Chapter 21

Jiang Huai knew that his master was losing his patience, so he hurriedly tried to salvage the situation. "But I did run into Qiao Tiyue at the seminar."

Upon hearing this, the oppressive aura surrounding the man eased slightly.

Seeing an opening, Jiang Huai quickly continued, "I intended to ask her to put in a good word and invite Elder Qiao to come out of retirement, but I was refused."

Jin Yuchuan did not show much emotional fluctuation at this news.

He had been trying to reach the elder for such a long time without success; he wasn't about to make an exception for Qiao Tiyue, even if she was his own granddaughter. It was said that Qiao Tiyue possessed extraordinary talent in traditional Chinese medicine. Despite her youth, her capabilities were remarkable. And now, she had appeared at a neurology seminar...

Jin Yuchuan fell silent for two seconds before looking at him, his gaze returning to a state of calm.

"Find a way to contact her."

With that final word, he picked up the suit jacket from the back of his chair and strode out.

Jiang Huai stood where he was, feeling troubled. Qiao Tiyue’s background was far from ordinary, and because she wished to avoid relying on her grandfather's reputation, she went to great lengths to conceal her identity. Getting in touch with her was going to be incredibly difficult.

...

In an apartment, Qiao Tiyue was organizing some documents when her computer suddenly emitted a beep and the screen went black.

The work she had been doing was not yet saved, yet faced with this sudden malfunction, Qiao Tiyue remained remarkably composed.

Two seconds later, a man appeared on the screen. He was sitting in a cramped basement, the lighting so dim that his face was obscured. The instant noodles in his hand were still steaming, and empty noodle cups were scattered haphazardly around him.

Qiao Tiyue frowned, a look of distaste crossing her face.

"Your boss is so wealthy; did she not sponsor you a decent place to live?"

"She offered us a whole building, but I still prefer my little basement. I suppose I’m just used to the rough life, nothing I can do about that," Yun Cheng replied, leaning back in his chair with a cup of noodles in one hand, his tone relaxed.

Qiao Tiyue smiled. "Did you need something from me?"

Yun Cheng sat bolt upright, his expression turning serious. "The Boss has gone missing."

Qiao Tiyue’s expression remained indifferent. Instead of asking for details, she retorted, "If she doesn't want to be found, isn't that quite easy for her? Perhaps she just didn't want you to disturb her reunion with her family."

"Impossible!" Yun Cheng immediately countered. "The Boss was being tracked that day and had to intervene personally. We’ve tried to contact her several times since, but we haven't been able to get through at all."

"We checked the Boss's phone; it has absolutely no signal, yet we can still send her messages. They just never get a response."

If Ye Chunxi truly wanted to hide her tracks, she wouldn't leave any channels open. It seemed that something had genuinely gone wrong.

Qiao Tiyue knit her brows. "She really wasted her efforts raising you lot."

With an entire hacker alliance supporting her from the shadows, the fact that she had to intervene personally was absurd.

Yun Cheng was also puzzled. "I don't know what kind of person the Boss provoked, but this situation is incredibly thorny."

After a brief pause, Qiao Tiyue looked at him, confused. "If your boss is missing, why aren't you looking for her? Why come to me?"

Yun Cheng explained, "The Boss left us a location signal two days ago. It lasted for only a split second, and we didn't pay it much mind at the time. We only just realized it was her signal. It indicated she was in Jin City, but we’ve searched everywhere and found no trace of her. Someone must be intentionally concealing her whereabouts, so I wanted to ask you to keep an eye out."

If they couldn't find her through the internet, they had to resort to more direct methods. With Ye Chunxi's capabilities, they weren't worried that she would be in any real danger, but they couldn't just sit idly by.

"Do you know who is suppressing the information?"

Yun Cheng shook his head. "The other party is not someone to be trifled with."

There were very few who could leave them helpless, and Ye Chunxi was one of them. But in this situation, if she really were concealing her own information, she would have left some kind of clue.

Qiao Tiyue nodded in agreement. The next second, the computer returned to normal, and the files she had been organizing were safely sitting in their folder.

...

At the Jinshui Pavilion.

Ling Qiao clicked his tongue repeatedly. "I’m only allowed to stay in the wing rooms, and yet Master Jin has let you stay in an entire courtyard all by yourself."

After all these years of friendship, he still couldn't compare to a "little sister" who had been picked up off the street!

Ye Chunxi didn't know what he was thinking, nor did she know his relationship with Jin Yuchuan. She looked at the Jinshui Pavilion before her and found the arrangement reasonable.

Stepping inside, the antique architecture paired with modern technology without any sense of dissonance. Housekeeper Kong stood by the door, maintaining a respectful distance.

"Miss Ye, please get settled. If you need anything, just let me know." He took out his phone. "This is my number."

Ye Chunxi saved Housekeeper Kong’s number and bid him farewell. When she turned back, she found Ling Qiao sitting on a rattan chair by the window, his legs crossed in a carefree manner, rocking back and forth leisurely. A vintage wind chime hung above, tinkling in the breeze.

The bodyguards had left after dropping off her bags, leaving only the two of them in the room. Ling Qiao’s behavior was far too casual; he acted as if he were completely at home.

Ye Chunxi frowned slightly. "What is your relationship with my brother?"

Ling Qiao blurted out, "Brothers." Brothers who had faced life and death together.

Recalling how Ling Qiao had addressed Jin Yuchuan earlier, Ye Chunxi naturally assumed they were brothers in the sense of loyalty and friendship.

The first floor was the living room, so Ye Chunxi left him there and headed to the bedroom upstairs. She didn't have many belongings, and the daily necessities had already been prepared by the servants.

Ye Chunxi set down her backpack and looked out the window. The rain had eased, the drizzle fine and light, making no sound. The distant mountains were shrouded in thin mist, looking all the more tranquil.

She turned her gaze back to the desktop computer on the table, a flicker of curiosity rising in her heart. After watching a few minutes of animation, she felt it was a waste of time. She exited the program and tapped a few keys randomly. With a "beep," the screen went pitch black.

Before Ye Chunxi could react, the computer sprang to life, displaying a string of colorful characters that looked like garbled code. She stared at it for a long time, then suddenly remembered something and opened the notes app on her phone. There was only one entry, containing a messy string of characters.

These characters were the only thing she remembered after waking up. Ye Chunxi had studied their meaning before, but to no avail. Now, seeing this code, she pursed her lips. For some reason, she felt as though she could understand it.

Ye Chunxi tried to decipher it with a tentative mindset. Two minutes later, she understood how to use those characters. It was an account password.

As if struck by lightning, a faint, tingling electrical sensation surged deep within her brain. Ignoring the sharp pain in her head, she typed a single character on the keyboard—"X."

The screen changed, and Ye Chunxi’s mind cleared, a sense of sudden enlightenment washing over her. Before she could investigate further, a line of text appeared on the screen:

【Boss, you finally remembered your password!!】

It was followed by two excited emojis.

Ye Chunxi raised an eyebrow slightly. Boss? Did the person on the other end know her? Having lost her memories, Ye Chunxi couldn't be certain, so she simply replied: 【Yes.】