Chapter 49: Making up your mind
"sorry."
An apology was heard, bringing Yan Sui's thoughts back from the hazy state.
The myriad emotions surging in her heart kept clamoring in her body, causing even her, who was originally rational, to be slightly dazed at this moment.
Yan Sui suppressed the turmoil in her heart. When she spoke, a sour feeling welled up in her throat for some reason, making her voice muffled. "What do you mean?"
Lin Jingyang: "I want to apologize to you."
Yan Sui's breathing suddenly stopped.
Lin Jingyang slowly raised his eyes, their usually bright glowing irises now stained crimson. His gaze traced them upwards, inch by inch, until their eyes met Yan Sui's. Suddenly, she saw the hidden emotion within them.
The corners of his lips that had been raised flattened, he slowly hunched over, lowered his head, and said solemnly, "I'm sorry."
A belated apology.
Yan Sui knew that this was his apology for breaking his promise to her in his first life. It was also an apology he finally said in the third life after being wrong in two lives.
This apology made the suppressed emotions in Yan Sui's heart surge up again. Waves of bitterness welled up in her heart, making her nose feel inexplicably sore and tears welled up in her eyes for some reason.
She hurriedly turned her head away, suppressing her bitterness and saying, "Why are you apologizing for no reason? Aren't you talking about your investigation into me?"
Lin Jingyang was stunned for a moment, then smiled in relief. "Yeah, so you know I won't do anything you hate?"
Yan Sui responded muffledly and brought the topic back to the beginning: "So, how long have you been following me?"
"Since I came back."
Yan Sui: “…”
Noticing her eyebrows twitching, Lin Jingyang smiled triumphantly, "I really want to do this, but I'm afraid you'll think I'm a pervert."
Hearing this, Yan Sui finally felt relieved.
"I noticed a while ago that you were nearing the final step of your plan, and I was worried that something might happen to you, so I contacted you more frequently."
Yan Sui nodded in understanding, and learned some more about Ran Shuyi's situation from Lin Jingyang.
In fact, with the sudden appearance of Lin Jingyang, she didn't even need to look for Tian Ji anymore. She could use the results of Lin Jingyang's investigation of Yan Zhaoting in his first life to bring him down step by step.
Although Lin Jingyang in this life was still just an international student, unconnected to the company's top management, he still had the memories of his three lives. Even without power, he could still find some clues based on the routes he had followed. Ultimately, they would pass all the clues on to the police, who would then be able to shatter Yan Zhaoting's dream of escaping the country.
"I checked Ran Shuyi's situation. Her clothing store is just a front. Although she is the owner, the legal representative is her friend."
"What?" Facing Lin Jingyang's affirmative gaze, Yan Sui felt a chill in her heart. "The legal representative is her friend. That means she has always known that Yan Zhaoting's money is not clean, right?"
As soon as the words fell, Yan Sui nodded and murmured to herself, "It must be true, otherwise she wouldn't have followed Yan Zhaoting in her previous life. If she didn't know, she would have been the scapegoat."
Lin Jingyang nodded: "But her friends don't know. She has a friend who works as a receptionist at my friend's company. She learned from her that Ran Shuyi has asked her for several bank cards."
"She and Yan Zhaoting are birds of a feather."
Yan Sui nodded. From what Lin Jingyang said, he knew he had found a breakthrough point.
After reporting his situation to Yan Sui, Lin Jingyang paused for a moment. "Although we can get some clues from Ran Shuyi, the timeline may be stretched. It's still risky to wipe them out before they leave the country."
Yan Sui hummed, frowning slightly. "The safest and most reliable way is to start with Tian Ji. He is Yan Zhaoting's confidant and must know more than Ran Shuyi."
"Do you need me to take care of Tian Ji's situation?"
Yan Sui shook her head, recalling the information the system had just provided her in the room. She was sure that Tian Ji would come to help her after she got her things back.
Saving people from the water consumed too much of Yan Sui's energy, especially when she unexpectedly found out what happened to Lin Jingyang. Yan Sui felt that this afternoon had consumed her energy for several days.
After understanding the situation with Lin Jingyang, she wanted to go back.
Lin Jingyang offered to take her there, and Yan Sui did not refuse.
After listening to Lin Jingyang's story of his three lives today, her vigilance towards him gradually decreased. Perhaps it was because she still had memories of her first life in her heart, or something else, but even though there was no evidence to support Lin Jingyang's words, a voice in her heart said, "Believe him."
It was already dark when the car came down from the overpass.
After expending a whole day's energy, Yan Sui fell asleep in the passenger seat shortly after getting in the car.
