That evening, Zhang Wei settled into the new house he'd rented.
Lin Mansion was quite large, and it was not a job one person could complete alone, but Zhang Wei merely tidied up one room.
After making the bed with fresh sheets and bedding, he stayed the night and found it quite comfortable.
Aside from the occasional mosquito at midnight, there was only…
He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but in the middle of the night, while half-asleep and dreaming, he thought he felt someone walking past him.
...
Early the next day.
When he walked out of the yard, he saw Zhao Qingyan, the owner of Zhao Mansion next door, who was watering the plants.
Zhang Wei thought to himself that this Uncle Zhao didn't seem like a serious programmer.
What programmer gets a two-day weekend? Aren't they all on the 996 or 997 lucky schedule?
But Zhao Qingyan's hairstyle was telling Zhang Wei that the man was telling the truth; he really was a programmer.
After greeting Zhao Qingyan, Zhang Wei went to the nearby supermarket to buy some pots and pans, as well as some simple ingredients.
In his previous life, he'd also often cooked for himself and had even specifically sought training from a chef.
Although he was a bit rusty now, he still felt competent when it came to cooking.
Despite Lin Mansion's aging yard, at least the water and electricity were functioning, so Zhang Wei started tinkering in the kitchen.
By noon, he'd prepared three dishes and a soup.
After eating his fill and letting out a satisfied belch, he began studying for the big exam.
Zhang Wei's study area was the bedroom, where an old wooden table stood, which seemed to be a relic from the landlord's family.
"It's rare to be alone; let's try that ability again!"
Zhang Wei stopped writing, spread open his right palm, and the golden eyeball mark appeared.
In an instant, the room was filled with golden light, as if draped in a golden veil.
As the golden light spread, the flow of time within the room slowed down again.
Here, Zhang Wei could struggle for ten hours, and only one hour would pass outside the room.
This ability would surely produce several top scorers in the college entrance exams if given to high school students facing their final year.
Unfortunately, Zhang Wei could only use this ability for the legal exam preparation, and the legal exam had subjective questions in addition to the objective ones. It wasn't something that could be mastered through studying alone.
Because for the subjective questions, there was the three-on-one interview segment at the end, with three examiners questioning one examinee.
And due to the differing personalities of the examiners, there would be variations in the subjective scores, such as impression and discrepancy points. Even if two candidates gave almost the same answers, the three examiners could give different scores.
Possibly, the first two examiners would ask you about legal theory, and the third would ask what you would do if your girlfriend was assaulted—a question that requires a leap in thinking—which could catch a candidate off guard.
These were the difficulties that couldn't be addressed by studying alone.
"The legal assessment in Dragon Country is really tough!" Zhang Wei murmured while studying, feeling a sense of helplessness.
The legal exam in his previous life wasn't this difficult, and after such a long time, he had begun to forget the answers to many questions.
It was like asking Newton a question about physics—he too would need to look up the answer, rather than responding straightaway.
Zhang Wei studied for several hours until he felt weary and then deactivated his ability.
When he stepped out of the room, however, he discovered a problem.
It seemed like some of the leftovers in his kitchen had gone missing.
"What's going on? Are there rats, or is the hungry ghost from this haunted house deciding to have a bite?"
Seeing the rice in the rice cooker that had been touched and the soup that seemed to be less under the lid, Zhang Wei furrowed his brows.
If it were rats, they wouldn't have the strength to lift the lid of the rice cooker and the cover, unless they were rat spirits.
If not rats, then it must be people!
"Did Uncle Zhao do this, or was it someone from the martial arts school next door?"
Zhang Wei thought of Zhao Qingyan and the people practicing martial arts in Zhang's Martial Arts Hall, but quickly dismissed the idea.
They didn't know he was cooking today, and if someone had come in through the door, surely he'd have heard it,
Zhang Wei was sure he'd locked the door, so if it wasn't an outsider…
There must be someone in the house!
Zhang Wei knew that Lin Mansion was notorious for its hauntings, but to encounter such a nuisance after just one day was truly bad luck.
"Friend, I know you're hungry, but since you ate my food, could you at least give some sign?"
Zhang Wei called out, but alas, there was no response for a long time.
This meant that either the person was not there, hadn't heard him, or simply didn't want to reply.
No matter which it was, Zhang Wei felt he needed to come up with a plan.
"If someone's eating, it's probably not a ghost. According to rumors on the internet, a fatal incident happened in this haunted house; a tenant died here. Normally, people wouldn't dare come close. So who could it be? A local homeless person or a former tenant who hasn't left?"
Zhang Wei couldn't figure out the identity of the person, but since they got hungry, food was the key to luring them out.
