Zhou Luming thought about it and realized that it was indeed the case. Only Song Tao had no prefix, but Li Li addressed them as friends at the beginning, so Song Tao could also be considered his friend.
Xu Yan asked, "Is this Li Li's sudden change of heart, or is it that he doesn't know what to do with you, whether to treat you as a friend, a brother, a business partner, or someone else?"
Song Tao clenched his fists and slowly lowered his head. "I don't know, I've never known..."
"If you really had no idea, why did you leave the shirts and mannequins he gave you in your office? Why didn't you take them home? What are you avoiding?" Xu Yan raised her voice slightly, but still kept it within a calm range.
"The reason Li Li didn't give you the crucial code is because if he did, you might completely disappear from his world, right?" Xu Yan explained calmly. "This sunflower blooming in the universe can only be pieced together by this line of crucial code. The sunflower symbolizes silent love. Everyone thinks he loves your wife, but he actually loves you..."
Song Tao slowly squatted down and hugged his head.
Zhou Luming was stunned for a moment, as if his head had exploded. Certain details surfaced in his mind…
The school auditorium is where Li Li and Song Tao first met. The flowerbed in front of the auditorium is also planted with sunflowers, and the bronze statue standing at the entrance is of Turing—a man punished for falling in love with a man. The giant beast kept in the deep sea symbolizes the pressure on Li Li; it wants to devour the sunflowers he planted…
One important clue left by Li Li is Song Tao's garage. There are many traces of Song Tao inside the aircraft carrier, including the school's football field and some places where the two may have spent time together...
Wang Anjing spoke calmly, "Li Li and I have never had any feelings that go beyond ordinary friendship. The reason I got together with Song Tao and married him was largely due to Li Li's involvement; he was our matchmaker..."
Song Tao looked up at Wang Anjing, his eyes already moist.
Wang Anjing looked down at him and said, "Sometimes I think that apart from gender, Li Li and I are very similar. He won the gold medal that I wanted to win, while I married the person he wanted most. This is our respective 'unrequited love'."
Chapter 11
===================
When I came out of the Metaverse Building, the sun had already set.
Zhou Luming yawned and walked side by side with Xu Yan. After leaving the building, he couldn't help but look back at the several golden signs inside. The founder, Li Li, had left this world, but he left his entire life in the metaverse game world. As long as the game was running, he would exist there.
Xu Yan stood in front of the car waiting for Zhou Luming. "Get in the car, let's go home."
Zhou Luming quickly caught up, obediently opened the door for Xu Yan, then got into the driver's seat, started the car, set the navigation, and set off back to Xu Yan's residence.
"Don't they provide meals? It's already seven o'clock, and I haven't eaten anything all day..." Zhou Luming said, looking aggrieved. "When I went downstairs just now, I saw the restaurant in the Yuan Universe Building. Their food is so plentiful! Clay pot rice noodles, lamb spine hot pot, stir-fries, hamburgers, pizza, steak, spaghetti—they have it all..."
“Junk food is unhealthy,” Xu Yan said.
"After everything that's happened today, I need junk food to replenish my energy." Zhou Luming drove steadily and stopped at a traffic light. "I know you're in a hurry to get me to leave because you want to give Wang Anjing and Song Tao some private time to talk, but you don't have to leave me no time for even a meal, making me drive you home on an empty stomach. It would be dangerous if I suddenly fainted due to low blood sugar..."
"Eat this." Xu Yan took out a piece of chocolate from the storage box in front of him and tossed it to Zhou Luming.
Zhou Luming: "Help me tear it open."
Xu Yan silently looked at her for a while, and after assessing the risk factor, she actually helped Zhou Luming open the chocolate packaging and handed it to Zhou Luming.
Zhou Luming's eyes gleamed mischievously. "I have to drive, and I'm holding the steering wheel with both hands. Why don't you feed me?"
Xu Yan frowned. Zhou Luming opened his mouth, and Xu Yan suddenly stuffed the whole piece of chocolate into Zhou Luming's mouth. Zhou Luming subconsciously bit down, but Xu Yan withdrew his hand and decided to leave it alone.
Zhou Luming let out two soft "woofs," glancing at Xu Yan out of the corner of her eye. Seeing Xu Yan's cold expression and her complete disregard for her, she realized that sweet talk was useless against a woman like Xu Yan; she had to be strong. The days ahead were long; she would gradually figure out Xu Yan's temperament. Once she completely understood her and found Xu Yan's weakness, that would be the day Xu Yan was under her control.
Zhou Luming took a bite of a piece of chocolate, letting the other half fall onto his lap. After chewing a few times to relieve his hunger, he returned to the previous topic and asked Xu Yan, "When did Wang Anjing find out that Li Li loved Song Tao? If she knew a long time ago, why did she still help Li Li? Wasn't she angry or bothered?"
Xu Yan leaned back in her seat, the dappled light from the streetlights casting shadows across her face. Her demeanor perfectly matched the increasingly cold weather. If you were to ask her which season she liked best, the answer would probably be winter.
