Chapter 110

But I hardly ever got to admire my mom’s beautiful legs in stockings. Although I devoted most of my energy to my NPU design, my dad and Li the boss spoke to the company leaders and asked them to “treat me specially.”

So I’m dragged into every kind of organizational meeting, departmental communication meeting, personnel meeting, and even team building event that I can attend. I’m so miserable; I wish I could grow three heads and six arms when I’m in front of the computer, and have shadow clones during meetings.

Of course, being busy isn’t a bad thing. I already have a blueprint for my own company in mind, and besides, I don’t lack “gold mines” or “connections”.

I think this is also the good intention of my father and Li the devil. Without truly participating in such a large enterprise as a brick, one cannot fully understand the intricacies of the business.

It was 10:30 PM when I finally dragged my utterly exhausted body out of the company. Reaching the intersection, I saw Jingyan’s familiar figure waiting under the streetlights, and a touch of warmth washed over me. Back home, I drank the nourishing soup she had specially prepared for me, took a hot shower, and finally, all the fatigue I had accumulated throughout the day exploded.

I hugged Jingyan and threw myself onto the soft bed, completely exhausted. “So tired?” Jingyan turned to me, hugging me tenderly, her fingers gently stroking my hair.

“Mmm…” I buried my face in the crook of her neck and responded vaguely. Her fragrance was intoxicating, but my heavy eyelids only wanted to close.

Jingyan hugged me quietly for a while before whispering, “Xuanyu, Qianning and I are going to a business training conference in Beijing for two weeks… Our flight is tomorrow morning.” A wave of reluctance washed over me, but I knew it was for her benefit, so I suppressed my emotions and mumbled, “Okay… Go ahead, take care of yourself.” “Mm,” she kissed my forehead, “Don’t overwork yourself, it’s not like we’re really going to work.” Remembering something, I asked vaguely, “Where’s Mom? Did she go out with Aunt Ouyang again?” Jingyan, who had been facing me, gently placed her hand on my shoulder, her voice soft, “Yes, both mothers went on a trip to relax, saying they were going to a cool place to escape the heat.” I felt a mix of helplessness and amusement. It seemed Mom had been stifled by her role as a housewife, and now she was trying to make up for all the freedom she’d missed, enjoying a taste of a wealthy woman’s life. But seeing her enjoying herself so happily was ultimately a good thing.

The days that followed continued with overtime work, seemingly without end. Jingyan and Mu Qianning also went to the capital as planned. On the weekend, I spent another busy morning at the company, and with heavy dark circles under my eyes, I returned home alone to my empty house. Dragging my heavy steps, I threw myself onto the sofa, barely having the strength to even sigh.

“I’m exhausted…” Dad’s away on a business trip, and the house is so quiet I can hear myself breathing. Bored and tired, I can only pick up my phone to pass the time.

I opened WeChat and saw that Jingyan had sent me several photos. She and Mu Qianning were both wearing light pink casual suits, sitting in a bright conference room. They had only slightly drawn their eyebrows and applied lipstick, and their natural elegance made them stand out as youthful and beautiful among their more mature “classmates.” A warm smile unconsciously crept onto my lips. Jingyan was becoming more and more like Aunt Ouyang.

I opened my WeChat Moments again and saw a post my mother had just made. In the photo, she appeared to be in a grove of trees at a scenic spot, wearing a pale yellow sun hat and a pure white, form-fitting dress. The dress perfectly outlined her full bust, which even looked somewhat precarious due to her squatting posture, as if it were about to burst out. A thin white shawl draped over her bare shoulders, partially concealing her figure and adding a touch of alluring charm.

She was staring intently at a butterfly perched on a leaf, her eyes bright, focused yet relaxed.

But this photo is a bit strange—the mother’s body only occupies a small portion of the frame, and the composition seems to deliberately crop out her lower body. Perhaps the mother herself felt that the squatting posture was not very elegant? I guessed.

