Chapter 132: Phantom Plan (12)
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
He did not want to believe the possibility of the idea, but after having that thought in his head, Jin Xiangdong had to do something about it. He told Jason, “Ian is definitely not as simple as what the report had described. Get someone to investigate him further.”
Jason personally sent people to investigate Ian previously so he could not help himself and said, “I have already sent two investigation teams, but there was nothing suspicious about his information.
Jin Xiangdong replied, “There is definitely something. He is the key to solving the mystery.”
“If he really did what we think he did, we won’t be able to investigate it either,” said Jason.
Jin Xiangdong looked at Jason and said, “There is no absolute secret in this world.”
Hearing how Jin Xiangdong said it, Jason helplessly replied, “Alright, I will send someone to investigate him again.”
A glint of light was hidden beneath Jin Xiangdong’s cold eyes. He quietly thought, no matter who you are, I will find the truth.
The night shrouded the earth, the streetlights outlined the city.
Lu Jia’er was currently having dinner with Su Han in her apartment.
Eating Amy’s cooking, Su Han was enjoying it to the fullest, but it had also triggered one of her concerns. “Ever since Amy came to our home, my weight has been increasing!”
Since the beginning, Lu Jia’er had a worry. She felt that the development of artificial intelligence did not just mean that technology had improved, it was also the fruit of human wisdom. But the growth of artificial intelligence might cause the abilities of humans to deteriorate slowly over a period of time.
Lu Jia’er said, “If that was the case, I’ll be returning Amy to Ian.”
Su Han quickly declined, “Don’t do that, I was just kidding! Amy is my sweetheart, no one is allowed to take it away!”
Hearing their conversation, Amy said, “The meals that I’ve been making are balanced in nutrition and they do not contain too much fat. It’s just that Su Han, you have not exercised for a week.”
Lu Jia’er laughed as she heard that. “Don’t blame your laziness on Amy!”
“Wasn’t I indirectly praising Amy?” Su Han tried to defend herself. “I too, want to exercise, but my editor is chasing me to submit my draft. How I wish that I have 48 hours every day to rush my drafts.”
Listening to Su Han’s sorrows, Amy said, “I’ll prepare tonic soup for you tomorrow.”
“Yes, please~ Amy is the best.” Su Han did not forget to praise Amy.
Seeing that, Lu Jia’er teased her, “Don’t push the blame on Amy when you actually do become fat.”
“Hey! You just touched a sore spot! “Su Han pouted.
After finishing their meal, Su Han went back to her room to work while Lu Jia’er helped Amy to clean up and wash the plates.
In fact, with Amy around, it was not necessary for Lu Jia’er to do the housework. Although Amy is an AI and it would not feel tired, Lu Jia’er felt that she should still sympathize with it, so that it would feel loved, just like a family member.
After washing the plates, Lu Jia’er looked at the time. It was only 7:30pm. She took out a book and started reading it on the sofa. Half an hour later, her phone alarm rang. Lu Jia’er closed her book, stood up and went into her room. She switched on her computer and began to do an online video counseling session with Professor Li’s wife, Guo Yan.
Professor Li knew that Lu Jia’er had a car accident. He initially wanted Lu Jia’er to take some time off before she continued her counseling session with Guo Yan, but Lu Jia’er advised against pausing the sessions.
“Professor Lu, let me tell you something. I brought Qiqi to the hospital to visit my mother-in-law today. For the first time ever, she didn’t show me any attitude. She didn’t even nag me, it really felt like a miracle,” said Guo Yan.
Guo Yan was clearly in a better state than how she was on Phi Phi Island. Professor Li must have done some work after returning home.
“That’s good news!” said Lu Jia’er.
“But the way she looks at me feels weird,” said Guo Yan.
“She could be reevaluating you and realized how tough your life was for the past few years,” said Lu Jia’er.
“Who knows. I actually didn’t want to go to the hospital. I was afraid that I would be unhappy after seeing her and be depressed,” said Guo Yan.
During their previous consultation, Guo Yan revealed that for the past few months, whenever she spent more than 30 minutes alone with her mother-in-law, she would feel very unwell and nauseous due to psychological effects.
“Did you feel nauseous meeting her this time?” asked Lu Jia’er.
“Yes, I did,” said Guo Yan.
Lu Jia’er took down what she said and asked, “She didn’t make any remarks this time?”
“Yeah, she didn’t,” said Guo Yan.
Lu Jia’er looked at Guo Yan in the video call and said, “Your mother-in-law might be regretting it. She probably realized how good you were and how tough your life was.”
