My childhood friend is in her mature, sophisticated form again today. - Chapter 20

Mr. Zhou stood by the office window, looking at the scene below, without going downstairs.

Lin Jiqiu learned about this from Cheng Ran in the afternoon. Cheng Ran had been keeping an eye on the police’s movements—not because he cared about Fang Xu, but because Fang Xu’s case involved Mirror Technology, and he wanted to know if the police would trace the money chain further.

“They’ve only investigated up to Fang Xu’s level so far.” Cheng Ran sat at his workbench, a police internal report on the screen—of course, he had hacked into it to see it. “Fang Xu has implicated Xingyuan’s middleman, and the middleman has been arrested. But he doesn’t know who’s above the middleman. He can’t get in touch with the level at Mirror Technology.”

“Therefore, mirror technology is safe for the time being.”

“For now.” Cheng Ran leaned back in his chair. “Are you going to handle things with Mr. Zhou?”

I made plans with him tonight.

“good.”

Lin Jiqiu leaned against the edge of the table, looking at Cheng Ran’s profile. He seemed more energetic today—he had slept for six hours last night, which, while not much for her, was a rare long sleep for him. His hair was still a bit messy, but the dark circles under his eyes had faded slightly.

“That ‘yin’,” Lin Jiqiu suddenly asked, “can it transmit things?”

Cheng Ran’s fingers paused on the keyboard. “What?”

“It felt like it was vibrating. It was vibrating the whole time you were asleep. Not a regular vibration, it was… talking.”

Cheng Ran turned around and looked at her.

“What did you feel?”

“I can’t explain it.” Lin Jiqiu looked down at the round ball on his wrist. “It was just a thought that suddenly flashed through my mind. It wasn’t mine.”

Cheng Ran remained silent for a few seconds.

“Perhaps the resonance has deepened.” His voice was a little lower than usual. “The structure of ‘yin and yang’ is alive. The more you use it, the more sensitive it becomes to you. Not only does it sense you, but you may also sense it.”

“Sensing it? Or sensing you?”

Cheng Ran’s fingers curled slightly.

“…Theoretically, you are sensing the structure itself. The structure and my ‘yang’ are synchronized. So when you sense it, you can indirectly sense some of my…state.”

“What status?”

“Emotions, stress, physical condition. We can only provide these rough-and-ready pieces of information at the moment. More specific details are still being investigated.”

Lin Jiqiu looked at the round ball in his palm. It lay quietly in the groove of the wristband, without vibrating.

“You adjusted this so that I could sense you?”

Cheng Ran didn’t answer immediately. He turned back, looked at the screen, tapped the keyboard twice, and then stopped.

“It’s so you’ll know I’m still alive.”

Lin Jiqiu remained silent.

“When you’re alone in a dangerous place,” Cheng Ran said in a low voice, “at least I can know your location, heart rate, and body temperature. But you don’t know mine. That’s not fair.”

Lin Jiqiu’s lips curved slightly. “When did you start caring about fairness?”

Cheng Ran did not answer.

She straightened up and patted the back of his chair. “I’ll see Mr. Zhou tonight. Don’t go to sleep yet, wait for me to come back.”

“good.”

As Lin Jiqiu walked out of the studio and closed the door, the round ball on his wrist vibrated slightly.

She didn’t turn around, but the smile on her lips didn’t disappear.

At 7 p.m., Lin Jiqiu waited for Mr. Zhou at the usual spot.

This time she arrived fifteen minutes early, ordered a cup of hot tea, and chose a seat by the window. Outside the window was a commercial street, not crowded, with only a few pedestrians passing by in a hurry.

Mr. Zhou arrived on time. He wasn’t wearing a suit today, but a dark jacket instead. His hair wasn’t combed as neatly as before, with a few strands hanging down his forehead. He looked five years older than before.

He sat down without ordering anything.

“Fang Xu was formally arrested this afternoon,” he said.

“I know.”

Mr. Zhou looked out the window and remained silent for a long time.

