Xu Yan sighed inwardly. Given Zhou Luming's vigilance, he probably already knew everything about her. Especially the steel nails; they had the manufacturer's serial number printed on them, which was recorded in hospitals abroad. She could easily find out what happened back then, and at this point, denying or arguing was pointless.
However, removing the steel nails and plates would inevitably leave clues, which is why they were forced to leave them at the time, and they haven't been removed until now. Over the years, the steel nails, which weren't originally hers, have caused her unbearable pain, flaring up intermittently, especially on stormy nights when the pain is excruciating. Xu Yan has repeatedly gritted her teeth and endured it, managing to prevent anyone from discovering her identity. But on this day, Zhou Luming might just stumble upon it.
Xu Yan took a few breaths before slowly sitting up and leaning against the headboard. Zhou Luming was actually very tactful and considerate; she gave Xu Yan some space, sat on the edge of the bed, and stared at Xu Yan, patiently waiting for her answer.
"Ask whatever you want," Xu Yan finally said, and under Yingying's gaze, for the first time since becoming an adult, he easily succumbed to fate.
Zhou Luming wasn't in a hurry. Seeing her dry lips, he poured her a glass of water. Xu Yan took the glass, sipped it to moisten her throat, and felt much better.
Xu Yan's hospital room was not very lively. No relatives or friends came to visit, and no colleagues or classmates came to offer their condolences. Only Zhou Luming stayed by her side, gazing at her with his burning, star-like eyes.
She silently observed Zhou Luming. When the explosion occurred, this young girl almost instinctively shielded herself in front of him, and even when the two of them were knocked to the ground by the impact, she still chose to protect Xu Yan with her own flesh and blood.
At this moment, half of Zhou Luming's curly hair was slicked back by the fire, and her head was wrapped in gauze, making her look very embarrassed and down on her luck. Even though she was in such a state, she still rushed in to visit her as soon as possible, which warmed the heart of Xu Yan, who had no relatives and had grown up alone.
Once upon a time, she too had enjoyed that warmth of being cared for and cherished—a tenderness lost in the sound of an explosion. It was precisely because of this that she cherished that feeling. Later, growing up independently, she faced countless challenges alone. Each time she wanted to look back, she found no one behind her. This was a path she had to walk, even alone, to give closure to those who had passed and to give closure to her younger self.
This wasn't the first time Zhou Luming had risked everything to protect herself. Although the incident at the mall wasn't as serious as this one, a person's subconscious reaction is something that can't be hidden or faked. Zhou Luming was definitely not a saint who would sacrifice herself for others. Xu Yan thought that the reason she risked her life to save him several times wasn't just because he was her employer, but also because of the half-joking, half-serious feelings she had repeatedly mentioned to him.
Zhou Luming blinked slowly, took a slight breath, and hesitated before asking solemnly, "I'll ask you one last time, who exactly are you?"
Xu Yan lowered her eyes, held the glass in both hands, and slowly traced the rim of the glass with her fingers.
“I am Q, I am also Xu Yan, and I am also an estate administrator.”
Zhou Luming narrowed his eyes, his face unusually serious. "You're lying."
"How did I lie?"
“You told me part of it, but you also hid part of it. From the moment you hired me under the name of Q, you have been intentionally or unintentionally implying to me that you are Q. You actually wanted me to guess that you are my employer Q.”
"Why would I do this?" Xu Yan looked up at Zhou Luming quietly.
"Because you want to use the truth about Q's identity to cover up another, even more shocking truth, using one secret to cover up another secret, that's your specialty. Generally speaking, once they find out that you are Q, they'll be smug, thinking they're very clever, and then they'll never doubt you again. But you underestimate me. I'm not an ordinary person."
Xu Yan began twirling the glass in her hand, the clear water swirling gently inside. "Oh? Please continue. What is the real secret I'm hiding?"
Zhou Luming slowly leaned forward towards Xu Yan, "The real Zhou Luming has appeared, and that is you."
Xu Yan's expression was calmer than expected, and she even showed a hint of mockery. "Is it because the bombing scared you? If you're scared and want to leave, I won't stop you, but I can only give you half of the commission." She looked at Zhou Luming and swept her eyes up and down with contempt. "I can also reimburse your medical expenses."
