Chapter 748: The Return of the Eccentric Writer

As they descended the stairs, they unexpectedly saw Xin Bai standing on the first floor.

“Hey, Miss Gu, sorry about that,” Xin Bai smirked creepily. “I’m here for some material.”

Curious, Lin Dongxue asked, “How did you get here?”

“Haha!” Chen Shi chuckled. “I texted him. He’s always asking me for fresh material, so I brought him along to investigate. Since we had such a big piece of material here, might as well call him over… This isn’t a real investigation anyway.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Lin Dongxue complained with a smile.

Xin Bai approached the man in the cage. Liu Tao shrunk back in fear. Xin Bai greeted him, “Hello, material. Tell me your story!”

“Uh, I’ll tell you later!” Chen Shi said.

“Shouldn’t we leave?” Lin Dongxue asked.

In his current state, Liu Tao couldn’t provide more clues. Chen Shi said, “I’ll go change his IV bag.”

After Chen Shi changed the bag, they all left. After walking a distance, Chen Shi seemed to hear something behind them. He gestured with his fingers, and Lin Dongxue knew he was planning something.

The two arrived at the front of the house and peeked through a hole in the door. They saw Liu Tao’s wife cautiously carrying a bowl downstairs, steam rising from it. She noticed the IV bag next to the cage and cursed, “Busybody cop.”

Then she placed the bowl on the ground and kicked the cage with her foot, shouting, “Come out!”

To their surprise, Liu Tao obediently opened the cage from the inside. Trembling, he seemed terrified of his wife. She yanked out the IV needle roughly, then supported his head with one hand and forced him to drink the medicine in the bowl with the other, saying, “Drink it, you bastard.”

Liu Tao shook his head desperately, but he couldn’t escape his wife’s grip. Eventually, he was forced to drink the medicine, and it dribbled down his chin.

This scene shocked them both. As they focused on spying, an eye suddenly appeared from the crack in the door, peeking back at them.

“Ah!” Lin Dongxue stepped back in fright.

Chen Shi recognized the eye as belonging to the little girl. She moved up and showed her mouth through the crack, mouthing a word—”Get lost!”

Realizing they’d been noticed, the two left reluctantly. Lin Dongxue asked, “Should we call the police? Liu Tao seems to be under control.”

“What good would the police do? Liu Tao’s situation is probably similar to his old self…” Chen Shi pointed at Xin Bai, “What’s trapping him isn’t an iron cage, but his own mind!”

“This family is really strange.”

“Don’t worry, they’ll come back again. I’ll investigate this matter thoroughly.”

Seeing the two approaching, Xin Bai suggested, “Let’s grab a bite to eat. My treat!”

“No thanks, we still need to go back to the office,” Lin Dongxue declined.

“We could go to the nearby Hai Di Lao again. There’s a branch nearby,” Xin Bai persisted.

“Let’s go Dutch!” Gu You suggested.

“Whatever, whatever,” Lin Dongxue reluctantly agreed. It was already noon, and she was indeed hungry.

However, before they reached Hai Di Lao, Xin Bai was drawn to a newly opened pizza shop and insisted on eating there. But upon entering and seeing the long queue, he changed his mind again…

Thirty minutes later, the four sat in an ordinary fast food restaurant. Xin Bai elegantly nibbled on fries and remarked, “That’s the trouble with going out with a group; deciding what to eat is always a challenge.”

“It’s because you keep changing your mind, you lunatic!” Lin Dongxue muttered unhappily.

“Don’t call me crazy. I’ve recovered. Don’t believe me? I can recite the alphabet for you: ABCDEFG…”

“Stop, stop, stop!” Chen Shi interrupted with a gesture. “You sound even crazier like that.”

“We writers have active minds. The speed of your ordinary people’s brains is one thought per second, while mine is a hundred,” Xin Bai said animatedly, drawing curious glances from nearby diners.

Lin Dongxue felt embarrassed and suggested to Chen Shi, “Shall we sit by the window?”

“Forget it, let’s talk business. Don’t you want material?” Chen Shi nodded vigorously.

Chen Shi summarized what they knew so far. Xin Bai listened intently and praised, “That’s amazing, even more dramatic than fiction… Miss Gu, can dream swapping really be done?”

“It’s better not to attempt such things. Sleep should be a natural thing; forcing it can lead to anxiety,” Lin Dongxue advised.

“I tried the Da Vinci sleep method. It was fine at first, but later I found myself exhausted. Lack of deep sleep over the long term is unhealthy,” Xin Bai explained.

“What’s the Da Vinci sleep method?” Lin Dongxue asked.

The eccentric switched topics again, “Oh right, I remembered. The key to dream control is dream recognition, right?”

“How do you know?” Chen Shi asked.

“Duh, you’re all characters I’ve written. I know everything!” Xin Bai grinned.

“Are you going crazy again?”

“Just kidding. I’ve read some things about it. As a writer, I know a bit about everything. By the way, have you heard of the Flat Earth theory?”

Talking to this guy was exhausting. Completely unable to keep up with his erratic pace, they ignored him and discussed their own matters. Lin Dongxue mentioned, “My brother said the procedures couldn’t be processed today. The efficiency at the prison is really disappointing.”

“Don’t worry. It’s troubling to take up your time,” Gu You reassured her.

“No, I really want to understand the whole story.”

“I feel like visiting Liu Tao today has only made things more mysterious. Let’s not be led by the nose. Investigate the case. Check the identity of the deceased and find a motive!”

“I still believe dream swapping is real,” Gu You said firmly.

“Do you really believe that, or are you considering something else?” Chen Shi questioned.

“Using dialectical thinking, let’s have one side argue for and one against, and explore this matter.”

“Haha, okay. The truth emerges through debate. I’ll take the opposing side. I firmly believe there’s a rational explanation for this whole thing.”

Lin Dongxue shrugged, “I’ll remain neutral… This burger is terrible. It’s high in calories and tastes bad. I don’t understand why so many people like it.”

“Stop drinking Coke. Reduce your calorie intake,” Chen Shi reached out.

“Thanks, but no thanks!” Lin Dongxue picked up the chilled Coke and took a big sip, defiantly protecting her food, “I take full responsibility for my fat!”

“I think Officer Lin would look even more beautiful with a little more weight,” Gu You commented. “I’ve always been unable to gain weight. Too thin.”

“Can’t you see the fat on me? Since I met this guy, I’ve gained who knows how much weight,” Lin Dongxue sighed.

“I didn’t even get a chance to see it!” Gu You exclaimed. “How about we go to the hot springs together sometime?”

“Do hot springs actually have hot springs?” Lin Dongxue wondered.

“Of course not. Officer Lin, have you never had a spa treatment?”

“No time!”

The two women engaged in an animated conversation. Chen Shi simply focused on eating. Suddenly, he realized Xin Bai was missing. He had moved to another table and was discussing some incomprehensible topic with a bewildered young man, “… So the Sumerian civilization is likely to have come from outer space…”