Chapter Eighty-Eight: He Remembered Who It Was

Not long after Fang Yun had packed everything he needed to take and the research institute had just left, Chen Shaotian happened to return as well. Unfortunately, Shaotian had only come to Chen Ding’an’s side in the past few years and did not know Fang Yun. Although Fang Yun had information on Chen Shaotian and knew who he was, the two were not acquainted, so he did not greet him either. Thus they simply brushed past one another, each driving off toward his own destination.

At that moment, Chen Ding’an was sitting in his chair, staring blankly into space, no one knew what thoughts occupied his mind. Only when Shaotian pushed open the door and entered did he come back to himself.

“Master, I’m back,” Shaotian said in greeting.

Chen Ding’an nodded. “Mm. Sit. Tell me, how did it go meeting Chen Hao? I haven’t seen that brat in so long. Is he doing well now?”

“Young Master is much the same as before—healthy and in excellent spirits. I also met Miss. Though it was our first meeting, she did not seem reserved at all, and even greeted me politely.”

“Heh, that girl Mengyan is still as carefree and open as ever. The first time I met her when she was little, she was exactly like that. I gave her some candy, and she didn’t refuse at all—just said thank you and took it.” The moment Gu Mengyan was mentioned, Chen Ding’an beamed. “What were they doing when you arrived?”

Shaotian thought for a moment. “Judging from Miss and Miss Fan’s dress, it seemed they had just finished swimming, because they were still wrapped in swim towels. Young Master, on the other hand, had nothing special about him. He looked to be helping the two ladies pack their luggage.”

“Heh!” Chen Ding’an laughed. “That boy didn’t go swimming with the two girls and take the chance to enjoy a few little advantages? That rotten brat—even after all these years, he still has the lust but not the nerve!”

He spoke words no father ought to say, and seemed not the least aware of it.

Shaotian coughed lightly. “However, when I arrived, there was someone else in the room besides the three of them.”

“Oh? Someone else? Who? A man or a woman? Chen Hao’s girlfriend?” Chen Ding’an asked with great interest, instantly assuming some relationship with Chen Hao. The question left Chen Shaotian momentarily dumbfounded.

Yet Chen Ding’an was already running on with his own imagined plot. “Mm... if I remember correctly, Mengyan booked the plane tickets, didn’t she? At first she should only have booked tickets for two people. Even Yirou’s ticket was added later.

“My guess is that Mengyan took it upon herself to book one for Chen Hao without consulting anyone else. If you ask me, she wanted to go traveling alone with Chen Hao and spend some time fostering their feelings. Ever since they reunited, it seems they’ve never really had a chance to be alone together.

“Just about everyone can see what that girl Mengyan feels for Chen Hao, and yet that idiot notices absolutely nothing. His mother and I have been anxious for them both.

“I truly don’t understand it. Chen Hao is clearly my son, so how can he be this dense? Back in the day, when his mother and I...” He gave a dry cough.

Seeing the strange look in Chen Shaotian’s eyes, Chen Ding’an suddenly realized he had let something slip. But he misunderstood the look completely. Shaotian was not staring at him because of his romantic reminiscences, but because he was astonished by just how formidable the old master’s imagination was.

Chen Ding’an went on talking as if to himself. “In any case, that foolish boy Chen Hao can’t see Mengyan’s intentions at all. He still thinks she’s so close to him because of sibling affection. His mother and I are worried sick.

“Fine, let’s put Mengyan aside for the moment. Isn’t there still Yirou? That girl may not show it very openly, but she’s fond of Chen Hao too. I refuse to believe he can’t tell.

“With two such delicate, beautiful women around him, both good-natured besides, how does he not know to seize the opportunity? And now this—Mengyan clearly meant to spend time alone with Chen Hao, yet he just had to bring along somebody else. Does he have any emotional intelligence at all? Two great beauties go swimming, and what’s he doing? Packing luggage?

“He should have changed into swim trunks without hesitation, jumped into the pool, and swum joyfully with the two girls in a sea of delight!”

At this point, Chen Ding’an even spread his arms wide as though his heart itself were taking flight.

Chen Shaotian nearly spat blood.

“Master, you truly are... too formidable.” He genuinely did not know what words could describe his feelings at that moment. “But you’ve misunderstood Young Master. The person in that room... was not someone he invited. Though the other party was also a woman, she was neither Young Master’s friend nor his girlfriend.

