Chapter 54 Resurrection05

When Su Yu left Lin Shuicheng's house that day, he felt as if he was walking on air. In a short span of time, his worldview seemed to have undergone a complete transformation, and his spirit had been deeply shaken.

He had no idea what had transpired between Lin Shuicheng and Fu Luoyin, nor did he dare to ask. Checking his phone, he saw that Fu Luoyin had called him twice and sent a message asking how he was doing.

With trembling hands, Su Yu marked the read message as unread, muttering to himself, "I don't know... I really don't know..."

He was even considering staying at home for the next few days to help with Yan Zi's birthday party preparations. Yan Zi enjoyed organizing her own celebrations, and without giving him a chance to argue, she had kicked him out to intern. At this moment, Su Yu began to miss the warmth of home.

As he scrolled through his phone messages, a new incoming call notification popped up: "Dong Shuoye calling. Answer?"

It was already eight in the evening.

Rubbing his eyes, Su Yu pressed the answer button.

"Have you had dinner? Want to grab some late-night snacks?" Dong Shuoye asked. "There's a new barbecue place near Star University High School. It's from the same chain as the one across the street before, I wonder if it's still as tasty."

Su Yu replied, "I just finished eating, but sure, why not?"

"Did you find a job yet?" Dong Shuoye inquired. "When I called your place the other day, Auntie said you were interning at the hospital?"

"Yes, I'm almost bald from worrying. I studied two majors, but I don't want to work in either field. The only options seem to be hospitals, forensic science, or law." Su Yu sighed. "What have you been up to lately?"

It had been a few days since he last contacted Dong Shuoye, and Fu Luoyin as well. However, he knew Fu Luoyin was busy, and he hadn't kept track of what Dong Shuoye was doing.

"Not much, let's grab a meal then," Dong Shuoye replied. "I've missed you, little fish. It's been a few days."

Su Yu's goosebumps were rising. "Scram, scram! Alright, eight thirty it is. If you arrive early, remember to order me braised tofu and crispy chicken feet, the softest ones."

"Sure, see you then."

As Su Yu hailed a taxi to head over, he slowly recalled that Xia Ran seemed to have returned recently.

The Xia family had moved to the old North American branch, along with their businesses in Star City which had gradually shifted there over the years, some rented out, others sold. Since no one from the Xia family was in Star City, Xia Ran appeared to be staying at the Dong residence this time.

There was a history of conflict between the Su and Xia families. No wonder Dong Shuoye hadn't mentioned these matters to him.

When he arrived, Dong Shuoye was already there, having ordered double servings of the braised tofu and chicken feet as requested, as well as takeout from Su Yu's favorite milk tea shop.

Su Yu happily joined in for the feast, while Dong Shuoye asked, "Why are you so early? I thought you'd still be on your way."

Su Yu said, "I just came back from Star University."

Dong Shuoye raised an eyebrow. "Star University?"

As Su Yu spoke, his gossip spirit was about to burst out. He divulged the news in a very mysterious tone, "Let me tell you, Elder Brother's partner has moved to Star University! It seems like they had a fight, and they're breaking up—um, I think it was Elder Brother who wanted to break up, but Number Two didn't agree. But Elder Brother has already moved out and returned all of Number Two's money!"

Dong Shuoye looked surprised. "Lin Shuicheng?"

"Yup!" Su Yu affirmed. "He moved out in just one day, and do you know what Elder Brother asked me? He asked how much breakup compensation would be appropriate for Number Two!"

Su Yu covered his face. "This sounds like Number Two got dumped! And Elder Brother said that they weren't really dating!"

Dong Shuoye was momentarily at a loss for words. "...Is he really breaking up with Number Two? Why?"

Su Yu shook his head. "Elder Brother didn't say. He just said it wasn't suitable. He even took the cat with him. He just moved today... I haven't dared to tell Number Two yet. Would you like to be the one to break it to him?"

Dong Shuoye smiled bitterly. "Stop tormenting me."

