kingnovel Chapter 784 Informer
Chapter 784 Informer
Although Nana was a little angry about Damai's careless talk, what could she do? Damai was her best friend after all. She could just consider it compensation for accidentally revealing Damai's identity back then!
Nana turned to Lin Bufan with hopeful eyes: "President Lin, you...you should think about it again. Is there really no other way besides disfiguring yourself and finding a boyfriend right away? Disfiguring yourself is unrealistic, and finding a reliable boyfriend for Damai in a day is almost impossible."
Lin Bufan looked at Da Mai, who was slumped over the table, her shoulders heaving, crying "genuinely" but seemingly without shedding a tear. He stroked his chin and analyzed in a "serious" tone, "Disfiguring yourself... is indeed a bit extreme and unrealistic. But finding a boyfriend... I don't think that's difficult at all, it's quite easy to accomplish!"
"Easy to find?!" Xu Hongdou frowned immediately upon hearing this and retorted, "Do you think everyone is like you, finding a partner so easily? There's only such a short time left, where are you going to find a suitable boyfriend who can fool... that Miss Liu? How is that possible?"
Unlike Xu Hongdou's complaints, Chen Nanxing noticed that Lin Bufan had straightened his back at some point, his chest slightly forward, and a subtle "who else but me" expression on his face.
Chen Nanxing blinked, a sudden thought flashing through his mind. He slammed his hand on the table and exclaimed in realization, "Oh—! I get it! Lin Bufan, you don't mean... you're going to pretend to be Da Mai's boyfriend to fool that Miss Liu, do you?"
Lin Bufan immediately gave Chen Nanxing an approving look that said, "You're a promising young man," and nodded reservedly: "That's right. Time is of the essence, and there are no other suitable candidates. It's reasonable and the best solution for me to step forward and temporarily play the role of Damai's boyfriend to help her through this crisis."
Nana, however, was not so optimistic. She looked at Lin Bufan and asked the crucial question: "Pretend...how do we pretend? Are we just going to say to...that Miss Liu that Damai is my girlfriend, and she'll believe us? She's older than all of us combined, and she possesses unknown powers. How could she be so easily fooled?"
Given Nana's supportive role, Lin Bufan gave her an appreciative look before continuing to explain, "Just by talking, let alone a ghost that's almost four hundred years old, I doubt you could even fool that little candy vendor in the village shop."
To fool Miss Liu, we need to show her some concrete actions to prove that Da Mai and I are truly in a romantic relationship. That's the only way.
Hearing this, Da Mai timidly raised his head from his arms and asked softly, "Practical...action? What practical action?"
Lin Bufan cleared his throat and began to give examples on his fingers, his tone very "professional": "For example, the simplest thing is that couples always need some intimate interactions, right? Like holding hands, hugging, putting your arm around the waist, these are all basic operations."
Going a step further, for example... a kiss on the forehead, or... well, a kiss or something, would be even more convincing.
Of course, if there were some... well, the kind of evidence of deeper interactions between couples that even TV dramas wouldn't dare to show, then it would be 100% foolproof. I guarantee Miss Liu would turn around and leave immediately, never to bother with Damai again.
Da Mai's face flushed bright red instantly, like a boiled shrimp, and he buried his head back down with a thud, leaving only the tips of his two bright red ears showing.
After hearing Lin Bufan's words, Xu Hongdou and Chen Nanxing's expressions changed instantly. They exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with suspicion, scrutiny, and a knowing "I knew it" attitude.
Lin Bufan felt a little uncomfortable under the two women's gazes. His straight back slumped slightly, and his face showed an indignant expression of being wronged: "No... what's with those looks? Why are you staring at me like that? Do you think I'm taking advantage of Da Mai? Honestly, do you think I, Lin Bufan, am the kind of person who would take advantage of someone in distress?!"
As soon as Lin Bufan finished speaking, Xu Hongdou and Chen Nanxing nodded almost simultaneously and with great certainty, their movements perfectly synchronized.
"you--"
Lin Bufan's once bright and spirited eyes immediately dimmed, looking as if he had suffered a huge blow and his heart was shattered: "You...you actually...I'm such a person in your hearts?! Fine! Fine! Fine! I guess I was meddling, I guess I was just being presumptuous! Since you don't trust me, then I don't care anymore! You figure out how to solve this yourselves!"