“I’m not sure if she regrets it, but after speaking to you, when I see her lying on the hospital bed today, I felt that she was actually pitiful.” Guo Yan thoroughly described what she felt when she was at the hospital.
“You are very kind,” said Lu Jia’er.
“Describing someone as kind is indirectly saying that she’s weak,” said Guo Yan.
“That’s not true, I was complimenting you,” said Lu Jia’er.
Guo Yan gently smile, “Thank you for your compliment. To be honest, my mother-in-law treated me well during the early days of marriage. She just became very unreasonable these past few years.”
“How did you get along with your mother-in-law back then?” asked Lu Jia’er.
Guo Yan thought for a while and said, “When my husband first brought me to see his parents, my mother-in-law was very satisfied with me. She even told my husband that if he dared to bully me, she wouldn’t spare him. It was that sentence that moved me and made me feel blessed. It also made me look forward to my married life.”
As Guo Yan reminisced about her story, she could not help but smile. Looking at her, one would know that those memories were beautiful.
“She did those things and they moved you?” asked Lu Jia’er.
Guo Yan continued to recall, “When we just got married, my period came so my husband washed my clothes and undergarments for me. She coincidentally walked past and saw it. She said nothing but immediately took it over. It was pretty awkward back then. I thought she was angry, but instead, she told me that I should just leave my clothes in the laundry basket when I have my period again.”
“Oh and is there more?” asked Lu Jia’er.
“There was another time, my uncle got into trouble and needed a sum of money. My parents discussed it with me as they could not afford it. My husband and I did not have much cash on hand so my husband went to borrow money from her. She easily gave the money to my husband,” said Guo Yan.
“From what you have said, it seemed as though you and your mother-in-law lived harmoniously back then. Your relationship with her was like that of a biological mother and daughter,” said Lu Jia’er.
“You’re right. I also thought that my mother-in-law treated me very well. I had even thought of returning her kindness in the future by being filial and respectful to her for the rest of her life with my husband. But when Qiqi turned 3, she began to change slowly...” Guo Yan’s dismal mood returned.
The main reason why Guo Yan had depression was due to the family problems that she had to face when she gave birth to Qiqi, who had Asperger’s Syndrome since birth
“What do you think made her change?” Lu Jia’er asked.
“She probably felt a lot of pressure when she saw Qiqi!” Guo Yan replied.
The fact that Guo Yan was able to stand in someone else’s shoes was already an anomaly. Thus, Lu Jia’er said, “After all, there’s nobody that is truly virtuous, and nobody is truly evil. Everybody carries a different burden and they have their own standpoints.”
“Professor Lu, you’re not wrong, people have their own standpoints. But, as a female—the stuff she said—if it was you, you would remember it for the rest of your life too.” Guo Yan became agitated.
“Yeah, what she said was very hurtful. It is not something that can be easily forgotten.” Lu Jia’er looked at the monitor and consoled her.
“Professor Lu, I’m not trying to be hypercritical. It’s just that, the sentence that she said to me back then felt like a knife which had stabbed through my heart. It was brutal,” said Guo Yan.
“I understand. However, when you visited your mother-in-law this time, she changed. Are you willing to forgive her again?” Lu Jia’er asked softly.
“She just didn’t talk, who knows what she’s thinking deep down?” Guo Yan sighed.
“Do you want to know what she’s thinking about?” asked Lu Jia’er.
Guo Yan aggressively shook her head. “I don’t want to know!”
Lu Jia’er could sense that Guo Yan was deeply conflicted and scared. She said, “It’s fine if you don’t want to know. You’ve done great to have been able to disclose so much with me today.”
“Having said all this, I feel so reassured. It’s like having a meaningful conversation with a friend!” Guo Yan’s expression relaxed.
“It’s great that you’re feeling reassured. Have a good night’s rest!” Lu Jia’er said warmly.
“Alright, thank you for the consultation even whilst you’re unwell, Professor Lu! I have no idea how to express my gratitude!” Guo Yan said.
“My body’s fine. I hope you wake up to a pleasant day tomorrow!” Lu Jia’er replied.
“And you should rest early as well! I won’t keep you up. Goodnight. ” Guo Yan took the initiative and ended the counseling session.
Upon ending the video chat with Guo Yan, Lu Jia’er stood up and stretched. Just as she was about to head to the bathroom, her phone on the desk rang.
She held up her phone and checked. It was a call from Zhu Yu of the Provincial Public Security Bureau. She was guessing that it might be another case that required her assistance.