Old Zhang was lucky because the group of people were all extraordinary individuals. Therefore, even though his iron block sank into the lake, he was eventually rescued. But as a result, the number of people lying in Qian Lingling's house increased from two to three.
Qian Lingling's house was not very big, with three beds placed in the only guest room. A curtain was used to separate them, making it look like a hospital ward.
Tao Ran sat by Kui Qingqing's bed, while Zhen Ling sat beside Qin Ke. There was no one next to Old Zhang.
Zhen Ling was hesitant to speak because she was not entirely sure if the person before her was Chao Ge. She kept stealing glances at Tao Ran. This gaze was hard to ignore, and after being glanced at countless times, Tao Ran said, "Sister Zhen, why do you keep sneaking peeks at me?"
Caught in the act of peeking, Zhen Ling blushed and coughed, saying, "You didn't speak first, so I couldn't believe that you were Chao Ge."
Tao Ran smiled and said, "Why couldn't you believe it? I don't think I've changed much recently."
"From an ordinary person to someone with superpowers, and you still say there hasn't been much change?" Zhen Ling said, "Are you Miss Kui's cousin?"
Tao Ran remembered Kui Qingqing's threat. Although he wasn't afraid of her, it was better not to confront her at the moment. So Tao Ran smiled and said, "Yes, after my superpower awakened, I didn't dare to stay at the base and came to find her."
Zhen Ling was involved in research on superpower genetics, and she asked, "What kind of superpower do you have? It's quite unusual."
Tao Ran replied, "It's telekinesis."
After thinking for a moment, Zhen Ling realized that the way he used his superpower did indeed resemble telekinesis. She said, "Ordinary telekinesis doesn't have such effects. It seems your superpower is very powerful."
Tao Ran shyly smiled and said, "Really? I'm not sure either."
Seeing his shy smile, Zhen Ling finally connected him to the past Chao Ge. Zhen Ling glanced at Qin Ke lying on the bed and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Can you do me a favor?"
Tao Ran knew what she wanted to say. "Do you want me to help you leave?"
"Yes," Zhen Ling appeared troubled. "I... still have important research work at a critical stage. It's not the right time to leave."
Tao Ran asked, "Then what about Qin Ke?"
This question caused a turmoil in Zhen Ling's heart. What about Qin Ke? This wasn't something she was considering at all. Since a young age, she had been a beautiful and outstanding person, and she had never lacked pursuers. But she had never felt so troubled for any of them.
Qin Ke was far from outstanding among her pursuers; otherwise, she wouldn't have forgotten his name back in high school.
But since he saved her and brought her to the small town, he had been taking care of her attentively. Qin Ke was a rough man, yet he delicately attended to her feelings, telling her jokes in various ways. Especially today, she learned that Qin Ke had liked her since high school. It has never changed for so many years, even though he was already the leader of a party of supernatural beings.
It was a very mixed feeling, and Zhen Ling's reason told her she had to leave, but when she really could, she couldn't muster the determination.
Zhen Ling covered her eyes with her hand, and Tao Ran consoled her, saying, "Take your time to think. At the very least, wait until Qin Ke has fully recovered before leaving."
Zhen Ling smiled and said, "Yes, you're right."
Tao Ran smiled, and Zhen Ling was slightly surprised. She said, "I used to think you were a cute child, but now I realize you're quite sensible."
Tao Ran didn't know what came to his mind as he said, "Maybe in the future, I'll surprise you even more. I'm not that young anymore; I am old enough to have a wife."
Zhen Ling lowered her head, finding it amusing. Tao Ran said, "Could you help look after Kui Qingqing? I'll go back and cook."
"Sure," Zhen Ling agreed. After all, she couldn't cook either.
Tao Ran estimated that Kui Qingqing and Qin Ke would wake up soon, so he prepared a meal for four people. Since Kui Qingqing had just been injured and needed to replenish her body, Tao Ran asked Luo Shuang for two pork ribs to make soup. He also cooked three meat dishes and two vegetarian dishes, and after some thought, he washed a plate of plums.
At Qian Lingling's house, Kui Qingqing and Qin Ke gradually woke up.
Kui Qingqing opened her eyes first and felt that the environment and even the bed were somewhat unfamiliar. Then she saw the situation of the person lying on the adjacent bed.
Kui Qingqing was momentarily stunned. Seeing the three of them in their current setup, she knew they were all at Qian Lingling's house. She felt a bit puzzled. It made sense for her to be hospitalized after being injured by Qin Ke, but why was Qin Ke also hospitalized? And even if Qin Ke was hospitalized, why was Old Zhang, who seemed to be just spectating, also hospitalized?
As she pondered over this, Qin Ke woke up, and Kui Qingqing unexpectedly locked eyes with him.
“……”
Qin Ke was bewildered for a moment, and asked, "Why are you in my house?"
Kui Qingqing's mouth twitched, and she replied, "Open your eyes wide and take a good look. Is this your house?"
Qin Ke glanced around and realized that they were at Qian Lingling's house. He moved his body and felt pain all over. Still, he couldn't help but wonder, "Why is Old Zhang lying down too?"
