Chapter 500: Embroidery

"Yao Qing, who is this..."

"Oh, they are Sister Zhiwei’s friends. This one is... uh..." Yao Qing was about to introduce Chen Ling, but his expression suddenly turned strange, as he didn't even know what their names were.

"Hello, Teacher Xiao, my name is Yang Xiao. I specialize in the field of magnetic fields; I’m a colleague of Dr. Su." Yang Xiao stepped forward and introduced himself.

"So you’re Zhiwei’s colleague... Hello, hello." Xiao Chunping shook Yang Xiao’s hand, smiling kindly. "Our Zhiwei has been smart and capable since she was a child. Her parents passed away early, so I consider myself half an elder to her... Please take good care of our Zhiwei in the future."

"I wouldn't dare..."

After the two exchanged pleasantries, Xiao Chunping moved her gaze away and finally landed on Chen Ling.

"And this one... is he also Zhiwei’s colleague?"

Su Zhiwei opened her mouth, not knowing how to introduce Chen Ling for a moment, because everything about him seemed to be a mystery. No one knew where he came from, nor did anyone know what kind of power he possessed.

However, at a time like this, she certainly couldn't tell the truth. Just as Su Zhiwei was about to say he was also her colleague, Chen Ling spoke calmly:

"My name is Chen Ling, I’m a friend of Su Zhiwei."

"A friend..."

Xiao Chunping looked up, staring into Chen Ling’s eyes for a long time before nodding. "Zhiwei rarely brings friends home... You two must be very close, right?"

"Yeah, we're pretty close."

"Grandma, it’s rare for Sister Zhiwei to come back, so I thought I’d bring her over to hang out. After all, she hasn't seen you in a long time... These two were just visiting Sister Zhiwei’s home, and I thought since we have plenty of rooms, I’d invite them along." Yao Qing winked at Yang Xiao and Chen Ling. "They’re also interested in your embroidery, so they came to admire and learn."

"Yes, that’s right." Yang Xiao nodded stiffly.

Chen Ling just watched Xiao Chunping quietly, saying nothing.

"That’s fine, that’s fine... Our home hasn't been this lively in a long time." Xiao Chunping took off her reading glasses, walked slowly back to the embroidery frame, and smiled. "It’s getting late. Yao Qing, go prepare rooms for Zhiwei and the two guests. Grandma needs to finish this piece first."

"You got it!"

Yao Qing led everyone out of the room and closed the door behind him. "Follow me, the guest rooms are this way."

Chen Ling and the others followed Yao Qing, walking through the museum. After they had gone quite a distance, Chen Ling looked at Yao Qing and said:

"What? Not afraid I’m a con artist anymore?"

Yao Qing looked back at him and gave a light huff. "I admit you’re very capable, but I’m not going to trust you that easily. After all, what you said is a bit far-fetched, and all that stuff about the Book, Medicine, Soldier, Green, Craft, and Strategy..."

"But at least you don't have any malice toward Sister Zhiwei, and my grandmother is old—no matter what, I can't let her get dragged into this. So, providing cover for you guys is the least I can do."

As he spoke, they arrived at the second floor on the side of the museum, which seemed to be dedicated guest rooms, though they hadn't been used in a long time.

"Sister Zhiwei, this room is yours."

Yao Qing opened the first door. Inside was a suite of over a hundred square meters, complete with a living room, bedroom, and bathroom. The floors and tabletops were spotless, as if someone cleaned them regularly.

Su Zhiwei walked in, surprised, and picked up an old-fashioned metal pencil case from the desk, shaking it until it clattered.

"Isn't this..."

"It’s the pencil case you gave me in middle school." Yao Qing scratched his head. "You said it was one you used in school, and I kept using it until high school... Since I rarely use pencils in college now, I’ve kept it here... Oh, and the clothes you bought me before are in that cabinet too, though I can't wear them anymore since I’ve grown taller."

Su Zhiwei opened the pencil case. Inside were ordinary pencils and an eraser, and her student ID from back then was still stuck to the inside of the lid. Time had yellowed the photo, but there wasn't a speck of dust on it.

She closed the pencil case and sighed helplessly:

"These are old things from seven or eight years ago. I thought you had thrown them all away when you moved..."

"How could I!" Yao Qing said firmly. "I’ve kept everything you gave me safe and sound. I’d rather lose anything else than these!"

After taking Su Zhiwei to her room, Yao Qing led Chen Ling and the other man to the corridor opposite, pointing to two of the rooms:

"Those two are yours... Since there’s only one suite, the other rooms are a bit smaller."

Chen Ling opened the door and found it was only about fifty or sixty square meters, similar to a hotel room. Although small, everything was clean... But compared to Su Zhiwei’s room, it was a world of difference. Her room didn't look like a guest room at all; it looked like a room kept specifically for her.

Of course, Chen Ling wasn't picky. For him, as long as he had a place to stay, it was enough.

After arranging everything for them, Yao Qing returned to his own room. His room and Xiao Chunping’s were on the other side of the museum, quite a distance from Chen Ling and the others.

"It’s past eleven..."

Chen Ling returned to his room, but he felt no sleepiness at all.

For him, only a few hours had passed since entering the era archive, and he had rested well before coming, so he didn't need to eat or sleep... Although he didn't need rest, Yang Xiao and Su Zhiwei were exhausted, and sleep was essential for them.

Chen Ling lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, his mind still pondering Nie Yu’s movements.

Calculating the time, that guy should be arriving in Gusu soon. But now that the Su residence had been cleared out and the killers tasked with tailing them had all been dealt with by him, his trail should be completely broken... Tomorrow morning, he could change his face and wander around the Su residence to see if he could find any traces of Nie Yu.

Just as Chen Ling was thinking intently, his heart suddenly skipped a beat, and a feeling of being watched rose from the depths of his soul!

"Who?!"

Chen Ling sat up abruptly, a flash of apricot red blooming in the corners of his eyes, his gaze sweeping rapidly across the room.

The guest room was deathly silent. In the dim night, aside from the faint starlight outside the window, there was no light in the room... Chen Ling’s eyes scanned the surroundings inch by inch, his brows furrowing involuntarily.

Chen Ling didn't find any suspicious objects or creatures in the room, nor did he sense any electronic surveillance, but the feeling of being watched remained.

Chen Ling’s brows furrowed tighter. With his current eyesight, if there were really something in the room, he would definitely have noticed it... But after searching for several minutes, he hadn't found the source of that feeling, which made his unease grow stronger.

After a brief hesitation, Chen Ling got up, put on his shoes, walked straight to the door, and pushed it open.

No matter what, he couldn't stay in this room anymore.

As Chen Ling left, a small embroidery of a puppy in a picture frame on the table suddenly blinked, as if it had come to life, and turned its head to look in the direction Chen Ling had left.

The next moment, its limbs moved, and it flickered, disappearing from the white background, heading off to who knows where...