The second photo is a picture of my mother and Aunt Ouyang, also only showing their upper bodies. Aunt Ouyang is wearing an eye-catching red bodycon dress, which creates a strong visual contrast with my mother’s flawless white skin. Purity and glamour, two completely different qualities, are “equally matched” and complement each other in these two charming and mature women.

Who took the photos? Was it Xuanman? She seemed to have mentioned before that she was tired from doing experiments over the weekend and wanted to go to her mother’s place to relax.

Just then, Mu Lingze’s message popped up: “Young Master Lin, are you busy? /(ㄒo ㄒ)/~~ If you’re not busy, could you come and rescue me? I suspect Aunt Ouyang has really abandoned me completely this time! I’ve sent her the project proposal eight hundred times, and she won’t answer the phone! Aaaaaah! Why do I have to be a corporate slave on the weekend?!” I could feel her breakdown even through the screen. I could only reply with a wry smile of sympathy: “To be honest, I just got off work too. What’s the weekend? Can we eat together?” Mu Lingze: “Ah… okay, we’re in the same boat. How about we grab dinner tonight? Treat your poor souls?” I replied with an OK gesture.

After ending the conversation, I subconsciously switched the software to the monitoring app. On the map, the dot representing Zhao Chenyu’s location remained quietly on the edge of the village of Daoqing, showing no signs of abnormal movement. Only then did I feel slightly relieved and turn off my phone screen.

I lay back down on the sofa, resting my head on the armrest, staring blankly at the ceiling. My body was exhausted, but my mind couldn’t truly rest, filled with a jumble of chaotic thoughts.

This house used to be so lively, the dining table always crowded, and Uncle Qin had mentioned more than once that we should move to their villa nearby. It was rare for it to be so empty for such a long time. I also rarely have a time like this, when I can be alone and let my mind wander.

Jingyan is studying in the capital, her mother and Aunt Ouyang are enjoying themselves, Xuanman is probably having too much fun, Mu Qianning is keeping Jingyan company, and Mu Lingze is working overtime… All the important women and girls around me are busy on their own paths.

Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction. Sleepiness crept in like a tide, and my vision began to blur. In my daze, I thought I saw a fleeting, beautiful figure flit across the white ceiling.

Oh, right… there’s also Zhao Qingjun.

Where is she now? What is she doing? Is she doing well? These thoughts drifted through my mind before finally settling into the lake of weary sleep.

“Squeak—squeak—squeak—” Before falling asleep, there were a few more noisy cicada chirps, as if they never stopped.

…

It’s another week filled with work.

On Saturday night, I finally finished my overtime work before 11 p.m. and dragged my body, which felt like it didn’t belong to me, out of the company. I didn’t ask Jingyan to pick me up; she’s been busy at the company with Aunt Ouyang and Lingze lately, and I didn’t want her to stay up all night for me.

Returning home alone, I gently unlocked the door, expecting to be greeted by complete darkness and silence. However, the instant the door opened, the light from a phone screen on the sofa in the corner of the living room suddenly went out, as if someone had hurriedly hidden something.

“Who is it?” A tense and frightened female voice came from inside; it was her mother’s voice.

As I bent down to change my shoes, I replied in a low voice, “Mom, it’s me, Xuanyu. I just got home from get off work.” Jingyan had indeed told me during the day that her mother had returned home from her trip this morning, but I didn’t expect her to still be awake so late.

“Why…why are you so late?” Mom stood up from the sofa, her figure somewhat blurry in the dim light. “Didn’t Jingyan say…you might not be coming back tonight?” “I can’t sleep soundly in the company dormitory, so I’d rather come back and lie down in my own bed.” I rubbed my throbbing temples and asked wearily, “Why aren’t you asleep so late?” “I…I can’t sleep, so I’m just looking at my phone for a bit.” Mom’s voice stammered, her fingers touching the lace trim on the waist of her nightgown.

