Soul Patch

Chapter 257 Memory
Wenjie stared at Xiao Liu for a moment, and the scene before entering the system slowly returned to his mind.

He did say that.

As for why we need to use a secret code, it's probably because the system has made me a bit paranoid.

A code, I need to think of a code… Wenjie patted his head, looked at Xiao Liu, and said, “I remember you lost the video recording in my office last time…”

"It wasn't your office, it was the elevator's security camera footage!" Xiao Liu hurriedly explained.

After saying that, I immediately realized that I should have been more tactful. It wasn't really appropriate to confront my boss so directly!
Xiao Wen smiled slightly, opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat. Seeing that Xiao Liu was standing still, he told him to hurry up and drive.

In an instant, Xiao Liu understood... That was the code!
Xiao Liu pouted and sat in the driver's seat: "Mr. Wen, next time... could we use a different code word?"

……

Wenjie returned home, quickly washed up, and went straight to sleep.

Each time you enter an online mission, although it doesn't consume real-world time, it does consume a lot of energy and stamina.

As soon as he lay down on the soft bed in the bedroom, he felt his arms and legs were sore; he felt like the system had worn him out.

Fortunately, that alliance was completely destroyed, so at least he won't be hunted down by men in black anymore.

Thinking about all this, he suddenly felt very relaxed, closed his eyes slightly, and quickly fell asleep.

The next day, the phone rang loudly. Still half asleep, he fumbled for his phone on the bedside table and randomly pressed the answer button.

A woman's voice came through the receiver: "Good morning, Mr. Wen!"

Wenjie, still half-asleep, mumbled, "Who is it?"

"Zhang Meng!"

This time, the voice on the other end of the line was shrill; it seemed Attorney Zhang was angry.

Wenjie rubbed his eyes and slightly lifted his eyelids, only then realizing that it was already broad daylight.

I slept soundly through the night without any dreams; it was an incredibly comfortable sleep.

Wenjie shook his head and cleared his throat: "Attorney Zhang, is there something you need?"

“It’s nothing…” Zhang Meng said, drawing out her words. After a pause, she slowly added, “Let’s talk about it when you have time!”

Wenjie was fully awake now. He snorted and thought to himself: Is this how lawyers always talk? They always try to keep people in suspense.

He didn't have time to beat around the bush with Zhang Meng. So he said impatiently:
"Go ahead and say it, I'm listening!"

"Have you seen the news? Do you remember Wang Hao, the guy you asked me to look into last time?"

Wang Hao? The man who tried to stab Zhang Zhipeng with a dagger in the hallway of his house?

Of course I remember. Wasn't he the one who hit and killed me?
Wenjie said casually, "I remember him, the one who drove the Jeep."

Standing in her enormous office, Zhang Meng heard this young master Wen mention Wang Hao and casually remark, "The one who drives the Jeep."

She didn't know what to say for a moment.

Why are you calling the guy driving the Jeep the one who got hit and killed by him?

Because this car accident resulted in a death, it's a complicated matter to handle. To avoid Xiaowen being sued repeatedly, she's been busy with this issue for the past two days, using a lot of connections.

You're exhausted, while the real driver who caused the accident acts like nothing happened, casually talking to you about "the guy in the Jeep."

She picked up the milk tea on the table, took a big gulp, and unconsciously tightened her grip on the cup, letting out a soft hum: "Hmm! The one driving the Jeep."

Wenjie noticed something off about Zhang Meng's tone and, after a moment's thought, figured she was probably trying to take credit.

So he chuckled and said, "Attorney Zhang, thank you for your hard work. I don't know how I would have handled this situation without your help."

Zhang Meng raised an eyebrow. Don't think she couldn't tell that Xiao Wen was just giving her a perfunctory answer.

"Words aren't enough; you need to show your gratitude with concrete actions!"

She subtly retorted, which made Zhang Meng feel much better.

"Definitely, definitely, I'll find a chance to invite the beautiful lawyer to dinner." Wenjie replied casually, then changed the subject, "The news you just mentioned, is it related to Wang Hao?"

Zhang Meng's hand caressed the milk tea cup, the smooth, polished ceramic texture radiating from her fingertips.

She took another sip of milk tea and said slowly, "The company that regularly sent money to Wang Hao has run into trouble."

Look at today's newspaper. The Huaxin Cultural and Entertainment Company in M ​​City caught fire last night. Six office workers were working overtime at the time, and all perished in the fire; there were no survivors.

Wenjie recalled the row of luxury cars he saw in the underground parking garage last night, and that darling wedding planning company...

Yes! That's right!

This Huaxin Entertainment Company's main business is wedding services, but these are actually just a front for that alliance.

