My Superpower Is Kind of Cute

Chapter 12: Spreading Warmth

“Who was that guy?” As soon as the old man finished buying his lottery ticket and walked away, Qi Yun asked me from right beside me. I raised an eyebrow at Qi Yun. Just a moment ago, his gaze seemed to be fixed on that old man the whole time, and now he’s actually asking me about him? How did his tastes get so extreme? “Since when did you get into that sort of thing? Are you so desperate that you won’t even pass up an old man?” Qi Yun rolled his eyes—a rare move for him—and said earnestly, “I’m talking about something serious.” “I’m not messing around either.” Anyone can roll their eyes—I immediately shot him a look right back. “He has an unusual smell about him.” “No kidding—I know that already,” I grumbled irritably. “That old guy hasn’t washed his clothes in who knows how many days. He’s stinking to high heaven—it’s absolutely revolting.” “That’s not what I meant.” Qi Yun looked at me helplessly and sighed; his gaze clearly seemed to say, ‘Son, Dad is very disappointed in you.’ “Then just speak plainly.” Qi Yun spoke softly, “I sense traces of a spiritual energy attack on him.” “Spiritual energy again?” I was taken aback. Nothing like this had ever happened before I met Qi Yun, but ever since I’d met him, spiritual energy seemed to pop up everywhere. I hadn’t even recovered from last night’s ordeal yet. “Mm-hmm,” Qi Yun nodded. “And it’s quite dangerous.” “What kind of danger?” I perked up, looking at Qi Yun with curiosity. I thought to myself that the old man had seemed quite lively just a moment ago—he’d even had the energy to haggle with me—so he didn’t seem like someone who’d been harmed in any way. Qi Yun furrowed his brow slightly and whispered two words: “Lifespan reduction.” “Lifespan shortened?” I couldn’t help but exclaim. This was one of the most vicious curses I knew—second only to being unable to have children—and I never expected it to actually happen right under my nose. As I marveled at this, I couldn’t help but reflect on the fragility of life… “Wait, that doesn’t make sense. That old man is already seventy—no matter how much his lifespan is shortened, he’s still come out ahead, right?” “That’s not the point, is it?” Qi Yun pressed his hand to his forehead in thought. “We should find the culprit and see that justice is served.” “Since when did your sense of justice get so high?” I saw right through Qi Yun’s ulterior motives. “I think you’re just bored out of your mind, looking for trouble, and you’re even trying to drag me into this again?” With that, I took a pitying look at myself, shook my head—in this state, I’d rather just have my lifespan shortened… Qi Yun sized me up. “You look like this now—you don’t have to worry about keeping up your image anymore, right? What’s so bad about opening up and teaming up with me to save the world?” “Don’t make it sound so high and mighty. You’re just itching to have some fun.” I shot Qi Yun a glance. “Besides, I’m not the type to wear my underwear on the outside—why should I be the one to save the world?” “Ah, you can’t build a wall out of dung.” Seeing that I wasn’t swayed by all his talk, Qi Yun shook his head and turned away to study his lottery tickets on his own. Hearing that line nearly gave me internal injuries. That bastard actually stole the knowledge I’d learned to mock me. It took me half a moment before I spoke up, “If you’re so capable, go fly to the heavens and save the world yourself—just don’t drag this lump of dung along with you.” Over the next two days, the old man continued to come by to buy lottery tickets, but Qi Yun didn’t mention it much either. The whole incident was gradually fading from my memory, and I was slowly coming to terms with my new appearance—at least I dared to glance at myself in the mirror a little longer while washing my face. At noon three days later, I woke up to the delightful surprise of finding that I had actually returned to my original self. I couldn’t help but punch myself in the face twice; only after feeling my slightly swollen cheeks did I believe this wasn’t a dream—the handsome man of the past was back. It was a truly strange feeling. The transformation happened without any warning, and my body hadn’t sensed anything out of the ordinary. When I woke up, it was as if I were a completely different person. I was very pleased with my current appearance and found myself utterly captivated by my reflection in the mirror. Qi Yun let out a deep sigh, putting on an air of having everything under control. Looking at me, he said, “I told you all along you’d go back to normal. Look how worried you were—and now you’re back to normal.” “Could you have looked even more guilty before saying that?” I watched Qi Yun through the mirror; I’d seen every move he’d made just now. With my appearance restored, I was in high spirits. I finished dinner early and rushed off to work. There weren’t many customers at lunchtime, so I sat in a recliner under the air conditioning, sipping a drink while watching a TV drama and analyzing lottery trends—looking every bit the successful professional. In the afternoon, regular lottery players trickled in. A few were buried in their own analyses, but most were slightly surprised to see me; they greeted me and asked about my older cousin. I shot Qi Yun a meaningful glance and told them, “Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he won’t be showing up.” Just as I was about to clock out in the evening, I got a call from that elderly gentleman. He said he wasn’t feeling well and asked me to have Chen Ming pick a random set of numbers for him, which he’d come pick up the next day. I was in a great mood and replied cheerfully, “No need, Grandpa Zhou. I’m already back at work. I’ll print out a ticket for you right now and have it delivered to your home.” With that, my fingers flew across the keyboard, and a lottery ticket slowly printed out. “Where are you headed?” Qi Yun noticed I was taking a different route than usual today, heading down a side path in the opposite direction, and asked curiously as he followed behind me. I turned my head and smiled at him. “You’ve been wanting to know what’s up with that old man, right? Today, I’ll let you see him to your heart’s content.” I held up the lottery ticket. “See that? Door-to-door service.” “Is his last name Zhou?” Qi Yun knew I was in high spirits right now, so he quickly asked about the man’s situation. I didn’t hold back. “Yeah, his name is Zhou Jianguo. His wife passed away a long time ago, and his kids work out of town—they come by once or twice a month. Other than being a bit stingy, he doesn’t seem to have any other redeeming qualities. Judging by his demeanor, it’s hard to imagine he’d have any grudges against spiritual practitioners, right?” “Hard to say. We’ll find out once we get there.” I walked a few steps down the path, turned a corner, and saw a small residential complex. There were only two or three apartment buildings inside, and you could tell just by looking at them that they had a certain historical feel. Ever since I was born, I’d heard rumors that they were going to be demolished, but here they still stood, unshaken to this day. I entered the middle building, and as soon as I stepped inside, Qi Yun instinctively furrowed his brow. “There’s definitely spiritual energy here.” “You’ve got a dog’s nose—you’re like a radar.” I gave him a half-hearted compliment, then hurried up to the fourth floor in two strides and knocked on one of the metal doors. Since I’d been here a few times before, I knew my way around. “Who’s there?” an aged voice called from inside. “Open up—it’s the community outreach program,” I shouted inside. The next second, the metal door swung open. Grandpa Zhou, beaming, took the lottery ticket from my hand, handed me two yuan, and asked politely, “You’ve worked hard. Would you like to come in and sit for a while?” “Sure.” Unlike my usual response, this time I stood at the doorway and agreed without hesitation, smiling at him. Now that my own problem was solved, I could finally play the role of a model young man and discuss the matter of shortened lifespans with Qi Yun. Zhou Jianguo’s hand, which had been about to close the door, paused. His expression froze in a smile tinged with a hint of awkwardness, and his gaze gradually took on a strange look—clearly, he hadn’t expected me to agree. The air suddenly grew quiet. After a few seconds, Zhou Jianguo nodded and stepped aside to let me into the room. Upon entering, the first thing that caught my eye was the *Men’s Style* magazine on the tea table. Now I finally understood why he’d hesitated earlier—old in body but young at heart. That’s great.