Her tone was offensive, but Zhou Luming wasn't angry.
"Xu Yan, are you deliberately trying to provoke me and make me stay away from you?" she said with a half-smile. "You're clearly a good person, so why do you always pretend to be a bad person and make everyone around you leave?"
Xu Yan gripped the glass tightly and paused.
Zhou Luming pressed on, "Are you scared? You're not afraid of getting hurt yourself, you're afraid that everyone around you will be implicated."
Xu Yan turned her gaze to the side, looking at the open window. The water in the glass in her hand swayed a few times, almost spilling out.
Zhou Luming said, "Over the years, you've had almost no friends and almost no photos of yourself. You finally had an online friend, Li Li, but she committed suicide. You've always been afraid of a certain event repeating itself. You've hidden yourself in darkness, cut off all contact with the outside world, dared not make friends, dared not get too close to anyone. You've always lived in fear... But finally, one day, you couldn't bear this life any longer, so you mustered your courage and finally chose to face your inner fears, even risking returning to China to try and nip the source of your fear in the bud. So you personally chose someone as your substitute, and you transformed yourself into another person, observing this substitute silently from the sidelines..."
“I’m nowhere near as kind as you describe in your story,” Xu Yan interrupted coldly. “You don’t know how terrifying I am. I’ve lied to you so many times, haven’t you learned your lesson yet? If I were you, I would take the money and walk away unscathed, never risking my life in these things again. After all, your employer is unreliable, and the danger of you impersonating Zhou Luming is increasing. You could be killed at any moment. Last time you only broke your ankle, this time you hurt your head, and next time you might end up in the ICU or even die a horrible death. There’s absolutely no need for you to risk your life for a liar employer and a reward you might not even live to receive.”
Zhou Luming smiled and curled the corners of his mouth, "You know I'm not risking my life for money this time."
Xu Yan turned back and stared intently at her.
After one lie after another was exposed, how could this person still laugh? He's insane; I've run into another madman.
Zhou Luming said casually, "I remember you said that the real Zhou Luming likes women." She smiled slightly and slowly moved closer to Xu Yan. "Although you lied to me so much, I want to know if what you said was true."
The air was thick with the smell of disinfectant. Although her head was bandaged and her face had a bit of grime on it, it couldn't diminish Zhou Luming's charm. Xu Yan glanced up and quickly noticed the bloodstains seeping through the bandages. Her actions were faster than her thoughts. Without even thinking about what to do next, she placed her hand on the back of Zhou Luming's head, tilted her head, and pressed her lips firmly against Zhou Luming's. She saw her own indulgence in Zhou Luming's slightly widened eyes, and then felt her intense and passionate response after a moment of slight surprise.
Zhou Luming bet that this was Xu Yan's first kiss. Her kiss was awkward and reckless. She started the trouble, but then hesitated and even tried to back away. As a veteran in love, Zhou Luming didn't want to let her off so easily, so he held her firmly and made her unable to resist.
However, after an unknown amount of time, he found Xu Yan collapsed into his arms. Just as he was about to tease her, he saw her close her eyes again and fall into a coma.
Zhou Luming was both amused and exasperated. He helped Xu Yan lie down again and covered her with the blanket. Sitting on the edge of the bed, watching her sleeping face, he couldn't help but reach out and press his hand against her lips, which had finally regained a sliver of color. Zhou Luming covered half his face and couldn't help but laugh. What was this? She fainted after kissing him? Was she knocked out by the kiss, or was it a post-concussion syndrome?
At least today she proved one thing: the so-called Zhou Luming's love for women—proven to be true through her own experience.
Chapter 64
===================
Because of the significant impact of the explosion, the police quickly launched an investigation.
Despite suffering a mild concussion, Zhou Luming recounted everything he knew at the police station. The police collected fingerprints from the vehicle and retrieved surveillance footage from Xu Yan's house, but couldn't find a matching fingerprint in the database. Furthermore, neither the footage from Xu Yan's house nor the footage retrieved from the golf club showed a clear view of S's face, leading to a stalemate in the case.
