The villain turns into the infatuated second male lead

The cool autumn breeze in Ningchuan City gently swept through, as Yin Zhiyi leaned against the window, quietly enjoying the comfortable air. In the background, a voice-modulation tutorial played on his computer, while his eyes remained fixed on the flickering phone screen, a faint smile on his lips.

**Ling Su:** Are you off work yet? I wonder if my suggestion helped you.

**Ling Su:** No reply? Are you too busy? Well, I hope my boyfriend can finish up his work soon. *smile.jpg*

Twenty minutes later, after Yin Zhiyi had sent another message, there was still no response from the other side.

**Ling Su:** How about I come to see you next time?

By the time he sent that message, Yin Zhiyi had already driven home, taken a shower, and casually advised Xia Wanshi on the next project she should strive for and the best pricing. It wasn’t until he had finished all his tasks that he had the leisure to stand by the window, feeling the night breeze, waiting for a response from Qiu Yiyuan.

He waited for a full half-hour, and from the simple text message, it was clear that Qiu Yiyuan’s mood was far from usual—there was none of the usual sweetness. If it had been the old Mr. Qiu, he would have been sending over all sorts of cute emojis by now, not brushing off his request to meet.

**Qiu Yiyuan:** I’ve been really busy lately, sorry.

Yin Zhiyi glanced at the message, unsure whether to feel regret or excitement. This unusual attitude from Qiu Yiyuan clearly indicated that he must have suspected something.

Previously, Yin Zhiyi had worried that his opponent might be too lovestruck, choosing to trust his lover completely without question. In such a case, these tactics wouldn’t be very effective.

Unfortunately, Qiu Yiyuan was currently at the Qiu family’s main residence, and no matter how much money Yin Zhiyi offered the private investigator, it was impossible for him to infiltrate and give a live broadcast.

Yin Zhiyi hadn’t anticipated reaching this point, leaving no opportunity to plant surveillance in his own residence. He could only imagine Qiu Yiyuan’s shocked expression based on the brief messages exchanged.

Yin Zhiyi slowly pulled a chair over, resting his elbow on the armrest, his chin in his hand, watching Qiu Yiyuan, who had lost his usual warmth, with interest.

The scene was particularly amusing. It would have been even better if he could lure the man out to appreciate it in person, but knowing his younger brother well, Qiu Yiyuan wouldn’t agree to a meeting until the situation was clear.

Despite thinking this, Yin Zhiyi’s hands naturally began typing something on the keyboard, quickly sending a message.

**Ling Su:** How about this weekend? Let’s celebrate our nine-day anniversary. *cute.jpg*

Qiu Yiyuan lay buried in the soft bedding, in a dark room with not a single light on. The man dressed in a black suit almost blended into the night, only the faint glow from his phone illuminating the handsome profile of his turned face, with bloodshot eyes in his slanted phoenix-shaped eyes.

“Nine days?” Qiu Yiyuan muttered the number, feeling a sense of absurdity and mockery. The once sweet moments suddenly felt ridiculous when associated with Yin Zhiyi. Before the results came out, Qiu Yiyuan didn’t want to pronounce a death sentence on Ling Su. He simply didn’t want to accept the reality of being deceived.

Just thinking that Ling Su might be colluding with his foster brother made his heart ache unbearably.

After a dead silence, Qiu Yiyuan stared at the message with the cute emoji, his mind inevitably overlaying Ling Su’s image onto it. Without thinking, his hand replied.

**Qiu Yiyuan:** Is a nine-day relationship really worth celebrating?

Seeing the message, Yin Zhiyi raised an eyebrow in slight surprise. Given Qiu Yiyuan’s state, he should have been ignoring him temporarily. Out of a mischievous desire to toy with him, Yin Zhiyi had sent the message.

Imagining Qiu Yiyuan with tear-filled eyes, looking pitiful, Yin Zhiyi couldn’t help but feel a bit of affection. He lightly tapped on his phone’s keyboard, unable to suppress a smile, his demeanor as cruel as a demon emerging from hell.

**Ling Su:** Every day with you is worth celebrating.

Qiu Yiyuan’s heart skipped a few beats at this, his pulse quickening as his eyes filled with a mix of deep emotion and suspicion, causing his chest to ache.

