Sequence Beyond: My Wife is a Mysterious Boss

Just as Lin Bai was pondering, Xie Qingtang suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze passing over Lin Bai and landing on the silent mute behind her.

"Actually, you've already been a superhuman for a long time, haven't you?"

Lin Bai snapped out of his daze, met her gaze, and was slightly taken aback.

Immediately, the corners of his mouth turned up, revealing a very standard "business smile"—a smile that showed neither embarrassment nor denial after being exposed.

Actually, he had thought about this matter in the past two days.

Ah Ya's ambitions are too great, and he will continue to produce Blood Servants in the future.

This kind of power simply cannot be kept low-key.

Since it can't be hidden, why not just package it up openly?

Disguising oneself as a mysterious and unpredictable necromancer who manipulates corpses seems... kind of exciting?

......

Seeing that Lin Bai did not deny it.

"I knew it, my judgment was right."

Xie Qingtang slumped against the wall, a self-deprecating sneer tugging at his blood-stained face:

"What 'special concealment technique'... Only an idiot like Iron Fist would believe your nonsense."

Lin Bai raised an eyebrow, adjusted his sitting position to be more comfortable, and looked at her leisurely:

"Since you saw through it all along... why didn't you call me out on it then?"

If Xie Qingtang had exposed him in public, given Tie Quan's straightforward nature, even with the thick filter of being a "scholar," he probably would have turned on him on the spot.

Xie Qingtang lowered her eyes, her fingers unconsciously stroking the bottle of dark blue potion.

"Because that fool is willing to believe it."

Lin Bai was taken aback.

Xie Qingtang raised her head, and her eyes, which were usually as cold as an ice cellar, were now churning with some indescribable emotion:

"If it's something he believes, then it's true. If it's false... then I'll help him make it true."

Lin Bai fell silent.

This statement sounds completely illogical; it's practically the pinnacle of idealism.

But looking at Xie Qingtang's serious expression, Lin Bai felt a strange sense of absurd admiration.

"Is it worth it?" Lin Bai asked.

"It's worth it," Xie Qingtang replied decisively, without a moment's hesitation.

She took a deep breath, her gaze seemingly piercing through the heavy metal door, through the long passage of time, returning to that damp and cold night many years ago.

"Do you know why Tekken isn't very bright?"

Before Lin Bai could respond, Xie Qingtang continued speaking to herself, her voice somewhat unsteady.

"We all came from the Grace Orphanage in the outer city of Blackrock City."

"It hangs the sign of an orphanage, but inside it is a living source of material for underground alchemists."

"The children inside either became deformed or turned into those bottles of medicine with labels on them."

In the corner, Buck and his two underlings immediately perked up their ears, even consciously lowering their breathing, afraid of missing a single word.

"The day I fled was the day I made the plan."

Xie Qingtang pointed to his head.

"I've been smarter than others since I was a child. I could calculate patrol routes, shift change times, and even the load-bearing capacity of ventilation ducts."

"But there's one thing I overlooked... my physical fitness is terrible."

Xie Qingtang lowered his head, his voice hoarse:

"I got stuck while crawling through the core steam pipe area. That spot was right in front of the high-pressure steam valve."

"The valve loosened, and scalding white steam, several hundred degrees Celsius, was hissing out..."

Lin Bai looked at her, and images flashed through his mind instantly.

A dark and cramped pipe, a deadly predicament, and two defenseless teenagers.

"It's Iron Fist."

Xie Qingtang's voice trembled slightly, "He was very thin back then, but he stubbornly used his head... to hold up that scalding hot valve."

"A full three minutes."

"It wasn't until I crawled out and dragged him out that I realized his scalp was burned raw, and even... his skull was damaged."

The storage room was deathly silent.

Buck and the others were stunned.

It was clearly the first time they had learned that the boss, who only knew how to shout for violence, had such a past.

Xie Qingtang closed her eyes, as if she could still smell the nauseating burnt smell at the tip of her nose.

"After that, he became mentally impaired. He used to be the fastest at memorizing, but now he has to count on his fingers for a long time to do addition and subtraction within ten."

"But he never blamed me. He even smiled at me like an idiot and said, 'Qingtang, I'm not in pain, I'm just a little slow on the uptake.'"

He also said that although the people in white coats at the orphanage were bad, they were really capable.

"Once I become that kind of scholar, you will never be bullied again."

Xie Qingtang suddenly opened her eyes and stared intently at Lin Bai:

"That's why he was so obsessed with knowledge and scholars."

"Do you know how happy he is when he sees you strategizing and manipulating everything?"

"That was the dream he could never achieve in his life, yet it was the dream he longed for most."

"Since he regards you as an all-powerful 'strategist,' then you are."

"I will kill anyone who dares to question me."

Lin Bai touched his nose, feeling even more absurd.

It turned out to be the case.

That muscle-bound maniac who flips tables at the drop of a hat and whose mind is filled with violence.

Deep in my heart lies such a humble yet burning desire.

Because of his own mental lapse, he instinctively worships wisdom and wants to attach himself to the strong, just so that he can provide shelter for those behind him in this cannibalistic world.

This kind of obsession is so pure it's almost foolish...

"Really..." Lin Bai chuckled and shook his head, "Adorably silly."

"The story is over."

Xie Qingtang took a deep breath, suppressing all her fragile emotions.

He reverted to being the emotionless "Black Mamba."

She gripped the potion bottle tightly, her gaze fixed intently on what was behind Lin Bai:

"Can your mute... kill that giant puppet outside?"

This is our last hope.

If Lin Bai can do that, she won't need to...

Lin Bai met her hopeful gaze without the slightest hesitation or tact.

He slowly shook his head, his tone so calm it was almost cruel: "I can't kill him."

The light in Xie Qingtang's eyes went out instantly.

"You saw it too," Lin Bai pointed to the door.

"That punch just now was Aya's full power. Her defense is too strong; it's impossible to break through it."

Lin Bai was not lying about this.

"Is it not possible...?" Xie Qingtang murmured to herself.

She took a deep breath, as if she had made some kind of final decision.

She suddenly looked up at Lin Bai, her eyes no longer hesitant.

"Mr. Bai, if... I mean if you can get everyone out of here alive, I hope you can take care of Iron Fist for me in the future."

Xie Qingtang's voice was very soft, but every word sounded like a will.

"He's not very bright and is easily fooled, but he... is actually very kind."

Lin Bai's lips twitched slightly.

Kind?

He pictured Iron Fist, the thug who could splatter brains out with a single punch, and then looked at the serious-looking woman in front of him.

This filter... must be as thick as a city wall, right?

But Lin Bai did not refute it.

Perhaps in this woman's world, even a tiny fraction of tenderness is her entire truth.

......