I was so tired that my head was buzzing and I didn’t have the energy to think much. I just said “You should go to sleep early” and went straight back to my bedroom.

However, lying in bed, my body was extremely tired, but my mind was unusually active. The scene from earlier replayed in my mind: my mother’s panicked action of turning off the screen, her unnatural tone… Something was wrong, something was very wrong with her. Was she still in the living room? A nameless worry drove me to quietly get up, barefoot, and slip out of the room silently like a cat.

The sofa in the living room was empty. But my gaze was drawn to the balcony—in the cool moonlight, I could see a beautiful figure sitting on a small wicker chair; it was my mother.

I approached quietly. My mother was wearing a light blue slip dress; she seemed to really like wearing slip dresses, as they accentuated her voluptuous curves even in the darkness. To my surprise, even as she prepared for bed, she was wearing flesh-colored stockings, which shimmered softly in the moonlight. She was tilting her head slightly, one hand raised, as if wiping the corner of her eye.

Mom…cried?

My heart skipped a beat, and I quickly walked over.

My footsteps startled her. My mother turned around in a panic, her face still streaked with tears, her eyes filled with anxiety. “Xuanyu?! You… why aren’t you asleep yet?” “Mom, what’s wrong? Why are you crying here all by yourself?” I crouched down, looking her straight in the eye, my voice filled with worry.

Mom quickly avoided my gaze, lowered her head, and nervously rubbed the fabric of her nightgown. Her voice was a little hoarse: “No…it’s nothing. It’s just that this time when we went out, your Aunt Ouyang and I visited a few children’s welfare homes and donated some money…but the bigger problem is the mental health of those children…just thinking about it makes me feel sad.” Mom spoke so sincerely that it made me feel a little sad too, and Jingyan had also mentioned the welfare homes. But…Mom kept her head down and didn’t look at me.

Why? What could have made her so heartbroken, yet she wouldn’t tell me, her son?

I couldn’t understand it; my heart felt like it was stuffed with cotton. Seeing her trying to remain calm but unable to hide her sadness, I couldn’t bear to press her further. I could only sigh softly and pat her back gently. “Okay… Mom, don’t be too sad. Get some rest.” “Hmm… You go to sleep first. I… I’ll sit for a while longer and get some fresh air.” My mother’s voice still had a nasal tone.

I nodded and turned to leave. But as I reached the corner where the living room and balcony met, I deliberately stopped and, using the wall as cover, secretly looked back.

The moonlight, like water, quietly bathed my mother. She remained seated in the wicker chair, her head bowed, her back appearing exceptionally lonely. After about a minute, I clearly saw her shoulders begin to tremble uncontrollably, the tremors growing stronger. Then, she raised her hands, tightly covering her face, and suppressed sobs could be faintly heard. She even murmured to herself, “Liu Wanyi, you really… are not a good woman.” My mother was crying again, and this time it was because of self-blame? Could it be… that she was still blaming herself for her past mistake with Zhao Chenyu? But some time had passed, and she seemed much more cheerful lately… Or had something happened during this trip that touched a raw nerve?

Seeing my mother crying so sadly in the moonlight, my heart ached. My foot involuntarily took a step forward, wanting to rush over and comfort her. But in the end, I slowly pulled that step back.

My mother mumbled something again, but her voice was too indistinct and carried away by the night wind; I couldn’t hear it.

I returned to my bedroom with a heavy heart, and, almost unconsciously, opened the monitoring app on my phone to track Zhao Chenyu again. The dot on the map showed that he was currently in a residential area in a county in Qingdao, and the location was normal. The daily facial recognition and fingerprint verification records were also there, and the timing was regular.

Perhaps… that’s just my mother’s personality. She doesn’t have Aunt Ouyang’s decisive and open-minded approach. Her heart is more like a delicate and sensitive pool, where emotions flow like a gentle stream, slowly gathering, and when they need to be released, they can’t be easily poured out; they can only rely on time to let them flow slowly, little by little.

