Heroes Return

"No, not at all." Lin Jie turned to Tian Xiaoshu and said, "Besides, as a family member of the deceased, I'm actually here to express my concern and condolences to you."

“Concerned about…my…” But when Lin Jie’s words reached Tian Xiaoshu’s ears, the so-called title of the deceased’s family member was completely ignored.

"Speaking of which, I've already identified my target. It must be that Shangguan Ming who killed your pet," Lin Jie said to Tian Xiaoshu in a serious tone. What he didn't notice at that moment was that although he still possessed his original power and memories, he was increasingly resembling a three-year-old. Perhaps this was the most terrifying aspect of the Comedy Curse.

"Huh? Shangguan Ming? Wasn't he with you at the time?" Tian Xiaoshu looked at Lin Jie with some surprise.

“…It seems that’s true! But I think my analysis is correct, isn’t it, Dou Dou?” Lin Jie thought for a moment, then looked at Dou Dou beside him.

DouDou, however, shook her head frantically, while giving Lin Jie a 'MDZZ' look.

"Could I have made a mistake in my analysis?" Lin Jie fell into thought once again at this moment.

“Um…” Tian Xiaoshu squatted down and looked at Lin Jie, who looked about three years old. At this moment, she had a strong urge to hug and knead this cute little boy.

But at this moment, Lin Jie seemed to have a sudden epiphany and did something that made Tian Xiaoshu's heart race. Lin Jie actually turned around and grabbed Tian Xiaoshu's hand: "Don't worry, I will definitely help you catch that dog killer!"

"Oh dear!" Tian Xiaoshu, whose hand was being grabbed by Lin Jie, was a little flustered. "Th...thank you!"

“After all, that dog-killing meal was originally intended to kill DouDou.” Lin Jie said while holding Tian Xiaoshu’s hand, “How about this, after this is over, we’ll go buy a dog, get you a new pet, and also settle DouDou’s marriage. After all, it was because of DouDou that your pet was harmed.”

Lin Jie's words were essentially the same as what Shangguan Ming had said earlier. However, Tian Xiaoshu's reaction this time was completely different.

"Okay... okay, thank you. Since you've said so," Tian Xiaoshu nodded slightly and then lowered her head in embarrassment, waiting for Lin Jie's next move. At the same time, she looked exceptionally alluring.

"Understood, then see you later! I'm going to investigate the others first!" With that, Lin Jie jumped onto Dou Dou: "Let's go!"

Then Dou Dou dashed off towards the others, leaving Tian Xiaoshu alone, staring blankly at Lin Jie's retreating figure.

If it were someone as experienced in love as Shangguan Ming, he would probably immediately know what to do next upon seeing Tian Xiaoshu's reaction. Unfortunately, this time it was Lin Jie... someone who was unknowingly regressing towards a three-year-old state.

Just as Lin Jie and Dou Dou returned to the villa, they discovered someone quietly crouching behind the villa wall, listening to something. Lin Jie recognized this person; it was Dong Quan.

Upon seeing Lin Jie and Dou Dou approach, Dong Quan was startled. He then hurriedly gestured for them to be quiet.

Out of curiosity, Lin Jie went directly to the person's side. Lin Jie recognized the person; it was Dong Quan.

Just as Lin Jie was about to ask what had happened, Bai Ruofei's voice rang in his ears: "What a coincidence! Young Master Shangguan..."

"What a coincidence, I didn't expect to run into you here, beautiful Miss Bai Feier." Shangguan Ming's voice also reached Lin Jie's ears.

"Damn! This guy really treats his wife's sisters like his own wives! What a hypocrite!" Lin Jie thought to himself.

chapter Ten

Immediately afterwards, Lin Jie and Dong Quan overheard a standard scene of flirtatious conversation between a man and a woman under the corner of the wall, which gradually turned into a scene of mutual flirting.

After that, the two began chatting happily. Lin Jie and Dou Dou felt extremely uncomfortable, and Lin Jie couldn't help but sigh. What does it mean to be wary of your best friend? This time, Lin Jie completely understood.

To be honest, Lin Jie had a good impression of Liu Ying, this cheerful girl. However, he never expected that her boyfriend would be flirting with other pretty girls everywhere! He really went too far in portraying the image of a playboy.

"Damn it! This bastard was just trying to flirt with Tian Xiaoshu, and now he's already flirting with this woman named Bai Ruofei. The worst part is, this shameless guy even dared to criticize me so brazenly! Damn it!" However, Lin Jie restrained the urge to punch him. Because Lin Jie was investigating the murderer, every word they exchanged could potentially provide useful clues.

