Lin Guicheng’s call was to Zhou Hong, the technical director of the Lin’s Chili Sauce Factory and his former subordinate. Before Lin Guicheng left for the provincial capital, he had temporarily transferred Zhou Hong to the county town to replace Sun Siyuan’s position, making him the overall commander under Lin Guicheng’s leadership.
When Zhou Hong was on the phone with Lin Guicheng, Principal Wang happened to be nearby. He mentioned that Qin Ran and Guo Hongping were together, with Guo expressing her desire to learn yoga from Qin. The two had gone to Lin Fang’s sports store to pick out suitable workout clothes for Guo and hadn’t returned since leaving in the morning. Everyone assumed the two girls might have lost track of time while having fun somewhere.
Zhou Hong said he would immediately send people to look for them.
Lin Fang sensed something was wrong: “This is bad. Fu Hongxia must have returned to Qiyue County. I need to go back.”
“No, you’re just a young girl. What can you do if you go back?” Lin Guicheng disagreed.
Ignoring his opposition, Lin Fang pleaded, “Uncle Cheng, I remember Dad mentioning that when you were out making your way in the world, you sometimes had to disguise yourselves. You were the best at it. Please help me disguise myself so Fu Hongxia won’t recognize me. I have my own methods. I know where she’ll go.”
Compared to the noisy city, in the quiet countryside, Lin Fang’s sharp senses were like detectors. Within a hundred meters, she could distinguish different scents, and her hearing extended even farther. No matter how well Fu Hongxia hid, as long as she was within Lin Fang’s range, she could pinpoint her exact location.
Despite Lin Guicheng’s objections, Lin Fang insisted on returning. Unable to dissuade her, Lin Guicheng brewed a potion and disguised her. Two hours later, a completely transformed Lin Fang appeared in the mirror.
Lin Guicheng had left Lin Village when Lin Fang was eight and hadn’t seen her since. Lin Fang resembled Lin Dalang, and Lin Guicheng based her disguise on how Lin Dalang looked in his youth, imagining what Lin Fang might look like at eighteen. The result was a complete makeover.
Looking at her reflection, Lin Fang sighed, “I almost forgot what I’d look like grown up. I remember more clearly the ugly little girl with blood tumors on her face.”
Lin Guicheng said, “Your appearance in this life isn’t bad at all. You just don’t know how to dress up. Disguises should still reflect your natural features, or they’ll look unnatural and easily exposed. Your bone structure is very similar to Fang’s. This disguise is both the old you and the current you—nothing’s changed, yet no one will recognize you.”
“Uncle Cheng, you should open a beauty salon someday. You’d make a fortune,” Lin Fang joked.
“Hmm, I’ll consider your suggestion. I’ve also thought about opening a medicinal cuisine restaurant. People nowadays care more about health, so it should be profitable,” Lin Guicheng replied seriously, not treating her words as a joke.
“Are you planning for life after leaving? With your current wealth, you don’t need to work for money,” Lin Fang mused, thinking he might expand his business ventures.
Lin Guicheng laughed, “Can you ever have too much money?”
Once everything was ready, Lin Guicheng had Sun Siyuan drive Lin Fang back overnight. Before they left, he gave her the recipes for the disguise and removal, along with instructions on how to remove it.
After leaving the provincial capital, Sun Siyuan advised Lin Fang, “Miss, you should get some sleep. It’ll probably be dawn by the time we get home.”
Lin Fang shook her head. “I’ve slept for three days and two nights straight. I’m not tired at all.”
Sun Siyuan fell silent but kept glancing at the rearview mirror. Even though the car’s interior light was off and he couldn’t see Lin Fang clearly, he couldn’t help himself.
Lin Fang could vaguely sense Sun Siyuan’s feelings for her. In truth, Sun Siyuan was somewhat like Qi Biao—cold, ruthless, and decisive, rarely caring about anything. But when he did care, his attention to detail was unmatched.
Lin Fang didn’t particularly like him, but she didn’t deliberately distance herself as she did with other suitors.
“Miss, with so many cars at home and you being such a quick learner, why haven’t you learned to drive?” Sun Siyuan broke the silence after a while, surprising Lin Fang. He rarely initiated conversations unless it was urgent.
Driving at night was lonely and prone to distraction, increasing the risk of accidents. Lin Fang decided to chat with him. “It’s not that I don’t want to learn. I know my weaknesses. I have a good memory—I won’t deny that—but my cerebellum and brain aren’t balanced. My limbs can’t keep up with what my brain thinks, and they’re uncoordinated. I’d just end up flustered and causing chaos for myself and others.”
“But you play musical instruments so well, and so many of them. And you’re accurate when throwing things at targets,” Sun Siyuan countered, puzzled by her self-criticism given her skills.