After a moment of silence, he spoke as if surprised, "That doesn't make sense. Why would he break up with Number Two? Wasn't he just a substitute?"

Su Yu whispered, "How unappealing it sounds to be a substitute. I think Elder Sister might not like Second Brother that much. We were wrong about their relationship from the start. As outsiders, we have no right to intervene, don't we?"

Dong Shuoye merely smiled but didn't comment, his expression turning somewhat solemn as if deep in thought.

"Let's not talk about this. Will you be free to come to my mother's birthday celebration in a few days? No, wait, your family should be attending, right?" Su Yu asked.

"I've heard about it. My dad and a few of my brothers will be there," Dong Shuoye glanced at Su Yu with a hint of a smile. "Xia Ran might also attend."

As expected, upon hearing those two words, Su Yu deflated like a punctured balloon.

He lowered his head to scoop up a spoonful of scorching tofu smothered in garlic paste, salt, and cumin. "Why should the Xia family attend my mom's birthday? I didn't invite him."

"Aunt will invite him, Yu," Dong Shuoye still wore a cheerful smile. "Now that everyone knows Xia Ran is back, it wouldn't be proper not to invite him, especially after all these years."

In their circle, no matter how much discord existed on the surface, they would still put on a show of unity when necessary. Yan Zi had never made a big fuss over her birthdays before, but this time was an exception, likely to pave the way for Su Yu's future.

The Su family business wasn't meant for Su Yu to inherit. Su Yue and Yan Zi were progressive parents who had changed various pharmaceutical companies and research institutions under their names into a board of directors system a decade ago. In the future, Su Yu would only need to sit back and collect profits. If he genuinely didn't want to take over, it wouldn't be a significant issue.

A thorn pierced Su Yu's heart. "Anyway, I don't like him."

"Dong Shuoye, you can share this with us, but don't spread it around." Dong Shuoye raised his finger to hush Lin Shuicheng. "There's no need to worry about these matters. But when Minus Two and Xia Ran are both there, I assume you've already invited Lin Shuicheng, right? What do you plan on doing when the three of you meet?"

Su Yu was taken aback.

After dinner, as usual, Dong Shuoye offered to drive Su Yu home. Su Yu had sampled the restaurant's new fruit fizzy wine, mistaking it for plain juice. After a few glasses, he was tipsy.

Even in his drunken state, Su Yu panicked and pleaded, "No, no, don't send me home. I'm not going back; my mom will scold me if she sees that I've been drinking."

"Then come to my place," Dong Shuoye promptly decided, lifting Su Yu into the car.

The Dong family resided in an estate of villas. Dong Shuoye preferred to occupy a standalone building, allowing no one inside except for cleaning robots.

Occasionally, his grandparents would visit, bringing vegetables they grew themselves and inquiring about his work. His uncles and father would also drop by, mostly to discuss business matters. The villa felt more like another office than a home.

But since Dong Shuoye had been placed under investigation, their visits had dwindled.

As Dong Shuoye led Su Yu inside, a boy on the sofa turned to greet them. Seeing the person in Dong Shuoye's arms, he was momentarily stunned. "Good... evening."

Dong Shuoye explained, "Su Yu is drunk. I'll take him upstairs to freshen up. You should get some rest."

Xia Ran observed him pressing the elevator button, guiding Su Yu upward before diverting his gaze.

Su Yu was utterly drunk, disoriented and unable to find his bearings. Dong Shuoye took him to his own room, tossing him onto the bed, then rising to search for something on a bookshelf.

By now, Su Yu had regained some clarity. His eyes gleamed as he said, "This is your room? Young Master Dong, you never used to let us come over to your place before."

Dong Shuoye replied coolly, "I was going to put you in the guest room, but I was afraid you might vomit during the night and choke on it. If you were found cold in the morning, they might suspect I killed you." He continued, "Would it be reasonable to say I'm afraid you might die if we're in the same room together?"

Surprisingly, Su Yu pondered this seriously for a moment. "That makes sense. You're really a kind person." With that, he buried his head and fell asleep.

