Chapter 53:

Shen Qingzhou and Lin Qiao arrived at the headquarters of Lin Group late at night. By this time, all the employees had long since gone home, and the entire building was dark and quiet.

Lin Qiao stepped out of the car, ran over to Shen Qingzhou, and hooked her arm through his. “Are we really going up?” she asked.

Shen Qingzhou looked down at her. His refined face was bathed in a soft, misty glow under the gentle moonlight, making him appear much gentler than usual. He asked softly, “Scared?”

“You’ve been talking about things straight out of horror movies—how can I not be scared?” Lin Qiao frowned, turning her head away. Although she was complaining, her arm remained tightly linked with his.

She was genuinely frightened.

Shen Qingzhou sighed and used his free hand to ruffle her forehead. Her smooth, black hair became tousled, and she muttered in protest, “Stop it! I haven’t even washed my hair today.”

Shen Qingzhou frowned slightly in disapproval. “Hair doesn’t need washing every day. Washing it every other day is most suitable. Washing it daily can actually damage it.”

Lin Qiao mumbled, “But my hair gets so oily after just one day.”

Shen Qingzhou studied her for a moment with an academic gaze and then stated seriously, “It’s not oily. It doesn’t even reflect light.”

“…” Seriously, how could hair reflect light at night? And if it had to reach that level before washing, she’d probably already have lice.

Seeing the look of disbelief on Lin Qiao’s face, Shen Qingzhou smiled gently and asked, “Feeling better now? Still scared?”

Lin Qiao blinked, suddenly realizing he had been distracting her the whole time. She felt a warmth in her chest and replied, “Much better, but I’m still a little scared.” She tightened her grip on his arm and lifted her chin defiantly. “So I’m just going to stick with you.”

Shen Qingzhou nodded. A slight smile tugged at the corners of his eyes. “You can hold on for as long as you like.” With that, he led Lin Qiao toward the entrance steps.

Lin Qiao ignored the curious glances from passersby as she and Shen Qingzhou entered Lin Group. The security guard on the first floor saluted them and greeted, “President Lin, Chairman Shen, good evening!”

President Lin and Chairman Shen—one was a president, the other a chairman. The difference in status was like heaven and earth. The rich really were different.

Lin Qiao shot him a glance filled with envy, but Shen Qingzhou, oblivious to her silent jealousy, turned to the guard and asked, “Have there been any employees returning to the company to work overtime these past few nights?”

The guard hesitated, surprised that Shen Qingzhou would ask such a question. After a moment’s thought, he replied, “I was on night duty the day before yesterday and again tonight. I haven’t seen any employees come in to work overtime.”

“What about those who left late?” Shen Qingzhou continued.

The guard furrowed his brow, thinking. After a while, he shook his head. “No, no one left particularly late. Usually, everyone leaves by seven after finishing work at 5:30.”

Shen Qingzhou nodded slightly in acknowledgment. As he and Lin Qiao turned to leave, he added, “Please retrieve the surveillance footage from the main entrance for these past three nights. I’ll take it with me when I leave.”

The guard immediately responded, “Of course, Chairman Shen. Have a safe trip!”

Lin Qiao had expected Shen Qingzhou not to respond to such a polite farewell, but to her surprise, he actually said, “Thank you.”

She looked at him in mild astonishment, noticing that he had been unusually courteous tonight. Once inside the elevator, Shen Qingzhou turned to her and narrowed his eyes. “You’ve been looking at me like that since just now. Do you have something to say to me?”

Lin Qiao shook her head, indicating she had nothing to say.

Shen Qingzhou glanced at his reflection in the elevator, adjusted his tie, and looked back at her. “Then is there something wrong with my appearance?”

Lin Qiao shook her head again.

“Then what is it?” he asked softly. As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly leaned in close, his voice low and husky near her ear, “Or… are you trying to hint at something?”

Lin Qiao immediately stepped back, creating distance between them. She awkwardly stared at the open elevator doors, relieved that no one was around at this hour—otherwise, she would have died of embarrassment.

“I’m not implying anything,” she denied quickly, stepping out of the elevator ahead of him and turning her back. “Let’s get on with the task. Stop fooling around.”

Shen Qingzhou made no comment. He casually caught up with her in a few steps. Lin Qiao glanced down at his long legs and thought to herself, *Having long legs really has its advantages…* (；′⌒`)

Without asking Lin Qiao, Shen Qingzhou purposefully headed toward the chairman’s office. Lin Qiao followed behind, puzzled. “Why aren’t you asking me where the object has moved? Don’t you even care?”

Shen Qingzhou glanced at her briefly and replied indifferently, “The formation I set up isn’t something just anyone can disrupt. If it was moved, there are only a few possible places it could be. I can figure it out.”

“…That’s true. Otherwise, searching the entire building by ourselves would’ve taken forever.”

Shen Qingzhou gave Lin Qiao a strange look, as if he wanted to say something, but hesitated. After a long pause, he simply closed his mouth.