Seeing that she was sleeping soundly, Lin Jingyang took the initiative to dim the lights in the car so as not to disturb her nap along the way.
Seeing that the car was about to turn a corner and drive onto the main road of Luwan Community, Lin Jingyang made a reverse turn and turned the car around in the left turn lane.
"Where are you taking the car?"
In the quiet car, a voice suddenly came from the direction of the passenger seat.
Lin Jingyang looked in the direction of the sound and saw that Yan Sui had woken up at some point, her dark eyes staring at him motionlessly.
Lin Jingyang chuckled and returned his gaze: "When did you wake up? I said you were sleeping soundly, so I took you around twice and then sent you back so you could have a good sleep."
Yan Sui moved her body, and the fabric of her clothes rubbed against the leather of the car seat, making a rustling sound.
She lowered her head, straightened her front and said, "Why don't you take me home early so I can have a good sleep at home."
Hearing this, Lin Jingyang raised his eyebrows and asked, "Can you sleep peacefully when you go home?"
Yan Sui glanced at him and replied calmly, "Yan Zhaoting hasn't been home for a long time. We are the only ones at home."
"You know that's not what I'm talking about."
Yan Sui's eyes moved slightly: "I know."
She took a deep breath and lowered her voice: "It will calm down soon."
Seeing that she had woken up, Lin Jingyang drove the car back to the main road and circled back to Luwan.
After the car stopped, he looked at the person next to him, but the latter showed no intention of getting out.
Lin Jingyang looked at her quietly for a while, then suddenly teased, "Now that you're here, you're reluctant to leave?"
Yan Sui's shoulders moved slightly, neither agreeing nor denying.
Lin Jingyang noticed that she had something to say, so he drove the car to a parking space on the side of the road. After pulling the handbrake, he loosened his seat belt, leaned back, adjusted the seat back to a comfortable position, and just leaned there quietly, waiting for the person next to him to speak.
At this time of night, Luwan is at its busiest. People are leaving work, strolling for a walk, and although no stalls dare to set up shop here, there are still many pedestrians walking along the street.
Yan Sui sat in the car, and the sound of pedestrians chatting outside came through the window into the car, becoming dull and faint.
Outside is a bustling city, inside is quiet.
Yan Sui sat in the passenger seat in silence, and the person next to her stayed like her, waiting in this quiet little environment.
After an unknown amount of time, Yan Sui saw LED lights in the distance light up, illuminating the surrounding buildings.
The night begins.
She pursed her lips and suddenly said, "Lin Jingyang, I have a question for you."
Lin Jingyang turned his head to look at her.
Yan Sui didn't look back, still looking straight ahead.
He paused and replied, "You say."
"When did you start to suspect that I wasn't Yan Sui from this world?" After thinking about it all night, she finally asked the question that had been bothering her all day.
“…”
It was a long time since he finished speaking, but there was still no response from the person beside him.
Yan Sui frowned and looked to the side in confusion. As she turned to the side, she was met directly by a pair of dark eyes.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she tried to search for emotions and clues in the other person's eyes, but found that she could see nothing.
Their eyes met, and no matter how hard she tried, she could not figure out what the other person meant. Even as she tried to probe, her mind was being devoured bit by bit by those eyes.
Yan Sui's throat felt sticky, and her thoughts were suddenly pulled back.
She turned her head away and avoided the other person's sight. "If you don't want to talk about it, forget it!"
After saying that, she reached out to pull the car door. The next second after the door lock sounded, a voice rang out behind her——
"The first time I saw you."
.
Whoosh whoosh——
The noisy sound of the hair dryer filled the entire room. Yan Sui raised one hand to hold the hair dryer, but the other hand stayed on her hair behind her shoulders. She did not move her hair to guide the air, but let the nozzle of the hair dryer hang in one place.
She stared at herself in the mirror, her young face indeed had a pair of mature eyes.
She had never observed herself so carefully before. Today, after Lin Jingyang reminded her, she paid a little attention.
He was right, her eyes seemed out of place with her seventeen-year-old face.
"Because in my second life, I've been observing you from behind for many years. I know everything about you, your words and actions, your lifestyle habits. Some things can be deliberately hidden, but those tiny habits and expressions are something you can't change."
"The first time I saw you, I was a little suspicious from the wariness in your eyes. You don't look like the seventeen-year-old Yan Sui."
"After talking to you at the back door of the classroom that day, I was certain you weren't from this time and space. Since you didn't recognize me, I guessed you weren't Yan Sui from the first life. Although I don't know to what extent this rebirth extends forward and backward, there must be a so-called order of precedence. So I used your habits from the second life to test you, and only then was I certain."