He decided not to sleep tonight and planned to catch them like waiting for a rabbit by guarding a tree.
Another half day passed, and Zhang Wei continued to busily work in the kitchen, using the remaining ingredients to make four dishes.
After eating a bit himself, he left all the remaining food behind, then carefully retreated to his room, all the while keeping an ear out for any activity in the kitchen next door.
An hour went by, then two...
"This can't be right. My cooking might not be chef-level, but it's still fragrant and delicious. How come it hasn't attracted anyone?"
Zhang Wei wondered if he had failed, but then he heard some noise coming from the kitchen.
Someone had opened the rice cooker and was scooping rice into a bowl.
"Wow, they're really making themselves at home!"
Thinking this, Zhang Wei felt a rush of anger.
He had worked hard to prepare the meal, and someone was just picking up the ready-made food. This was utterly intolerable!
He "swooshed" to his feet, picked up a wooden stick from the corner, and crept towards the kitchen.
Approaching cautiously, he peeked around the corner and quickly spotted this scene:
A person with messy hair, dressed in grey-black clothes and wrapped in a blanket, was bowing their head and enjoying his meal with relish.
"Friend, is it tasty?"
"Pretty bad."
"Well then, that's great."
Thump!
The person eating finally realized what was happening and spat out their mouthful of food.
They tried to run away immediately, but Zhang Wei was faster, already prepared with his stick raised.
"Ah, don't hit me, please don't hit me!"
Seeing Zhang Wei with a weapon, the person promptly covered their head with their hands, loudly begging for mercy.
"A girl?!"
The stick was less than two inches from her face when Zhang Wei almost failed to hold back his force, but fortunately, the blow didn't land.
A few minutes later, inside Zhang Wei's room.
The woman who had been sneaking food was kneeling on the ground, occasionally sneaking glances at Zhang Wei, or more precisely, the stick in his hand.
Zhang Wei, meanwhile, was pondering how to handle the situation before him.
This person, or rather girl, shouldn't be very old, certainly no more than 20 at most.
But because she hadn't washed for a long time, her hair was as disheveled as a bird's nest, her face was dirty, and her clothes were creased in several places, most likely a runaway child in a rebellious phase.
Yet, her eyes were clear, exuding an autumn-water-like charm.
"Who are you, and why are you in my house?"
"What do you mean your house? Isn't this Lin's place? Haven't they all moved away a long time ago?"
As Zhang Wei asked, the girl countered loudly.
"You know the Lin family? They're my landlords!"
Zhang Wei was taken aback; this meant the girl was a local and had been living nearby for a long time, otherwise she wouldn't know the history of the Lin family.
Zhao Qingyan had told him that the Lin family had moved away from their ancestral home more than twenty years ago; the average person would hardly know these details.
"Of course, our families have been friends for several generations. But what about you, what are you doing here? This has always been my place!"
As she spoke, the girl stood up, hands on her hips, proudly pushing out her chest which was not quite perky, but was beginning to show some volume.
Zhang Wei estimated that the girl must be at least a B+ cup, definitely bigger than Xia Qianyue's flat chest!
"How about that, turning the tables as the owner!"
But Zhang Wei didn't understand the girl's confidence and retorted, "This house was rented to me by the Lin family. Lin's Second Sister-in-Law signed a rental contract with me. I'm the one using the house now!"
As he spoke, he shuffled the stick in his hands, signalling her to be careful because the "truth" was in his hands now.
Upon seeing this gesture, the girl promptly lost her nerve and sat down dejectedly.
"Lin's Second Sister-in-Law, is that the fat woman from Uncle Jincheng's family?"
"Yeah, that's her. All decked out in gold and silver, driving a SUV, talks with a heavy local accent and looks just like a nouveau riche!"
"Exactly! That fat woman latched onto Uncle Jincheng and has always had that attitude, treating everyone like they owe her money."
Hearing the girl's comments, Zhang Wei nodded unconsciously. This girl really was familiar with the Lin family.
"So you're one of us. But who are you, what are you doing here, and why aren't you living in your own home?"
"My name is Zhao Xiaoxiao. Didn't I tell you already? I've been living here for a long time!"
The girl, who was Zhao Xiaoxiao, didn't shy away from stating her name.
"Wait, your last name is Zhao!"
Zhang Wei realized that the Zhao family could only refer to Zhao Qingyan's family.
"You actually know that guy, huh, don't mention his name in front of me!"
But when Zhao Xiaoxiao heard the name "Zhao Qingyan," her expression changed, and a flash of anger darted through her eyes.
She suddenly erupted, shoving Zhang Wei aside and rushed out as if she were flying.
When Zhang Wei got back up and chased after her, he discovered that she had already vanished without a trace.
