Chapter 76: Chengnan Bookstore 23 (End)
Zhuang Ningyu was originally still puzzled about the “dog destroying the chandelier” incident. After all, an Austrian crystal chandelier sounded like it should be at least four meters off the ground, not something a chubby dog could reach. But now he was no longer puzzled, because half of the curtain was currently fluttering like a battle flag. After the property management left, he sat in the messy living room with U-Shield in his arms. The two of them watched the flowing car lights outside the floor-to-ceiling windows and began to contemplate the eternal dialectic between life’s free will and the discipline of contemporary social civilization.
Yi Ke put the blanket away. “It’s almost nine. You should go to your meeting. I’ll clean up.”
Zhuang Ningyu released the soft, big ears in his hands and was about to get up when his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of something unusual. Under U-Shield’s thin ear skin, there was a hidden, light cyan serial number—GI-AE-LD60-09229. Beagles are laboratory dogs. The fate awaiting them, besides euthanasia after the experiment, is that a considerable number of healthy dogs are made available for public adoption after their task is completed. Zhuang Ningyu rubbed the line of text with his thumb and asked, “Was he adopted?”
“Yeah,” Yi Ke said. “Doesn’t He Yu’s little shelter have a lot of stray animals? A friend of mine was looking for a companion dog for his mom recently, so he went and picked this one.”
Zhuang Ningyu also followed the official account of the shelter and hadn’t seen any collaboration with any experimental institutions. He made a call, and with just a brief mention, He Yu immediately remembered U-Shield. It wasn’t because he was particularly destructive at the shelter; on the contrary, he was so weak he could barely move, like an emaciated skeleton on the verge of death. Forget tearing up the house, he couldn’t even open his mouth to eat. He Yu said, “He was found in a garbage heap. When our volunteers got the news and rushed over, he was almost gone. His physical condition was extremely poor. Even the doctor said it wasn’t certain he could be saved.”
But fortunately, in the end, U-Shield pulled through the critical period with his tenacious vitality and was successfully transferred from the hospital back to the shelter. He Yu continued, “He should be a lab dog that escaped from somewhere. He had no social training at all. In the beginning, he couldn’t even walk properly. He was probably kept in a cage since birth. The dog needed continuous treatment afterward, which cost a lot of money. It’s a good thing Brother Yi introduced a resourceful friend who had the means to continue taking care of him.”
U-Shield frantically rubbed against Zhuang Ningyu’s arms, whining. Yi Ke grabbed the scruff of his glossy neck and tried to pull him away. Zhuang Ningyu said, “The first code on his ear is GI.”
Yi Ke’s hand stopped. U-Shield immediately darted back under Zhuang Ningyu’s arm with lightning speed. Zhuang Ningyu, propping himself up with one hand on the floor, continued to explain, “Gigas Invisibilis, the Invisible Giant.”
Yi Ke frowned. “But U-Shield was found in a garbage heap in Chengnan. Are you saying… the Invisible Giant might have a lab in Jincheng, or did he run here from out of town?”
“The former, probably, but it’s just my guess. GI could also stand for something else,” Zhuang Ningyu said, stroking the dog’s head. “Whether it is or not, I’ll take him to the lab group first to have a look. If it’s really related, then he might still have unmetabolized drugs in his system.”
The downstairs neighbors finally got some peace. The ones who were no longer at peace were the research group. Almost the entire office building, or rather the entire Wenying Road, was filled with the donkey-like braying of the big-eared dog. Everyone covered their ears as they entered the meeting room. He Mo even specifically found Zhuang Ningyu and asked him earnestly, “What’s this all about now? Although big brother really loves you, like a snowflake loves the imprint of winter, if you keep coming to work like this, you’re really going to get your salary docked.”
A lab technician nearby pursed his lips and chuckled. Zhuang Ningyu stood up. “Stop fooling around. Sister Liu said this dog might be a lab dog that escaped from an Invisible Giant experimental facility.”
He Mo immediately became serious. “What do you mean?”
Zhuang Ningyu briefly explained the situation. Across from the research group was the lab group under the Evolver Management Center. Upon receiving the news, they immediately rushed over, drew a tube of U-Shield’s blood, and took it back for research. Sister Liu said, “Looking at the serial number, he should have been injected with a dose exceeding the median lethal dose. The fact that he’s still so healthy and alive now means he’s a strong, good little dog.”
U-Shield: “Werwerwer!”
“Do we need to take him back to the lab group tonight?” Sister Liu asked. “If he really has undergone related experiments, then there’s a certain probability of mutation, which could be dangerous.”
