The next morning, Tinia knocked on the door with dark circles under his eyes. He hadn't slept well last night, his mind consumed by the frustrating lack of progress between him and Jiang Lijin.
"Sister, did you sleep well last night?" As soon as the door opened, he immediately put on a flattering smile.
Jiang Lijin opened the door, wearing a silk nightgown. She glanced at him expressionlessly. "No. A thief broke into my room last night."
The smile vanished from Tinia's face, his expression shifting drastically. His blond hair practically stood on end.
Tinia stepped forward and anxiously grabbed Jiang Lijin's shoulders, his gaze scanning over her several times. "A thief?! Did they hurt you? Did they touch you? Is the security team just a bunch of useless decorations? I'll fire them all right now!"
"I wasn't hurt." Jiang Lijin swatted Tinia's hands away, rubbing her aching shoulders from his tight grip, and walked straight toward the dining room. "The person ran away."
The intimidating aura around Tinia flared up uncontrollably. He dialed the Yunlan Security Department, demanding through gritted teeth that they immediately pull all the surveillance footage from last night.
The information reported back ten minutes later made the security executives wipe the sweat from their brows.
They found absolutely nothing.
"Young Master... the surveillance footage is completely normal, with no signs of tampering. Furthermore, there are no trigger records for any of the infrared or gravity sensor alarms..." On the other end of the communicator, the security chief's voice trembled.
The person who appeared in Jiang Lijin's room last night had left absolutely no trace.
"Trash! You're all useless trash!" Tinia smashed the communicator in his hand on the spot.
"Investigate! Mobilize all our hidden networks to investigate! Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, find this wild man for me! How dare he touch what's mine, I'll tear him to pieces!" Tinia roared at his subordinates. The usual obedience he showed in front of Jiang Lijin was entirely gone, revealing the ruthlessness of a financial syndicate's heir.
Jiang Lijin sat at the dining table, drinking her milk, completely ignoring the chaos around her.
That person last night had entered through the windowsill, a blind spot for the cameras. Moreover, Jiang Lijin knew very well that anyone capable of sneaking in here was no ordinary person.
However, it seemed the other party harbored no ill intentions, otherwise, would she still be sitting here eating breakfast?
She suddenly thought of the two mysterious beast husbands on her matchmaking list...
"Alright, stop yelling." Jiang Lijin took a bite of her bread, her tone flat. "Since they could bypass your system without leaving a trace, it just proves that Yunlan's technology really needs an upgrade. Incompetent rage won't solve the problem."
Hearing Jiang Lijin's voice, Tinia reined in his aura. With his head bowed, he moved closer to Jiang Lijin, looking aggrieved.
"Sister..." Tinia tugged at Jiang Lijin's sleeve. His blue eyes were full of lingering fear and flattery, carrying a hint of pleading. "Let me move into your room tonight. I can sleep on the floor, on the couch, even in the bathtub! I promise I won't disturb you. I have to guard you, otherwise, I won't have peace of mind."
"No." Jiang Lijin refused cleanly and decisively.
"But what if that thief comes back tonight?" Tinia grew anxious, clinging to her stubbornly.
Jiang Lijin swallowed her bread, pulled out a tissue to wipe the corners of her mouth, and looked up at Tinia with a curled lip. "If he comes again, I'll pack you up and give you to him."
For the entire day, Tinia personally supervised the security department as they upgraded the top floor's defense system by three levels.
He didn't return until evening.
Jiang Lijin curled up on the soft leather sofa in the living room, playing with the newest optical computer Tinia had given her.
The holographic screen projected a faint blue light in mid-air, and the pages of the Starweb forum were scrolling rapidly.
[Sirius Galaxy Frontline Report: Commander-in-Chief Baal solos the Zerg hive!]
[Breaking News! A certain S-class female from the Purification Department secretly purchasing illegal drugs?]
Jiang Lijin raised an eyebrow and clicked into the post about Felwin. Aside from the title, the post contained no substantial evidence or records.
