Chapter 28: Buried Past

Something strange?

Would being hypnotized and cuddled by your daughter count as something strange?

“Nothing at all.”

“Everything is normal.”

Lin Mo shook his head.

“That is good, then.”

“A young person’s health is the most important thing. If you feel any discomfort, you must say so immediately.”

Su Wanqing smiled.

“Yes, thank you, Auntie.”

Su Wanqing placed another serving of food into his bowl.

Lin Mo lowered his head and continued eating, but his mind was racing. ‘Why is Auntie asking so many strange questions today? About dreams, about how my body feels…’

‘Could it be…’

A thought surfaced, causing him to almost choke on his rice.

‘Is this some kind of evaluation, like a mother-in-law vetting her son-in-law?!’

(°△°|||)

Lin Mo stole a glance upward and met Su Wanqing’s beaming gaze. No matter how he looked at it, that expression seemed exactly like a mother-in-law observing a son-in-law.

His face flushed instantly, and he quickly lowered his head to shovel more rice into his mouth.

Su Qing watched him from the side, the corners of her mouth twitching into a smile.

‘Idiot.’

‘Mom is just showing she cares about you. Why are you blushing?’

Su Qing thought to herself.

However, she had no idea that Su Wanqing’s thoughts at this moment were entirely different from the “caring” she imagined.

Once dinner was over, Lin Mo helped clear the table.

Su Wanqing was at the sink washing dishes, the sound of running water filling the room. Lin Mo stood beside her, wiping the table.

“Xiao Mo,” Su Wanqing suddenly said.

“Yes?”

“Your father, back then…” She paused for a moment. “Your father and your Uncle Su were the best of brothers.”

Lin Mo’s hand stopped mid-wipe.

“I know, Auntie Su.”

“The two of them served in the military together, retired together, and settled down in this city together.”

“After your father passed away, Old Su told me that we had to take extra care of your family. He said… it was what he owed your father.”

Su Wanqing did not turn around. With her back to him, her voice was somewhat muffled by the sound of the water.

Lin Mo did not know what to say.

Su Wanqing turned off the faucet, turned around, and looked at Lin Mo.

“Actually, your father saved him. Not just once, but several times. The bond between them was something that a word like ‘owing’ cannot fully explain.”

She walked over and stood before Lin Mo.

The boy was nearly one head taller than her. His features were clean and handsome, and his eyes held a touch of innocence and unease as he looked at her.

Su Wanqing reached out and gently patted his shoulder. “Xiao Mo, you are a good child. I watched you grow up, and I know exactly what kind of character you have.”

Lin Mo stared at her, dazed.

“If anything happens in the future, do not try to shoulder it alone.” Su Wanqing smiled. “Our two families are one family.”

One family.

The words felt a bit heavy, yet they were also warm.

Lin Mo nodded. “Yes, thank you, Auntie.”

Su Wanqing withdrew her hand, returning to her usual smiling self. “Alright, go back and get some rest. Let Qing’er see you out.”

“There is no need. It is only a few steps away.”

“Let her go,” Su Wanqing said in a tone that brooked no argument. “I will keep an eye on her so she does not sneakily stand at the door watching you again.”

Su Qing’s face turned beet red. “Mom!!!!”

Lin Mo blinked in surprise, then could not help but laugh.

So every time she secretly stood at the door, Auntie knew.

***

The night air was gentle.

Su Qing walked Lin Mo to his door. The two stood facing each other, neither speaking.

“Um…” Lin Mo scratched his head. “Thanks for today, Auntie. The food was delicious.”

“Mhm.” Su Qing kept her head down, her toe tracing light patterns on the floor.

“Then, I will head inside.”

“Wait a moment.”

Lin Mo stopped.

Su Qing looked up. The light from the streetlamp fell across her face, making her eyes shine brightly.

“Lin Mo.”

“Yeah?”

“You…” She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she only said, “Do not play games too late tonight. Rest early. Goodnight.”

Lin Mo looked at her.

He saw her hesitant lips and the faint, cautious expectation deep in her eyes.

He wanted to say something. He wanted to ask, ‘Do you have something to say to me?’ or say, ‘I have something I want to tell you too.’

But in the end, he just smiled.

“Goodnight.”

He turned, pushed the door open, and stepped into his home.

The door clicked shut behind him.

Su Qing stood in the hallway, staring at the closed door for a long time.

Then, she lowered her head and let out a soft laugh.

‘Brother, goodnight.’

