Page Twenty-Two I Seem to Be Going on Sale
—”Xiao Kai, I have an assumption.”—
… Did Yingshuan enter rewind mode?
—”Just state my conclusion then. When Ling Ximí had her accident, Lin Yuhuang was likely present, and he might be the one who caused it.”—
So that’s why Aunt Lin said Lin Yuhuang killed Ling Shaojie’s mother?
But this doesn’t make sense, does it?
After all, Aunt Lin also said that Ling Ximí saved Lin Yuhuang, which means she must have been capable of moving at the time of the accident to save him.
At least… at least she didn’t die right away.
And from their conversation, it seems like Ling Ximí might still be alive.
—”We don’t know the details, but there are many scenarios where these conditions could apply.”—
Yingshuan entered brainstorming mode again.
—”I’m just giving an example. For instance, they were out on a small boat trip, but due to Lin Yuhuang’s poor driving skills, they got stranded on an uninhabited island. They lost signal and were out of contact. In desperation, Ling Ximí gave her last rations to Lin Yuhuang. When the rescue team found them, Ling Ximí had starved to the point of being a vegetable, hence the claim that she didn’t die, but isn’t really living.”—
Where did you dig up this third-rate romance movie script?
Forget about starving turning someone into a vegetable, wouldn’t they find something to eat on the island!?
—”It could be something else, but the meaning is similar. It could be a car accident, fire, etc. To find the truth, we need to investigate from Aunt Lin.”—
No chance. She won’t tell us easily.
—”We can ask Ling Shaojie directly. I recorded Aunt Lin and Lin Yuhuang’s conversation word for word. If we give this to Ling Shaojie… I know it’s not a good idea, but it’s the easiest way to get close to the truth.”—
That’s not appropriate. Aunt Lin hasn’t told Senior Shaojie anything.
Because the truth is too heavy, I want to investigate before telling her.
—”Oh? You’re quite considerate of her?”—
After all, she’s helping us with the investigation of Mysterious Girl A. It’s worth owing her one.
—”There’s another less extreme approach…”—
This…
“How did it go with Little Ying? What conclusions did you reach?”
Sister Shan noticed me talking with Yingshuan, so she didn’t interrupt until I looked up.
I replied, “Yingshuan thinks Ling Ximí’s ‘death’ might be related to Lin Yuhuang. They were involved in a serious accident, and Ling Ximí sacrificed herself to save her husband, but she ended up dying.”
Since Yingshuan’s story was too melodramatic, I refined it.
Sister Shan said, “I also thought of a possibility. Lin Yuhuang might not acknowledge Ling Shaojie as his child because she may not share his bloodline. She could be the child of Ling Ximí and someone else.”
Sister Shan’s speculation was quite harsh, equivalent to slandering a deceased person.
I shook my head to deny it: “No, Senior Shaojie is Lin Yuhuang and Ling Ximí’s child. Aunt Lin has no reason to lie, and there’s proof of birth.”
Sister Leiluo, holding the remaining lollipop, leaned back on the swing with her legs dangling, and said, “Perhaps Lin Ziyè and Ling Shaojie were switched at birth? To pull off such a switch, their birth times couldn’t differ much… So I lean towards the idea that they were twins.”
Sister Shan pondered further.
“Still, it doesn’t explain Lin Yuhuang’s attitude toward his daughter. Is it really just due to traditional gender bias?”
I answered, “With the current clues, we can’t explain this… Yingshuan believes we need to take more radical actions.”
“What kind of radical actions?”
“Let Ling Shaojie meet Lin Ziyè. She doesn’t know his identity and thinks he’s the illegitimate child. But once she sees what Lin Ziyè turns into, many things will become clear.”
—”You agree? Didn’t you just oppose telling Ling Shaojie about this?”—
I only said direct questioning of Aunt Lin wasn’t suitable, but we can gradually uncover the truth.
In any case, Senior Shaojie will eventually need to know the truth. Although we can’t change it, we can try to mitigate its impact, like… getting her a flexible younger brother?
Sister Leiluo adjusted her position on the swing.
She said, “I have another question! Why do you think Lin Ziyè would side with us? He is the future heir of Tianping Group, and siding with his father is more likely. If he betrays us to his father, subsequent investigations will be troublesome.”
I replied, “Then we need to appeal to his emotions and logic. Even if there’s no emotional bond, they are still siblings by blood.”
Sister Leiluo pouted, looking unconvinced.
“This isn’t very convincing. Lin Yuhuang and Ling Shaojie are still father and daughter. How would that affect his attitude toward his illegitimate daughter?”
Perhaps it was a sense of paternal responsibility that made Sister Leiluo disdain Lin Yuhuang’s actions and even show obvious disgust.