I gazed at Jingyan’s sleeping profile in the darkness, filled with questions about my mother’s worries, and drifted off to sleep amidst exhaustion and confusion.

“Squeak—squeak—” The moonlight swayed, and from the shadows of the leaves, a few noisy cicada chirps could be faintly heard.

…

The busyness is like a never-ending tide, blurring the passage of time. Each iterative requirement is like a heavy brick, constantly being piled up in front of me, building a wall that suffocates me.

The bald senior student walked over unnoticed, patted my shoulder with his heavy hand, and asked teasingly, “How’s it going, Xuanyu? Still holding on?” I slumped into my chair, groaning weakly, “Hold on my ass! It’s been almost two months! My summer vacation! My youth! Just wasted in front of this crappy screen! I feel like I’m going crazy!” Yes, since the project entered its most critical verification phase, this high-intensity, endless overtime has been going on for nearly two months. Every day I’m faced with code, tests, and endless meetings. I feel like I’m turning into a CPU without heat dissipation.

Listening to my complaints, my senior didn’t comfort me. Instead, he pressed my shoulder and pointed at my computer screen with his other finger: “Stop yelling, check your emails. The latest one, I sent it.” I looked up suspiciously and, sure enough, found the email he had just sent at the very top of a pile of unread emails. But when I opened it, the content that popped up made me squint.

“An invitation?” I subconsciously turned my head ninety degrees to the upper left, staring at the senior’s face with a clearly mischievous grin.

“Why are you looking at me? This is a perk I got for you, to let you relax a bit,” he said with a smile, a hint of smugness in his voice.

“Going abroad to participate in an exhibition? Berlin? Dozens of hours of travel back and forth, is that what you call relaxing?” I couldn’t help but complain. “You might as well just give me three days off and let me sleep all day at home, that would be much more practical!” “Alright, alright, don’t be ungrateful, kid,” he patted me hard again. “A company-funded trip, to broaden your horizons, and you have such a big problem with that?” “I’m not lacking in worldly experience, but could you please settle my back wages and bonuses first?” I continued sarcastically.

“Almost there! Waiting for the tape-out! Waiting for the tape-out!” He chuckled and then went on and on about some travel precautions and the documents that needed to be prepared before leaving.

Thankfully, I was just accompanying someone; the actual attendees were others. Was this bald senior afraid I’d go back and complain to that devil Li?

I picked up my phone and habitually unlocked the screen. My finger almost unconsciously swiped and opened the app monitoring Zhao Chenyu. Only when the icon lit up did my finger hover in mid-air, stunned for a moment, before I gave a helpless, bitter smile. This action had become an unconscious behavior, I don’t know when it started.

On the map, the dot representing Zhao Chenyu was moving along the road within the boundaries of his hometown, a small county town, at a considerable speed, presumably while driving. The daily verification records were also normal. I closed the app, and the tension in my heart eased slightly.

When I got home from get off work, only my dad was watching the news in the living room. He saw me, his face full of complaint but with a hint of slyness: “Your mom’s not home again. Let’s eat out again, just the two of us.” I shrugged, feeling a little annoyed. I was flying to Berlin in three days, and I’d been hoping my wife, Jingyan, would help me pack, but that seemed unlikely. The next day, my mom finally came home. That evening, both families arranged to have dinner together at Jingyan’s house. At the dinner table, I noticed my mom was restless after sitting down, subtly shifting her hips from side to side every now and then.

“Wanyi, what’s wrong? Is the chair uncomfortable?” Dad asked with concern. Mom blushed and quickly shook her head. “No…it’s nothing. It’s probably just a little numb from sitting for so long.” Speaking of which, Mom’s complexion has indeed become much rosier and more radiant lately, probably because she often goes for beauty treatments with Aunt Ouyang and is in a good mood.

After dinner, Uncle Qin and Dad went to the basement to play pool. When I came out of the bathroom on the first floor, I found the living room empty.

