Chapter 1 A Surprise

“Chu Anqing!?”

Lin Xian and Gao Yang widened their eyes, looking at the completely unexpected girl in front of them.

Back at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Huang Que had indeed said that she would find another trustworthy teammate to come over.

Lin Xian hadn't paid much attention.

Since she was so resourceful, the person she found would either be an aerospace bigwig or a technical expert, whom Lin Xian could trust.

But who would have thought!

How could Huang Que bring Chu Anqing, who was ordinary in every aspect and didn't seem to have any special talents or expertise?

Letting a 19-year-old girl, a current art student, board a spaceplane and go to outer space to capture space-time particles—wasn't this a joke!

"Hehe~"

After mimicking the salute, Chu Anqing, who had been standing ramrod straight, instantly relaxed.

She giggled, put her hands behind her back, swayed her body, and looked at Lin Xian:

"Senior Lin Xian, long time no see!"

---

A few months prior.

Three days after the conclusion of the *World Hacker Competition*.

United States, New York Airport, International Private Aviation Base.

The victorious Dragon Country Information Security Team was orderly boarding the plane under the protection of the national elite forces, returning gloriously to their motherland.

"Anqing, have you got everything?"

Lin Xian turned his head, looking at Chu Anqing, who was lightly dressed and had hardly any luggage.

Chu Anqing flapped her wings like a little chick:

"I only have this much stuff, after all, I sneaked over here, so I can't go home and get a suitcase, right? My parents would definitely notice... plus, I was afraid I wouldn't have enough time to make it to the competition, so I didn't bother packing much, and just went to the airport to buy a ticket to fly to the US."

Lin Xian smiled helplessly:

"Don't do that next time, it's dangerous. If something happened to you, how would I explain it to Mr. Chu... and, don't worry, I can handle my own affairs. When I really need you to cheer me on, I'll tell you."

"Okay, okay!"

Chu Anqing giggled:

"Then don't be shy! I'm very free! Available anytime!"

Behind them.

Two accompanying Dragon Country official security personnel, one on each side, were lifting a work of art, secured and packaged on a shelf, ready to carry it to the aircraft's cargo hold to be fastened.

Passing by Lin Xian, the two asked:

"Mr. Lin, do you think this artwork is packaged okay? Because time is tight, we didn't have time to find more professional packaging."

Lin Xian inspected it and nodded:

"It's fine, should be no problem. Be careful when securing it. It doesn't matter if the corners of the frame get bumped, just be careful with the surface of the painting, don't touch the oil paint, and don't cover it with anything."

"Okay." "Understood."

The two nodded and carried the *Melancholy Einstein* into the private jet's cargo hold.

"Hmm..."

Chu Anqing rubbed her cheek with her index finger, thoughtfully:

"Senior Lin Xian, do you think... that *Melancholy Einstein* we saw at the Donghai Exhibition Center, the world oil painting exhibition, definitely has a different set of codes hidden on it than the one you have?"

"If we could get that set of codes too, and compare them with this set, wouldn't it be faster to crack? After all, I watched the movie *The Imitation Game*... which tells the story of the life of the genius scientist Alan Turing, and it said that when cracking codes, if you can extract identical or similar fragments from different codes, it will be very helpful in locating the code logic, which greatly helps with the cracking progress."

Lin Xian nodded:

"That's the logic. I also checked some information last night. Regarding this painting, there are indeed various rumors, both true and false, in the hidden corners of the internet... some say that there are indeed several genuine works of this painting, but no one knows exactly how many."

"And, currently, only two can be accurately found with storage locations or sales information—one is the one we saw at the oil painting exhibition; the other is a painting collected by a famous Hollywood director, but apparently, that one in the hands of the Hollywood director was bought by the actress Angelica, and given to Ji Lin, which is the one we have now."

"The fact that there are a total of 8 genuine *Melancholy Einstein* paintings was deduced by Ji Lin through code reasoning, and there is no concrete evidence or actual record. But I think Ji Lin is so smart, he probably has already cracked some of these codes, or even knows some of the logic... so he can say the total number of genuine paintings with such certainty."