***

Su Wanqing stood on her balcony, watching the scene below.

The two children — one standing at the doorway, the other in the hallway, separated by a door — were both silent.

She remembered many years ago, when she and her husband had first married. Back then, Old Su was the same way. Every time he walked her home, he would stand at the door for a long time.

Later, Old Su was gone.

She had raised Su Qing all by herself.

Now, her daughter also had someone she wanted to walk home.

Su Wanqing sighed softly and turned back into the house.

Her phone vibrated.

It was a work notification.

An internal bulletin from the Bureau of Supernatural Investigation regarding newly discovered S-Rank Ability Users for the year.

On the list was a name she had just seen today.

Shen Qingyue.

Su Wanqing stared at the name, her brow furrowing slightly.

This girl was Lin Mo’s classmate, right?

She would have to ask Qing’er later if she knew anything about this girl.

As for Lin Mo, he was hiding a secret that even the Esper Detection Device could not uncover.

What was that secret?

And regarding her husband’s death all those years ago… she still did not know the full truth.

It was time to start investigating certain things.

Su Wanqing stood on the balcony, looking at the window across the way where the lights had already been turned out.

She suddenly recalled a night many years ago, much like this one.

When her phone rang at 2:00 AM, she was preparing bathwater for a very young Su Qing.

“Is this Comrade Su Wanqing? This is First City Hospital. Please come here immediately.”

She had rushed to the hospital, clutching her child.

A nurse led her to the doors of the emergency room and said, “Family members, please wait here.”

She waited for 2 hours.

During that time, Su Qing woke up in her arms and wailed loudly.

She comforted the child while staring at the red light above the emergency room door.

At 4:00 AM, the light went out.

The doors opened, and a doctor pushed a hospital bed out.

Old Su lay there, his face ashen, his body covered in tubes. Seeing her, he struggled to open his eyes, his lips trembling.

“Old Su!” She lunged forward, grabbing his hand.

His hands were ice-cold, his fingers shaking slightly.

“Wanqing…” His voice was faint. “Listen to me…”

She pressed her ear close to his mouth.

“Do not… do not investigate…”

She froze.

“What?”

“Do not investigate.” His tone was filled with terror and pleading. “Promise me… do not investigate… just treat it as… an accident…”

“Old Su, what happened? Tell me!”

“The children…” He interrupted her, his fingers tightening around her wrist. “Take care of… our child and Old Lin’s child… definitely… definitely…”

His gaze moved past her, looking into the distance as if trying to see something clearly.

“Old Lin… I… I could not…”

Before he could finish, his hand went limp.

The heart monitor let out a sharp, continuous drone.

Su Wanqing stood there dazed, still holding her sleeping daughter, as tears fell silently.

It was not an accident.

She knew.

She was an A-Rank Esper; her perception was far sharper than that of an ordinary person. The wounds on Old Su’s body, the residual energy fluctuations, and the terrified, pleading look in his eyes before he died —

That was absolutely not an accident.

But she had not investigated.

Because the last look Old Su gave her was a plea.

He was begging her not to touch those things.

Begging her to take care of the children.

Begging her… to stay alive.

Su Wanqing had stood in that cold hallway with her sleeping daughter in her arms and her husband who had just closed his eyes before her.

She had promised.

“Fine,” she had whispered, her voice so small only she could hear it. “I promise you.”

Then she had held her child, turned around, and walked out of the hospital.

She never looked back.

***

Many years had passed.

She had raised Su Qing and taken good care of the Lin family across the hall. The two children had grown up together as childhood friends, inseparable.

She thought those matters were in the past.

Until today, when she saw Lin Mo’s 0.1 detection report and the system’s 0.3-second delay analysis.

Until that name surfaced in her mind again —

Old Lin.

Lin Mo’s father, the man who had met with an “accident” even earlier than Father Su.

Su Wanqing stood on the balcony, looking at the darkened window across the way.

She suddenly remembered the last words Old Su had said to her all those years ago:

“Take care of the two children… definitely… definitely…”

She had done it.

Both children were now adults.

In the future, the two of them would support each other.

And now —

Perhaps some things should not stay buried forever.

Perhaps some people deserved to know the truth.

Su Wanqing turned and walked back into the room.

The living room lights were still on, but Su Qing’s door was closed, and it was quiet inside.

She picked up her phone and looked at the encrypted file on the screen.

After a long silence, she tapped “Download.”

It was time for some things to begin.