On a whim, I headed straight for Jingyan’s bedroom on the second floor, hoping to take advantage of this rare moment of intimacy with her. However, the moment my hand touched the doorknob, I heard a strange sound coming from inside. “Hmm~ I just finished eating, so no~” came Jingyan’s coquettish refusal.

A clear kissing sound followed.

I gently pushed the door open a crack, and what I saw made me freeze instantly!

My sister, Xuanman, was pinning my girlfriend, Jingyan, down on the bed, and the two were passionately kissing! What shocked me even more was that Xuanman’s hand was actually inside Jingyan’s skirt, and Jingyan… it seemed like she wasn’t wearing any underwear at all!

The sound of the door opening startled the two women from their reverie. They both turned to look at me, who stood dumbfounded in the doorway.

“Excuse me!” I slammed the door shut, my heart pounding, a wave of fear washing over me.

Didn’t Xuanman say that she and her roommate were lesbians?

How…how did this even get to Jingyan? Sis, what kind of crazy things are going on in your head?!

I was so embarrassed that I wanted to disappear. I fled like a refugee, and when I noticed that Aunt Ouyang’s bedroom door was open, I instinctively slipped inside.

Could it be that Aunt Ouyang and Mom also…?

The room was empty. Just as I was wondering where they had gone, I heard my mother’s low, aggrieved voice coming from the ensuite bathroom connected to the bedroom: “Oh, Lanlan, really, I don’t want to wear it anymore. It’s been two days, and it’s still uncomfortable.” Aunt Ouyang’s laughter came through: “It’s okay, you’ll get used to it. Oh, don’t twist around, you forgot that if you twist, you’ll…” “Shh! Don’t talk nonsense!” My mother quickly interrupted her shyly, her voice even lower.

But my questions deepened. Wearing it? Was it uncomfortable? Was it twisting? Could it be related to my mother twisting her bottom while eating? But what’s the connection?

“Is anyone out there…?” Mom asked cautiously. Just then, the bathroom door opened a crack without anyone noticing, and Aunt Ouyang’s face peeked out, glancing warily left and right. I was so frightened that I quickly shrank into the shadows behind the door, my heart pounding. I had a premonition that something terrible, something I couldn’t understand, was happening.

With a click, the toilet door closed again, but Mom and Aunt Ouyang didn’t come out immediately.

I held my breath and listened intently to what was happening inside. After about a minute, some strange noises and whispers came from inside.

“Ah~” Mom exclaimed softly.

“Pop~” It sounded like the sound of something soft separating.

“Lanlan~ Stop rubbing it, it hurts.” “Yes~ It hurts so much~” “Alright—sigh~” “Okay, Wanyi, you’re like this as soon as you get home.” Aunt Ouyang comforted her casually.

“You’re so optimistic,” Mom retorted resentfully. “Anyway, it’s only two years.” “Two years? It’s only been a short time… and it’s already…” Mom’s words left me completely confused, and the clouds were dark clouds, the fog was murky fog.

“Wanyi, you’re carrying too much on your mind, aren’t you tired?” I don’t know how my mother and Aunt Ouyang could chat for so long in the bathroom.

“I’m so tired~ I’m exhausted~” My mother’s words were filled with resentment, and I always felt that she was not just answering Aunt Ouyang’s question.

“Haha~” “Still laughing~ Ouch~ It hurts~” “Are you going to keep sticking your head out like that? I’m taking a picture~” Aunt Ouyang’s words confirmed to me that it was my mother’s bottom. Could it be that my mother’s bottom was injured?

“No! Don’t take pictures! And… don’t go out yet.” Mom was even more embarrassed.

“Sister Wanyi, about that matter—” Aunt Ouyang suddenly drew out her words, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.

“What is it?” “What do you think?” “Ugh! How boring! You guys are so…boring!” Mom spat.