“His lawyer came to me and said he was willing to return all the money and asked for my understanding.”

Are you planning to forgive them?

Mr. Zhou shook his head. “It’s not about the money.”

Lin Jiqiu did not press the matter further.

“I’ve known him for six years.” Mr. Zhou’s voice was a little hoarse. “When we were starting our business, we ate instant noodles together for three months. The air conditioner in the office broke down, and it was 38 degrees Celsius in the summer. We wrote code shirtless. At that time, he said that when the company grew big, he would buy a building and hang the company’s name on the top of the building.”

“And then what?”

“Later, the company really grew. Although we didn’t buy the building, we rented an entire floor. Our name was listed first on the office building’s signboard.” Mr. Zhou lowered his head. “Then, he changed. I changed too. We both changed. But I feel…”

He didn’t continue.

Lin Jiqiu picked up his teacup and took a sip. “The case’s over. What about your chip project?”

“Xingyuan has stopped development. They ran into financial problems, and two members of their core team left. Although our project is behind schedule, we still have the technical reserves. It’s only a matter of time before we catch up.”

“That’s good.”

Mr. Zhou took out a business card from his pocket and pushed it over. “The payment will be transferred to this account. Please check the amount and we’ll refund any overpayment or charge any underpayment.”

Lin Jiqiu took the business card, glanced at it, and put it in his pocket.

How long will Fang Xu be sentenced to?

“The lawyer said three to five years.”

Lin Jiqiu nodded and stood up. “Then I’ll be going.”

“Mr. Lin,” Mr. Zhou called out to her.

She stopped.

“Thank you.”

Lin Jiqiu didn’t turn around. “No need to thank me. This is work.”

She stepped out of the coffee shop, the night breeze brushing against her face, carrying the chill of early autumn.

The ball on my wrist vibrated.

“Have you finished listening?” she asked in a low voice.

“I’ve finished listening,” Cheng Ran’s voice came through the earpiece. “Are you going back to the firm now?”

“Hmm. What about you? Have you eaten?”

“Ah-you left some food for me.”

“That’s good.”

Lin Jiqiu walked along the sidewalk towards the firm. Streetlights flickered on one by one; the flower shop was closed, but the coffee shop’s lights were still on. The Wanxiang Firm’s sign was not far ahead, gleaming dimly.

She pushed open the door and went in, the wind chimes tinkling.

Ah You was wiping the table when he saw her come in and smiled. “The boss is back! Brother Cheng is upstairs; he said he wants you to come up.”

“Has he eaten?”

“He ate. I brought the food upstairs, and he was eating while looking at the computer.”

Lin Jiqiu changed her shoes and went upstairs.

Cheng Ran’s studio door was open. He sat at his workbench, the screen displaying not data, but a drawing—a design sketch. The lines were simple, but the outline was clear. It was a small device, slightly larger than “Yin Yang,” shaped like… a badge.

“What is that?” Lin Jiqiu asked.

“Next project.” Cheng Ran closed the sketch and turned to look at her. “Is Mr. Zhou’s project finished?”

“Yes. The money will be transferred.”

“How many?”

“I didn’t see it.”

Cheng Ran looked at her. “Aren’t you going to look?”

“Whatever he offers is what we’ll accept. It’s not like we’re working together for the first time.”

Cheng Ran didn’t speak, but there was an almost invisible curve at the corner of his mouth.

Lin Jiqiu pulled up a chair and sat down, leaning back. “Fang Xu was sentenced to three to five years. Xingyuan’s case has been suspended. Mirror Technology’s case is currently untraceable.”

“temporary.”

“Yes, for now.” Lin Jiqiu looked at him. “Do you want to continue investigating?”

“You’re not going to investigate anymore?”

“I accept commissions. If a commission comes in, I investigate; if not, I wait.”

Cheng Ran was silent for a few seconds. “When will the next request come?”

Lin Jiqiu thought for a moment. “I don’t know. Maybe tomorrow, maybe next week. Maybe it will never come.”

No, it won’t.

Are you so sure?

