An Yan had just finished patching up the hole in the wall and sat down in front of the computer when she heard another knock on the door. Her small face involuntarily darkened, a flash of irritation crossing her eyes.
After thinking for a moment, she still got up and went to open the door.
Seeing An Shimeng standing behind An Yaoluo, the expression on her face visibly turned icy.
An Yaoluo sensed her coldness, and a hint of helplessness flashed in his eyes as he spoke softly, "Yanyan, Big Brother wants to talk to you."
An Yan made a noncommittal noise and remained immobile at the doorway.
An Yaoluo gave up the idea of entering the room to talk and said directly, "Yanyan, I know this home feels somewhat unfamiliar to you now, but everyone in the family welcomes you, and they're even trying their best to make you more comfortable."
"So?"
"So, please don't reject Mengmeng's kindness, okay?"
"To me, not being disturbed is the best kindness!"
Having said that, An Yan took a step back, reached out to steady the door. "If there's nothing else, I'm going to close the door."
An Yaoluo was speechless. Should he thank her for at least acknowledging him before closing the door?
Watching the white door close before him, An Yaoluo shook his head helplessly.
It seemed his sister was a bit rebellious.
"Big Brother, I'm fine. Since Sister doesn't want to be disturbed, I won't impose myself anymore," An Shimeng said, sounding both wronged and accommodating, which made An Yaoluo feel deeply sorry for her.
He lovingly patted her on the head. "Yanyan just came back; be patient with her!"
An Shimeng obediently nodded, trying hard to squeeze out a smile. "I know, Big Brother. I'll try to adjust the way I get along with Sister. I believe that before long, we'll become good sisters and friends!"
A smile surfaced in An Yaoluo's eyes. "Mmm, Mengmeng is the most understanding. Go upstairs and rest!"
"Goodnight, Big Brother!"
An Shimeng smiled at him, then went upstairs with her notes in her arms.
She knew that Big Brother was the only one in the An Family willing to sincerely treat her as a relative.
Therefore, she had to make Big Brother believe she truly had An Yan's best interests at heart, and that An Yan herself was unapproachable and unwilling to bond with her!
Such preconceptions would provide her much convenience in her future actions.
「Inside her email box.」
The admission notification from Luocheng University's president had been sent. Along with the notification, there were a few words from the president indicating that a few pieces of equipment she requested for the lab were not yet in place. He asked her not to hurry, saying it was okay for her to come to the university after everything was ready.
An Yan reached for the photo beside her bed of her mother and herself. "What do you think, where would Bai Xiaoyun have hidden the things she stole? At home, the company, or the Bai Family's place?"
In the picture, her mother simply smiled without speaking!
"Don't worry, everything you've left behind, I will find it all, one by one!"
An Yan put down the photo and sent a message to Ling Xiao:
[If you were Bai Xiaoyun, where would you hide a treasure that your life depended on?]
Shortly after, a reply came:
[If my life depended on it, the safest thing would definitely be to destroy the evidence and leave no trace. But if it's a treasure, I would never keep it by my side, nor let anyone know I have it. So, the safest method is to use underground channels to sell the item. That way, there's no starting point for any investigation.]
An Yan found this very reasonable.
[Then can you check the underground channels for the appearance of jade carvings of the Chinese Zodiac? In this set, the sheep has one broken horn, and the tip of the other horn is missing!]
An Yan remembered clearly when her mother brought the set of jade carvings home, she specifically picked out the sheep: "This is Yanyan's zodiac sign, do you like it?"
An Yan liked it and reached out her chubby hands to grab the sheep, but she didn't hold it firmly and it fell to the ground.
Her mother didn't care about the jade carving; she hurriedly picked An Yan up. "It's okay, it's just a toy. If it's broken, we can fix it!"
Then her mother, with her, carefully glued the horn of the sheep back together.
The tender and patient image of her mother had since been etched into her mind.
[Boss, is this set of zodiac yours? Bai Xiaoyun sold your stuff? Is she out of her mind? You're the Miss of the An Family, and she's just a stepmother; how dare she sell your things without your permission?]
[What about your dad? Your brother? Are they fools? They didn't even realize when something was stolen and sold?]
