My childhood friend is in her mature, sophisticated form again today. - Chapter 1

At seven o’clock in the morning, the sunlight had just climbed onto the windowsill.

Ah Zuo had been sitting behind the counter for ten minutes, with a neat stack of files in front of him. As he turned to the third page, Ah You came out of the kitchen with two cups of tea and placed one of them beside him.

“You got up really early today.”

“At this time every day.” A-Zuo said without looking up.

“I mean you arrived fifteen minutes earlier than usual.”

A-Zuo finally looked up at him, but didn’t say anything and continued flipping through the files.

Ah You didn’t mind. He took his teacup and sat down on the chair by the door, watching the people coming and going on the street. The morning light fell on his face, and he squinted, like a cat basking in the sun.

The firm’s storefront was small, sandwiched between a flower shop and a coffee shop. The signboard, which Ayou nailed himself, had four characters: “Hyakusho Firm.” The font wasn’t particularly attractive, but it was eye-catching.

“Do you think any customers will come today?” Ah-you asked.

“It could happen every day.”

“I’m talking about legitimate clients. The guy who was looking for his cat last week didn’t even have enough money to pay his utility bills.”

“They are customers too.”

Ah You sighed, took a sip of tea, and said nothing more.

Footsteps echoed down the stairs.

Ah Zuo continued flipping through the files, while Ah You continued drinking tea; neither of them paused for a moment.

Lin Jiqiu came down from upstairs.

Today he was in male form. A young man in his early twenties, slender with clean features and hair casually falling over his forehead. He was wearing a dark gray loungewear set and slippers, looking as if he had just woken up—in fact, he had.

“Good morning.” The voice was a little hoarse.

“Good morning, boss,” Ah You greeted with a smile. “Porridge or noodles today?”

“Porridge.”

“Okay!”

Ah You turned and went into the kitchen, while Ah Zuo placed a glass of warm water on the counter—Lin Jiqiu’s usual spot every morning.

Lin Jiqiu walked over, picked up a water glass, took a sip, leaned against the counter, and looked at the street scene outside the window.

Did you have any requests yesterday?

“No,” A-Zuo said. “All of last week’s cases have been filed. The one who was looking for the cat has paid the final payment, and the one who was keeping an eye on the cat is still waiting for feedback from the client.”

“Um.”

“Boss,” A-Zuo suddenly spoke up.

“Um?”

“Did you come up with the name of our firm yourself?”

Lin Jiqiu glanced at him.

Ah Zuo rarely asks such questions. He is usually only responsible for organizing files, receiving clients, and maintaining the normal operation of the firm—as for questions like “Why is it called this name?” or “What did the boss do before?”, he never asks.

But he asked today.

Lin Jiqiu thought about it and felt there was nothing he couldn’t say.

“I suppose so,” he said. “All forms”—because I can have many different appearances.

He did not elaborate.

A-Zuo didn’t press the matter further.

Ah You’s voice came from the kitchen: “The porridge is ready! Boss, would you like some pickled vegetables?”

“want.”

“Where’s Cheng-ge? Has Cheng-ge eaten?”

“He went to the studio early this morning,” A-Zuo said.

“Didn’t eat breakfast again?” Ayou came out carrying a bowl of porridge, frowning slightly. “Why is this person always like this?”

Lin Jiqiu took the bowl of porridge, picked up his chopsticks, and took a bite of pickled vegetables.

“Save one for him,” he said. “He’ll come out to eat if he gets hungry.”

“I always eat it when it’s cold,” Ah You muttered, but still filled an extra bowl, sealed it with plastic wrap, and set it aside.

The three of them sat around the coffee table eating breakfast.

Ah-you ate with relish, Ah-zuo ate slowly, and Lin Ji-qiu ate casually.

Ahua popped out from a corner, jumped onto the sofa, and curled up beside Lin Jiqiu’s legs. Amo was squatting on the windowsill, his golden eyes half-open. Aju… Aju was still asleep.

Everything was just ordinary.

Lin Jiqiu was halfway through her meal when her phone vibrated.

He picked it up and glanced at it, his brows furrowing slightly.

“What’s wrong?” A-Zuo asked.

“It’s nothing.” Lin Jiqiu put down the bowl, stood up, and said, “I’m going out for a bit.”

Where to?

“Find Cheng Ran.”

