Chapter 14: The Anomaly  Zhang Modu narrowed his eyes, lowering his eyelids…  

Lin Yu stood still, lost in thought for a moment. Only after hearing Lin Zhixing’s departing footsteps did he finally settle back into the executive chair.  

He had adjusted the chair to a comfortable angle, now reclining lazily against the leather upholstery with little regard for posture.  

The leather executive chair was a rather ordinary design, seemingly tailored for middle-aged and elderly executives—its armrests were long, allowing portly bosses to easily reach the desk without straining.  

Lin Yu propped his elbows on the armrests, clasping his hands together, fingertips lightly touching as he bowed his head in contemplation.  

His mind buzzed with tangled thoughts. Though this was his first time navigating a Small World that required serious strategizing, it didn’t mean he would let himself be manipulated.  

Why did his cousin need to steal corporate secrets?  

Where there was a supplier, there had to be a recipient. Where there was someone willing to sell at a high price, there had to be someone willing to buy at a high price.  

The corporate bidding had already concluded, and the project proposal had taken preliminary shape. The competitors were the most obvious suspects, but their motive didn’t quite fit—after all, the deal was practically sealed.  

Who was the buyer? What was their motive? Clearly, this wasn’t their first time doing this. Was it the same group that had pressured his cousin to cook the books? Were they the same people? And most importantly—  

Could he use the project proposal as bait to lure out the “big fish” behind this?  

Lin Yu idly tapped the armrest, his long, well-defined fingers producing a dull, rhythmic sound that echoed through the room. The System Panel’s pop-up notifications flickered before him, ignored for now.  

The office remained eerily empty. Sunlight filtered through the greenery, casting scattered emerald highlights—the only vibrant touch in the otherwise muted, yellowish space. Was it always this quiet here?  

The silence hung like interconnected musical notes, invisible yet palpable, drifting endlessly through the air.  

The stillness felt abrupt—too deliberate.  

Lin Yu pushed open the door and stepped out, scanning the surrounding offices. He pulled open one door—  

Empty.  

Another door—  

Empty.  

Again and again, as if he had wandered into a deserted realm, left alone in the swelling gloom of the vacant office, lost in thought.  

Strange.  

Behind him, his shadow stretched and slanted—defying the blazing midday sun. The hazy light reflected off the wall, swallowing his silhouette whole.  

He descended the stairs, bypassing the elevator, floor by floor. He paused briefly on his cousin’s level before continuing downward, the spiraling staircase mirroring his drawn-out thoughts and elongated figure.  

His cousin’s floor was noisy—lively, even.  

He made his way to the finance office, swiped his keycard, and began combing through the records.  

The accounts were a mess, like the chaotic thoughts of a teenager—no boundaries, no end in sight.  

By the time he finished reviewing them, along with the vulnerabilities flagged by the System Panel, he realized the sun had long since dipped below the horizon.  

Golden sunset bled into piercing crimson, like paint splashed across the earth—molten daylight fading into twilight’s glow.

Lin Yu’s father, Lin Yicheng, had arrived at the company long ago. Rumor had it he had thrown a major tantrum, dealt with many involved personnel, and repeatedly ordered the security team to patrol his floor more frequently.

Lin Yu felt the evidence he had gathered was sufficient—enough to send Lin Zhixing to prison for five to ten years without issue.

But who was the mastermind behind it all?

By the time Lin Yu stepped out of the elevator, having collected his thoughts and prepared to head home, the setting sun had already cast its reflection on the glass curtain walls outside the company. Pedestrians raised their hands to shield their eyes from the glaring crimson light, walking as if avoiding it.

There seemed to be some congestion ahead.

Lin Yu tilted his head in confusion. Had he accidentally joined the rush-hour crowd?

Drivers honked impatiently, the cacophony of chatter never ceasing. Exhaust fumes mixed into the air, pungent and unbearable. Someone seemed to be shouting hoarsely, but their voice was quickly drowned out by the clamor of the crowd, the noise grating on the ears.

