Chapter 129: Lucky

After Duan Liming and her people had left for quite a while, Chaoyue slowly sat up from the bed.

Duan Liming hadn’t taken the phone with her.

Chaoyue opened it and stared at the comment that had been posted less than an hour ago.

So close.

At that time, she had just received a message from Liu Qiu asking whether she could go out.

Although Chaoyue had replied telling her not to, she didn’t believe Liu Qiu would obediently listen.

So she abandoned the surveillance task and drove straight back to the hotel.

The moment she walked into the lobby, she saw Duan Liming entering with her people.

Duan Liming asked her:

“Did you hide Liu Qiu here?”

Liu Qiu has been discovered.

That thought flashed through Chaoyue’s mind, and her brain immediately began working.

Duan Liming didn’t sound very certain, which meant she only knew that Liu Qiu might be here.

Why had she been discovered?

Chaoyue had never mentioned anything about Liu Qiu, nor had she allowed Liu Qiu to go out.

For Duan Liming to suddenly show up like this wasn’t her usual style.

The only explanation was that she had just obtained new information.

But from where?

Not in the real world.

That meant online.

Liu Qiu must have used something and posted something online while staying at this hotel.

Duan Liming discovered it, so she rushed over with people.

With Duan Liming’s capabilities, she could easily pinpoint the exact location where a message was sent.

During the time Duan Liming brought her upstairs, Chaoyue had been thinking.

Finally she tried opening a very popular app online.

She was gambling.

The result proved she had won.

If she had returned just a little later, she might not have been able to fool Duan Liming.

If she had arrived later, it would mean Duan Liming had reached the hotel first.
Then the time and location of the message she sent wouldn’t match.

Duan Liming would definitely not give up.

But because Chaoyue arrived before Duan Liming, she could simply claim she had been staying in the hotel the whole time.

Duan Liming’s mistake was that she had withdrawn the people who had been monitoring Chaoyue.

If someone had kept watching her, this loophole would have been exposed.

Chaoyue stared at the phone in her hand and slowly smiled.

“I originally just wanted to see if there were any secrets.”

She didn’t expect the phone would end up being useful here.

Taking out her own phone, Chaoyue sent Liu Qiu a message.

“Qiuqiu, don’t reply using your drawing account.
Li is Duan Liming.
I just managed to handle the situation.
Be careful.”

At that moment, Liu Qiu was sitting on a bus.

Chaoyue had already set up everything on the phone she gave her, including payment functions.

She felt the phone vibrate in her hand.

When she opened the message, she was stunned.

For a moment, she had the illusion that Duan Liming was everywhere.

So Duan Liming had been paying attention to her for a long time already.

After the shock came helplessness.

Duan Liming was determined to trap her.

Even something as secret as her drawing account had been discovered.

Liu Qiu never thought she was anything special.

She was just an ordinary person.

Someone like Duan Liming belonged to a completely different world.

Duan Liming had surely met countless people far more outstanding than her.

So Liu Qiu didn’t understand.

Why did Duan Liming insist on trapping her?

Just then the bus announcement sounded.

“Qingshui Station has arrived. Passengers getting off, please exit from the rear door.”

Liu Qiu put away her phone and got off the bus.

Another five hundred meters and she would reach the neighborhood.

She touched the mask on her face.

Still there.

As she walked, a mother and daughter passed her.

“Mom, is that person sick?”

“Come on. Don’t look.”

They hurried away as if they had seen something unlucky.

Liu Qiu frowned slightly.

Turning the corner, she saw a figure curled up beside a trash can, hugging their arms.

Her frown deepened.

How can someone be even thinner than Fu Jinyin?

The exposed wrist bones protruded sharply.
The wrist was so thin it looked like only skin remained.

Then—

A bad premonition suddenly rose in Liu Qiu’s heart.

She crouched down and placed her hand on the person’s arm.

Dampness spread from where she touched.

The clothes were wet.

Liu Qiu called softly,

“…Jinyin.”

112 slowly raised her head.

She couldn’t hear anything, but she could feel someone touching her.

She didn’t like being touched.

But she had no strength left to push the person away.

Wet hair covered her vision, leaving only a small gap.

Through that gap, she looked at the person touching her.

The hair blocked her view.

Too troublesome to move it aside, she buried her face back in her knees.

So tired.

Why hasn’t Qiu come back yet?

But Liu Qiu had already seen it—

Those pale eyes hidden beneath the wet hair.

Only Fu Jinyin had eyes like that.

This person really was Fu Jinyin.

Liu Qiu’s heart began beating rapidly.

Chaoyue hadn’t lied to her.

Fu Jinyin was really alive.

Liu Qiu removed her mask and pulled Fu Jinyin up from the ground.

She was heavier than expected.

But she was extremely thin.

Her clothes hung loosely on her body.

She wasn’t even wearing shoes.

Liu Qiu pressed her lips together and brushed aside the wet bangs on Fu Jinyin’s forehead.

Her face slowly came into 112’s view.

Suddenly a sharp pain exploded in 112’s mind.

