Chapter 52: A Summer Night’s Love Letter
After reading through his test questions several more times, Jian Tang finally understood.
What a cunning design!
On the surface, they all seemed like simple, open-ended questions, but they were actually a massive smoke screen—every single question was secretly targeting him!
Take “favorite romance movie,” for instance. He had only watched a tiny bit of human television and had never seen a human movie. The films he had watched in the past just to follow trends were all produced in the Anomalous World—war movies like Anomalous Behemoths vs. Task Takers, The Anomalous Empire Trilogy, and Anomalous Form. Could he write those down on his exam paper?
No, he could not!
And what about his ideal date location? His and his friends’ absolute favorite place to meet up was a small bar in Weiwu Town. Could he write that down?
Absolutely not!
In short, while these questions might be incredibly simple for an ordinary human, they were extremely difficult for an anomalous monster like him.
No doubt, that task taker named “CEO Feng” had already picked up on the Realm Lords’ intentions. Feeling displeased but unable to openly fall out with them, he intended to use this written test to bait out any potential monster undercover agents.
Jian Tang sharply sucked in a breath of cold air, gaining a whole new appreciation for the difficulty of his undercover mission.
As expected, whenever task takers were involved, one could never let their guard down.
The battle of wits had already begun!
Upholding this sense of crisis, the trainee undercover agent, Jian Tang, gave it his all and answered the questions with utmost caution.
……
Two hours later.
Everyone submitted their answer sheets within the designated time limit and gathered in the conference room next door to await the results.
Up until now, not a single company employee had shown their face. Although the entire office floor was fully equipped and had an excellent environment, it was completely devoid of human life—a total empty shell.
If not for the red envelopes containing compensation for missed work neatly arranged on the conference room table—and packed with genuine, cold hard cash—some people might have already sensed something amiss and run away on the spot.
Everyone harbored their own private thoughts, whispering quietly among themselves while waiting for the hiring results. Jian Tang didn’t participate in the discussion; instead, he sat down in an empty corner and pulled out his phone.
After he accepted this special mission, the three Realm Lords had added Jian Tang’s contact information and simultaneously linked his device for free. Now, Jian Tang could directly open his system panel with his phone to chat with his friends back in the Anomalous World.
The three Realm Lords had created a group chat called [Let’s Find the Flaws Together], and Jian Tang posted his very first message inside.
Little Jellybean: [The target is very cunning. He didn’t show his face in person. What was supposed to be an interview was actually a written test. I’ve finished answering the questions and am now waiting for the results.]
The three Realm Lords were clearly paying close attention to this matter. The moment Jian Tang popped up, the three of them quickly followed up.
Hiramis: [Indeed, that guy is very cunning.]
Fila: [And insidious. Extremely insidious.]
Agne: [Handle it with care.]
Ten minutes later, the broadcast system in the conference room clicked on, and a sweet female voice rang out.
“Thank you all for your cooperation and participation. We will now announce the list of officially hired candidates…”
An ordinary person might not have noticed, but the moment Jian Tang heard it, he knew instantly: wasn’t this a synthesized system voice?
No, wait, wasn’t this guy being a bit too lazy? Don’t tell me he outsourced the entire process of setting up the company to the system?
Just as he was secretly complaining, he suddenly heard his own name—
[Jian Tang, Sales Department. Position: Sales Representative.]
Jian Tang: “?”
Didn’t he apply to be the boss’s assistant? Why on earth was he banished all the way to the sales department?
He pricked up his ears and listened for a while longer, only to discover that absolutely no one had been hired for the assistant position. That CEO Feng hadn’t even hired an assistant, let alone a secretary.
Although it deviated from his target position, being successfully hired was still good progress. Jian Tang reported the good news to the three Realm Lords.
The three Realm Lords were very satisfied. They gave Jian Tang a few words of encouragement, and then turned around to discuss it in a separate, smaller group chat.
Hiramis: [Does that bastard butcher suspect something?]
Fila: [Most likely. He deliberately avoided setting up a confidant position so we wouldn’t have an opening to exploit.]
Agne: [Even if he suspects something, he failed to guard against it.]
Otherwise, it would have been impossible for Jian Tang to smoothly join the company; he would have been kicked out long ago.
In the end, they reached a unanimous conclusion: the undercover operation was feasible and held a bright future!
Having wrapped up his report to the big bosses, Jian Tang was just about to share the good news with his wife when, as if they were sharing a telepathic link, a message from the other party popped up right on cue.
Wife: [Little Tang, how did the interview go?]
Jian Tang: [I passed! (^o^)/]
Jian Tang had also received the red envelope for missed work provided by the company, so he immediately declared with grand generosity:
[Wife, I’m treating you to a massive feast tonight! We can go anywhere you want!]
Wife: [Okay.]
Wife: [I’ll pick you up after work.]
