No. 92 To Make Those Flowers Bloom, No Matter How Many Times
Mo Rong, born in 1966, graduated from Upper Capital University in 1990. In 1992, she transitioned from fashion design to animal husbandry, where she met her future husband, Qin Guomao, her supervisor. They fell in love quickly, married in June 1994, and had a son, Mo Ziyang. In 1999, they divorced due to her husband’s gambling addiction. She never remarried.
Mo Ziyang, born on April 1st, 1995, is currently studying automotive repair at Upper Capital College. He has a small social circle and average grades. He was once given a warning for skipping twenty classes.
I stared at the two thick stacks of documents before me, a sense of disbelief washing over me. We were in the server room of the Upper Capital City branch of the Queen Bee hacker alliance.
“He likes anime, enjoys spicy hot pot, has never had a girlfriend, uses the online alias ‘Bronze for Airi,’ mostly browses harem, overpowered protagonist, and otaku-themed anime and novels. According to our data analysis, his favorite anime are ‘To Love-Ru,’ ‘The World God Only Knows,’ and ‘Date A Live’…”
“On February 1st, 2016, Mo Ziyang posted online seeking help with earning elective course credits… On March 7th, 2016, during a power outage at Upper Capital College, he and his roommates spent three hours playing League of Legends at an internet cafe, achieving a triple kill with Riven…”
“What is all this?”
I set down the documents, my voice a mixture of amusement and exasperation, turning to Wang Cai, the young hacker who had greeted me on my first visit.
“Well… Little Bee, you asked us to be thorough,” he replied sheepishly.
“But this is ridiculous!” I held up a report. “You even know when he went to the bathroom and how many League of Legends matches he played. Don’t you care about wasting paper?”
Wang Cai chuckled. “We wanted to make sure you were satisfied. And you know how important that password is to us.”
“Yeah… I’ve never investigated anyone this thoroughly in my entire life,” Zhui Feng, the sunglasses-clad hacker, said, swiveling in his chair to face me. “Just tell us the password, Little Bee.”
I smiled. “I already sent it to your email.”
He blinked. “You even know my email address?”
“I can crack the administrator account of the US government’s website. Your personal email was child’s play.”
“My god, you’re a genius!”
He eagerly turned back to his computer, copied the long string of characters from his email into his sniffing tool, and stared at the screen, his jaw slack as the data streamed past.
“Our entire alliance spent six months trying to crack ‘Glacier,’ one of the most secure servers in the world, and you just… If you don’t mind me asking, how long did it take you?”
“Three hours,” I replied casually, still skimming through the documents.
“Seriously.”
I looked at him, confused. “Maybe… two hours and forty minutes? I don’t remember the exact time.”
His mug slipped from his grasp, shattering on the floor.
“Not… two days? Or a week?”
“Come on, I’m still in middle school. I have to study. My dad wouldn’t let me spend that much time on the computer.” I set down the documents. “Did you print all this?”
“I… You…” He stammered, his eyes wide with admiration. “Boss, please be my master. I’m in awe. You’re not just a genius, you’re a prodigy.”
“We’re practically family. Your compliments mean nothing to me.”
I walked over and smacked him on the head with a stack of papers. “Did you print all this?”
“Yes.”
“And you gathered all this information?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Then you must remember these two people, right?”
“Vaguely.”
“Perfect. I’m too lazy to read all this. I’ll just ask you directly.”
I tossed the documents aside. “When is Mo Rong planning to get married?”
“According to my research, within the next few months. Her fiancé’s name is Yi… Yi something…”
“Besides getting married, does she have any other plans?”
“I couldn’t find anything. No one posts that kind of information online. And she doesn’t even have a Qzone account. I’m a hacker, not a gossip columnist.”
“And her son, Mo Ziyang. What kind of girls does he like? Can you find that information?”
“You’ll have to ask Wang Cai. He compiled that data.”
I turned to Wang Cai, who had been staring at us with a strange expression.
“What are you up to, Little Bee? That guy isn’t exactly boyfriend material. You’re better off with me!”
“Shut up. I’m not interested in either of you. I just want to know what kind of girls he likes.”
“Well… have you seen ‘Date A Live’?”