He restrained himself for a long time before resisting the urge to rush over to see Ling Su. Instead, he sat on the floor, leaning against the bed, the coldness seeping through to keep him grounded. He deleted the words he had typed.

Yes, they had been together for nine days, but they hadn’t even held hands. All those imagined intimate moments, the warmth and touches he longed for, remained elusive. He craved Ling Su’s touch so much that it drove him nearly mad, making him wonder if he suffered from some kind of skin hunger.

“Maybe Ling Su did know Yin Zhiyi, but he’s dead now. Does it really matter why Ling Su approached me?” The thought crossed Qiu Yiyuan’s mind, and even he was startled by it, not realizing how much he had been willing to excuse Ling Su’s actions.

“That’s right, anything Yin Zhiyi could give him, I can too. As long as he stays by my side, does anything else really matter?” Qiu Yiyuan’s face twisted slightly with conflicted emotions.

He couldn’t stop himself from making excuses for Ling Su. Even if he had already judged him guilty before the evidence arrived, he found himself wanting to forgive.

An insidious voice from deep within his soul whispered to him, urging him to forgive.

Yes, forgive him, and the pain will stop. Maybe it’s just a misunderstanding, a coincidence—Ling Su hasn’t hurt him, right?

His eyes flickered, and finally, he couldn’t resist agreeing to the weekend date to celebrate their anniversary. Once the idea had taken hold, his resolve began to waver.

The next day, as the sunlight brightened the room, his face showed signs of exhaustion, indicating that he hadn’t slept well.

He got up earlier than usual, put on a suit, and headed to the location he had agreed upon the night before to retrieve a stack of medical records. The dates ranged from May to mid-September, including a notebook from Ling Su’s university days, all written by Ling Su himself.

A black car drove discreetly towards the Haiyue Group building, with the morning light streaming through the window, softening the sharp lines of Qiu Yiyuan’s features.

**Ling Su:** Good morning! For some reason, I woke up really early today. Maybe I’m in a good mood.

Qiu Yiyuan lowered his lashes, placing the documents on the seat, and quietly typed a reply. Judging by Ling Su’s usual routine, he had likely just woken up not long ago, and perhaps the first thing on his mind was to share his joy with him.

**Qiu Yiyuan:** Did something good happen? You seem so happy.

As he sent the message, he felt as if a weight had been lifted from his heart. He picked up the medical records again, having already decided that no matter the results, as long as Ling Su wasn’t colluding with Director Liu and the others, he would forgive all that had happened before.

He even harbored a glimmer of hope that everything was just a coincidence, and if that were the case, he would make amends to Ling Su for his foolish actions over the past two days.

Unfortunately, when the August medical records were opened in front of him, his last shred of hope was completely extinguished. His fingers tightened involuntarily, nearly tearing the page at the edge.

The neat handwriting was nothing like the chaotic scrawl of other doctors. Although it sometimes became rushed and sloppy due to time constraints, it was clearly different from Qiu Yiyuan’s own medical records and starkly distinct from Yin Zhiyi’s carefully practiced calligraphy. The contrast between the two was so great that it was as if they were written by different people.

The quiet driver glanced at his boss through the rearview mirror, noticing something amiss, but quickly looked away, continuing to drive along the predetermined route.

Qiu Yiyuan’s expression soon returned to calm, though his eyes grew increasingly confused. He couldn’t understand why Ling Su would imitate Yin Zhiyi’s handwriting, nor why his habits and unconscious gestures were so similar to his.

He couldn’t make sense of it. There was no reason for it, was there?

If Ling Su were truly connected to his foster brother, he should have known that he despised him the most. If he really wanted to deceive him, these traits wouldn’t endear him to Qiu Yiyuan. On the contrary, they would provoke his subconscious aversion, as had been evident from their first meeting.

Suddenly, his hands froze as he flipped through the medical records.

In disbelief, he frantically compared all the records from August 20th and earlier, including the university notebook.

A warm personality could be glimpsed through the writing style, which hadn’t changed much, but starting from September, the handwriting style had dramatically shifted.

It was less a case of imitation and more as if he had become a completely different person overnight.

“August 20th…” His pupils contracted into pinpoints as he immediately recalled that day when he had been betrayed by his subordinates, narrowly surviving the ordeal after being rescued by Ling Su.