“Because Mirror won’t stop. They’re still expanding. New training institutions, new tech companies, new foundations. As long as they’re active, people will suffer, and people will come knocking on their door.”

Lin Jiqiu leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. “You seem really keen to investigate further.”

“You don’t want to?”

She did not answer.

There was silence for a few seconds.

“Cheng Ran”.

“Um.”

“What is your ‘next project’?”

Cheng Ran tapped his finger on the table. “A communicator. It doesn’t need to rely on an external network.”

Why did you suddenly want to do this?

“Because of this case, your signal was lost a few times. Although it was only for a few seconds, but…”

He didn’t continue.

Lin Jiqiu looked at him. “You’re worried.”

“I’m making preparations.”

She smiled. “Same.”

The two looked at each other for a second, then simultaneously looked away.

Lin Jiqiu stood up. “I’m going to take a shower. You should get some rest too.”

“good.”

She walked to the door and stopped.

“Cheng Ran”.

“Um.”

“That feeling I got from ‘yin’… was it yours?”

Cheng Ran’s finger paused on the table for a moment.

“……yes.”

Lin Jiqiu didn’t turn around. “What did you send?”

silence.

“What do you feel when you’re asleep?” he asked in return.

Lin Jiqiu thought for a moment. “There’s someone here.”

That’s me.

She smiled slightly, walked out of the studio, and gently closed the door.

The ball on my wrist vibrated slightly.

She raised her wrist and looked at it.

“Are you speaking up for him?”

The sphere vibrated again.

Lin Jiqiu smiled, turned around and went upstairs.

The next morning, Ah You was busy in the kitchen, while Ah Zuo was organizing files behind the counter. Ah Hua was sunbathing on the windowsill, Ah Mo was squatting in the corner, and Ah Ju—Ah Ju was sneaking a bite to eat.

Everything is as usual.

Lin Jiqiu came downstairs, in male form, wearing dark gray loungewear and barefoot. She walked to the sofa, sat down, and picked up the warm water on the coffee table to take a sip.

“Boss, noodles or porridge today?” Ah You poked his head out from the kitchen.

“noodle.”

“Okay!”

A-Zuo flipped through the files without looking up. “Boss, yesterday’s payment has arrived. The amount…”

“How many?”

A-Zuo said a number.

Lin Jiqiu raised an eyebrow. “More than he said.”

“Yes. Mr. Zhou said it was an ‘extra thank you fee’.”

Lin Jiqiu was silent for two seconds. “Keep it.”

“OK.”

Ah You came out carrying a bowl of noodles and placed it in front of Lin Jiqiu. The noodles were of uniform thickness, the broth was clear, and the chopped scallions were neatly sprinkled on top.

“Boss, eat it while it’s hot.”

Lin Jiqiu picked up his chopsticks and took a bite.

“tasty.”

Ah You’s eyes lit up, and when he turned back to the kitchen, his steps were noticeably lighter.

Lin Jiqiu was halfway through his meal when Cheng Ran came downstairs. He was also wearing casual clothes, his hair unkempt, and he sat down opposite Lin Jiqiu.

“Good morning,” he said.

“Good morning.” Lin Jiqiu pushed the bowl of noodles a little closer to him. “Want some?”

“You eat it yourself.”

“I can’t finish it.”

Cheng Ran glanced at the noodles in the bowl, then at Lin Jiqiu.

“You always say that.”

“It’s true every time.”

Cheng Ran didn’t refute. He went to the kitchen, got a pair of chopsticks, sat back down, picked up a mouthful of noodles from the bowl, and took a bite.

“Is it delicious?” Lin Jiqiu asked.

“good.”

“What does ‘not bad’ mean? It will hurt Ah-you’s feelings if he hears it.”

“He can’t. All he hears is ‘delicious’.”

Ah-you poked his head out from the kitchen. “I heard it!”

The two of them laughed at the same time.

A-Zuo turned a page of the file, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips.

Outside the window, the sun is shining brightly.

A new day, a new beginning.