The sun rays filtered through the blinds of her bedroom window, consequently, hitting her squarely in the face. Grumbling with dissatisfaction, she held her hand towards her face to block the sun rays. Mo Xin Er's eyelashes trembled as she shuffled herself off the bedsheets. She yawned, stretching a little before making her way to a door in the corner of the room which seemed to be the loo. She soon returned, though, a black towel hanging loosely on her shoulders. Her inky black hair dripped with water soaking the white tee she was putting on. She dried her face with the towel as she made her way to her bedroom.
A ding on her phone suddenly made her glance at it. She grabbed it and her eyes widened. She scrolled on it a few times and soon brought it to her ears. She seemed to be calling someone.
She said, "Hey, Zack"
Zack's deep voice resonated from the phone. "Xin Er"
"I saw your message. That… is it true?"
"It is. I think the Vipers are the ones responsible for your mother's death. After you told me to try helping you investigate, I asked a friend for help. From what he found, they seemed to be involved in your mother's death."
Her fingers tightened uncontrollably as she stood up from the bed and hung the towel. Her mind was in a mess and she could vaguely hear him say something even though she couldn't comprehend his words anymore. She mumbled a rushed goodbye and after the call disconnected, she leaned back on the wall in devastation. It seemed she had been right after all.
She had always known that her mother's death was definitely unusual. But what baffled her the most was that the viper was involved. The vipers were a coded group of assassins. They wouldn't just murder a single mother without a reason. Someone must have put her on the hit list. But the main question was who was rich enough to set a deal with the vipers just to deal with her mom. She was really confused and had no idea what to think.
She soon got dressed with a lack of vigor and made her way towards the living room. It was empty and when she looked over to the dining place, she saw a bowl of bacon laid on the table with a note placed under it.
She pulled out the note and read it. It was indeed a note from Fan Liuying. She seemed to be having a date with her boyfriend. Shaking her head helplessly, she dropped down the note and settled down in front of the meal. She was halfway eating when her phone rang with a ding again. She held the spoon in one hand while grabbing the phone with the other. She frowned when she saw that the message was from an unknown number. However, her lips curved into an 'oh' when she saw it was a message from Lu Yichen. He had probably gotten her WeChat from the school forum. She clicked her tongue when she read the message telling her that he would be sending his assistant to pick her up. She wanted to laugh, though. He could have just told her the address. What was the need for a designated driver? She glanced back at her attire and nodded satisfactorily. Her set of clothes today was much more comfortable and light.
She wasn't being paranoid – after all, even if he had no intentions of doing anything bad to her, she had to be very careful for her safety. He was an influential persona and would definitely have his own fair share of competitors. She didn't want to suffer the brunt.
At that thought, she went back into her room and walked directly towards a corner. Her hands fished through the set of bags placed in the corner and she soon pulled out a large satchel. She pulled it open before bringing out a whip. She seemed satisfied as she put it in her backpack.
She was about to put on her shoes when the doorbell suddenly rang. She tied the laces of her sneakers and walked to the door with her backpack in hand. Her steps were light as she swung the door open with a click. She could see the assistant who was sizing her up the other day, standing at the door. He however, didn't seem miffed this time as he looked at her with a mild gaze.
"Miss Mo," he called. "The young master asked me to get you."
She nodded with understanding as she shut the door behind her and followed him to the door of the black Bentley parked in the lot. There was hardly anyone around for it seemed most had gone for class. She herself had been the free not to go because she had a day off.
He opened the backseat door and she slid in, placing the backpack on her laps and leaned back on the seat while looking at the assistant who had also got into the passenger seat in the front. He gave the driver a nod and the car soon jerked back to life making it way out of the university entrance. As the car drove out of the school, she began to squint her eyes suspiciously. He wasn't even living in the school premises.
It seemed the assistant noticed her actions and said in a professional tone, "We will soon be there, Miss Mo."
And truthfully, they soon drove into a penthouse. The car was put to a halt and she got out of the car, sliding her back over her shoulders as she followed the assistant.
"Miss Mo, this way please," he said with his palm signaling a direction. He led her into a large living room which had a swimming pool in the middle. However, what shocked her was the tons of fishes swimming in the pool. It was probably meant to be a pond. However, it didn't look out of place as the fishes swam out of the water and went in back in delight. It created a spectacular sight.
He opened the door to the study and urged her to take a seat. It was a very large room and she wondered if Lu Yichen didn't feel lonely in such a big, blandly painted room. Not that she enjoyed flashy colors herself. However, she felt that it was too blandly colored.
The assistant left and she sat all alone in the room while scrolling through her phone. She seemed to be calling someone for she placed the phone to her ear.
She said in a light voice, "Hey, Yuan."
"Xin Er."
"How do you feel now?"
"I'm fine," he replied with a strained voice.
"Did she call?"
He replied in a sad voice, "No. She blocked me."
"Okay. You're not okay then, are you?" Mo Xin Er asked with a light chuckle. And she hadn't been expecting his reply. After all, she was speechless she saw him crying. She really didn't expect him to cry over a woman. But it did happen, didn't it?
"I'll be fine. It will all get better."
"Alright. I'm over a classmate's penthouse. We're having a group project. His name is Lu Yichen. My GPS is on and from tie looks of it, as we drove here, the penthouse is about two houses before the tech industry. The one around the school," she said while adjusting on the seat. She hadn't only called him to ask about his welfare. Most importantly, she felt the need to let someone know of her whereabouts. She wasn't a fool to just go to a stranger's home without informing anyone.
Mo Yuan asked suspiciously, "His name is Lu?"
"Yes. Lu Yichen."
"I see. I'll call you after two hours. If I find anything suspicious. I'll make a move immediately."
"Okay, then," she replied with satisfaction as she reclined back into the seat. Her eyes darted upward and they met with Lu Yichen's. Her eyes widened – did he hear what she said?