Yan Tuo didn’t “stroll” back until evening.
If they had only gone to the flower market, it wouldn’t have taken this long. But as soon as they left, Feng Mi secretly told him that the flower market was just an excuse—Aunt Lin wanted Lu Xian and Lin Ling to visit more places together to develop their relationship.
So they saved the flower market for last, first visiting the Bell and Drum Towers, then touring the Muslim Quarter, watching a shadow puppet show, walking around the ancient city wall, and finally checking in at the Shaanxi History Museum—making it a complete outing with shopping, entertainment, walking, and cultural activities.
The flower market was especially lively, with the approaching New Year bringing several times the usual number of flower buyers. Yan Tuo initially wanted to buy white plum blossoms, but after checking several shops, none gave him the right feeling—he felt the one in Nie Jiuluo’s courtyard was still the best, and all others seemed like cheap imitations. In the end, he selected several bundles of fresh-cut branches: rose hips, red plum blossoms, golden dragon willows, and crabapple flowers.
Fresh-cut branches weren’t just about putting them in vases—they needed trimming, styling, and arranging. This became Lin Ling’s task, as her quiet nature made her well-suited to such time-consuming handwork.
After returning to the villa, they carried the fresh-cut branches to the small living room on the third floor. Lin Ling immediately busied herself with finding flower conditioning buckets, scissors, and various vases. Feng Mi helped too, while only Yan Tuo showed no interest, turning to head back to his room.
Passing the dining room, he saw dinner preparations were underway, with the sounds and enticing aromas of cooking coming from the kitchen.
How nice—the day had passed so peacefully. He could wash his face first, rest for a few minutes, then have dinner.
Yan Tuo smiled unconsciously, instinctively quickening his pace.
As he approached his door, his heart skipped a beat.
His door was wide open, with the lights on inside.
Before Yan Tuo could figure out what was happening, a cleaning lady wearing a housekeeping apron walked out carrying a cleaning bucket, followed by Lin Xirou. Lin Xirou had been about to instruct the cleaning lady about something when she suddenly caught sight of Yan Tuo and smiled gracefully: “Xiao Tuo, you’re back. What perfect timing—your room has just been cleaned.”
Then he remembered—Aunt Lin had mentioned this morning that she’d hired cleaning help today.
He’d thought they would only clean the common areas.
Yan Tuo’s expression stiffened slightly: “Oh… Aunt Lin, if you’d told me earlier, I could have… tidied up first.”
Lin Xirou laughed at his unnecessary concern: “Your room isn’t messy anyway.”
True, his room wasn’t messy, but there were things in his room—important things.
Yan Tuo’s heart began pounding violently. He moved slightly aside to let Lin Xirou and the cleaning lady pass, listening to them chat about needing more people, dust-mitting the bedding before New Year’s, and waxing the floors. After standing frozen for several seconds, he rushed inside, locking the door behind him.
Once inside, he first checked the bookshelf, and his mind went blank at what he saw.
Although he didn’t remember the exact arrangement of the books, he had a clear feeling: while the books were still on the shelf, appearing the same as when he left with some standing and some stacked, they had been moved—all of them.
Yan Tuo’s scalp tingled as he quickly grabbed the stepladder from the corner, climbed to the highest shelf, moved aside a stack of books from one section, carefully shifted the false backing, and felt inside with his fingers.
He found it—the diary, his mother’s diary was still there.
Yan Tuo sagged against the shelf in relief, his legs slightly trembling.
However, before he could fully catch his breath, the door handle suddenly twisted back and forth, and Lin Xirou’s voice came through: “Xiao Tuo, why are you locking the door?”
Yan Tuo’s whole body tensed. He quickly descended, rapidly returned the stepladder to the corner, took off his coat, and messed up his shirt while taking two steps at a time to open the door.
When the door opened, Lin Xirou looked at him with furrowed brows.
Yan Tuo explained: “I was changing clothes.”
Lin Xirou: “Why be scared of people seeing you change clothes? It’s not like you were changing pants.”
As she spoke, she walked into the room: “The cleaning lady says she left her work badge in your room. Where is it?”
She glanced around the room, walked straight to the bed, and bent down to retrieve a badge with a loop from under the bed: “This cleaning lady is so careless.”
Yan Tuo searched for something to say: “Is the cleaning… finished for today?”