That was also the day his foster brother had unexpectedly died.

“That kind of thing… how could it be possible…” he struggled to finish the sentence, his breathing completely disordered.
He would rather believe everything was a coincidence than truly accept that a supernatural event had occurred in a scientific world.

All of his confusion could be explained if his foster brother’s spirit had possessed Ling Su after his death, but his brain would have to be kicked by a donkey for him to believe such baseless speculation.

Ding dong.

He was startled by the sudden notification sound, a fine sheen of cold sweat had unknowingly appeared on his forehead. When he reached out to tap the chat interface, he realized his body was already somewhat drained. The message on the screen was from Ling Su, explaining the reason for his good mood.

Ling Su: I’m meeting my boyfriend this weekend. Isn’t that something to be happy about? *Happy emoji*

The cute emoji made Qiu Yiyuan, whose back had been cold with fear, regain some of his rationality. He immediately dismissed the absurd possibility he had been considering earlier. With Yin Zhiyi’s personality, he would be racking his brains trying to kill him, not taking the risk to save him.

Would he really let his subjective imagination cause him to suspect that his lover was actually his enemy?

The idea that Ling Su knew Yin Zhiyi was already far-fetched, and the notion of possession was even more ridiculous.

He scoffed at himself, thinking he must have gone mad to think that way. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and decided to send the handwriting samples to a professional institution for analysis. He then lightly tapped on the phone screen to type a reply.

However, after what had just happened, his heart, which should have been full of tenderness, was now somewhat out of sync. After replying to Ling Su, his gaze flickered over the thick medical records, and before he knew it, he had dialed the call from last night.

“Investigate Ling Su’s life in detail for me, as thoroughly as possible.”

To keep his weekend appointment, Yin Zhiyi specifically changed his shift. Thanks to Ling Su’s gentle and unassuming nature, he didn’t need to spend much effort to switch his original Wednesday off to Saturday.

For the past few days, he had been learning how to adjust Ling Su’s voice to match his original one. It turned out he had quite a talent for it, or perhaps it was just because he was imitating himself, as there was hardly any need for adjustment apart from the tone.

He switched the SIM card in his phone to another one, input a number from memory, and pressed the call button. Soon, a low female voice, tinged with suspicion, inquired, “Hello? Who is this…?”

“It’s me.” He carefully remembered the key points he had learned and imitated his original deep tone, lifting the pitch slightly at the end, making it sound particularly pleasant.

The woman with the smoky voice seemed not to expect to hear this voice. Even though she knew there were few people who had this number, when she realized who it was, her hand slipped, almost dropping the phone. She stammered in disbelief, “President Yin? Aren’t you…?”

“I was set up by them. Heh… The Qiu father and son really went all out to get their hands on my shares of Haiyue Group.” Yin Zhiyi’s expression didn’t change, trying to make his voice sound full of hatred, a low mocking tone evident.

The woman on the other end was named Xiao Li. She had shown extraordinary talent with computers from a young age, but her impoverished family background made survival difficult. It was Yin Zhiyi who helped her find her long-lost brother and secretly funded her education, practically giving her a new life.

He had carefully selected her for this role. Her skills were solid, and she had earned Qiu Yiyuan’s trust, making her a prime candidate for his plan. After subtly shaking Qiu Yiyuan’s trust, there was a high chance he would reach out to Xiao Li, and everything would fall into place.

Xiao Li, who had caught Qiu Yiyuan’s attention with her exceptional skills but had not been privy to the inner workings, had only heard about Yin Zhiyi’s death from external sources. Yin Zhiyi believed he could still deceive her as long as she hadn’t seen his body with her own eyes.

However, she didn’t completely believe his story just because of the familiar voice. Even though she felt the voice was etched in her soul, she maintained a cautious attitude, asking several questions and confirming a secret code before finally relaxing.

“President Yin, what do you need me to do?” she asked, unable to hide the joy in her voice, her throat slightly hoarse.

“When Qiu Yiyuan contacts you, just let me know. Call me on this number.” he gave a brief instruction, confirming that she was unaware of the truth and believed that his death was a false narrative created by the Qiu father and son. Only then did he calmly get up to prepare for his date.

