Chapter 208: 116. A lifetime, slowly spending time with you.
"Dear Journalist:
Surprising not to see me upon your return, huh?
Are you still regretting not getting the chance to see my expression after your article is published tomorrow? What did you imagine my face would look like—surprise, shame, or regret?
Too bad, I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you.
Let me guess, you’re probably sweating bullets, huh? And maybe you suddenly realized why I left so abruptly—
That’s right, I already know everything about you: you’re not Nana, you’re Hour, the journalist from "Deep Throat"... As for how I know, well, that’s the puzzle I leave for you to solve yourself.
Anyway, the reason I left tonight was to deny you this triumphant moment.
Ha, you might say, what does it matter even if I leave the school? Zhou Ping will still be nailed to the pillar of shame, mocked by everyone.
You’re right, Zhou Ping is forever infamous—yet what does that have to do with me?
You’re surprised, aren’t you? I can see the surprised look on your face.
That’s right—after the initial shock, you suddenly realized what I meant.
Just like your so-called Nana is a fake identity and has nothing to do with you, the illustrious journalist; why can’t Zhou Ping be a fake identity too, why can’t it be unrelated to me personally?
Haha, you’re probably furious now, realizing finally: you’ve been duped, the self-proclaimed clever police have been duped too. From the start, from the moment you swaggered and thought you were smart enough to appear in room 507, you were fooled.
Hehe, you were swindled so tragically. Tsk tsk, I can barely bring myself to tell you, truly.
Are you mad now? Thinking of catching me, huh?
Will you come to the airport? Check Zhou Ping’s entry and exit records?
Or simply track down the address left in Zhou Ping’s academic records, go to China to catch someone?
Oh, haha, the same thing—just because you mobilize forces to pursue, are you sure you can find the place, are you sure the one you catch is—me?
Oh dear Nana, to be honest with you: once I left Kangchuan University, I completely shed the identity of Zhou Ping.
As for who I am, where I’m going...
You,
guess.
—Yours, Spicy Girl."
.
A letter full of pride, taunting to the fullest.
Shi Nian finished reading, couldn’t help but clench her teeth.
Really irritating!
But—
She gazed at the computer screen, slowly said, "Spicy Girl, you know I’m annoyed, don’t you? But I have to tell you, you’ve still thrilled me. Why? Because I really enjoy facing higher-level opponents."
"If you were just the original Spicy Girl, if all your actions had been guessed by us, how dull that would be. Honestly, your performance tonight gave me a great surprise, making me all the more eager to track your footsteps."
Shi Nian squinted at the laptop camera.
The light was not on, proving the camera was not in use, meaning normally no one was watching her actions from the other side of the network.
Yet she still acted as if Spicy Girl was on the other end, smiling at the screen.
"You say you’re gone, completely gone? No, I don’t see it that way. As the saying goes, we will meet again, sooner or later."
"Why? Because since you’ve won against me this time, you have to come back to marvel at your victory’s fruits, otherwise what is the point of winning?"
"Spicy Girl, Zhou Ping, whatever your next code name may be, I will certainly find you. Awaiting you..."
Shi Nian finished speaking, closed the laptop, took a deep breath, and let it out.
Calming down, she quickly carried Spicy Girl’s laptop downstairs, handed it to Jia Tianzi, and recounted the situation fully. Jia Tianzi immediately said, "Alright, I’ll head back to the police station now, hand it over to Guan Liang for analysis."
.
Shi Nian’s intuition was correct, despite the camera light not being on, there was indeed a person sitting on the other side of the network.
The huge display screen was like a massive canvas, with Shi Nian as the only focus within.
The person sat sunk into a huge custom-made sofa, long legs crossed, gazing with a smile at Shi Nian on the canvas.
Confronted with provocation, her eyes sparkled, she even unconsciously grasped her waist, a stance of refusing to yield, ready to face the challenge head-on.
She leaned towards the screen, her gaze piercing as if she could see through the person on the other side of the display.
But she didn’t realize... as she leaned forward, her loosely-collared T-shirt betrayed her, presenting the beautiful curves underneath right before his eyes.