Yan Sui had thought about the fact that Lin Jingyang had already discovered that she was not the Yan Sui of this time and space, but she did not expect that he would discover that she was not the Yan Sui of this time and space when they met for the first time, and could even test which life she came from.
Based on the changes in Lin Jingyang's mood towards her, Yan Sui could also guess what was going on with the system's abnormal favorability.
As he speculated about Yan Sui's origins, his favorability climbed through these levels, from suspicion to certainty, and then to location. His feelings for her that day went from speculation to certainty, which is why his favorability went from the initial system-defined "0" to "30," and then from "30" to "60" due to the conversation in the stairwell.
Thinking of this, Yan Sui called out the system: "Where is the progress of Lin Jingyang's task bar?"
"Host, actually, when you and him first dated, Lin Jingyang's favorability was already 90. Because it was abnormally fast before, I couldn't find the reason, so I didn't tell you. After he said those words to you today, his favorability has reached 99."
Yan Sui was stunned: "Only 1 left, why?"
"I'm not sure about that, host. Logically, Lin Jingyang has been reborn three times, bringing with him the memories and emotions of his first life into the third. He just happens to be the character I'm targeting. With his emotional foreshadowing, your favorability should have reached 100% the moment he confessed to you, but right now, it's still just one point short."
Yan Sui put down the hair dryer and murmured, "Perhaps there is still something missing for Lin Jingyang."
Sitting back in front of the computer, Yan Sui read the documents sent by the lawyer several times. As long as there was one more piece of evidence that could clearly prove that Yan Zhaoting had cheated, he could be kicked out of the house as the party at fault in the marriage.
Lin Jingyang said that by searching through Ran Shuyi's social circle, he would definitely be able to find some evidence proving that they were more than just friends.
Yan Sui was thinking about this when the system suddenly called her three times in her mind.
"What's wrong?"
System: "Host, the terminal just distributed random items to various worlds. I drew an item that allows me to share a person's emotions when they interact with you. I think this might be useful to you. Whose item would you like to exchange it for?"
Yan Sui's eyes lit up and a person appeared in her mind.
She made a sound in her mind and the system at the same time, belonging to the same person——
"Tian Ji."
"That's great! Host, we happened to meet Tian Jiyou today. We can use this function to observe his inner inclinations. See if he has wavered in his intention to help us. If so, we can seize the opportunity to pursue him. If not, we should give up as soon as possible and complete our mission!"
Yan Sui nodded, closed her eyes and felt the system in her mind. When the prompt box popped up "Yes" and "No", she chose the "Yes" button without hesitation.
After a loud bang, a surge of emotions that did not belong to her suddenly surged in her heart.
Struggle, anxiety, panic, all kinds of emotions invaded her whole body.
The system reminded her that this was Tian Ji's mental state when he first met her in the car.
As time went on, the struggle gradually replaced other emotions and grew stronger. At the same time, a voice in her heart said, "Believe in her, help her and help herself."
The voice grew louder and louder, almost fighting against another resolute force in her heart.
"This is what he felt when he was left alone after you and Lin Jingyang left."
The voice stopped abruptly after the words were spoken. The emotions in her heart receded like the tide, disappearing from her body in a moment, leaving no trace.
Although the time was short, Yan Sui could sense a message.
This is also what the system feels.
Tian Ji's heart was wavering, and the wavering was particularly strong.
Yan Sui opened her eyes and whispered, "Do you remember what I promised Tian Shan when we first met?"
System: "What?"
"I said I would help her get the photos back."
.
Before, Yan Sui was not 100% sure that she could help Tian Shan get the photos back, and then Tian Shan would tell Tian Ji the truth, and Tian Ji would help her because of this matter.
But now, Yan Sui can be 100% sure that if she gets the photo back at this time, and Tian Shan goes to Tian Ji to tell this matter, Tian Ji will definitely betray Yan Zhaoting and choose to help her.
Because Tian Ji is currently experiencing intense inner conflict due to what happened today. If he adds a little more fuel to the fire, he can take advantage of this opportunity to help him choose the answer.
"System, how many points do we have left?"
"The host used ten points to redeem 'the time Yan Zhaoting deceived your mother into borrowing money'. The original fifty points are now only forty."
The system and the points allocated to Yan Sui, the strategist, are one and the same. The system's authority will gradually expand as points accumulate, and Yan Sui can redeem points earned from completing tasks for items that will help her complete other tasks.
Their original plan was to complete the side quest [Stay away from Yu Shuli] first.
Because at the beginning of the plan, Yan Sui thought this was the easiest task to complete. By simply taking advantage of the "choir" event where the two first met, she could use the butterfly effect to cut off all ties with Yu Shuli.