Though neither of them had much experience with romance, they knew enough to get by. He picked out a white shirt from Ling Su’s wardrobe, bought a bouquet of red tulips from the flower shop downstairs, and then drove to the restaurant he had reserved in advance.

If Qiu Yiyuan wasn’t worried about being discovered by Qiu Tongfu, Yin Zhiyi might have been heading toward the Qiu family’s main residence right now. From what he guessed, Qiu Tongfu was too preoccupied with other matters to pay attention to these trivial things unless he made a public announcement about his relationship with Qiu Yiyuan right in his face.

“I almost forgot, that old-fashioned Qiu Tongfu who cares so much about his lineage doesn’t even know his son likes men now.” His fingers lightly tapped on the steering wheel, and as his thoughts wandered, a smile tugged at his lips.

If it weren’t for the fact that Qiu Tongfu didn’t have long to live, his next entertainment wouldn’t have been Qiu Yiyuan but rather watching Qiu Tongfu’s face turn purple with anger, unable to do anything about his rebellious son.

When he arrived at the restaurant, it was not yet eleven o’clock. The large restaurant was situated in a remote location, with only a few people at the entrance nodding at him in greeting. He responded with a slight smile before being guided by the chef to the kitchen.
The choice of a quiet place was made to satisfy Qiu Yiyuan’s request. The owner had practically sent all available staff on vacation and, after receiving a generous offer from Ling Su, even agreed to the request for the chef’s assistance.

After Qiu Yiyuan found a good parking spot, he had his bodyguards wait outside. He glanced around and, noticing that several of the staff didn’t recognize him, followed the etiquette lady to the private room.

The short walk to the room seemed even shorter because it had been several days since they last saw each other at the hospital. The events that had transpired during that time were still fresh in his mind. He was unsure of how to face Ling Su.

He pressed his lips together, his heartbeat noticeably quicker than usual. He continued walking towards the private room and, after a moment of hesitation, decided to open the door.

Bang—

Confetti exploded in the air, falling like a colorful, festive shower.

The sudden burst made Qiu Yiyuan stop in his tracks. He looked at Ling Su, who was holding a small confetti cannon.

Ling Su’s pale face was speckled with colorful bits of paper. His eyes, mysterious and serene like the night sky, met Qiu Yiyuan’s with a gentle smile that always stirred his heart.

“Happy ninth day of our relationship,” he said with a smile, placing the confetti cannon aside. He stepped closer and naturally brushed the confetti off Qiu Yiyuan’s shoulders and hair, asking, “Why are you silent?”

Qiu Yiyuan had initially thought the so-called celebration was just an excuse to meet, but he was surprised to find that Ling Su had genuinely prepared for it, even choosing a location that suited him perfectly.

Despite his slight dislike for confetti, seeing him holding the cannon made everything seem more pleasant.

“I didn’t expect you to actually celebrate,” he said, a touch of warmth in his eyes. At the sight of Ling Su, all doubts were forgotten.

Even if Ling Su claimed that everything was just a coincidence and that he had casually copied Yin Zhiyi’s handwriting after seeing it by chance, he felt he would likely believe him.

He had meticulously examined himself before leaving, aiming to present his best self to Ling Su.

The expected discomfort or even aversion did not arise. It felt as though he had fallen into a trap named Ling Su, where all his worries vanished upon seeing the person, as everything remained indefinite.

He still needed to wait for the results of the handwriting analysis and any evidence of Ling Su’s contact with Yin Zhiyi, but those things seemed unimportant now, as he had once said in a narrow alley.

It didn’t matter why Ling Su came; he only knew that he had risked his safety to save him.

“Didn’t I say? Every day with you is meaningful,” Ling Su said, his eyes softening as he carefully observed the man just a step away from him.

Not long ago, they were seen as unrelated brothers by the public. Although the Qiu family had never formally adopted him, the sudden transition from long-time adversaries to lovers brought about a unique feeling that was hard to describe.

Ling Su meticulously watched Qiu Yiyuan, noting every subtle change in his expression. He didn’t see the distance or suspicion he had imagined. Instead, he seemed to be immersed in the gentle trap he had woven.

He felt a twinge of disappointment but controlled his expression well, not letting his emotions show.