“I can tell that although Young Master has no such thoughts toward Miss, he does harbor those feelings for Miss Fan. And it’s not that Young Master is slow—rather, Miss Yirou seems somewhat reserved.

“The last time I had a meal with Young Master, I heard him say that he had repeatedly wanted to confess to Miss Fan, but each time she found some excuse to stop him. I don’t know whether she’s playing some game of feigned resistance.”

“Uh...” Chen Ding’an’s face instantly turned awkward. “Is that so? What on earth is that girl Yirou thinking?”

Shaotian shook his head. “Probably because of her family situation.”

It would have been better if he had not mentioned it; once he did, Chen Ding’an became even more animated. “Speaking of which, that girl Yirou really is something. Her family is clearly in such dire straits, so why won’t she accept my help?

“I already made it perfectly clear that she needn’t feel burdened. Why insist on going her own way? If she truly feels too indebted, then couldn’t she just marry Chen Hao later on? That would count as repaying my kindness.”

...

Perhaps it is precisely because you suggested she marry Chen Hao that she refused you, Shaotian thought wickedly to himself. But he said nothing and kept silent.

After a while, Chen Ding’an finally came back to the point. “Right—you said there was another person in the hotel room, and that it was a woman, but not Chen Hao’s girlfriend. Then who was she?”

At last, back to the subject. Chen Shaotian let out a quiet breath of relief, afraid the old master might drift off again, and quickly answered, “Mm, she appears to be a senior internal employee of Illusion Company. Her name is Dong Xin. Originally, she did not seem to work in Young Master’s department, but on the very day Young Master and Miss resigned, she was temporarily transferred into his department.

“It also seems that because Young Master and Miss were late that day, they had a minor conflict with her.”

“Oh?” Chen Ding’an looked quite surprised. “Chen Hao actually got into a conflict with someone? That’s a first. But... Dong Xin, that name...”

“What is it?” Chen Shaotian asked. He remembered that Chen Hao had previously asked him to look into Dong Xin. Unfortunately, the name meant nothing to him. Yet the old master had reacted the instant he heard it—could it be that he knew her? “Do you know this person, Master? Young Master once asked me to investigate her, but I had no impression of her at all.

“Did you come across her because of the recent investigation? She arrived in Crystal at this particular time—could Illusion Company have some special arrangement?

“Young Master told me before that he, too, was suspicious of Dong Xin’s purpose. According to him, she originally should not have been in Crystal at all. After all, she had only just taken up her post in his department. Logically speaking, she should not have gone out on a business trip immediately after taking office.

“And yet it just so happened that her destination was the same as theirs, and of all places, it was Crystal—a place so sensitive. Young Master suspects that she deliberately investigated their movements and followed them here.”

Chen Ding’an could not quite understand Chen Hao’s suspicion. “Follow them? What is there about them worth following? Mengyan may have been personally involved in what happened in Crystal, but how old was she back then? And on top of that, she has lost all memory related to Crystal. She knows nothing at all.

“Even if someone were following them, they could never uncover anything that way. Besides, I never told Chen Hao very much about Crystal. Whatever Chen Hao could know, an internal employee of Illusion Company would surely know as well. So what would be the point?”

If even Chen Ding’an could not make sense of it, naturally Shaotian could not either. He could only shake his head helplessly. “I can’t figure it out either.”

“Could that brat Chen Hao have developed delusions? Imagining every day that someone is out to harm him?” Chen Ding’an said.

...

Of course, it was only a joke, and even Chen Ding’an himself did not take it seriously. Instead, he continued pondering other possibilities. “Could it be that Chen Hao recently did something that aroused Illusion Company’s suspicions, and that’s why they sent someone to follow him?”

“Well...” Chen Shaotian was not certain. “I haven’t heard Young Master mention anything of the sort. But there is one thing that struck me as very strange.

“Young Master only arrived in Crystal today, and no one could possibly have told him anything about what happened here. Yet strangely enough, he seemed to know that Crystal had suffered an attack.

“I was wondering whether Dong Xin might have told him. But judging by the timing, that shouldn’t have been possible either. Young Master and the others had only just arrived at the inn when I got there. Even if she had wanted to tell him, there simply wasn’t time, much less time to make him believe it.”

“Something must have happened here that we don’t know about. It seems we’ll have to investigate this properly.” Chen Ding’an tapped the table as he spoke. “Besides... when it comes to this Dong Xin, I do seem to have thought of someone...”