[Don't worry, Boss. Leave this to me. Let me show you how I, Ling Xiao, can handle business across all channels, legit or shady! I'm the best there is at this. *[Self-assured smirk]*]
An Yan: [Hmm.]
After ending the conversation with Ling Xiao, An Yan downloaded the admission letter from Luocheng University onto her phone, and then she went to take a shower and sleep!
Just as she lay down in bed, she heard a noisy commotion outside. One car after another buzzed past the An Family's house.
An Yan, unable to sleep due to the noise, got up and went to the window to look outside. Years of training in Ancient Martial Arts had long since given her vision far beyond that of ordinary people. Even at a considerable distance, she could clearly see the same stretched luxury car that had picked up Li Tianyao during the day!
So, her neighbor was Li Tianyao?
Her gaze shifted, and she saw a tall figure standing in front of the window across from her on the second floor. It was Li Tianyao himself!
HUM~ HUM~
Her cellphone vibrated.
It was a message from Li Tianyao:
[Did I disturb you?]
An Yan replied:
[I got used to the quiet in the mountains! Why did you suddenly move over here?]
[I wanted to be closer to you!]
An Yan pursed her lips.
Was she being flirted with?
Ha, if so, she would have to say her fiancé was getting into character rather quickly.
[Go to sleep, I'll tell them to keep it down!]
[Okay. Good night!]
And just moments later, it really did quiet down outside.
An Yan lay back down in bed, her lips curving into a smile.
He was handsome, possessed a noble destiny, and even knew to care for her sleep—it seemed she had struck gold.
Between waking and dreaming, her mind filled with things she hadn't noticed before, unconsciously integrating into one. It turned out to be the Divination Technique that her grandfather often recited in her ear when she was a child! Back then, she had not been the least bit interested, and as the old man recited it over and over, he eventually gave up. "Whatever, one day you will remember all these on your own anyway!"
She never expected that she actually would remember it. Moreover, she had fully mastered it in just a moment's realization.
With the fusion of this knowledge, she could clearly see that a white fog had formed in her mind. Behind the fog seemed to be a tree, and the Divination Technique was only a branch of that tree.
An Yan furrowed her brows in confusion. Why was there a tree in her brain? With just one branch revealed, she had learned the Divination Technique.
What if more were revealed?Would she acquire even more skills? What could they be? She felt a bit excited!
After dreaming for a while, An Yan returned to reality. Whatever hadn't appeared could wait; for now, she decided to validate the Divination Technique.
An Yan closed her eyes and used the method to deduce the An Family's fortunes:
Villains surround, with fortune unpredictable!
「Next door.」
Li Han looked at his Master with an added touch of inquiry in his eyes. Initially, he hadn't understood why his Master had suddenly decided to buy this house and move in overnight. That is, until he saw the figure of Miss An Yan across the way.
Li Han's expression suddenly became grave. A man of Ninth Master's stature didn't need to go to such lengths for a woman.
Wasn't it just a thumb ring?
"Ninth Master, let me go snatch that thumb ring for you!"
Li Tianyao cast a stern look. "Are your bones harder than stone?"
Li Han fell silent; the image of An Yan crushing the stone carving was too shocking.
If she could reach that level, her martial arts must not be far from Ninth Master's.And he...He had never lasted three moves against Ninth Master!
「Late at night.」
Li Tianyao was still seated in the study, his long finger against his forehead. The other hand fiddled with the Buddha beads.
"You'll only get to eat if you win!"
As a child, he was pushed by Gu Shifang into a pack of wild dogs!
"Not bad, drink this medicine and the wounds on your body will heal."
But after taking the medicine, the pain only worsened.
"Ice and fire will temper your body. Only through enduring the greatest hardships can you rise above others!"
Gu Shifang threw him into icy waters, where he nearly froze to death, only to then pull him out and cast him into a stone house heated by a Fire Dragon.
"Kid, I'm doing all this for your own good!"
Yet when he 'kindly' used the same methods on Gu Shifang, the man couldn't even survive the ordeal with the wild dogs.
When collecting the body, he discovered the thumb ring that had always been on Gu Shifang's hand was gone.
Years later, that thumb ring appeared on someone else's hand; that person tried every trick to make him drink the medicine, and he pretended to comply unknowingly.
Then, that person's true colors were revealed: "Kid, you're my dog. Life after life, you'll be Gu Shifang's dog!"