His slender fingers, covered with thin calluses, gently caressed Qiu Yiyuan’s cheek. He felt the other’s shiver and looked at the growing flush on his face with interest, his cold eyes flickering with rising desire.

“This is for you,” he said with a light laugh, releasing the person who had gone stiff and handing him the bouquet of red tulips from the corner of the room. He knew well that even if he had done something more outrageous, the other would not resist.

With the hand that had been gently caressing now gone, the warmth disappeared along with it. Qiu Yiyuan felt a mix of disappointment and unfulfilled desire, but his restrained nature made him bite his tongue to stay composed. His gaze returned to the bright and beautiful red tulips.

“Is this a gift?” He asked in surprise as he accepted the bouquet. He wasn’t particularly fond of flowers, but Ling Su had given it a special meaning, causing him to gaze at the bouquet for a long time.

“It’s a gift, but I have another one prepared,” Ling Su said with a gentle nod, pulling out a chair for him to sit. He settled beside him and asked, “Do you know what red tulips symbolize?”

“What?” Qiu Yiyuan, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the close proximity to him, asked quickly, his nervousness slightly easing.

“Check it when you get home,” Ling Su replied with a smile, not answering his question.

Receiving this answer, Qiu Yiyuan was momentarily stunned. He took out his phone and quickly looked up the meaning of red tulips, soon seeing the following words:

If someone gives you red tulips, it likely means a confession of love. They represent joy and passionate love.

Holding the tulips, he felt a mix of excitement and other emotions. He couldn’t help but glance at the bouquet again before turning his face towards Ling Su. Normally composed and unflappable, he now blushed slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“What is this?” His deep eyes were stirred with emotions, and he mustered the courage to meet Ling Su’s gaze.

He carefully observed the rare sight of Ling Su being shy. It was hard to reconcile this with the scheming person he had suspected a few days ago. The contrast made it difficult for him to discern reality from illusion.

“It’s a confession. I thought I should make up for it, but saying it in person is a bit embarrassing,” Ling Su said, his ears turning red as he continued in a voice that seemed a mix of shyness and joy.

He perfectly mimicked the demeanor of someone making their first confession, his bright eyes growing more determined, and spoke with solemnity, as if making a vow: “I want to slowly come to you.”

Ling Su’s deep, melodious voice seemed to pierce through Qiu Yiyuan’s heart, making his heartbeat almost stop for a moment. The words echoed in his ears like an enchanting spell, causing him to fall helplessly in love.

Such a gentle and kind person, who confessed out of affection, was shy and earnest. How could he possibly have ulterior motives?

“If there were an everlasting flower in this world, I would wish for it to be this one,” Qiu Yiyuan said softly, holding the tulips carefully.

He wanted to capture a glimmer of light in the darkness, to hold onto this passionate love and Ling Su, even if it required a great price.

His deep voice was filled with unspoken emotion. Ling Su’s black eyes lingered on him, seemingly surprised as he exaggeratedly said, “A specimen?”

Qiu Yiyuan’s lips twitched slightly, and he decided to end the topic there. He looked at the handsome man beside him with a more serious expression. “I also have a gift for you.”

“Hmm? What is it?” Ling Su asked with genuine curiosity, smiling.

“You’ll get it when it’s ready. Until then, you can guess,” Qiu Yiyuan replied, teasingly mimicking his earlier suggestion to check something.

The gift he mentioned was the damaged phone being repaired, but it was only a supplementary gift. He planned to buy a private hospital for Ling Su after having it evaluated, as his birthday was in three months.

“Okay,” Ling Su replied, not pressing further. He then picked up his chopsticks and said softly, “Let’s eat.”

This brought Qiu Yiyuan back to the moment, realizing it was almost noon and their stomachs were still empty. He was about to serve himself some dishes when he hesitated upon seeing the options.

“These dishes…”

“Don’t like them?” Ling Su asked.

He admitted he didn’t have a talent for cooking. Previously, the meals at Xia Wanshi’s rental apartment were either fast food, takeout, or food from the downstairs restaurant. If not for the system helping him integrate some of Ling Su’s skills, the dishes he cooked might have been barely edible.

Looking at Ling Su’s slightly squinted eyes, Qiu Yiyuan suddenly had an insight. He raised his eyebrows and, with a touch of dishonesty, said, “I like them very much.”