He automatically ignored the content of her speech, focusing only on her sweet and serene voice; he squinted, staring at her beautiful curves... his throat involuntarily rolling. His pale, slender fingers tightly gripped the sofa armrest. The fingertips dug into the soft, precious first-layer calfskin, leaving deep imprints.
.
Police station.
Tang Yanqing came directly to the police station upon hearing the situation.
Guan Liang had already begun working at his cool workstation with three screens lined up side by side.
Tang Yanqing took the time to read Spicy Girl’s letter and listened to Jia Tianzi recount Shi Nian’s reaction. He squinted slightly but nodded: "She handled it very cleverly."
"Indeed," Jia Tianzi agreed: "It’s clear that Spicy Girl wants to sever ties from the identity of Zhou Ping and cut off all connections with Kangchuan University after leaving campus. If she really does that, as she boasts in her letter, it will be very difficult for us to investigate her real identity and trace."
"Shi Nian utilized Spicy Girl’s desire to boast, turning the situation around. She prevented Spicy Girl’s boasting from succeeding, minimizing the impact of the letter. Therefore, Spicy Girl must feel unsatisfied—as Shi Nian said, she will definitely try to reappear to inspect her victory and even to see if Shi Nian can recognize her again."
"This creates an opportunity for us to find her again, even arrest her."
Jia Tianzi’s tone made no effort to conceal his admiration for Shi Nian, making Tang Yanqing feel pleased, and he couldn’t help but smile with pride.
Jia Tianzi glanced at him: "I didn’t clearly express my praise, yet you look so pleased?"
At this moment, Guan Liang suddenly cursed: "Shit!"
Tang Yanqing and Jia Tianzi rushed over, watching as Guan Liang, originally typing swiftly, suddenly slammed his keyboard in frustration.
"I was just a step away from tracking it, but the opponent’s firewall was well-done. As soon as I probed, it immediately switched."
"Don’t rush." Tang Yanqing reached out and pressed Guan Liang’s shoulder: "This will be a big game; we need to patiently play. Having such an interesting opponent means the game is getting more fun, doesn’t it?"
Four years, he had been searching for that person... Facing each other many times in these four years, but then the person would vanish.
Four years, he endured four years, from initially anxious to now calm and composed. He didn’t mind looking for him for how ever many more years.
Ultimately, this life, he will find that person. He’s not anxious; he will learn to be as patient as that person, slowly playing along with him.
.
Back at the dorm, it was too late, so he resisted the urge to knock on her door.
Nestled in his bed, yet his emotions were restless, like a young man experiencing the first sweetness of love.
Tossing and turning, he couldn’t resist grabbing his phone.
Unsure if she was asleep, he opened TALK and asked: "Are you asleep?"
The phone buzzed next to Shi Nian’s ear, startling her. Opening TALK, she thought she was dreaming—how could she be sending herself a message, asking "Are you asleep?"
Oh no, did the sudden disappearance of Spicy Girl tonight get to her, causing her to sleepwalk?
Grabbing the phone tightly, she closed her eyes, suddenly realizing.
It was him!
Thinking it over, she got up, switched to her personal phone card, and texted him: "What’s up?"
Noticing her unintentionally gentle tone, Tang Yanqing couldn’t help but laugh.
After careful consideration, he decided it was best not to mention the library incident earlier and stuck to business, texting: "Since your identity is exposed, Emperor and Qiao’er are worried about you, asking if you want to withdraw?"
Shi Nian choked a bit: "Qiao’er?"
"Emperor" was understandable, surely referring to Jia Tianzi, albeit "fake."
She quickly understood, giggling and pressing the phone against her face.
Guan Liang’s "Liang" is like starling bird, and in northern dialect, bird can become "little Qiao’er."
Due to her earlier slip including "What’s up," he responded with another northern dialect phrase.
She stopped laughing and seriously typed: "Won’t withdraw. Now that it’s exposed, even if I leave Kangchuan University, they’ll still know I’m working for Deep Throat."
Thinking it over, she added: "Besides... I enjoy continuing as your student. Professor, I will study well with you."
Upon receiving the message, he was thrilled, typing: "Then learn for a lifetime, okay?"
－
[There’s another update in the morning~]