"It's getting late, I have to go now, Mr. Shangguan." After chatting with Shangguan Ming for a while, Bai Ruofei politely said this to him while maintaining a distance. Then she prepared to leave, and her attitude towards Shangguan Ming became slightly colder.

"Miss Bai Ruofei, wouldn't you like to chat with me a little longer?" Shangguan Ming said politely to Bai Ruofei, "Would you mind going to the wine cellar in the villa and having a couple of drinks with me?"

"No, I really have something to do. Let's talk again another time." Bai Ruofei said, walking away in another direction. It wasn't that Bai Ruofei didn't want to accept Shangguan Ming's invitation; after all, Shangguan Ming was indeed quite handsome, charming, and also wealthy and powerful. Bai Ruofei was naturally attracted to Shangguan Ming.

However, Bai Ruofei knew how to strike a balance. He understood that maintaining a certain distance from high society figures and subtly displaying an indifference to money and status was key. After all, things too easily obtained are rarely valued, and for wealthy young men, the more difficult something is to acquire, the more interested they become. Tian Xiaoshu was a perfect example.

As for Shangguan Ming's relationship with Liu Ying, well, they're not married yet, so why would she care? Besides, she didn't take the initiative; it was all Shangguan Ming who pursued her.

Therefore, Bai Ruofei immediately left Shangguan Ming, believing that she had already left a very good impression on him. Moreover, she did indeed have things to do next.

However, what she didn't know was that her every move was being monitored by Dong Quan. Lin Jie and Dou Dou were also following behind Dong Quan.

DouDou looked at the lollipop in Lin Jie's hand with some surprise. Lin Jie had started licking a lollipop without anyone noticing.

"What's wrong?" Sensing Dou Dou's gaze, Lin Jie turned to look at her. "Are you looking at my lollipop? But even if you are, I won't share it with you!"

Seeing Lin Jie's words and actions, Dou Dou even rubbed her glasses with her paw in surprise. Dou Dou was astonished to find that Lin Jie seemed to have been given a mental disability aura. Originally, his personality was like a lewd, violent old man who liked to kill people at the drop of a hat. But now, to Dou Dou, for some reason, Lin Jie's intelligence was becoming more and more like Mu Mu's…

Just then, Dong Quan, who was at the front, suddenly stopped. Lin Jie and his companion also stopped.

The two people and the dog silently watched Bai Ruofei's actions from the shadows. Meanwhile, Bai Ruofei stood quietly listening to someone sing.

The singer was Liu Tao.

"What a great song!" Bai Ruofei said to Liu Tao with a smile. "It's a real pity that you became a manager when you had such a good song."

"Miss Bai Ruofei! I didn't expect you to come." Liu Tao immediately stood up and said directly to Bai Ruofei, "But thinking about it, maybe you're the only one still willing to listen to my songs. Speaking of which, I'm really grateful for your encouragement during those days. After this gathering, Miss Bai Ruofei, would you like to go on a date with me? Please let me thank you properly!"

"Don't say that! Besides, I really think your song is great!" Bai Ruofei stood under the tree and smiled at Liu Tao like a pure young girl.

Liu Tao was momentarily stunned.

"Miss Bai Ruofei! I'm serious, please give me a chance to repay you!" Liu Tao immediately stepped forward and said to Bai Ruofei.

"Hmm... how about this, if you really want to repay me," Bai Ruofei thought for a moment, then smiled and said to Liu Tao, "then write a song just for me when you have time! After all, I'm your fan!"

"Holy crap! She's a master at picking up rich guys!" Lin Jie was utterly impressed. This girl had practically blown Liu Tao's favorability away in just a few words. Just moments ago, she was a clever and alluring woman who could flirt with Shangguan Ming, but she had completely transformed into an innocent girl…

At this moment, Lin Jie looked directly at Dong Quan and saw that the latter had clenched his fists and his face was ashen.

After talking with Liu Tao for a while, Bai Ruofei left, leaving Liu Tao alone, excitedly pondering what new song to write.

That guy probably hasn't realized yet that he's already joined Bai Ruofei's backup love camp.

"This woman really does pretend not to understand different people," Lin Jie exclaimed in surprise after following her for a while.

At this moment, a third man appeared before them, flirting with Bai Ruofei. That man was Wang Ming.

