How to start Meursault

Wayne Manor, main kitchen, two o'clock in the afternoon.

Tim Drake walked down the stairs with his eyes closed like sleepwalking, entered the kitchen, and sat on the high chair, spreading his face on the center island by the way.

He only solved a case at 7 o'clock in the morning and got back into bed. Before that, he had not slept for more than 50 hours. The reason why he got up at this moment when he only had a short sleep was because he was woken up by hunger , had to get up and look for food.

"Alfred went to the spice shop, what do you want to eat, let me make it for you?"

"..."

Tim, who was spread out on the middle island, spit out a few indistinct syllables in a huff.

"Okay, let's make some muffins. Coffee certainly won't work."

"..."

"Decaf/café doesn't work either. If you talk about it again, I'll warm up milk for you."

Tim, who was not very conscious, shut up reflexively after hearing the word "milk"-almost no one in this family likes to drink milk.

Soon, the smell of muffins wafted from the kitchen, ascended the stairs, and hooked another person down.

"Xiao Jing..."

Dick Grayson was much more sober than Tim. After sneaking in from the kitchen door, he ran right behind He Jian who was frying muffins, and unceremoniously put a few freshly fried muffins on the plate I stole a piece and started to eat—anyway, Tim fell asleep on the middle island, not knowing that his muffin was brutally murdered by his elder brother.

Speaking of which, Dick can actually cook, at least he has the level of not being starved to death, but since He Jian has already started the fire, he might as well sit back and enjoy the benefits.

After a while, He Jian put a plate of muffins poured in syrup in front of Tim, and lifted Tim's face up from the middle island with both hands, and took advantage of the gap before he lay back on his stomach again, put the A mug slips into Tim's hand.

In the next second, Tim lifted the cup up automatically and took a sip, then woke up instantly, and almost spit out what he drank.

"...What is this?" He looked at He Jian faintly with a pair of dark circles under his eyes.

"Peppermint tea. At least you won't fall asleep while eating, and it doesn't contain caffeine." He Jian, who hadn't unbuttoned his apron, spread his hands towards Tim.

Dick, who was not banned from drinking coffee, couldn't help laughing while holding his cup - Tim had fallen asleep while eating more than once, and even fell asleep with his face on the plate.

Tim took a sad look at the few mint leaves floating in the glass, put the glass aside decisively, picked up the fork and started eating his muffins.

"By the way, Xiao Jing, why are you in the kitchen at this time?" Dick asked casually.

Unlike them who ran out for night patrols a few nights and couldn't get up during the day, He Jian's schedule was so normal that it couldn't be more normal. Could it be that he was in the kitchen at two o'clock in the afternoon preparing to make afternoon tea snacks?But I looked around, and there seemed to be no traces of anything other than muffins.

He has always been very frank with his family members, He Jian, who knows how to answer questions, even looked away a little guilty after hearing this question, and did not answer immediately.

Tim, who had half a muffin in his mouth, said after swallowing the food, "Because Bruce won't just come in here."

The kitchen of Wayne's house is basically equivalent to Alfred's fortress. After this kitchen was forced to be redecorated several times because of Bruce's astonishing cooking skills, it became the most modern part of the entire manor above ground, and Master Wayne was basically forbidden to enter. kitchen.And among the next generation raised in this manor, apart from Jason who rarely comes back now, He Jian's cooking skills are considered the best, and those like Tim who have inherited Bruce's frying kitchen talent are also very self-aware Never fire.

Hearing this, Dick turned his gaze back to Tim, and although he didn't speak, he obviously wanted Tim to share what 'bad thing' he did to hide from Bruce.

Noticing the gossiping eyes of his eldest brother, He Jian cleared his throat in embarrassment, and decided that instead of letting Tim speak, he might as well speak by himself.

"Uh... I didn't listen to his request, took the initiative to re-sign the contract with that system, and then slipped to another world while he was on night patrol?"

"When did this happen?" Dick couldn't hear what he was thinking in his voice.

"Two weeks ago, you were in Bludhaven. This guy's signal disappeared for an hour." Tim, who finally recovered, frowned and took another sip of mint tea, and replied casually.

"And then?" Dick asked this time, of course, how Bruce would deal with it when he found out.

"Bruce wrote an email to the principal of Princeton overnight, saying that I was a math wizard, and sent my previous drafts to several professors in the mathematics department." He Jian put his hands on his forehead and said in a very weak tone, " They actually succumbed to Bruce's power, read through the garbage I wrote carefully, and then wrote me review comments one by one."