He didn’t explain much. He went upstairs to change his clothes, and when he came downstairs, he was dressed for going out—a dark coat, casual pants, and sneakers, looking like an ordinary young man.

“Ah You, save the porridge for Cheng Ran.”

“knew.”

Lin Jiqiu pushed open the door, and the wind chimes tinkled.

He walked out and disappeared around the street corner.

——

Twenty minutes later, Lin Jiqiu stood in front of an inconspicuous apartment building.

He rang the doorbell, waited five seconds, and the door clicked open.

Go upstairs and walk to the innermost door, which is already ajar.

Lin Jiqiu pushed open the door and went in.

Cheng Ran sat in front of the computer, the screen displaying a bunch of code and architecture diagrams that Lin Jiqiu couldn’t quite understand. He was wearing a black hoodie, the hood off, and his hair was a bit messy, suggesting he hadn’t slept all night.

“You didn’t eat breakfast,” Lin Jiqiu said.

“I’m not hungry.” Cheng Ran replied without turning his head.

“Ah You left you some porridge.”

“Put it there.”

Lin Jiqiu placed the insulated bag on the table, pulled up a chair and sat down, looking at Cheng Ran’s profile.

Cheng Ran has an exceptionally strong sense of perception—it’s been strong since childhood. So strong that the world is too noisy for him. Sounds, light, smells, temperature… all kinds of information flood his brain like a tidal wave. While an average person receives five parts of information, he receives fifteen.

Therefore, he doesn’t like crowded places.

Therefore, he prefers to stay in a quiet room.

Therefore, his reaction to Lin Jiqiu’s existence was different from others.

“Someone hacked into my tracking system last night,” Cheng Ran suddenly said.

Lin Jiqiu immediately turned his attention back to her.

“who?”

“I don’t know.” Cheng Ran frowned slightly. “The technique was very sophisticated, not that of an ordinary hacker. By the time I chased after them, they had already retreated.”

“Stargazer?”

“Uncertain.” Cheng Ran finally turned to look at him. “But it’s very likely.”

Lin Jiqiu remained silent for a few seconds.

Stargazers.

Cheng Ran’s past shadows.

The organization that has been looking for him.

“Do they know where you are?” Lin Jiqiu asked.

“They probably don’t know,” Cheng Ran said. “But this IP has been used for too long, so it may have already been exposed.”

“Do you need to change locations?”

“Wait a little longer.” Cheng Ran turned back and continued staring at the screen. “It might just be a test.”

Lin Jiqiu remained silent.

He knew what Cheng Ran meant by “wait”—they had only just settled down, and the firm had only been open for a short time. Cheng Ran didn’t want to implicate him because of his problems.

But Lin Jiqiu didn’t care about any of that.

“Okay.” He stood up. “Remember to drink the porridge.”

“Um.”

Lin Jiqiu walked to the door and glanced back.

Cheng Ran was still typing on the keyboard, as if the conversation had never happened.

But Lin Jiqiu knew that Cheng Ran would definitely take what he said to heart.

It’s been like this since I was little.

——

When I returned to the office, there was a woman standing at the door.

She was around thirty years old, well-dressed, and had exquisite makeup, but her eyes were red, as if she had just been crying. She was clutching an envelope in her hand, her knuckles white, and she was hesitating whether to push the door open.

“Hello.” Lin Jiqiu walked over. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

The woman was startled by his voice, turned around, and looked him up and down: “Is this… the Hyakko Agency?”

“yes.”

“Who are you……”

“Boss,” Lin Jiqiu said, pushing open the door. “Please come in.”

The woman followed him inside.

Ah Zuo had already stood up from behind the counter, and Ah You came forward with a cup of tea: “Please sit down.”

The woman sat down, placed her hands on her knees, and intertwined her fingers.

Lin Jiqiu sat on the opposite sofa, his posture casual, but his gaze calm and focused.

“Speak, what is it?”

The woman’s lips trembled.

“My daughter…is missing.”

Lin Jiqiu’s expression didn’t change much, but he leaned forward slightly.

When did this happen?

“Three days ago,” the woman’s voice began to tremble, “she said she was going to attend some…spiritual growth camp, and then she never came back. I couldn’t get through to her on the phone, and she wasn’t replying to WeChat messages. I went to look for that place, but—”

“But what?”

“But that address is fake.” The woman’s eyes reddened. “I checked, there’s nothing there.”

Ah You handed her a tissue, which the woman took and used to wipe her eyes.

