“Jia Renyi?!” Yin Yin’s eyes instantly widened, filled with astonishment. “Did he steal the chickens to practice some kind of demonic technique?!”

“……” Ling Long felt the corner of his mouth twitch. “Probably not.”

Because there couldn’t possibly be such an absurd martial art that required chicken theft to cultivate.

Gu Chenyan walked up to Yin Yin and smiled at her. “This time, it’s all thanks to Miss Yin’s clever plan that Xue’er was cleared of suspicion.”

Yin Yin waved her hand a bit sheepishly. “Oh, it’s nothing, really.”

“But how did you know he would go to Uncle Zhang’s house?”

“Uh……” Yin Yin’s eyes darted around. “Intuition. My intuition is always pretty accurate, ha ha.”

Ling Long glanced at her calmly.

Yin Yin looked ahead at Xue’er, who was walking beside Sir Wu, and asked in a low voice, “Is Xue’er wearing mourning clothes?”

At that, Gu Chenyan’s eyes dimmed slightly, and she nodded. “Yes, Xue’er’s parents passed away due to an illness a month ago.”

Yin Yin stared at Xue’er’s snowy white back, her expression turning a bit dazed. “You said they died of illness? What kind of illness couldn’t even Sir Wu treat?”

Gu Chenyan sighed. “It started as a simple cold, but they kept delaying treatment. I advised them several times, but they thought it wasn’t serious. Unexpectedly, it worsened. There aren’t any good physicians in town. Xue’er wanted to go up the mountain to find Sir Wu, but by the time she made the decision, it was too late. Now, only Xue’er is left, all alone……”

Something in Yin Yin seemed to stir. Her heart ached slightly. She too had been abandoned before— twice. She knew what it felt like to be utterly alone.

Ling Long’s calm voice came from above her head, “Things like this happen every day. You can’t save everyone. Those who have lost their loved ones must also learn to stand on their own and keep living.”

Yin Yin raised her head, a bit dazed. Was he…… comforting her?

She looked at Ling Long’s beautiful profile and a faint smile gradually appeared at the corner of her lips.

Gu Chenyan also gazed at Xue’er’s back and murmured thoughtfully, “Young Master Lin is absolutely right.”

Ling Long looked at her and asked, “How much do you know about this Sir Wu?”

“Sir Wu?” Gu Chenyan glanced at Ling Long and thought for a moment. “He’s quiet, but his medical skills are exceptional. He said his knowledge came from Divine Physician Jia, but no one has ever seen this divine physician. In fact, this is the first time I’ve met Sir Wu myself.”

“I see.” Ling Long gave a slight nod.

Gu Chenyan’s eyes flickered. She lowered her voice and asked, “May I ask what business brings all of you to Shigu Town?”

Ling Long looked sideways at her, and Yin Yin quickly answered, “We’re here to find Divine Physician Jia.”

“Divine Physician Jia?” Gu Chenyan turned to look at Yin Yin. “Is someone at your residence ill?”

“Uh…… yes.” Yin Yin forced a smile.

“I see.” Gu Chenyan lowered her head again, but visibly breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll help you ask around.”

With that, she quickened her pace toward Sir Wu.

Yin Yin also quietly let out a breath. Ling Long’s clear gaze fell on her, and she instinctively straightened her back.

“You want to sell information about Gu Chenyan’s whereabouts in Shigu Town to Mo Lingya?” Yin Yin looked at Ling Long and probed.

Ling Long’s gaze flickered, but he didn’t respond.

Seeing him silent, Yin Yin frowned slightly. “If she ran away from the marriage, it means she doesn’t want to get married. What you wanted to do…… how is it any different from forcing a good woman into prostitution?”

Ling Long frowned ever so slightly but still didn’t speak. Yin Yin gave him a glance, then lowered her head and continued walking sullenly.

After a while, Ling Long sighed helplessly. “Then I won’t tell him.”

Yin Yin’s eyes lit up like fireworks. She looked up and gave Ling Long a sweet smile. “Thank you!”

The sparkle in her eyes caught Ling Long off guard. He didn’t know when this pampered young lady had become so nosy.

He looked at Yin Yin and said, “But don’t be too happy just yet. Mo Lingya didn’t buy intel only from us. I haven’t been at headquarters lately. It’s possible someone else already found out about Gu Chenyan and told him.”

“Even so, thank you anyway~” Yin Yin giggled, then buried her head and kept walking.

Ling Long glanced at the top of her head and the corner of his lips curved ever so slightly.

Du Qianqian, who was walking ahead, suddenly turned back. Her gaze swept over Ling Long and Yin Yin before she walked toward them. “Young Master Lin, Sir Wu said he can take us up the mountain tomorrow morning to find Divine Physician Jia.”

Yin Yin looked up in surprise. “He agreed so easily?”

Du Qianqian gave her a glance but didn’t speak.

Yin Yin: “……”

Tch! Did you forget who signs your paychecks?

Du Qianqian tilted her head toward Ling Long, her eyes soft with a faint smile. “Young Master Lin, I’ll get up early tomorrow to make breakfast.”

Ling Long nodded slightly. “Thank you, Miss Du.”

The smile in Du Qianqian’s eyes deepened. “I’ve already said, I’m willing to cook for Young Master Lin for a lifetime.”

Yin Yin: “……”

She could barely stand listening anymore.

Ling Long looked at Du Qianqian and asked softly, “Does Miss Du know what I like to eat?”

