Chapter 29
By the time Jiang Minghua brought Wen Chuqing back to the villa and settled her in, it was already late at night. Only a few wall lamps were on in the villa's living room, casting a warm yellow light on Wen Chuqing's pale face. Her eyes were closed, and her long eyelashes cast faint shadows beneath them, clearly indicating that she had not yet recovered from the blow.
He tucked the blanket around her, then straightened up, walked to the window, and called out in his mind:
[Jiajia, what exactly happened to Wen Chuqing?]
A plus sign appeared immediately, accompanied by a confused tone:
I've checked, and I haven't received any plot warnings or unusual notifications.
Jiang Minghua frowned slightly. Outside the window, the shadows of the trees in the courtyard swayed gently in the night breeze, and the city lights in the distance formed a blurry band of light. Jiahao paused for a moment, then made a decision:
I'll go back to the bookstore and ask 00X what exactly happened.
When Plus found 00X in a silver-white room in the Book Bureau filled with countless streams of flowing data, it barely recognized him at first glance.
00X stood silently in the center of the room, his posture still upright, wearing his impeccably buttoned silver-gray uniform. However, his once handsome face was now covered with eerie red electrical lines, spreading from his cheeks like some kind of living thing. His left eye, which had once shone with the calm light of data, was now empty and lifeless.
"Ex!" Plus's voice trembled slightly with shock as he leaned closer.
How did you become like this?
Just as Plus was about to touch him, 00X slightly turned to the side to avoid it. He raised his intact right eye to look at Plus, his gaze complex, carrying a heaviness that Plus couldn't understand. He clearly knew Plus's intentions; his lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but he suddenly stopped, a very subtle pain flashing across his face, and the red lines seemed to light up for a moment as well.
He ultimately just shook his head, his voice low and hoarse, carrying a sense of helplessness born of forced restraint:
I can't tell you directly. You can go find Han Yun Chu.
Seeing 00X's state, Plus already guessed what had happened. It seemed that the BOSS had his eye on her, and she had to speed things up and overthrow him.
In reality, Jiang Minghua invited Han Yunchu to her house. Judging from the tone of her voice on the phone, Han Yunchu should be able to arrive soon. However, Jiang Minghua never expected that she would wait for almost two hours!
The moon was hidden in the clouds. Han Yunchu finally stood in front of Jiang Minghua's house, took a deep breath, and reached out to straighten the neatly pressed collar of his shirt.
He ultimately chose a navy blue fitted suit, which accentuated his sharp and upright shoulder line, with half of the white lining showing through the cuffs, demonstrating meticulous attention to detail.
The soft light from the front door fell on his slightly curly hair. His eyes shone, and the corners of his lips unconsciously turned up. He was extremely satisfied with the result of his nearly one hour of tinkering in front of the wardrobe, and he hoped that Huahua would be satisfied as well.
The door opened, and Jiang Minghua, dressed in loose light gray loungewear, leaned against the doorway, looking at him. Her hair was loosely tied up, revealing her smooth neck, and her eyes were as calm as a deep pool of water.
"It's finally here."
[Tsk, I was tempted to call both the police and emergency services at the same time. How could someone get lost on such a short distance?]
Before even entering the door, Han Yun Chu was momentarily speechless at Jiang Ming Hua's sarcastic remarks. However, having already gotten used to Jiang Ming Hua's sharp tongue, Han Yun Chu quickly recovered.
"Yeah, there was a traffic jam on the way." Han Yunchu scratched her cheek with her right hand, making up an excuse.
As soon as he finished speaking, the standing clock in Jiang Minghua's house struck three times.
It means it's 3 a.m.
Han Yun Chu: ...
Helplessly, she closed her eyes, bracing herself for Jiang Minghua's merciless criticism.
Traffic jam? Traffic jam now? Haha, it's more like a traffic jam on the road to the underworld.
Fortunately, Jiang Minghua only cursed him in her heart, but on the surface she still said to him, "Come in."
Han Yunchu followed her inside. The air was filled with the scent of Jiang Minghua's perfume. The living room was so clean it was almost deserted, except for the study door, which was half-open, letting in a faint blue light.
His heart was racing. "Huahua, you haven't even accepted my confession yet, and you're already asking me to come over tonight..."
He paused, his ears slightly burning, but still managed to say what he had practiced many times.
"However, I am willing."
The moment the words left his mouth, a soft "thump" came from the study, as if something had hit the glass. Han Yunchu looked over instinctively and saw a pink seahorse slapping the tank wall with its tail in the huge aquarium, its round eyes seemingly staring at him.
What are you thinking about? What are you daydreaming about?
He heard Jiang Minghua's thoughts again, and Han Yunchu froze, his hand reaching for the suit button hanging in mid-air. He looked up at Jiang Minghua, who was gazing at him thoughtfully, her eyes looking at him as if he were trash.
Han Yun Chu felt that he was seriously ill, and even being looked at like this, he still felt a strange heat.
So he could only silently button up the unbuttoned buttons again. Seeing his action, Jiang Minghua raised an eyebrow slightly.
[You've got a good eye for things!]
Han Yunchu lowered his head, his chest feeling heavy and suffocating. He was never a person lacking in confidence, and he was never short of admiring glances, but in front of Jiang Minghua, he felt like a clown who had failed in his performance.
He couldn't help but wonder if he would have looked better in that light gray sweater today.
"Then why did you call me here?" he asked in a muffled voice, so low it was almost inaudible.
"Why did Grandma Wen Chuqing's surgery fail? This plot has completely deviated from the script, but why didn't Plus receive any warnings about deviating from the storyline!"
