Ex-wife becomes the world's number one hacker

For the thirty minutes following the end of the operation, Jiang Yin barely moved.

The study was very quiet, with the curtains drawn tightly, blocking out all the daylight.

The computer screen is lit, and the interface is stuck on the last status page, without any warnings or new prompts.

She sat in the chair with her back straight, her feet together, and her hands naturally placed on either side of the table, without even changing the position of her fingertips.

If someone were to push the door open at this moment, they would only see a person who has finished their mission and is waiting for the next instructions: calm, restrained, and without any abnormality.

But only she knew that she hadn't blinked in a long time.

The time on the screen ticked by, second by second, in a silence that was almost cruel.

She doesn't need to do anything else; she's already done the calculations. She's already adjusted everything to its limit.

Everything that followed was outside of any system privileges.

Her finger twitched slightly, just a very slight movement, like a nerve accident.

She looked down at her hands and realized that her palms were sweaty, while her fingertips were ice-cold.

Jiang Yin slowly withdrew her hand, placed it between her legs, and pressed it down.

This was a subconscious action, as if afraid of losing control.

The phone line rang like a bomb dropped on a calm sea.

Jiang Yin grabbed it and held it to her ear.

"Target physically eliminated, mission successful!" Yu Haiquan's calm voice came through the microphone.

Jiang Yin's throat bobbed, and she asked in a trembling voice, "Where is he?"

"It's unclear at the moment. He needs to remain silent until he returns to the hotel in the third country," Yu Haiquan replied calmly.

Jiang Yin hung up the phone, only then realizing that silence was part of the process. And he, if everything went smoothly, should be starting his return journey now.

She got up and began doing some trivial things.

Wash the water glasses in the study and put them back in their original places;

Organize your desktop and realign the files that have been aligned countless times.

I walked to the window, drew back the curtains, and looked at the gloomy sky.

All movements were performed at a steady pace, neither hurried nor slow.

It was as if she was proving to some unseen observer that she was perfectly normal.

But her mind kept replaying the same image: the cooling corridor, the safety window, and the line marked in blue.

She recalled that during the simulation, she had zoomed in on the line until she could see every node and every turn.

At that time, she thought: as long as the data is correct, the person can walk out.

Now, she dares not think about "people" anymore.

She only allows herself to think about data.

Jiang Yin took a deep breath, walked back to her desk and sat down, finally allowing herself to face the screen again.

The screen remained silent.

She sat there, neither reviewing the process nor calculating the time.

She just sat quietly.

Like someone who has finished all their work but still can't leave.

......

It is 6:20 a.m. in Cannes, and the sun is about to rise.

On the viewing platform of Eze Exotic Garden, Lin Xiyue and Wang Qian were wrapped in a thick wool blanket and squeezed into a stone bench.

Beneath my feet, the outlines of medieval stone houses still slumber in the morning light; before me, the boundless sea is fading from deep blue, turning a soft, fish-belly white.

The first ray of golden light pierced the clouds at that moment, like a brush dipped in paint, suddenly dyeing the entire bay a pale gold.

"Quick!" Lin Xiyue threw off the blanket, jumped up, and rushed towards the wooden fence. "Take a picture!"

Wang Qian smiled and raised his phone.

She kept changing her poses, and he kept pressing the shutter button to take pictures.

After taking a few photos, he simply took on the role of director:

"Turn to the side, look up, hold onto the railing... Yes, look into the distance, don't look at me."

Lin Xiyue ran back to check the results and couldn't help but exclaim softly:

"Wow, how did you take such good photos? You even taught me the perfect poses."

Wang Qian tossed a stray hair at his forehead with a smug look: "Of course, this artist's aesthetic sense is a gift."

Suddenly, he pointed and exclaimed, "Look—it's coming out!"

Lin Xiyue suddenly turned around.

Where the sea meets the sky, the golden-red sunrise breaks free from its last restraints and leaps forth. A torrent of golden light pours down, instantly creating a vibrant tapestry of clouds and mist. The entire sky and ocean resemble molten gold leaf and flames, churning, flowing, and burning.

She was almost burned by the light, and instinctively reached out her hand, palm up, as if to hold up the rising sun.

Wang Qian lightly tapped the screen with his fingertip.

The image freezes.

In the morning light, her silhouette tilted her head slightly, her palm suspended in the air, her fingertips immersed in the golden-red light, like a devout ritual.

Lin Xiyue was extremely satisfied with the photo and immediately changed it to her WeChat profile picture.

That old feeling welled up inside her again: finding Wang Qianlai was definitely the right decision. He's fun-loving, knows how to have fun, has great taste, and is just the right amount of romantic.

Looking back on this night, it felt more like a meticulously orchestrated dream:

First, he pulled me along, and we wandered aimlessly through the quiet stone alley where only the sound of the wind and the echo of the waves could be heard. My heart strangely calmed down.