...

Hearing Ji Lin's name, Chu Anqing couldn't help but feel a thump in her heart.

She recalled that in the bedroom of the villa she received as a coming-of-age gift, there were two paintings hanging on the wall.

One was Ji Lin's gift to her, stolen from Lin Xian's notebook, a sketch of herself drawn by her senior.

The other was a sketch drawn by Senior Lin Xian, colored with watercolors by herself, a group photo of her, Lin Xian, and Ji Lin, warm and full of vitality.

But.

Now things were different, and they were separated by life and death.

For so long, Chu Anqing had never proactively mentioned Ji Lin's name in front of Lin Xian. Although she felt conflicted about Ji Lin, a complex figure with complex emotions, she always felt... that if Senior Lin Xian heard this name, he would definitely feel sad, right?

She wasn't particularly smart.

But, she could sense things like that.

Her father had told her that Lin Xian had designed the cage fight, luring Zhou Duanyun to take the bait; and Ji Lin, in all likelihood, was deliberately cooperating with Lin Xian's plan; because everything happened too smoothly, too quickly.

At the same time, she also knew.

That the joyful and happy birthday party that day was actually a execution ground designed by Ji Lin to kill Lin Xian.

And the moment Lin Xian chose to release Ji Lin without charge... was also the moment he buried Ji Lin in a coffin with half his body in the ground.

Because in the external reports, Zhou Duanyun was innocent. After Ji Xinshui's death, Ji Lin was the only one in the world who knew his criminal evidence, and for his own safety, he would definitely find a way to eliminate Ji Lin, so that no one could prove his guilt.

Her father told her:

"Ji Lin is so smart, he definitely guessed what Lin Xian was thinking, and knew what Lin Xian was planning... think about it, even I can understand this after the fact, let alone someone as smart as Ji Lin? He probably understood that Lin Xian was planning to use him as bait to fish out Zhou Duanyun the moment he walked out of the police station and saw that there was no evidence of Zhou Duanyun's crime in the announcement."

Chu Anqing listened to this mysterious and logically rigorous plan, listening in a daze.

She really didn't know how these people's brains were made...

Such a plan, one ring interlocking with another, she might not be able to figure out even if she thought about it for a lifetime, but Lin Xian and Ji Lin were fighting each other, one in the open and one in the dark; and... they both saw through each other so thoroughly.

"Then then then..."

Chu Anqing looked at her father and asked:

"Then Ji Lin knew he was bait, knew he would be killed by Zhou Duanyun, why did he still take the bait!"

Chu Shanhe was silent for a while, and sighed softly:

"Ji Lin might not have been so sure that he would be killed by Zhou Duanyun, he knew clearly that the bracelets on his feet and wrists had tracking functions. Perhaps... according to his original idea, Lin Xian would appear in time and save him before Zhou Duanyun killed him?"

"Or, is it that Ji Lin didn't expect Zhou Duanyun to be such a desperado, recklessly opening fire to kill him? But I don't think that's very likely... again, Ji Lin is such a smart person, what couldn't he think of? Especially since Zhou Duanyun belonged to the same organization and had worked together for so long? Ji Lin wouldn't misunderstand him. So..."

Chu Shanhe paused:

"So I think, maybe Ji Lin was hoping, or betting, that Lin Xian, who had been monitoring everything in the surrounding area, would come to save him."

"Of course, this is just my guess, we don't know the specifics. Zhou Duanyun's appearance and shooting were too fast, Chief Liu told me at the time that the moment Zhou Duanyun's trail was noticed, drones and helicopters were immediately sent over... but everything happened too fast, and they didn't have time to arrive."

"These intellectual games between smart people, we can't understand them, no one knows what they're thinking."

He chuckled and rubbed the head of his precious daughter, who was a little dizzy from burning her brain, rubbing her smooth hair:

"Don't think about these things. You're just a little girl, just live a happy, carefree life."

"Even if the sky falls, we'll be here to hold it up."

Chu Anqing nodded.

Finally giving up on burning her brain.

Indeed, as her father said.

She couldn't figure it out.