A hint of reluctance flashed in Han Yun Chu's eyes, but she still told the truth: "It's the BOSS of the Transmigration Bureau. He believes that your actions have caused the storyline to deviate significantly, and the death of Grandma Wen Chu Qing is the Transmigration Bureau's punishment for you. Originally, she didn't have to die."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Minghua froze, her fingertips digging deeply into her palms. The light from the wall lamp cast a long shadow of hers. An uncontrollable anger burned within her chest.
Although they are characters in a book, they are also living, breathing people. Why should they be treated like chess pieces, manipulated at will, and even have their loved ones taken away as punishment or warning?
Suddenly, an idea took hold of her: she wanted to overthrow the Transmigration Bureau.
She subconsciously wanted to share this thought with Jiahao, but the words stuck in her throat.
She couldn't take the risk. The Plus sign's system kernel was connected to the Transmigration Bureau; who could guarantee there weren't any eavesdropping programs? She could only bury this dangerous thought deep within her.
"So, you called me here just to find out about this? Is there nothing else?"
Han Yunchu remained hopeful.
Jiang Minghua looked at him and nodded.
The light in Han Yun Chu's eyes went out completely. She looked down at her carefully made-up outfit for the evening, realizing that she had really been throwing herself at a blind man.
He sighed, regaining his composure.
"Huahua, you did a great job. Keep using me this affectionately from now on. I'm willing."
After Han Yunchu left, the study door closed gently, cutting off the light from the living room. Jiang Minghua stood there for a moment before turning and walking towards Wen Chuqing's bedroom.
The moment she stepped out of the study, a surprised voice suddenly echoed in her mind, its tone losing its usual mechanical quality and carrying a slight, almost imperceptible tremor:
We've just completely lost contact! Ah Hua, what did you do?
The call of "Ah Hua" made Jiang Minghua pause in her tracks. It had been a long time since Jiang Mingjia had called her "Ah Hua".
"I'm just staying in the study," she instinctively responded in her mind, a thought flashing through her mind like lightning.
Wait, you said the signal was blocked?
Without hesitation, she immediately retreated to her study and closed the door behind her. She tentatively called out the plus sign in her mind, and sure enough, all was silent except for the faint sound of the water flowing in the aquarium.
She went out again, and the anxious thoughts of "plus" reconnected. After repeating this twice, the answer became clear.
It's this study. Or rather, it's the pink seahorse in the study.
Her gaze fell on the huge aquarium, where the deep blue water shimmered on the walls, and a pink seahorse swam leisurely among the aquatic plants, its tail fin swaying gently, like a mysterious elf.
[It's a seahorse!] She eagerly relayed her discovery to Plus, her heart pounding slightly with excitement.
The plus sign paused for a moment, seemingly analyzing the situation quickly, before responding with a serious tone: "If it truly is the power of the seahorse, Ahua, I need you to communicate with him and make him acknowledge me as an ally."
[Should we just tell it directly?]
This proposal sounds absurd.
【right. 】
Jiang Minghua walked to the terrarium, her slightly hesitant face reflected in the glass. She took a deep breath, curled her fingers, and gently tapped the tank wall. The seahorse stopped, turning its small head, its dark eyes seemingly looking at her.
"I don't know if you can understand me," she said in a low voice to the silent creature.
"The one inside, the plus sign, is my friend, someone on my side. Please don't block her, just isolate her from everything else outside, okay?"
She held her breath and waited. The seahorse hovered silently for a few seconds, then flicked its tail and swam away gracefully, as if in response, or perhaps indifferent.
"Success!" the plus sign cheered, confirming that this seemingly absurd communication had indeed been effective.
The surveillance channel has been completely blocked; this is now a safe zone.
The next moment, a soft light flowed from Jiang Minghua's body and gathered in front of her. As the light faded, a clear holographic image condensed in the air—it was Jiang Mingjia's figure, with clear features and a warm smile, exactly as she remembered.
Jiang Minghua's breath caught in her throat, her eyes instantly welled up with tears, and her vision blurred rapidly. She instinctively reached out, but her fingertips passed effortlessly through the light and shadow.
【Jiajia,】
She choked back tears; the longing and grievances that had been building up for so long finally burst forth.
【I miss you so much. 】
In the light and shadow, Jiang Mingjia also had tears in her eyes. She tried to make a hugging gesture, but her figure trembled slightly and appeared somewhat illusory.
【I miss you too. But Ahua, my energy is limited, and I can't maintain this form for long. We must get this over with, I think…】
Jiang Minghua forcefully wiped away her tears, raised her head, interrupted Jiang Mingjia, and uttered the answer they both understood:
You want to overthrow the time-travel drama series.
Within the holographic light and shadow, Jiang Mingjia was slightly taken aback, and then a bright and tacit smile bloomed on her face.
After an unknown amount of time, a slight noise came from the bedroom. Jiang Minghua composed herself and quickly walked back.
Wen Chuqing was already awake. She sat on the bed, wrapped in a thin blanket, her eyes red and swollen, her face still frighteningly pale. When she saw Jiang Minghua come in, she seemed to have found her only support. She suddenly threw herself into Jiang Minghua's arms, her shoulders trembling violently, and her suppressed sobs coming out intermittently.
“Minghua, I… I heard a voice…”
Wen Chuqing's voice was thick with nasal tone and choked with sobs.
"It said that as long as I'm with Fu Yanzhi, Grandma, Grandma can come back to life. I, I really want Grandma to come back..."
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