The two returned to the living room and saw Lin Shuangshuang tilting her head, staring motionlessly in one direction, as if listening carefully to some sound.
Upon seeing them return, Lin Shuangshuang asked, "Did you hear anything?"
Wen Bai remained expressionless and silent.
Ji Tianle, naturally supportive of the woman he liked, said, "Huh? Didn't hear anything, what sound?"
Lin Shuangshuang listened carefully again, and the sound had vanished.
She smiled sheepishly, "Maybe I misheard."
The two did not stay long. After Wen Bai declined Lin Shuangshuang's invitation to eat together, they left shortly after.
The house returned to quiet.
It was almost noon, but Aunt Wang hadn't arrived yet. Wen Bai felt drowsy and decided to take a nap, intending to get up when Aunt Wang arrived and prepared the meal.
Wen Bai walked up the stairs towards his room. The now quiet house made even the slightest sound clearly audible.
As he walked, Wen Bai's steps on the stairs halted.
System 001: "Host, there is indeed a sound. The female lead didn't mishear. I see you're quite satisfied with living here now, and it doesn't interfere with our mission. So, do we still need to investigate?"
This wasn't the first time. Wen Bai had heard this sound since his first day here.
He weighed it in his mind.
Initially, he chose to ignore it, to not care about anything, because he didn't expect to stay here long. Whatever happened here, whatever secrets it held, had nothing to do with him.
However, Su Ying's cooking was exceptionally good. Not just good, but the best he had ever tasted.
With that thought, Wen Bai retracted his steps and turned to go back down.
Wen Bai slowly followed the direction of the sound. It was coming from the first floor.
"Host, rest assured, no matter what unexpected situation arises, I can still guarantee your safety," System 001 promised.
In reality, whether System 001 made a promise or not, Wen Bai would do as he pleased. It was precisely because he was this kind of person that he was abandoned time and again. It was because he was this kind of person that he was rejected by all systems and exiled to that desolate place.
He walked through a long corridor and arrived at a room with a closed door, a rather ancient-looking one.
"Knock knock... knock knock... knock knock..."
The rhythmic sound continued.
Wen Bai placed his hand on the doorknob and gently turned it.
The sound inside immediately stopped, followed by a sudden, much faster, and more urgent "knock knock knock..."
It was even accompanied by strange sounds, like something scratching at the door.
"Could there be a monster locked inside? But there are no wild animals in urban areas in this world," System 001 speculated.
A crease of annoyance formed on Wen Bai's brow. The door couldn't be turned or pushed open; it was locked.
"Can you open this door?"
System 001 humbly replied, "I can try."
The door creaked open.
Wen Bai pushed the door open with a blank expression.
Yu Yang leaned against the genuine leather sofa in his studio, holding a sketch. The white paper had only a tiny corner filled with ink of varying shades. He had been looking at this drawing for half an hour.
A seemingly very young man walked past him from behind, stooping to peer at what he was holding.
"Brother Yang, is this your new work? It looks quite striking! Which client is it designed for?"
Yu Yang snapped back to attention, turned the drawing in his hand, and carefully folded it. "No."
He had been feeling very agitated lately. He even felt that the matters around him were becoming troublesome.
He had thought he had met the person who had saved him and his mother. He had seen the necklace that he had been searching for since he was a child.
He would never mistake it.
He had been studying art since he was young. At the time of the incident, his skill was enough to reproduce that necklace on paper.
He had drawn the necklace when he returned home, as well as the likeness of the little girl.
They said that a girl changes dramatically by eighteen. They were both too young then.
A little girl's appearance would naturally change as she grew up. Moreover, in this era, with different styles, hairstyles, and even makeup, it was truly difficult to recognize that little girl from back then.
The last time he saw Lin Shuangshuang wearing an identical necklace, he had been about to ask her about it, but she seemed to misunderstand him and was unwilling to interact with him.
As a man, he couldn't keep bothering someone by being shamelessly persistent.
He hadn't found an opportunity to ask her legitimately, and then he saw the same necklace on his girlfriend, and even the little nurse at the hospital had one.
He had searched for this necklace for so many years without seeing it, and now, in such a short period, he had encountered three identical ones. The cracks were even in the same position, with the same depth. Was that crack merely a pattern? Was this necklace mass-produced?
Before he could finish his thoughts, the drawing in his hand was snatched away.
"What are you looking at? So engrossed that you didn't hear me calling you a few times."
"Hello, sister-in-law!"
"Mm, go on with your work. Just get me a coffee, don't mind me." Jiang Yiyi commanded with the air of a proprietress.
Yu Yang felt a headache coming on. He wanted to retrieve the drawing from her, but Jiang Yiyi was quicker. She swiftly unfolded the paper and then froze.
It was that necklace, the one Wen Bai had given her, telling her it could help salvage their relationship.
This necklace was indeed useful, but precisely because of its usefulness, it had become a thorn in her heart.
She and Yu Yang had known each other for a considerable time before getting together, yet she had never known about this necklace or the story it represented.
Wen Bai had told her not to ask and not to mention it.
But she wanted to ask.
"Do you like this necklace so much?" Saying this, Jiang Yiyi took off the necklace she was wearing.
She had been wearing it around her neck since that day, even though the style wasn't particularly suitable for her and didn't align with her aesthetic.
"If you wanted to see it, you could have just told me. For any request you make, I wouldn't refuse. Why go through the trouble of drawing it and secretly looking at it here?"
Someone brought coffee and placed it on the table. Hearing this, they teased, "So it was designed for sister-in-law."
Jiang Yiyi's heart felt heavy. A person you thought you knew well, your lover.
You discover they have stories you don't know, a past you can't comprehend, and they are unwilling to share it with you.
Yu Yang didn't seem inclined to avoid the issue today. "Your necklace..."
A wave of panic enveloped Jiang Yiyi. A hint of panic flickered across her face, which was adorned with elaborate makeup, but it was fleeting.
"I never question your affairs. If there's something you don't want to say, I hope you won't ask. If you simply like this necklace, I can lend it to you to look at. It's very important to me." It truly was important; this necklace could help her keep Yu Yang by her side, though she didn't know the exact reason why.
However...
Jiang Yiyi took out her phone.
Rather than taking a risk with Yu Yang, she decided to directly ask the other person who knew the truth.