Chapter 79

The car window slowly rolled up, shutting out the rising evening breeze and the city's hustle and bustle. The car was deathly silent, save for the low hiss of the air conditioning system. Through the rearview mirror, the driver glimpsed Mr. Qi in the back seat, his eyes closed, his face paler than usual, his brow furrowed, his left hand pressed tightly against the inside pocket of his coat, his knuckles white from the pressure. The driver wisely averted his gaze, keeping his eyes downcast and not daring to make a sound.

Qi Jin closed his eyes, but what he saw was not darkness. Two images kept switching, overlapping, and tearing at each other in his mind.

One image depicts the original owner, Shi Ye, in the studio, her pale and panicked face, her trembling fingers cleaning the stones, and her panicked reaction as if she had encountered a venomous snake when she received the towel. Every detail exudes unfamiliarity and fragility, a stark contrast to the Shi Ye of memory—quiet or aloof, yet always possessing inner resilience. The poisonous vine of doubt frantically grows and coils around this image.

The other image is of a street corner at dusk, where Su Xiao crouches by a wall, her profile softened by the twilight, her movements fluid and natural as she strokes a cat, exuding an unguarded, immersive tenderness… a perfect match for the girl's figure after the rain five years ago. The sense of familiarity, like a tempered blade, slashes fiercely at the solid ice of doubt, sparks flying and shards of ice scattering.

Su Xiao.

The name silently rolled between her teeth.

A clean background? A top student in art history at University A? Parents are professors? Internship in London? A flawless resume is precisely its biggest flaw. A cunning old fox like Qin Ming, when looking for a substitute or pawn, will inevitably go to great lengths to maintain appearances.

But... what about the way he feeds the cat? Can that relaxed state, that subtle control of the fingertips' curves and pressure, be investigated and perfectly imitated? Even Lin Xiaoyu might not be aware of the details of Shi Ye's cat-feeding habits. These are the deepest, unconscious habits that only a long-term, meticulous observer could possibly capture.

Unless... Su Xiao himself has this habit.

This thought made Qi Jin suddenly open his eyes, his gaze filled with a chilling light.

She took out her phone, accessed her encrypted contacts, and dialed another rarely used number. The call was answered after only one ring, and a calm, capable male voice came from the other end: "President Qi."

"Re-investigate Su Xiao." Qi Jin's voice was low, cold and hard like metal scraping. "I want every detail that might have been overlooked in her past twenty-three years. Focus on: whether she had a long-term habit of feeding or interacting with stray animals, starting from childhood; all her coursework, papers, and internship reports during her time at A University, especially those related to art history, particularly those involving psychology, behavioral science, or anything that might be related to 'trauma,' 'memory,' or 'imitation'; all her social records during her internship in London, who she met, and what private events she participated in; and," she paused, "all of her parents' private academic exchanges and project collaborations in recent years, especially those related to the intersection of neuroscience and psychology."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end, clearly realizing that the scope and depth of this investigation far exceeded previous ones. "Understood. Should we utilize overseas resources?"

“Use it. No matter the cost, I need the most detailed, bottom-up report.” Qi Jin’s fingertips unconsciously traced the cold edge of his phone. “Also, find an opportunity to obtain biological samples from Su Xiao—hair, fingerprints, or her discarded personal belongings. Do the most detailed DNA and fingerprint comparisons.”

"Comparison target?" the other party asked.

Qi Jin's breath hitched almost imperceptibly for a moment. Compared to whom? To Shi Ye? Shi Ye's...biological information? Almost everything at the explosion site was burned, and besides...

A crazy thought flashed through her mind. The moon necklace and safety amulet she had locked deep in the drawer… did they still bear… traces of extremely minute biological evidence from before the explosion?

“Collect the data first.” She didn’t answer directly. “I will provide the comparison database separately.”

"yes."

After hanging up the phone, Qi Jin felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her from the depths of her bones, and the old injury in her right shoulder throbbed faintly. She wasn't someone who was easily swayed, but the scene at the street corner at dusk today was like a boulder thrown into stagnant water, creating ripples far beyond her expectations.

She didn't believe Su Xiao. On the contrary, her suspicion of Su Xiao surged rapidly. But the nature of this "suspicion" changed—from a stranger with a questionable background who might be used by Qin Ming, to an extremely dangerous enigma bearing a strong "Shi Ye mark".

If Su Xiao is Qin Ming's man, then Qin Ming's understanding of Shi Ye and his control over details reach a chilling level. This is far more terrifying than simple business retaliation or personal threats.

If Su Xiao isn't Qin Ming's person... then who is she? Why does she have those habits? Why did she appear at the time of Shi Ye's "resurrection"? Why did she take the initiative to approach him?

Regardless of the possibility, Su Xiao has become the most crucial and uncontrollable piece on the chessboard.

Qi Jin closed her eyes again and leaned back in her seat. The dim light inside the car cast a deep shadow on her face. Her left hand was still pressing on the hard school uniform button in her inner pocket. The cold touch from her fingertips and the thrill she felt when she picked it up by the bench after the rain in her memory collided silently across five years.

She suddenly remembered that a few days before the explosion, Shi Ye seemed to have fed cats on her way home from work. It was in a small park near her company. She had only glanced at it briefly from her car and hadn't paid much attention. Now that she thought about it, Shi Ye seemed to always notice those homeless little creatures on street corners, and her actions and expressions were so similar to Su Xiao's today.

A mixture of pain, confusion, and an even stronger desire to explore surged wildly beneath the frozen surface of her heart.

She instructed the driver, "Go to 'Cloud Peak'."

The driver responded and turned around.

Qi Jin needs to be alone. He needs to re-examine the clues in that studio filled with surveillance cameras that record everything that happened today.

Outside the car window, the city lights were just coming on, shimmering and colorful. Qi Jin, however, felt as if he were in a silent, foggy battlefield, where friend and foe were indistinguishable, and truth and falsehood were intertwined.

Meanwhile, on the subway, Su Xiao was wearing headphones, listening to soothing instrumental music, and watching the dark tunnel rushing past the window. She was completely unaware of the ripples that had just occurred at the street corner, ripples that could change the course of certain games.

She was just thinking that she needed to buy some more cat food tomorrow. The tortoiseshell kitten seemed a little thin.

The thought came to mind naturally, like breathing.

In survival mode, Su Xiao carefully concealed all the sharpness and emotions that belonged to "Shi Ye," but she never expected that some gentle habits engraved deep in her soul, which she herself had never noticed, had already sprouted like seeds buried deep in the ground, quietly breaking through the soil in a corner where no one could see them, and were exposed to the people who should never have seen them.

The gears of fate, because of this unintentional act, began to turn again with a difficult and heavy creak.