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At home.

Ren Ye's face was sallow, his eyes bloodshot. "Dad, have you discussed the rest of the storyline with this editor?"

"No. We're still stuck on the part where the old Daoist's clone dies. He's important to setting everything up. Without him, it's hard to move the plot forward." Dad propped his chin on his hand like The Thinker.

"Come on, there's always a way. You haven't published this story yet, right? Just write him back to life." Ren Ye floated the suggestion.

"No. The editor I'm working with said the client commissioning the story insists he has to die." Dad spread his hands helplessly. "You know how it is. Clients who suddenly decide to meddle with the content are usually fucking idiots."

"...!" Ren Ye was speechless. Something felt strange about this, but he couldn't really discuss it with Dad.

He couldn't exactly say, I just traveled back from ancient times, and what happened there was pretty much what you wrote. Oh, and you somehow got yourself a daughter-in-law, too, could he?

After thinking for a while, Ren Ye suddenly said, "You'll definitely have to discuss this plot with the editor later, right?"

"Right." Dad nodded.

"Then tell me what happens next once you two have talked it over. I think this premise is pretty interesting..." Ren Ye said with a smile.

"Sure." Dad answered casually, his posture relaxed, but concern crept into his eyes. "Son, are you sure nobody beat you up in prison? Why do you look so awful?"

Ren Ye turned toward the mirror beside the computer and saw that he did indeed look like he'd been "overindulging." "I've been staying up late helping with the case these past few days..."

"Then get some rest." Dad sprang to his feet. "I'll buy groceries and make you some soup first. Qingning's coming back tonight too, isn't she? Let's have a nice meal."

"Heh, sounds good." Just thinking about Dad's cooking filled Ren Ye with joy.

No chef in the world would cater to your tastes alone. If anyone did, it would be your parents.

Dad had learned to cook just so his two children could eat well and have enough.

He left the bedroom, picked up a small shopping basket in the kitchen, and headed out with a ring of keys in his hand, wearing baggy shorts, a tank top, and slippers.

"Whew!"

Ren Ye let out a long breath of relief. Completely at ease, he went into his own bedroom and flopped onto the bed. He took out the phone Huang Wei had retrieved from prison for him and called his younger sister.

"Hello?" The call connected almost immediately, and Ren Qingning's clear voice rang out. "Are you home?"

"Yeah, I'm home." Ren Ye didn't bother with small talk. "Lend me two thousand yuan. I'm out helping with the case these next few days, and I don't have a cent on me. I can't ask the investigators for money every time I want a bottle of water, can I?"

"No. I'm broke."

"My darling Qingning, your brother's been going through a rough patch these past few years...!"

"Beep, beep."

He was still talking, but his own sister had already hung up.

Ren Ye froze, then glared at his phone and cursed, "You heartless little brat! Just wait until I get that big apartment. I'm not saving you a single room!"

With that, he quickly stripped off his clothes and pulled the quilt over himself to sleep.

"Ding!"

A notification sounded. Frowning, Ren Ye picked up his phone and opened his messaging app. His sister, saved under "Shanghai's Number One Female Streamer," had sent him a charitable donation of two thousand yuan.

"Ding!"

A voice message arrived, and Ren Ye tapped it.

"Make it last! Streaming's tough these days. It's all bare thighs and yoga pants out there. The competition's fierce, okay? Do you know how many times I have to call someone 'sweet big brother' to earn two thousand yuan?" his sister reminded him through gritted teeth.

"What more can I say? Blood's thicker than water, bro." Ren Ye happily replied, "What time are you coming home tonight?"

"How many days can you stay out?"

"Six or seven. Why?"

"Then I'm not coming back tonight. Something came up, and it's urgent." Ren Qingning spoke quickly. "I'll call you once I've dealt with it. Let Dad know."

"You're not dating someone, are you?"

"Dating, my ass. Singles are invincible." Ren Qingning sent a smug emoji.

They chatted a little longer, then Ren Ye fell into a deep sleep again.

Beside a road in Suhang City, Little War Wolf took a stack of unregistered SIM cards from a delivery runner, made a practiced detour, and only then returned to his place.

It was an apartment with just one main bedroom and a living room. Most of the furniture was covered in white sheets thick with dust. A heavy layer had accumulated on the floor as well, making every step feel unpleasantly sticky.

On the decorative table beside the sofa, a somewhat artistic perpetual calendar still showed a date and time from over four years ago.

Looking around the familiar space, Little War Wolf took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and started cleaning.

It took over three hours before the place looked somewhat comfortable.

After taking a monstrously foul-smelling dump in the bathroom, Little War Wolf looked at the toilet and commented blandly, "Ate pretty well before dying...!"

He showered, returned to the living room, and sat cross-legged on the sofa. He opened his phone, swapped in a new SIM card, then registered a new account on the messaging app everyone in the country used.

Once he was done, Little War Wolf picked up his old phone, opened a group chat called "Big Brain Gathering Place," and brought up its join QR code.

He scanned it with the account on his new phone, entered a name and passphrase in the application field, and was admitted shortly afterward.

"Ding!"

