Chapter Fourteen: The Woman Behind the Scenes

Inside the cramped kitchen, the two of them worked together seamlessly to prepare a humble homemade meal. They had barely started eating when Yuan Xiaoying’s phone began ringing incessantly. Now that she was about to be a bride, colleagues, friends, and even old classmates flocked over one after another to offer their blessings and share in the festive atmosphere.

Everything was becoming more and more real, and Yuan Xiaoying responded with genuine engagement. Every so often, she glanced at Liu Jingye, her eyes tinged with shyness and her face aglow with happiness. This left Liu Jingye both flustered and increasingly hopeful.

“It seems the bride and groom aren’t supposed to see each other before the wedding, right?” Liu Jingye, still feeling out of place, seized on the excuse to make his escape.

Yuan Xiaoying didn’t stop him, nor did she want to be bombarded with questions by her friends. Yet, as she walked him out, she whispered to him secretly, “Two days from now, I’ll be waiting for you here in my wedding dress.”

Her words sent a tremor through Liu Jingye’s heart. He nodded without thinking, dazed and muddled as he left. Everything had happened so suddenly—it all felt illusory, yet it left him yearning.

Returning to his hotel, Liu Jingye took a long, refreshing shower, trying to quell the jumble of emotions inside him.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a pair of earrings under the mirror in the bathroom.

“Damn!” Liu Jingye slapped his thigh. “I’ve been so focused on matching wits with Yuan Xiaoying these past two days that I completely forgot to check the original scene.”

It was a pair of earrings set with black pearls, their sheen dark and understated. To Liu Jingye, they seemed perfectly ordinary.

He picked up the earrings and walked outside. It was midday, and the sunlight was blazing. By chance, he noticed a beam of light refracted through the earrings, as if casting a strange glow.

He quickly angled the earrings toward the sun, adjusting them little by little. Through the black luster, he seemed to catch a glimpse of something unusual inside.

“So this is the secret!” He pried open the pearls and, to his astonishment, found a tiny memory card hidden within the earrings.

“No wonder they were so eager to recover these. There must be a tremendous secret inside.”

He immediately fetched a card reader and connected it to his laptop.

Unfortunately, even though the memory card had been concealed within the pearl earrings, it was still password-protected.

Yuan Xiaoying had once remarked that the house was old and decrepit, yet the computer was brand-new. It almost seemed as though the computer was stolen.

In reality, this computer couldn’t have been stolen; it was a special-issue product, connected directly to the internet via satellite and equipped with numerous unique functions. One such function was contact with certain confidential agencies.

Liu Jingye logged into a special chat program, which required not only a password but also an iris scan. There was only one contact on the list, nicknamed “895.”

“Hey there, sweetheart…” Liu Jingye greeted playfully.

After a long pause, the other person replied, clearly annoyed: “How many times do I have to tell you? This is a national security department—I have serious responsibilities and no time to chat with you!”

“I’m actually here for your help,” Liu Jingye responded quickly.

“I’m not helping you download movies again!” the other side retorted.

Liu Jingye scratched his head in embarrassment. It was a bit of a waste to ask a top intelligence officer and master hacker to download movies for him.

He sent a remote access request. The other party immediately scolded him: “Don’t tell me you stole someone’s hard drive and it’s full of indecent photos?”

Liu Jingye forced a wry smile. “Is that what you think of me? Just open it and see for yourself.”

The other person hesitated, but soon deftly bypassed the password. The files were filled with equations and odd annotations—none of which Liu Jingye understood. But soon the other person messaged back, clearly stunned: “Where did you get this?”

Liu Jingye didn’t dare take it lightly. “It came from a local gang. What exactly is it?”

“This appears to be the production method for a new kind of drug. Using this process, they can cut costs but the toxicity is even higher. We recently seized a batch of this new drug in the southwest. I’ve seen this method before—there’s no doubt.”

“Drugs again!” A tidal wave of anger surged in Liu Jingye’s heart; he wished he could eliminate all those who peddled such poison.

The other person immediately exited the remote session. Even though she couldn’t see Liu Jingye’s face, she seemed to sense his fury. “Don’t act rashly. You’re a regular citizen now. Leave this to the authorities. I’ll report it to my superiors as well.”

“How can I just stand by and watch them harm people?” Liu Jingye replied, his voice trembling with anger.

There was a brief silence before the other side said, “There might be another way. We’ve intercepted this formula before and had it evaluated by an expert. One expert mentioned that with a few modifications, the process could drastically reduce the drug’s toxicity.”

“Is that true?” Liu Jingye was overjoyed. “So it’s like mutual restraint—one step to heaven, one step to hell. Send it to me, quick.”

“I’ll go ask right now.”

After a while, she returned and sent him the new process. Liu Jingye copied it onto the memory card. Such a simple act might well save countless lives.

Business concluded, the other person suddenly said, “Given your current status, there are some things you really shouldn’t get involved in. Be good, listen to me. Once I’m done with my work, I’ll come see you. Don’t forget you promised to take me on the carousel and the roller coaster.”

With that, she logged off. He lit a cigarette, gazing at the darkened screen as if a handsome face had appeared there, waiting to join him at an amusement park.

Liu Jingye murmured to himself with anticipation, “If you want to woo a girl, you have to adapt to the situation. If she’s innocent and unworldly, show her the wonders of the world. If she’s weathered life’s storms, then take her on the carousel.”

Liu Jingye had always looked forward to putting that into practice…

…

Sorry for the late update. The next chapter will still be at ten o’clock. Please add to your favorites, vote, and support—thank you!