With that, Lin Bufan stood up angrily, making a move to walk out.
"Hey, don't go!" Chen Nanxing was the first to react, and quickly jumped up, grabbing Lin Bufan's arm in a flurry with Nana and Da Mai.
"President Lin, President Lin, don't go! We absolutely did not suspect you!" Nana was also anxious, her voice still trembling from the shock she had just experienced.
Da Mai's voice trembled with tears: "President Lin! You can't abandon me! What if I... what if I get possessed tomorrow...?"
Lin Bufan was being dragged by the three men, but his face showed a stubborn expression of "disheartened" and "this place won't keep me," and he deliberately moved his feet forcefully away: "Let go! Let me go! Anyway, you won't believe anything I say here, so staying is pointless and will only arouse suspicion!"
As he spoke, he kept glancing furtively at Xu Hongdou out of the corner of his eye.
Chen Nanxing and the other two tried their best, but if Lin Bufan was determined, there was no way they could stop him. Seeing that Lin Bufan had one foot almost out of the kitchen door, Chen Nanxing understood why Lin Bufan was doing this, so she quickly called out to Xu Hongdou, who had been sitting at the table without moving, "Hongdou! Hongdou, say something! Otherwise, Lin Bufan will really leave!"
Nana and Damai immediately looked to them for help.
Lin Bufan paused at the opportune moment, his shoulders relaxed almost imperceptibly, and then he slowly turned around, looking at Xu Hongdou with a smug gaze.
You think you can mess with me?
The kitchen was quiet for a few seconds, with only the slightly rapid breathing of a few people remaining.
Xu Hongdou raised her eyes and calmly met Lin Bufan's gaze. Just when everyone thought she was about to say something comforting or persuading, she suddenly asked softly:
"Who is that little candy you were talking about earlier?"
"Pfft—cough cough cough!" Chen Nanxing, who was holding Lin Bufan's arm, almost choked on his own saliva. He stumbled, causing Nana and Da Mai next to him to sway as well.
Lin Bufan's smug expression instantly cracked, his eyes filled with disbelief—what time is it? His eyebrows are on fire, no, he's practically possessed by a ghost! What are you doing paying attention to this little candy?
Chen Nanxing finally managed to stand up and glared at Xu Hongdou angrily: "Hongdou! What time is it? Damai's personal safety is in imminent danger! Can't you focus on something normal?!"
Barley chimed in, her voice trembling with tears, "That's right, Red Bean... I... I'm scared... Let's solve the problem at hand first, okay?"
“Nanxing and Damai are right!” Nana nodded instinctively in agreement with Chen Nanxing, but then a hint of pure curiosity appeared on her face as she muttered, “But… speaking of which, who exactly is Little Candy? I don’t remember any child in the village having that name.”
Chen Nanxing first glared at Nana, scolding her for her lack of resolve, before explaining, "Who else could it be? It's President Xie's eldest niece, the one who runs the small shop in the village!"
"Oh—" Nana suddenly realized, and drawled out her words: "It's that one... the one who's always chasing after President Xie and keeps saying he wants to be Xie Zhiyao's wife?"
"Yes, that's her!"
Xu Hongdou frowned slightly, her expression filled with serious doubt: "But...isn't her name Xie Qin? How did she become Little Candy?"
"Tsk!" Chen Nanxing rolled his eyes at Lin Bufan before explaining, "Xie Qin has an English name, Candy, right? Candy means candy, right? So ever since Lin Bufan bought something from the convenience store a few days ago, he's been calling her 'Little Candy'!"
"So that's how it is." Xu Hongdou nodded thoughtfully, as if she had solved a major mystery.
"No... Sisters!" Da Mai was so anxious, stamping her feet and almost bursting into tears, as the topic was getting more and more off track. "Can we stop talking about gossip? Can we talk about something serious first? Shouldn't we be dealing with my problem first?"
Da Mai felt like an ant on a hot pan, while the people next to him were discussing what the pan was made of.
Startled by Da Mai's shout, Chen Nanxing, Nana, and even Xu Hongdou snapped back to reality, a hint of embarrassment appearing on their faces.
