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墨書 Inktalez
Lin Mingjia spent quite some time searching for Chen Rui's presence in the nearby internet cafes. In this era, ninety-five percent of internet cafes primarily profit from minors, while the remaining five percent are those that have been caught and penalized to the point of despair.
After learning about Chen Zijing's residence from the class monitor, Lin Mingjia followed the nearest street and entered each internet cafe in search of him. This task was exhausting for Lin Mingjia. After all, even the smallest cafes had nearly a hundred computers, and medium to large ones had even more. At this hour, those loitering in the cafes were either single individuals just off work with no family ties or students who had just finished school and weren’t heading home.
However, Lin Mingjia wasn't worried about Chen Rui going home; after all, school had just let out. Even if he played just one game, it would take at least thirty to forty minutes.
As fortune would have it, while Lin Mingjia was panting from exhaustion, he finally spotted a familiar profile. Chen Zijing was not as spirited as she had imagined; instead, he appeared quite calm or perhaps weary, standing out in stark contrast to the noisy environment around him.
Lin Mingjia slowly approached Chen Zijing from behind and noticed him lazily leaning back in his chair, staring at the screen before him. Following Chen Rui's gaze to the screen, Lin Mingjia was immediately taken aback by what she saw.
"Congratulations, Summoner! You have been promoted to the strongest rank in solo matchmaking. Wishing you good luck in the land of justice..."
"Oh my!" Unable to hold back, Lin Mingjia exclaimed loudly, which immediately drew Chen Zijing's attention.
"Is there something?" Chen Zijing initially didn’t recognize the beauty standing behind his chair but likely caught sight of his game screen that prompted his response.
To avoid drawing attention, Chen Zijing quickly closed the game, tidied up his things, and stood up to leave.
Lin Mingjia snapped back to reality and grabbed his arm as he tried to walk away. "You..."
Chen Zijing turned back to look at Lin Mingjia and smiled wryly. "Sorry, I’m done with that game. Let’s forget about duo queuing."
Lin Mingjia almost burst out laughing at Chen Zijing's response and teased, "How do you know I'm asking you to carry me? Maybe my skills are better than yours!"
"Even if I’m at the bottom of the rankings, there are only fifty spots per region and just a few hundred nationwide. If it were that coincidental, I’d really be unlucky. But even if you’re better than me, it doesn’t matter; I’m just not interested in playing anymore."
Lin Mingjia frowned; this guy's enthusiasm was shorter-lived than she expected. "How long have you been playing this game?"
"Half a month."
"Half a month!!!!" Lin Mingjia almost shouted again, staring incredulously at the boy before her. He truly was something else!
Chen Zijing glanced at the time on his phone and asked, "What exactly do you want?"
Lin Mingjia suddenly lost her previous confidence. The person in front of her was indeed talented, but could someone like this really be trusted to work for others? Those who relied solely on passion were both the most reliable and the least reliable.
"I have a job offer, and I don't know if you're willing to accept it," Lin Mingjia said, releasing her grip and looking at Chen Zijing seriously.
Chen Zijing turned around to face Lin Mingjia, intrigued by this beautiful woman. First, she had watched him play video games, and now she wanted to hire him. Could it be that she was the manager of some gaming club?
"If it’s just about playing games, then forget it. I'm not interested anymore," Chen Zijing said as he slung his bag over his shoulder, preparing to leave.
Lin Mingjia followed him out of the internet café, smiling as she said, "It's not about playing games; it's a very interesting job. However, the hours are quite long, and there will definitely be some tedious moments. So based on your current work philosophy, I doubt you would be able to handle it."
Chen Zijing turned his head to glance at Lin Mingjia and said with a bitter smile, "Come on, sister! If you think I can't handle it, then why should I take on this ridiculous job? Besides, I don't want a part-time job right now."
"What about all your talents? Are you just going to waste them? That would be a huge loss!"
Chen Zijing stopped in his tracks and glared at Lin Mingjia with displeasure. After a while, he replied, "The one losing out is me; what does that have to do with you?"
Lin Mingjia was momentarily speechless. Indeed, whether this opportunity worked out or not depended entirely on Chen Zijing's willingness. So why was she focusing on these negative aspects? Had she lost her mind?
"Because we've been watching you for a long time! The decision is in your hands. But I have to tell you, the enjoyment from this job is definitely hundreds of times greater than playing online games!" Lin Mingjia stopped walking and stood still, looking seriously into Chen Zijing's eyes.
After saying that, Lin Mingjia immediately turned and left, leaving Chen Zijing standing there in confusion.
"Why has it suddenly become interesting again? Hey! At least tell me the specifics of the job! How can I contact you?!"
"Someone will contact you, but not right now! You should focus on getting into college first; someone will be waiting for you at North Atlantic." Lin Mingjia did not turn around but raised her right hand to wave goodbye to Chen Zijing.
Chen Zijing decided not to pursue her any further. He had initially been somewhat interested in her offer, but now it seemed so mysterious. Plus, what did she mean about getting him into North Atlantic? Was she some sort of crowd actor hired by his mom?!
After parting ways with Chen Zijing, Lin Mingjia immediately returned home. After all, living alone after starting college would surely worry her parents a lot.
Seeing their daughter suddenly return, her parents were both surprised and delighted. However, noticing that Lin Mingjia did not want to talk much, they refrained from asking further questions and began preparing dinner for her.