“When you’re looking at it, your eyes are more focused than when you were a child listening to a teacher. To be honest, Wanyi, I think… you’re even more deeply involved than I am.” Aunt Ouyang’s words made my brows furrow tightly. What were they talking about?

“I… um~ let’s talk about it next time.” A hint of pain lingered in the mother’s soft murmur.

“Alright, let’s go out quickly, don’t leave us standing there.” Aunt Ouyang said with a slightly mischievous smile.

“Hey you! You’re so irresponsible!” The bathroom door opened, and I took advantage of the moment they came out to sneak out of the bedroom like a thief.

My already racing heart pounded even harder, and my thoughts were a jumbled mess. What secrets were hidden in my mother’s private conversation with Aunt Ouyang?

A strong sense of foreboding enveloped me.

However, time waits for no one. Three days later, until I boarded my flight to Berlin, everything around me seemed to have returned to a superficial calm, and I did not find any other obviously strange signs.

…

Arriving in Berlin, the city didn’t offer me much peace and quiet. After adjusting to the time difference with my colleagues, we headed to the exhibition hall the next day. I followed them, but after a brief greeting, I decided to wander around the area by myself. The exhibition hall was bustling with people of all races hurrying by. Just as I was about to leave to get some fresh air, a familiar figure in front of a booth suddenly caught my eye, making me freeze in place, unable to look away.

A slender figure in a slightly oversized black suit was nervously following behind a slightly overweight middle-aged man, step by step.

It’s Zhao Qingjun!

I could hardly believe my eyes, and I hurriedly ran through the crowd to catch up with him.

“Zhao Qingjun!” I called softly as I walked to her side, suppressing my joy.

She turned her head at the sound of my voice, and when she saw me, her gaze froze for a moment, then filled with great surprise. Immediately afterward, a hint of joy, almost overflowing, flashed in her clear eyes, but all of this was forcibly suppressed in a very short time, quickly transforming into a complex expression of deep inner turmoil.

Her expression clearly said: she recognized me, she wanted to get closer to me, but a force was stopping her; she seemed to have a thousand words to say to me, but swallowed them all back down.

I keenly sensed that Zhao Qingjun’s unusual behavior was not only due to what happened between us, but also related to the middle-aged man in front of her who was looking at us with surprise.

I took a deep breath, composed myself, and quickly stepped forward, speaking as politely as possible to the middle-aged man: “Hello, sir. Excuse me, I’m Zhao Qingjun’s friend. I didn’t expect to run into her in Berlin. Would it be convenient for us to have a few words alone?” The middle-aged man sized me up, a scrutinizing look flashing in his eyes, but he quickly forced a professional, smirk. He turned to Zhao Qingjun, his tone seemingly polite but actually commanding: “Little Zhao, since you’ve run into a friend, let’s chat for a while. I’ll wait for you at the XX company’s booth up ahead. Don’t take too long.” After saying that, he gave me a meaningful look before turning and leaving.

As soon as the man walked away, I immediately pulled Zhao Qingjun to a relatively quiet corner on the street and asked urgently in a low voice, “Qingjun! What happened? What are you doing here? Who was that man?” Zhao Qingjun lowered her head, her hands unconsciously twisting together, her lips trembling a few times before she answered in a low voice, “I… after I left T City, a small company in the capital called me and asked me to join them… the pay was pretty good… I didn’t think much of it and went directly there. I didn’t expect that after only a month, my boss… that Mr. Wang from earlier, specifically asked me to come out and participate in the exhibition… and…” She hesitated, her eyes flickering.

“And what?” I pressed, a sense of foreboding rising within me.

She took a deep breath, as if she had made a great decision, her voice full of helplessness: “And… I feel… Mr. Wang might… have brought me out on purpose…” Her hand unconsciously went to her lower abdomen again.

I understood instantly. This wasn’t about valuing her work skills; it was about liking her as a person!

And… Zhao Qingjun resigned, and then she received a call from the capital? What’s going on?

