Di Mingjue stood in the living room watching Ye Shaoting leave Ye Ziyu's side. Ye Ziyu remained frozen in place.
What was said?
Walking forward, Di Mingjue ran into Ye Shaoting. His lips twitched, about to greet him, but he swallowed the words back as Ye Shaoting ignored him.
He looked back at the departing Ye Shaoting and then turned to find Ye Ziyu without a second thought.
If others didn't care for him, he didn't need to pay them much attention!
Di Mingjue rubbed Ye Ziyu's shoulders, gently pulling her into his arms from behind. "What are you thinking about?"
"Thinking about Xingxing," Ye Ziyu turned to look at Di Mingjue. She shifted her body and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I always feel a sense of familiarity with Xingxing, an inexplicable closeness."
Di Mingjue could understand her feelings, but he couldn't empathize. Xingxing made no attempt to hide her hostility towards him; it was practically etched on her face.
Di Mingjue stroked Ye Ziyu's furrowed brow. "It's probably motherly love. Xingxing is about the same age as Yuze, and looking at him is like looking at Yuze and the others."
"Perhaps," Ye Ziyu couldn't quite explain her inner feelings anymore.
"It's too cold outside, let's go inside quickly," Di Mingjue held Ye Ziyu and moved forward, not giving her a chance to react.
They made their way noisily through the living room and upstairs. As the sounds faded, Ye Shaoting emerged from a nearby kitchen. He looked up at the second floor, Ye Ziyu's pleasant laughter piercing his heart like a thorn.
Can you continue to love each other?
Ye Shaoting heavily dropped the cup in his hand onto the table, splashing the unfinished water everywhere.
...
A car stopped in front of a villa on the outskirts. The creaking sound of footsteps accompanied the opening of a door. The iron sliding gate, weathered by wind and rain, was corroded and full of vicissitudes.
Weeds grew rampant in the yard; one had to push aside waist-high grass clumps to walk through.
"They're here."
The living room door opened, emitting a dim, yellow light, almost indistinguishable from the moonlight outside.
"Yes," the person outside nodded, their gaze sweeping past the door opener to scrutinize the interior behind him.
*Pa!*
The light in the entryway was switched on, and a dazzling beam of light shone down from above.
Under the light, Jiang Feifei moved aside and gestured to the house behind her, speaking to Gu Xiuyu in front of her. "You'll be staying here for now. The basement is the laboratory, your workplace. If you need anything else, contact me anytime, and I'll arrange for it to be delivered."
Gu Xiuyu entered the house, his curiosity about his workplace outweighing his interest in a place to sleep.
Led by Jiang Feifei, he arrived at the basement.
Pushing open the heavy, password-protected door, Gu Xiuyu was stunned by the sight before him. This place was like another world compared to the outside. The laboratory before him was no different from the labs he had in foreign countries.
He stepped inside and wandered among the experimental benches, reaching out to touch the equipment.
"The superiors require you to develop a poison within half a month," Jiang Feifei said from behind him, relaying the superiors' demands.
Hearing this, Gu Xiuyu turned and stared at her. "A poison?"
"Yes, you heard correctly," Jiang Feifei confirmed his doubt for the second time.
Gu Xiuyu had majored in chemistry and had prior research experience abroad. A mere poison was not a difficult task for him.
Jiang Feifei took a USB drive from her pocket and handed it to Gu Xiuyu. "Take a look at the contents when you have time."
Holding the USB drive, Gu Xiuyu pressed further. "Who is the poison meant to be used against?"
Jiang Feifei's eyebrows twitched as she noticed Gu Xiuyu's apparent hesitation. She stepped forward, her lips close to his ear. "To deal with Di Mingjue. As long as he's gone, you can have Ye Ziyu. And I can get what I want. Isn't that perfect for everyone?"