Chapter 128: Leave

Death is very close to people, yet also very far away.

So close that in the very next moment, someone might die.
Yet so far that it may take decades before one finally touches it.

Duan Liming looked at herself in the mirror and asked,

“When will I die?”

The bathroom was silent.
No one would answer her.

Three days had passed since Liu Qiu’s death.

The person who installed the bomb on the ship still hadn’t been found.

That person had planted bombs on all of her cruise ships.

It was as if the moment she chose to board one, something would inevitably happen.

Duan Liming slowly closed her eyes.

She was exhausted.

I’m going to sleep for a while. I’ll leave the body to you.

When she opened her eyes again, the cold indifference that usually surrounded Duan Liming had vanished completely.

Although it was the same face, the feeling she gave off was completely different.

“You’re the one who caused her death. If you had stayed asleep, this would never have happened.”

Duan Liming spoke softly, without shouting or anger, as if she were merely stating an ordinary fact.

“You’re always so self-righteous.”

She walked out of the room. In the villa, everyone continued their work in an orderly manner.

“Where’s Chaoyue?”

Someone replied,

“Boss, Miss Chaoyue still seems to be asleep.”

Just as the words fell, Chaoyue’s voice—carrying a faint smile—came drifting over.

“Sister Liming, why are you looking for me?”

Duan Liming turned her head.

Chaoyue was playing a mobile game with her head lowered, her gaze never once drifting toward Duan Liming.

Nothing seemed unusual.

Duan Liming looked away.

“Chaoyue, go keep an eye on Duan Fan.”

Chaoyue gave a small sound.

“She’s dead.”

After saying that, she put down her phone, looked up at Duan Liming, and flashed a bright smile.

“Sure.”

Chaoyue left the house, casually chose a low-key black sedan from Duan Liming’s garage, hummed a tune, and drove away.

Just as she thought.

Duan Liming always overlooked certain things.

Now everyone believed Liu Qiu was dead.

Oh—no.
Duan Fan might be the only one who didn’t believe it yet.

Duan Liming had told her to monitor Duan Fan, probably because Duan Fan’s mental state was unstable and something might happen.

Duan Liming was quite calm.
You couldn’t tell at all that her newly-wed wife had just died.

But that made sense.

Someone willing to continue funding research on experimental subjects—how good of a person could she really be?

Chaoyue tapped her fingers lightly on the steering wheel.

She hadn’t hidden Liu Qiu very far away—just in an ordinary hotel.

Originally she wanted to bring the octopus over so Liu Qiu could feel at ease.

But somehow the octopus had woken up and left without saying a word.

If Duan Liming discovered her, the octopus would probably die for good this time.

And Chaoyue didn’t have the ability to save her a second time.

*

“System… do you think Chaoyue really saved Fu Jinyin?”

Liu Qiu sat on the bed hugging a pillow, her gaze slightly unfocused.

The system replied:

“She probably did. Host, you shouldn’t think too much about it. Just focus on resting.”

Liu Qiu’s eyes slowly regained focus.

She sighed.

“System… I don’t want to see anyone die. Even if this is just a mission world.”

The system comforted her.

“Maybe in a few days you’ll be able to see her.”

Liu Qiu pursed her lips and slowly lay down.

“Mm… I’ll wait a few days.”

That night, while half-asleep, Liu Qiu heard the sound of a door unlocking.

“Beautiful, you can really hold your liquor.”

Click.

The room light turned on.

Liu Qiu sat up from the bed and rubbed her eyes.

Still groggy, her voice sounded soft and hoarse.

“Chaoyue… you’re back.”

Chaoyue smiled at her.

“Ah? There’s another person here? I’m not into threesomes.”

Liu Qiu looked at the woman hanging drunkenly on Chaoyue’s shoulder and frowned slightly.

“What’s a threesome?”

“A threesome means… three people together—”

Chaoyue suddenly reached out and grabbed the woman’s neck, squeezing slightly.

The woman instantly fainted.

Chaoyue tossed her onto the sofa.

Liu Qiu stared blankly, not understanding what Chaoyue was doing.

Chaoyue walked over and sat beside Liu Qiu on the bed.

“Did I wake you?”

Liu Qiu shook her head.

“No.”

She pointed to the woman on the couch.

“That person…”

Chaoyue explained,

“I needed someone to cover my tracks in case Duan Liming noticed something strange.”