"Ruofei, why don't you come with me!" Wang Ming excitedly grabbed Bai Ruofei's hand. "Have you thought about what I told you before? If you're willing to come with me, I don't care about houses or money. That's the last thing I need right now."

Bai Ruofei's innocent and natural demeanor transformed once again, becoming sexy and alluring. At the same time, a hint of anger appeared on her face: "What do you take me for? Do you think I'm the kind of woman who would sell my body for money?"

"Of course not. If it were, you would have been with me long ago," Wang Ming said somewhat embarrassedly. "But my feelings for you are genuine."

"What a joke! You're a married man now!" Bai Ruofei's face turned frosty at this moment: "Since you're a married man, you should treat your wife well!"

"Why bring up that woman? Just thinking about her makes me sick!" Wang Ming said in a displeased tone.

"That's your wife." Bai Ruofei's face also showed a sorrowful expression at this moment. "Since you chose her back then, you should treat her well. Let's just avoid anything from happening, after all, we met too late. I'm sorry, you should still love your wife well!"

"Wait! What's the big deal? I can just dump that woman!" Wang Ming said immediately.

"I'm sorry, I still can't accept it. You're already married, so no matter what, it's impossible for us!" Bai Ruofei said as she walked towards the villa. At that moment, a torrential downpour began.

Wang Ming was left standing alone in the rain.

"Damn it, I'm going to divorce that woman as soon as I get back." Wang Ming thought to himself and then walked away. But what he didn't notice was that under a tree not far away, two people and a dog secretly witnessed the whole thing.

"Hey Dong Quan, are you alright? You're not in his backup plan alliance either, are you?" Lin Jie looked at Dong Quan, who was sitting silently under the tree, and didn't know what to say for a moment.

At this moment, Dong Quan simply sat under the tree, letting the raindrops fall on his face through the leaves.

"Damn, it's about to rain. Let's hurry inside the villa!" Lin Jie said to Dong Quan.

“That’s true, let’s go.” Dong Quan said, getting up and walking towards the villa. Lin Jie, watching Dong Quan’s back, felt an indescribable sadness: “By the way, Lin Jie, we were old classmates in high school. Although you were always elusive back then and we hardly ever talked. But could you have a drink with me today?”

"Okay." Lin Jie said and followed Dong Quan over, while Dou Dou followed beside Lin Jie at this time.

After entering the villa, the two went straight to Dong Quan's room on the second floor. Dong Quan brought out a lot of alcohol, and the two of them started drinking in the room. They drank for two hours straight.

"Sigh! Time really is a cruel mistress! It turns black fungus, purple grapes, and ripe bananas!" After drinking who-knows-how-many bottles, Dong Quan sighed to Lin Jie, "Can you believe it? She used to be just as beautiful, but back then she never pretended. She was such a tomboy back then, why has she become like this? Give me back the carefree girl I used to know!"

“People change, isn’t that normal?” Lin Jie also took a sip from a bottle of wine. “Five years have passed, isn’t it normal to mature? After all, everyone changes after experiencing different things.”

"That's true! You're getting more and more childish." Dong Quan said, looking at Lin Jie's three-year-old-like demeanor.

"...Alright, stop worrying about it." Lin Jie patted Dong Quan on the shoulder at this moment: "Speaking of which, did you like Bai Ruofei in the past?"

"Of course I love her! And I swear, of everyone here, I'm the only one who truly loves her!" Dong Quan said excitedly. "Besides, Bai Ruofei said back then that she was willing to wait for me after I graduated! But why has she become like this now! Just half an hour ago she was talking to me about the future, and the next second she's all flirting with that Shangguan Ming! That's her sister's boyfriend!"

“Oh right, I just remembered, there seems to be an official term for this type of girl: ‘green tea bitch’,” Lin Jie said immediately.

Chapter 11

“That’s right, you green tea bitch! I’ve remained chaste for her, but she only sees me as a backup option!” Dong Quan said sadly.

"Um..." Looking at Dong Quan's extremely sad expression, she didn't know how to comfort her for a moment: "So you always thought you two had a chance? Because her attitude towards you was very ambiguous, so you always felt that you had hope. But today you realized that you were actually just a backup plan. She was actually flirting with one, two, three, or four other men?"

"That's right! That damn green tea bitch!" Dong Quan said angrily, "I really don't understand, if she doesn't like me at all, why does she have to pretend to be interested in me? Making me waste my time? Lin Jie, do you know how much time and money I've wasted on this woman? I've waited for her for five whole years!"

