Chapter 209

Page Sixty-Five

Incident

—”What should we do next?”—

Aunt Lín’s appearance was the greatest variable today.

She was also someone who knew the truth. We needed to find a way to control her as well. The ideal scenario would be to have her and Lín Yùhuáng go see the transformed Lín Zǐyè, eliminating all unrelated individuals. Then, Cherry Sauce would secure the scene, creating a favorable environment for Líng Shàojié to interrogate.

As for what comes after, let fate decide.

—”Aunt Lín’s presence will put considerable pressure on her, since when faced with her own matters, that person isn’t very good at handling stress.”—

It could be said that she is unexpectedly weak, completely opposite to how she usually appears.

“Chairman, why did you take so long to return?”

Xiǎo Lěi, who was preparing to go downstairs to find me, encountered me standing on the stairs, lost in thought.

“Things are a bit complicated… Let’s go back and analyze the situation.”

There were only fifteen minutes left until the operation began.

Lín Yùhuáng and Aunt Lín were still acting together. They had met some people in the VIP seats near the dance floor, probably members of the decaying older generation of the Lín family. Considering Aunt Lín’s pale face, it didn’t look good…

Oh, it might also be because she applied too much powder.

In any case, those elders were the ones who would perform the coming-of-age ceremony for Lín Zǐyè later.

Sitting back down, Lǐn Huā idly supported her chin.

“Kǎi-Chan, tell us what’s happening?”

“Things are like this…”

I briefly recounted the series of events that had occurred.

Lǐn Huā sipped the juice she had somehow acquired, her white, smooth fingertips lightly tapping the table.

“Aunt Lín is here? That makes things troublesome. Although she and Lín Yùhuáng don’t get along, they seem to be on the same page when it comes to keeping secrets.”

Aunt Lín’s attitude was indeed contradictory. While she instilled hatred in the senior students, she remained tight-lipped about the truth from the past. What role does she play in all of this?

“She wasn’t supposed to come, but perhaps she sensed something unusual about Líng Shàojié, which led her to decide to attend temporarily.”

Xiǎo Lěi asked again, “It’s almost six o’clock now. How is the perverted maid outfit fetishist doing?”

When mentioning Lín Zǐyè, I helplessly shrugged my shoulders.

“There’s no news. Even Xiàlù couldn’t find her, but Lín Yùhuáng said he was just preparing for something before the event and would definitely show up at half past six.”

Lǐn Huā raised her delicate eyebrows thoughtfully.

“Oh? Xiàlù doesn’t know where Lín Zǐyè is, yet Lín Yùhuáng does. Don’t you think there’s something wrong here?”

“…What are you implying?”

Reflecting on Lǐn Huā’s words, I exclaimed, “Eh! Could it be that Zǐyè really betrayed us?”

“That’s just one possibility. Ultimately, the agreement between him and Líng Shàojié never had much binding power.”

Today’s plan was indeed not very rigorous, but it was the only chance for Líng Shàojié to confront Lín Yùhuáng directly.

I sighed, saying, “If worse comes to worst, we’ll use Plan B. Regardless, I am a candidate for the Deity position.”

—

Ten minutes was too short. Time quickly reached six o’clock. As the orchestra played elegantly, the master of ceremonies walked onto the stage, announcing the start of the evening. Lín Yùhuáng prepared his formal speech, and everything proceeded as planned.

But this was not the development we were hoping for.

After Xiàlù and Líng Shàojié ran off, neither appeared again. Lín Zǐyè did not act either. Xiǎo Lěi, that idiot, even went down to grab food. Were we just here to attend the coming-of-age ceremony?

—”Xiàlù and Líng Shàojié are fine. She used her identity to hide Líng Shàojié.”—

“Don’t worry, we still have Plan B, right?”

“But even Plan B needs space. We can’t kidnap Lín Yùhuáng in front of everyone!”

Yes, Plan B was kidnapping.

That’s right, just like the fool said last night…

The disappearance of the chairman of the Tínpíng Group during his son’s coming-of-age ceremony would be big news. So, after we uncover the truth, we will surely turn him back and send him back.

“Then let’s not sit around waiting! Senior Student trusted Lín Zǐyè deeply. Even if she betrayed us, she wouldn’t do nothing. Since there’s been no movement, maybe she’s being held by Lín Yùhuáng.”

Lǐn Huā stood up, smiling.

This little devil was a natural chaos believer, always eager for trouble.

She pointed to the side door on the right where Xiàlù had left.

“Let’s go downstairs first, see if we can slip out through that side door, find Xiàlù and the senior student, then figure out how to contact Lín Zǐyè.”

If everything went according to plan, she should have already transformed into Líng Xiǎoyè.

The guests had found their seats, so even if the three of us went down to grab food, we wouldn’t have to worry about our seats being taken. This was why the staff earlier told us not to move around before the ceremony started.

However, most people sat quietly while listening to Lín Yùhuáng speak. Going down to eat now would seem disrespectful and uncultured.

Trying to push open the door to enter the right passage of the hall, we were stopped by the staff.

“Three ladies, that area is for work. If you want to go to the garden, please use the left passage. However, outside… it might be a bit cold.”

A kind reminder.

