Rain traced winding paths down the glass curtain wall, twisting the city’s neon lights into blurred smears of color. Lin Mo stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the edge of his phone. The last system notification on the screen had been lingering there for three hours: [Junior Network activated; matching business resources...]
"Sir, your coffee."
The waiter placed a bone china cup gently onto the marble tabletop. The crisp sound of the cup hitting the surface made Lin Mo snap back to reality. As he turned, he bumped into a potted plant behind him, causing the leaves of the monstera to tremble with a soft rustle.
"Watch the step."
Su Yuqing’s voice drifted down from the top of the spiral staircase. She was wearing a pearl-gray cashmere dress today, her hair pulled back into a loose bun that revealed the sharp lines of her jaw. Lin Mo noticed that the wedding ring on her left ring finger was gone—the first time she had taken it off in their two years of marriage.
"Did you write the short-selling report on Huafeng Technology?" Su Yuqing pushed a tablet toward him. The screen displayed that morning’s financial news. "Chen Hao told the Board of Directors that this was insider trading."
Lin Mo’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He had taken a risk and used the Junior Network during the system's maintenance window, never expecting it would leave such an obvious trail. The rain outside the window intensified suddenly; the sound of droplets hammering against the glass was like countless tiny alarms.
"I can explain..."
"Don't." Su Yuqing suddenly grabbed his wrist, her nails digging into his skin. "Father hired a private investigator."
Her palms were icy, and she was trembling in a way that expensive perfume couldn't mask. Only then did Lin Mo notice a man in a tan trench coat standing in the shadows of the stairwell corner, his camera lens reflecting cold light under the chandelier.
The Su Family mansion was deathly quiet at midnight. Lin Mo locked the bathroom door and turned the faucet on full blast. Steam quickly clouded the mirror; he wiped a patch clear, and the reflection stared back at him with bloodshot eyes.
"You are seventeen minutes late," the System Spirit’s voice drifted from the smart speaker, its electronically synthesized tone tinged with displeasure. "Overusing the Junior Network will trigger anti-tracking protocols."
Lin Mo slammed his towel onto the vanity. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"Query Q-2039: Does the host’s emotional volatility affect task efficiency?" The Spirit abruptly switched to a mechanical Q&A mode. "Respiration regulation is recommended."
The sound of the shower drowned out Lin Mo’s curse. By the time he turned off the faucet, the Spirit had projected three documents onto the steam-misted tiles—all of them photos of a secret meeting between Chen Hao and the Su Family’s second uncle, taken shortly after the charity gala last week.
"New task: Expose Chen Hao’s corporate espionage at Su Yuqing’s birthday banquet," the Spirit’s voice suddenly became real, as if someone were whispering right against his ear. "Reward: Unlock intermediate data analysis module."
Lin Mo spun around, but there was only a transparent, dissipating silhouette in the steam. He reached out to grab it, catching nothing but a handful of warm water droplets.
On the day of the birthday banquet, the crystal chandeliers of the Peninsula Hotel illuminated the ballroom as if it were daylight. Lin Mo stood near the champagne tower in a corner, watching Su Yuqing surrounded by celebrities. She was wearing her wedding ring today, the diamond refracting dazzling spots of light.
"I heard you gave a set of Ru ware tea sets?" Chen Hao appeared by his side, his pocket square matching the color of Su Yuqing’s dress. "What a coincidence, I prepared a celadon glaze from the Northern Song Dynasty as well."
Lin Mo’s wine glass froze in mid-air. The data the system provided last night explicitly stated Chen Hao would be gifting a diamond necklace—this was an unplanned variable.
"Uncle Su has been very concerned about your nocturnal activities lately," Chen Hao leaned in close to his ear, his breath smelling of tobacco mixed with mint mouthwash. "For example... talking to yourself when no one is around?"
Applause erupted in the ballroom. Su Zhiyuan walked his daughter toward the center stage, and waiters began presenting gifts from the guests one after another. Lin Mo watched as two identical celadon gift boxes were placed side-by-side on a velvet tray. Su Zhiyuan’s gaze swept over him like the blade of a knife.
"Explain yourself?" Su Yuqing had broken away from her father at some point, the sound of her heels clicking against the marble floor like a countdown. She held one of the opened gift boxes, the warm-toned glaze of the tea set shimmering with a mysterious luster under the lights.
Lin Mo’s temples throbbed. The system interface suddenly flashed a red warning across his retina: [Signal interference detected; a third-party device is duplicating the system frequency.]
"This isn't a coincidence." Lin Mo gripped Su Yuqing’s wrist, lowering his voice as she struggled. "Chen Hao planted a bug in your father’s study; they knew what I was going to bring."
A sharp sound of shattering glass came from the stage. As the crowd turned, they saw Su Zhiyuan smash the second celadon cup. Porcelain shards flew toward Lin Mo’s feet, tracing a gleaming arc.
"Call the police," Su Zhiyuan told the butler, though his eyes remained fixed on Lin Mo. "Someone has stolen trade secrets."
The ballroom lights suddenly went black. The moment the emergency lights flickered on, Lin Mo saw Chen Hao holding up his phone; blue code identical to the system interface was scrolling across its screen.
In the darkness, Su Yuqing’s fingers suddenly interlaced with his. Her wedding ring pressed painfully into his skin, but the warmth of her palm felt real enough to make him shudder.
"Run." She shoved the car keys into his pocket, her breath hitting his neck and sending a chill down his spine. "Now."
The motion-sensor lights in the underground garage flickered on one by one. By the time Lin Mo started the sports car, the flashlight beams of security guards were already appearing in his rearview mirror. As the engine roared to life, the dashboard screen flickered on automatically, and the System Spirit’s avatar appeared on the navigation display.
"Interference source located," the Spirit’s electronic voice was laced with static. "Chen Hao’s server is on the 17th floor of the Binhai Building."
Lin Mo yanked the steering wheel to avoid an oncoming security vehicle. Amidst the screech of tires against the pavement, he caught a glimpse of a brown paper bag in the passenger seat—it contained the photos the private investigator had retrieved that morning, and the top photo clearly showed the system interface floating in mid-air.
His phone vibrated. A text from an unknown number contained only three words: "Believe in me."
The rain began to fall again. The veil of water on the windshield blurred the city lights into smudged colors, just like that rainy night they had first forged their partnership. Lin Mo pressed down on the accelerator. In the rearview mirror, the silhouette of the Peninsula Hotel was gradually swallowed by the rain, save for one window on the top floor that remained lit, faintly casting the silhouette of a slender figure.