The interstellar netizens were discussing it heatedly, and there were already over nine hundred replies below.
"Just post Felwin's citizen ID already. Besides her, is there any other resident S-class in the Purification Department?"
"Front row for the drama. But at least drop some solid proof, right? Baselessly accusing someone of taking drugs could get you sued into bankruptcy by their legal team. The Purification Department's lawyers aren't to be messed with."
"All talk and no action. If the Purification Department really finds out she's taking drugs, that would be an interstellar scandal. What does the Central Hospital have to say? Are they not going to do anything about it?"
"Isn't the Central Hospital's director, Lord Chiron, on annual leave? He doesn't have time for this nonsense. And I heard Lord Chiron went to the Valoran Galaxy, hehehe..."
"Speaking of which, could that 3S-class Jiang Lijin have ranked up by taking drugs too? How could someone jump straight from C-class to 3S? That's unscientific!"
"Is the person above me brain-damaged? You think you can reach 3S-class just by popping pills? Why don't you take one and show me? If drugs could produce a 3S, everyone in the galaxy would be 3S by now! Besides, Lady Jiang Lijin's rating was personally certified by the Mastermind. Do you dare question the Mastermind's authority?"
Jiang Lijin swiped her fingertips across the screen, reading the comments. The original poster was very clever, immediately plunging Felwin into a public relations crisis.
But the timing of this post was suspicious.
Little One chimed in within her mind: [Host, who made this post? Felwin is probably going to blow her top when she sees it. She might be smashing things right now!]
"Indeed." Jiang Lijin shifted her posture, resting her chin on one hand.
There were only a few people who knew about Felwin buying drugs.
Jiang Lijin turned her head to glance not far away. Tinia was sitting in front of a holographic projection, the screen rapidly scrolling through trade data and mining reports.
As the heir to the Yunlan Syndicate, Tinia loved to act spoiled in front of Jiang Lijin, but when handling corporate affairs, his methods were ruthless enough to terrify the board executives.
Sensing Jiang Lijin's gaze, Tinia looked up, putting away his ruthless expression. His blue eyes looked at Jiang Lijin. "Sister, are you bored? Should we rent a private island and go look at the sea?"
"No need." Jiang Lijin withdrew her gaze.
It wasn't Tinia. Tinia's way of doing things was simple and brutal. If he really wanted to mess with someone, he would release the evidence directly and destroy them. He wouldn't post this kind of teaser; it didn't fit Tinia's arrogant nature.
Arden? Even less likely. Arden was probably dragging his broken leg around right now, looking for someone to confront. The tactic of posting a leak was beyond Arden's intelligence level.
Then who was it?
Just as she was pondering, Tinia's communicator buzzed twice.
Tinia glanced at the encrypted message that popped up. His lips flattened, his eyes grew cold, and a faint hostility seeped out.
"What happened?" Noticing the shift in the atmosphere, Jiang Lijin asked casually.
Tinia rubbed the space between his eyebrows, frowning. "Chiron is here. He's right downstairs in the lobby."
Jiang Lijin raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.
Tinia ran a hand through his blond hair, messing it up a bit. Tinia wanted to just have security throw the man out, but Chiron was, after all, one of the partners assigned to Jiang Lijin by the Mastermind.
If he really barred him from entering, it would make the Yunlan heir look petty and might even make Jiang Lijin angry.
"Let him up," Tinia ordered into the communicator through gritted teeth.
Five minutes later, the alloy doors of the suite slid open.
Chiron stood there in a long, dark gray trench coat. His black hair was neatly combed, and although he bore the faint signs of a long journey, his aura remained cool and detached.
Stepping into the room, he completely ignored Tinia standing to the side. His gray eyes locked straight onto Jiang Lijin, who was resting on the sofa, and the sharp lines of his face instantly softened.
"You got here fast." Jiang Lijin didn't bother getting up, merely lifting her chin in a casual greeting.