Dong Shuoye resumed his search through the bookshelf, pulling out a notebook and examining it under the light.

The notebook was entirely blank, yet Dong Shuoye's gaze remained fixed. If memories could be projected, this would serve as the medium when he needed to access certain recollections – just an empty notebook. It was the safest way to store information in the world.

Chu Shihan's file was a thick packet of documents, totaling nearly two hundred thousand words.

His approach to searching and scrutinizing was straightforward. Any disparities from the initial police records would undoubtedly hold the key to the problem.

After skimming through it previously, he had only found differences that he and Fu Luoyin had already discovered:

In the first and second editions of the records, additional distant acquaintances, such as Lin Shuicheng and Han Huang, were listed in Chu Shihan's social circle.

Secondly, there were over fifty pages of communication records from the year before Chu Shihan's passing. Detailed information like phone numbers, call durations, and call origins were included. To verify these extensive records would require police authority, which he had lost. Nonetheless, he had noticed something peculiar within them recently.

Among thousands of entries, he found a phone number starting with 0027, an unregistered domain typically used by high-ranking officials. For instance, Department Seven used 003C, while the Police Bureau's code was J2004.

However, after checking all current institutions' internal codes, he couldn't find any starting with 0027.

He planned to investigate these two anomalies separately.

Lin Shuicheng piqued his interest significantly.

This person exuded a strong sense of world-weariness, coupled with a rebellious core, making him a paradoxical figure. Despite lacking concrete evidence, Dong Shuoye instinctively sensed a connection between him and Chu Shihan.

And that connection was through Fu Luoyin.

The only unforeseen turn was that this bond had broken—Lin Shuicheng had initiated a breakup with Fu Luoyin and swiftly vacated their shared home.

Such behavior threw off his intuition, a rare occurrence for him.

After some contemplation, Dong Shuoye traced a line in the air with his finger on his notebook, indicating that he would temporarily set this matter aside.

He dialed Fu Luoyin's number and glanced back at the sleeping Su Yu before stepping out of the room to wait in the corridor for the call.

"Hello?" Fu Luoyin answered.

"I've encountered an issue during the investigation. Could you confirm which organization's phone number 0027 belongs to?" Dong Shuoye asked. "There's an unknown number in your brother's call logs that I need to verify."

"0027, you say?" Fu Luoyin had just left the reception room and was being led by He Muya's assistant to post bail for Jin Li. He suddenly paused in his tracks.

Something about the number felt vaguely familiar, so he quickly scrolled through his recent call history on his phone.

The number starting with 0027 was the private contact he had obtained from Fu Kai a few days ago – it belonged to He Muya.

Fu Luoyin's meeting with He Muya hadn't gone particularly smoothly. Apart from Fu Kai, who worked at the Defense Bureau, the Fu family had no other means of accessing information or communication with the Aerospace Administration or the space station. Even Fu Kai's authority in these matters was limited, as his responsibilities centered around the Alliance's ground security and heavy military defense network. Matters concerning aerospace, information, and technology were primarily handled by He Muya. It was also He Muya who had proposed the establishment of Department Seven back then.

At that time, He Muya wanted to create a research organization completely independent from the administrative level. In a sense, she had succeeded but also failed. Department Seven had become independent, free from any direct supervision, with their primary mission being the national security of the Alliance and the advancement of technological progress. However, it had simultaneously evolved into a covert power structure that couldn't be ignored. In recent years, it had even become a department on par with Department Nine, the Defense Bureau, the Aerospace Administration, and the Security Bureau.

This time, he was up against an experienced senior.

He Muya's determination was unwavering, but Fu Luoyin had come prepared. He had gathered a wealth of information and case studies, subtly implying that He Muya was being used as a pawn – the ongoing investigations involving prominent figures like Jin Li, Yang Shen, Pei Rui, and Fan Feng had already caused significant repercussions.

He Muya had always been strong-willed and authoritarian. Many had previously attempted to advise her, but she remained steadfast in her decisions.

