Chapter 86 p2
Lou Mi opened the door, one eye still slightly dazed:
“No need to come back later, let’s talk now…”
Peng Ziyuan whispered, “Did I interrupt something?”
Lou Mi forced a smile: “Since you’re already here, let’s chat.”
Actually, Lou Mi still had countless sweet nothings to whisper to Chi Lin, countless intimate things she wanted to do.
She had fully embraced her role as the Empress and felt like she hadn’t been this close to Chi Lin in two lifetimes. If she weren’t injured, she would be rolling around on Chi Lin right now.
But the moment was interrupted, and Lou Mi had to put her desires aside, behaving properly in front of a parental figure.
The three of them sat in the living room. Lou Mi, wanting to give them some space, excused herself to the kitchen to make tea.
With Lou Mi gone, Peng Ziyuan didn’t beat around the bush:
“I think I understand what’s going on with you.”
Chi Lin nodded: “This kind of thing must be hard for you to accept.”
Unexpectedly, Peng Ziyuan said, “Actually, I’m quite familiar with soul transmigration.”
Chi Lin, completely unaware of the countless transmigration novels from Peng Ziyuan’s era: “?”
“Besides, as a mother, I know my own child. I felt something was unusual from the beginning. How could my daughter suddenly become so well-behaved… It turns out it was a different person.”
Chi Lin wanted to speak, but Peng Ziyuan placed a hand on her knee, signaling for her to listen:
“I had a huge fight with her the other day, a complete falling out. We had been tolerating each other, but there’s an irreconcilable conflict between us. I hadn’t told her the truth before, but this time, I couldn’t hold back any longer. She’s 18, an adult, she has the right to know all the family secrets. Even after knowing about me and her father, she still couldn’t forgive me and wanted to leave, so I let her go. This has nothing to do with you. If anything, your appearance helped us both find freedom.”
Chi Lin knew it wasn’t appropriate for her to comment, she just needed to listen.
“Judging by the current situation, you and she have reached an agreement, right? You’ll continue to use this body, and she’ll go back, to where she wants to be… Do you know where she’s living now?”
Chi Lin nodded.
“Give me the address later. I still want to visit her occasionally.”
“Okay.”
Seeing Chi Lin’s reserved demeanor, the lack of her previous closeness, Peng Ziyuan couldn’t help but take her hand:
“No matter who you are, if you’re willing to stay here, willing to call me Mother again, I’m more than happy to continue treating you as my own daughter. I really, really like you. I feel like there’s a destined connection between us… Can I have a daughter like you?”
Chi Lin had never experienced maternal love, but as Peng Ziyuan held her hand, looking at her sincerely, she understood. This was the warmth of a mother.
Chi Lin squeezed Peng Ziyuan’s hand and nodded earnestly.
Peng Ziyuan beamed and hugged Chi Lin:
“Welcome home, Little Lin.”
Lou Mi, standing around the corner with the tea set, had heard their entire conversation. As she brought the tea over, she almost skipped with joy.
It was wonderful that Peng Ziyuan could accept Chi Lin.
As long as Peng Ziyuan accepted her, Lou Lixing’s opinion didn’t really matter.
Besides, he had been through so much lately that he probably hadn’t even processed the situation. He could be ignored.
This way, all the potential problems were resolved.
Lou Mi thought, now she and Chi Lin could finally get married in this life, right?
After tea, Peng Ziyuan rushed back to the company to deal with some matters.
Chi Lin tried to persuade Lou Mi to return to the hospital, insisting that her recovery was the priority.
“Kiss me, and I’ll go.”
Chi Lin smiled wryly: “Are we doing this again?”
“What do you mean ‘again’? It’s been ages! Auntie Peng interrupted us last time, I had to stop halfway through, I’m emotionally scarred. Now it’s just the two of us, and you want to send me to the hospital before we even start? The hospital is a public place, you won’t be able to come and see me, shouldn’t we make the most of this moment?”
Lou Mi’s rapid-fire words left Chi Lin slightly dazed.
“So, are we doing it or not?” Lou Mi’s leg hurt, and she couldn’t stand, so she sat on the sofa and hugged Chi Lin’s waist.
Just as Chi Lin was about to kiss her, the doorbell rang.
Lou Mi’s vision darkened. She asked irritably:
“Who is it?!”
“Police.”