“She’ll just think I came here to sleep with someone. She won’t suspect you’re here.”

Liu Qiu’s eyes widened slightly.

With complete sincerity she said,

“Chaoyue… you’re so smart.”

Chaoyue burst into laughter and suddenly hugged Liu Qiu tightly, rubbing against her.

“Darling, you’re way too cute.”

Even without her memories, Chaoyue could now personally understand why she had once been unable to forget Liu Qiu.

Liu Qiu lowered her eyes shyly.

She genuinely thought Chaoyue was very smart.

Since cutting her hair short, Chaoyue’s hair brushed lightly against Liu Qiu as they leaned together.

“Chaoyue, stop rubbing—”

But Chaoyue refused to let go.

“Qiuqiu… you smell so good. I really like it.”

Liu Qiu laughed.

“It’s just the hotel body wash. If you take a shower later, you’ll smell the same.”

Chaoyue blinked.

Then suddenly she pulled Liu Qiu down onto the bed with her.

“Qiuqiu, I want to tell you something.”

Liu Qiu lifted her head slightly and looked at Chaoyue’s delicate chin.

“What is it?”

Chaoyue lowered her head and rubbed her cheek against Liu Qiu’s soft hair.

“Actually… everything your mother did was ordered by Duan Liming.”

“She told your mother to threaten you using the octopus. The ring was also given by her.”

“Let’s hate her together, okay, Qiuqiu?”

As she spoke, Chaoyue released Liu Qiu and took out her phone, showing her a video.

The video wasn’t very clear. The angle was strange, as if it had been filmed from the ground.

It pointed at the ceiling.

“Is that possible, President Liu? If you want an heir, we should cooperate.”

“How do you know Liu Qiu will agree? She would rather pick trash than divorce—even the company didn’t matter to her.”

“She will. As long as you find something she values… like the people around her.”

The camera shook.

For a brief moment Liu Qiu saw half of Liu Yaoming’s face.

And the back of a woman wearing a crescent-colored cheongsam.

Liu Qiu sat there stunned for a long time.

She had always believed Duan Liming merely didn’t refuse the Liu family’s arranged marriage request.

She never imagined that everything had been orchestrated by Duan Liming from the beginning.

Liu Qiu opened her mouth.

After a long sigh, she said,

“Alright… we’ll hate her together.”

Chaoyue hugged her again.

“Qiuqiu is so cute.”

“Even at thirty you’re this cute.”

Liu Qiu blinked but didn’t correct her.

The original host was twenty-eight.

She herself was even younger—only twenty-one.

(Later that night — another perspective)

Hunger.

So hungry.

The thought filled 112’s mind completely.

She sat up from the sofa and looked outside.

It was raining heavily.

She was hungry.

She needed food.

After thinking for a long time, 112 finally stood up and walked toward the door.

Buying food required money.

She needed to wait for Qiu to come find her.

She couldn’t starve to death.

She had to use the money meant for Jinyin.

112 felt like she should understand many things.

But her mind felt completely empty.

She held the bank card in her hand and looked at the picture book in her arms.

After pressing her lips together, she placed it carefully on the sofa.

The rain would ruin the paper.

She didn’t open it.

She would wait for Qiu and open it together.

She was very obedient.

Thunder roared outside.

112 stepped into the rain barefoot.

The water soaked the scabbed wounds on the bottom of her feet.

Ah.

She forgot to wear shoes.

But it didn’t matter.

She liked water.

Rain falling on her body felt comfortable.

It was so quiet.

She couldn’t hear anything.

As she walked slowly through the rain, she wondered:

What sound does rain make?

What does talking sound like?

People around her opened and closed their mouths.

But she couldn’t hear them.

112 only saw their expressions.

Disgust.

Hatred.

As if they wished she would disappear.

Her body trembled.

She staggered away and ran.

She wanted to go home.

She hid in an alley corner.

Curling up against the wall as the rain poured down over her.

Water slid down from the corner of her eyes.

She didn’t know if it was rain or tears.

It tasted bitter.

She raised her hand and gently patted her own head.

“Be good… don’t cry.”

Then she froze.

Why did she do that?

It felt strange.

Then she remembered.

When she cried—

Qiu would pat her head like this.

So that was something Qiu used to do.

Why hasn’t Qiu come back yet?

She felt terrible.

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