Autumn in Ning Chuan was particularly refreshing. The fallen leaves on the tree-lined paths fluttered in the air. Ling Su and Qiu Yiyuan walked side by side, their soft laughter occasionally echoing.

The gift Ling Su gave Qiu Yiyuan was an oil painting of him as the model.

Though the originally stern face was painted with a hint of tenderness, the true intention was to distinguish himself from Ling Su. Ling Su still had the audacity to say he hoped his beloved would smile more.

After visiting several places, night fell quietly. He bid farewell to Qiu Yiyuan and then got back in the car to rest his eyes.

Recalling Qiu Yiyuan’s departure, he could sense his longing to hold hands, but that did not impact his plans for the upcoming show.

Since Qiu Yiyuan was too shy to bring it up and overly concerned about his opinion, Ling Su decided not to accommodate his wishes.

“Additional services are charged separately,” he said, leaning back in the car seat, his refined face partially obscured by the night, his throat emitting a cryptic laugh that left his intentions unclear.

After Ling Su’s elaborate date, Qiu Yiyuan seemed to have eased some of his doubts.

He returned to the Haiyue Group, which kept him extremely busy despite his ability and numerous assistants. He continually reassured himself that things would get better once everything was back on track.

However, when you care about someone, even being busy doesn’t stop you from responding to their messages promptly, and he always made time to reply to Ling Su’s texts.

A month passed, and their communication frequency increased. The oil painting was placed beside his bed, making it easy to think of Ling Su whenever he looked at it.
For him, the few minutes of talking with Ling Su before falling asleep was the most pleasant part of his day.

Unfortunately, Qiu Tongfu’s health was deteriorating, making it difficult for him to find time to meet Ling Su. Even the rare opportunities they had to meet would be marred by Ling Su’s gaze, which made Qiu Yiyuan’s hand freeze, despite his efforts to reach out.

Amidst this relentless schedule, he nearly forgot about the handwriting analysis and investigation into Ling Su. It wasn’t until his subordinates laid out all the data and results before him that he was reminded.

He was not particularly concerned about the results; regardless of Ling Su’s reasons for imitating Yin Zhiyi, he had no intention of pursuing it. However, since the information was now in front of him, he thought it might be useful to understand the underlying reasons. If nothing conclusive emerged, he would choose to trust Ling Su and ask him directly.

Setting aside the sealed handwriting analysis results, he became more interested in Ling Su’s background. Although it seemed improper to investigate his partner’s situation, driven by a desire to understand him better and address any issues, he decided to read through the material.

The details ranged from interpersonal relationships to personal hobbies, all meticulously listed. Based solely on the text, Ling Su appeared consistent with the person Qiu Yiyuan knew.

His family background was simple: both parents were alive, his grandfather had passed away a decade ago, and his grandmother, now retired, spent her time tending to plants. The three generations above him had all been involved in medicine.

He was raised with high expectations, achieved excellent results, and had a gentle personality. His appearance took after his parents’ best traits.

Qiu Yiyuan silently noted down his likes and dislikes, briefly admiring an unfamiliar exam paper before continuing to the next page.

The evaluations from teachers and classmates revealed that he had virtually no flaws, except for a notable lack of talent in the arts.

“Lack of talent?” he frowned at this assessment.

He had heard Ling Su’s performance in Xia Wanshi’s piano room. Even Xia Wanshi, who had studied piano for over a decade, was slightly overshadowed by Ling Su’s performance. The oil painting he had given him, though not a masterpiece, was skillfully done, and certainly did not align with the notion of a lack of artistic talent.

As he turned the page, his gaze froze upon discovering that Ling Su had no formal training in painting and had not shown any talent in this area.

“Impossible…” he gasped, turning his head with difficulty to look at the vividly lifelike oil painting hanging by his bed.

The evaluation and the video link to Ling Su’s piano performance at the hospital’s anniversary celebration, which was uploaded in May, were all accessible online. The video featured Ling Su, whose striking appearance garnered the highest view count, making it easy for Qiu Yiyuan to find.

The piano piece, “Night Piano Piece,” was a beginner-level piece. Although he played without errors, the rhythm was noticeably off compared to the level of performance Qiu Yiyuan had heard in the piano room. The discrepancy was not something that could be remedied with just a few months of practice.