Lin Qiao took out her key and opened the chairman’s office door. She asked, “What were you going to say? Just say it already. Why are you being so hesitant? You’re not the type to hold back your thoughts.”

Shen Qingzhou, being called out like this, no longer held back. “It’s nothing, really. I just don’t quite understand your thought process. I don’t get why you would think we’d have to search the entire building.”

Lin Qiao opened her mouth, staring at him blankly. But Shen Qingzhou didn’t look at her again and walked straight into the office.

Lin Qiao switched on the lights for him and watched as he went directly behind the desk, bending down to look underneath.

Slowly walking over and crouching beside him, she asked curiously, “What are you looking at?”

Shen Qingzhou didn’t answer. He lowered himself further, his long arm reaching into the dark depths of the desk. Soon, he pulled out something wrapped in red cloth.

Lin Qiao stood up with him, staring at the object in his hand. The sight startled her, and she instinctively took a step back.

“What the hell is that?!” she exclaimed, turning her face away with a grimace.

Shen Qingzhou adjusted his grip on the object. Although Lin Qiao was frightened, curiosity eventually overpowered her fear. After a moment’s hesitation, she turned her head back to look cautiously.

It looked like a mummified infant’s corpse, wrapped in red cloth. Its blackish-brown body bore unreadable inscriptions on its head, and a large wooden bead necklace hung around its neck. It was extremely unsettling.

“Qingzhou…” Lin Qiao began, unsure of what to say, and instinctively hid behind Shen Qingzhou.

“Don’t worry. I’m here,” Shen Qingzhou reassured her.

He placed the infant-like object on the desk and bent down again, pulling out many other items from under the desk. It seemed there was a small altar hidden there—bowls of rice, incense burners, paper-cut figures made of yellow paper, and other strange objects that took up nearly half the desk.

Lin Qiao watched his actions with a furrowed brow, lips tightly pressed. When Shen Qingzhou finally turned around, he saw her pale face and immediately pulled her into his arms.

“I said I’d take you home first, but you wouldn’t listen. Now you’re scared out of your wits,” he sighed, long and full of helpless affection.

Lin Qiao, eyes slightly red, asked, “What do we do with these things?” She pointed at the objects on the desk.

“We take them with us,” Shen Qingzhou replied.

“Where to?” Lin Qiao looked up at him. “I just feel like taking them directly might not be safe. What if… we get haunted?” She shuddered at the thought, recalling scenes from horror movies.

Shen Qingzhou looked at her with surprise. “I didn’t expect you to have such insight in this area.”

Lin Qiao pushed him away, flustered. “You’re still joking at a time like this? You really have nerves of steel.”

Shen Qingzhou nearly lost his balance from her weak shove, but he didn’t seem bothered. He smiled slightly, pulled out several plastic bags from a drawer, and began packing the items on the desk with practiced efficiency. His voice was calm. “I’m joking not because I’m indifferent, but because this situation doesn’t require you to be so anxious.”

Lin Qiao looked at him and asked, “So you’re saying you can handle it?”

Shen Qingzhou glanced at her. “Are you saying you now believe in all this, considering how worried you are?”

Lin Qiao hesitated, coughed awkwardly, and said defensively, “You said we might not have to believe in these things, but we shouldn’t disrespect them either. I just think taking them like this might be disrespectful. So… wouldn’t they retaliate?”

This doubt took root in Lin Qiao’s mind. She looked at Shen Qingzhou with a mix of fear and curiosity.

Shen Qingzhou fixed her with his dark gaze and said firmly, “Don’t worry. I’ve already figured out how to deal with them on the way here. As a woman, you don’t need to concern yourself with such matters.”

Lin Qiao tried to help pack the items but hesitated, her hand half-reached before pulling back. Standing stiffly to the side, she muttered, “I guess this is what you call gender privilege?”

Shen Qingzhou didn’t even turn around. “Of course. The world offers many advantages to women, while men have it much harder.”

Lin Qiao disagreed. “You can’t generalize like that. Women have it tough too. Imagine if you had to endure a week of menstrual pain every month, suffering so badly you couldn’t even think straight—would you still be so casual about it?”

Shen Qingzhou didn’t respond, but a faint smile curved his lips. His eyes held a tenderness he hadn’t noticed himself.

Lin Qiao wasn’t done yet. “And childbirth! If you could experience the pain of giving birth, you wouldn’t think being a woman is such a great deal.”

Seeing her get so worked up, Shen Qingzhou finished packing the items into the bags and turned to her. “You’re right. I was wrong.”

Lin Qiao frowned. “Of course you were. Don’t act like you’re giving in just because I pushed you.”

Shen Qingzhou didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he leaned down and gently kissed her cheek. As she stood there, stunned by the unexpected gesture, he straightened up and said, “I didn’t give in because I was forced. I surrendered willingly. You won without a fight.” With that, he walked past her toward the door, calling out, “Come on, General Lin.”

Lin Qiao raised her hand to cover her face, feeling her ears grow warm. She bit her lip and followed him, muttering softly, “Jerk.”