"So it's someone from the Zhao family!"
"I do remember Uncle Zhao mentioning he had a daughter, but yesterday was the weekend, and yet his daughter never stayed at home, which is really odd!"
"And the way Zhao Xiaoxiao reacted to Uncle Zhao's name, could it be that she really is in her rebellious phase?"
Zhang Wei felt like he had caught on to something.
He stepped out of the courtyard and looked over at the adjacent Zhao Mansion.
No one was home today because it was Monday, and Zhao Qingyan had to go to work.
He couldn't gauge the relationship between Zhao Qingyan and his daughter, and after thinking it over, he decided against notifying Zhao Qingyan.
Zhao Qingyan had said he would come back to stay for a few days on the weekend, clearly not living at Zhao Mansion on weekdays.
And his daughter, Zhao Xiaoxiao, obviously had conflicts with her father yet always lived nearby, but not at her own house.
After all, it was the family's private affair, and an outsider shouldn't really interfere.
There's a saying that fits well here: even a fair official can't settle a family dispute unless you're a divorce lawyer, better not get involved in other people's family matters.
Zhao Xiaoxiao's situation could only be shelved for now, and Zhang Wei would have to probe indirectly when Zhao Qingyan returned on the weekend.
With these thoughts, Zhang Wei went back to his room and fell asleep.
This day, the matter of Zhao Xiaoxiao had made him somewhat gloomy, but he couldn't let it disrupt his own routine.
Fortunately, the rebellious young girl Zhao Xiaoxiao did not appear again for the rest of the day.
It allowed Zhang Wei a few days of peace.
This was good news; no one could stop him from studying diligently anymore.
In the meantime, Xia Qianyue had called him once to ask why Zhang Wei wasn't in the dormitory, and he naturally told her about moving to a new place.
When she learned that Zhang Wei had settled down on Sifang Gate Street, Xia Qianyue said she wanted to visit during the weekend.
Zhang Wei didn't mind, but although the place was large, it had not been organized and was somewhat embarassing to show.
He was somewhat helpless but still scheduled a clean-up of the house.
Finally, before the weekend arrived, he had managed to tidy up the dusty, shabby house from the inside out.
...
In the blink of an eye, the weekend arrived again.
This day, Zhang Wei woke up early, only to see that the big gate of the neighboring Zhao Mansion was open again.
Zhao Qingyan was watering the flowers in the courtyard as usual and greeted Zhang Wei with a smile, "Yo, it's young Zhang. How has it been living here for a week?"
"Uncle Zhao, the house itself is nice to live in, but it's just too big, cleaning it is exhausting."
Seeing that the conversation had started, Zhang Wei pretended to look tired.
"Hahaha, after all, living alone in such a big house..."
Hearing this response, Zhang Wei understood clearly.
It seemed that Zhao Qingyan still had no idea that his daughter had been living next door.
He quickly fished for information, feigning casual interest, "Uncle Zhao, I've always been curious, why doesn't your daughter live with you?"
"My daughter, well, she had a small argument with me and hasn't been living with me since."
Zhao Qingyan's eyes dimmed slightly when he mentioned his daughter.
A small argument?
An argument so petty that you don't know your daughter has been living next door for so long?
When she hears your name, she yells out loud and bolts away by crashing into me?
Stop kidding, that can't be called a small argument; that's a serious problem!
Zhang Wei wondered, Zhao Qingyan always seemed amiable on the surface, not like someone who would abuse his child.
"Well, in that case, I won't bother Uncle Zhao..."
Thinking that Xia Qian might come over, he was about to get up and take his leave.
"Ding-a-ling-a-ling—"
But suddenly, a series of urgent phone rings came from inside Zhao Qingyan's house.
He rushed into the house.
"What, how could something like this happen?!"
"What's the security department doing, how could the core data be stolen?"
"How are we supposed to handle this, the technology department has lost its data, how can the project continue?"
Hearing Zhao Qingyan's commotion, it seemed like the company was facing a major issue, and even he, a "technical staff member," couldn't suppress his anger.
Zhao Qingyan ranted for a while before hanging up the phone.
"Uncle Zhao, why are you so furious?"
"Don't even mention it, a corporate spy came to the technology department, and it seems like they're a foreigner. Now they've stolen our department's core data and are fleeing the country!"
"When did this happen?"
"Just this week. The person has already crossed the border and is transferring the data in a neutral country. If we let this person get away, all our hard work for the past six months would be wasted!"
As a member of the technology department, Zhao Qingyan could assess the consequences of the core data breach.
"Since it's corporate espionage, can't you sue the other company for unfair competition?"