After a week in the hospital, Xu Yan finally couldn't resist asking to leave again, but Zhou Luming stopped her once more. Zhou Luming said to her in her uniquely gentle voice, half threatening and half seductive, "If you don't behave, wait till we get home and see how I deal with you."
Xu Yan had heard countless threats, but none had ever made her so fearful. Ever since that day she had kissed Zhou Luming, she had been feigning ignorance, regretting her impulsive actions and unsure how to face the situation. Therefore, after waking up from her fainting spell, the memory of that scene made her too embarrassed to face Zhou Luming.
But Zhou Luming never brought up that incident again and treated her the same as before. However, there were some differences in the details. For example, she would peel apples for her, feed her porridge, adjust the height of the bed backrest, and fold her change of clothes.
Xu Yan had never been taken care of so comprehensively and without any blind spots. Even the hired housekeepers only cleaned and cooked for her. She always took care of personal things like changing clothes herself, and she always felt uncomfortable having someone else do it for her.
Zhou Luming's meticulous care reminded her of someone—her own mother. Before losing her parents, Xu Yan had also been cared for in the same way by her mother. Like other little girls, she had a happy and fulfilling family life. Her father was the pillar of the family, responsible for earning money to support them and managing household chores; her mother was the superwoman of the family, providing meticulous care and dedication to her family. Xu Yan's parents both had their own careers; her father worked at a bank, and her mother worked at a hospital. They met at the hospital and had enjoyed a happy and fulfilling life together for several years.
But now they are all gone, leaving me all alone.
Xu Yan picked up a book and casually flipped through it. Zhou Luming wouldn't let her go home, so she was trapped here like a prisoner. But she wasn't idle either. S had been to her house, and might have left a bug or hacked into her home's security system. She needed to find an expert to investigate.
Wang Anjing's technical team came in handy at this time. She felt very sorry that someone had impersonated her and approached Xu Yan, so she personally led a team to Xu Yan's home to conduct an investigation.
So one Monday afternoon, Xu Yan's ward was packed with visitors—Wang Anjing and her technical team, a total of more than a dozen people.
Zhou Luming kept most people outside, leaving only Wang Anjing and a young man with glasses in the ward to give a report.
Wang Anjing, dressed in a brightly colored, fitted cheongsam, sat elegantly in a single chair by the window, sipping a strong English-style milk tea while listening to the report given by her subordinates.
Since her divorce and starting her own business, Wang Anjing has become increasingly charming. With her neatly trimmed shoulder-length hair, she has transformed from a demure housewife into a mature and sophisticated young woman. Free from the worries of family life, her thriving career is her best beauty treatment, making her radiate confidence.
As her ex-husband gradually withdraws from the management of Yuan Yu Zhou Technology, Wang Anjing is gradually becoming the true leader of the company. She is also the only female entrepreneur in Haishi whose net worth is among the highest. She not only possesses excellent technical skills but also outstanding business management abilities, qualities that have earned her the sincere respect of Yuan Yu Zhou's board members.
She is now sitting in a small hospital room, listening to the little glasses boy's report with Xu Yan and Zhou Luming.
The man with glasses spoke in a very formal, robotic manner: “We did find several external miniature surveillance devices in Ms. Xu’s home, and they have all been removed after investigation. In addition to these, we also found implanted system viruses and backdoors in Ms. Xu’s home security system. Although they are currently dormant, once Ms. Xu returns home and restarts the system, they will wake up from their dormancy and attack the security system, eventually gaining control of the system’s management permissions and being able to remotely monitor Ms. Xu and everyone in the house.”
Wang Anjing exclaimed "Whoa!" upon hearing this. "Daring to tamper with things on my turf, this is provocation." She turned to the man with glasses and said, "Have you cleaned up all the mess? Have you traced the hidden IP addresses back to their source?"
The man with glasses reported truthfully, "The tail has been cleaned up, but the real IP address and MAC information cannot be traced. The other party used multiple layers of encryption technology to hide the relevant information."
