Chapter 55: Puzzle Solving

Chapter 55: Solving the Puzzle

Jiang Xun didn't want to take Liu Hai's red packet, but unable to resist his enthusiastic gaze, he accepted the gesture. To return the favor, he promised to take Liu Hai to the supermarket before they swam back.

Liu Hai, holding Jiang Xun's hand and laden with snacks, swayed happily. "Since Boss said we can share, I won't swim back for now. I'll stay on the boat and tell you all that story on the way!"

...

"So..." Xiao Jin crunched on potato chips, her words muffled, "when Boss talked to you, he didn't just ask you questions; he actually said a lot himself?"

"Mm-hmm." Liu Hai sucked noisily on his jelly drink, cheeks puffed out. "Sluurp—Yeah, he seemed pretty talkative."

"That guy always beats around the bush when making a point," A Yu chimed in, worried Liu Hai might have missed it. He bluntly highlighted the core message for him. "So, what he really meant was that last line, right?"

"Huh?" Liu Hai took a moment to recall. "The last thing... he said I was interesting?"

"Ah, no." A Yu tried to jog his memory. "Go back a bit—what he said when summarizing the story."

Then Liu Hai remembered—he had said, *You can choose to let the lie go on forever.*

Liu Hai: "..."

He fell silent, sucking on his jelly drink and sneaking a glance at Jiang Xun.

Jiang Xun was staring absently at his communicator screen. Normally, Liu Hai would have clung to Jiang Xun to ask what he was doing, but now...

He felt a little guilty.

Xiao Jin was the one who spoke up: "Boss! What are you doing?"

Jiang Xun looked up. "Researching the Siren Company's founding history to confirm he wasn't just making things up to trick Liu Hai."

"Huh?" Liu Hai was shocked. "He'd do something like that?"

"If it's the boss..." Xiao Jin rubbed her chin. "Honestly, it wouldn't be surprising."

"But this time, it wasn't a lie." Jiang Xun showed the others the data. "Though it seems he left things unsaid."

"Look here—the spouse column for Siren Company's founder lists 'Belle Bernadotte.'"

"Wait, what?!" Xiao Jin's voice shot up. "Wait, *the* Belle who was once a princess? They ended up together after all?"

"I always thought their unfinished romance was kind of sad," A Yu said after verifying the info. "Seems like the ending wasn't so bad."

"I've put together the timeline." Jiang Xun said in a scholarly tone. "After Belle Bernadotte's divorce proceedings with the Third Prince of the Solait Empire ended, she remained single for about a decade before finally marrying Siren Company's founder."

"Whew—" Xiao Jin sighed. "Ten years of will-they-won't-they? That's a long time."

"Ah! Ah!" Liu Hai suddenly realized. "So *that's* what he meant!"

Xiao Jin tilted her head. "Hm?"

"What the boss said at the end..." Liu Hai raised a finger solemnly. "Something about not wasting time!"

"Hmm—" Xiao Jin frowned. "Given how much he likes being cryptic, maybe the real message was that unspoken ending?"

"A warning not to repeat the past and waste all those years?"

A Yu seemed to realize something else, his expression changed before he could stop it.

Liu Hai opened a pack of seaweed, nibbling it slowly. "Dunno."

"Ugh—" Xiao Jin flopped back. "This is so annoying! Liu Hai's just a simple-minded guy—why does *he* have to decode the boss's mind games with us? If you ask me, he should just speak plainly and be done with it!"

She closed her eyes. "I give up."

Liu Hai leaned over and tapped Jiang Xun's communicator screen. The display switched to Belle Bernadotte's profile, her old musical poster prominently featured.

Liu Hai's eyes widened. "Oh."

He wasn't the only one. Anyone who saw that old poster would realize the same thing immediately.

Xiao Jin was a beat slower before crowding around the screen with the others, pointing in shock. "Isn't that the... the..."

She floundered, looking at Jiang Xun. "The hundred million mermaid?!"

Jiang Xun: "..."

It was unmistakable. The legendary singer Belle Bernadotte from a century ago was identical to the mermaid in the painting hidden in Jiang Xun's basement—the one hiding the secret of a hundred million.

Especially that distinctive beauty mark under her eye.

"Uh." Xiao Jin grabbed her head. "Hold on, I feel like we've got all the pieces, but I need a way to connect them!"

"Instead of guessing wildly, it'd be faster to ask someone in the know." Jiang Xun opened the call interface and called Ms. Jiang.

The call took a moment to connect. A gentle male voice answered, "A-Xun? Looking for your mom? She's in a meeting—I answered for now."

Liu Hai whispered, "Who's that?"

The man on the line heard and chuckled. "I'm Jiang Xun's father. Oh, are you with friends?"