“Hey, look over there!”

“What kind of car is that?” Exclamations of surprise occasionally rose from the crowd.

But Lin Yu clearly couldn’t care less.

Unfortunately, the crowd suddenly parted, surging to clear a path in his direction. People craned their necks, staring his way.

A sense of foreboding instantly washed over Lin Yu.

Li Yide believed he was dressed impeccably today. He had donned an expensive outfit he usually wouldn’t spare for casual wear, with a uniquely designed collar that gave him an air of deliberate sophistication. Standing proudly beside his beloved sports car, he eagerly scanned the crowd.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up.

Li Yide spotted the person he had secretly adored since childhood. Though dressed casually, the man stood out like a radiant star among the masses, as if an invisible barrier separated him from the mediocrity around him.

Excited, Li Yide strode forward. Good—these commoners knew their place, making way for him. He was thoroughly pleased.

Lin Yu’s heart sank. The moment he saw Li Yide’s face, he understood the source of his unease. Without hesitation, he shoved his hands into his pockets, turned sharply, and walked away briskly.

“Hey—Lin Lin!” Li Yide quickly pressed his car key, and the sports car’s sleek, dazzling Chasing Lights instantly ignited the crowd’s excitement. He hurried after Lin Yu.

“Isn’t that car insanely cool?”

“That rich kid looks so familiar…”

Li Yide impatiently shoved aside a bystander who was snapping photos with their phone, sending the person stumbling backward. Luckily, someone behind caught them.

“Isn’t that the Crown Prince of the Li family?”

The murmurs of the onlookers only worsened Li Yide’s irritation. He had planned to take Lin Yu for a drive today, only to be met with what could only be described as “avoidance.”

Even if they’d known each other since childhood, was this any way to treat him?

He had come specifically for Lin Yu.

Li Yide’s mood plummeted.

He caught up to Lin Yu, following anxiously as they entered a lounge inside the building.

The journey felt unbearably long. Though the hallway, usually packed during rush hour, was now sparsely populated, Li Yide’s heart only grew more unsettled with every step.

Lin Yu sat upright in the lounge chair, his calm eyes fixed directly on the newcomer. There wasn’t the slightest curve to his lips—he simply watched, motionless.

His pupils weren’t pure black but a warm brown, yet they carried an intangible pressure. They reflected the figure of the visitor, as untouchable as moonlight on a night.

Pale, dangerous, and indifferent.

Li Yide hesitated, feeling timid. After wrestling with himself, he still stepped inside.

He tiptoed in, carrying himself as if holding his own head, yet the polished floor still echoed with the “clip-clop” of his steps. He felt Lin Yu’s gaze flicker toward him with what seemed like a hint of displeasure.

Li Yide pressed a hand to his chest. An illusion—it had to be an illusion.

When he cautiously looked at Lin Yu again, the other’s dark, soft hair cast a shadow over his forehead, and below were those striking eyes, brows, and lashes—like an autumn-touched forest.

Damn, that face. No matter how many times he saw it, it still made his heart race.

Li Yide swallowed hard, gripping the stool beside Lin Yu’s seat before awkwardly sitting down, stealing glances at Lin Yu’s expression.

Then he heard what sounded like heavenly music to his ears: “Why are you here?”

“I-I-I… I…” Li Yide’s eyes darted around nervously, flitting toward Lin Yu before immediately looking away again.

“I heard you came to your family’s company, so I thought I’d… come find you.”

Lin Yu raised a brow, intrigued. “Who told you that?”

“Uh, well…”

“Wait, no—you weren’t at school today, so I figured you’d be here.” Li Yide’s gaze wavered.

Lin Yu sighed faintly, his light-colored eyes cool. “Relax.”

“I am! I am relaxed, Lin Lin!” Li Yide pouted, staring at Lin Yu with an aggrieved, innocent expression.

