Mysterious Beautiful Wife at Home (GL) - Chapter 27.2

At this hour, Chi Nian was still asleep. She usually slept from 10 PM to 7 AM, clocking in nine hours nightly, often supplemented by two to three hours of napping during the day. This was practically hypersomnia—an abnormal amount of sleep. Zhang Yuning couldn’t help but worry about her health.

The bag was left open. Zhang Yuning stepped closer and peered inside, catching a glimpse of the edge of a black notebook. The rest was unclear, but she had no intention of rummaging through it again nor did she want another slap.

As she focused on these thoughts, a chill surged from deep within her. She shivered uncontrollably, assuming the temperature had dropped.

Concerned Chi Nian might be cold, she fetched a blanket and draped it over her.

Yet, she herself felt even colder. Her fingers turned icy, as if on the verge of freezing. This couldn’t be right. Zhang Yuning sensed something was off with her body. She rummaged through the wardrobe for a thick coat, then sat on the balcony in the living room, opening her laptop to research this strange reaction.

There were no other symptoms of a cold, just this intense sensitivity to cold. Combined with her abnormally rapid recovery from needle pricks and wounds, her body’s healing abilities were far beyond ordinary. Could there be some strange supernatural ability at play?

Impossible. This wasn’t a sci-fi movie; what era was this? Such things couldn’t exist. Zhang Yuning began flipping through medical books, searching for conditions that matched her symptoms. Yet most illnesses had more than just cold sensitivity as a symptom.

Outside, the rain continued to fall. Zhang Yuning’s chills grew increasingly severe, though the pain was slightly less intense than last time. At least she wasn’t on the brink of freezing to death. But it wasn’t much better.

She started looking for a place to hide, hoping to avoid Chi Nian’s notice or at least to recover before she woke up.

But in such a large space, there seemed to be nowhere to hide. Her lips were purple, and she shivered with every exhale of cold breath.

She glanced at her watch, clenched her jaw, curled up on the sofa, and started playing a game to distract herself.

“Xiao Zhang?” Chi Nian woke up, startling Zhang Yuning, who quickly slumped down, pretending to be relaxed. Fortunately, the chill seemed to be fading. She replied, “I’m playing a game.”

Chi Nian walked over wrapped in a blanket. She glanced at the rain outside the window, then studied Zhang Yuning as she approached the sofa. “Did you get caught in the rain?”

“No, I came back when it stopped for a while. I waited in the parking garage of the BenSe Hotel.” Zhang Yuning kept her eyes fixed on the game screen, avoiding Chi Nian’s gaze, feeling slightly guilty and afraid of being found out.

Chi Nian reached out to touch her forehead, but Zhang Yuning quickly sat up. “Really, I’m fine.” Strangely, that uncomfortable chill she had felt earlier was gone. This time it had lasted such a short while?

“How long have you been back?”

“Half an hour.”

Chi Nian insisted on checking. She hooked her arm around Zhang Yuning’s neck, pressing their foreheads together. Zhang Yuning froze, her game paused mid-play, and she was soon KO’d.

Leaning against Chi Nian like this, she forgot to breathe. The only sound around them was the rain tapping against the window, but even that gradually faded away with Chi Nian’s warm breath.

The world fell silent, leaving only the pounding of her own heartbeat.

“Your temperature seems normal. Really didn’t get wet?” Chi Nian still seemed uneasy. The rain had come earlier than forecasted, and Zhang Yuning had barely made it back in time, hardly reassuring.

“Really didn’t.” She wasn’t lying—she hadn’t been caught in the rain, just drenched in a cold shower.

Chi Nian nodded. “I need to go out tonight. You don’t have to come; just wait for me at home.”

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“It’s fine. I’ll be back by nine.”

Zhang Yuning felt puzzled. It was Chi Nian who had initially insisted they stay inseparable, yet now she was brushing her off to go out alone. What or who could she be meeting that she didn’t want Zhang Yuning to see? She’d just have to wait.

Something about Chi Nian going out alone felt dangerous.

“Let me come with you. If it’s inconvenient, I can wait in the parking lot.”

“Worried about me?”

Chi Nian always liked to ask this. Zhang Yuning nodded. She never denied it.