Du Qianqian was momentarily stunned. Ling Long continued, “No matter how delicious the food, if it doesn’t suit one’s taste, it’ll only be hard to swallow.”

Du Qianqian bit her lip and stared at Ling Long. A faint sheen of tears began to gather in her bright eyes.

Ling Long pressed his lips together and looked toward the pitch-black night ahead.

Yin Yin, at this point, was setting off fireworks in her heart. The white lotus was rejected! Oh yeah!

Okay, she admitted she was petty.

“No matter what Young Master Lin likes, I can cook it.” Du Qianqian’s voice trembled as she, too, looked into the darkness ahead— a darkness that seemed ready to devour everything, stretching endlessly in every direction.

Ling Long’s brows furrowed slightly. His voice was soft, as if it might be scattered by the night wind at any moment, “Miss Du, why put yourself through this?”

Why?

Du Qianqian sneered inwardly. I’ve clung to you for two lifetimes, and now you ask me why I bother?

A bitter taste suddenly rose in her mouth. Even if I can’t have you, I won’t let Yin Yin have you either.

Yin Yin shivered inwardly. The fleeting thrill of triumph she had just felt vanished like smoke.

She glanced in Du Qianqian’s direction, only to find Du Qianqian already turning her head to meet her gaze, staring at her without blinking.

Yin Yin’s heart skipped a beat. Du Qianqian was looking at her like she was a criminal guilty of unforgivable sins.

Although in the plot of 《All Splendor Fades》, the things Yin Yin did to Du Qianqian might not have amounted to ten major evils, they surely added up to nine. Still, Yin Yin had always convinced herself that none of it had anything to do with her.

But now, under the weight of Du Qianqian’s gaze, she almost felt like running straight to the police to turn herself in.

She frowned and turned away, staring at the narrow path stretching into the darkness ahead. It looked just like her future— pitch-black and hopeless.

Each person walked with their own thoughts as they made their way through the night. Fortunately, it didn’t take long before they arrived. After Gu Chenyan arranged accommodations for everyone, the exhausted Yin Yin finally managed to close her eyes.

She didn’t know if it was the hardness of the bed at Xue’er’s house or the haunting intensity of Du Qianqian’s gaze, but Yin Yin started having nightmares again.

……

Lin Xin’er was sitting in front of her computer as lines of text bounced cheerfully from the chat window.

【Xiao Dai: My feet are killing me.  =.=】

【Ah Pei: (⊙o⊙) Stepped on a lemon^[1]a playful or indirect way to express jealousy or envy?】

【Xiao Dai: ……Just finished a soccer game.  +_+】

【Cuihua: The yen’s dropped. Our year-end bonus just shrank.  ┭┮﹏┭┮】

【Xiao Dai: My condolences.  (-人-)】

【Ah Pei: First Love, don’t cry. I’ll take you out for a candlelight dinner tonight.】

【Cuihua: You can leave, but the dinner stays.】

【Cuihua: Oh, and before you go, open a bottle of red wine from the Kangxi era for me.】

【Ah Pei: 0.0  How about a bottle of Sprite from ’82 instead?】

【Xiao Dai: ……Teacher Lin, is there still hope for these two illiterates?】

Lin Xin’er’s heart gave a jolt. Teacher Lin? Wasn’t she Doctor Lin?

She frowned, quickly typing her confusion on the keyboard.

【Lao Lin: Teacher Lin? Me? (⊙_⊙?)】

【Xiao Dai: Who else? (⊙_⊙?)】

Lin Xin’er’s brows knitted tighter. Her fingers twitched on the keyboard, but before she could respond further, Ji Ting’s voice rang out from the kitchen, “Xin’er, come help bring the food.”

Lin Xin’er paused, feeling even more unsettled. What’s going on?

She walked into the kitchen with some apprehension and saw Ji Ting busy at the counter.

But when she got a clear look at Ji Ting’s outfit, it felt like all the blood in her body ran backward.

Ji Ting was untying an apron from over her maroon jacket.

“Pour some ketchup on it. There’s a new bottle in the fridge.”

Lin Xin’er’s body trembled. She nervously opened the fridge and pulled out the unopened bottle of ketchup.

She was especially careful as she unscrewed the cap, but the bottle seemed to come alive. It slipped from her hands and flew toward Ji Ting.

Ketchup sprayed from the bottle, covering Ji Ting.

……

Yin Yin jolted awake from the dream.

She wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. What the hell was that?

Why had she gone from Doctor Lin to Teacher Lin? Why had Ji Ting’s outfit turned maroon?

Yin Yin looked out at the dark night sky. The moon was obscured by thick clouds, dim and barely visible, with not a single star to be seen.

The endless night suddenly gave her the illusion that it was a massive net, and she was trapped inside— unable to escape, unable to flee.

She lay back down on the bed. Even though she’d had that dream several times now and knew it was just a dream, she couldn’t help but feel how vividly real it was.

It always felt like the dream was trying to tell her something, but she could never grasp what it was.

Yin Yin let out a helpless laugh.

Could it really be that she’s just under too much stress, and that’s what’s causing the memory lapses?

Or…… did she really stain Ji Ting’s clothes twice?

The thought sent a brief wave of panic through her, but she quickly dismissed the possibility.

I’m not that clumsy, she told herself.

She took a deep breath, forced her eyes shut, and slowly drifted back into sleep.