There was still an hour left until the end of the workday. Feng Xun shifted his gaze away from the clock and looked down at the two pages of paper resting in front of him—the very written exam Jian Tang had submitted half an hour ago.
However, this wasn’t the original copy, but a photocopy scanned by the system. Feng Xun read it from beginning to end, pinching the bridge of his nose in sheer speechlessness.
Question: What are your favorite romance movies?
Answer: I like all good movies.
Question: What is the gift you look forward to receiving the most?
Answer: I look forward to all gifts I receive.
Question: Where is your ideal date location?
Answer: I fancy all fun date locations.
“…”
Every single question followed the exact same formula. On the surface, it looked like he had dutifully answered everything, but in reality, answering like this was no different from leaving it blank.
Just like the boy himself. He possessed a level of clarity and authenticity that seemed completely transparent at a glance, and his trust and reliance were undeniably pure and genuine. Yet, Feng Xun always felt a faint, lingering sense of bizarre uncertainty.
It was like a stray kitten that suddenly turned up uninvited, wandering into your solitary home. It was docile and clingy, behaving exactly like a sweet, domesticated cat. Anyone who saw the two of you together would envy how much it loved and depended on you, and you were more than willing to believe it too. Yet, a tiny corner of your heart kept reminding you—it still retained the nature of a wild kitten, and it might not stay for you forever.
Feng Xun hated this bizarre sense of uncertainty, yet he couldn’t pinpoint exactly where this strangeness stemmed from.
It was as if some incredibly important detail had been overlooked by him.
Clearly, their relationship was getting better and better, and they had even shared some very intimate moments recently. Why was that sense of uncertainty only growing stronger?
Should he follow He Mengxing’s advice, cut through the tangled mess quickly, and lock down this relationship as soon as possible to finally put his mind at ease?
Feng Xun fell into deep thought for a long while. Then, taking a pen, he drew a prominent red circle around a specific answer.
It was one of the few responses on the entire sheet that hadn’t been intentionally vague.
—Question: What are some places you’ve always wanted to go to but haven’t managed to visit yet?
Answer: The Firefly Forest on the outskirts of City A.
—
Jian Tang sat in the dessert shop on the first floor of the office building, leisurely eating a small slice of cake while waiting for his wife to get off work.
The cake here was truly delicious. At the thought of working in this building from now on, meaning he could come eat here whenever he wanted, his happiness buff instantly doubled.
A flat-screen TV hung on the wall of the shop, broadcasting the local news—
[Recently, the city’s forest park has once again welcomed its summer-limited “Firefly Forest,” drawing large crowds of tourists. According to the person in charge of the forest park, dedicated viewing boardwalks have been set up throughout the woods. Under the guidance of professional tour guides, visitors can observe these twinkling little elves from a close distance…]
Jian Tang stared fixedly at the flat-screen TV, the cake fork still resting in his mouth, completely forgetting to take it out.
Ah, was it already time to watch fireflies again?
The reproduction of fireflies required very strict environmental conditions. Jian Tang recalled that a decade or so ago, there was no such activity at all; it seemed the promotion for the “Firefly Forest” in City A’s forest park had only started in recent years.
Jian Tang had always wanted to check it out. Unfortunately, he always had to work overtime at night, so he never had the time to make a dedicated trip out to human territory just to look at those glowing little bugs. But this year… it seemed he could.
No, today, he could do it!
He took the small fork out of his mouth. Just as he was about to text his wife, someone tapped on the glass next to his seat.
Jian Tang was sitting right by the window. Turning his head, he saw his wife standing outside, smiling at him.
“Wife!”
Jian Tang was overjoyed. He shoved the remaining bit of cake into his mouth in two quick bites, grabbed the pre-packed pastry box, and dashed outside.
“Wife, you’re right on time.” Jian Tang beamed, handing the small box over to the man. “This is a little cake I bought for you, it’s super delicious.”
“Thank you.” Feng Xun accepted the cake and opened the car door, signaling for the youth to get in. “Regarding our destination for tonight, I have a suggestion.”
“What suggestion?”
“Do you want to visit the Firefly Forest on the outskirts of the city?”
Jian Tang’s mouth fell wide open.
Could this be the telepathy shared between him and his fated wife? The very thing he was thinking about a minute ago was uttered by the other party the very next minute.
“Yes, yes, yes!” Jian Tang hopped into the car. “I was actually just about to ask if you wanted to go, too. Hehe, we really are completely in sync!”
It’s not telepathy.
Feng Xun sat down in the driver’s seat, calmly fastening his seatbelt.
It’s just that I designed the exam questions well.
—
Over an hour later, the car arrived at the suburban forest park.
At this time, night had not fully fallen yet. The two shared a simple meal at an open-air restaurant outside the park, and only when the sky grew progressively darker did they head to the entrance.