In this way, task one can be completed.
After obtaining the corresponding points, the system authority is expanded to help Yan Sui deal with his scumbag father. Yan Sui can also use points to exchange for props and obtain some key evidence.
After completing the main task [Save the Family], the system authority will be expanded again, and Yan Sui can prepare for the college entrance examination in peace while completing the second side task [Conquer Lin Jingyang].
But they hadn't anticipated their plan's failure at the very beginning. Yu Shuli's prophetic dream completely disrupted their plans. No matter how much Yan Sui protested, she couldn't complete the progress bar for Side Quest 1.
The system said that because Yu Shuli had memories of his past life, he was unwilling to let go. The key to completing the mission was that Yu Shuli would willingly let go.
Unable to complete this task, and seeing that the timeline for the main task is approaching, Yan Sui and the system can only change their minds and do the main task first while doing the second side task.
But now, Lin Jingyang is only one point away from completing his task.
Yan Sui pondered for a moment and decided immediately: "I want to know where Yan Zhaoting stored those photos of Tian Shan. How many points do I need to do this?"
As soon as she finished speaking, the system hurriedly said in her mind: "Cannot be the host!"
"Why? Not enough points?"
"No, it can't."
Yan Sui asked: "Why?"
The system paused and sent a set of digital abacus to Yan Sui's mind: "This clue requires twenty points. If we exchange this, we will only have twenty points left.
"The key evidence for the main storyline is 80 points. The host can get 50 points by completing a side quest.
"If Lin Jingyang can't find the key evidence to prove our claim, we can still try completing one of the side quests. As long as you complete one, you'll have 90 points, which you can redeem for the key evidence to complete the main quest."
"But if you redeem your points now, and if Lin Jingyang can't find the key evidence, then you can use the points from the side quests to redeem the key evidence for the main quest, but it won't be enough!"
The system placed the abacus and integral logic in front of Yan Sui, and listed other disadvantages for her step by step.
"Once you redeem the items, you'll need to complete two side quests to earn points if you want to redeem them for items in the main quest. Let's not talk about Lin Jingyang's quest for now; it's just the finishing touch. But Yu Shuli's quest is a tough one, and neither you nor I have any clue. At this point, you have no margin for error! This increases the risk for you!"
After the system finished speaking, seeing that Yan Sui still didn't respond, it raised its voice and called out "Host" again. "After all, Tian Ji's mission is just an additional mission, so there's no rush. The best strategy is to complete the main mission first!"
Yan Sui looked at the clearly laid out data plan in front of her for a long time. She sighed softly, "But there will never be such a good opportunity again."
She knew that this matter was very risky. It was hard to say whether she could bring Yan Zhaoting down. If she failed, he would turn against them and her family would be in trouble again.
But she would never have such a close chance of victory again.
Tian Ji was wavering, but he would help her if there was just a hint.
She couldn't let go of such a good opportunity.
Two days ago, Yan Zhaoting called Sui Yuling and mentioned that he was going to borrow money and needed to change the legal representative of the factory before that. He asked Sui Yuling to take over the responsibility first, and he would transfer the legal representative back once the loan came in.
As he spoke these words, he mentioned Yan Sui's siblings, saying that once the company's funds arrived, he would distribute some of his shares to the three children. He knew Sui Yuling didn't understand these things, so he played the emotional card with her, hoping to deceive her one last time.
But he didn't know that his affair had been exposed. Sui Yuling also knew that he was transferring assets and planning a divorce. She would no longer listen to these emotional cards, and she would not take on the burden of this legal person.
The two of them had a huge argument on the phone. Yan Zhaoting angrily scolded her for becoming like this and not considering the family at all.
Sui Yuling sneered and said, "I don't agree to the loan, and I definitely won't agree to the transfer of the legal person."
Finally, Yan Zhaoting hung up the phone, claiming that she would regret it later if she ignored her child's future.
Yan Zhaoting has already planned this game. Without her mother, Tian Ji will soon become the next scapegoat.
If Tian Ji took over, Yan Zhaoting could have escaped and fled overseas as planned. It wouldn't be as easy for Yan Sui to bring him down again. Although Lin Jingyang was there, he could follow the clues from his previous life, but that would take time. Yan Sui was worried.
She felt that as long as Yan Zhaoting didn't go to jail, the bad things he did would continue to increase.
She couldn't let him continue to do evil outside.
Thinking of this, Yan Sui became more determined: "Let's take a gamble! It's okay to use up all the remaining points."
"I want to know where Tian Shan's photo is."
If not for anything else, it was also because of the promise he made to Tian Shan.
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