"Um... but haven't you two never officially defined your relationship?" Lin Jie tried to comfort Dong Quan: "At least even if she's flirting with a lot of men right now, it doesn't count as her cheating on you, right?"

"Heh, you really know how to comfort people." Dong Quan rolled his eyes at Lin Jie. "If she really wanted to be with me, I'd be willing to spend my life with her honestly. If she wanted to pursue something better than me, something that would make her happier, then I would silently wish her well. But damn it, why does she keep giving me hope like this! And at the same time, she's flirting with a bunch of men! Doesn't she know that this will ultimately hurt many potential suitors? And make many potential suitors waste a lot of time and money on her! What's the difference between her and a prostitute who sold her body in the past?"

"Alright." Lin Jie patted Dong Quan: "You will find someone better, someone who truly treats you as their only woman, not someone who treats you as a backup option. Besides, this is only your own fault, because it was all consensual. After all, she didn't force you, did she? It was your own choice."

"This is clearly emotional fraud!" Dong Quan said unhappily.

"But there's no law specifically addressing this," Lin Jie said directly. "Ultimately, isn't it all your own choice? You're just being foolish and getting taken advantage of."

"You're right, it's all my fault for being so stupid!" After hearing Lin Jie's words, Dong Quan calmed down as well: "You're right, it's all my fault for being so stupid. I didn't even see through her acting. But I'm so damn unwilling to accept it! I treated her like my only treasure! But she treated me like an old rag!"

"Alright, alright, don't worry about it too much. But haven't you already seen through her true colors? Anyway, nothing happened between you two, so let's just pretend it never happened." Lin Jie patted Dong Quan: "At least you've already used your own identity to find out that she's actually a green tea bitch, haven't you? Since you're just a backup in the play, why are you so hung up on it!"

“You’re right, my fantasies about him are completely over now.” Dong Quan said, clinking bottles with Lin Jie, and then the two of them simultaneously gulped down a large mouthful of beer. “But she actually went after her own friend’s boyfriend, really… never mind, let’s drink!”

"Speaking of which, women really are born with a talent for acting," Lin Jie said, looking at Dong Quan with a touch of melancholy.

"What's wrong? Have you been scammed too?" Dong Quan asked. "Speaking of which, do you have a girlfriend?"

"Me? I've had a girlfriend." Lin Jie's expression turned somewhat nostalgic. For some reason, ever since that illusion in the Holy Capital, Lin Jie had been frequently dreaming about things from the past: "Although my girlfriend wasn't a 'green tea bitch,' she was an absolute liar, and I was still deceived by her in the end."

"You two broke up? What did she lie to you about?" Dong Quan looked at Lin Jie with some surprise.

Lin Jie said this, but only took a swig of wine. Dong Quan didn't ask any more questions.

Perhaps seeing Bai Ruofei today stirred something within Lin Jie, for he found himself having a pleasant conversation with Dong Quan. At the same time, Lin Jie was also grateful that, because of his role as a hero, he rarely had the opportunity to interact with ordinary people. Therefore, he had never encountered a woman who treated him as a backup option.

However, compared to Bai Ruofei, Lin Jie found Anya, the stunning beauty who had tried to kidnap him and marry him back in the capital, to be a hundred times more adorable, even though she constantly threatened to kill him. And even Dong Xue'er, who ultimately rejected him, was far more endearing. Lin Jie understood that Dong Xue'er's rejection wasn't her fault, but rather his own. He couldn't even utter a single word about liking Dong Xue'er, yet he shamelessly declared he wanted to woo her.

But now that I think about it, if Lin Jie had to choose one, he'd choose a lollipop...

"Huh? Why did I choose a lollipop?" Lin Jie sat up, puzzled, and started eating a lollipop. "I don't know why, but I've been liking candy more and more lately... Speaking of which, the children's program is about to start!"

After checking the time, Lin Jie immediately began searching for the computer in the room. Meanwhile, Dou Dou and Dong Quan, having drunk alcohol, were asleep on the floor.

But when Lin Jie turned on his computer, he was surprised to find that there was no network signal at all. Outside, it was raining heavily, and Lin Jie could clearly see the wind whipping the trees around.

"Holy crap! There's a typhoon!" Lin Jie looked out the window in surprise. Since there were no children's programs to watch, Lin Jie immediately kicked Dong Quan halfway down, then climbed onto Dong Quan's bed and fell asleep.