"What's the use, the competition between companies is all about stealing from each other. Moreover, the spy was very thorough, leaving no clues. Even if we sue, we lack evidence. The most important thing is, they moved really fast, and we're too late to intercept them!"
As he spoke, Zhao Qingyan's expression turned grim.
The theft of core data is a major event for any company, especially for a hundred-billion-level company like Blacksmith Technology, where a small loss can lead to a huge financial shock.
Zhang Wei thought for a moment and then asked, "Have you asked that neutral country to intervene? Have they accepted your request?"
"Our company's legal department contacted the neutral country immediately, but they were dismissive and don't seem inclined to help us. Right now, we're in communication with the Dragon Country War Department, asking them to put pressure on the neutral country. However, the chances of retrieving it are very slim..."
Zhang Wei thought for a moment and then asked, "What did your legal team say, did they reveal the importance of the core technology?"
"Of course not. If we told them it was the core technology, other international companies would have already taken action. What else can we say? We could only tell them it was corporate espionage and that he stole something from our company, hoping they would capture him!"
"Your approach is wrong," Zhang Wei said, shaking his head with a laugh after hearing Zhao Qingyan's response.
"Zhang, what do you mean?"
Zhao Qingyan hadn't expected Zhang Wei to react like this and quickly asked for clarification.
"Uncle Zhao, may I ask, how are relations between that neutral country and our Dragon Country?"
"Not good nor bad, they're not the type to follow our lead, but we aren't enemies either."
"So if your company asks them for a favor, they'll give you the cold shoulder. If you tell them that something important was stolen, wouldn't they become suspicious and even covet it for themselves?"
"Right, that's exactly the case. Otherwise, why would we need to communicate with the War Department?"
Zhang Wei flashed a slight smile and suggested, "What if you told them that the spy stole something dangerous, like a radioactive material that could cause a large-scale casualty event? What do you think would happen then?"
"Oh?"
Zhao Qingyan's mind stirred, intrigued by the idea, "You mean..."
Zhao Qingyan wore a serious look, considering the possibility.
"It's simple. Asking for favors, in my opinion, is the least effective. Begging someone in a low voice, they'll likely ignore you. But if you slightly manipulate the situation and prove that it could threaten their interests, then they'll act even quicker than you would, fearing they might be impacted if they don't handle it properly!"
"Uncle Zhao, I've also read the news, and I remember Blacksmith Technology has developed some security weapons, some of which have had issues, right? You could suggest to the PR department to use this incident as leverage, to make that neutral country proactively help you find the spy!"
"However, you'll need to prepare sufficient evidence to prove that the object the spy is carrying is very dangerous and that only you can resolve the hazard. If you can deceive them, then they'll probably deploy a massive manpower to catch him even more eagerly than you would!"
"Uncle Zhao, let me give you an example. There once was a thief named Zhang San who stole a foreign treasure—a strand of black gemstone necklace rumored to be invaluable. When he was about to leave the country, the authorities broadcasted news that made Zhang San return the treasure. Do you know why?"
"Why?" Zhao Qingyan was inevitably drawn in by Zhang Wei's story and couldn't help but ask.
"Because, my friend, that country issued a notice claiming that the national treasure brought death to whoever touched it, even cursing their entire family. They posted pictures of the gruesome fates of the necklace's past owners along with the announcement. It had been through over a dozen owners, each meeting a horrific death. Frightened by these events, Zhang San not only hurried back to return the necklace but also knelt before the country's leaders, pleading for a way to break the curse!"
"I see. Zhang, I'm going to make some calls right now!"
"Then, Uncle Zhao, I'll leave you to it. You seem busy."
Seeing that his advice had been effective, Zhang Wei excused himself and left.
Zhao Qingyan, at this point, couldn't even spare the time to say farewell to Zhang Wei and rushed back inside.
Inside a private room, Zhao Qingyan started making phone calls.
"Old Chen, didn't something happen at the Northwest Testing Department the year before last? Although there were no casualties, you said the commotion was big, let me see that data."
"Hello, is this Secretary Wang? Have someone from the operations department get in touch with me; our development department has something for them."
"Is this the operations department? The boss just gave instructions, listen, here is what we need to do next. First, you need to release news that the item the spy took could result in an accident like the one in the Northwest laboratory. Make a big deal out of it, emphasize that it is very dangerous and could be lethal. I know PR will have to put in effort, but whether we can recover the data depends on you folks!"
After arranging, Zhao Qingyan hung up the phone.
Soon after, he thought of Zhang Wei again.
"How did I not think of that? Such a clever move, making the other side more anxious than us, exploiting them to help us catch the person."
"However, we also need to send people to follow up, lest the spy escapes. It's best to also find out when they do so we can catch him immediately, preventing any escape!"
"This Zhang Wei, truly clever..."