Esper X Family – Chapter 704 – The Mysterious Newspaper-Reading Man Makes a Limited-Time Rerun

There was no doubt that Ye Yao was acting sweet.

No matter how strong Lou Wei was, he absolutely couldn’t see through her true capabilities.

Hiding her strength was effortless for Ye Yao.

If she hadn’t wanted to mess with Lou Wei a little, she could have even turned off his “expert radar” and played the part of a harmless little angel again without any trouble.

But that’s how losers think!

As long as Ye Yao held on to the bottom line, a max-level account on a second playthrough was all about having as much fun as possible.

Who wouldn’t want to watch the Dayun Truck rack his brains with a flustered expression, only to end up just as confused as before?

The adoption procedures went very smoothly.

After waving goodbye to the orphanage director, Ye Yao got into the familiar car, and as soon as she reached the back seat, she unhesitatingly showed her affection toward Xiao Jing.

At first, Ye Yao had been eager to get close purely for the attribute points.

Now, she simply enjoyed the warmth of family interaction.

And this was none other than the supremely authoritative Mama Xiao Jing!

Across every timeline, Ye Yao held Xiao Jing in the highest regard.

That was the true value of a heartfelt connection from the very start!

Lou Wei sat in the front, driving. Although his expression revealed nothing, he was clearly burdened with worry.

The situation was slowly showing signs of slipping out of control.

Ye Yao hadn’t displayed any incomprehensible power, yet Lou Wei simply couldn’t figure her out.

It wasn’t about strength. What truly baffled Lou Wei were her behavioral logic and emotional expressions.

Ye Yao shouldn’t have been so naturally affectionate toward someone she had just met.

Xiao Jing hadn’t even had a chance to show her maternal warmth before she was won over by Ye Yao’s charm instead.

The one being coaxed into a blissful daze wasn’t Ye Yao, but Xiao Jing. Who would believe that?

Only Xiao Jing found nothing strange about it and accepted Ye Yao’s closeness and fondness as a matter of course.

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Lou Wei could tell that Ye Yao’s intentions were frighteningly pure.

Her closeness to Xiao Jing wasn’t to gain a sense of security in this newly formed family, nor to seek protection from her adoptive mother.

There wasn’t even a trace of longing for “maternal love”.

This was not how a child who had just left an orphanage should behave.

Even if Ye Yao possessed a world-ending ability, such peculiarities shouldn’t appear at such a young age.

After all, there was no record of this in the files.

Unless the intelligence department members responsible for the investigation had been kicked in the head by a donkey.

Anyone watching would have thought that Ye Yao and Xiao Jing had been mother and daughter for years.

That practiced, habitual behavior was precisely what Lou Wei couldn’t figure out!

Lou Wei stared at the two in the back seat through the rearview mirror.

To be precise, he was staring at Ye Yao.

Honestly, Lou Wei was starting to sweat a little.

This kind of unknown and uncertainty was the most terrifying thing.

Just then, the girl in the back seemed to notice his gaze and gave a slight smile toward the front, as if offering a friendly response.

For an ordinary father, they might have simply smiled.

But Lou Wei couldn’t feel happy at all.

He only felt the pressure mounting.

His eyes and senses all told him that Ye Yao was nothing more than an innocent, harmless little girl.

Yet his soul rejected that answer!

Ye Yao was definitely hiding unknown secrets!

The white-haired loli in the back blinked.

At this stage, the Dayun Truck was indeed a complete pressure cooker, undoubtedly at his most tense.

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Otherwise, back then, he wouldn’t have unhesitatingly destroyed the fission body the moment it uttered information about “Sequence 001”.

Now, just by revealing the tip of the iceberg, Ye Yao could make Lou Wei feel such immense pressure.

If she actually exposed even a fraction of strength beyond his comprehension, what then?

In short, Ye Yao was very much looking forward to that moment!

After regressing, even former high-stakes matches would turn into low-stakes ones.

From now on, everyone was nothing more than an ordinary mortal before Ye Yao.

Back at the familiar Countermeasure Bureau residential complex.

Ye Yao felt deeply nostalgic.

Ever since moving to the Countermeasure Bureau headquarters, she had rarely returned to this original little home.

Later, Mama Xiao Jing had also moved to headquarters, leaving this house mostly empty as a keepsake.

Then, Ye Yao followed Xiao Jing and Lou Wei back into the familiar little home.

Even though she knew it inside out, Ye Yao still acted as if it was her first time there.

“Go pick your room, and let me know what you like to eat. I’ll make it for you tonight.”

Xiao Jing and Ye Yao’s relationship had progressed by leaps and bounds.

In a short time, they were practically like biological mother and daughter.

Seeing this, Lou Wei decided not to try building a rapport with Ye Yao right away.

Now that he had brought her home, the rest of his time would be spent watching her.

But the abnormalities Ye Yao displayed were simply too unsettling.

He needed to discuss this with someone.

After all, this wasn’t a problem that could be solved with force.

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“I’m stepping out for a bit.”

Ye Yao watched Lou Wei’s retreating figure and let out an ambiguous hum.

“Hmm…”

Xiao Jing thought that Ye Yao might have misunderstood something and quickly tried to explain on Lou Wei’s behalf.

“Your father is probably just too busy with work. He actually cares about you a lot, he’s just not good at expressing it…”

“Don’t worry, Mom. I understand Father.”

Ye Yao smiled softly while also beginning to plan tonight’s moves.

She was about to set the stage!

On the other side.

Lou Wei’s think tank gathered together, even reaching out to headquarters.

Fu Qi couldn’t leave headquarters, so he could only stay informed via remote communication.

“Lou Wei, what’s wrong?”

“Something’s off.” Lou Wei replied quickly.

He then laid out the abnormalities he had observed, which severely conflicted with the information gathered by the intel department.

Just Ye Yao’s little quirks and changes in personality alone were enough to make Lou Wei uneasy.

When the personnel responsible for data collection learned of this, they were completely baffled.

This made no sense.

How could a person change so drastically overnight?

It was practically a complete personality overhaul.

Even Lou Wei, who had memorized the files, was startled.

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What difference was there between this and starting from scratch?

If all the carefully prepared strategies were actually detrimental, then they were doomed.

One wrong step could send them plunging into the abyss.

Even Fu Qi fell silent upon learning the situation.

“I heard that Sequence 001 is unconditionally close to Xiao Jing. For now, let Xiao Jing keep her steady. Lou Wei, you observe from the shadows. Until we confirm the specifics, it’s best not to act rashly.”

The group was at a loss.

Prior to this, they had formulated their strategies based on the investigated intel. Even with slight deviations, it wouldn’t have been a major issue.

But the problem was that the deviation was far too great.

Without resorting to force, no one was confident that they could win Ye Yao’s trust and favor. In the end, only Xiao Jing had the ability to keep Ye Yao stable.

They had no choice but to observe again!

Time passed slowly.

It wasn’t until dinner time that Ye Yao emerged from her room.

She had already devised a thorough plan!

Tonight, she could drop bombshell after bombshell, guaranteeing that no one would have time to react.

Arriving in the living room, Ye Yao took in the familiar scene at a glance.

The Mysterious Newspaper-Reading Man makes a limited-time rerun!

Author Note

I’ve been busy since early morning, helping to cook several large pots of food. After eating, I should take a nap.

Text: The prejudices in human heart are a great feast ¹ A parody of Shen Gongbao’s line in Nezha 2, “the prejudices in human heart are a great mountain”.