Lin Yu lowered his gaze, a flicker of surprise passing through his eyes. His system notification panel showed that Zhang Modu was nearby—and had even pinpointed his exact location.

Zhang Modu?!

No deviation in direction, no hesitation in his steps.

The brief confusion in Lin Yu’s eyes was quickly replaced by Li Yide’s antics.

The technology he used was leagues ahead of Zhang Modu’s—there was no way a tracker could have been planted on him. So how had Zhang Modu found him so precisely?

Unfathomable.

A cheerful Zhang Modu popped his head through the lounge doorway, waving at Lin Yu with a bright smile. His clothes were casual, without a trace of stiffness or discomfort.

“Ayu, the security guard said you were here. I came to take you back.” He paused, glancing at the pale-faced Li Yide in puzzlement. “What’s he doing here?”

Li Yide exploded like a lit firecracker, shooting to his feet. “You’re taking him? Who the hell do you think you are?”

His eyes burned with fury as he glared at Zhang Modu, showing no intention of backing down.

Zhang Modu shrugged and leisurely strolled to Lin Yu’s side, his clothes swaying naturally with his movements. The sleek black casual wear accentuated his refined posture.

He leaned down slightly, tilting his head toward Lin Yu without sparing Li Yide a glance, and murmured softly,

“Ayu, let’s go.”

Li Yide felt like he was about to explode. His brows were tightly furrowed as he took half a step forward, standing right in front of Zhang Modu, looking as if he might grab the latter by the collar any second.

“Can’t you fucking hear me, Zhang Modu?”  

Zhang Modu propped himself up slowly with his hands on his knees, straightening his posture at a leisurely pace. His gaze swept indifferently over the fuming man before him.  

“Li Er, what are you yelling for? You’re about to shatter both our eardrums.”  

Li Yide froze for a moment, lowering his voice but still speaking gruffly, his expression fierce. “I’m asking you a question—can’t you hear me?”  

Zhang Modu shrugged again, spreading his hands. “Don’t you think it’s rude to speak to your elder like this?”  

“What elder are you to me?!” Li Yide snapped.  

Zhang Modu turned his head, curling his lips into a faint smile as he glanced at Lin Yu. He draped an arm over Lin Yu’s shoulder, giving it an ambiguous squeeze before leaning in slightly.  

“Ayu, this distant cousin of mine is so ill-mannered. Let’s go back.”  

The gentle pressure wasn’t particularly noticeable, but at this moment, it felt like the first ripple before the ice breaks—subtle yet spreading warmth from Lin Yu’s shoulder all the way through his body.  

Lin Yu lifted his gaze, his light brown eyes locking onto him.  

His mind had been idly chatting with System 001, and though the sudden address caught him off guard, he still looked up.  

“Go back where?” Lin Yu asked.  

Li Yide scoffed, curling his lip. “Lin Lin doesn’t even know who you are, and you’re already talking about going home together? ‘Ayu’—what a joke.”  

Zhang Modu gritted his teeth at Li Yide before shifting his expression back to one of gentleness. “My place, yours—either works.”  

001 muttered, “This guy is way too familiar, isn’t he? Though I’ve heard that among humans, close friends can even share a bed.”  

Li Yide laughed mockingly. “You’re hilarious. Everyone knows you’ve had a crush on him for years but never even dared to ask for his contact info. Now you’re suddenly making bold claims?”  

Zhang Modu’s expression darkened instantly.  

He narrowed his eyes, lowering his lashes so that the dense shadows they cast obscured the emotions in his gaze. His thin lips pressed into a tight line.  

When he raised his head again, his jaw was slightly tensed, his eyes icy as they bore into Li Yide, radiating a chilling aloofness as if he were suppressing something with great effort.  

001 couldn’t stay silent anymore. “Huh? I thought we were talking about friendship?”  

Is this what friends are like?  

Isn’t this the kind of friend from ancient times who could share a bed?  

Requesting a non-deterioration tutorial.