“My husband said to wait a little longer, maybe his phone just ran out of battery.” Her voice was a little hoarse. “But… I have a feeling something’s wrong. She wouldn’t do that. She messages me every day, she never misses a day.”

How old is she?

Seventeen.

Lin Jiqiu remained silent for a few seconds.

What are you holding in your hand?

The woman looked down at the envelope in her hand, placed it on the coffee table, and pushed it away.

“The promotional flyer for that growth camp. And a photo of my daughter.”

Lin Jiqiu picked it up and looked at it.

The flyer was of high quality, with thick paper and beautiful printing. It read “Rejuvenating Growth Camp – Find Your True Self,” and listed the address as a small town on the outskirts of the city. It included a website link and a contact number.

It looks normal.

That’s perfectly normal.

He found a picture of his daughter—a girl with a ponytail, a bright smile, and crescent-shaped eyes.

“What’s her name?”

“Xiaoyu. Chengyu.”

Lin Jiqiu placed the photo on the coffee table and looked at the woman.

“I’ll take this commission.”

The woman’s tears finally fell.

“Th-thank you…”

“Don’t thank me yet.” Lin Jiqiu stood up. “The matter isn’t resolved yet. Leave all the information you know, and write down your contact details. I’ll let you know if there’s any progress.”

The woman nodded repeatedly, took out a pen from her bag, and wrote a string of numbers on a sticky note.

After seeing the woman off, Ah-you closed the door, and the wind chimes tinkled.

“Another one looking for someone,” he said.

“It’s different.” A-Zuo flipped through the brochure. “I just looked up this ‘Revitalizing Growth Camp’.”

“What did you find?”

“The website is well-made, but the domain registration information is anonymous. The address is in the suburbs, and you can’t see that place on Street View.”

Ah You leaned closer: “So?”

“So it’s perfectly normal,” Lin Jiqiu chimed in, tossing the flyer on the table. “Normal to the point of being abnormal.”

He took out his phone and sent a message to Cheng Ran:

[We’ve got a case. A missing girl in the suburbs, possibly connected to the organization.]

The reply came in less than ten seconds:

[Received. Send me the message.]

Lin Jiqiu sent over the photo and address of the flyer.

Ah You, watching from the side, asked, “What did Brother Cheng say?”

He said he received it.

That’s it?

“That’s it.”

Ah You scratched his head: “Brother Cheng really doesn’t talk much.”

“He’s always been like this,” A-Zuo said.

Lin Jiqiu stood up, walked to the top of the stairs, and looked back.

“Zuo, organize all the publicly available information about this ‘Rejuvenation Growth Camp’. You, come with me this afternoon.”

Where to?

“The outskirts of the city,” Lin Jiqiu said. “Let’s go check out that place where there is ‘nothing’ first.”

He walked up the stairs, his footsteps fading into the distance.

Ah You looked at Ah Zuo: “Do you think this request will be difficult?”

A-Zuo had already started typing on the keyboard without looking up: “The boss never takes on anything easy.”

“You said the same thing last time we were looking for the cat.”

“It turned out the cat had been taken by the old lady next door, and it took three days to investigate why it was taken. Is that what you call simple?”

“…You’re just being stubborn.”

A-Zuo didn’t speak, but his fingers typed on the keyboard faster.

Ah You sighed, walked to the window, and watched the people coming and going on the street.

Outside, the florist was watering the flowers, and the café staff were arranging chairs. Everything seemed normal.

But Ah You knew that from the moment that woman stepped through the door, everyday life was no longer everyday.

——

Lin Jiqiu returned upstairs and stood by the window.

He took the flyer out of his pocket and looked at it again.

“Find your true self.”

He read it aloud softly, his lips twitching slightly.

Find your true self.

If a person doesn’t even know who she is, then who will she find?

He remembered the woman’s red-rimmed eyes and the smiling girl in the photo.

Seventeen years old.

He was seventeen years old when his abilities were just beginning to awaken.

At that time, he didn’t even know who he was.

Ah You’s voice came from downstairs: “Boss! The porridge is still hot, would you like some more?”

Lin Jiqiu turned around and put the flyer into his pocket.

“They’re here.”

As he walked down the stairs, he glanced at the mirror out of the corner of his eye as he passed by.

The mirror reflected the face of a young man.

Not anyone.

It was just him.

At least for now.