Chapter 13

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Protagonist:

Chen Yi

Fang Man Yi hurried back from the company, and upon seeing Liu Xinyu, she said, "Miss Liu, excuse me, my husband can't get away; anything you have to say to me is the same."

The company was indeed busy, and not wanting to serve the National Tax Bureau was also true.

Without waiting for Liu Xinyu to answer, she turned to Chen Yi and said, "Why didn't you go to class?"

"I woke up late," Chen Yi said sheepishly, slowly backing away.

The conversation between mother and son diluted the official atmosphere.

Liu Xinyu didn't know what to say, but instead she quieted down, smiling with a clear head: "It's just some wrapping-up work; now that tax evasion has been confirmed not to exist, we should apologize to you."

She said this and stood up, truly bowing in apology.

Fang Man Yi quickly exchanged polite remarks.

Civil servants are public property of modern society; how could we let others apologize?

The distrust caused by the traitor earlier was at least eliminated on the surface.

Chen Yi knew things wouldn't be so simple; he had originally wanted to stay put and use the Listening Scroll to help a little, but judging by his mother's appearance, he estimated the effect was nil.

So he first returned to his room and sent a message to his mother: There's a strange program on the other party's computer; I asked her to shut it down.

Presumably, with his mother's intelligence, she could already understand some of the situation.

Sitting at the desk, Chen Yi yawned while hesitantly taking out the Intelligence Scroll. After a period of use, he had already understood that the scroll wasn't just beneficial—it also consumed energy, making people tired.

The scroll required one's body to withstand a certain amount of pressure, so he couldn't buy Level 4 Scrolls, so he needed to drink Energy Recovery Potions.

His mother's body was still fine, but whether she could withstand a Level 3 Scroll, Chen Yi didn't know.

After hesitating a bit, he simply took out three bottles of Energy Recovery Potions and drank them, then tore open a "Listening Scroll"—adding to the one used in the morning, this was already the fourth scroll he'd used today.

A dark red light flashed at the Tiger's Mouth, and Chen Yi felt dizzy, probably from excessive energy consumption. He lay on the bed and listened intently to the sounds downstairs. The Level 3 Listening Scroll could not only hear others' inner voices but also hear faint sounds from afar.

This way, if there was a sudden event, he would have time to decide whether to use another scroll.

The expansion of hearing was a very interesting experience; wherever you focused your attention, the sounds there would transmit into your ears. The more focused your attention, the more layers of sound you could hear, somewhat like using your eyes to observe nearby objects.

In the grass thicket in the distance, reptiles were exercising their waists and legs, making faint "rustle rustle" sounds, constantly searching for lush branches and leaves to harm...

In the dark corner of the backyard, an old stray cat had cornered a mouse; its claws scraped out light "tap tap" sounds, accompanied by the mouse's desperate "squeak squeak" sounds, as cruel as an animal version of the Zazidong...

Closer still, the air conditioner mounted on the outer wall roared rhythmically; the sound of flowing liquid mixed with the friction of mechanical parts, continuous and fragmented, like the **lust** in a mechanical factory...

This wonderful feeling made Chen Yi lose himself for a long time. Was this also the feeling that those cultivators pursued all their lives? A kind of intoxicating, happy, self-belonging—voyeuristic psychology?

"Miss Fang, submitting the branch company's account books would help clear suspicions..." Liu Xinyu's tone was soft yet firm, and the content immediately caught Chen Yi's concern.

Only to hear his mother immediately decline: "The branch company's account books haven't been organized yet." She hesitated for a moment, then said firmly again: "If Miss Liu wants them, it's best to have official documents; that way I can persuade the shareholders."

The company's ledgers had always been the most important information, especially detailed account books, even more so. Chen Yi listened to their conversation, and suddenly thought in his head: Liu Xinyu had gone to such lengths to come to their home; could it be for this reason?

He thought about it and shook his head. The company's account books had nothing to do with things at home.

The voices of the two talking were sometimes distant, sometimes near, with no actual content, all just sparring, like accompaniment. Chen Yi listened and listened until he fell asleep.

In the dream, he saw his grandfather—his grandfather who held fast to his beliefs, an idealist—sitting in an empty office, being criticized by political enemies.

In the dream, he saw his father—his father who struggled and fought, vowing to rely on himself—sitting in the company hall, surrounded by conspicuous seals.

In the dream, he saw his eldest brother dispatched to a mountain radar station, saw his little sister with tears in her eyes, and saw himself...

The moment he woke up, Chen Yi immediately pulled out the lacquer-red wooden box and held it tightly in his arms, as if protecting his and his family's future, as if mourning a certain moment in life.

After a long while, he slowly sighed and sat up straight.

Outside the window it was pitch black. He put away the wooden box and pushed open the door; downstairs came soft talking voices—his mother and little sister.

Chen Yi suddenly felt a strong sense of warmth, the feedback of a soft inner heart after intense tension was released. The Magic World had given him power, made him strong. But he also bore inexplicable pressure; there were too many, too many problems to worry about, too many, too many possibilities that could turn his last hope into a dream in Nanke.

Perhaps he was just not yet used to worrying.

"Second Brother." I don't know what time it was; his little sister saw Chen Yi at the corner of the stairs and happily called out.

The familiar voice pulled him back to reality. Chen Yi moved his slightly stiff calves and said ungraciously with a smile: "Back again?"

"I just want to stay at home for two days." Chen Rongxi immediately raised the coquettish tactic; this move was unfailingly effective at any time.

Chen Yi bitterly smiled and pried off the arms and legs clinging to him, then sprawled his whole body on the sofa, saying in a muffled tone: "Mom, how did that Tax Bureau Investigator end up at noon?"

Lady Fang Man Yi obviously misunderstood him. She placed a plate of fruit on the table and asked teasingly: "What? You've taken a liking to her?"

Compared to traditional Chinese parents, his mother, who had once traveled overseas, was obviously more open-minded.

"She's so much older than me..." Chen Yi said, then realized, coughed once, and said: "I'm purely worried about you all, afraid you'd be tricked by others."

"The young lady just graduated from school, only three years older than you." Fang Man Yi blinked her eyes and smiled: "I saw your text message; it's fine."

"That's good." Chen Yi said while talking, and couldn't help but yawn again.

Having used so many scrolls, if not for the Energy Recovery Potions, he would probably have fallen into a deep sleep long ago.

Fang Man Yi looked at him reproachfully and said, "Go to sleep early tonight," then added: "Don't worry about things at home; just focus on your studies."

Chen Yi bitterly smiled and nodded, but inwardly disagreed. Home was facing such a big matter; if he truly had no way, that was one thing, but now he absolutely couldn't ignore it.

However, he wouldn't relax on his studies either. Seeing that the College Entrance Examination was just a few months away, considering from the worst angle, without family protection, he would have to truly throw himself into the struggle over the narrow bridge like other children.

The narrow bridge of Jiangning University was perhaps the narrowest and steepest one on the hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of land nearby.