After midnight

When Lin Nuan returned to the Lu residence, she entered the courtyard from the back door. She first put her suitcase in her study and then wrote a letter to Yin before slowly walking to the bedroom. Lu Li was in the room and came over immediately when he heard the door open.

"Why are you back so late? Are you cold?"

"It's not cold. Have you eaten yet?"

"Not yet. I'm waiting for you."

"What about our dad? Didn't he eat either?"

"My father went out for something just like you. I don't know if he's back. What do you want to see him about?"

"No, wait for me to get dressed and go to the front to eat." Lin Nuan said as she walked, and Lu Li followed her closely. At this moment, she just walked to the closet, opened the door, and reached out to take a larger coat.

"You still say it's not cold."

"It's really not cold, I was just so hot walking. I wore a coat because I was afraid my father would see me and nag me."

"You still keep nagging me. You're already wearing thin clothes."

“Let’s go and have dinner.” Lin Nuan ignored him, picked out a long windbreaker and put it on herself, then closed the closet door.

"Wait, Nuan, I want to discuss something with you." Lu Li grabbed her arm.

"What is it, Mr. Lu?"

"I plan to tell my father that I want to take over Lu's as soon as possible." Lu Li smiled and said.

"Why? Are you not feeling well now? Aren't you troubled by the few things your father has asked you to do recently?"

"I'm slowly taking over. Even though it's troubling, I still hope I can help you sooner."

"Father has his own thoughts on this matter. I don't want you to bring it up with him." Lin Nuan frowned inaudibly.

"why?"

"No reason. If you have any questions, just go and ask your father for advice. Let's go and eat. I'm starving."

"Okay, let's go and have dinner."

Lin Nuan took Lu Li's arm, and the two went to eat together, even though it was already nine o'clock in the evening. But at this time, Yin also received the letter that Lin Nuan wrote to him in the study. Yin opened the letter and took a look, then continued to confirm the matter of Xishan with Jing.

"Still not found?"

"No, maybe I missed something." Jing's voice sounded even more dull coming from the mask.

"It's a winding place and hasn't been discovered for decades. It's understandable that you can't find it. Jing, you don't have to blame yourself. It was me who made it difficult for you. Now that we have Qiqi's map, we can focus on it first. Take this time to have a good rest."

"Got it. Yin, there's something strange over there."

"Where?"

"I'm not sure of the exact location. It's a house, and it's quite old. I explored it, and there are signs of habitation."

"What's weird?"

"I can't tell for sure. My intuition tells me that I can't get close to that place."

Yin held his chin in his hand and thought for a while before saying, "Jing, do you know why I don't let you go anymore? First, it's a sensitive area right now, and I'm afraid you'll be exposed. Second, you know the area best now, so I want you to draw a map to show you where it's easier to hide, where it's more suitable for fighting or escaping. Also, where is the entrance, and where is the house? It should be clear and intuitive, understand?"

"understood."

After Jing went down, Yin Fu opened Lin Nuan's letter again. Lin Nuan invited him to meet in Jiudu tomorrow.

The next day at 3 pm, Yin went to the appointment on time. The place where Lin Nuan and he were to meet was a remote and quiet house. The house was only two stories high, but the yard was very spacious. Yin walked in and came to the front of the house. He stood at the door of the room, and before he raised his hand to knock, the door opened.

"You're here." Lin Nuan said to him from behind the door.

Yin nodded and slipped in. Lin Nuan took him to sit on the sofa.

"The glass here is very special." Yin said after taking a look.

"Yes, this glass allows you to see outside the house from inside, but you can't see inside the house from outside. This was a birthday gift my father gave me when I was sixteen. A long time ago, I only brought An Yan here."

"You must have something important to tell me." Yin asked, suppressing his curiosity.

"Well, Song Luo came to me and wanted to cooperate with me." Lin Nuan handed Song Luo's project plan to Yin and motioned him to open it and take a look.

"It's a guaranteed profit." Yin made the final decision after reading it.

"Yes, but I have more to consider than just this one deal."

“Lin Nuan, you push yourself too hard.” Yin looked at Lin Nuan. The girl wore light makeup and her bright red lipstick made her face look mature. But he clearly felt that when he first saw her, her every frown and smile was radiant and beautiful.

Seeing that Lin Nuan didn't answer, Yin said silently, "Song Luo is more far-sighted than I thought."

"What do you mean?"

"You are now the head of the Lin family, and you are still a little immature, so it is normal for Song Luo to find you. But his actions were earlier than I expected. I thought I would have to wait for a while. You know about the Song family internal cleansing case some time ago, right?"

"Yes, his power has been weakened a lot. Now Song Nan's position as the head of the Song family is very stable."

"But I don't think so. Although I have been in Xindu all this time, Ye, Qing, and Wu have helped me a lot. The people who tried to take Shiyi away in Zhangjia Village were Song Nan's people. For some reason, he has a great obsession in his heart. Song Yu spent so much effort to help him get to the top, but he is unexpectedly obsessed. So, I don't think he will stay in that position for too long."