Before Jiang Xun could reply, Liu Hai politely called out, "Hello, Uncle—!"

Xiao Jin and A Yu quickly added their greetings.

"Hey, hello." The man sounded delighted. "Never expected to get a call from Jiang Xun *and* his friends."

"What's up?"

"We wanted to ask her something." Jiang Xun paused. "You might know too."

"Oh?" The man sounded puzzled but quickly caught on. "So it's not work-related. What is it? Did you suddenly develop an interest in the arts? Want me to recommend a beginner's instrument or something?"

Jiang Xun: "...No."

"Ah, well." The man sighed. "After all these years, I shouldn't get my hopes up for your artistic sensibilities."

"Oh, right."

He perked up slightly. "Did you know Jiang Xun took piano lessons as a kid? He was actually pretty good."

"But then his teacher realized he had zero sense of rhythm—he was just counting seconds to press the keys. The poor instructor was *furious*—"

*Ahem.* Jiang Xun coughed sharply. "Do you know about the mermaid painting in the basement?"

"Hm?" The man's interest was piqued. "The one you made a bet with your mom over—the one where you had to guess its secret? What about it? Why bring it up again after so long?"

"Hehe." Xiao Jin giggled sheepishly. "Well, we heard something about a hundred million..."

"Oh—" The man suddenly understood and said with a smile, "That's human nature."

"But don't get your hopes up too much. It's possible his mother just made it up on the spot to pique his interest..."

"Hey, hey, hey," a woman's voice cut in. "Do I really seem that unreliable to you? Of course, what I said was true."

"If you're calling, it means you've at least got some leads, right?"

Jiang Xun cut to the chase: "The mermaid in that painting isn't actually a mermaid—it's Ms. Belle Bernadotte."

"Haha!" Ms. Jiang couldn't help but applaud him. "Exactly, exactly! You've finally caught on!"

"The starlit musician, the scandal-plagued queen of tumultuous romances..." Ms. Jiang chuckled. "And, as the founder of Siren Company personally called her, the 'lucky star' of Siren Company."

"So, actually, the first time you saw that painting, you already spoke the answer. Do you remember what you said back then?"

Jiang Xun looked thoughtful. "I think I said..."

"—There's no mermaid at all."

"Exactly!" Ms. Jiang said excitedly. "There's no mermaid at all—not in that painting."

"Since you thought of Ms. Belle, it means you've already grasped part of the secret, right?"

"Mm," Jiang Xun replied. "But we still haven't figured out why Ms. Belle was painted as a mermaid, or why this painting is connected to the hundred-million secret."

"It seems you're missing one crucial piece of evidence," Ms. Jiang teased deliberately. "What to do? By rights, telling you now would be giving you a free pass."

"If someone were to whine and beg a little, though..."

Jiang Xun remained expressionless. "Absolutely not. I'll find the answer myself—"

Liu Hai squeezed next to Jiang Xun. "Pleeease!"

"Wait!" Xiao Jin turned on the video call and pointed the camera at Liu Hai's face. "Liu Hai, do it again—puppy-dog eyes, go!"

Liu Hai obediently widened his eyes and repeated, "Pretty please!"

Jiang Xun: "..."

"Oh, what an absolute sweetheart! When are you coming to visit my place?" Ms. Jiang laughed excitedly. "I have a huge swimming pool at home, and I can source water from anywhere you like."

"Hahaha." She still found time to mock Jiang Xun. "Don't tell me you thought I'd actually expect you to beg? Please, that'd be too much for me."

Jiang Xun: "..."

"Alright, since Liu Hai asked so nicely, I'll cut you some slack." Ms. Jiang winked. "You still haven't realized who the artist behind this painting is."

"Take a guess—go for the most theatrical angle..."

Xiao Jin suddenly realized. "Could it be... the founder of Siren Company?!"

"Exactly!" Ms. Jiang nodded approvingly. "This is how he depicted Ms. Belle on that most desperate night—the same night from that made-up legend where he supposedly met a mermaid."

She smiled. "This portrait of Ms. Belle originally hung in his mansion's great hall. He made no secret of his admiration for her."

"But later, because of that lawsuit, he doctored the painting."

"He blurred the background so the ship's setting became unrecognizable, and he added a fishtail to her."

She chuckled. "A pretty thin cover-up, no?"

"Everyone knew who the painting originally depicted, but no one could call him out on it."

Liu Hai suddenly understood. "Ohhh, now I get it..."

Jiang Xun raised an eyebrow. "So why the hundred-million price tag?"

Author's Note:

Ms. Jiang: BAHAHA, who wants to see you beg, you little punk? I want to see Liu Hai! Come here, sweetie, come to mama for kisses!

Liu Hai: [Panda meme face]

Jiang Xun: [*hardest eye roll*]