Sister Shan agreed with Yingshuan’s plan.
“I think it’s worth trying. Ling Shaojie doesn’t seem to hate Lin Ziyè much based on her limited investigation. We can have Xiaolu call out Lin Ziyè later, prepare him first, and then arrange a meeting… but not today, maybe tomorrow or the day after.”
“Well, there’s no rush, right? Isn’t the weekend better?”
Sister Shan’s face darkened, making her already fierce eyes even more menacing.
“It’s urgent. The coming weekend is Lin Ziyè’s coming-of-age ceremony. That’s the best time to execute our revenge plan. We need to be ready beforehand.”
The revenge plan was the idea that Lanhua came up with impulsively.
Lanhua wanted to turn Lin Ziyè into a girl during the coming-of-age ceremony, robbing Lin Yuhuang of his male heir to punish his wrongdoings.
But since Lin Ziyè received the ring from Mysterious Girl A, this plan might need adjustments.
—”Tomorrow, talk to Lin Ziyè. Lanhua and I will handle Ling Shaojie after school and arrange their meeting.”—
This arrangement is fine, but how do we convince Lin Ziyè to cooperate against his father?
—”Didn’t you say you’d appeal to his emotions and logic?”—
… This is easier said than done.
But I have to try to fulfill my promise.
Sister Shan added, “These next two days, I’ll do more investigation about the old accident. There should be some traces left.”
Sister Leiluo was surprised.
“What? Are we going home now?”
“Otherwise, what else can we do? We can’t really investigate the café.”
Sister Leiluo: “P-Please let us play a bit longer!”
She’s acting like a child!
“I still need to prepare dinner… I’ll just go to the supermarket again.”
Sister Shan, like a big sister, tried to persuade Sister Leiluo and then turned to me.
“Lingmeng, do you have anywhere else to go?”
“Yes, but it’s unrelated to this incident, so you guys can go back first.”
——————
[15:23]
Arriving alone at the Magic Research Institute, Bahem, who was on duty, greeted me. After listening to my description, she burst out laughing.
“Pfft, Sister Lingmeng, how did you end up like this? Can’t you revert back?”
There were two other magic researchers in the lab, using liquid magic and mechanical devices for a ritual experiment…
Tsk tsk, beautiful girls in white coats focused on research are truly captivating. They could improve efficiency just by appreciating each other, right?
—”A 3D projector driven by a spell, what exactly is the structure inside?”—
The fusion of ancient magic techniques and modern science complements each other. Perhaps, according to Senior Sister Bifang, the future might truly break through Heaven’s Path’s technological blockade.
Taking advantage of her height, Bahem placed her hand on my head, clearly amused by my current appearance.
I said irritably, “Stop laughing. Do you have any leads?”
I needed to understand my situation. Although I guessed it was related to Mysterious Girl A’s spell, I didn’t know the principle behind it or when it could be lifted, which made me uneasy.
Even though Yingshuan couldn’t figure it out, with so many ‘witches’ in the institute, even a group of laymen could spot something.
Bahem shrugged. “It’s too complex. Our own spells are crude, and we don’t have the skill to analyze others’. Wait for Sister Xiaoman to check you over; she’s the best among us.”
How can you understand others’ code if you can’t even write your own?
—”I’ve studied spells for years. My proficiency is far beyond theirs! If I can’t figure it out, what can these barefoot witches with just a year of experience know? Maybe we should just go back… Today’s dinner is prepared by Mom, aren’t you excited?”—
Miss Ke Man, who was resting, came down to the institute in slippers, wearing a house dress with a white coat loosely draped over it. Her long hair was messy, with strands falling from her usual middle part, revealing a carefree look.
However, she still wore a string of beads on her wrist.
I greeted her, “Sister Xiaoman, I’m here again.”
With a lazy smile, Miss Ke Man said, “It’s not a bother. Come anytime if you need help… But you look very cute today. My daughter was also this cute at your age.”
Bahem said, “Sister Xiaoman… Director Kē, there’s something special about the spell on Sister Lingmeng. Compared to regular transformation spells, it seems to have additional conditions. Can you check it out for her?”
“Did you use ‘that’ to check it?”
“What is ‘that’?”
It sounds powerful. Could it really be more reliable than Yingshuan?
Bahem replied, “No, I just used perception to scan it… After all, ‘that’ is too complex for me to handle.”
Miss Ke Man looked at the other two researchers.
“Do none of you know how to use ‘that’?”
After receiving a shake of the head, Miss Ke Man sighed, “Then I’ll do it. Come with me to the examination room, I’ll demonstrate ‘that’ to you.”
So, what is ‘that’?