The word “police” dispelled any lingering romantic notions.
Two police officers stood at the door, surprised to see Lou Mi at home. They had just taken her statement at the hospital after she woke up. Had she returned so soon?
The officer asked, “Were you discharged, or did you sneak out?”
Lou Mi smiled: “Something came up at home, I had to come back.”
“Have you recalled who might have planted the virus AI in your car?”
“Virus AI? What’s that?”
“We found a new type of virus AI in your car, a tiny robot the size of a fingernail, capable of infecting autopilot systems. Once the system is compromised, your car is no longer yours, it becomes a toy in the hands of a remote operator.”
Lou Mi recalled her struggle with the steering wheel; it had indeed felt like fighting against an invisible force.
“Since you’re home, that’s good. We need to collect surveillance footage from your community and data from your smart home system, as per procedure.” The officer said, “Is that convenient now?”
As he spoke, the officer wasn’t looking at Lou Mi, but at Chi Lin behind her.
He said they had already questioned the community security guard, who stated that Chi Lin had asked for his help early that morning, claiming the smart home system was malfunctioning and locking her out. Out of responsibility, he had unlocked the system for her, and all of this was captured by the community’s surveillance cameras.
“Is what the security guard said true?”
The officer looked at Chi Lin, still a child, and his tone became sterner.
He had years of experience dealing with children; being intimidating was the most effective approach.
However, he didn’t realize that the high school student before him was actually a seasoned veteran in various forms of conflict.
Chi Lin knew about the original Chi Lin’s actions; she had some residual memories.
She couldn’t believe the original Chi Lin had asked the security guard to unlock the system, completely disregarding the cameras… She had practically handed them the evidence on a silver platter.
In this situation, Chi Lin couldn’t lie; it would only make things worse.
She invited the officers in, and the four of them sat on the sofa to discuss the matter in detail.
Chi Lin said she had indeed returned that morning with the security guard’s assistance, had gone to the garage, and had even opened Lou Mi’s car door to put a gift inside.
The officer: “A gift?”
“Yes, an old teammate of my sister’s asked me to deliver it to her. They specifically asked me to put it inside the car as a surprise, so I did.”
“Former teammate? Who?”
“One named A Bao, the other Xiao V.”
Lou Mi discreetly glanced at Chi Lin, recalling the portraits. Chi Lin must have identified them from the drawings.
So it was them…
Lou Mi sneered inwardly. Not only did they want her dead, but they also wanted her to take innocent people down with her?
One officer took notes while the other continued to question her: “You didn’t open the box at all? You didn’t know what was inside?”
Chi Lin said sincerely, “I really didn’t know.”
“Where were you when Lou Mi’s car malfunctioned?”
“I was alone by the seaside.”
“Do you have any witnesses?”
“No, but there should be security cameras there.”
The officer looked at Chi Lin, then at Lou Mi. They were sitting close together, occasionally exchanging glances, their relationship seemingly close and trusting.
This Chi Lin might not be lying, and on the surface, she had no motive.
After collecting the necessary data, the officers left. Lou Mi and Chi Lin finally relaxed after they were gone.
Chi Lin: “The officials in this era are much gentler. But I’m a little worried, if they continue to investigate, will I be arrested?”
Lou Mi said, “Causing social harm without knowing it shouldn’t be a crime.”
“I didn’t know, but the original Chi Lin did.”
“But what you said is also true, isn’t it? You have an alibi. Most importantly, the original Chi Lin took the box back. She didn’t know about the virus AI, A Bao and Xiao V were the ones behind everything.”
Chi Lin nodded: “I hope they find concrete evidence against A Bao and Xiao V.”
“Show me the portraits.”
Chi Lin showed Lou Mi the drawings. The two faces indeed belonged to her former teammates.
Lou Mi naturally hoped that A Bao and Xiao V would be brought to justice, but before that, she hoped to encounter them in the summer tournament.
She wanted to destroy them with her own hands.
Lou Mi sighed. The original Chi Lin, even after leaving, still managed to create a mess.
Chi Lin comforted her: “Don’t worry, I can handle it.”
The more Lou Mi looked at Chi Lin, the more she adored her, the more she felt safe and secure.
It seemed that with her by her side, no matter how bad things got, they could overcome it together.
What was this power?
The long-time single person finally understood. This was the power of love.
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