However, once she realized that the rules she had established could potentially be exploited as weapons by malicious individuals – especially after discovering the connection to the RANDOM organization – her pride wouldn't allow such a situation to persist.

As Jin Li was escorted out by Fu Luoyin, he appeared significantly worn out. Rubbing his bloodshot eyes, he croaked, "CEO Little Fu."

Fu Luoyin replied, "Take a few days off to rest. The contract will proceed as usual. You've worked hard these past few days."

Jin Li had thought there was no way he could escape this ordeal, and that his contract with the Fu Military Industry would be terminated. His eyes widened as he asked, "What do you mean?"

"Jin Li, I've heard you're one of the smartest individuals in the entire Alliance. What do you think this incident is related to?" Fu Luoyin inquired.

Jin Li recalled the repetitive questions during his detention – his relationship with Luo Song, his interactions with all high-tech personnel, the theoretical faction within the old European branch...

He asked, "Are you suggesting someone is targeting me or B4? Is something major happening outside?"

He was still unaware of the existence of the RANDOM organization.

However, given RANDOM's modus operandi, it wasn't impossible for them to stir public panic in the future.

"Fu Luoyin says, 'Be more confident; this is targeted at you.' Or, to put it another way, it's because of your taking over B4. The B4 project has been running for five years without interruption. Its core technology, progress, and objectives have remained unchanged. The only difference now from before is that the project leader has changed."

"And there are too many differences between you and the previous B4 leader, Chu Shihan. We'll investigate any connections between you two, and I'll assign people to handle that. From now on, your personal safety will be upgraded to level A, authorized by General Fu Kai." Fu Luoyin extended his hand. "Pleasant cooperation."

In just one day, everything had turned upside down.

Fu Luoyin transmitted the edited content to Dong Shuoye via the spatial vehicle.

Firstly, he requested Dong Shuoye to follow up on the connection between Kim Li and Chu Shihan.

Secondly, he concurrently instructed an investigation into He Muya's relations.

As a result, what was once concealed in Fu Kai's archived file at the police department was gradually unraveling – the connection between Kim Li and his old European faction, as well as the link between Chu Shihan and He Muya... All these points could become highly suspicious.

On the other hand, the social connections they initially discovered involving Lin Shuicheng and Han Huang were temporarily dismissed. These details were likely excised for brevity and were not deemed significant; they needn't be taken into account.

Fu Luoyin was once again caught up in a busy schedule. Originally, He Muya had hoped that he could stay for another day to visit the space agency, but Fu Luoyin politely declined.

Zhou Heng promptly booked him the fastest flight available – not knowing when Fu Luoyin's business would conclude, coupled with the recent ban on private jets during martial law, Zhou Heng reserved every first-class seat on flights back to Star City.

Lowering the sunshade, Fu Luoyin glanced at his text messages one last time before turning off his phone.

For two days and one night, neither Lin Shuicheng nor Su Yu had contacted him.

He could understand Lin Shuicheng's silence, perhaps he was still sulking, but Su Yu's disappearance was unsettling. It didn't feel reliable at all.

As soon as Fu Luoyin landed, he rushed straight home.

The anxiety and pent-up emotions from a couple of days ago resurfaced in his mind, causing him to feel slightly feverish.

This year, snowfall in Star City had been delayed. Even though it was winter, the rain that fell was icy and damp, sending a chill through his body that seemed to provoke a faint ache in his stomach.

By the time Fu Luoyin reached his neighborhood, the rain had intensified into a downpour that even umbrellas couldn't withstand. The city's drainage system was working frantically, with warning lights flickering ominously.

The last time he experienced such heavy rain in Star City was two years ago, during Chu Shihan's funeral.

Fu Luoyin stepped into the elevator and casually grabbed a tissue from inside to wipe off the raindrops on his body.

Arriving at his doorstep, he took a deep breath, trying to suppress his emotions. After adjusting his breathing, he gently unlocked the door with his fingerprint and opened it with a soft click.

The house was pitch black.

He pushed the door open softly and reached out to switch on the light, surveying the living room.