Moreover, the investigation revealed that he had no particular interest in the piano, yet spent time practicing with Xia Wanshi every day.

If there were truly extraordinary talent, it should have been noticed long ago. It was impossible for such progress to occur in just three months.

He felt a sudden rush of breathlessness and a chill ran through him. He took out the repaired XP phone from the hidden compartment, his fingers trembling as he tried to enter the password. It unlocked easily with Xia Wanshi’s birthday.

“Is it really possible for someone to suddenly lose feelings for a childhood sweetheart of over a decade and fall in love with someone of the same sex?” his expression darkened.

A dense fog seemed to obstruct his quest for the truth. He was unsure how to connect all the dots: the investigation showed no direct contact between Ling Su and Yin Zhiyi, yet the similarities between their handwriting and habits, the abrupt changes, and the numerous coincidences forced him to reconsider the absurd guesses from a month ago.

“It’s impossible. There must be something wrong here.” his hand trembled as he gripped the phone tightly, opening the handwriting analysis results with a strained composure.

A person’s writing habits are hard to change. The pressure of the pen and the characteristics of the strokes are almost impossible to match exactly. Even with intentional imitation, the outcome would differ. For unique handwriting like Yin Zhiyi’s, distinguishing differences would be relatively easy.

But when he finished reading the handwriting analysis results, he was hit with an excruciating pain that nearly left him breathless, his forehead veins bulging.

With a look of disbelief and a distorted expression that seemed both tearful and amused, he shredded the analysis results and related materials, throwing them to the ground and stomping on them out of frustration.

Exhausted, he slumped into a nearby chair, his heavy breathing filling the room. His pale lips quivered, unable to form words, as he looked at the remnants of the analysis results, tears trickling down.

The medical records and handwriting samples sent for examination were all from the same person, with no signs of imitation or forgery. The learning notes and other materials had significant differences in stroke techniques…

“Is there really something supernatural in this world?” he sneered, his words dripping with sarcasm and struggle, feeling as though he was tortured by a thousand needles.

It felt as though heaven was playing a cruel joke on him.

He gazed blankly at the ceiling, seemingly lifeless, processing the extreme negative emotions. Without his hardened will from years of training, he felt he might be on the edge of losing control.

“It’s all a joke. Everything is just a joke.”

Rising from the chair, he gave a self-deprecating smile before his face hardened with rage. He clenched his fists and hit the wall with all his strength, the sharp pain somewhat alleviating the anguish in his chest and bringing him a measure of clarity.

His gaze fell on the two phones lying quietly on the table.

With bloodshot eyes, he began searching through Ling Su’s phone, but as expected, nothing incriminating was found. Anything that might have been left behind by Yin Zhiyi was gone.

In this era, where even damaged hardware could potentially recover data as long as it was connected to the internet, restoring lost data was not impossible. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he decided to make a call.

“Hello?” A woman’s smoky voice answered casually on the other end.

“Xiao Li, come over to my place and see if you can recover the lost data from a phone,” his tone was serious.

“Okay, Mr. Qiu. I’ll be right there. Where are you now?” shevasked calmly.

After receiving Qiu Yiyuan’s precise location, Xiao Li’s serious expression immediately vanished. She quickly dialed Yin Zhiyi’s number.

“What’s up?” Yin Zhiyi asked, yawning lazily.

“Mr. Yin, Qiu Yiyuan just called me to help him recover some lost data from his phone,” she reported, revealing all the details without hesitation.

Upon hearing this, Yin Zhiyi’s casual demeanor vanished instantly. His eyes brightened, and a smirk appeared on his lips. “Recover the data and log into my Confidence account on the phone.”

Confidence, being a highly secure software, only allowed viewing of information sent from the same device, even if connected to the internet.

Yin Zhiyi didn’t want Qiu Yiyuan to see anything beyond what he intended. He only needed to “accidentally” log into the account so that after Qiu Yiyuan saw what he wanted, he wouldn’t be able to log in again.

“Got it,” shevagreed without hesitation.

Yin Zhiyi then added, “If possible, I’d like to see Qiu Yiyuan’s situation in real-time.”

And so, the final chapter of this world unfolds…
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https://ko-fi.com/quarinnah