I responded, “Oh, okay. But it’s fine, we’ll just take a quick look and come back.”

It seemed like the normal way out was blocked.

Since the right passage was inaccessible, we entered the left one instead. The end of this passage led to the outdoor garden, but due to the climate, few people ventured there, especially since most suits or dresses weren’t very warm.

The passage had no branches, but there were few people around.

—”I’ll lead the way, but I need to save some divine power for teleportation. For now, we’ll rely on creating holes.”—

Avoiding the obvious cameras overhead,趁着前后无人的时候，黑色物质在白墙上开了个门。Cherry Sauce was well-versed in the palace’s structure, and as long as we followed her guidance, we could avoid the cameras and staff, moving freely as if ignoring walls.

—”Indeed, it’s like having an external cheat.”—

“Ah, Língmèng, the junior student, is here?”

We quickly located the room where Líng Shàojié and Xiàlù were. There were no other people inside.

Without time for pleasantries, I asked directly, “It’s already six o’clock. Where is Lín Zǐyè?”

“No answer on the phone. I don’t know what he’s up to.”

Xiàlù was somewhat anxious about Lín Zǐyè’s absence.

—”He’s not even in the main hall.”—

These unexpected events hindered today’s plan, and Lín Zǐyè’s disappearance would prevent the coming-of-age ceremony from proceeding.

That would result in a double loss for Lín Yùhuáng and Líng Shàojié.

“Are there any secret rooms in this palace?”

To Hán Huā’s question, Xiàlù replied, “No, but I roughly know where he is. Beyond the garden, there’s another pavilion. It seems to be some kind of administrative office. Anyway, there shouldn’t be many people today, so he’s likely there.”

Cherry Sauce took over the body control, saying, “There’s a situation at the hall. Lín Yùhuáng received a call and came through the right passage… Lín Dànhàn is also there, but it’s uncertain whether they’re coming this way or leaving through the passage… Stay quiet for now!”

Cherry Sauce made a shushing gesture, and everyone fell silent, anxiously watching the only door.

Until the footsteps approached and then faded away, Líng Shàojié breathed a sigh of relief.

Lǐn Huā blinked and said, “They’ve gone out. Looks like Xiàlù was right… But Lín Yùhuáng clearly knows where Lín Zǐyè is. Isn’t it strange that he doesn’t even know she’s his fiancée?”

Xiàlù was displeased by the implications, retorting, “Don’t overthink it. Today’s coming-of-age ceremony was organized by Uncle Lín, so it’s normal for him to know Lín Zǐyè’s location. Shouldn’t we focus on getting there quickly?”

I wonder if Cherry Sauce can remotely seal off that pavilion, even if it’s just their room.

—”Of course, no problem… But you understand the cost, right.”—

Her cloak disappeared;

Her skirt shortened above the knees, turning into a micro-mini skirt;

Her high boots turned into low ones, even her socks were removed.

—”This should be enough.”—

Is this enough?

This is aiming to freeze me to death!

—”There’s air conditioning inside. Once we confirm Lín Yùhuáng’s location, I can directly use the teleportation spell, so you won’t have to go outside.”—

These black substances slipped out through the door crack, startling Xiàlù.

She exclaimed, “What was that just now?”

“That’s the magical medium separated from my clothes…”

“Magic?” Xiàlù raised her eyebrows in confusion.

Líng Shàojié patted her shoulder, warning in a low voice, “It’s better not to ask too much. Knowing too much means either losing your memory or becoming a tool for her and her organization.”

Xiàlù seemed indifferent.

“Huh? Memory erasure? We have devices for that too!”

…Are these memory erasure devices?

Tiger claw, sledgehammer, baseball bat—these are brain tissue removal devices as cruel as frontal lobotomy.

“Do you feel cold, Chairman?”

Xiǎo Lěi opened her arms and hugged me from behind. Despite being an idiot, she was quite warm, and I could feel her warmth even through the tuxedo. Being hugged like this made me feel embarrassed.

“It’s fine, there’s air conditioning. Afterward, Cherry Sauce will open the portal to teleport us all… Senior Student, you only have about ten minutes for questioning. Think carefully about what you want to ask now.”

It was already six-fifteen.

Our best window for action was down to twenty minutes.

Cherry Sauce spoke again, “We found them, on the second floor of the pavilion! Líng Xiǎoyè is explaining her identity to Lín Yùhuáng, but… Lín Yùhuáng and Lín Dànhàn don’t seem particularly surprised?”

Huh? Not surprised?

“Not exactly surprised, just not as much as expected… Perhaps this is adult composure? This is a rare opportunity. I’ll first seal the room and teleport you all over.”

Black substances spiraled into a ring, and Cherry Sauce began constructing a portal connecting the two rooms.

The principle was similar to the wall-opening spell, but with a greater distance between the two points.

Grabbing Líng Shàojié’s arm, I pulled her up from her seat.

I shouted, “Senior Student! Hold your head up high. Don’t say you’re scared now!”

“I’m not…”

She stubbornly shook her hand in rebuttal. Though she couldn’t laugh, she managed to muster some spirit.

“I’ve waited too long for this day. No matter what the truth is, I won’t run away.”