The small balcony's door was securely closed, and the windows were clean. As Fu Luoyin entered, everything seemed as it usually was.

Yet, it was eerily quiet.

Checking the time, it was nine in the evening. This wasn't typically Lin Shuicheng's bedtime, but there was always the chance that the little kitten had altered its routine.

With quiet steps, Fu Luoyin entered the bedroom.

At first glance, he could tell no one was there.

A new duvet was on the bed, covered with a dust protector. Fu Luoyin walked over, lifted a corner of the protector, peered underneath, and then carefully let it fall back into place.

The room was suffused with a subtle fragrance, the lingering scent of the body wash Lin Shuicheng usually used.

Fu Luoyin murmured, "What on earth did he do? Why would he put this here?"

He took a deep breath and felt a sharp pang in his stomach that seemed to be intensifying. He pressed his hand against his abdomen and surveyed the surroundings once more.

Soon, he noticed the first change in the bedroom: the chief's cat bed was missing.

Opening the wardrobe door, Fu Luoyin found it had been cleaned out.

This ceiling-high wardrobe had nine enormous compartments, but only one ninth of it was used for their everyday clothes. Usually, his clothes were mixed in with Lin Shuicheng's—Fu Luoyin was simply lazy, but every time Lin Shuicheng found out, he would sort them out again, only for Fu Luoyin to mix them up the next time.

Now, the wardrobe contained only his own clothes, folded neatly, with the frequently worn pieces hanging tidily, ironed flat. The remaining spaces were filled with unopened boxes of their clothing, stacked in perfect order.

Fu Luoyin's expression turned cold.

He strode out and pushed open the door to the study.

He had seldom ventured into this space before, the only exception being when he carried Lin Shuicheng in for intimacy. This was where Lin Shuicheng worked and studied. Many times, he had passed by and seen Lin Shuicheng mixing his light blue storm bottle, deeply engrossed in thought. With his head tilted slightly, Lin Shuicheng would read the scale and softly recite the numbers with his pleasant, mild voice as he titrated.

This small space, initially used as a storage room, had been claimed by Lin Shuicheng after he moved in. With his boxes and computer placed here, Chief (a term of endearment for Fu Luoyin) had strolled through once with his tail held high, effectively marking it as Lin Shuicheng's private territory—unauthorized persons were not allowed.

The transformation in this area was the most evident. The numerous stacked cardboard boxes had vanished, Lin Shuicheng's computer was gone, and the neatly arranged reference books were no longer present. The trash bin had been emptied and turned upside down on the ground, while all power strips were coiled up and stored out of reach.

Lin Shuicheng had been an impeccable tenant, the kind every landlord dreams of. Before vacating, he had even cleaned the place and tidied everything up.

Fu Luoyin's knuckles cracked under the strain, his face a terrifying shade of black.

Lin Shuicheng had run away!

Without any explanation or leaving anything behind, all within the span of just one day and two nights—Lin Shuicheng had fled with his cat!

At three in the morning, Su Yu woke up from a deep sleep, parched. Along with his thirst, the glow of his phone screen also roused him.

He discovered Dong Shuoye lying fully clothed on the other side of the bed, sound asleep.

Rubbing his eyes, Su Yu grabbed his phone and got out of bed to fetch some water. As he walked into the adjacent lounge and opened the fridge, he glanced at the caller ID and the barrage of text messages—twenty-seven from Fu Luoyin, with the number still climbing.

Su Yu was instantly sobered by the shock, almost losing his grip on the ice-cold cola in his hand – he accidentally pressed the answer button in the process.

Fu Luoyin's deep voice boomed through the line, "Hello, Su Yu?"

Su Yu froze on the spot, stunned.

After about five seconds, he regained his composure, not daring to breathe loudly as he cautiously pinched the phone between two fingers –

– and then stuffed it into the fridge, gently closing the door behind it.

Relieved, Su Yu exhaled audibly. Listening to Fu Luoyin's voice being contained within the fridge, he tiptoed back to his room.