Infinite Game Ch.57.1

Chapter 57.1 – Cross-dresser Jiang (x) (1)

After binge-watching soap operas for several days, Jiang Yujin finally remembered that he still had a big son in the hospital when he received a call in the morning notifying him that the high schooler could be discharged and brought home for recuperation.

The call came in early in the morning while he was still in a dreamy state after staying up late watching soap operas. He responded with a couple of “mm-hmms” as the caller discussed the time to pick up the high schooler from the hospital. After hanging up, he slowly got out of bed.

Struggling to change out of his pajamas, while getting ready, he glanced down at his phone to check the hospital expenses he needed to cover.

The hospital fees deducted from his bank card balance, leaving…

The droopy eyelids gradually lifted, and Citizen Jiang stopped brushing his teeth mechanically: “…”

He began to calmly consider the feasibility of having his big son, still in high school, pay the hospital expenses himself.

Clearly, that was impossible.

He decided to settle the hospital fees first and worry about arranging the money later. With his hair disheveled from sleep, Jiang Yujin casually made his way to the entrance, changed shoes, and opened the door.

Standing outside was a person wearing a hat, mask, their hand suspended as if just about to knock.

Although surprised by the sudden appearance at his doorstep, Jiang Yujin remained unfazed. Conversely, the other person seemed startled, taking two steps backward, nearly stumbling off the stairs.

The helpful Citizen Jiang reached out to assist and, looking down, noticed three individuals in black suits and sunglasses downstairs, gazing in their direction. One of them swiftly ascended the stairs.

Jiang Yujin inquired, “Have I done something illegal by any chance?”

This commotion at his doorstep early in the morning wasn’t the kind of treatment an ordinary citizen like him would expect.

Perhaps upon seeing the person being assisted at the door, the person who was ascending the stairs descended again.

The person with the hat and mask regained composure and spoke softly, “No, they are my bodyguards.”

The voice sounded like that of a young woman, quite nervous. She glanced at the bodyguards still standing downstairs and said, “I have something I’d like to ask for your help with.”

Her voice trembled slightly, seemingly due to her infrequent interactions with people.

Jiang Yujin allowed her in. Without his big son present, he could only manage to keep the house barely tidy, but not necessarily presentable. He moved the large goose from the sofa to make space for the girl and went to the kitchen to pour a glass of mineral water.

The girl sat on the couch, continuously looking out the window, appearing uneasy and very nervous.

As Jiang Yujin was about to sit down, he stopped and opened the front door slightly, leaving it ajar. This way, in case anything happened, the bodyguards downstairs could swiftly intervene.

The girl seemed somewhat relieved, hesitatingly taking off her hat and mask.

She looked rather cute, with a round face and a hint of baby fat. Her eyes were large, and she sported unexpectedly rebellious white hair.

Jiang Yujin refrained from commenting on her appearance and asked, “What’s the matter?”

The girl introduced herself as Tang Guo, the daughter of a certain entrepreneur.

Due to some incidents in her childhood, she rarely communicated with people in real life. Because of difficulty socializing normally with classmates, she had her parents arrange for lessons at home. She found it challenging to communicate in reality, so she learned to chat online after being exposed to electronic devices and made many friends that way.

Recently, some friends suggested that, considering they had known each other for so many years, it was time for a formal face-to-face meeting.

It had become truly difficult for her to communicate with people in real life, something Jiang Yujin had already realized.

She stuttered and struggled with her speech, her sentence structure was disorganized, and she found it challenging to articulate her thoughts. Even a simple sentence took her more than ten minutes, causing beads of sweat to form on her forehead. He continued to listen and decipher her meaning on his own.

Jiang Yujin asked, “So, what do you want me to do?”

His initial thought was to help her overcome her speech difficulties. However, he felt that perhaps consulting a psychologist would be more sensible for this issue.

Pause…

He could make a talkative person speechless, but he had never tried helping someone speak.

Tang Guo said, “You replace me… Find someone to replace me.”

Though she stuttered this time, at least she managed to express it clearly.

She didn’t want to expose her problem but also didn’t want to lose her friends. So, this idea came to her.

Her family knew she had online friends, but she didn’t want them to know the specifics. In a larger firm, there were more people, increasing the chances of her secret being leaked, so she chose a smaller one and eventually found her way here.

Jiang Yujin said, “Wouldn’t it be better if you went yourself?”

Despite the difficulty in communication, they were friends. Meeting face-to-face seemed like the simplest solution.

The girl shook her head.

Communication difficulty was one reason she couldn’t go, but equally significant was the fact that the photos she sent to her friends didn’t quite match her appearance.

Although it was the same person, Jiang Yujin believed that even if there were differences between the person and the photo, they wouldn’t be too significant.

Perhaps sensing his thoughts, the girl opened her phone to search for the photos.

When she handed over her phone with the photos, Jiang Yujin accepted it and said, “I don’t have anyone who looks like you here, so this job might not be feasible.”

As he spoke, he lowered his gaze to the phone.

“…”

He glanced at the photo, then at the girl, back at the photo, then at the girl again. His usual droopy eyelids lifted, expressing amazement at modern technology.

Reality and the photo were not just slightly different; they were completely unrelated.

The person in the photo had waist-length white hair, slightly downturned eyes, a cold expression, a slightly angular face with a smooth jawline.

A standard icy beauty.

Tang Guo felt a bit embarrassed and said, “I, um… I edited it a bit before posting, and it turned out like this.”

Jiang Yujin could only acknowledge her adept skills—what a remarkable transformation from the original!

The person in the photo seemed oddly familiar, so he took a second look, and then another.

Understanding that finding someone similar to the photo would be incredibly challenging and persuading her to take up this job even harder, the girl cautiously suggested a figure.

She then asked, “Is that enough?”

Jiang Yujin asked, “Do you still have time to create a mute character now? You know, at the gathering, someone who doesn’t need to speak.”

*

The high schooler waited at the hospital for half an hour but still didn’t see anyone coming to pick him up, so he decided to return on his own.

The nurse, with a pitying look, urged him to wait a bit longer, while subtly criticizing the father for not visiting his son often during his hospital stay and failing to pick him up on time upon discharge.

Chen Jing, carrying a bag with his uninjured hand, said, “He’s fine.”

He could eat and sleep, and it would be even better if sometimes he didn’t wander aimlessly.

The nurse escorted the seemingly neglected high schooler out of the hospital and watched as he boarded a taxi.

When Chen Jing returned, a car on the same street had just left. Its sleek, elongated design clashed with the somewhat aged street.

Upon entering the building, he realized the door was still open. Inside, someone sat on the sofa, sipping water and browsing his phone. On hearing the movement behind him, he turned around, his eyes widening slightly.

It was quite evident that this person had forgotten his task of picking someone up.

Chen Jing didn’t expect much from his memory. Carrying his bag, he closed the door upon entering.

Placing the bag on the sofa, he noticed another half-drunk glass of water on the coffee table and asked, “Has anyone visited today?”

Jiang Yujin nodded: “I accepted the commission.”

After briefly recalling the various odd and peculiar tasks the person had taken on, Chen Jing raised an eyebrow and asked, “This time, it wasn’t some strange task?”

Jiang Yujin waved his hand, “Just going out for food and drinks, nothing problematic.”

The high schooler nodded and returned to his bedroom with the bag.

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