Zhou Benxin's family was in City Z. He'd offered to drive Yun Jianyue back to City A. She declined, opting for the high-speed train instead.
The joke was on anyone who thought she'd drive nine hours when the train took only four.
Her lower back absolutely refused to endure nine hours of torture.
Back in City A, Yun Jianyue sent a message to Du Minghao immediately.
When she arrived downstairs at the SRB building, Du Minghao was already on his way down to meet her.
"Was just about to ask when you'd be back, then your message pops up. Perfect timing. Head upstairs, we need to talk." Du Minghao ushered Yun Jianyue into the elevator, swiping his access card.
It was her first time visiting the SRB during the day. She noted it looked remarkably similar to a nighttime visit.
Hardly anyone was actually sitting at their desks working!
"Your SRB department barely has any staff but occupies an entire floor? Wasting state resources?" Yun Jianyue scoffed.
Du Minghao gritted his teeth. "Because most of us are in the field. The people you see here are all tech support and logistics personnel, handling data and backend operations." He rarely had a day off field duty, and now he got mocked for it.
Yun Jianyue pointed at Si Wuming, sound asleep with his eyes closed at his workstation. "He's slacking off. Doesn't he get salary deductions?"
"He's different. No one dares dock his pay," Du Minghao explained.
From Du Minghao, Yun Jianyue gleaned snippets about Si Wuming.
He was the junior fellow disciple of the current leader of Lingxi Sect. Within the esoteric circles, his seniority was high; except for the oldest masters, everyone else addressed him respectfully as 'junior uncle' at the very least. Those of even lower standing even addressed him as 'ancestor'.
Moreover, he was reputedly an unparalleled genius within the entire Xuanmen community. It was said his mastery rivaled that of the greatest living masters.
The SRB had hired him at an astronomical price. They borrowed him whenever complex cases arose. During downtime, Si Wuming clocked in at the City A SRB branch.
Eight hours a day, weekends off, national holidays observed.
So, no one cared if Si Wuming slept at his desk. He could host hotpot parties or raves in his office as long as he clocked in. Upper management wouldn't bat an eyelid.
Truth be told… they wouldn't care even if he didn't clock in, as long as he showed up for critical assignments.
"Go on in. Old Cai's waiting." Du Minghao pushed open Cai Zeyu's office door, letting Yun Jianyue enter.
Inside, Cai Zeyu was hammering away noisily at his keyboard.
Yun Jianyue walked in as naturally as if she owned the place. She poured herself a cup of tea, cradled it, and browsed the titles on Cai Zeyu's bookshelves.
"You're making yourself awfully comfortable. Like this is your office," Cai Zeyu remarked dryly, approaching her with a thick folder. "Take a look at this."
Yun Jianyue scanned the documents rapidly, her usually calm expression hardening with rare seriousness. "What's the meaning of this?"
The folder contained detailed records concerning her deceased mother.
Cai Zeyu knew Yun Jianyue was sharp and skipped the pretense.
"You understand your case is unique. We had to investigate you. Our background check revealed your life was entirely ordinary until now. So, we shifted focus to your blood relatives. We discovered your mother's identity… might be far from ordinary."
The documents chronicled the life of her mother, Yun Xiangrong.
They stated Xiangrong was adopted by the Yun family, bearing no biological relation to them, yet she'd grown up unaware of this fact.
Crucially, the records indicated Xiangrong had vanished ten years ago.
But Yun Jianyue clearly remembered her mother dying in a fire. The family had consistently claimed the same.
"I know you have questions. But the evidence is clear. We discreetly checked your mother's grave. No corpse. No ashes. It's a cenotaph – an empty memorial." Cai Zeyu paused meaningfully. "You need to ask your family what really happened."
He opened the bookshelf, rummaged, and pulled out a hefty stack of books, handing them to Yun Jianyue. "Return these when you're done."
"Why tell me this?" Yun Jianyue asked.
The SRB, with their resources, could easily have investigated fully themselves and filed the report away.
"Because we hit a dead end. We could use… forceful methods to extract information from your family. But after our few encounters…" Cai Zeyu shrugged, a half-smile playing on his lips, "I suspect you'd hunt me down and chop me into pieces one dark night if we did that."
He saw raw, untamed power in Yun Jianyue. Immersed in the Xuanmen arts, she could become formidable. He didn't mind currying favor.
"Understanding your mother likely holds the key to the mysteries surrounding you," Cai Zeyu stated, meeting her gaze directly. "And I think… you want those answers yourself."
The adage 'Ignorance is bliss' didn't apply to her. Even their brief acquaintance told him this woman would chase the truth relentlessly.
Yun Jianyue stacked the heavy books in her arms. The intense seriousness vanished from her face, replaced by an eloquent eye-roll. "Stop pretending to be profound, you closet romance reader obsessed with That Guy Is So Hot."
With that, she turned on her heel and strode purposefully out of the office.
Cai Zeyu stood frozen for a beat, then lunged towards the bookshelf, scouring the bottom shelf's corner. The paperback copy of That Guy Is So Hot lay exactly where he'd forgotten it.
"Dammit! I thought I hid all those books before she came! How was it still here?!"
Exiting the office, Yun Jianyue surveyed the bustling SRB main floor. Everyone was engrossed in work.
Except Si Wuming, sleeping peacefully.
As she passed Si Wuming's desk, he silently extended his hand without opening his eyes. He offered her a single book.
Yun Jianyue glanced down at the garishly colored cover: Eighteen Babies at Once: The President's Runaway Pregnant Wife.
"Cai Zeyu's?" Yun Jianyue inquired softly.
"Mn." Si Wuming placed the book on top of her stack. After a deliberate pause, he slid another book from the pile to conceal the scandalous title beneath it.
A swarm of self-conscious flies buzzed in Yun Jianyue's mind.
How did he know? Wasn't I perfectly subtle?
Eighteen babies at once! The sheer absurdity sang to her soul. Her secret weakness laid bare!
Du Minghao spotted her leaving and hurried over, escorting her downstairs.
Yun Jianyue hailed a taxi home.
She'd barely kicked off her shoes upon entering her apartment when her phone rang.
Yun Jianyue glanced at the screen. The caller ID read: Aunt.
The information from the folder, Cai Zeyu's words—they flooded back instantly. Yun Jianyue clutched the phone, silent for a long moment as the ringtone echoed, nearing its final beep. Only then did she finally answer.
"Hello, Auntie."