Wang Hao belonged to that alliance, which is why his cousin received regular remittances from Huaxin Entertainment Company.

He took a moment to piece together the whole story. Zhang Meng didn't hear anything from the other end of the phone for a while, so she said into the receiver, "Mr. Wen, are you listening?"

"Yes, I'm wondering why six people died."

Zhang Meng found it a bit funny: "He's just working overtime, why are you bothering him about it! Do you think he's working for the Wen family at Huahai Group?"

Wenjie ignored Zhang Meng and pondered to himself:

If six people died, excluding the three who died in the network system, it means that three other people died last night in the mezzanine space between the 12th and 13th floors.

three people!
Are there any members of the alliance who escaped the calamity and are still on the run?

"Hehe, I don't care, I don't care about Huahai's overtime either," Wenjie said casually.

Zhang Meng pulled over the M City Metropolitan Daily and carefully read through the report about the fire at the Huaxin Entertainment Company in M ​​City, her gaze lingering on the picture attached to the report.

She suddenly asked, "Mr. Wen, where did you go last night?"

Upon hearing this, Wenjie paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "It was a university reunion. I had dinner with them, and then... we chatted for a while."

The words "a celestial palace on earth" flashed through his mind, but he consciously skipped them when he spoke.

It seems inappropriate to bring this up with a woman.

He wasn't familiar with Zhang Meng; their interactions were purely professional, so there was no need to say too much.

Of course, you absolutely cannot say that to a woman you are close to.

Otherwise, if your ambiguous romantic interest starts a cold war, your seemingly inseparable girlfriend might also want to break up with you.

For example, Bai Yu and Andy started arguing on the phone, making everyone feel awkward.

Wenjie wondered why Zhang Meng suddenly asked this.

Zhang Meng on the other end of the phone chuckled mischievously, "What? Is Boss Wen feeling guilty?"

"I have nothing to feel guilty about."

"If you're not guilty, why explain so much?" Zhang Meng poked at the picture in the newspaper, looking at it again and again, her tone shifting from guessing to certainty:
"Just now, I just thought there was a figure in that photo in the news report who looked a bit like you. I asked casually, and you ended up explaining so much."

As a lawyer, I handle all kinds of cases and encounter all sorts of people involved. The more someone tries to explain, the more suspicious they often become.

So, Mr. Wen, you went to Huaxin Entertainment Company in M ​​City last night, right? What were you doing there?

As expected of Attorney Zhang, he can connect everything to his profession and deduce the reasoning behind everything. "Think what you want. Is there anything else? If not, I'm hanging up," Wenjie said.

Zhang Meng thought to herself: This is also a sign of a guilty conscience. Faced with complete logical reasoning, she had no way to defend herself, so she simply avoided the issue.

However, she wouldn't say this to confront Wenjie.

She is indeed aggressive, but she doesn't always kill the conversation.

Zhang Meng felt that she had uncovered some secret, a secret that was definitely inextricably linked to Xiao Wen and that entertainment company.

This made her very proud, and her tone became much gentler: "No, I just wanted to report to you about the fire at the company where Wang Hao works last night."

"Okay, thank you, Attorney Zhang!" Wenjie hung up the phone.

This Zhang Meng is a bit difficult to deal with. After thinking for a moment, he called Xiao Liu and told her not to talk about what happened last night with anyone else.

Xiao Liu nodded obsequiously in agreement, then asked in a low voice, "Mr. Wen, I was sleeping at home yesterday. I didn't know about the fire at Huaxin Entertainment Company in M ​​City."

These words made Wenjie scratch his head. He stroked his chin and decided to retort: ​​"I've forgotten about yesterday's events, including your promotion and the elevator surveillance footage."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Liu knew that Xiao Wen was bothered by his earlier joke. He hurriedly said:
"Mr. Wen, I was wrong. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

Hearing what Xiao Liu said, Wenjie felt a little relieved.

Wenjie had already slept until 11 or 12 o'clock, and then he talked on the phone for a long time, so his stomach was growling loudly.

He left the bedroom and went to the living room on the first floor.

The mother was sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper when she saw Wenjie come downstairs. She scolded him, "What time is it? What time do you get up every day?"

"I've slept, Mom, is there anything to eat? I'm starving!"

"Why don't you eat breakfast and lunch together! You don't come home until a certain time at night, and you can't get up until a certain time in the morning. Your irregular schedule will ruin your health sooner or later!"

When Wenjie arrived at the restaurant, An Ran had already set out four dishes and a soup.

She handed Wenjie a pair of chopsticks and said to the living room, "Mrs. Wen, dinner is ready. Let's eat together."