More than that, she wanted to know Chi Nian’s whereabouts, to uncover more clues. Whether it was the moon or the project Chi Nian was working on, these things might all be connected. If she could just find one main lead, she could piece together many of the current mysteries.

The collaborative project between Third Miss and Chi Nian was likely ongoing. What kind of project could make Third Miss go to such lengths to help, make Mo Lindi willingly assist, and keep Chi Nian so invested?

“Where did you go today?” Chi Nian suddenly asked.

“Out for a ride on my bike.”

“Which places did you pass by?”

Zhang Yuning answered directly, “Went to the eastern suburbs, circled to West City, passed by Liuli High School, Twin Towers, Pingma Avenue…” She listed the landmarks along that route truthfully, though in reality, she hadn’t gone to West City. She deliberately mentioned Chi Nian’s alma mater and Pingma Avenue, the site of the car accident.

“Pingma Avenue…”

“Yeah, where you had your accident.” Zhang Yuning emphasized the word “accident.” If not for that crash, none of what followed would have happened.

Chi Nian looked at her, a faint smile playing on her lips. “You sound a little resentful bringing up that accident?”

“Someone whacked me with a baton. Should I be happy about it?”

Zhang Yuning felt everything had started with that accident. Many of the events that followed were linked. Chi Nian had been unconscious at the time and didn’t even know Zhang Yuning had been struck, yet her reaction now showed no surprise.

“Did you ever find the person who hit you?” Chi Nian asked.

“No, I think it must be someone from your Chi family.”

“If you find out who it is, tell me. I’ll help you get revenge.”

Zhang Yuning chuckled lightly. Getting any information out of Chi Nian was harder than climbing to the heavens. Her answers always seemed suspicious yet flawless.

“You’re really good at making enemies. Firing the entire security team of the conglomerate. How many people lost their jobs because of that?”

Chi Nian raised an eyebrow. “Since when does Chi Nian fear making enemies?” She turned and walked toward the dressing room. “Get ready, we’re going out.” The domineering aura she exuded wasn’t even the least bit annoying.

She had the capital to act that way, the power to crush anything in her path. Why shouldn’t she? Zhang Yuning usually despised people like this, but when it came to Chi Nian, she found herself inexplicably drawn to it.

Thanks to the moon’s favor, Zhang Yuning thought bitterly.

It was rare for Chi Nian to be willing to go out in the rain. Driving straight from the underground garage meant they wouldn’t get wet no matter where they went, yet last time, Chi Nian had stubbornly refused to leave. This time, however, she’d relented.

And today, Chi Nian was dressed differently than usual. She wore a black pleated skirt paired with a short gray blazer, a stark contrast to her usual socialite style.

Her makeup was barely there just enough to cover her pallid complexion, with not even a hint of lipstick.

Who was she meeting today? She was being unusually low-key.

“Where are we going?” Zhang Yuning couldn’t help but ask as she slid into the driver’s seat.

“To the place where we first met.” Chi Nian looked at her, her gaze deep and unfathomable. Zhang Yuning pondered. It couldn’t be Pingma Avenue, since Chi Nian had been unconscious during the car crash. That left only the Chi family’s research base.

Haitian Park was where Zhang Yuning had hidden her motorcycle that day. The people Chi Nian had met in the private room all lived in the Haitian Villas, and the research base was built right next to it, isolated from everything else. Because it involved development progress and corporate secrets, the entire area had been bought out by the Chi family.

This place was solely for research, with production lines distributed nationwide, so all the core technology was housed within this base.

Who would’ve thought that the place she’d once desperately tried to escape from, she’d now be returning to openly?

But was Chi Nian going home or to the base? Zhang Yuning’s emotions were tangled as she drove. The place she’d escaped from last time was the villa, the basement was the Chi family’s forbidden zone. After Chi Nian escaped, how had Chi Jing faced his sister?

And the fact that she’d pushed Chi Jing into the pool without any consequences—was that Chi Nian’s doing?

Too many questions swirled in her mind, each one impossible to unravel. She lacked the key clues to piece things together and could only uncover more secrets by staying close to Chi Nian.

The entire way, Chi Nian didn’t say where they were headed until they reached a fork in the road.

