“I knew it…” Han Yimo said, “The protagonist is always like this—either awakening first to astound everyone or awakening last to overpower all rivals.”
“Uh…” Zheng Yingxiong scratched his head after hearing this, thinking to himself that this guy was definitely insane.
“I get it, kid. Don’t worry.” Han Yimo said, “The plot makes perfect sense. Now that I’ve got my ‘Echo,’ everything else will fall into place!”
Although Zheng Yingxiong had expected Han Yimo to be gullible, he hadn’t anticipated him being *this* gullible. He hadn’t even started scheming yet, and the other man had already bitten the hook hard.
“You… you actually believe me just like that?” Zheng Yingxiong asked, “Aren’t you afraid I might be lying to you?”
“Lying to me?” Han Yimo chuckled lightly. “As a side character, you might not understand this, but protagonists are often written this way—always unlocking their hidden potential at the most critical moments. So even if you hadn’t said anything, I’d have vaguely sensed it anyway.”
“Uh…”
Zheng Yingxiong felt the situation was getting a little too absurd. He had only mentioned that the other man had a certain ‘scent’—he hadn’t even revealed the name of his supposed ‘fragrance’—and yet Han Yimo was already convinced.
At this point, was there even a need to mention the words ‘Disaster Magnet’?
When Zheng Yingxiong led Han Yimo back to the room, Chen Junnan was watching them with keen interest.
“Hey, Xiao Han… what did this kid just say to you?”
“Uh…” Han Yimo considered the situation. As the protagonist who had just gained power, he figured he should keep it under wraps for now. “He… didn’t say anything.”
“Right,” Zheng Yingxiong nodded. “I didn’t say anything. Stop prying.”
Though both insisted they’d said nothing, Chen Junnan felt like he’d pieced it together. He suspected Zheng Yingxiong had run into Qi Xia earlier, and Qi Xia—through some method—had cured the kid’s sinusitis.
After all, Zheng Yingxiong had covered his nose when he approached earlier. Wasn’t that proof enough?
So Han Yimo had indeed ‘Echoed.’ Things were finally back on track.
Noting their secretive expressions, Chen Junnan pulled Han Yimo aside and whispered, “Hey, Xiao Han, aren’t we on the same team? You’re keeping things from me now?”
“Uh… we *are* on the same team, but I really can’t talk about it right now.” Han Yimo shook his head and replied in a hushed tone. “You’ll understand in due time.”
Suppressing a laugh, Chen Junnan pressed, “Fine, let me rephrase—was what you just talked about something that ‘could help the other side’?”
“Help the other side…?” Han Yimo smiled mysteriously and answered with practiced solemnity, “Heaven’s secrets must not be revealed.”
Chen Junnan gaped at him like he was an idiot. *Heaven’s secrets must not be revealed?* When ordinary people try to hide something, if the answer is ‘no,’ they instinctively say, *”How could that be?”* Only if the guess is *correct* would someone respond with *”Heaven’s secrets must not be revealed.”*
This meant their conversation *had* indeed been about something that ‘could help the other side.’ In Han Yimo’s mind, as long as *he* had ‘Echoed,’ he’d be better equipped to aid the opposing team.
And from Chen Junnan and Qi Xia’s perspective, the same logic applied—only if Han Yimo ‘Echoed’ could he assist *their* side.
“Alright, fine. Keep your secrets if you must.” Chen Junnan chuckled and turned back to Zheng Yingxiong.
“What are you looking at?”
“Kid, wanna take another sniff of your big bro here?” Chen Junnan teased.
“You… how did you know—”
Zheng Yingxiong realized Chen Junnan was sharper than he’d thought. In such a short time, he’d already guessed what he was up to. Unfortunately, Lawyer Zhang still hadn’t been dealt with yet, so he couldn’t recklessly experiment on Chen Junnan. As Qi Xia had warned, with someone like Chen Junnan, if you failed *once,* success would become impossible.
“I’m not sniffing you,” he said. “What’s so interesting about you?”
“Come on, just give it a try!” Chen Junnan shamelessly stepped closer. “Earlier, when you walked past me, you covered your nose. Did you smell something?”
Zheng Yingxiong froze slightly, his mind racing. Was this… an excellent opportunity?
Chen Junnan was already suspicious. If he just went along with it and confirmed there *was* a scent, could he trigger Chen Junnan’s ‘Echo’?
But Zheng Yingxiong remained wary. What if this was a trap? If he played along and Chen Junnan saw through it, the man might turn hostile on the spot—and their entire ‘Bell Operation’ would fail.
Playing it safe, Zheng Yingxiong paused before saying, “I won’t tell you. Figure it out yourself.”
“Huh?”
Chen Junnan wanted to drag Zheng Yingxiong back for another sniff, but the kid had already slipped out the door.
“You little brat—”
Chen Junnan couldn’t help but wonder—had his ‘Echo’ already manifested, and Zheng Yingxiong was just messing with him by refusing to say?
*Figure it out yourself?* Was this something you could just *figure out*?
Still, even if the kid wouldn’t give him answers, the good news was that ‘Disaster Magnet’ had already appeared.
He wasn’t sure *how* it had happened—maybe his earlier emotional performances had worked, making Han Yimo stumble into disaster by accident.
The next step was to convince Han Yimo that ‘the mole is about to lose.’ That would be the hardest part, but now that Han Yimo had ‘Disaster Magnet,’ they could adapt on the fly.
The timing wasn’t ideal, though. If he made Han Yimo believe they were losing *now,* it’d feel too rushed.
Just minutes ago, Chen Junnan had beaten him up. Now, Zheng Yingxiong had ‘sniffed out’ his ‘Echo.’ If Chen Junnan suddenly declared they were losing, Han Yimo would probably find it suspicious.
Han Yimo noticed Chen Junnan’s odd expression and swallowed nervously. “What… are you staring at now?”
“Nothing. Just find you interesting.” Chen Junnan grinned. “Wanted a better look at you.”
“*Interesting* again…?” Han Yimo didn’t get it.
“Even more interesting than before.”
“Chen Junnan, just relax.” Han Yimo declared. “Now that I’ve awakened, you’re about to see something amazing.”
“HAHAHAHA!” Chen Junnan couldn’t hold back anymore and burst into laughter.
“What’s so funny?” Han Yimo frowned at him.
“Nothing…” Chen Junnan wiped his eyes. “Ah… just thinking about how we’re about to win, and I can’t keep a straight face.”
“Exactly. We’re going to win.” Han Yimo nodded solemnly. “It’s just… I don’t have a ‘word’ on me right now. Can you give me one? If you took it off Qiao Jiajin, even Qi Xia wouldn’t say anything.”
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