“It’s fine. I’ll keep a good eye on him,” Zhuang Ningyu said, stroking the dog’s head. “You guys just focus on confirming the results as quickly as possible.”
That night, a few of the younger members who didn’t have a meeting took turns running up and down the stairs with U-Shield, finally tiring him out. The lab group’s results came out quickly. In just four hours, Sister Liu called Zhuang Ningyu to say that U-Shield’s blood indeed tested positive for the same drug component as Tang Xiaoyuan’s, coded MaximeE-05, or ME05 for short, which can significantly increase the subject’s physical strength and block pain in a short period of time.
The next day, the mooching friend held his phone, as if struck by a thunderbolt from a clear sky. “What do you mean U-Shield has to perform official duties and can’t be returned to me for the time being?”
“He’s a lab dog. The toxic substances in his body haven’t been fully metabolized yet,” Yi Ke said. “You don’t want him to get sick again, do you?”
That was true, but… the mooching friend, after much thought, confirmed tearfully, “It’s definitely because you’re helping U-Shield get treatment, and not because Brother Zhuang has taken a liking to my dog, right?”
Nonsense! How could my precious wife take a liking to your dog! Having me is enough for him! Yi Ke said, “Anyway, once he’s better, I’ll let you know to come and pick him up.”
“Can I come visit him?”
“No!”
The mooching friend burst into tears in his Aston Martin on the spot. After returning home, he immediately packed a pile of dog toys and treats and delivered them to Yi Ke, holding his hand and urging, “You must take good care of my mom’s precious grandson!”
U-Shield’s fate was full of twists and turns. He had only enjoyed a couple of days of a rich third-generation’s life before being forced to temporarily reside in the lab group for observation and treatment. Back in the lab, U-Shield was noticeably quieter, curled up in a corner and refusing to speak. Fortunately, everyone here liked him very much. Yi Ke and Zhuang Ningyu also often came to play with him after work. The tri-colored big dog nudged Yi Ke with his wet nose, his tail held high, his hind legs straight and taut.
“Our baby is so majestic,” Zhuang Ningyu praised.
Mmm, mmm. Yi Ke leaned over and kissed his cheek, looking smug.
Zhuang Ningyu: “…” Wait a minute, did you misunderstand something?
On the way home, they would stop and take a second look whenever they encountered a dog. A small, curly-haired poodle was performing tricks, drawing a chorus of praise from the surrounding crowd. “So smart,” “The smartest little dog in the world,” could be heard repeatedly. The dog’s owner was clearly very proud of his little dog’s intelligence and told everyone to test him as they pleased.
Onlooker A: “Sit.”
Onlooker B: “Wave bye-bye.”
Onlooker C: “Shake hands.”
Yi Ke: “Three-hundred-and-sixty-degree backflip into a straight-body Tkatchev.”
Poodle: “?”
Onlookers: “?”
Yi Ke was dragged away from the scene by Zhuang Ningyu, stumbling as he went, still commenting, “How smart is that? Nothing special.”
Not as good as our U-Shield.
The chubby, tri-colored dog had no idea of the experimental significance he carried and was still desperately whining “werwer” to his owner through video calls. In the investigation team, Zhong Pinghe said, “After ME05 is injected into a test subject, their life will experience an extreme burst followed by an extreme decline, just like Tang Xiaoyuan.”
“U-Shield most likely underwent the experiment in Jincheng,” Zhuang Ningyu said. “Could it be related to the Fu family’s medical industry?”
“It’s hard to say, but the Fu family is definitely connected to the Invisible Giant,” Zhong Pinghe said, glancing at the time. “Let’s go, it’s about time.”
Ni Ruiling sat in the interrogation room, a stack of evidence just found by the investigation team laid out before her. She had once logged into Dou Dekai’s social media account and forged that timed suicide note. At that time, Ni Ruiling didn’t have the backing of the Invisible Giant, but she still managed to complete a nearly flawless crime on her own. Zhong Pinghe said, “You knew Dou Dekai very well, even better than he knew himself.”
Ni Ruiling did not deny this. Even now, she was still very satisfied with her complete control over Dou Dekai back then. Zhong Pinghe continued, “When Zhang Nan, the owner of Chengnan Bookstore, was first drawn into the rule zone, he immediately called Bao Yuzhou’s first wife, Wang Lei. According to him, at that time, Wang Lei managed to completely brainwash Dou Dekai with just a few phone calls. The person on the other end of the phone at that time was actually you, right? We already have sufficient evidence to prove that during that period, she was at your beauty salon.”
