Why did you provoke me?

Back in the city, Li Yiqing went to the study and told the old man the whole story in detail.

"Since they didn't pursue the matter, let's pretend nothing happened," Grandpa Li decided immediately.

Li Yiqing asked softly, "Did you ask me to bring this person back for research?"

"If I say no, would you believe me? Let's leave it at that and not mention it to anyone else." Grandpa Li slowly walked out of the study.

The next day, Li Yiqing finally received his first good news in a long period. He had completed his collection mission exceptionally well, obtaining the most valuable resources. He was told to go to the organization department to collect his reward.

Li Yiqing had changed his outfit. He wore a sharply tailored light gray slim-fit suit, a white shirt underneath, and a matte black tie. He paired it with matching light gray suit trousers, black leather shoes, and a thin mechanical watch on his wrist. The overall look exuded the sharpness and ease of a young elite.

Li Yiqing looked at the person in the mirror with great satisfaction. This was her true appearance.

Upon arriving at Minister He's office, he said, "Yi Qing, you performed exceptionally well this time. I'm very satisfied. There will be a speaking session after the awards ceremony, and I've recommended you."

"Thank you for your guidance and trust, leader. I will definitely complete the task and not bring shame to you." Li Yiqing was very good at speaking.

"I knew you were smart. Come with me in a bit." Minister He laughed heartily.

Within ten minutes, several more people entered. They were also winners of this mission. Li Yiqing introduced himself to them. The group exchanged pleasantries and were very polite to each other.

It was very late when Li Yiqing finally returned home. He was exhausted, but very happy.

Meanwhile, Yu Meng's family returned to the village. The house had been uninhabited for some time, and a thick layer of dust had accumulated inside. The mother lit a fire, boiled some water, and prepared to tidy up.

Dali deftly helped her mother tidy up, while Yu Meng found a chair and sat there blankly. "Dali, what's wrong with your little sister? She seems unhappy. Who upset her?"

"Mom, what are you thinking about? Little sister is like this when she's thinking. Let's not disturb her. She'll be fine once she figures things out." Dali had seen Yu Meng many times before. Although she didn't quite understand, she respected her.

"That's good. This child's thoughts are getting harder and harder to fathom. I can only ask you and your dad, but it's better not to ask at all," Mom grumbled from the side.

"That's right. You can ask me anything in the future, and I'll tell you everything I know," Dali said with a smile.

Yu Meng sat there watching her mother and older sister tidy up the house, while her father went outside to fetch a lot of wood to prepare for heating the kang (a traditional heated brick bed).

Yu Meng sighed. She felt like she was getting old. The old women in the village were like her, sighing all the time. Once, she followed an old woman out of curiosity, and in one morning, she found that the old woman had sighed thirty times.

When she got home and told her about it, her whole family looked at her like she was crazy. Her brother even asked, "Did you follow her just to count how many sighs the old woman gave?"

Yu Meng remembers how she answered at the time, "The old lady can live to be so old, sighing must be her secret."

At that time, she actually imitated the old woman and sighed all day. But she didn't feel well.

Now, she doesn't need to learn anymore; she already knows the essence of sighing, which is what she most wants to do when she has no other choice.

Yu Meng watched Dali bustling about with a smile, so vibrant, so full of life, so confident and assertive. Even something as serious as kidnapping seemed to have no effect on her whatsoever.

Yu Meng chuckled self-deprecatingly. Just like she said, she was still a child, so why did she have to think so much? She suddenly felt like she had drawn a box around herself, and then she was trapped inside it. No matter which way she went, it seemed like she would bump her head all over.

Yu Meng had a bit of an epiphany; her current actions were a self-inflicted trap. She sat there, letting the lines in her mind flow, picked up a small rag, and began wiping the dust off the cabinet.

Aunt Yu watched as the little rag worked by itself, then suddenly turned to look at Yu Meng. Yu Meng calmly moved her fingers, smiling innocently at Aunt Yu. Dali stared at the rag, "Little sister, I want to learn this, teach me."

"Mom, look, my older sister wants to learn. What do you think, should I teach her?"

"I must teach her," Dali said eagerly.

Mom glared at Yu Meng, "You brat, it's already dark! Are you trying to scare me to death?"

"No, I'm telling you clearly that lines can do many things you can't even imagine. If you want to learn, no problem, these are our unmasking weapons. You're an unmasking expert, so if you know these, you'll have the ability to protect yourself. The reason I'm showing you these today is to tell you that even if I suddenly disappear, I have the ability to protect myself. Just wait for me at home. I'll be fine."

Aunt Yu looked at Yu Meng in horror, "Where are you going?"

Yu Meng stood up and walked to her mother. "Mom, I was just saying that. This kind of thing might not necessarily happen." Yu Meng hugged her mother. "How could I bear to part with such a wonderful mother?"

"Mom knows you're very smart, but you're too young to do anything. We'll stay home and your parents will take care of you." Tears streamed down Yu's face.

Dali also came over. "Little sister, can't you be more direct? I don't want to guess."

Yu Meng nodded, "I'll talk about it when Dad gets here."

"I'll go call him." Dali ran out, and a little while later, Yu's father followed his older sister into the house. "What's wrong, Dali? She says you have something important to say."

The group huddled together, and Yu Meng repeated what Li Yiqing had said, "I'm just saying this in advance, so you won't be caught off guard." She paused, then added, "This is just my guess, it might not be true."

"Then what did you do? Can't you just throw that thing away now?" Aunt Yu asked, wiping away her tears.

"Knowing I would do it, how could they give up, unless there are many people like me?" Yu Meng's tone was low. "I don't want to leave you either." She leaned on her mother, tears falling in large drops.

Since waking up in this house, she has never been so emotionally expressive as she is today. But she is still a child, so it's normal for her to cry.

When Yu Meng started crying, her father, mother, and Dali all panicked. They didn't quite understand why Yu Meng was crying, as she had cried a handful of times throughout her life.

"Fourth, don't cry, it hurts my heart." Father Yu's voice was trembling with tears.

Yu Meng nestled in her mother's arms, reluctant to lift her head. She just wanted to cry like a normal child, so why was she crying all of a sudden? This situation doesn't seem likely to end well.

"I'm just a little scared and want to cry, so you'll feel sorry for me," Yu Meng said shyly in a low voice.

"You little rascal, we thought something really had happened." Aunt Yu was both angry and amused.

"My little sister is still young," Dali said.

"Little Si has never cried before, this sudden outburst startled me too," said Dad, patting Yu Meng's head. "Don't be afraid, Dad's here."

"If you keep spoiling her like this, she'll be out of control in the future." The mother gently patted Yu Meng. Her tone was reproachful, but her touch was very light.