Shen Wanci still had to go back and get her tools. Although that person said they could help her prepare, she was used to using her own.

As soon as they stepped out of the villa, Qin Yue grasped her arm and whispered, "Wǎncí, this place feels off. I just took a walk around the living room downstairs, and that nanny looked at me like I was a thief. She followed me everywhere, even to the bathroom, and she only gave things a cursory glance. I found at least five hidden cameras, and there could be more invisible ones."

The Qin family owns a technology company, so they are quite sensitive to things like cameras.

"If this were a real deal, why would he have so many cameras? This isn't even 360 degrees with no blind spots. It's like it could tell the difference between male and female mosquitoes if one flew in."

Shen Wanci's mood was also rather heavy. She had originally thought that the other party, willing to proactively clarify their acquaintance with her mother and inquire about past events, should not be too difficult. However, judging by the other party's attitude just now, the road ahead was likely arduous: "Hmm."

As soon as the two arrived at the foot of the mountain, they saw Qin Hexi's jeep speeding by.

The mountain road was narrow, and he was driving fast. Qin Yuezhi watched the car speeding towards her, and her first reaction was that she couldn't avoid it, she was going to hit it.

Her foot instinctively hit the brake pedal, the jeep nearly scraping their car before coming to a screeching halt.

The tires screeched against the concrete.

Qin Yuezhi sat in her place for a while before slowly reacting —

Didn't collide.

That car looks familiar.

It seems like…

Before the name came out, I saw from the rearview mirror that the back door of the car behind me had opened.

Qin He Yi, tall and elegant, got out of the car and strode towards them.

He had shed his usual carefree demeanor, looking rather fierce. After all, he usually dealt with tough guys, and the gentle approach wouldn't work.

He pulled open the passenger door and sized Shen Wanci up and down with a sharp gaze, making sure she was unharmed before saying, “What kind of work would you choose to do in such an isolated place?”

"There's a private antique shop owner. Because they operate on a commercial basis, items need to be kept secret before being unveiled and can't be seen by outsiders, so they requested that nothing be taken out of this villa."

They did say that.

Qin Heyi turned his head. The white villa halfway up the mountain was shrouded by lush trees, completely hidden from view.

Not being able to bring the villa means Shen Wanci will have to come here frequently in the future. This place is remote, far from the city, and there's only one household around.

His eyebrows were drawn together tightly, “Don’t you read the news?”

Shen Wanci:：“……”

"Crimes like murder and hiding bodies, or imprisoning and abusing people, usually take place in remote areas where few people go."

Shen Wanci:

Please, stop talking. There's a picture now.

After going around in circles, Qin Hexit finally stated his purpose: "I quit."

"We've signed the contract, so breaching it will result in a penalty."

She still didn't know how deep the water was behind her mother's death, and she didn't want to drag innocent people into it.

“It’s just a breach of contract fee, I’ll cover it for you.”

"Several hundred million."

Since the other party paid her such a large sum upfront, the contract's value must be even higher.

"... Qin He Yi gritted his teeth: "I'll go borrow it. I don't believe I won't be able to pay it back in my lifetime."

Unlike Bo Jingzhou, the Qin family possesses power but not readily accessible wealth. Several hundred million is something they can't genuinely produce, at least not openly or without risking exposure.

Qin Yuezhi knew Shen Wanci definitely wouldn't break the contract. Afraid of her embarrassment, she glared at Qin Heyi angrily: "Then for the rest of her life, Wanci will be with you to pay off the debt. The key is that the money was spent by herself, and it's fine to pay it back willingly. This kind of person, who didn't use the money themselves, worked hard their whole lives just to make clothes for others, what kind of top-notch fool are you?"

Qin He Yi: "Paying back money is a man's business..."

Shen Wanci cut him off, "Stop joking around, let's go. If that psychopath catches up with us, he'll take you down first."

Back in the city, the three of them found a place to eat.

Qin Yuezhi drank two large glasses of water in a row: "I'm so thirsty, I didn't dare to drink even a sip of water there for fear that I would wake up and be back in the basement. It's a shame about that internet celebrity hotpot restaurant. I'll see if I can make an appointment for tomorrow."

"I can't tomorrow, there's a team building event for the Nie department that lasts two days."

Qin Heci frowned. When she mentioned the Nie family, his first reaction was Nie Yu Cheng: "What kind of team building activity needs to last two days? Is there too much money to burn?"

"......Shen Wanci said: 'In the mountain resort, it takes more than four hours to drive back and forth. Probably thinking of staying overnight, there is more time available.' "

She didn't really want to go, after all, she was only part-time and her relationship with her colleagues wasn't close enough to make much difference. But Nie Yucheng said that getting along well would be beneficial for the progress of future work, as there would be high-intensity work later on, and less friction would save time.

Qin Yuezhi exclaimed in surprise, "Hey, didn't the Meteorological Bureau say there would be a total lunar eclipse later?"

Lunar eclipse?

Qin Heyi let out a ‘tsk’ sound. Nie Yuchen, that dog thing, was indeed not pure in his thoughts. When could team building be impossible? He had to do it tomorrow and stay overnight.

Shen Wanci was so busy every day, like a dog on a leash, there was no time to pay attention to these things.

……

The next day.

It was a bright sunny day.

When they arrived at the resort, it was noon. The bright sun made people's eyes squint. Shen Wanci, wearing a sunscreen shirt, sunglasses and a hat, came down from the bus fully armed. The team building event aimed to strengthen team cohesion, so they specially invited a coach.

After the meal, everyone gathered in the hall.

Nie Yu Cheng, as the head of the department, took the stage to deliver an opening speech, followed by the coach who gave a passionate speech and officially kicked off today's activities.

The first activity is straw transport.

Employees are divided into three teams, each person with a straw in their mouth. The first person puts a key ring on their straw. After the competition starts, they cannot touch the straw or key ring with their hands. They can only use their mouths to pass the key ring to the next person by sucking through the straw until it reaches the last person's straw.

Shen Wanci was at the back of the line. Their group didn't really emphasize teamwork, and after graduation they had always taken on projects individually. This was their first time participating in a collective event, so it was quite novel. They were enjoying themselves when they noticed someone standing behind them.

She turned around and saw Nie Yuchen standing behind her. "How did you get here?"

"Participate in the activity."

"As the manager, you're still participating?"

Nie Yucheng chuckled softly. The game had begun. In order not to affect others, he lowered his head slightly and spoke in a hushed voice: "A good department should be united as one. If your cohesion is strong, and you are all unwilling to acknowledge me or obey me, wouldn't I just become a lone soldier?"

As she was speaking, the person in front of Shen Wanci turned around. The other person was a girl, shorter than her, and she needed to squat down to meet her. Although it looked a bit difficult, the result was still quite smooth.

The other two groups had already been defeated and were now cheering them on.

Shen Wanci took the keychain, tilting her head slightly, and turned to Nie Yucheng under everyone's urging gazes.

At the entrance hall, Bo Jingzhou and Gu Chenye had just arrived when they were drawn to the deafening cheers. In the crowd, Shen Wanci and Nie Yucheng stood face-to-face, both with a straw in their mouths.