Lin Xirou said: “Not yet, we’ve barely started. Today we only did the living room, hallway, and your room. They’ll continue tomorrow. A light cleaning before New Year’s Eve, then a thorough cleaning before the New Year—everything needs to be spotless to welcome the new year properly.”
Then she urged Yan Tuo: “Come on, let’s go eat.”
Yan Tuo agreed: “I’ll come after changing clothes.”
After Lin Xirou left, he couldn’t help looking up at the bookshelf again.
They would continue cleaning tomorrow.
Carrying the diary on his person wasn’t safe—if it accidentally fell out, that would be disastrous. Hiding it in another room wouldn’t work either, who knew when that room would be “cleaned” next—for today, better leave it here, since this room had just been cleaned and was now a “safe zone.”
***
Dinner was elaborate, but Yan Tuo couldn’t taste what he was eating.
The cleaning incident had left his heart suspended in anxiety, unable to determine if this was truly just routine pre-New Year cleaning or if he had fallen under further suspicion.
For safety’s sake, he had to assume the worst—that he was under suspicion. As for which aspect had raised alarm, he couldn’t be sure. As he’d told Nie Jiuluo, “being involved in too many things, many weren’t done perfectly,” and wouldn’t hold up under strict investigation.
He ate very slowly, chewing and swallowing gradually.
The only thing he could be certain of was that Aunt Lin and the others merely suspected him, without concrete evidence. After all, during the most dangerous occasions, like Dog Ya’s execution or dealing with Chen Fu and Han Guan, there had been no surveillance.
Now, with major events in progress, there were two things he had to ensure for things to go smoothly—
First, he couldn’t let Aunt Lin know he had the list. This was manageable, as it was all memorized, with the written version destroyed.
Second, he couldn’t let Aunt Lin know he was cooperating with Lin Ling. This was also feasible because ever since Lin Ling’s “confession rejection and running away from home” years ago, their outward relationship had remained lukewarm—not distant, but not close.
…
Across the table, Feng Mi suddenly burst out laughing: “Yan Tuo, you’re eating like you’re embroidering—where has your mind wandered off to?”
Yan Tuo was startled, and Lin Xirou shot Feng Mi a glance: “What’s the fuss about? Can’t someone be lost in thought?”
…
Yan Tuo finished eating first. Pushing away his bowl and chopsticks, he stood up and said: “Lin Ling, come to my room later, I have something to discuss with you.”
***
Back in his room, Yan Tuo first checked all the power outlets, confirming none had been tampered with—no listening devices or cameras had been installed.
He turned off the main light, leaving only the desk lamp on, poured a glass of water, then took out paper and pen and began writing.
Lin Ling came by a while later, feeling strange the whole way there: it wasn’t that she’d never met with Yan Tuo before, but always in private, avoiding others. This kind of open arrangement made her uneasy.
The door wasn’t locked. She opened it, and while closing it behind her, asked: “Should I lock it?”
Yan Tuo shook his head.
Lin Ling was puzzled, walking closer: “Why did you call me here? What are we discussing?”
Yan Tuo put his finger to his lips, making a soft shushing sound, and held up the first piece of paper for her to see.
On it was a phone number with the character “Xing” written after it.
Below was written: Remember this number. If anything happens to me, contact this person and find a way to escape.
Lin Ling’s mind buzzed, tears almost welling up instantly. Yan Tuo frowned, gesturing with his eyes for her to memorize it quickly, while repeatedly glancing at the gap under the door.
With the room dark and the hallway lit, any movement outside could be observed through the gap.
For now, there was no one. He said softly: “It might not happen, just in case.”
Lin Ling sniffled, staring at the string of numbers while repeatedly reciting them to herself. She had already memorized Liu Changxi’s number, so memorizing another one wasn’t difficult—but Yan Tuo’s words frightened her. He wouldn’t say such things without reason.
After a while, she nodded to indicate she had memorized it.
Yan Tuo crumpled the paper and dropped it into the glass of water, then stirred it with the pen’s back end, quickly blurring the ink.
He picked up a second piece of paper, this one with more text.
Lin Ling looked at it nervously.
***
Shortly after Lin Ling left the dining table, Lin Xirou gestured to Feng Mi: “Go listen to what they’re saying.”