Wenjie's mother walked towards the restaurant, still scolding Wenjie as she went.

He quickly put a piece of chicken leg meat in his mother's bowl and said, "Mom, have this!"

"Wenjie, the girl I introduced you to last time..."

"Mom, you have to try this braised shrimp, it's delicious!"

“Wenjie…”

"Mom, this fish soup is so delicious..."

The mother glanced at Wenjie, knowing her son was annoyed by her nagging, put down her chopsticks, and said sternly:
"This afternoon you'd better go to Huahai and help your dad. From now on, you'll have to work at least two days a week. You can't be so willful anymore, do you hear me!"

"Two days a week, no problem!" Wenjie readily agreed.

He glanced at the food in front of him, but for some reason lost his appetite. He turned to look at his mother and asked hesitantly, "Mom, did I take notes when I was in school?"

I remember there was a period when I was a bit of a homebody... I didn't really hang out with my friends, I was always at home doodling... Where did I put my notebooks from that period?

My mother was eating a chicken leg, but she stopped eating as she chewed.

She stared blankly at Wenjie, then glanced at An Ran.

An Ran tactfully walked towards the living room, and after a short while, she returned with a small bottle in her hand, from which she poured out two small yellow pills.

"Young Master Wen, remember to take your medicine after you finish eating."

Medicine, medicine, medicine!
They always make me take medicine, but I'm not sick at all, so why do I need to take medicine?

Wenjie let out a breath and stared at his mother, asking, "Mom, what exactly does this medicine treat?"

The mother hurriedly smiled, picked up her chopsticks, and pretended to continue eating, saying, "It's nothing, you just have trouble sleeping and are not energetic during the day, so I prescribed some calming and sleep aid pills."

With a "smack," Wenjie put down his chopsticks, turned to look at his mother, and said, "But I sleep very well. I slept especially well yesterday. If the phone hadn't woken me up today, I would probably still be sleeping."

Upon hearing her son's words, Wenjie's mother, Zhao Xiaoyun, gave Andy a look.

Seeing Mrs. Wen wink at her, An Ran chimed in, "Yes, this medicine also treats drowsiness. It improves sleep quality, not sleep duration... uh, I don't really understand either!"

After she finished speaking, she glanced timidly at Mrs. Wen, then at Young Master Wen, and hurriedly said, "Um, I'll go wash the pot."

After saying that, she got up and left.

Only Wenjie and his mother remained at the dining table.

The mother said earnestly, "Wenjie, I'm doing this all for your own good. Look how much better you are after taking your medicine, and you can even go to work at Huahai now."

Wenjie sighed and thought to himself: The ingredients of the medicine haven't been tested yet, so let's put this matter aside for now.

So he smiled at his mother and said, "Mom, I didn't want you to worry too much about me. I'm really fine. You see, your son is very healthy, right?"

After saying that, he changed the subject and said, "Mom, I remember drawing a picture in my diary, but I can't remember exactly when I drew it."

"Mom, can you help me remember where I put my diary? I'm looking for that painting."

After hearing his words, the worry on Zhao Xiaoyun's face slowly disappeared. She smiled lovingly at Wenjie and said, "You've written so many notebooks. It seems like they're all in the warehouse."

Go and look for it. If it's not here, it might have been left behind during the move.

"Didn't move here?" Wenjie asked in surprise. "So, you might still be living in your previous house?"

He tried hard to recall, and remembered that they had moved three times.

They moved from the countryside to M city to attend junior high school. At that time, they lived in an apartment in the southern part of the city, which was very close to his junior high school, only a ten-minute walk away.

His family moved to this villa after he was admitted to university.

"Is that a house in the south of the city, or your old home in the countryside?" Wenjie asked hurriedly.

I have a vague feeling that this matter is a bit troublesome, but the house in the south of the city is empty.

They originally wanted to rent it out, but because many things hadn't been moved out and the place wasn't vacated, they hadn't rented it out yet.

Anyway, the rent isn't much, and I feel awkward renting out my own house to others, so I've just left it empty.

So if the laptop is in the house in the south of the city, it's not a big deal; you can always find it by going there.

However, the chances of finding it in a house in the countryside are very small.

The house had been in disrepair for many years, and they hadn't been back to see it for years. It was hard to say whether the house was still there.

His memories of growing up are vague, and he can't tell whether he drew it in junior high school or earlier.

The background image that appears when you need to enter a password in the system's safe mode keeps popping into my head.

That background image was the one he drew in his notebook while doodling.

Why did I draw that picture back then? I guess it might have been mentioned in my diary entries before and after.

Therefore, we must find that notebook.

(End of this chapter)