"Did you make this?"
Su Bingyao was playing with the porcelain piece that Li Ran handed her. She stared at it for a while but still couldn't figure out what it was.
The bottle didn’t look like a bottle, the cup didn’t look like a cup, it looked more like a twisted, hourglass-shaped honeycomb.
"Is this what you drew, a family of three?" Li Ziyang asked, leaning in to take a closer look.
Li Ran nodded and said, "Art is like this. The more abstract it is, the higher the artistic value."
Su Bingyao rolled her eyes. She didn't buy that explanation.
After dinner, Su Bingyao tied on an apron, put on gloves, and went to the kitchen to wash the dishes.
Li Ran approached from behind, his hands slipping around her slender waist, pressing his body against hers.
"Our son is still here," Su Bingyao said, blushing, as she used her fragrant shoulder to push Li Ran's burning body away.
"Wife, let me do the dishes. Your hands are so beautiful. If you ruin them, I’ll be heartbroken."
Li Ran gently moved Su Bingyao aside and started washing the dishes himself.
"I’m not that delicate, I’m wearing gloves," Su Bingyao replied lightly, though her heart was deeply moved.
"By the way, has our son stopped sneaking out in the middle of the night?" Li Ran asked.
"No, he's gotten a lot more cheerful lately, and his grades have improved," Su Bingyao answered.
Before their parent-child activity, Li Ziyang would often sneak out at night to play with his "little companions." Li Ran knew that these were just imagined companions in his son's mind.
Being an only child and bullied at school, his young heart didn't receive the love and warmth it needed, gradually becoming distorted and developing something like a second personality.
Because it happened in the middle of the night, Li Ran couldn't stop it.
But ever since the parent-child activity, Li Ziyang’s strange behavior had disappeared, and Li Ran had stopped paying attention to it.
"Husband, there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you..."
Su Bingyao furrowed her brow slightly, nibbling on the corner of her lip, but stopped midway.
Li Ran turned to her, confused. "What’s wrong?"
"Nothing, nothing at all. I’ll go take a shower first," Su Bingyao said, slipping off her gloves and rushing toward the room.
Li Ran’s gaze sharpened as he thought, "She seems like she wants to tell me something, but can’t bring herself to say it."
Li Ran had been wanting to know if Su Bingyao had awakened her player consciousness.
After washing the dishes, Li Ran went to the room to supervise Li Ziyang’s homework.
At 10 PM, Li Ran had just finished his shower and entered the room.
Normally, at this time, Su Bingyao would already be in her pajamas, lying in bed. But tonight, she was acting strangely. She was standing by the window with a troubled expression on her face.
"What were you going to tell me just now?" Li Ran asked as he walked up.
Su Bingyao turned around, her eyes filled with complexity as she gazed at her husband. She hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. "Nothing. Let’s just sleep."
Li Ran took her small hand and interlocked his fingers with hers.
"Wife, if you have something on your mind, you need to tell me."
"Mm-hmm."
The two of them quickly crawled into bed.
"Hehehe, this little thing is making me itch," Su Bingyao laughed.
"Just hold on, it’ll feel better soon."
...
...
Late at night.
"Can you hear my voice?"
Li Ran's voice echoed in Su Bingyao's mind.
Su Bingyao froze, her mouth opened in surprise. But then, thinking about the words Li Ran had just written in her palm, she immediately closed her mouth and communicated with him through her thoughts.
"I can hear you. Husband, can you hear me?"
Su Bingyao’s voice rang in Li Ran’s mind.
"I can hear you. Wife, listen to me. This little thing only works for five minutes. You must gather your thoughts and tell me everything you know."
Li Ran was worried that the "little paper person" might be detected by "them."
Su Bingyao must have awakened, and she wanted to say something to him, but because of the monitoring, she couldn’t speak it out loud.
This indirectly confirmed that if an native person exhibited behavior of a player or did something beyond their identity, they would be detected and eliminated.
At present, Li Ran’s actions were extremely risky. He wasn’t sure if his method could avoid detection. It might even push Su Bingyao into an irreparable situation.
Earlier, through interlocking their fingers, Li Ran secretly passed the "little paper person" to Su Bingyao. His golden finger hinted that Su Bingyao could use the little paper person item.
He was deeply shaken.
This meant Su Bingyao was a player!
The "little paper person" item could only be used by players.
And Su Bingyao also realized this, which led to the scene earlier.
The two of them secretly used the little paper person to communicate, allowing Li Ran and Su Bingyao to hear each other's thoughts.
This was the bold idea Li Ran had when he received the little paper person.
"Okay," Su Bingyao said, her voice tense. She paused briefly to gather her thoughts, then continued speaking through her thoughts to Li Ran.
"Husband, you must have realized it by now."
"Yes, it’s now confirmed," Li Ran thought to himself.
Indeed, Su Bingyao had awakened as a player, her consciousness awakening within the identity of an native person.
Li Ran had already suspected this, and Su Bingyao had concealed her awakening well by using her native identity.
"I’ll get to the important points. I’ll avoid sensitive topics, so some things you'll have to guess on your own, because I’m not sure if our method... do you understand?"
"Mm."
Even through thought communication, Su Bingyao was exceptionally cautious.
"First, you must believe that I am your wife, I always have been."
Li Ran didn’t quite understand the meaning of Su Bingyao’s words. Was she referring to her identity in the world?
"Secondly, I’ve only had one man, and I’ve never had children."
Hearing this, Li Ran’s heart trembled!
Only one man!
This was very important!
She’s never had children?!
Then where did Li Ziyang come from?
So, Li Ziyang was assigned as her son in the form of a "son" role?
"I treat him like my own flesh and blood, without any selfishness," Su Bingyao thought.
A sense of urgency came through Su Bingyao’s thoughts again, "The Nether Lantern will bring endless danger to your life!"
Li Ran furrowed his brow, not fully understanding.
But Su Bingyao didn’t go into detail, instead avoiding important topics, communicating with him in short, cryptic phrases.
"You don’t need to worry about me and the child. If there’s power to use, then use it."
"Husband, promise me, you must... you must leave alive!"
"Okay, I promise you."
Li Ran could clearly feel the strength in Su Bingyao’s hand, sensing her inner anxiety and unease.
How could he not understand what she meant? It was the bond card.
Because he had always been cautious, Li Ran had never used the family summon card or the two bond cards, fearing that his wife and son might be dragged into danger.
In two days, the Madness Night would begin. If the Nether Lantern truly brought endless danger to his life, then he would be pursued by endless enemies. At that time, could he still hold onto his trump cards?
"Finally, I have one request."
"Wife, tell me."
In the darkness, Su Bingyao’s bright eyes stared at Li Ran, her gaze flashing with indecision and hesitation.
"If you leave alive, and if you have the chance, please... revive me!"
(End of Chapter)
The little paper person is a Kindred Spirit Paper Figurine. He used it on Police Zhang to get information of Dark Palace.