Chapter 37: The Thoughtful “Good Friend”

Mother and daughter returned home, and Yu Meijuan was still struggling to regain her composure.

While they were eating, Yu Meijuan, in a somewhat frustrated tone, said, “If I hadn’t signed the contract, I really wouldn’t want to work there anymore.”

“Is there something else?” Yu Zihan asked.

“No, everyone else is great, and we get along well. It’s just that this Cui Mingtao is a complete scoundrel.” Yu Meijuan was visibly annoyed just by mentioning his name. Her face was filled with both anger and helplessness.

Yu Zihan could tell that perhaps this wasn’t the first time her mother had been harassed. She couldn’t help but feel guilty for not thinking more thoroughly about these unpredictable situations when they had signed the contract.

Yu Zihan had already made up her mind to focus on protecting her mother more in the future.

She silently calculated how to deal with Cui Mingtao. She thought, a person like him, who could eventually replace Uncle Zhou, must have some sort of powerful backing, and he likely used underhanded tactics to get ahead.

“Should I let him expose himself, or force him to make a move early under pressure?” Yu Zihan thought to herself. She realized that studying today was impossible. Her mother’s safety came first. Now, her mind was consumed with thoughts of dealing with Cui Mingtao.

After dinner, Yu Zihan returned to her room and entered her space. She had grown accustomed to retreating there whenever she felt troubled. Perhaps, on a subconscious level, she believed that only in the space could she truly feel safe.

The space, which she had tidied up over the past few days, now once again smelled familiar, though it wasn’t as abundant as in her past life. Still, everything inside had been carefully created by her, little by little, and she felt content with it.

“Space, can you tell me how I can gather evidence of Cui Mingtao’s crimes in the shortest amount of time?”

“Because he’s done unforgivable things to my mother. If we don’t deal with him, our lives won’t be peaceful. My mother faces this harassment all the time, and one day she might do something extreme, or even develop mental issues.”

“I absolutely can’t let him go. I was reborn to protect my mother. I can’t let anything happen to her.”

It felt as though the space could understand her words. Yu Zihan poured out everything she couldn’t share with her mother or friends, much like people sometimes talk to their pets. She didn’t expect a response; she simply wanted to vent and express her feelings.

She told the space everything that had been troubling her since her rebirth, all the things she couldn’t understand.

When her mouth became dry, she casually grabbed the water she had prepared earlier and took a few sips. The cool water brought her back to reality, and she looked around with a bitter smile.

“How can you hear me? You’re just a space. But still, I’m grateful to you. In my past life, you helped me escape that hell, walk through so many hardships, and rise to the peak. Now, you’ve brought me back to this life. You’re the friend I should be most thankful for.”

In Yu Zihan’s heart, she had long regarded the space as her best friend. It was not just her savior, but also her teacher, comrade, and partner.

Suddenly, a line of words appeared before her:

“The cotton mill warehouse has the things you need!!!!!!!!”

At that moment, Yu Zihan felt a strong urge to cry. She really did cry, but the tears never fell.

“You always do this, appearing silently when I need you the most. Don’t you know? It’s really annoying,” Yu Zihan said aloud in a tone of complaint, but anyone could hear the underlying gratitude in her voice.

She stood there in a daze. At that moment, silence spoke louder than words—this invisible friend of hers surely understood the gratitude in her heart.

She left the space. There was no time to waste; she needed to take the initiative. If that person got desperate, her mother would be at a disadvantage.

With that thought in mind, Yu Zihan waited patiently. Once her mother was sound asleep, she would head to the warehouse to investigate. Since the space had said that it had what she needed, she had full trust in its guidance by now.

Under the cover of night, Yu Zihan set out. To save her legs, she transported her bicycle into the space and, after stepping outside, rode it at top speed. Her small figure streaked through the still night like a shadow.

Gu Jingxuan, driving at that moment, noticed that fleeting silhouette.

“This figure is so familiar. It’s that little girl. What is she doing out this late?” he thought, his mind racing. Without hesitation, he turned the car around and headed in the direction the little girl had disappeared.

Not wanting her to spot him, he switched off the headlights and followed her from a distance, driving in second gear. Despite the car’s engine being loud in the quiet night, Yu Zihan didn’t seem to notice anything.

Gu Jingxuan saw her stop near the cotton mill. He also switched off his car and observed her from afar.

To his surprise, he witnessed something he would never forget.

Yu Zihan casually tossed her bicycle to the ground, and then, in an instant, the bike vanished—gone without a trace.

He watched, perplexed and filled with a mix of emotions, as she approached the wall and then a ladder appeared. With quick movements, she climbed the ladder to the top of the wall.

The moment she moved, the ladder disappeared. Gu Jingxuan guessed it must have automatically returned to the other side of the wall.

Yu Zihan quickly descended the ladder, and Gu Jingxuan, still in shock, couldn’t help but feel more curious. After waiting a few minutes to ensure she had moved further away, he followed, scaling the wall with ease and dropping down into the space she had just left.

He wasn’t sure why he was doing this, but something about her actions stirred a strange sense of urgency in him.

Once he landed, he saw her figure by a tall building.

He stayed at a distance, deciding to watch and see what else this girl might do to satisfy his curiosity.

Yu Zihan was standing outside the warehouse, contemplating how to get inside and find what she needed.

Just then, she noticed a suspicious figure lingering outside the warehouse. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was the very person she had been thinking about—Cui Mingtao.

“What’s he doing here?” Yu Zihan wondered, watching him limp around the warehouse.

She decided to wait and observe further.

Cui Mingtao then pulled out a key and unlocked the heavy door of the warehouse. The door creaked loudly, but he seemed unbothered, entering without a care as if he didn’t mind being seen.

After a brief pause, Yu Zihan followed him inside.

Gu Jingxuan, though still unsure of the situation, was worried. He didn’t want anything bad to happen to the little girl, so he followed her into the warehouse.

Cui Mingtao walked deeper into the warehouse and approached another door, unlocking it as well. He turned on the light inside, and the sudden brightness startled Yu Zihan. She rubbed her eyes to adjust to the light.

Cui Mingtao closed the door behind him, securing it with a bolt.

Yu Zihan understood what was going on now—whatever she needed was inside that room. She quietly hid behind a large package, waiting for him to leave so she could retrieve what she needed.