Chapter 129

Words : 919 Updated : Oct 5th, 2025

Ji Nian quickly and accurately extracted a drop of blood from Chen Mo, then nonchalantly tucked the sealed blood sample back into her pocket. Just as she was about to leave, she paused, considered for a moment, and found a blanket to cover Chen Mo, who was asleep on the couch. Although the air conditioning in the room wasn’t too cold, Ji Nian had found his hand chilly when she’d held it outside. After doing this, she returned to her bed. Used to taking afternoon naps, Ji Nian felt uncomfortable on days when she didn’t sleep. But now, lying in bed, she had no drowsiness at all. After about an hour, when Chen Mo woke up, his body felt particularly heavy. For a moment, he even wondered if he had been paralyzed, as he couldn’t feel his limbs.@@@@ Thankfully, after a while, he began to regain movement. “Uncle, you’re awake,” the child’s voice came from the door, where a little head peeked out. Chen Mo flexed his fingers and managed to relax his facial muscles to appear kinder. “Yes, I’m awake.” “Did you sleep well?” Ji Nian stretched and said she had a good rest. Seeing her messy hair, Chen Mo had someone bring a comb. He waved at Ji Nian. “Uncle will help you brush your hair.” Often tormented by Ji Tingzhou with her hair, Ji Nian was quite used to it. The little girl’s slightly wavy hair felt light and soft in his hands, with fine, delicate strands. “Although your hair is wavy like your mom’s, it’s a bit different.” Chen Mo commented. Ji Nian tilted her head curiously. “Hmm?” “Your mom’s hair was a bit harder, so she had to do regular maintenance or it would frizz up like a lion’s mane.” Ji Nian imagined the scene and chuckled. Her softer hair must be like Ji Tingzhou’s, who always complained that his hair was too soft and couldn’t hold any style. “Uncle, what did mom look like?” Ji Nian asked casually. Hearing this question, Chen Mo froze for a moment. It was his fault. He had forgotten something so important. After brushing her hair, he called someone to come and braid it. Chen Mo had learned to brush hair because of his lazy sister when he was young, but anything more complicated, like braiding, he wasn’t confident about, fearing he’d tug too hard. “Here’s a photo of her.” Chen Mo took out his phone and scrolled through a cloud drive to find an encrypted folder, showing Ji Nian a photo of Chen Yueling. Ji Nian leaned closer. This photo was of Chen Yueling at seventeen. The teenager was still in her school uniform, sitting on a sofa with an apple in her hand, casually smiling at the camera. Her striking and spirited appearance, though still young, was exactly as Ji Nian had seen in her dream. Ji Nian’s eyes widened slightly. Her laughter, curiosity, and fright were all captured. Looking at these photos, Chen Mo’s heart swelled with satisfaction, followed by a surge of regret. Today, he had told Ji Nian much, but never about Chen Yueling’s murder. The case was too old, and it wasn’t something that could be solved quickly. But the most tragic part was that Chen Mo didn’t have the time to wait. He might die without ever finding the truth, which was the most painful and regrettable. It was also his final wish. But he wouldn’t tell Ji Nian a single word about it. After a day of fun, Ji Nian left reluctantly, waving to the NPCs. The animals she had helped all came to see her off, creating a lively atmosphere. Chen Mo bent down. “This project is run by the Chen Family. Next time you can come whenever you want.” Ji Nian’s eyes lit up. “Great! Then next time, Uncle, you’ll come with me again.” She had only unlocked 18% of the mission handbook. Chen Mo hid his sadness and softly said, “Sure.” As if he truly had a future. After dinner, Chen Mo personally saw Ji Nian home. “Uncle, why don’t you come in for a bit?” Ji Nian got out of the car, while Subordinate Number One stood beside her, holding all the prizes she had won that day. Inside the car, Chen Mo gazed deeply at her, then suddenly reached out and pulled her into a hug. “Nian Nian.” “I resigned from school, so you won’t see me on Mondays. Don’t worry.” Ji Nian pretended not to understand. “Uncle, where are you going?” Chen Mo’s expression was calm. “Uncle has some work to do, in a very distant place. I won’t be able to see you for a long time.” “Then I’ll video call you, Uncle.” Chen Mo paused for a moment, then laughed and shook his head. “There’s no signal there.” Before Ji Nian could ask again, he softly said, “I’ve given the number of a man beside you. If you encounter trouble or something you don’t want Ji Tingzhou to know, you can ask him for help.” With one last affectionate stroke of her head, in the dim car light, those onyx-like eyes seemed to glisten with unshed tears. “Goodbye, Nian Nian.” He let her go. The door slowly closed, blocking Ji Nian’s view. Watching the car drive away, Subordinate Number One beside Ji Nian thought, *Sir, did you forget something?*

Chapter 129

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