Chapter 76 focuses on companionship.

After getting away from Fruit Street and confirming that no one was following him, Shen Xing felt a little suspicious.

The state of these people just now completely defied conventional wisdom.

If an ordinary passerby had witnessed that scene, even if they didn't feel fear, they would have felt a strong sense of unease and would have chosen to leave quickly.

This sense of unease stems from the fact that things go against our preconceived notions.

It's like when you walk into a crowded elevator, but you turn your back to the elevator door and look at the crowd. The other people in the elevator will be very uneasy, but no one can explain why. Once you turn around, everyone will relax.

Even if something doesn't pose a threat, it's still hard for people to accept if it goes against their established beliefs.

In short, if Wang Xinran were a mentally sound human being with normal cognition, it would be impossible for her not to notice the abnormality around her.

Unless the anomaly just mentioned only applies to oneself.

Or perhaps, there is something or someone around Wang Xinran who remains unaffected by her perception, and instead becomes an anchor point, preventing her from realizing the strangeness of other places.

Regardless... Tomorrow is the day he will meet Wang Xinran, so he should probably make some preparations in advance to ensure that he can get more information smoothly.

One of the most important things is that he needs to find a way to stay calm and not be distracted by Wang Xinran's thoughts when he is with her.

Exposing abnormal flesh and blood to protect itself, and entering a state where it can be eliminated from electronic imaging, might be an effective way to resist.

But that state requires a large amount of abnormal flesh and blood to be exposed on the body surface, and he would become somewhat inhuman and ghostly. Moreover, it is impossible for him to keep himself completely out of the sight of surveillance cameras.

The investigation team led by Lu Lingyun is still active in the city, and they already know the basic methods for identifying anomalies.

He didn't know if he was still within the scope of the investigation, but he couldn't let himself appear in the frame and disappear at the same time, as that would be obviously abnormal.

Are there any other options?

Previously, he helped Shen Yuan escape that state by making her recall painful events.

But Shen Xing didn't have any painful memories.

Perhaps physical pain would be a simpler and more direct solution.

Even if he creates a wound, he can make it heal quickly without the risk of excessive blood loss...

Shen Xing walked along the streets of the old city for quite a distance before finally hailing a taxi and getting in.

In the taxi, Shen Xing recalled the address that Director Wang had mentioned for Wang Xinran.

Although her family's fruit shop is in the old town, the house she bought is in the new town. She hasn't found a job, and her life revolves around going between two points.

Shen Xing asked the taxi driver to drop him off at the intersection. He walked to a bookstore not far from the intersection and bought a map of the city.

The map was published in 00. Although there have been some changes in the past four years, the main routes have not changed much.

After Shen Xing took the map home, he returned to his room, closed the door, sat down at his desk, picked up the red ink ballpoint pen, and uncapped it.

He marked two points on the location of Fruit Street and Wang Xinran's house, and started drawing lines from these two points.

These lines start from the center point and radiate outwards along the street, but do not make more than two turns.

Then, Shen Xing connected the commuter routes between the two points with a red line.

After doing all this, Shen Xing obtained a dumbbell-shaped two-dimensional spatial model that was large at both ends and thin in the middle.

He didn't know Wang Xinran's specific preferences or where she usually liked to go, so he could only make this rough radiation diagram.

Shen Xing didn't have the energy to check each place one by one for problems. He did this so that he could avoid those places.

"Buzz..."

Shen Xing's phone, which was on the table, vibrated slightly, making a series of tapping sounds on the wooden table.

He picked up his phone and saw a text message from Wang Xinran.

Good evening, Shen Xing! How was your day? My parents came back and said they saw you and even chatted with you. I'm sorry! Maybe I shouldn't have told them about you, but I couldn't help it~>_<~

Shen Xing glanced at the time on his phone: 7:50.

The distance from the fruit shop to my house is about the same as the distance to Wang Xinran's house. I wasted some time buying a map. If her parents took a taxi home immediately after closing up shop, they would indeed arrive home around the same time.

Why not just make a phone call?

After considering it for a moment, Shen Xing replied.

Good evening. I hope you had a good day. How about you? I don't mind if you talk about these things with your parents, after all, we met through your uncle.

He tried his best to reply with sincerity.

Less than half a minute later, Wang Xinran sent another long message.

I'm doing great too, as long as you don't mind. Looking forward to going out together tomorrow! (*^__^*)

Shen Xing replied that he was also looking forward to it, and then sent a goodnight message at the end. He then received a goodnight message in return, ending the text message conversation.

Shen Xing prefers phone calls or face-to-face conversations to text messages.

He couldn't guess what the person on the other end of the phone screen was thinking through words. Shen Xing was more used to judging the other person's emotions through tone and expression, which made it easier for him to deal with them.

"Knock knock knock".

Shen Xing was still looking for some small tools to quickly create wounds when the knocking on the door started again.

"Come in."

Shen Xing closed the map and spoke.

Shen Yuan, dressed in a sky-blue nightgown, stood at the door and said to Shen Xing, "I'm not going tomorrow."

"Not going to school?"

"I'm not going to the park."

"Oh." Shen Xing nodded, then, thinking it would be a bit awkward to end the conversation like that, he continued, "What about dinner? Are you eating alone?"

"I went out to eat with my friends."

friend?

Shen Xing pondered for a moment.

I've never heard of you having any friends.

"Okay, be back before eight o'clock." Shen Xing nodded.

He needs to buy Shen Yuan a cell phone, otherwise he won't be able to keep track of her whereabouts or contact her if anything happens.

"Those two," Shen Yuan gestured towards the two figurines on the bay window and asked, "which girlfriends are they for? One for each of them?"

Shen Xing followed her gaze and saw the Hello Kitty and Rabbids dolls. Shen Xing had placed them on the windowsill to air out. They hadn't been with the children's clothing mannequins for long, so the smell had long since dissipated.

Shen Xing shook his head: "I bought it for you."

Shen Yuan seemed surprised by this answer. She was about to open her mouth to retort, but she shut up when she heard Shen Xing's words. She changed her posture, crossed her arms in front of her chest, and for a moment seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Then...why is it left there?"

"I didn't find a good opportunity to deliver it."

"An excuse." Shen Yuan said, walking straight into Shen Xing's room, a doll tucked under each arm, and turned to leave. "Then I'll take it. Don't regret it."

Shen Xing watched Shen Yuan leave the room with the doll, then got up, walked to the door, and closed it.

The two dolls and the children's clothing doll were once placed together in the suitcase and had a slight odor.

Even rounding down, it's still a way to keep Li Xiaohua by Shen Yuan's side.

As for [02-Doll], it is still lying comfortably in the suitcase.