8. Unexpected Encounter

Returning to the rooftop of the factory, Qiao Yuyan shed her disguise, rubbed the sore spot on her back where she had bumped into the stairs, and sat down to sketch out a route map.

Time had been tight earlier, so she had to rely on Shi Yue to control the surveillance cameras, seizing the moment to jump down through a gap in the stairwell.

Though Lin Shi Yue couldn’t fully control the Gu Corporation’s surveillance system, it was no trouble for her to disrupt it for a few seconds.

“The operation is tonight,” Qiao Yuyan said, circling several locations on the map before putting away her pen and addressing her teammates waiting nearby.

She had dismantled many of the exhaust fans in the ducts. It was midsummer, and without the fans, the building’s cooling efficiency would plummet. Once maintenance personnel arrived, they would discover signs of someone having climbed through the ducts.

They had to complete the mission before the maintenance crew showed up.

An Chen, now back to his blonde hair, set down the steel rebar cutter he was modifying and approached. “Boss, do we need any more equipment?”

“Just the usual gear,” Qiao Yuyan replied, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. “I’m going back for a while. Meet precisely at 11 p.m. Shi Yue, keep an eye on Gu Corporation.”

Lin Shi Yue nodded. “Don’t worry, boss.”

Qiao Yuyan briskly exited the abandoned factory and stood beneath the shade of a roadside tree, waiting for a ride. Taking advantage of the pause, she opened a document recently updated in her mind.

That afternoon, her sister had received a call: their aunt had accidentally fallen down the stairs. Her sister had hurried home with her. Fortunately, the aunt was not seriously injured—just a sprained ankle.

What surprised Qiao Yuyan was that her sister had wanted to stay and care for their aunt, but Luo Lingchen coaxed her back to the Luo family with just a few words. In the end, the responsibility of looking after their aunt fell to Qiao Yuyan.

Qiao Yuyan had intended to go directly to prevent the fall, but no matter what she tried, she couldn’t change the destination of the ride-hailing car. Even walking was dangerous; she nearly got crushed by a truck running a red light.

She realized once again that the will of this world was interfering. Since the aunt’s injury was minor, she suppressed her impatience and waited to go together with her sister.

As for staying behind to care for their aunt tonight, Qiao Yuyan didn’t mind. What troubled her was Luo Lingchen’s controlling nature over her sister.

Closing the document, Qiao Yuyan leaned against the tree trunk and lowered her head in thought.

She would never obediently follow the story’s original plot. But how to change the original storyline? She had no clue. Judging by the obstacles she had faced today just trying to prevent her aunt’s injury, altering the plot would not be easy.

It wasn’t until she got into the car and passed by the Gu Corporation headquarters that a spark of inspiration lit up her mind.

This was a complete world, and the original text could never cover every detail. The original story made no mention of the Luo family, no dark web, and certainly no GSC.

Nor did it say that this delicate white lotus like her could twist a skull barehanded, or that the seemingly devoted brother-in-law was constantly psychologically manipulating her sister.

Perhaps she could start from these unrecorded gaps.

With a rough idea in mind, her mood lightened considerably. As they neared the Luo family estate, her face regained its innocent, carefree expression.

Just after getting out of the car, she saw Jiang Yunxi rushing out of the villa in a hurry.

Qiao Yuyan hurried to meet her. “What’s wrong, sister?”

“Grandpa Shen just called—mom fell. I have to go check on her,” Jiang Yunxi said anxiously.

Qiao Yuyan helped her into the Luo family car and asked knowingly, “Are we going to the hospital or back home?”

“Home,” Jiang Yunxi instructed the driver, buckled her seatbelt, and turned to Qiao Yuyan. “Grandpa Shen said mom refuses to go to the hospital and will rest at home.”

Their aunt had moved into the faculty housing at Chenxing Institute of Technology three years ago. Upon moving, she had immediately sent the address to Qiao Yuyan, afraid she might go to the wrong place if she returned to the country.

Qiao Yuyan had heard from their aunt that her neighbor was a retired professor surnamed Shen.

Seeing Jiang Yunxi’s worried expression, Qiao Yuyan put an arm around her sister’s shoulders and softly comforted her, “Don’t worry, sis. Since she doesn’t need to be hospitalized, Auntie should be fine.”

Jiang Yunxi gently squeezed her sister’s hand in reply.

Under Jiang Yunxi’s constant urging, the Luo family driver sped toward Chenxing Institute of Technology.

The faculty housing area was a cluster of old-style buildings constructed thirty years ago, none higher than six stories. Each building had three units, with only two households per unit.

Jiang Yunxi ran up to the third floor. The door to the left side of the floor was open. She went straight inside, calling out loudly, “Mom, Mom, how are you?”

The narrow stairway of the old building forced Qiao Yuyan to follow behind her sister, entering the room a little more slowly.

Yu Qingmei sat on the sofa while a kind-faced, round-cheeked aunt applied ice packs to her ankle resting on the coffee table.

On the other side of the sofa sat an elderly man with silver hair.

Yu Qingmei held Jiang Yunxi close as she sank into her arms, patting her daughter’s back gently. “I told you I’m fine. I already went to the infirmary. Just a sprain—should be better by tomorrow.”

Before she finished speaking, her gaze shifted toward Qiao Yuyan following behind. Overjoyed, she pounded the armrest of the sofa, eager to stand. “My darling girl, you came back and didn’t tell Auntie at all.”

Jiang Yunxi and the aunt attending to her ankle quickly restrained her. “Don’t move, Mom. You can’t be reckless now.”

“Auntie,” Qiao Yuyan saw that neither could calm the excited woman, so she hurried over to Yu Qingmei’s other side and clung to her arm, acting coquettishly. “Auntie, I just came back last night. It was too late when I arrived, so I didn’t want to disturb you. I rested at sister’s place and planned to come this afternoon.”

“Silly girl,” Yu Qingmei immediately pushed her daughter away without hesitation and hugged Qiao Yuyan tightly. “No matter how late you come back in the future, you have to tell Auntie first. Auntie’s heart is so happy now that you’re back.”

Being pushed aside by her birth mother, Jiang Yunxi didn’t mind. She rose and thanked the elderly man sitting nearby. “Grandpa Shen, we’re truly grateful to you today.”

Grandpa Shen wore gold-rimmed glasses and a neatly pressed light-colored linen Tang suit. His demeanor was refined and scholarly.

He waved his hand with a smile. “It’s nothing serious. Neighbors should help each other, especially since your mother has always been kind to me.”

Glancing at Yu Qingmei, who still held onto Qiao Yuyan and wouldn’t let go, the old man stood and said, “Since you’re all reunited, I won’t disturb your family gathering any longer.”

Upon hearing this, Yu Qingmei released Qiao Yuyan and rose. “Uncle Shen, let me see you out.”

“I live just across from you, a few steps away. No need for you to escort me. You just sit and rest,” he said firmly, leaving no room for refusal.

The aunt who had been icing Yu Qingmei’s ankle stood and handed the remaining ice cubes to Jiang Yunxi. “Take good care of Sister Yu. Professor Shen and I will be going now.”

“Thank you both so much today,” Jiang Yunxi accepted the ice and thanked them again.

The aunt smiled but said no more, supporting the elderly professor as they left.

Jiang Yunxi insisted on seeing them to the door. Watching them enter the opposite apartment, she finally closed the door behind them.