The conversation between the two was like a clash of swords, with no trace of lover’s intimacy or whispered endearments. Instead, it resembled two sharp blades slashing at each other from a distance, ultimately wounding both parties who, despite appearing stable, were in a precarious relationship.
At the same time, in a private residential area within Yun Jin City, three exceptionally beautiful women leaned by a window, each lost in thought as they watched the rising flames. Their gazes flickered, and as they observed couples clinging to each other, a sense of melancholy inevitably welled up in their hearts.
These three were undoubtedly Shen Lan Ni, Ye Lan, and Yang Ling Xue.
After parting ways with Ren Yuan Hao, Yang Ling Xue and Shen Lan Ni each found jobs. Ye Lan, due to her status as the "Queen of Esports," rarely made public appearances.
The workplaces of the two women were not far apart. Moreover, with Shen Lan Ni’s strong martial arts foundation, local ruffians dared not cause trouble. However, due to their extraordinary beauty, admirers flocked to them, with some days requiring them to fend off seven or eight suitors. This neighborhood, owing to the connection between the three women, had reached peak occupancy.
Just then, Ye Lan’s phone emitted a rather discordant alarm sound.
“What’s happening?” Shen Lan Ni frowned slightly.
Ye Lan opened her self-compiled mobile tracking app, and her face immediately turned ashen!
“Brother Liu’s phone location has been compromised,” Ye Lan said, her vigilance rising. She knew well that Liu Yu, aware of Ren Yuan Hao’s concern for Liu Fu Qu, had been searching for her whereabouts. Now, his phone’s location vanishing could likely be interpreted as him being in trouble.
The three exchanged glances, all realizing the gravity of the situation.
“Is there any way to retrieve the phone’s movement trajectory?”
“Yes.” Ye Lan opened her laptop, imported the data into her compilation library, and after decoding the map package and tracking traces, a red line directly connected to the forbidden area in the southwest!
“It’s the forbidden area! Could it be that the forbidden area is the entrance to Liu Fu Qu’s sect?”
Ye Lan made a bold guess and immediately hacked into Yun Jin City’s largest library, believing that if there was any information about the forbidden area, the library would surely hold what she needed.
Yang Ling Xue and Shen Lan Ni could only wait on the sidelines. Before long, Ye Lan extracted an old city chronicle from the complex database.
“This city chronicle is a scanned version, and the text becomes blurry when enlarged. I think we must find the original book to understand it better. But looking at the map, this area happens to be the Red House.”
The Red House signified the forbidden area. It was said that unauthorized intruders had the right to be killed by the homeowner.
“Can you find out who owns the library?” Shen Lan Ni asked, resting her chin on her hand, her voice deep.
“Yes, I’ve found out. Its owner is the Mo clan.”
Ye Lan noted down the contact number and exact address, then turned and patted the shoulders of the other two. “You two sisters earn money to support me, so I must handle this matter properly. I’ll go tomorrow morning.”
“You little brat, when did you learn to be so glib from that guy?”
Shen Lan Ni rolled her eyes at her, but the thought of Liu Yu’s locator suddenly failing instantly lowered her mood.
“By the way, this is that heartless guy’s business. Why should we worry about it, humph.” Yang Ling Xue feigned indifference and turned to go back to her room. “I have to work tomorrow, so I won’t be joining you in this trouble.”
……
The next day, after the fireworks festival, the day for nationwide street sweeping arrived again.
It was already eight o’clock, but the sky seemed covered by a thick layer of mist, making the daylight murky, like unresolvable sweet water.
Ye Lan left her home early, fully equipped. The air was filled with the smell of gunpowder, and various paper scraps were scattered on the ground, along with dirt falling from the sky after the fireworks had been ignited. The entire city, once clean, had once again become soiled and dirty.
As she walked through the streets, she felt as if she were traversing a post-apocalyptic wasteland, where an infected creature might suddenly leap out from a corner and tear her to shreds.
With this thought, she shivered, got into a taxi, and headed towards the library.
Because the streets were crowded with people, what should have been a 10-minute journey took a grueling 20 minutes.
Ye Lan got out of the car and immediately contacted the library owner, who was reportedly the eldest young master of the Mo family and was currently managing the family business in its entirety. Unbeknownst to her, Mo Yun Fei, on the other end of the phone, was at that moment drinking West Lake Longjing tea with Ji Fu, the young lady of the Ji clan, in the library.
“I apologize, my phone rang. Please excuse me for a moment.”
Mo Yun Fei bowed extremely courteously and turned to a corner to answer the call.
“Hello, is this Young Master Mo Yun Fei?”
“Yes, I am Mo Yun Fei. May I ask who is calling?”
With Ji Fu watching him, Mo Yun Fei’s words were extremely gentlemanly. If it were any other time, someone disturbing his date might have caused him to erupt.
“Oh, it’s like this. I am a scholar, and I heard that your library houses the largest collection of books in Yun Jin City, so I was hoping…”
Before Ye Lan could finish speaking, Mo Yun Fei lowered his voice and said, “Hello, Miss, who do you think you are? Do you think our family’s library is an inn? I’m sorry, it’s not open to the public.”
“But, I’m really in a hurry… Please accommodate me. I’ll agree to anything.” In her haste, Ye Lan spoke a sentence that was rather ambiguous.
Upon hearing the words "anything," Mo Yun Fei’s expression shifted slightly, a hint of slyness flashing in his eyes. He then said seriously, “Alright, wait there. I’ll come over after I’m done here.”
Before Ye Lan could respond, Mo Yun Fei had already hung up the phone.
“Young Master Mo has a busy schedule, so I shouldn’t keep you any longer.” Ji Fu had not wanted to deal with this man in the first place, and this phone call came at a most opportune moment.
Unexpectedly, Mo Yun Fei waved his hand and said, “I was truly too abrupt. I’ll come to apologize after I’m done with my business. What do you want for lunch? My treat.”
“We’ll talk about it later,” Ji Fu replied, showing little interest. Her situation could be described as having a heart elsewhere while her body was present.
Mo Yun Fei’s first invitation was rejected. A barely discernible ruthlessness flashed in his eyes, but he maintained a gentlemanly smile, repeatedly apologizing before withdrawing from the library.
“What’s with all the arrogance? One day, I’ll pin you down.”
Mo Yun Fei got into his car and leisurely drove towards his family’s library.
Unbeknownst to him, Ji Fu had also sent her spies to follow him. After all, as her future husband, Ji Fu needed to assess him, though for herself, this assessment was merely a formality.