After listening, Xu Yan said, "S stayed in my house for no more than 30 minutes, and I didn't let her go upstairs but only let her stay on the first floor. In such a short time, she actually broke through the home security system and even set up some miniature surveillance devices. Her abilities are outstanding. My home is no longer safe enough."
“Logically speaking, it’s rare to find someone so young and talented. Our circle is actually quite narrow, so I should have heard of such a genius, but I know nothing about her.” Wang Anjing blew away the steam from her teacup and continued, “Unless she’s an outsider rather than someone who was trained locally. I’ve heard of a dark web organization abroad where you can post information and hire all sorts of people to do things. These people have no moral bottom line and no respect for the law; as long as you can afford the price, they’ll do anything.”
Wang Anjing's guess coincided with Xu Yan's. Xu Yan also knew about the dark web, a group of lawless people. However, they were rarely heard of in China, a relatively safe place. Thanks to the powerful Great Firewall, these lawless individuals were hesitant to act, at least not as rampantly as they were abroad.
Xu Yan said, "Thank you, Sister Anjing, the information you found out is very useful."
Wang Anjing dismissed the man with glasses and asked with concern, "What are your plans now? How did you get targeted by people on the dark web? I'll continue to monitor the dark web for you, and I'll let you know immediately if anyone puts a bounty on your head. But you can't stay at your old place anymore, so I'll find you another place to live?"
"I'll find a place myself," Xu Yan instructed. "Also, you need to be careful. If you encounter any danger, make sure you're safe first."
Wang Anjing smiled and said, "I know, don't worry. If we encounter any danger, I'll turn around and run away immediately."
Xu Yan felt slightly relieved, but then belatedly realized that Zhou Luming's gaze had been fixed on her head. She thought for a moment and then swallowed her words, knowing that Zhou Luming would definitely not agree to take the money and leave her at this time.
Among the five candidates recommended by the agent, Xu Yan immediately recognized an old acquaintance, Li Ruo. Although her features had matured since childhood, Xu Yan could still find traces of her former self in those smiling eyes. Xu Yan had never seen such resolute, defiant eyes before. Although she was smiling, the smile was insincere, a forced and fake one.
Xu Yan remembered those eyes in the dark basement. They had a strong will to survive and a stubborn, unyielding spirit. She had a strong desire to break free from her constraints and escape her fate, which is why she patiently lay low, enduring the hardships without dignity, and even accepting outside help. Finally, one day, she escaped that dark basement.
When Xu Yan passed by there again, he found that the little girl was no longer in the basement. Perhaps she had found a chance to escape, or perhaps she had finally been taken to another place by her adoptive parents.
Xu Yan felt a pang of melancholy the day she discovered the basement was empty; she didn't know why, but it felt like a piece of her heart was missing. It wasn't until years later, when she saw her information through a real estate agent, that she learned her real name was Li Ruo.
But Li Ruo might not be her real name; it might just be a code name, which Xu Yan doesn't care about. As long as Li Ruo can play the role of Zhou Luming well and help her find out who murdered her parents and who wants to continue to harm her.
Li Ruo struggled at the bottom of society, doing all sorts of jobs and taking on all kinds of jobs to survive. She once mowed the lawn for the church, washed dishes in a restaurant in Chinatown, drove a garbage truck, and even impersonated a socialite to attend a ball...
She possessed many skills, and most importantly, Xu Yan knew she had trained in boxing, practicing with Black people. She was agile and could at least protect herself in dangerous situations. Although the pay was generous, Xu Yan didn't want anyone to get hurt because of it.
These past few times, she's been unharmed in dangerous situations, but she's the one who got into trouble. Xu Yan looked at Zhou Luming; it was because Zhou Luming chose to protect herself first rather than save her own life.
Li Ruo, disguised as Zhou Luming, still had bandages wrapped around her head. After listening to the conversation between the two, she said, "Xu Yan, why don't you stay at my place after you're discharged from the hospital? My house has been empty all this time, and it has all the food and necessities you need. You can move in with just your bags. Although it's not as big as your house and doesn't have a security system, it's on the top floor with only one entrance and exit. There's a patrol team of retired aunties and uncles nearby, so the security is better than in most neighborhoods."