"Song Luo said he owes you something."

"Ah, well, I said your father was very kind to me. Now that he's gone, I have an obligation to help you. So, I now officially transfer to you the right to make Song Luo agree to something unconditionally."

"What? Yin, I..."

"Don't mind it, this is my decision. Maybe it's a good thing to tell you in advance."

"Yin, thank you."

"No need to thank me. You know that cooperating with Song Luo is a good choice at this stage, and you are also willing to do so. Otherwise, you would not come to me for confirmation."

Yes, when writing the letter to Yin, Lin Nuan had actually decided to take this bold step.

"I do think so, but I feel more at ease with you." Lin Nuan smiled at him.

"I'm happy that you came to see me." Yin said, and the two smiled at each other again.

"Okay, now that we're done with business, is there anything you want to chat about? I've finally come to see you."

“Do you have anything to chat about? Since you’ve come all the way here, I’m all ears.” Lin Nuan said mischievously.

"I'm fine. You've heard about what happened in Xindu recently." Yin pulled out the pillow that was leaning against his back and placed it on his knees, gently bouncing it up and down.

"I heard about it. An Yan told me everything."

"He told you? How did he tell you?" Yin put down the pillow, a little surprised.

"Like you told me, face to face."

"He came to Jiudu to look for you?"

"Ah."

"He really has a lot of worries."

"Yeah, I didn't expect him to come to me and scare me."

"An Yan cares about you very much. He and I, no, he hopes that your future journey will be smoother than I do."

"Well, I know it will go smoothly with you guys around." Lin Nuan said.

"But none of us are by your side, Lin Nuan, seriously, protect yourself. After the July 7 and May 4 incidents, the Song family internal cleansing case, which had been abandoned by many people, has revived again. You must be careful about all actions recently, especially Song Yu and Song Nan. Lin Nuan, the road you are going to take is destined to be difficult."

"Okay, I'll be careful." Lin Nuan said solemnly.

"Then contact me if you have anything. I'm leaving now."

"OK, bye."

"Goodbye." Yin picked up the cup of water, drank it, put it down and left.

Yin's footsteps were light, and soon after the sound of the glass hitting the table was heard, the house fell silent again.

Lin Nuan sat quietly in her original position, watching Yin leave through the window. Although her future path would be difficult, with Yin, Anyan, and Lu Li, she would definitely be able to move forward.

The later it got, the harder Wu Si fell asleep. The feeling of being drowned returned, more profound and more oppressive. He stared at the ceiling, eyes wide open but tired but sleepless. He was tired and wanted to close his eyes, but he opened them again quickly. Because even though he was tired, he felt much better with his eyes open. Fortunately, it would be dawn soon.

Wu Si lay in bed, feeling the room gradually filled with sunlight, even though the room had no windows and was airtight. At a certain moment when the day dawned, his body fell into the deepest fatigue, so he fell asleep effortlessly. He looked forward to opening his eyes again when it was getting dark again. Because in this way, he could have a simple meal and then devote himself to continuous work, which was the beginning of his day for him.

He spent every day like this after Qiqi's death. Night was the best and worst time.

At six o'clock that day, Wu Si stood behind the bar, staring blankly at the air waiting for the first customer to come in, and then five minutes later, Bai Ming came in and greeted Wu Si.

"Xiaowu, it's raining outside."

"Yeah, it's raining heavily. Looks like we can finish work early today." Xu Xing followed Bai Ming in and greeted Wu Si.

"Well, you guys got off work pretty early today." Wu Si saw that the black umbrella in Xu Xing's hand was now wetly leaning against the wall behind the door. He said as he walked out of the bar.

"Yeah, it's raining now. It was dry and cold a few days ago." Bai Ming complained.

"Xiaowu, have you eaten yet? I don't think anyone will come anyway, so let's just call it a day and go eat together."

"You guys go ahead, I've already eaten." Wu Si politely declined Xu Xing's suggestion.

"Who said no one would come?" Wang Changze said, and the three of them looked towards the door. He was holding the same black umbrella.

"Welcome, what would you like to drink?" Wu Si asked hurriedly.

"Oh, don't worry about him." Bai Ming called out to Wu Si.

Wang Changze smiled. "Although I would love to have a drink, the four of us can go out for a meal together. Whatever you want to eat, I'll treat you."

When Wu Si was pushed out of the door by Bai Ming and Xu Xing, he had no idea how they had dinner together. He watched Bai Ming close and lock the door neatly.

"What do you want to eat and where do you want to eat?" Wang Changze asked again.

"It's your treat, you decide."

"Okay, then let's go out to eat. I'm sure you're all tired of eating in this little mall."

"It's raining outside."

"Let's go. It's not far. We won't get you wet."

Wu Si listened to the three of them talking one by one and followed them down the ladder.

The rain outside was indeed heavy and fast, and the raindrops rolled down from the overcast sky, seemingly never stopping. Bai Ming held up an umbrella and took Wu Si under it, and they joined the heavy rain together.