"Ding, ding!"

"Newbie? What class?"

"Know the rules here?"

"Send a cash gift! Send a cash gift!"

"...!"

A stream of messages flashed past. Smiling, Little War Wolf very politely typed his reply: "Send your mother's fucking cunt!"

"? What's with that attitude?"

"Why are you cursing at people?"

"No manners. No manners..."

"...!"

The chatters started flooding the screen.

This was a dedicated Star Gate player group with over four hundred members. They usually exchanged information and such, and they weren't all members of official organizations. At least half were unaffiliated players.

Little War Wolf ignored them. After a moment's thought, he began composing a message.

"The Great Qian Dynasty was preceded by the Great Jing Empire.

After launching his uprising, the Martial Emperor of Great Qian spent ten years destroying Great Jing.

Legend has it that the Eldest Princess of Jing was buried on Qingliang Mountain in Qingliang Prefecture. Her tomb is highly unusual, and there are many different versions of its legends. What is certain, however, is that this Star Gate has now developed a rare legacy. I have information describing the Eldest Princess's Tomb in detail...!"

"Star Gate information for sale. DM if interested."

After finishing the message, he hit send.

Little War Wolf yawned and got up to pour himself some water and order takeout.

"An ancient-era Star Gate? No use to me!"

"Hey, brother with the terrible manners, I sent you a friend request. Accept it."

"I sent one too."

"...!"

The group quieted briefly, then immediately sprang back to life. Quite a few information resellers operating there leaped into action at once.

He was utterly exhausted.

After collapsing onto the bed, Ren Ye slept all the way until evening.

He lazed in bed for a while, then heard clattering from the kitchen. "Dad, is dinner ready?"

"Have your soup first. Dinner's almost done." Dad's voice boomed. "Figured you'd wake up soon, so I just heated it again."

"Coming!"

Ren Ye threw off the quilt, got out of bed, and rubbed his eyes as he entered the living room. A delicious aroma immediately greeted him. "Oh, nice. Qingning and I have been away so long, but you haven't lost your touch."

In the kitchen, Dad wore an apron as he stood at the cutting board, slicing meat with a steady rhythm. "Drink up. Soft-shelled turtle soup. Really nourishing!"

"Smells amazing!"

Ren Ye poured himself a large bowl, tipped his head back, and took a huge gulp.

The delicate fragrance, the faint taste of scallions, and the savory richness flowed down his throat with a thick, soothing warmth. Instantly, Ren Ye felt comfortable all over.

Whether it was psychological or not, that one mouthful seemed to ease the aftereffects of the Princess Consort's ultimate move considerably, clearing his head a little.

"Not bad, eh?" Dad turned around, a faint smile crossing his wooden face.

The setting sun shone through the window, spilling gold across the floor. Carrying his soup bowl, Ren Ye walked to the kitchen doorway and leaned his shoulder against the frame. He tilted his head, watching his busy father, and happiness welled up inside him. "It's good. Really good!"

"Son, how many days can you stay home?" Dad lit a cigarette. "Can you stay here?"

"I should be able to." Ren Ye drank his soup as he answered. "I'll put in a request later. If necessary, they can put a GPS Electronic Wristband on me. It's not like I'm going to run."

There was actually a hole in that excuse. Even if such a case really existed, the investigators would almost certainly never let a suspect serving a sentence stay at home. It wasn't about whether he could escape. If anything happened, nobody could bear the responsibility.

Fortunately, Dad didn't know much about how any of that worked, so a reasonably convincing excuse could still get past him.

"Mm."

With the cigarette between his lips, Dad turned the burner up high and began stir-frying chili-fried pork. "...What a headache."

"What is?"

"I just called the editor. This manuscript has to get approved as soon as possible. The client's already chasing him. He wants me to work at his place so we can discuss it there. It'll be more efficient, since we can talk things over anytime." Dad paused, then added, "Now that you're back, I didn't want to go. But a job paying thirty thousand yuan... with things the way they are for me... those are hard to get. You understand?"

Ren Ye froze, then immediately asked, "It's that urgent? How many days did he give you for the revisions?"

"He said no more than six days. We have to patch up the Daoist's death first."

"...!" Hearing that very specific deadline, Ren Ye abruptly stiffened, the bowl still in his hands.

88 Lotus Lake Road.

The handsome Red-Eyed Berserker had spent the entire day in his office. It was his longest workday in years; a colleague had even fetched lunch for him.

The computer screen flickered as the Red-Eyed Berserker browsed the personnel files headquarters and the Shanghai office had made available to him.

He had to take this seriously. He couldn't just pick anyone to go in with Ren Ye, or he might very well... send two people to their deaths.

"Click!"

Lighting a cigarette, Huang Wei leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples, then picked up his phone to unwind.

He opened his messaging app out of habit and saw over two hundred unread messages in a group chat called "Big Brain Gathering Place."

Hah. A bunch of slackers who do nothing but chat all day.

With a critical eye, he casually opened the group. A temporarily pinned sales post caught his attention.

"Hey... holy shit?" Huang Wei slowly straightened in his chair as he read.