Lin Fang replied, “Practice makes up for shortcomings. As for throwing things, I had a childhood friend who was great at fighting and hunting. I learned from her. At first, when I tried to mimic her, I’d miss completely—sometimes even hitting myself. It was embarrassing. But after over ten years, if I still couldn’t aim properly, I’d be useless.”
Her proficiency with instruments came from years of practice with her mother, and her accuracy with throwing was honed from childhood needle-throwing games. As she spoke, Lin Fang sighed inwardly—these were secrets she’d forever keep buried.
“Brother Sun, were you present when Officer Qin and Uncle Cheng talked?” Lin Fang wanted to learn more about Qin Yi from Sun Siyuan.
Since realizing Fu Hongxia might have returned to Qiyue County, Lin Fang had been worried about Qin Yi.
Since meeting him, she’d never sensed Qi Biao’s aura around Qin Yi—not even when he admitted in the woods that he was Qi Biao. Lin Fang realized a key point: the reincarnated Qi Biao in Qin Yi’s body had lost not only his past advantages but also his original traits.
“No. When the boss spoke with Officer Qin, everyone was asked to leave,” Sun Siyuan answered calmly, though Lin Fang detected a hint of complexity in his tone.
It made sense. Lin Guicheng and Qin Yi were both from another world. Their private conversations wouldn’t include outsiders—even when Lin Guicheng spoke to Lin Fang about Qin Yi, Pi Xinhong had been sent away.
Unable to get the answers she wanted, Lin Fang changed the subject. “Brother Sun, after following Uncle Cheng for so long, have you ever been curious about his mysterious or inexplicable actions? Did you want to know the reasons?”
“Yes, but I wouldn’t pry,” Sun Siyuan answered bluntly.
“Don’t you want to know who you’re following?” Sun Siyuan was unusually talkative today, so Lin Fang probed further, voicing her long-standing curiosity.
“All I know is that the boss pulled me from a pile of corpses, raised me, and gave me everything I have,” Sun Siyuan said, his tone tinged with emotion.
“How do you feel about Pi Xinhong?” It would be hard for Lin Guicheng to hide Pi Xinhong’s situation.
“The boss said that from now on, Pi Xinhong is my sister. I’ll treat her as such and protect her,” Sun Siyuan’s voice returned to its usual calm.
“If you see her as your sister, why do you still call Uncle Cheng ‘boss’?”
This was another point of curiosity for Lin Fang. Calling Lin Guicheng “boss” was understandable given their apparent superior-subordinate relationship—other subordinates did the same. But it was odd that Sun Siyuan referred to Lin Fang’s parents as “big boss” and “big boss’s wife,” and her brothers as “Big Lin” and “Second Lin,” yet insisted on calling Lin Fang “miss.” Lin Fang had asked him about it several times, but he remained silent, leaving her no choice.
Even Lin Guicheng had commented on Sun Siyuan’s form of address for Lin Fang, but he refused to change. Eventually, everyone let it go.
“The boss will always be my boss,” Sun Siyuan said, as if that explained everything.
But his answer didn’t satisfy Lin Fang’s curiosity. She didn’t press further—she had her own eternal secret, so why force others to reveal theirs?
The two fell silent again, lost in their thoughts.
Despite claiming she wasn’t tired, Lin Fang eventually dozed off. When she woke, she found herself lying on the back seat, wrapped in Sun Siyuan’s coat with only her mouth and eyes exposed. Her scarf and hat had been adjusted to cover her ears, forehead, and most of her face—keeping her warm without hindering her breathing.
“Miss, thank you for your trust,” Sun Siyuan said as soon as Lin Fang sat up.
“Why do you say that?” she asked, handing his coat back to him.
Sun Siyuan admitted, “Over the years, I’ve interacted with you many times. I can tell you’re usually very guarded. But tonight, you fell asleep without hesitation in my presence—a man—and didn’t wake when I covered you. It means you trust me. Even if I leave you someday, I’ll have no regrets.”
Lin Fang didn’t know how to respond. Tonight’s unusually talkative Sun Siyuan had finally spoken his mind.
After a pause, she said, “Brother Sun, you should smile more. Always looking so stern scares girls—and your sister too.”
Sun Siyuan didn’t reply immediately. After a moment, he said, “Alright, I’ll smile more.”
But his face remained expressionless.
By the time they reached Xinqi City, adjacent to Qiyue County, dawn had broken. Worried Fu Hongxia might recognize Sun Siyuan’s car and cause trouble, Lin Fang had him park at her sports store in Xinqi. They borrowed two bicycles from the staff and rode back to Qiyue County.
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