Feng Mi frowned: “Eavesdropping? Aunt Lin, what era is this? That’s so old-fashioned. Why don’t you just install a hidden camera in his room or something?”
Lin Xirou said flatly: “Those methods only work on people who aren’t prepared. If he’s on guard, installing them would be useless. Hurry up, be quick, and be careful.”
Feng Mi said nothing more and left—besides, she was quite curious herself.
Lin Xirou then instructed Xiong Hei: “From now on, try to keep Xiao Tuo from going out. Whenever he does go out, like with Lin Ling, have someone watch him secretly.”
Xiong Hei was drinking soup when he heard this and nearly choked in surprise. After coughing twice, he wiped his mouth with a napkin, looked around, and lowered his voice: “Why? Didn’t we find nothing?”
The professionals who checked the computer said there was nothing significant, just some videos and photos.
They had searched the room thoroughly, even taking down all the books from the shelves and putting them back up.
Lin Xirou gently put down her chopsticks.
“There is something—we just haven’t found it yet.”
***
Feng Mi walked to Yan Tuo’s door, looking left and right feeling helpless. This solid door was frustrating—how was she supposed to listen through it?
Finally, she pressed her ear to the door crack.
She couldn’t help but miss her days in Heibai Ravine, when her nose was keen, her ears sharp, and her night vision exceptional—being human fell far short. Life was unfair; why couldn’t she have both?
She heard something.
It was Lin Ling’s tearful voice: “Why are you doing this?”
An argument?
Feng Mi pressed her face harder against the door crack.
“Are you Lin’s Aunt’s dog? Do you just do whatever she pushes for? I never liked Lu Xian from the start, but you insisted I try, saying you didn’t want Lin Aunt to be angry. I gave you a face and tried, but now you’re saying it’s too slow—what do you want, engagement today and marriage tomorrow? Who are you to rush this? Even Lin Aunt isn’t pushing!”
Well, well, a real argument.
Lin Ling was speaking her true feelings—it was obvious she didn’t like Lu Xian.
Feng Mi couldn’t hear what Yan Tuo said, but Lin Ling became more furious: “Don’t worry, even if things don’t work out with Lu Xian, Lin Aunt won’t push me onto you. I know my position—I’ve stayed away from you all these years, what are you afraid of!”
Footsteps headed straight for the door. Feng Mi quickly backed away several steps, pretending to be walking this way. Before she could even lift her foot, the door was yanked open forcefully, and Lin Ling rushed out with tears in her eyes.
Feng Mi feigned surprise: “Lin Ling, what’s wrong?”
Lin Ling acted as if she hadn’t heard, running back to her room while sobbing.
Feng Mi found it amusing. She walked to Yan Tuo’s doorway and leaned halfway in: “What happened? Siblings fighting?”
Yan Tuo sat in his computer chair with downcast eyes, pressing his fingers to his brow, and responded indifferently: “Trying to do what’s best for her but she’s ungrateful. Lu Xian is such a good match.”
True enough.
Feng Mi also thought that for someone like Lin Ling, Lu Xian was quite a catch.
***
Back in the dining room, the aunt had already cleared the dishes and brought out some fruit plates and flower tea.
Lin Xirou looked up at Feng Mi: “What did they say?”
Feng Mi sat down intimately beside Lin Xirou: “Your godson is worrying on your behalf. Today while out, Lin Ling and Lu Xian were again, you know, impossible to push together. Yan Tuo probably scolded her for being difficult, Lin Ling argued back a bit, then ran away crying.”
Lin Xirou remained silent, but quickly understood: both Lin Ling and Lu Xian had initially refused any contact, and both only reluctantly began after Yan Tuo’s “persuasion.”
She mused: “Why is he so concerned about this?”
Feng Mi thought for a moment: “From what Lin Ling was saying, it seems Yan Tuo is worried that if things don’t work out with Lu Xian, he might get matched with her instead?”
Lin Xirou snorted: “How could that be possible? If I wanted to match those two, would I have waited until now?”
Xiong Hei picked up a slice of apple: “Maybe he’s just being filial, trying to help ease your worries. Ah, Sister Lin, what exactly do you suspect? Can we confirm it quickly? Don’t keep us in suspense—honestly, these past few days, I’ve been split, sometimes thinking he’s a bastard, sometimes feeling we’re wronging him.”