Currently, it was known that Bao Yuzhou, Wang Lei, and Zhang Nan belonged to Rotating Curve, while Ni Ruiling belonged to the higher-level Invisible Giant. Strictly speaking, she was Wang Lei’s “leader.” Zhong Pinghe said, “You must be very proud, right? After all, your favorite thing is to crush people who were once above you on all levels.”
Ni Ruiling looked at her nails and said lightly, as always, “I don’t know anything.”
“You can choose not to say anything, but Wang Lei might not continue to keep it a secret,” Zhong Pinghe reminded her. “Don’t forget, she, like you, also has a narcissistic personality disorder. Your narcissism comes from a high degree of recognition of your own abilities, while the cause of Wang Lei’s personality is even more complex than yours. She has never experienced any setbacks since she was a child, one could even say she’s never suffered any grievances. She has long been accustomed to being on top.”
Ni Ruiling’s movements paused.
After a long while, she said through gritted teeth, “Idiot.”
In the interrogation room next door, just as Zhong Pinghe had predicted, when Wang Lei learned that Ni Ruiling had once been her husband’s mistress, her emotions fluctuated dramatically in an instant. No woman could tolerate being lorded over by her husband’s lover. When she first met Ni Ruiling, the other party had appeared as a member of the Invisible Giant organization, so Wang Lei didn’t find her “subordinate” status difficult to accept. In fact, she even quite admired her competence and arrogance, especially when Zhang Nan called. She had witnessed with her own eyes how Ni Ruiling had completely controlled the monster remotely in a short period of time, and was greatly amazed by her outstanding talent—now it had all become a joke.
“After your father retired, after the kidnapping case happened, Ms. Wang, you should know in your heart that for the Invisible Giant, the Universe Group had in fact already become a ‘discarded piece’,” the investigator said. “Haven’t you ever found it strange? Why, when you were clearly at the end of your rope, with no more use value, you could still receive care and help from the ‘organization’? A pitifully small amount of ‘help,’ not enough to allow the Universe Group to make a comeback, but just barely enough to let you hold on to a sliver of hope?”
“Because this wasn’t sincere care at all. It was your husband’s former mistress, using her newly acquired power to enjoy a sense of superiority and dominance. Before, she could only hide in dark corners, not even daring to appear before you. But now, she can easily choose how to dispose of you.”
“How does it feel to be treated like her toy?”
Wang Lei broke down and swept the cup off the table. She indeed couldn’t stand any deception or being played with. That was why, even though she knew her husband had gotten into trouble to save his illegitimate son, she still did everything in her power to save him, just to tell him, “The son you cared so much about is dead,” and then contentedly admire his pain. She had to retaliate for all the suffering. Her husband, her husband’s lover—it was better for them not to be alive, or to be tortured before they died. In short, she couldn’t let anyone who had betrayed her live a good life.
The investigator’s words continued, “By the way, we also found out that the number of lovers your husband once had was far more than two, possibly twenty. This is a portion of the photos. Do you want to see them? He has good taste, they’re all quite pretty.”
Wang Lei did not look at the photos. She lay slumped on the table, her stinging eyes closed. “Enough. Whatever you want to know, I’ll tell you everything.”
…
Bao Yuzhou’s secret driver from back then was found. He quickly confessed to his boss’s relationship with Ni Ruiling. With the driver’s testimony, the timeline of events was further completed—after Bao Mingming was kidnapped, Bao Yuzhou had gathered three million yuan from several friends. Worried that his wife would see through it, and also worried that his lover would break down, he chose to go to Ni Ruiling’s house with the money to wait for further news from the kidnapper.
The truth of the Zeus Grand Hotel bombing finally saw the light of day after five years, and at the same time, it implicated two overseas organizations, the Invisible Giant and Rotating Curve. However, because Ni Ruiling still refused to confess, the case had not been completely solved. Therefore, the Order Maintenance Department did not issue a public announcement this time. Only the sudden closure of Chengnan Bookstore and RUIIS Beauty Salon vaguely revealed some of the truth to the public. Related discussions on the internet never stopped. Zhuang Ningyu would also participate in the discussions under a pseudonym in his spare time. During this time, the Fu family was often mentioned, with people lamenting how difficult things were for the second young master of the Fu family. It was said that he was still in Italy and couldn’t even return to the country.
Yi Ke: “Ahem!”
Zhuang Ningyu: “I’m working!”
What work on a big weekend? Yi Ke squeezed in beside him. “Want to go to my place for dinner later?”