Chen Nanxing quickly cleared his throat, trying to steer the conversation back on track: "Right, right, right, business is business, business is business... Um, where were we...?"
Nana frowned and tried to recall, then said uncertainly, "It seems... it's about President Lin wanting to leave, and we're stopping him?"
Their gazes instantly returned to Lin Bufan, who was still standing at the door, his expression somewhat stiff. The meaning in their eyes was clear: We've brought the topic back on track, so you'd better get back into character and continue acting... no, continue the discussion.
Lin Bufan's lips twitched almost imperceptibly. Even with his thick skin, interrupted by Xu Hongdou's "divine intervention," his previous feelings of grief, indignation, and hesitation to leave were somewhat disrupted. He composed himself, tried to straighten his face again, snorted, and once more made a gesture as if to turn and leave.
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't go!" Chen Nanxing and the other two immediately rushed over again, pulling him back with all their might, while once again casting pleading glances at Xu Hongdou.
"Red Bean! Say something!" Chen Nanxing said urgently.
Xu Hongdou looked at the chaotic and somewhat comical scene before her, remained silent for a moment, then sighed softly and spoke again. This time, her voice was soft, but like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, it instantly brought everyone to a halt.
"That Aunt Liu... was it you in disguise?"
Although Xu Hongdou did not name names, everyone knew who she was talking about.
The three women were all taken aback by her words, and even their grip on Lin Bufan's arm loosened slightly. They subconsciously shifted their gaze from Lin Bufan to Xu Hongdou, who had just made such a startling statement, their eyes filled with doubt and inquiry, eager to hear what she would say next.
Lin Bufan's heart skipped a beat, realizing something was wrong. He immediately put on his most skillful expression, a mixture of shock and utter grievance, his brows drooping, his voice sounding as if he had suffered a severe blow: "Hongdou...you...you actually doubt me? In your heart, am I the kind of person who would use something like this to scare people or make fun of everyone? Has the trust between us become so weak?"
It would have been better if Lin Bufan hadn't said that, because his words made the three women think about it carefully.
Hmm—it seems Lin Bufan really is that kind of person!
As a result, Chen Nanxing, Nana, and Da Mai's gazes toward Lin Bufan gradually turned to suspicion. They no longer held onto Lin Bufan at all, as if they were not afraid of him leaving.
Lin Bufan knew something was wrong when he saw this situation.
Oh no, I've gotten a bit cocky since we got the system. I've forgotten to maintain my image. I need to change that!
Lin Bufan remained calm despite the chaos, because he believed he had not revealed any flaws!
"Red Bean, you're saying I was impersonating Miss Liu? What proof do you have? You can't just accuse an innocent person like that!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Nanxing and the other two girls tried hard to recall the terrifying scene from just now. They had clearly seen "Miss Liu," who was completely different from Lin Bufan!
Chen Nanxing was the first to speak: "I just saw that...that Miss Liu. She looks completely different from Lin Bufan. Her figure and voice don't match at all. Hongdou, why are you so sure it's President Lin in disguise? Did you notice some detail that we didn't?"
Then Nana gave her opinion: "Although we didn't know if President Lin was in the courtyard when we left, he was already there when we came back. You know, we ran all the way here. Even if President Lin ran faster than us, he wouldn't have saved much time. If that Miss Liu were President Lin, she probably wouldn't even have enough time to remove her makeup and change her clothes, right?"
Da Mai didn't say anything, but nodded repeatedly, completely agreeing with Chen Nanxing and Nana's views!
After careful consideration, Xu Hongdou concluded that, just as Chen Nanxing and Nana had said, it was unlikely that Miss Liu was actually Lin Bufan in disguise.
But Xu Hongdou felt that it was unlikely that Miss Liu was not Lin Bufan in disguise!
After a moment of silence, Xu Hongdou finally made a decision—to betray the "informant"!
"The news was given to me by Sang Biao."
Upon hearing this, Lin Bufan abruptly turned his head to look at the spot where Sang Biao had just been.
However, the place is now completely empty, not even a single dog hair is left. Sang Biao has long since disappeared!
Lin Bufan's lips twitched involuntarily!
I planned everything, but I completely forgot about you, you bastard!
Next time I make a plan, I must kill the dog first!