Lin Xirou picked up her teacup and took a slow sip.
Xiong Hei was right—she hated this suspense too. Whether he was guilty or not, she wanted a clean cut. She was tired of the knife hovering at her neck.
She steeled herself, slamming down the teacup so hard tea splashed everywhere.
***
Yan Tuo flushed the water-soaked paper down the toilet.
Lin Ling’s performance had been quite good, though she still ended up crying in the end. It was clear she was scared.
Perhaps he should have been more gentle—all along, Lin Ling had seen him as a pillar of support. Even if he were to fall, he should have made her feel like he hadn’t.
As he was pondering this, someone knocked.
Opening the door, he saw Xiong Hei.
Xiong Hei’s expression was gloomy as he spoke in a low voice: “Change quickly, there’s an urgent matter, we need to go out.”
Yan Tuo was startled: “What urgent matter?”
Xiong Hei was vague: “I’ll tell you on the way.”
He then leaned against the door, appearing impatient. Since they were both men, it wasn’t appropriate to ask him to step out. Yan Tuo quickly changed clothes and followed Xiong Hei out.
While waiting for the elevator, they saw Feng Mi hurrying over, adjusting her scarf as she walked. Yan Tuo looked at Xiong Hei: “She’s coming too?”
Xiong Hei grunted in affirmation.
“Where are we going?”
Xiong Hei leaned close and whispered: “There’s news from Ban Ya’s side.”
Yan Tuo’s heart tightened, and he swallowed imperceptibly.
News from Ban Ya’s side—had Xing Shen’s actions been discovered, or had Xing Shen just contacted Aunt Lin about exchanging hostages?
Unknown—he’d have to take it one step at a time.
***
The villa at night was quiet with an air of deathly stillness.
After finishing her last cup of tea, Lin Xirou rose unhurriedly and walked toward Yan Tuo’s room.
The key slipped into the lock, turning twice softly, and opened.
The room was pitch black. Lin Xirou reached for the light switch and then walked slowly to the center of the room.
When Yan Tuo had returned in the evening, he’d immediately locked the door. She had deliberately waited a while before knocking, saying she needed to retrieve the cleaning lady’s badge, and then had looked around.
The stepladder wasn’t in its original position.
Or rather, it was still in the corner, but not as perfectly straight as before—she had supervised the cleaning that afternoon and remembered the exact position of every item.
Yan Tuo had used the stepladder.
Interesting—upon returning and discovering his room had been cleaned, he’d used the stepladder.
There was only one place in this room that would require such a thing.
Lin Xirou brought the stepladder to the bookshelf, opened the support bar to stabilize it, and then bent down, looking sideways at the faint footprints on the steps.
Given Yan Tuo’s height, standing on the second step would allow him to reach… the top shelf.
Lin Xirou climbed up.
Strange—they had removed all the books from the shelf, carefully checking each one. If there was something suspicious, it shouldn’t be in the books.
Lin Xirou reached out, feeling and tapping the shelf boards, moving from one section to another.
Finally, when she tapped another section, the back panel produced a hollow sound.
Lin Xirou’s body stiffened.
There was something—there was something.
Her gaze grew poisonous, mixed with a hint of savagery. This section was full of books, making it difficult to retrieve anything. In her agitation, she swept her hand across, sending the stack of books crashing to the floor.
The back panel was removed.
Inside was a hardcover notebook, about A5 size, very worn, with a brick-red cover.
Lin Xirou froze for several seconds. In a daze, she felt that somewhere in the distant past, at some moment, she had seen this notebook before.
She took out the notebook and turned to the title page.
On the yellowed paper were several lines of elegant blue pen writing.
—Keep a diary, let it become a lifelong good habit. These are the droplets of life, the most vivid and brilliant memories for when the years have passed and hair has turned gray.
The signature…
When her eyes fell upon it, Lin Xirou’s mind exploded: after more than twenty years, she and the former Lin Xirou met across time in this way.
Lin Xirou remained frozen for a long time, feeling as if she had become one with the stepladder beneath her feet, her flesh seeping into the metal, the metal piercing into her marrow.
She took out her phone and dialed Xiong Hei’s number.
When he answered, she said only one sentence.
“Don’t bring him back—do it.”