“Ye Ling?” Lin Mowei couldn’t help but widen her eyes.
“Oh? Section Chief Lin, do you know her?” Seeing her reaction, Lan Lan asked in confusion.
“No, I… I don’t know her.”
This could hardly even be called a poor lie. Anyone who saw her reaction would guess there was more to it than just mere acquaintance.
Lin Mowei tried to make herself look natural, but her trembling, flustered pupils were completely caught by Lan Lan.
Lan Lan was a bit puzzled, but according to the intel, the two of them shouldn’t have had any contact.
So why did Lin Mowei react this way?
It could only be said that Lan Lan truly deserved to be the Chief Director—she didn’t press for answers. She had plenty of patience to slowly figure out what had happened between them.
“Then let me tell you a bit about her basic background.”
“Mm, okay…”
Seeing Chief Lan’s casual smile in front of her, and hearing her warm voice in her ear,
Lin Mowei couldn’t help but be dragged into the mire of memories.
Actually, she wasn’t exactly lying. She really didn’t know this girl—hadn’t even met her. All her knowledge came from her younger brother’s scattered words.
Though he didn’t talk much about her, when he did mention that girl, the sadness and longing in his eyes was something she had never seen before.
That made Lin Mowei very clear that the girl’s departure had hit her brother hard, and it also made her realize the depth of his feelings for her—a depth that left no room for jealousy.
Lin Mowei had no mind to listen to whatever Chief Lan was saying, but in her haze, she did catch a name.
“Hm? Gu Yunxi? What’s her connection to her?”
Lan Lan wasn’t displeased by her inattentiveness and patiently explained:
“Gu Yunxi is Ye Ling’s aunt. Ye Ling’s parents—that is, Gu Yunxi’s elder sister and brother-in-law—unfortunately died in the battle supporting Third Nest City twelve years ago. After that, it’s always been Gu Yunxi taking care of Ye Ling.”
Lin Mowei’s expression grew complex and she furrowed her brows. “So that’s how it is. Why has that little shorty never mentioned it…”
Lan Lan knew the two didn’t get along well in private, but it never affected work, so she had never asked.
“Gu Yunxi doesn’t like others to treat her differently because of this. She… is pretty stubborn, too.”
“Heh, well, that’s true.”
It’s really true that your impression of a person can change the more you learn about them.
The little shorty she always found disagreeable and at odds with her, now, thinking back, seemed kind of adorable.
“So, Section Chief Lin, are you willing to accept this mission?” Lan Lan turned serious.
Lin Mowei also put away her expression. Judging from Lan Lan’s demeanor, she really thought highly of that girl named Ye Ling.
And at this point, her assignment as a combat instructor at Dome Academy was a done deal—there was no changing it. So even if it was just to please the boss, she could agree to this as a favor.
Besides, speaking personally, she’d grown quite curious about this girl who was so valued by the Chief Director and lingered so deeply in her brother’s memory.
Well, her brother would be right by her side. As long as she was there, even if he ran into that girl, nothing might happen.
“Alright.” Lin Mowei nodded. “I’ll do it.”
Lan Lan was clearly satisfied with this, and then issued an invitation, “By the way, Section Chief Lin, there’s a banquet later. How about attending with me?”
“Me? But my brother…” Faced with this opportunity that others could only dream of, her first thought was, of course, Lin Yu.
“Oh, of course, he can come too. I’ll have someone notify him to change clothes. For now, just come with me.”
“Then… okay.”
Lin Mowei followed her to a room filled with evening gowns of all styles and sizes.
“Section Chief Lin, pick one here. I have something to handle and will be right back.”
“Alright.”
The Chief Director was naturally busy, and Lin Mowei didn’t ask more.
Actually, she was already completely absorbed by all the gorgeous dresses in front of her, though her reason for being drawn to them wasn’t out of vanity, but rather…
Which one would her brother like? If he saw his sister so different from usual, would he be moved? And then tonight…
The more she thought, the wilder her ideas became—already, she was even considering what to name their child.
If Lan Lan saw her looking like a lovesick fool at this moment, she’d probably start to doubt whether entrusting Ye Ling to her was the right decision.
But at this moment, Lan Lan’s mind was on something else: just what were Qin Wuyue and Lin Mowei’s brother talking about?
She was very curious.
Lin Yu and Qin Wuyue entered another room.
As soon as they came in, Qin Wuyue sat down on a chair and exaggeratedly massaged her own shoulders.
“Aiya, I’m so tired. My shoulders are so sore.”
“… ” Lin Yu’s mouth twitched. You get sore shoulders?
But what could he do? He went ahead and started massaging anyway, since he wanted to know what the Chief Director would say to his sister.
Thinking this, he came up behind Qin Wuyue, placed his hands on her shoulders, and began to knead gently.
“Aiya, Aunt Qin, you’ve worked hard. Here, let me massage you.”
He said this, but what he thought inside was, this woman’s nerves were really strong. He’d already attacked her weak spot before, yet she dared to expose her back like this. Did she really think it was a coincidence last time?
Qin Wuyue certainly wasn’t that careless. She was just supremely confident. She was sure that if Lin Yu tried to touch that spot again, she could crush his hand instantly.
“Hmph, Xiao Yu is so considerate. If only you’d always be this thoughtful.”
“Heh.” Lin Yu chuckled softly and didn’t reply.
After that, the room fell into silence.
With just the right amount of pressure on her shoulders, Qin Wuyue actually felt a bit comfortable.
Eventually, she was the first to speak, “Xiao Yu, don’t you have anything you want to say to me?”
“Aunt Qin, what do you want me to say?”
Qin Wuyue bit her lip. This little brat, pretending to be clueless, huh? What was with that look you gave just now?
For some reason, whenever she saw Lin Yu act so calm and at ease, it made her angry. A little virgin should act like a little virgin!
She stood up and looked into Lin Yu’s eyes. They say you can’t lie with your eyes.
But when she looked into his, she was momentarily stunned.
There was indeed none of the panic she expected, but there were other emotions she couldn’t understand.
It was a familiarity as if they’d known each other forever, and a hint of adoration—almost like looking at a lover.
Being stared at with such eyes, Qin Wuyue felt her heart skip a beat.
Everything she wanted to say got stuck under that gaze. “W-what are you looking at?”
As she spoke, she couldn’t help the slight shyness in her tone.
“Ahem.” Lin Yu coughed lightly. The quiet atmosphere just now had reminded him of some moments they’d shared in the past, and he lost control for a second before quickly lowering his head.
“N-nothing. By the way, Aunt Qin, what did you want to talk to me about?”
Hm?
The boy’s sudden shift in attitude caught Qin Wuyue off guard.
Did I see wrong? No, I definitely didn’t, but just now, those eyes…
She narrowed her eyes and looked at the boy in front of her, who now seemed “at a loss,” head lowered.
Meanwhile, Lin Yu was silently cursing himself for letting something slip.
As expected, Qin Wuyue seemed to have thought of something. She stepped closer and tugged at her own collar.
From Lin Yu’s angle, if he just looked up, he’d see that fair skin inside.
Qin Wuyue flashed her familiar seductive smile. “Xiao Yu, actually Auntie doesn’t just want you to massage her shoulders. She also wants you to massage…”
Hearing this tone, Lin Yu couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of his mouth. Again… again?