Why Ji Lin was willing to use himself as bait to help Lin Xian fish out Zhou Duanyun, even knowing he would die.

Could he really face death so calmly?

Was this considered sacrificing oneself for righteousness?

She didn't understand.

The textbook said that some people's deaths are heavier than Mount Tai, and some people's deaths are lighter than a feather; from this point of view... Ji Lin's death could only be considered lighter than a feather.

No service to the country or the people,

No heroic righteousness,

No unforgettable love,

No chivalrous courage,

This wasn't a meaningful death, right?

If people are going to die eventually... who wouldn't want their death to be more meaningful and valuable?

"Forget it, I won't think about it."

Chu Anqing shook her head, letting her mind cool down, no longer thinking about the overt and covert schemes between Lin Xian and Ji Lin.

She just felt...

In the future, she shouldn't mention Ji Lin in front of Senior Lin Xian.

That would only make her senior feel sad.

...

Snapping back to reality.

Chu Anqing looked at the senior standing in front of the returning plane, frowning slightly, thinking about the codes on the oil painting:

"I have a good idea!"

She smiled like a pistachio:

"That *Melancholy Einstein* we saw at the Donghai Exhibition Center is usually stored and exhibited at the British Museum. Anyway, it's so easy to go abroad now... when we have time, why don't we go to the British Museum again!"

"Then, we can still do it like we did at Ji Lin's house, I'll shine a light on the side for you, and you can take pictures of the codes on that painting from the front, so we can bring them back and compare them, and we can definitely crack the code faster!"

Lin Xian nodded and smiled:

"That's right. Since we don't know where the remaining six *Melancholy Einstein* paintings are, we can only start with the one in the British Museum. Then, when we have time and find a safe opportunity... let's go abroad again and take a look at the British Museum."

"Then then then you must call me!"

Chu Anqing raised her hand on tiptoe:

"I can be your guide! I went to the British Museum during my high school summer vacation! Although I was just playing at the time and didn't appreciate the artwork, I'm still familiar with the routes and stuff there! Be sure to bring me when you really go, let's go together!"

"No problem."

Lin Xian casually agreed:

"But next time... you must get your father's consent, you can't sneak out like this again."

"Hehe, don't worry~" Chu Anqing scratched her head embarrassedly:

"I'll definitely tell him next time."

Turning her head.

The cargo hold was closed, everyone's luggage had been loaded, so Lin Xian and Chu Anqing boarded the plane together, entered the passenger cabin, and sat in adjacent seats.

Buckling their seatbelts.

Soon after, the fuselage took off with the vibration of the jet engines, flying in the direction of home.

"Speaking of..."

Lin Xian turned his head to look at Chu Anqing in the seat next to him:

"I haven't had a chance to ask you, what did that woman who helped you and protected you at the hacker competition say to you that day?"

"She said her name was Huang Que, a very strange name."

Chu Anqing blinked, looking at Lin Xian:

"Do you know her? Is she an acquaintance of yours?"

"Well... sort of." Lin Xian didn't know how to define the relationship between himself and Huang Que:

"She did help me with some things, although she's always mysterious and elusive, but so far she doesn't seem like a bad person. At least in the hacker competition, she saved you and prevented some dangerous things from happening. One thing is one thing, we still have to thank her for that."

Chu Anqing nodded:

"Sister Huang Que seems like a very nice person. She's very gentle, and she protected me very well, and and! Her eyes are really beautiful! I fell into them as soon as I turned around and saw those bright blue eyes! It was like seeing the Milky Way! Although it was an illusion... the blue in her pupils was like it was flowing and glowing!"

"The most impressive thing about her was those eyes. Seriously, when I saw her, I thought it was Sister Zhao Yingjun. But then I realized that she and Sister Zhao Yingjun didn't look alike at all, and their voices were different, just the temperament and the feeling they gave were similar. She said to me then... she said to me..."

What gift will he give you this time?

Recalling what Huang Que said, Chu Anqing blushed slightly and was embarrassed to say it:

"She said I was very brave."

