Nine Minutes

The knock on the door came at just the right time.

Mo gave a start, using the blank look of turning her head to avoid answering the question about the corpse. The next second, she heard Yu Xing say from outside, "Mo? You left your necklace outside. Do you want to take it back?"

She instinctively wanted to touch her neck, but instantly remembered what kind of disgusting things her hands had just touched.

Besides, speaking of necklaces, just the ones she was wearing right now totaled three—only one was for looks, and the other two were offerings.

Mo realized this was just an excuse Yu Xing used to call her out, so she let out a panicked gasp and smoothly pulled her hand back. "It wouldn't be that diamond-inlaid butterfly practice, would it? When did I lose it?"

Gao Yiling asked, "What's wrong?"

"My necklace—uh, it's nothing. Your father will be fine like this; I'll go out and take a look first." Mo put on the expression of someone who cared immensely about her necklace yet forcefully suppressed her anxiety, successfully removing any reason for Gao Yiling to make her stay. She hurried to open the door, looking genuinely flustered as she raised her head and locked eyes with Yu Xing right away.

Yu Xing looked her over without a trace, seeing that she was unharmed, save for some suspicious filth smeared on her clothes and an even heavier stench of decay. He raised his hand vaguely. "Is this it?"

His hand was completely empty, but using the angle, Gao Yiling definitely couldn't see.

Mo cooperated with gratitude. "If you hadn't said anything, I wouldn't have noticed. Thanks..."

As she spoke, she walked out of the room, letting out a breath that made her feel practically drained of strength.