VIP Chapter 115: Extraordinary Abilities

Guan Ling never expected such an unremarkable item to be so valuable. She looked at Yuan Caiyi with some doubt and asked, “Is this really true?”

Yuan Caiyi nodded. “Trust me, sister. I majored in archaeology in college! This is a Southern Song Dynasty waist token coin, very rare. If it were made of jade, its value would be ten times higher, but even as copper, it’s still worth two to three thousand for sure.”

Guan Ling stared at the copper coin in surprise. “That valuable? Then I really can’t accept it!”

Ye Dajun scowled angrily. “This was given to you by your brother. Why won’t you take it?”

“But…” Guan Ling hesitated, glancing at the coin. Ye Xiaoxuan interrupted her seriously: “My brother is an honest man. When he says something, he means it wholeheartedly. Don’t joke around or fool him!”

Guan Ling blushed and glared at him. “I’m not!” She turned to Ye Dajun, bit her lip, and said, “Brother, I’ll accept it. I’ll wear it for life and never sell it!” Only then did Ye Dajun grin broadly.

Just as Yuan Caiyi was about to return the coin to Guan Ling, her brow furrowed again. But this time, it wasn’t the coin that caught her attention—it was the thin red cord tied to it.

Curious, Guan Ling asked, “What is it, little sister? Is there a problem?”

Yuan Caiyi nodded. “This red cord is strange. I can’t determine its age at all. Dajun, where did you get this cord?”

Ye Dajun shook his head. “I don’t know! When I was little, my parents tied it to my ankle and rarely took it off. The three of us siblings each had one. The youngest lost his.”

Ye Xiaoxuan looked at the red cord and felt it was familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before. A thought flashed through his mind—this cord was the same material as the strap on that little pouch from the black box!

Curious, Ye Xiaoxuan asked Yuan Caiyi, “If you can’t tell the age, can you tell where it’s from? Could this cord be local?”

Yuan Caiyi gently pulled on the red cord with both hands. “I’ve never seen anything like this before. I don’t know if anyone else has. It’s very tough and elastic. Even when stretched a lot, it doesn’t feel restrictive. It’s neither fiber nor rubber. I really can’t tell what material it is.”

Guan Ling took it and pulled hard a few times. The cord, about as thick as a matchstick head, stretched to five times its length but no further and couldn’t be broken. When released, it snapped back to its original length with excellent elasticity.

Wrapping the cord around her finger, Guan Ling exclaimed, “So, this means… it’s not something from Earth!”

Ye Dajun feigned seriousness. “Don’t be ridiculous. Our parents have never been to outer space!”

Guan Ling chuckled, covering her mouth. “Brother, I’m just joking! But think about it—such a high-performance cord wouldn’t just be unknown nationwide or worldwide. Besides, you’ve worn it for over ten years, so it’s been around at least that long. There’s no reason none of us would have seen it before.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. The young policeman’s reasoning was sound; indeed, the origin of the red cord was quite mysterious.

Yuan Caiyi smiled slightly and told them, “It could be a craft inherited from the older generation. Fifteen years ago, many traditional techniques were lost. But it’s not some extraterrestrial object, so don’t worry!”

Everyone laughed heartily; this was the only plausible explanation.

Ye Dajun wiped his mouth, picked up a cigarette pack from the table, and took out a cigarette to light it. But his lighter was out of fuel. After several attempts failed, just as he was about to throw it away and get a new one, Guan Ling took the lighter and said, “Brother, I’ll light it for you!”

As Ye Dajun brought the cigarette close, Guan Ling flicked the flint. A flame shot up nearly a foot high with a loud “whoosh,” startling everyone.

Guan Ling was terrified, her face pale, and she dropped the lighter, clutching Ye Dajun’s shoulder. “Brother, are you okay? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to!”

Ye Dajun waved it off and looked up. “It’s fine! Just burned off my eyelashes—I don’t have much hair anyway. But that cigarette’s ruined…”

Ye Xiaoxuan frowned, looking at the cigarette now reduced to ashes, then turned to Guan Ling, asking, “Have you touched anything strange lately?”

Guan Ling’s complexion hadn’t fully recovered. Hearing his question, she shook her head. “No, I haven’t touched anything unusual.”

She spread out her delicate, sunlit palms, with faint blue veins visible beneath the rosy skin—her hands were even rosier than Yuan Caiyi’s.

Holding her hands close to her nose, she sniffed for a moment and shook her head. “Nothing. Why is this happening again? Sister, can you smell anything flammable or strange?”

Yuan Caiyi leaned in and sniffed, then shook her head. “No. Sister, you said this has happened before?”

Guan Ling nodded, lowering her voice. “Yes. Once, I played with a matchbox and burned a big hole in the family bed.”

Tietou laughed heartily. “I used to do that when I was little!”

Guan Ling widened her eyes. “But the matches Dad gave me had the sulfur tips broken off!”

Everyone was stunned. Without sulfur, how did the little wooden sticks ignite? How did the fire start?

Guan Ling continued, “And last year, on my first day at the station, my colleagues took me to a small restaurant to celebrate. We had hotpot, but the gas stove wouldn’t light. When I touched it, the gas tank caught fire and almost exploded!”

Ye Dajun looked at Guan Ling in shock. “So, you’re a little disaster magnet?”

His words instantly earned him a barrage of punches from the others.

Guan Ling pouted angrily. “Brother, how can you say that about your sister!”

Tietou glared at Ye Dajun. “Don’t take it to heart, sis! Your brother’s just a jinx. He doesn’t say much, but when he does, it’s never good news. We’re used to it—he means no harm!”

Ye Xiaoxuan frowned and asked Guan Ling, “Have any other strange things happened to you?”

Guan Ling shook her head. “No. Is this an illness?”

Yuan Caiyi smiled. “I’m more inclined to think it’s a special ability!”

Guan Ling grabbed the lighter and flicked it repeatedly, but no spark appeared. Frustrated, she tossed it onto the table. “See? Now it’s useless. What kind of special ability is that?”

Ye Xiaoxuan asked, “Did anything joyful happen when you were a child around the time this started?”

Guan Ling stared at him in surprise. “How did you know? That day was my birthday!”

Ye Xiaoxuan nodded. “That explains it. All these strange incidents involve fire and are linked to your emotions. So from now on, whenever you’re feeling extremely happy or upset, avoid anything flammable. Otherwise, accidents are likely to happen.”