“You said… if I behaved… you would come back…”

The words were incomplete.

But when she saw the person in front of her—

Liu Qiu took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry, Jinyin. But I’m back.”

“Let’s go home, okay?”

She was so thin. Her cheeks had sunk in.

And her clothes were still wet.

It had rained heavily last night.

Liu Qiu guessed Fu Jinyin probably hadn’t gone home and had stayed here the entire time.

The system tried to comfort her.

“It’s not your fault, host. If she had stayed inside the house none of this would have happened.”

Liu Qiu sighed.

It was too late for regrets.

She turned around and crouched in front of Fu Jinyin.

“Jinyin, get on my back. I’ll carry you.”

112 stood still.

She didn’t understand what the gesture meant.

Liu Qiu waited for a long time.

No movement came from behind.

Finally she stood up helplessly.

“You don’t want me to carry you? Then I’ll carry you in my arms.”

Even though she wasn’t very strong, she could probably manage.

But Fu Jinyin still gave no response.

Suddenly Liu Qiu remembered something.

She brushed aside the hair near Fu Jinyin’s ear.

Her ears were empty.

No hearing aid.

Fu Jinyin usually responded quickly whenever Liu Qiu spoke.

So Liu Qiu had almost forgotten—

Fu Jinyin had hearing impairment.

Liu Qiu felt a sting in her chest.

She took Fu Jinyin’s hand into her own and smiled gently.

“Let’s go. I’ll hold your hand.”

112 couldn’t hear her.

But she saw the smile on Liu Qiu’s face.

Slowly she raised her hand and lightly touched the curved lips.

“Pretty.”

Warmth spread through her chest.

112 didn’t know if she was smiling too.

But she felt happy.

“Qiu—”

It felt like she had spoken the word.

Liu Qiu blinked and nodded.

“Yes, Jinyin. I’m here.”

112’s eyes slowly widened.

Feeling the warm hand in her palm, she tightened her grip.

She had waited.

She had waited for Qiu.

If she behaved well, Qiu would come back for her.

And she did.

Liu Qiu took her to a nearby convenience store to buy some food.

Then they continued walking.

Fine rain began to fall.

Liu Qiu glanced at the gloomy sky but didn’t speed up.

She was afraid Fu Jinyin might hurt her feet.

When they reached home, Liu Qiu’s hair and clothes were slightly wet.

Standing at the door, she suddenly realized something—

She didn’t have the key.

She turned toward Fu Jinyin and made a gesture asking if she had one.

112 watched carefully.

Then she bent down and took a key from under the blanket covering the floor.

She handed it to Liu Qiu.

Liu Qiu opened the door and stepped into the small, narrow home.

When she turned back, Fu Jinyin was still standing at the doorway.

Liu Qiu smiled and held out her hand.

“Jinyin, come in.”

112 stared at her blankly.

Slowly she raised her hand and held the slightly smaller warm hand again.

Qiu belonged to her.

Even though she couldn’t remember, 112 knew—

Qiu was hers.

Outside, the light rain turned into heavy rain, pounding against the windows.

112 sat on the floor while behind her, Qiu sat on the sofa, blow-drying her hair.

Rain poured outside.

The sky was dark and heavy, as if it could collapse over the world at any moment.

112 sat quietly, feeling Qiu’s presence.

Qiu’s hands touching her hair were gentle.

Qiu smelled nice.

She wondered—

Why had she forgotten Qiu?

She wanted to remember.

Everything about Qiu.

“All done. Your hair is dry,” Liu Qiu said softly.

“You never like drying your hair. That’s not good.”

She still received no reply.

Liu Qiu searched the house but couldn’t find the hearing aid.

She would have to buy another one.

A decent one cost at least 10,000 yuan.

Liu Qiu frowned.

She didn’t have that much money.

She had transferred all her money into the card she opened for Fu Jinyin.

112 pressed the remote control.

The television turned on.

Bright colors from the screen filled the small living room with warmth.

“I… like… Qiu. Like.”

The hoarse voice and slow tone were very clear.

Only then did Liu Qiu notice something strange.

Fu Jinyin’s speech had become more rigid.

And she kept calling her only “Qiu.”

But Fu Jinyin could still bathe and change clothes normally.

So Liu Qiu hadn’t noticed earlier.

She opened the memo app on her phone and typed something.

Then she showed it to Fu Jinyin.

It read:

“Jinyin, do you not remember me?”

112 recognized the words.

So the name Jinyin on the screen was her.

Her name was Jinyin.

She nodded.

“I… don’t have… memories.”

She couldn’t hear external sounds.

She couldn’t even hear her own voice.

Liu Qiu sighed deeply.

“Jinyin… how did your life become so hard?”

Even harder than hers.

Liu Qiu thought she herself was lucky.

She had loving parents and friends she grew up with.

Even though being pushed into the water had been terrible.

But the system had given her a second life.

Once she completed the mission, she could return to the real world.

And the mission itself wasn’t killing or harming anyone.

It was simply raising the cheating value.

Overall—

She was lucky.

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