Lin Mingjia walked into her room and lay down on the bed. She took out her phone and opened her contacts, staring at the name of the person pinned at the top. After a long while, she finally did not press the call button but chose to send a text message instead.
"I'm sorry, I'm leaving. Don't look for me; this is my own decision. There is a boy named Chen Zijing among next year's North Atlantic freshmen. He would be suitable as your assistant. His talent far surpasses mine, but he can be somewhat impetuous and even arrogant. He values interest in his work, so he will definitely not be willing to engage in anything he finds tedious. Please assign him some innovative projects whenever possible. I have only interacted with him briefly, so my understanding is limited; you can take it as a reference but not as a template. This is my last help for you. Goodbye. — Mingjia."
After writing it, Lin Mingjia revised it several times before finally mustering the courage to hit send. Once she saw that the message was sent successfully, she immediately turned off her phone, removed the SIM card, and snapped it in half.
***
January 1, 2007
"Is that how it was back then? You seem reluctant to share some details," Chen Rui said with a smile as he looked at Lin Mingjia.
"Since you already know, why bother coming out? After all, with what you know now, you can certainly fill in the gaps of my unfinished story. So why should I say things that make me uncomfortable?"
Lin Mingjia stood up and asked with a smile, "So, Chen Zong, can I go back now? I am no longer the president's assistant at Dawn; I'm just a single mother worried about work."
Chen Rui smiled lightly and waved his hand to signal her to sit down. He used internal communication to have someone brew a pot of tea and bring it over.
"Let's chat a bit longer! I don't remember the details of those days too clearly. By the way! You mentioned being a single mother; according to your file, you got married on April 1st of 2014. Come on, isn't that a bit amusing?"
Lin Mingjia gave a self-deprecating smile and pushed her bangs aside. She pulled out a hair tie from somewhere and gathered all her hair into a ponytail.
With just a change in hairstyle, Lin Mingjia instantly transformed from a mature woman into a pure girl, leaving Chen Rui speechless.
"You know as well as I do that was merely for the sake of registering my household; naturally, the sooner the better."
Indeed, getting married on April 1st and divorcing just a week later on April 8th meant that legally it could allow for the child’s registration, even if that child was not biologically related to that man.
"The records show you gave birth to a son in September 2014, which means you must have gotten pregnant around November 2013."
"Hey! You really have no sense of romance, do you? Everyone knows what's going on in their hearts; why make it so obvious? After all these years, even if you've changed your mind, how come your personality hasn't changed at all?"
Lin Mingjia complained unhappily.
"Haha, is that so?" Being mocked like this made even Chen Rui feel a bit uncomfortable, and naturally, he wouldn't continue the topic.
The door to the reception room was pushed open, and two staff members walked in, setting a complete tea set in front of the two of them and pouring freshly brewed tea.
The refreshing aroma of tea was infused with a rich fruity scent, reminiscent of the cup of tea he had fourteen years ago in a certain courtyard in Beijing.
"What do you mean by that?" Lin Mingjia did not pick up the teacup, staring directly at Chen Rui.
"Drink tea, drink tea." Chen Rui smiled, lifting his teacup and taking a delicate sip. "This is indeed good tea; the specially supplied Da Hong Pao is truly excellent."
"Bang!"
Lin Mingjia slammed his palm on the table and questioned, "What exactly do you mean?"
Chen Rui maintained a smile as he slowly placed his teacup back on the table. "It means the same thing! You can't really think I'm foolish enough to believe that your presence here is just a coincidence, can you?"
"Hahahahahaha..."
Lin Mingjia suddenly burst into loud laughter. As he laughed, tears streamed down his face uncontrollably. He looked at Chen Rui fiercely and said, "I didn't send you to Dawn just so you could sit here and chase me away!"
"But when you sent me to Dawn back then, it was because you wanted me to assist Li Li for life, wasn't it?"
"Then... please leave here. He doesn't need you now!"
Lin Mingjia's gaze suddenly turned icy cold as he self-mockingly smiled. "That's right; this is you—so cold-hearted!"
"We will take your child away."
"Do you want me to fight you?" Lin Mingjia's gaze suddenly turned fierce, as if the person sitting before her was a sworn enemy.
"Don't worry, he will receive a better education here. If you agree, perhaps you'll be able to see him every once in a while," Chen Rui said, resting his elbows on the sides of the sofa, fingers interlocked, speaking calmly.
Lin Mingjia furiously replied, "Ha! If I don't agree, you will still take him away! I just won't be able to see him! Even if I do agree, your 'every once in a while' probably means years or even decades apart!"
"It seems you've come to terms with it. Someone, take this lady home."
As soon as the words left his mouth, four individuals in coaching uniforms entered and surrounded Lin Mingjia. She turned to leave but paused at the door to whisper, "If you can treat me this way, can you be so ruthless with yourself?"
"For the sake of the plan, I'm not afraid of death. Why would I fear these sentimental ties?"
"...I hope you can still feel that way when the time comes."
After Lin Mingjia was taken away, Chen Rui took out his phone. Instead of searching through his contacts, he dialed an unfamiliar number directly. "Are you there?"
"I'm here."
"Bring Mr. Li back and make him forget about today's events."
"Understood."
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