“I’ve seen a few episodes.”
“He likes girls like Yoshino. Shy, innocent, and adorable.”
“A lolicon? A siscon?”
“Definitely a lolicon. But I’m not sure about the siscon part… Oh, and he’s obsessed with white stockings. He’s level 11 in the White Stockings Bar… Man, I’m starting to feel creepy. I spent an entire week stalking this guy, analyzing his interests, his fetishes, his sexual orientation. I’m not even gay.”
I ignored his rambling. “Is that all?”
“You want specifics? Okay, he hates tsunderes. He prefers shy, clumsy, and airheaded girls who are also good at housework, sports, and academics. He once posted a rant about how unrealistic tsundere characters are in real life. I remember replying with a picture of a mirror and the caption, ‘Take a good look at yourself, buddy.’”
“You…” I struggled to contain my laughter. “You guys should be detectives.”
“Your rewards were too tempting. The administrator password for a secure server and access to the Tianhuo forum’s internal database.” He rolled his eyes, then took a sip of water. “You know, I discovered something this week. Stalking people is surprisingly addictive. If you need anything else, I’m your guy. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied.”
“No thanks. We have exams coming up. You might have time for this, but I don’t.”
I selected a few important documents, folded them neatly, and tucked them into the hidden pocket in my shorts, the one I usually used for my weaponized playing cards. “I’m going now. Contact me on QQ if you need anything.”
“Farewell, boss.”
I left the server room, taking the elevator to the ground floor, where Xiaodie was waiting for me.
“How did it go?” she asked, her face brightening as I approached her.
“Yoshino,” I replied, my voice flat.
“What?”
“He likes shy, clumsy girls who are good at everything.” I tugged at her ahoge playfully. “The ‘good at everything’ part isn’t a problem, but ‘shy’ isn’t exactly my forte. Seriously, Xiaodie, are we really going to this much trouble for this guy?”
“I told you, it’s just to help you develop your feminine side.” She swatted my hand away, then her eyes lit up with curiosity. “What about his mother? Did you find anything?”
“Yes. She’s a typical career woman, no connection to the underworld. Probably just a business partner of my uncle.”
I paused. “My dad’s wedding is approaching. They might move in with us before then. What are you going to do?”
Our apartment was modest, barely middle-class. It was a three-bedroom unit, purchased at a discount from a relative. It was fine for the two of us, but if her “brother” moved in, I couldn’t expect Xiaodie to keep sharing my bed.
“I’ll just go back to my house,” she replied casually.
“Won’t you be lonely?”
“I’ve always lived alone. And now I have Xiaobai. And you. We don’t have to see each other every day.”
She paused, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Unless you want to…”
I felt my cheeks burning. “Don’t even think about it.”
“I understand. It’s been a while since that night…”
“It’s only been two days!” I interrupted her. “Stop thinking about such things! And did you tell the Jiangnan Association what I asked you to?”
“Yes, I told them. They said they’ll be careful.”
Sensing the stares of passersby, she pulled my baseball cap over my head. “Come on, let’s go shopping for clothes.”
“Didn’t we just go shopping yesterday?”
“That was for me. This is for you. It’s different.” She smiled. “Besides, a proper little sister needs a cute wardrobe to capture a geek’s heart. And we need to redecorate your room. If we’re going to do this, let’s do it right.”
“It’s not like we’re going to war!”
“…”
I spent the rest of the day shopping with Xiaodie, our arms laden with bags filled with clothes, furniture, and accessories.
Skirts, blouses, sundresses, thigh-highs, striped socks, and an assortment of otaku-themed merchandise—mousepads, backpacks, bedsheets, curtains, even mugs. By the time we returned home, I was ready to collapse.
But as Xiaodie had promised, my room, after a thorough cleaning and redecoration, looked more inviting, more feminine.
It resembled a typical anime girl’s bedroom.
Same person, different environment, a subtle shift that somehow felt… comforting.
“See, Yi Yao? You can be quite the adorable little sister if you tone down the aggression,” she said, her eyes sparkling with mischief, after forcing me into a sundress and thigh-highs.
I glared at her, my soul weary. “I’d rather fight the Gathering Hall.”
“…”
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