Nighttime was the prime window for viewing fireflies, and a fair number of tourists had already gathered at the scene. Jian Tang collected a pair of glowing wristbands, and under the guidance of the park’s tour guide, entered the forest park alongside Feng Xun.
As night deepened, the damp mist of the wilderness gradually crept up, carrying a bone-chilling coolness. Having researched ahead of time, Feng Xun draped a jacket over the youth’s shoulders, and the two walked hand-in-hand along the wooden viewing path.
“Please ensure you do not wander off the boardwalk,” the guide leading the way ahead gently reminded everyone. “The humus soil in the firefly habitat is very soft, so please watch your step. Additionally, please do not turn on your camera flashes to avoid startling the fireflies.”
In the dim forest, the glowing wristbands provided the only faint source of light. Everyone instinctively softened their footsteps, their eyes searching through the thickets.
Jian Tang was suddenly nudged on the arm by Feng Xun. Turning around in confusion, he saw the other man pointing toward a distant patch of bushes.
A few pinpricks of light flickered among the leaves, resembling stars dropped into the mortal realm, blinking softly in the darkness.
Jian Tang’s eyes widened in pleasant surprise as more and more glowing spots rose from the grass, looking as though someone had overturned a wishing bottle filled with starlight, tracing out a winding, delicate river of stars.
Abruptly, Jian Tang recalled the words written by the great monster in the Book of Destiny.
—[Fireflies are simply stars that have lost their way.]
—[They are also a love letter of confession on a summer night.]
Jian Tang’s desire to witness the sights of the Firefly Forest wasn’t out of a pure infatuation with this summer-exclusive scenery, but rather because in the Book of Destiny, the great monster and his adorable wife had also come to experience this very same beautiful view.
Through the fragmented phrases in the diary, Jian Tang had also discovered that when the great monster officially proposed to his adorable wife, it happened precisely when the two were walking through the forest, admiring the fireflies.
In human concepts, two partners were only considered truly united as a new family after completing a wedding ceremony, and the prerequisite for a smooth marriage was, first and foremost, a successful proposal.
Jian Tang wanted to observe or experience every major milestone recorded in the Book of Destiny. Seeing it in person today, it was indeed well worth the trip.
“The blinking lights of the fireflies aren’t used for illumination,” the guide explained to everyone with a smile. “That is the male firefly sending out a courtship signal to the female. The female will flash a corresponding light to express her interest and response. If their frequencies align and they take a mutual liking to each other, the male will carry its specific frequency of a ‘glowing love letter’ and fly toward its beloved female. It is precisely because of this in-sync ‘flashing dialogue’ that they can locate each other, move toward one another, and ultimately cross paths within the vast sea of trees.”
“Wow,” a girl whispered in admiration, “that sounds so romantic.”
“It really is,” the guide said with a smile. “Many couples also choose nights like this to confess their feelings or even propose. Ever since the ‘Firefly Forest’ opened to the public, our park has practically turned into a matchmaking holy land over the past few years, bringing countless couples together.”
Everyone let out a soft laugh.
A few shy lovers stole glances at each other, their faces quietly flushing red; there were also more daring ones who wrapped an arm around their partner’s waist and snuck a quick kiss on the cheek.
Feng Xun couldn’t help but look at the youth beside him, only to find that the other party was also staring at him without blinking.
“Wife,” Jian Tang said with a grin, “I think the two of us are a lot like fireflies, too.”
Feng Xun’s heart skipped a beat.
Was he… suddenly waking up to romance?
“How so?” he asked, keeping his composure.
“My wish all along was simply to have a wife.” The youth gently swayed their clasped hands, his emerald eyes reflecting the glowing dots dancing through the woods.
“A wish like that is also a kind of ‘blinking signal,’ right? Then one day, you discovered this signal, calibrated your frequency to match mine, located the direction I was in, and swoosh—you arrived right by my side.”
Can it even be compared like that?
Feng Xun found it somewhat amusing. Just as he was about to speak, his smile suddenly froze on his lips.
Something flashed through his mind like a massive bolt of lightning tearing across the night sky, its momentary, piercing brilliance illuminating that hidden corner he had overlooked for so long.
He seemed to… understand.
He understood why he had suddenly been so desperate to make Little Tang acknowledge this relationship, he understood exactly where that bizarre sense of uncertainty came from, and he finally understood where that faint, lingering anxiety deep in his heart truly originated.
“Little Tang.” He heard his own voice sound incredibly dry, like gears lacking lubrication, making the utterance of every single word excruciatingly difficult.
“The thing you like, the thing you want… is merely the existence known as a ‘wife,’ isn’t it?”
“If… if the person who appeared before you back then hadn’t been me, but someone else entirely, would you have gladly accepted them just the same, and been perfectly happy to let them become your ‘wife’?”
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