“Not long after I joined the company, the guy surnamed Wang started hinting at me. His secretary naturally understood what he meant, which is why he made this arrangement—sigh~ I don’t know why I’m so…unlucky…” Zhao Qingjun lowered her head completely, staring at the hand on her lower abdomen.

“If you don’t want to, I can help you right now.” I looked into her eyes and encouraged her.

“I…I…” Zhao Qingjun hesitated, her eyes flashing intensely, a mixture of fear, hesitation, and a faint hope. Her hand remained on her abdomen, as if there was something there that needed protecting. Finally, she raised her head, looked directly at me, and nodded heavily.

I don’t know exactly what she was thinking at that moment, but her pleading, helpless eyes were enough. I immediately turned around, found that Mr. Wang, and bluntly stated that Zhao Qingjun was suddenly feeling extremely unwell and needed to go to the hospital for a check-up immediately. Without saying another word, ignoring his instantly ugly face, I quickly took Zhao Qingjun and left the exhibition area.

I settled the still-shaken Zhao Qingjun in the presidential suite of the Crowne Plaza Hotel where I was staying. The exhibition was originally scheduled for three days, and I offered to accompany her sightseeing in Berlin to help her relax, but she kept shaking her head, looking preoccupied, preferring to stay in her room. Seeing her low spirits, I didn’t press her further.

After the exhibition ended, I didn’t return to China immediately. Out of a complex sense of responsibility and a vague unease, I rented a quiet little villa near the forest on the outskirts of Berlin and moved in with Zhao Qingjun temporarily.

Throughout the journey, Zhao Qingjun remained unusually silent, one hand tightly holding my arm, while the other hand almost never left her lower abdomen.

“The scenery here is so beautiful~” It was already evening when they arrived at the villa. The setting sun gilded the forest and distant mountains with a golden edge, and the lake behind the villa shimmered with light. Zhao Qingjun looked at the tranquil and picturesque scenery in front of her and sighed softly, but there was not much real joy in her tone.

“Yes, it’s a famous resort area, but very quiet. Let’s stay here for a few days and relax; it’s not too far from the city.” I tried to sound relaxed, but my heart felt heavy. We entered the villa one after the other, tacitly choosing two rooms that were far apart. Dinner was a simple fast food meal. After dinner, I returned to my room alone, trying to calm my chaotic thoughts by scrolling through my phone.

It was completely dark outside the window, with only the outline of the distant forest and the reflection of the nearby lake faintly visible.

Just then, my phone suddenly beeped with a WeChat notification. It was Mu Qianning.

“Xuanyu, are you there?” I checked the time. It was 8 p.m. in Berlin, which was 2 a.m. in T City. Was she still awake?

Me: “I’m here, what’s up? Still awake so late?” I thought she was just chatting because she couldn’t sleep, but her next message made me sit up instantly. Mu Qianning: “Have you been spying on Zhao Chenyu? Using some software?” My pupils contracted sharply! How did she know?! I’ve never mentioned this to anyone!

I suppressed my shock and replied with a single word, “Yes.” Mu Qianning: “Was it sent to you by someone on the Conqueror’s Forum?” A cold sweat instantly broke out on my back: “Yes.” Mu Qianning: “He contacted the author a long time ago and cracked it.” Boom—!

The words “cracked” exploded in my mind like a bomb, leaving me dizzy and completely stunned. It had been…cracked already? That means…

Mu Qianning: “I don’t know exactly when he cracked it, but recently he’s been in T City, in that detached villa.” These words hit me like a hammer blow!

Wait a minute, I checked the detached house, and there was no sign of anyone living there—damn it, I’ve been too busy lately! I haven’t checked it recently.

“Xuanyu, I’m sending you something. After you read it, whatever you do is up to you.” “But I beg you, don’t give up on Jingyan, okay?” “[Link]” I breathed heavily, but felt like I couldn’t catch my breath. I stared at the link Mu Qianning sent me, my fingers trembling, but I still clicked on it.

Another bunch of videos…