Translator:	Author:	Original Source:
MJCross	Cat’s Glasses	SFACG

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Because I was wearing loose-fitting beach shorts, there wasn’t much to hold it in, and after all the tense and chaotic events earlier, I hadn’t even noticed when little Chang Kai entered charge mode.

So embarrassing. Pressing such filth against my bro-turned-sis’s thigh—just bury me in the nearest trash can. That’s where I truly belong now. My final resting place.

Meanwhile, now that she was out of her mother’s aura of terror, Xiao Lei had regained her usual energy.

She swung her small hand and gave me a sharp slap on the back, producing a crisp smack.

“Come on, Commander, I know it’s just a normal physiological response. I don’t mind at all, so why are you so hung up on it?”

Not only did she not mind, she actually seemed pretty amused.

Being held by a guy and having something indescribable pressed against her thigh—and still being this cheerful?

Was there something wrong with her brain? Or… was I just an exception?

“Besides, if you keep overthinking, Old Feng is gonna pack up and leave.”

At her reminder, I quickly peeked around the corner. Sure enough, Old Feng had already stacked the plastic tables and chairs onto his cart and was climbing onto the driver’s seat.

Just as Xiao Lei said, he was getting ready to leave.

“Agent Xiao Lei, let’s proceed with the mission.”

“Yes, sir!” She even gave me a little salute. Are you the party’s spy or something?

Old Feng’s cart was modified from an electric three-wheeler. Those things weren’t fast to begin with, and dragging a heavy food stall behind it only made it move like a sluggish old turtle.

On the bright side, there was no way we’d lose track of him, even on foot. Worst case scenario, we could grab one of the many shared bikes scattered around the city.

More importantly, his house couldn’t be too far. Judging by how slow that thing moved, even with a full tank, it wasn’t going to get very far.

Following too closely would make us stand out, so I lagged behind Xiao Lei, giving her more room behind the scarce lamp posts on the road.

The cart rumbled out of the village and onto the main road, heading toward Mifeng Street.

Old Feng didn’t seem to notice anything, but Xiao Lei and I weren’t having as easy a time. Every now and then, stray cats and dogs would jump out from the roadside, startling us.

They seemed to be drawn in by the lingering aroma of fried food drifting from the cart. The little ones, especially, reminded me of when Tangerine was still a cute, tiny kitten.

To my surprise, this cart had more endurance than I expected.

After 10 minutes of tailing, I had assumed Old Feng’s house would be close by, but even after passing Mifeng Street, he showed no sign of stopping.

“Though exhausted, I have yet to reach my limits!”

As the cart’s engine sputtered like an old tractor, I could almost hear it screaming those words.

The summer night was stiflingly humid. Beads of sweat trickled down my back, making my skin itch.

Up ahead, Xiao Lei kept lifting the hem of her hoodie to fan herself. In doing so, she occasionally exposed a glimpse of her slender waist, glistening under the moonlight, her sweat-covered skin seeming to glow faintly.

“Commander, you sure your prediction wasn’t off?” Her voice crackled through my earphones, tinged with mild exasperation.

I glanced at my phone—it was almost 11. My body was already at its limits, but after following him this far, I wasn’t about to give up.

“Eleven ten. If he’s not home by then, we turn back.”

“Got it. If we’re out too late, waking up tomorrow’s gonna be hell. Speaking of which, isn’t tomorrow when they announce our grades?”

Summer break hadn’t started yet—we still had half a day of school left, and with it, our final exam results.

When it came to grades, I was consistently above average in every subject.

The worrying one was Zhao Zhao, or currently Xiao Lei, was also very consistent—consistently failing across the board. The guy had earned himself the nickname “The Red-Light District” for his legendary streak of failing grades.

“Yup, grades come out tomorrow. By the way, in our school, if you place dead last in the year, even if you pass the retests, you still have to attend summer remedial classes—prepare to probe into the mysteries of philosophy♂ with our macho devil teacher.”

“Wait, for real?! But what about my summer plans to play basketball and pick up girls?”

Oh, so you still haven’t given up on that? Look at yourself! You’re the one being picked up now!

We kept chatting as we followed the cart for another ten minutes, eventually reaching the riverside road. Just as our deadline approached, Xiao Lei, our front-line reporter, finally sent back good news.

“Boss! Old Feng just left the main road—he turned onto… huh, the riverbank?”

“The riverbank?”

With the open landscape, I could now see what she was talking about.

The cart was bumping along a rocky path toward the riverbank, wobbling so much that I worried it might tip over.

It continued rattling forward before disappearing under a bridge. And then… it never came back out.

A bad feeling settled in my gut.

“Xiao Lei, go take a look, but be careful. If anything seems off, call me right away.”

“Got it.”

She climbed over the guardrail and slid down the dirt slope to the riverbank. Not bad—her basketball training gave her great balance, even on uneven terrain.

I ran through the possibilities in my head.

One: Old Feng might just be parking his cart there before heading home. Unlikely, since he wouldn’t want to leave his food supplies out like that.

Two: He actually lives under the bridge. A miserable thought, but not impossible, considering how little profit his business seemed to make.

Three: He realized he was being followed and set up an ambush. If that were the case, Xiao Lei could be in danger.

I hoped for the first scenario. The reality was probably the second or third.

Xiao Lei crept up to the bridge entrance, pressing against the wall as she carefully peeked inside.

“There are two small buildings near the bridge support. His cart is parked out front. The sign says it used to be a bridge maintenance office—looks like he’s renting the space.”

“What about Old Feng?”

“He’s unloading food supplies, probably to store them in a fridge. There’s also a big tub of dirty dishes next to the cart—he’s definitely gonna have to wash those later. Man… life really isn’t fair to him.”

Hearing that, Xiao Lei sounded genuinely sympathetic.

So he really was living there. I couldn’t imagine how noisy it must be with cars passing overhead all day.

Did he not own a house? Or did he give it all to his ex-wife in the divorce?

“Well, we got what we came for. Time to head back, Agent Xiao Lei. El Psy Congroo¹.”

“Hey, Commander… Do you really think the Bishoujo Notebook is capable of fixing Old Feng’s current situation?”

Seeing hardship firsthand had dampened her usual energy. She didn’t even bother responding to my joke.

Xiao Lei really was a good kid. Having empathy for others’ struggles was one of humanity’s best qualities.

I thought for a moment before answering.

“If he keeps living like this, but loses his strength as a grown man, he’ll probably have an even harder time.

But the notebook gives people a chance—a fresh start.

A beautiful girl with top-tier cooking skills? She’d have way more opportunities than Old Feng does now.

But in the end, change is up to him. If he doesn’t take that step, then all the possibilities in the world won’t mean a thing.”

“You know, you only sound this wise when you’re explaining something.”

By the time we got home, we were drenched in sweat. Naturally, we had to shower again.

Following the gentleman’s code, I let Xiao Lei go first. When she was done, she was lounging on my bed in my oversized T-shirt and gym shorts, scrolling through her phone.

Grabbing my own change of clothes, I stepped into the bathroom—only to spot her hoodie, black stockings, and my khaki shorts tossed carelessly into the laundry basket.

They were soaked in her sweat.

A strange, nervous feeling crept up inside me.

Something about those worn black stockings was calling to me. It seemed to remind me of mom’s handmade omelet……Wait. I’ve never met my mother. Neither have I eaten an omelet that resembled black stockings.

I shook my head and jumped straight into a cold shower.

Cold water wasn’t great for washing off sweat, but it was perfect for cooling down both my brain and Little Chang Kai.

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