Zhuang Ningyu had no objection to dinner, but he had an objection to Ms. Deng. When he went for dinner last weekend, he had almost been gifted a large, luxurious emerald necklace set. Although his future mother-in-law repeatedly stated that it was a specially modified men’s style, Zhuang Ningyu really couldn’t imagine under what circumstances he would need to wear this extravagant piece of jewelry that looked like it had just been stolen from a European royal family. He had repeatedly refused on the spot, and in his haste to flee, he had even forgotten to take the crabs.
Yi Ke said, “It’s so beautiful.” My wife is fair and beautiful, he should wear huge, expensive gems! He held him and kissed him repeatedly. “Bring it back. Wear it for your husband to see at night.”
Zhuang Ningyu: “Get lost!”
Yi Ke didn’t get lost, he held him even tighter. “Are you really not going?”
“You go ahead. I’ll look at some files,” Zhuang Ningyu patted his face. “Be good.”
Yi Ke mumbled an “mhm” and they exchanged a kiss. “Then I’ll be back early.”
But it wasn’t “early.” It wasn’t until eleven o’clock that Yi Ke drove home. After opening the electronic lock, he first carefully peeked his head in the door to make sure his wife wasn’t on the first floor, then he carried the heavy jewelry box straight to the study’s safe and stuffed it in with a few quick movements.
“What are you doing?” Zhuang Ningyu’s voice suddenly came from behind him.
Yi Ke shot up, his head hitting the desk with a “bang,” and he grimaced in pain. Zhuang Ningyu became even more suspicious. He walked over, rubbing his head while asking, “What are you doing so sneakily as soon as you get home?”
“Hiding some private money,” Yi Ke said evasively, pushing him out. “What did you have for dinner?”
Zhuang Ningyu was caught off guard. He hadn’t eaten. He had looked at the forum for a while and then went back to the bedroom for a nap. He had just woken up. But if he said that, he would be scolded again. So he preemptively took the moral high ground and asked in surprise, “You didn’t bring me back anything to eat?”
“Nice try,” Yi Ke knew him too well and wasn’t fooled in the slightest. He grabbed the back of his neck and led him to the dining table. “Sit!”
Zhuang Ningyu obediently shut up.
There was cooked rice and broth frozen in the refrigerator. Yi Ke added some crab meat and made him a seafood congee. Zhuang Ningyu’s stomach belatedly started to grumble. Unable to wait for the congee to be ready, he used the air fryer to heat up a beef patty himself. While cooking, Yi Ke reminded him, “I’m going into the rule zone next week. You go to your grandpa’s house for dinner every day before coming home, got it?”
“Got it,” Zhuang Ningyu carefully took out the patty.
“You have to send me a photo of every meal.”
“Okay.”
“Before, during, and after eating.”
“Mmm.”
The rule zone next week was the Zeus Grand Hotel, which had been iterated to the point where it could no longer be iterated. According to the data, this version of the rule zone was already in an extremely unstable state. As one of the first action team members to go in, Yi Ke would have to face too many unknowns, and the danger level was not low.
Zhuang Ningyu: “I—”
Yi Ke: “Not allowed.”
Zhuang Ningyu: “I want to eat another patty.”
Yi Ke: “…Also not allowed.”
Eating too much at night will make you uncomfortable.
In the early morning, Zhuang Ningyu, well-fed, showered, and bathed, lay lazily in bed, wrapped in the scent of jasmine after the rain. This was the new shower gel Yi Ke had picked for him. So was the toothpaste, the body lotion, the pajamas, and the slippers. Zhuang Ningyu had almost no say in his daily life. After realizing this, he finally tasted a hint of twisted, coercive, dark madness in this sunny and healthy relationship. So he immediately picked up Wuthering Heights and read for half an hour.
Yi Ke had no idea what his wife was imagining at the moment. He didn’t want to read either. He just buried his face in his waist and rubbed affectionately for a while. After a bit, he reached his hand into his pajamas.
Zhuang Ningyu flinched from the ticklishness. “Go to sleep!”
Yi Ke didn’t sleep. His hand roamed around, finally coming to a quiet stop over his heart.
Zhuang Ningyu thought he was counting his heartbeat and found it very romantic. So he laid the book flat on the covers and began a philosophical discussion of love: “Have you ever heard the view that a racing heart is the body’s crude imitation of the soul’s悸動?”
Yi Ke rubbed the thin calluses of his fingertips over that patch of warm skin.
Nietzsche was stuck in his throat. Zhuang Ningyu: “?”
Yi Ke moved over and lay on his chest, lowering his head to kiss him through his pajamas.
Zhuang Ningyu: Switch back to the philosophy channel!
Outside the window, the rain pattered all night long.
