li Xinyan said, upon seeing her leave in a hurry, Bai Yujing followed her to the door before returning. Afterward, feeling uneasy, he made several calls but none went through. However, since the calls were hung up, Bai Yujing understood that she likely didn't want to answer his calls. It was broad daylight in a bustling street; nothing should happen. So he relaxed.
However, it seemed that his chance to join the Endangered Species Conservation Organization had fallen through. He had originally hoped to leverage this organization to gather more clues about Exotic Creatures, as many matters could be analyzed or consulted with professionals through their resources. Now it seemed unlikely; his ex-girlfriend's aunt was in charge of the China Branch. Would Bai Yujing still be able to get in?
At that moment, Bai Yujing suddenly felt a chill run down his spine for no reason. Why was he feeling cold on such a hot day? Was it just a cool breeze passing by? Yet he still felt an unsettling sensation on his back.
Perhaps it was just an illusion. Bai Yujing decided not to dwell on it and focused on cooking for himself as a reward. An open kitchen with complete utensils made cooking an enjoyable experience for him—a chance to calm down and savor life and good food.
"Ah! This feels so comfortable!"
After a satisfying meal, Bai Yujing nestled in his room watching a movie. The setup of the home theater and the experience of the big screen were indeed different; living in a luxury house with luxury cars felt distinct. Bai Yujing felt that stepping outside now gave him an imposing presence compared to before.
He opened his phone and browsed through social media when he suddenly noticed a strange image—something resembling a tattoo with odd symbols arranged in a circular pattern in deep blue color. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was posted by his travel companion from Edinburgh, Li Hao.
"Does anyone know what this is? Help, urgent!" It seemed that Li Hao also didn't know what it was.
"Ding dong!"
Bai Yujing suddenly noticed that the Exotic Creature Hunter System in her mind had become active again. "Main quest released: Discover the secret behind the mark on Li Hao and resolve his crisis—reward of one hundred points. If the quest fails, two hundred points will be deducted. If points are insufficient, previously exchanged items, skills, and enhancements will be reclaimed."
"Side Quest One: Find evidence and clues about the legendary D-Class Mermaid Clan, reward thirty points."
"Side Quest Two: Find the legendary Merfolk, reward one hundred points."
"Side Quest Three: Understand the origins of mermaids and the secrets behind them, reward fifty points!"
After a long period of inactivity, the Exotic Creature Hunter System had issued tasks again. However, what was with this punishment? It wasn't present during the first task. If she failed, points would be deducted? Wasn't this coercion? And if points were insufficient, they would reclaim her previous exchanges? This was too much.
Nevertheless, Bai Yujing was already looking forward to this mission. However, she wasn't planning to approach Li Hao immediately. Since the task was triggered by seeing such a mark, it indicated that this mark was a very important clue. The side quests already suggested that this mission was related to Merfolk. With two aspects to investigate, Bai Yujing decided to do some research first and gather information before contacting Li Hao; she wouldn't engage in a battle without preparation.
"Go, go, let's get moving." After a few lazy days, Bai Yujing felt restless and decided to find something to do. She immediately ran into her study and began planning for this mission.
Bai Yujing printed out images of the mark and prepared to consult professionals later. She then gathered a large amount of information about mermaids, recording important details and printing them out. She categorized everything for organization and made special notes on things that required particular attention, which she then pinned on the whiteboard in her study.
There are many legends about mermaids, including China's Sharkman tribe, European mermaids, Greek mythology, and sea monsters. There are also legends about them in Japan; various tales make it difficult to discern truth from fiction. Bai Yujing documented all of them.
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