Without Han Mo's discarded manuscripts, Xiao Lin's creative wellspring seemed to have been cut off. He was frantic as he watched his online readership dwindle. But Lady Luck seemed to be on his side; he finally received a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
One afternoon, Han Mo was going to attend a reader meet-and-greet organized by the publishing house. Since someone from the publishing house was providing transportation, Han Mo didn't ask Xiao Lin to come along. After Han Mo left, Xiao Lin discovered that Han Mo's office was unlocked. Xiao Lin sneaked into Han Mo's office, hoping to find some of Han Mo's unpublished manuscripts again.
After entering the office, Xiao Lin was even more surprised to find Han Mo's house key on her desk. He glanced outside the office door, estimated the time of Han Mo's event, then grabbed the key and rushed to a key shop.
Before long, a copied key was in Xiao Lin's hand. Han Mo's original key, of course, was returned to its rightful owner and placed on Han Mo's desk. The entire plan was flawless.
Now, Xiao Lin needs to consider: he has the key, but when should he choose to enter Han Mo's house? Ever since Han Mo became wary of Xiao Lin, Xiao Lin hasn't seen the red hard drive again. Having been Han Mo's assistant for so long, Xiao Lin knows that the red hard drive is Han Mo's treasure trove. It contains all of Han Mo's writing ideas.
Soon, Lady Luck smiled upon Xiao Lin for the second time. One day, Xiao Lin overheard Han Mo making a phone call in her office. He learned that Han Mo would be attending a fan meet-and-greet organized by readers the day after tomorrow evening. Xiao Lin made up his mind that the night after tomorrow would be the perfect opportunity to sneak into Han Mo's house.
That night, the darkness was hazy, but the moonlight was bright. Xiao Lin deliberately wore a black coat and secretly sneaked into Han Mo's apartment complex. Because he had picked up and dropped off Han Mo in this complex before, Xiao Lin easily found Han Mo's apartment.
Throughout the journey, Xiao Lin was extremely careful to avoid security cameras. Therefore, he didn't drive, but instead used public transportation and walked the entire way. However, he was surprised to find that the residential area where Han Mo lived didn't even have the most basic security cameras.
Xiao Lin felt a surge of joy, then stood at Han Mo's door and used the copied key to open it. The house was indeed empty and dark, with no lights on. Xiao Lin reached for the light switch, but after a moment's thought, he withdrew his hand.
The light from the electric light might give him away and put him in danger. Thinking of this, Xiao Lin took out his phone and turned on the flashlight. Han Mo's room wasn't big, so searching it shouldn't be too difficult; that was Xiao Lin's initial thought.
But reality is often cruel. Xiao Lin searched for a long time but couldn't find the red hard drive. Fortunately, he found many of Han Mo's paper manuscripts in Han Mo's study. Xiao Lin photographed each of the unpublished manuscripts. This was quite a find.
After taking the photos, Xiao Lin suddenly felt a pang of tension. Since Han Mo was already wary of him, what if Xiao Lin continued to use Han Mo's manuscripts to publish his novel? Just as Xiao Lin was lost in thought, a sudden voice made his heart leap into his throat.
Xiao Lin recognized the sound immediately; it was the mechanical sound of a key being inserted into a lock and turning the lock. He switched off his flashlight and glanced around, but there was nothing to hide behind.
Just as Xiao Lin was looking for cover, the lights outside the study came on. Having no other choice, Xiao Lin glanced at the study door and quickly hid behind it.
The sound of high heels clicking on the floor came from outside the study. Xiao Lin nervously wiped the sweat from his forehead, then glanced at his watch. It was exactly seven o'clock. Had the fan meeting ended so early? This was highly unusual.
Just as Xiao Lin was still wondering, he heard footsteps gradually approaching the study. Xiao Lin's heart jumped into his throat. He held his breath, trying his best to make sure no one could hear him.
Through the crack in the door, Xiao Lin saw Han Mo. Han Mo walked to the desk and lingered for a while before preparing to leave the study. Seeing Han Mo about to leave, Xiao Lin finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, something even worse happened.
The phone that Xiao Lin was clutching tightly in his hand suddenly rang. He quickly glanced at the screen; it was his wife calling. For a moment, Xiao Lin really wanted to slap that stupid woman. But soon, the tension and fear that welled up inside him made him completely forget about the call.
The phone kept ringing, and Xiao Lin was so nervous that he forgot to hang up. By the time he finally did, Han Mo was already standing in front of him. Right now, only a thin door separated Xiao Lin and Han Mo.
"Who is it! Show yourself!" Han Mo shouted at the door.
Xiao Lin glanced at the door in front of him in a panic. After realizing that he could no longer hide, he gently pushed the door open.
Han Mo stared wide-eyed at Xiao Lin and said, "Xiao Lin!"
Xiao Lin was surprised that Han Mo repeated his name, and immediately nodded nervously. The two fell into a brief silence, and then Xiao Lin looked up and said, "I came here to find a document. You said you needed it for tomorrow, but I couldn't find it in the office."
After listening to Xiao Lin's explanation, Han Mo sized him up. After a while, Han Mo suddenly widened her eyes and decisively denied it: "That's not right! Even if you came here to retrieve something, where did you get the key?"
Xiao Lin's fabricated reason was already clumsy, and now he was left speechless by Han Mo's question. Han Lin nervously gripped his phone, sweat dripping from his palms.
Han Mo suddenly shifted her gaze from Xiao Lin's face, then walked to the desk and stared at the densely packed manuscripts on it for a long time.
"No!" Han Mo suddenly turned to look at Xiao Lin and said, "You didn't come here for any documents at all. Tell me! Where did you get your key? Did you come here to steal the novel manuscript?"
Hearing Han Mo's words, Xiao Lin frowned. After a while, Xiao Lin sighed heavily and said, "You really did find out a long time ago."
Han Mo hadn't expected Xiao Lin to admit it so quickly. Instead of immediately responding, Han Mo thought for a moment and said, "Do you think you can get away with what you've done without anyone knowing?"
No sooner had Han Mo finished speaking than Xiao Lin suddenly knelt down in front of her. Xiao Lin begged for mercy, "It's all my fault for being blinded by greed. Please, for the sake of how long I've followed you, spare my life."
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