Xu Yan was slightly taken aback. She wanted to be discharged from the hospital as soon as possible, but she didn't want to go to Zhou Luming's house rashly.
Wang Anjing, who was watching the show from the sidelines, chimed in, "I think it's a good idea. Miss Zhou's original home was quiet in the middle of the city, and all the neighbors were familiar faces and very welcoming. They would be wary of outsiders. Human eyes are much more useful than cold machines, and there's no fear of viruses invading and causing the system to crash."
Xu Yan was being arbitrarily arranged by the two women, who were all talking at once. He tried to squeeze in his opinion, but found that he had no chance to speak. Helpless, he leaned back and continued to read the book he had on hand, which was a bit boring but at least it could pass the time.
Chapter 65
===================
On the day Xu Yan was discharged from the hospital, she wasn't very lucky. It was drizzling, and the air was damp and chilly. Xu Yan usually wore formal attire, but while hospitalized, she had to wear a hospital gown, which she always complained was not dignified enough. However, when it was time to be discharged, she found that the hospital gown was actually quite comfortable. The pure cotton fabric, the simple collar, and the loose fit made her nostalgic.
Standing at the door, Xu Yan glanced reluctantly at the striped hospital gown folded on the bed. She moved her lips, but Zhou Luming, who was inside directing the packers, noticed her hesitation and followed her gaze to find the source of her dilemma. He then took the gown with him without any hesitation.
“The material is very good, it would be a pity to throw it away. Frugality is a traditional virtue of ours, and we should carry forward this fine quality.” Zhou Luming inspected the place to make sure nothing was missed, then took Xu Yan’s arm and left.
Xu Yan looked at her hair. Because it had been singed, Zhou Luming had also shaved off one side of it. At first glance, it looked very trendy and avant-garde, just like the hairstyle that a certain celebrity had done.
"Well, it's all burnt anyway, so I might as well shave it all off and get a new hairstyle. I've wanted to keep this hair for a while, but I can't be too willful when I'm impersonating Zhou Luming. Now that God has given me this opportunity, I'll take this chance to change my hairstyle and get rid of this bad luck." Zhou Luming tossed her hair to one side, not caring at all about letting passersby see her trendy and cool look.
Xu Yan sincerely admired her optimism and confidence. She felt that Zhou Luming was like a tenacious weed. Although she looked small and ordinary, once given the opportunity to find fertile ground to survive, she would do everything she could to absorb nutrients and grow strong.
Having escaped that family environment, she did not go astray; instead, she lived a vibrant and hardworking life, which Xu Yan could not help but admire.
"Why are you staring at me like that? Have you only just realized how pretty I am?" Zhou Luming turned to look at Xu Yan and smiled. "Don't rush, you can admire me slowly when we get home." Her smile was very alluring, and although her face wasn't heavily made up, it was still sculpted and deep-set.
Xu Yan ignored her. She was used to Zhou Luming's intentional or unintentional flirtatious teasing. Xu Yan understood that most of the time, the words were unintentional; Zhou Luming didn't think before he spoke, and he just said them casually. She didn't need to take it too seriously.
"Do you often talk to other people like this?" Xu Yan and Zhou Luming finally couldn't help but ask while waiting for a car at the hospital entrance. After asking, they avoided each other's eyes and added casually, "In the current environment, people are more conservative and traditional. They may not be used to your way of speaking. Some people may misunderstand it."
As Xu Yan was speaking, Zhou Luming moved closer and closer, almost kissing her cheek. In front of the hospital, amidst the bustling crowd, many passersby stared at them curiously.
Looking at Xu Yan's embarrassed and silly appearance, Zhou Luming curled the corners of his mouth and said, "President Xu, since returning to China, you have been the only one by my side. So I will not and cannot say these things to 'others' 'frequently'."
Sensing that Xu Yan was tense, Zhou Luming released her, brushed the hair that had fallen across her forehead, and said knowingly, "Oh, I know."
Xu Yan waited with her eyes for her to say what she meant by "I understand".
Zhou Luming glanced at Xu Yan out of the corner of his eye and said, "You're jealous."
Xu Yan: ...