“To the base,” she suddenly said.

Zhang Yuning turned the steering wheel, heading in the other direction.

This place was called Haitian Bay, named for the seamless blend of sea and sky visible every day. As private property, outsiders weren’t allowed past the roadblock set up three kilometers away.

Last time, she’d fled on a motorcycle through backroads. This time, she was entering through the front gate, openly.

As a bodyguard, Zhang Yuning knew better than to ask too many questions. She had to maintain that boundary. Just being able to follow Chi Nian into the core base was unprecedented.

But how could a sheltered young heiress, with no experience in business, possibly manage such a massive project?

“You must be wondering how I’m allowed here, aren’t you?”

Zhang Yuning was naturally curious, but it wasn’t appropriate to ask outright. Since Chi Nian had brought it up herself, she seized the opportunity to respond: “After all, we escaped from this place back then. Coming back like this now feels a bit surreal.”

“Yeah, my brother is too paranoid. He’s convinced I’m after everything he has, but in reality, what I want is very simple. He’s the one overcomplicating things.”

“Will he try to harm you again?”

Chi Nian shook her head. “If anything happens to me again, he’ll lose everything. Anyone who stands in my way will be destroyed.”

She spoke the harshest words in the gentlest tone. The idea of destroying someone rolled off Chi Nian’s tongue effortlessly, executing it would likely be just as easy.

“So wherever I go, as long as you’re with me, it’s safe.”

“You don’t always want to bring me along, though.”

Chi Nian’s lips curled into a smile. “Are you complaining?”

“Wouldn’t dare. The boss calls the shots. Today’s trip was something I had to ask for.”

“Ask? Which part of that sounded like asking?”

Zhang Yuning’s brow twitched. It was true! She had insisted on coming along, and Chi Nian had only agreed after that. To call it “asking” was a stretch.

“Well, if it’s inconvenient, I can always wait in the parking lot.”

Chi Nian chuckled. “I trust you won’t betray me.” There was a pointed undertone to her words.

She had just said that anyone who stood in her way would be destroyed. Wasn’t this an indirect warning to Zhang Yuning? Betrayal, no matter who it came from, would have severe consequences.

Zhang Yuning smiled without responding. If this project involved collaborating with the Third Miss, she certainly wouldn’t betray her. But if digging deeper into the truth ended up harming her, she wasn’t sure she wouldn’t retaliate in her own way. Zhang Yuning always repaid grievances in kind. She had endured enough of being trampled and scorned. Now, she would return every slight in full measure.

The base was a circular structure, with searchlights sweeping every corner without blind spots. The entrance and exit each had triple-layer identification checks, guarded by four security personnel stationed at both points. Human and AI surveillance worked in tandem.

Chi Nian’s license plate was automatically recognized, granting entry. Guidance lights activated as the car moved, directing it to the designated parking spot. Patrol guards rotated shifts every two hours. The security here was second only to a military base, with every officer armed on duty.

Although carrying firearms was permitted on Liuli Island, few could obtain such privileges. For ordinary people, possession remained illegal. This suggested that the Chi family’s research center might have tacit state approval, with far-reaching implications.

“Wait in the car for me. Don’t wander around. Security here is tight, and it’s dangerous.” Chi Nian instructed seriously. Zhang Yuning nodded.

She still couldn’t access the core, but at least one thing was confirmed: Chi Nian’s project was research-related. As for the specifics, it was hard to say. The Chi family conducted studies in artificial intelligence, astrophysics, biochemistry, and more. This base encompassed various fields. Outwardly, it appeared to be a simple structure, but rumors said it had eighteen levels in total, with only six above ground. The twelve underground floors had separate access routes, possibly even extending to the sea.

Zhang Yuning suspected that those uninhabited islands offshore might also house other Chi family bases.

She leaned back in her seat, watching as Chi Nian was ushered inside by someone clad in a white hazmat suit. The doors required iris recognition, and from observation alone, it was clear that the security here was on par with the Third Miss’s Butterfly Manor. Zhang Yuning could find loopholes if she wanted to, but for now, there was no need to bother.