Kui Qingqing said, "I still want to know how you ended up lying down."
When it came to this, Qin Ke's expression became somewhat complicated, and he said, "If I'm not mistaken, I was injured by your cousin."
Kui Qingqing's face was filled with doubt as she asked, "My cousin?"
"Yes, your younger cousin," Qin Ke said. "Didn't you say his superpower is telekinesis? Is his telekinesis that powerful?"
Kui Qingqing felt her mind growing muddled and said, "Hold on, let's clarify first. How did he manage to injure you like this?"
Although it was an unpleasant memory, Qin Ke still said, "At that time, my electric current struck you, and when I realized you had no defense, I regretted it. And you... obviously you were the one who started it, but then you suddenly stopped. I couldn't react in time, and I ended up injuring you. What would others think if they saw that? They would think I bullied you or something. Kui Qingqing, what you did was unfair..."
"Enough, stop. Did I ask you to bring this up?" Kui Qingqing's face flushed as she was scolded by Qin Ke. She also wanted to scold her past self. Why did she suddenly lose control? It just showed that sometimes people do go crazy for no reason.
Qin Ke continued, "Just after I injured you, before you even fell, your cousin rushed up and caught you."
Upon hearing this, Kui Qingqing felt slightly relieved. Not bad, this little guy knows how to repay kindness.
Then Qin Ke said, "And then it felt like my hand was fiercely twisted by two hands, and my arm was instantly deformed. Before I could react, your cousin extended his hand towards me, and then I went flying."
Kui Qingqing frowned, "You went flying?"
"I went flying," Qin Ke said. "I've never flown that high in my entire life. When I reached above the clouds, I almost collided with an airplane."
Kui Qingqing remained silent for a moment, her mouth twitching, and she asked, "So, how did you come down?"
"I don't know," Qin Ke said. "I passed out while I was falling, so I have no idea what happened after that."
At this moment, Zhen Ling came in from outside. Seeing that both of them were awake, she happily exclaimed, "You're awake!"
Kui Qingqing rolled her eyes in annoyance and turned her head away, refusing to look at her. Qin Ke, pleasantly surprised, said, "Zhen Ling, have you been taking care of me while I was unconscious?"
Zhen Ling replied, "I was just sitting here, watching over you. There wasn't much else I could do."
For Qin Ke, the fact that Zhen Ling stayed by his side already made him bubble with joy, so there was no room for dissatisfaction. He said, "You're really kind."
Zhen Ling's mouth twitched, and she quietly glanced at Kui Qingqing before saying, "Are you thirsty? I'll go pour some water."
Kui Qingqing asked, "And what about Chao Ge? Why isn't he watching over me?"
Zhen Ling answered, "He has been by your side all this time. He was the one who brought you here for treatment. He went back home to cook, afraid that you would wake up hungry."
"It's not too bad." Kui Qingqing muttered in a low voice.
Qin Ke, frustrated, said, "I'm still lying down. Who's going to cook for you? Are you hungry?"
Zhen Ling reassured him, "You don't need to worry about that. Chao Ge said he'll cook."
"Oh..." Qin Ke responded.
Qin Ke asked, "What happened after I flew away? Why is Old Zhang lying down too?"
Zhen Ling organized her words and explained the events that followed. Finally, she said, "It seems that Mr. Zhang offended Chao Ge in the past and got retaliated against."
Kui Qingqing turned over, facing away from them, and smirked. Qin Ke said, "Is telekinesis really that powerful?"
"All superpowers are impressive," Zhen Ling said. "The only difference is in their strength. Even if it's just a regular superpower like strength, if the strength is enough to move a mountain, would you still think their combat ability is lacking?"
Zhen Ling continued, "According to research, superpowers are related to spiritual power. The stronger a person's spiritual power, the stronger their superpower will be."
Qin Ke asked, "What is spiritual power?"
"It's complicated, and I'm not particularly clear about it either," Zhen Ling replied. "But generally, the smarter a person is, the stronger their mental power."
"So, Chao Ge is very smart, huh?"
"At least much smarter than you."
"..."
Qin Ke felt discouraged and added, "This kid is too ruthless. Did he really want to throw me to my death?"
Before Zhen Ling could respond, Old Zhang, who had just awakened, spoke up, "Exactly, if it weren't for me catching you, boss, you would have become a Picasso painting on the ground."
"..."
Although Old Zhang saved him, Qin Ke still wanted to scold him.
When Tao Ran entered, the four of them were engaged in conversation. He set the food on the table and said, "Come over and eat."
Old Zhang caught a whiff of the aroma, and his stomach rumbled. He lifted the blanket and was about to come over to eat. Tao Ran, expressionlessly said, "I'm sorry, I only prepared food for four people."
"..."
Kui Qingqing chuckled triumphantly and said, "You bully others and still expect to eat the food they cooked? Dream on."
Old Zhang wore a pained expression, wondering, How could I bully him? Back when he was just an ordinary person, he dared to kick me. And now that he has become a superpowered individual, he's drowning me. Who's bullying whom?