Chu Anqing nodded, skipping that sentence:

"Then she said the pentagram you drew in the sky was very beautiful, said her name was Huang Que, and said we would meet again soon, I remember she said these things."

"I was really nervous and scared at the time, so I might not remember some things completely, but I remember these sentences clearly. Oh yeah, she also seemed to say that the genius hacker Kevin Walker was a coward, and told him to face you directly... that's all."

A coward...

Lin Xian savored this sentence.

It seemed that Huang Que had known all along that the hooded teenager at the competition wasn't the real Kevin Walker.

From the fact that Kevin didn't dare to show up in person and only dared to hide in an unknown corner behind the scenes and manipulate everything... perhaps coward was Huang Que's way of mocking Kevin Walker?

If he thought about it a little deeper.

Huang Que claimed to be a member of the Genius Club, and Kevin Walker was also very likely a member of the Genius Club. If the two communicated, met, and exchanged ideas on a regular basis... could coward be Kevin Walker's nickname within the Genius Club?

There was also something else that was very concerning.

Why did Huang Que tell Chu Anqing that they would meet again?

Chu Anqing was just an ordinary little girl.

Huang Que had many identities... a member of the Genius Club, a suspected time traveler, a riddler who knew everything but didn't say anything, a bigwig who could handle the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, and so on.

No matter which angle you looked at it from, she and Chu Anqing didn't seem like people who could be related.

Maybe it was just a polite remark.

Lin Xian had many mysteries in his mind right now, so he didn't take this matter to heart for the time being.

...

Ten hours later.

The private jet landed at the Beijing Airport, then took off again and headed for the Shanghai Pudong Airport, landing again.

After a long journey, Lin Xian and Chu Anqing walked off the plane at Pudong Airport, stretching...

It was still daytime outside.

The sun was shining brightly.

"It's like a lifetime ago..." Chu Anqing said with emotion:

"It was daytime when we took off, and it's still daytime now! Hehe, wouldn't you say we just did time travel?"

"Senior Lin Xian, is today the same day as the day we left the United States?"

This question really stumped Lin Xian.

He sorted out the time difference in his mind, and said uncertainly:

"Your question really confused me, I'm a little unsure myself. In theory, Dragon Country time is 12 hours ahead of United States time, which means Dragon Country enters the next day earlier than the United States, and arrives at tomorrow first."

"So, if you calculate it like this, you didn't travel back in time... instead, you traveled through time to the future. When you departed from the United States, it was the 19th in the morning, and now when you get off the plane in Dragon Country, it's directly the noon of the 20th."

"So, strictly speaking, you've lost a day of your life for no reason... anyway, just listen to me casually, I don't know if what I'm saying is accurate, it's touching my knowledge blind spot."

Lin Xian smiled helplessly:

"My passport was only processed for me by the national government this time, this is my first time going abroad, and I've never seriously studied this issue before."

Chu Anqing burst out laughing:

"I didn't expect it, senior, you also have knowledge blind spots, and you also have things you don't know. I always thought you were omniscient and omnipotent."

"You're exaggerating."

Lin Xian was also amused:

"Look, didn't you stump me this time? The more you learn and the more you understand, the day will come when your knowledge will be richer and more comprehensive than mine, and maybe I'll have to ask you for advice."

"That day will definitely never come~"

Chu Anqing waved her hand:

"My brain is so dumb, I'll never catch up with you in my life!"

Saying that.

Chu Anqing had a sudden whim, her eyes rolled, and she said mischievously:

"If flying from the United States towards Dragon Country is considered flying along with time, flying towards the future... then if you fly from Dragon Country to the United States... wouldn't that be equivalent to time travel!?"

"If we get on a plane right now, which is the 20th of September, and fly from Dragon Country to the United States. When we get off the plane in the United States... wouldn't it still be the 20th of September! The time is still noon! Wouldn't we have lived an extra day? We'd get a day for free!"

Lin Xian chuckled twice.

Chu Anqing was indeed a little ray of sunshine.

Being with her was like being infected, laughing all the time.

Other people's brainstorms might make people feel too jumpy and speechless... but Chu Anqing's brainstorms made people feel so cute, so beautiful, like being pulled into her fairy tale book.