The rain continued to fall, forming delicate trails down the car window like strings of pearls rolling downward. She adjusted the seat, reclining halfway, and opened an encrypted folder on her phone. The timestamps in the white notepad file stood out from the others, seemingly segmented into intervals. The first time recorded coincided precisely with when she had felt that chilling cold, and another timestamp was set exactly ten minutes later.

Zhang Yuning felt a pang of unease. Why did these times feel like they were tracking her episodes? There was no way Chi Nian could have known about her impromptu cold shower, right? If this data truly correlated with her symptoms, then matching the subsequent timestamps would confirm it.

The thought was terrifying. The more she dwelled on it, the more unsettling it became.

She pulled up information on “An Lin,” the moon. Since immigrating, there had been virtually no trace of her. Had An Lin passed away after moving abroad? Could everything Chi Nian was doing be connected to An Lin?

This intuition had no logical basis, yet when she considered Chi Nian’s words, it seemed she and Chi Jing had reached some kind of agreement. Chi Nian hadn’t returned to the conglomerate to take up a position or seize power. Whatever she was concerned about still couldn’t be linked to any existing clues.

Zhang Yuning sank into deep thought, only to realize belatedly that the temperature in the car was dropping or rather, she was getting cold again. She glanced at her watch. The time matched Chi Nian’s record perfectly.

How could this be? Zhang Yuning exhaled sharply, her breath visible in the cold. She turned on the car’s heater and flipped through the white notepad again. The next timestamp was a week later.

Would she experience another chilling episode at that exact time? If every timestamp aligned with her symptoms, did that mean there was some preexisting connection between her and Chi Nian?

Then what did all her experiences and memories over the years amount to? In her recollections, Chi Nian didn’t exist.

It was getting colder worse than the episode at home. Zhang Yuning shivered under the warm air, cold sweat trickling down. She noticed the wound from catching the blade barehanded had already healed, the bruises on her body had faded significantly, and the pain in her head was completely gone.

She really wasn’t like ordinary people. What was wrong with her body? How could Chi Nian predict these chilling episodes in advance? Was she suffering from some kind of illness?

Zhang Yuning struggled to accept it. Now, the questions weighing on her mind weren’t just about the moon. Could Chi Nian’s intentions and the project she was working on be related to the moon or even to her?

Chi Nian… just who are you? What are you trying to do? What are you planning to do to me? What kind of target had she become? As Zhang Yuning pondered, her consciousness began to blur. It was as if she had been locked in a freezer, the waves of cold numbing her senses.

Curled up in that icy world, she drifted for what felt like an eternity before warmth suddenly enveloped her. So comfortable… Where was this heat coming from? Was it Chi Nian? Had Chi Nian embraced her again, just like last time? For some reason, she found herself anticipating that very scene.

But no! This warmth felt different, as if it was wrapping around her entire body. And compared to human body heat, it was almost too damp, too warm.

She struggled to open her eyes, her vision blurry as if she were enveloped in thick fog. Had she died? She didn’t think she had committed enough sins in her life to warrant hell, so maybe this was what heaven looked like.

“Finally awake. Feeling better?” A soft voice reached Zhang Yuning’s ears. She turned her head toward the sound and saw a figure sitting beside her. Though the face was unclear, she recognized it as Chi Nian’s voice.

“Where is this?”

“What’s wrong? Still groggy from sleep?” Chi Nian leaned in, her warm breath brushing against Zhang Yuning’s face.

She looked at Chi Nian closely and suddenly froze. Chi Nian was only wearing her undergarments, a bead of sweat trickling down from her forehead along the bridge of her nose, hanging at the tip before dropping onto Zhang Yuning’s face.

Her heart skipped a beat, everything feeling surreal—was this real or another dream? Because only in dreams would she be this close to Chi Nian, and only in dreams would she dare to indulge in such boldness.

Could she have this tenderness and care not as something stolen, but as hers alone?

“What does your moon really look like?” Zhang Yuning finally asked the question she normally wouldn’t. Chi Nian’s face was hazy, her eyes veiled in a misty daze.

She didn’t answer, just as usual, her gaze deep and affectionate. Zhang Yuning wanted to ask—do you even know who you’re looking at? But Chi Nian’s lips curled into a smile as she replied gently, “Just like you.”