"Wang Anjing and Li Li cherished each other deeply; they were soulmates who respected and admired one another. They had long transcended gender and worldly conventions. Moreover, Li Li, by sending Wang Anjing to Song Tao's side, acted as a friend, protecting both Song Tao and Wang Anjing. He suppressed his inner pain, hoping his beloved could be happy. Wang Anjing was a gentle and considerate woman. She understood and empathized with Li Li's feelings and wouldn't add fuel to the fire, lest she ruin Li Li and Song Tao's relationship. Because of this, when Song Tao later misunderstood her and Li Li, she chose to silently endure the suspicions without explaining herself. She wanted Li Li to leave with dignity, rather than suffer criticism."
Zhou Luming gripped the steering wheel tightly. "Wang Anjing is a wise and magnanimous woman."
“Yes, I agree.” Xu Yan nodded.
"What will happen to their game company in the future?" Zhou Luming asked.
“I will distribute Li Li’s property according to the will. Now that the misunderstanding between Li Li and Song Tao has been resolved, I think Song Tao will run the company well in Li Li’s place, and Wang Anjing will also help deal with technical issues. This couple working together can take the business of Yuan Universe Games to a new level,” Xu Yan said. “But the above is purely my subjective conjecture and is not reliable.”
Zhou Luming parked the car in Xu Yan's garage, turned to look at Xu Yan. Unlike in the TV series, this person did not close his eyes to rest, but waited for the car to come to a complete stop before opening the door and getting out of the car.
Zhou Luming smiled. "You're not afraid of cars, are you? Did you have a psychological problem after a car accident?"
Xu Yan stopped at the door and looked at Zhou Luming standing next to the car, saying, "This car is yours to use from now on. You don't need to return the car keys to me. That's all for today. Come to work at 9 o'clock sharp tomorrow."
"The car is mine?" Zhou Luming didn't expect Boss Xu to give her such a big gift on the first day. Although it was a second-hand car, Xu Yan should have bought it not long ago, and it was a brand name car, so it could be considered a luxury car.
"Don't misunderstand, it's only for your use during work hours, not a gift. You only have the right to use it, not ownership." Xu Yan finished speaking, then turned and unlocked the door without looking back, preparing to go inside. He was just leaving such a beautiful woman like Zhou Luming outside, completely ignoring her and turning his back on her.
Just as Zhou Luming was about to call out to her, he saw Xu Yan turn her head and say, "Oh, right, there's one more thing."
Zhou Luming smiled, knowing that Xu Yan wasn't that heartless. At the very least, he should have invited her inside for something to eat and a drink before leaving. It was cold and he was hungry outside, and going home would only mean eating instant noodles anyway. Cooking noodles together with an egg would taste much better than eating alone.
But Xu Yan said, "Remember to bring your summary when you come to work tomorrow morning."
"A summary?" Zhou Luming was stunned.
"Yes, as I told you today, we need to summarize the work of the estate administrator." Xu Yan went inside, this time closing the door decisively. The smart electronic lock clicked twice, locking the door and completely shutting Zhou Luming out.
Zhou Luming was stunned for a moment, and before he could get angry, he remembered something that had just been interrupted.
He circled around Xu Yan's door, even pushing it, wanting to go inside to find her, but then he looked down and saw a text message on his phone from Xu Yan's number: "What are you trying to do, circling around my door?"
Zhou Luming's lips curled up slightly, as if he could see Xu Yan's stern face behind the phone screen. "I have another question I want to ask you."
A long time passed, and Xu Yan still didn't reply.
Zhou Luming simply squatted down at her doorstep and waited, firmly believing that Xu Yan wouldn't abandon her.
Sure enough, Xu Yan quickly sent another text message, "What's the problem?"
Zhou Luming typed rapidly, "In the email Li Li sent you, did he not specify that Song Tao should also be involved in the investigation?"
This time, the phone screen didn't light up again for a long time, but the door behind Zhou Luming opened, and Xu Yan, wearing a suit and bunny slippers, stood behind the door, looking down at Zhou Luming, and said calmly, "Why do you ask that?"
Zhou Luming turned his head and looked up at her with a smile. Xu Yan's face was exquisite from any angle, but unfortunately, such a naturally beautiful face always carried a cold expression.
“It’s pure speculation,” Zhou Luming replied. “You didn’t mention this to me before you left. When you arrived at Li Li’s company and met Song Tao, and saw the piles of Li Li’s gifts in his office, you instantly guessed Li Li’s thoughts. So you came up with the idea of making Song Tao understand Li Li’s feelings, and used an email that no one but you had ever seen as a reason to get Song Tao into Li Li’s game world to personally find the real Li Li…”
Xu Yan was silent for a moment, then said, "Go home early." She was about to close the door again.
But this time, Zhou Luming stopped her. They faced each other through a crack in the door, and Zhou Luming spoke rapidly, “You and Li Li have been online friends for over ten years. You must know each other well. With your intelligence, you must have guessed long ago. So when you accepted this commission, at first glance, you seemed cold and indifferent to Li Li's death, merely acting as a neutral party in handling his estate. But in reality, you actively pulled Song Tao into Li Li's world, actively intervening in this estate case. You made Song Tao finally understand Li Li's feelings for him. You didn't want Li Li to disappear completely, and you're not as cold and heartless as you pretended to be…”
A glint flashed in Xu Yan's eyes as she forcefully slammed the door shut, but Zhou Luming was actually stronger than her.