You must know that He Jian realized what Bruce had done after receiving several emails with a dazed expression, and then wanted to bury himself in shame—he was indeed planning to study mathematics at Princeton, and now he is actually because of these fundamental reasons. Unrevised drafts are first registered with the professor.After that, He Jian had to devote all his energy to revising his thesis temporarily, so as to ensure that the emails he replied were above the standard.

As a result, he received more emails, and then had to spend time on math and then reply to emails... It almost became an endless loop.

Bruce knew that it would be very difficult to physically prevent He Jian from going to another world, unless he really used strict means to block it every day, so he might as well find something else for He Jian, and warn him to sneak out by the way. Consequences - the blockade may arouse He Jian's rebellious psychology, and even die and never come back, and mathematics is indeed what He Jian has always been interested in.

Dick looked at the black air coming out of Hejian's back, and decided not to laugh, but Tim said calmly: "It's not just that. Bruce has entrusted him with all the recent banquet tasks, like today' In the case of Bruci' accidentally parachuting and breaking his leg, he will have to support the entire field by himself."

He Jian also raised his other hand, almost covering his eyes - Tim was right, the real reason he hid in the kitchen was because he didn't want to go to the banquet anymore.

The whole family, with the possible exception of Dick, thought it was a painful task to go to the dinner party.To tell you the truth, Bruce himself doesn't like to stay between a bunch of well-dressed ladies and pious "celebrities" and choose a ridiculous character set like "Baby Bruce" to make those people take the initiative The intention is to keep a respectful distance.

"I hope that at least some of you will go with me." He Jian said in an almost resentful tone, "I have always been the only one present, so be careful of WE's stock price fluctuations."

"Father is very aware of the consequences of this approach. If WE's stock price fluctuates, he can take this opportunity to reorganize the board of directors."

Damian's voice came from the kitchen door, and he didn't know when he had been listening to several people's conversations.As Bruce's biological son, he took the initiative to participate in the dinner party when he first came to Gotham, but it was to 'take back the position of WE's real heir'. After giving Damian a while, Damian reduces the frequency of saying this and turns to taking over Batman's mantle as his main goal.As for the dinner, Bruce has not dared to let Damian attend alone, because he is afraid that he will get angry and beat someone on the spot.

"Damian, I hope you didn't just come to see my jokes..." He Jian looked at Damian and sighed.

After he returned to this world, he once reported to Bruce what he had done in great detail. The encryption level of this report was extremely high. He went in and looked at it.

What made He Jian so sure was the attitude of these two people.Like Dick who didn't know what he was doing in another world, his reaction was obvious opposition.And Bruce himself has been trying to divert He Jian's attention recently - after hearing He Jian's confession that he is more inclined to gray, the parents try to make He Jian focus on mathematics research and stop getting involved in the relationship between people between things.

But although Tim and Damian gloated sincerely at Hermione who had to endure the banquet, they didn't express any opinion about Hermione going to another world.Damian is probably because he has had moments of rethinking his own position, while Tim probably thinks that since He Jian didn’t really kill people, this manipulative means is nothing—he himself has a similar tendency, just But the bottom line is clear.

"I'm just here to look for Alfred. His shedding shows that he should be heading towards the kitchen." Damian stepped into the kitchen, "Did you see him?"

Alfred in Damian's mouth never only refers to his cat.As for the old man who brought up a family, he would only call him Pennyworth.

"It doesn't seem to be there?" Dick scanned the kitchen, but didn't see the black cat.

He Jian raised his head a little, put his hand under his chin, and said, "Actually, it's here, and I can smell it."

But he didn't say where the cat was right away, but looked at Damian with a straight look.

"I can find Alfred by myself, don't try to blackmail me with it." Instantly understood He Jian's intention to get someone to accompany him to the dinner party, Damian sternly refused.

Hearing this, He Jian lowered his head again in a 'dejected' manner.

But Damian searched the kitchen and couldn't find his cat. Finally, he looked at He Jian suspiciously, and was about to go back and adjust the surveillance.

Not long after the boy walked out of the kitchen, He Jian raised his head with a wicked smile, causing the two people beside him to shake their heads.

"I hope Damian won't come to chop you with a knife later." Tim watched as He Jian lifted the lid of a frying pan on the stove, and lifted the pan that was as black as the bottom of the pan with one hand. The cat was carried out—this position was too conspicuous, but Damian didn't notice it.

"Don't worry, I won't be able to kill me." He Jian left the kitchen with the cat in his arms. "If he did, I believe Bruce would be willing to take Damian to the dinner himself in a wheelchair."