"Congratulations."

Lin Xian followed Chu Anqing's train of thought and said:

"You've discovered a bug in this world and gained immortality."

"Really!?"

Chu Anqing smiled, her eyes curving into shallow crescents:

"Then if the plane doesn't stop in the United States, and continues to fly east in the direction of the Earth's rotation! Keep flying and flying... wouldn't we never have to reach tomorrow! We'd live in today forever!"

"That's right, that's right." Lin Xian echoed.

"Then then then!" Chu Anqing continued her brainstorming:

"Then if the plane flies faster! Even faster! Wouldn't we really be able to travel through time, back to yesterday, back to the past?!"

"Amazing, amazing!" Lin Xian applauded.

"Oh, Senior Lin Xian! I'm talking to you seriously!" Chu Anqing puffed out her cheeks and punched Lin Xian:

"Why don't you tell me! Am I right or wrong! Although I feel like there's something wrong somewhere, theoretically doesn't it make sense? Where's the mistake!"

Lin Xian finally managed to straighten his back, which was bent over with laughter:

"Your theory... is only correct in one situation."

"What situation!" Chu Anqing's eyes widened with curiosity!

"In the situation where you beat Einstein into submission." Lin Xian said:

"And make him revise the *Theory of Relativity*, or just throw it away as non-combustible garbage."

"Oh, you're so annoying! So you were just teasing me!" Chu Anqing used another premeditated punch, but Lin Xian dodged it:

"I really thought it was possible! I really thought I'd discovered a bug in the world!"

Beep beep——

The sound of a car horn interrupted Chu Anqing's skill casting.

In front of them, Lin Xian's Elfa van drove to the tarmac, and after the driver honked twice, he parked and started carrying Lin Xian's luggage.

"Let me take you back to school, Anqing." Lin Xian looked at Chu Anqing:

"Sorry, I shattered your Nobel Prize dream. But if you're really interested in this kind of knowledge, you can take Professor Zhang Yang's general education course next semester, he talks about light speed, relativity, and time."

"Although he talks about it in a very simple way, it's very interesting. When I was studying at Donghai University, I took his general education course. Professor Zhang Yang teaches in a really interesting way, using very easy-to-understand methods to explain time travel, space travel, and the understanding of relativity, it's really great."

"Okay then."

Chu Anqing smiled:

"Now that you mention it, I'm really interested. Time travel and stuff... it's really exciting, I wish I could really travel through time,"

Lin Xian handed the luggage in his hand to the driver, turned back and looked at Chu Anqing:

"Do you want to travel back to a past time point, or travel to the future hundreds of years later?"

"Definitely back to the past!" Chu Anqing fantasized:

"Traveling to the future is not interesting... I'm not even 20 years old, I can live to the future, even without hibernation pods, I can live to the future decades later. Not to mention that hibernation pods are almost entering the practical stage... everyone can ride hibernation pods to hibernate for hundreds of years, reaching the future hundreds of years later."

"Many people on the Internet say that because of the existence of hibernation pods, the word future has been devalued! Nowadays, using hibernation pods to 'travel' to the future is no longer a difficult thing, everyone can go to the future. On the contrary, the past... those historical events that have already happened, that are already determined, don't you think they're more charming? Only the past, no one can go back, you can never go back to the past, even with the highest technology, even with the most amazing hibernation pod, you can't go back to even a second before the past."

"So... if I really had the ability to travel through time, I would definitely choose the past with my eyes closed, not the future!"

...

Lin Xian blinked:

"Your way of thinking... is really novel."

He said sincerely:

"I think the vast majority of people prefer to travel to the future, I didn't expect you to choose the past so decisively. Is there... some special reason, or something you particularly want to do, some regret you want to make up for?"

Lin Xian looked at Chu Anqing with some curiosity:

"If you could really travel back to the past, what would you want to do the most?"

"Hehe..."

Chu Anqing smiled mischievously, two small dimples faintly visible.

She held out her index finger and made a shushing gesture in front of her lips:

"Secret~"

Mai Bao Xiao Lang Jun