"Whatever you say, can I go back to sleep now?"
Zhou Luming said, "If you don't deny it, it means you admit it. You really are a person who is cold on the outside but warm on the inside."
Xu Yan rolled her eyes.
opinionated.
Zhou Luming said, "Do you have instant noodles at home? I want to eat some."
"There is no such junk food."
"What were you eating just now? I smelled food." Zhou Luming sniffed Xu Yan's scent. Besides the faint woody perfume, there was also the smell of food. Xu Yan must have been exposed to delicious food. His eyes suddenly lit up. "You can cook? Chinese or Western food? I'm not picky, I'm fine with anything."
After saying that, Zhou Luming barged into Xu Yan's house on his own.
In Xu Yan's dining room, there was a long mahogany table used as a dining table, on which sat an induction cooker hot pot, bubbling and emitting a fragrant aroma.
"You actually hid and ate hot pot by yourself!" Zhou Luming said without any politeness, and went to the kitchen to find bowls and chopsticks.
Xu Yan was helpless, but since the person had already come in and seemed unlikely to leave anytime soon, she had no choice but to wash her hands again, sit back in her original seat, and start enjoying the fish hot pot.
After a long day of work, she needed to replenish her energy. Hot pot was the thing she missed most when she was abroad, bar none. However, good ingredients were hard to come by, especially fresh seafood and fish, and the sauce had to be authentic. She couldn't enjoy any of this overseas, so of course she had to make the most of it now that she was back home.
Zhou Luming took a large plate and long chopsticks and began to cook his own food without any hesitation.
"You've been abroad for a long time, how do you even know how to eat hot pot?" Xu Yan asked.
“Chinatown has everything.” Zhou Luming picked at a mantis shrimp and ate it with relish.
Chapter 12
===================
The hot pot bubbled and steamed, emitting a fragrant aroma. Zhou Luming unceremoniously filled his small bowl to the brim with beef rolls, fish balls, and shiitake mushrooms. Meanwhile, Xu Yan, the host, had only a little fish in his bowl.
Zhou Luming got burned by a sandwich-filled meatball and stuck out his tongue.
Xu Yan finally couldn't help but say, "Food that is too hot can damage the oral mucosa and esophageal wall epithelium, which can easily cause oral cancer and esophageal cancer."
Zhou Luming turned to look at her, "I thought you were going to keep watching me eat all of this."
There is an old Chinese saying: "One should not speak while eating or sleeping."
There's an old Chinese saying: "Eat it while it's hot."
Xu Yan gave her a cold glare, then slowly and deliberately ate the tender fish in his bowl.
"I think you shouldn't be called Xu Yan, you should be called Xu Buyan instead," Zhou Luming said, glancing at her bowl. "Don't you eat the sauce?"
"Vinegar is enough."
"Then why do you have so many sauce jars in your refrigerator?"
"The housekeeper put these in there; I don't eat them," Xu Yan said, chewing slowly. "They're easy to lose your sense of taste."
Zhou Luming wasn't as particular as her. He continued to devour the delicious food on the table, and only after a while did he stand up, satisfied, to look around Xu Yan's house.
Xu Yan's home gives people a different feeling during the day and at night. During the day, the sun is bright outside, but the curtains in her house are always drawn tightly. At night, the curtains are all open and the lights are on, illuminating every corner.
Zhou Luming stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, reached out and pressed his hand against the glass, a smile playing on his lips. The glass was indeed double-paned, one-way; those outside couldn't see in, but those inside could easily see out. The curtains were open to prevent anyone from hiding behind them, and the ample light also eliminated any dark corners.
Xu Yan is a person who lacks a sense of security. Something must have happened to her to cause her to have this personality.
"Have you seen enough?" Xu Yan appeared quietly behind her, like a cat walking silently in the dark.
Zhou Luming was startled and patted his chest in a panic, saying, "That scared me to death."
Xu Yan grabbed her wrist and faced her. "But your pulse is steady, and you don't seem to be startled. You're very good at observing your surroundings, so you may have already seen me walking behind you in the reflection of the glass."
Zhou Luming thought to himself, "Oh no!" but he still kept the smile on his face. "You can even diagnose me by taking my pulse?"
"Don't try to change the subject." Xu Yan approached her little by little, trapping her between the glass door and himself. "Tell me, who exactly are you, and why are you impersonating Zhou Luming?"
"You've hurt me. I am Zhou Luming."
“Zhou Luming is low-key and cautious, and almost never appears on social media. So why would she frequently go to Chinatown to eat hot pot? And how could she have such skills?” Xu Yan stared intently, bringing her face close to Zhou Luming's, gripping her tightly with both hands, leaving her no way to escape. “You impersonated her to return to the country for the Zhou family's wealth, didn't you? Tell us your true identity while you still have a chance to confess.”