Next is the bar on the cliff, where you can sip drinks, have deep conversations, and watch the sky fade from inky black to bluish-gray amidst the damp, salty smell and the sound of the waves.

At this moment, he enthusiastically pulled her into his luxury car, intending to take her to one of his favorite Michelin-starred restaurants in Nice for brunch.

"The croissants from that place are so crispy you can almost hear them crackle." Wang Qian fastened his seatbelt, turned around from the passenger seat, his eyes shining. "You absolutely have to try them."

Lin Xiyue naturally had no objections.

When the car started, she was already lying down in the back seat, covered with a soft blanket that Wang Qian had handed her.

Wang Qian then considerately sat in the passenger seat.

The car drove smoothly into the morning light of Nice. Lin Xiyue curled up under the blanket and closed her eyes. Her body was tired, but a peaceful smile, a result of being well taken care of, graced her lips.

.......

At 18:00 PM in Beijing, Tang Ning sent a message in the group chat, inviting Jiang Yin to dinner.

Jiang Yin slowly got up and tapped her numb legs.

In the hours leading up to this, she either sat idly or repeatedly searched online for information about the research institute and news about that "person".

She searched every nook and cranny of the internet.

So far, only three things can be confirmed:

1. The research institute was bombed. This information was found on the dark web; there was absolutely no report of it in official media. This is normal; the government of Country A would definitely suppress the news.

2. Extremely high level of damage. Also originates from the dark web.

3. No information about any suspects has been leaked. This is what Jiang Yin is most concerned about right now. Every time she checks online with trembling hands, she feels relieved when she sees no news. This cycle repeats itself endlessly.

She took a deep breath, composed herself, and walked into Downing's apartment.

They discovered that Tang Ning and Li Tianmu not only took Qin Se out to play for another day, but also cooked a huge feast.

Although Tang Ning kept complaining that the young master was just causing trouble and hadn't been of any real help, Li Tianmu naturally disagreed, and the two inevitably exchanged a few words.

Everyone chatted and laughed during the meal.

Qin Se had a great time these past two days, chatting with her mother about this and that at the dinner table.

Jiang Yin listened with a smile while eating, occasionally interjecting a few words.

But she didn't know what she ate or what she said. She felt as if her soul was floating in the air, leaving only her body there going about its business.

After dinner, Jiang Yin did the same thing when giving Qin Se a bath; she just mechanically went through the motions.

Fortunately, Qin Se was too tired from playing and fell asleep quickly after taking a shower.

Jiang Yin took her laptop to the dressing table in the bedroom, her hands trembling, and browsed the internet again, but still found no new information.

It is currently 19:45 PM Beijing time. In one hour, at 20:45 PM, the "Warriors" will cease their silence.

Jiang Yin sat quietly in the chair and turned to look at her sleeping son.

Under the warm yellow light of the bedside lamp, Qin Se pouted her little mouth and slept soundly.

He must have a wife and children too, right?

Are they also waiting for his return?

Time was ticking closer to that point in time.

With half an hour left, she felt as if she had entered a meditative state. The surroundings were unusually quiet, with only the occasional flash of light passing through the curtains.

I arrived at 20:45, but there were no messages coming in on the dedicated phone line.

Jiang Yin's eyes welled up with tears.

Let's wait a little longer; there will always be some error.

Five minutes passed, and there was still no news.

Ten minutes passed, and there was still no news.

Jiang Yin's eyes filled with tears.

Just when her nerves were about to snap.

A message suddenly came in on my dedicated cell phone.

Jiang Yin's eyelashes trembled, and her blurry vision, obscured by tears, caught a line of text:

The person has returned safely!

She slumped back in her chair, closed her eyes, and tears streamed down her face.

The sounds around her suddenly rushed into her ears—lightning flashed and thunder roared outside the window, and the rain poured down. It turned out that the flashes of light she'd seen earlier were lightning.

Jiang Yin slowly got up, took two unsteady steps to the bedside, and collapsed next to Qin Se as if all her strength had been drained, not even having the strength to lie down on the pillow.

She held her son's tiny body, inhaling the baby's milky scent, and closed her eyes:

It's good to be alive. Everyone... should live well.

.......

Cannes time 15:15 / Beijing time 21:15

The luxury car carrying Lin Xiyue and Wang Qian stopped in front of the hotel, each carrying several shopping bags.

After having dinner in Nice, Lin Xiyue originally planned to go back to the hotel. She thought Qin Heming should be finished with his work and might even have taken a nap.

But Wang Qian's words made her give up the idea of ​​returning to the hotel, and she hurriedly went shopping with Wang Qian at a nearby shopping village.

Wang Qian said, "I'm a bit blunt, so please don't take offense. Although your usual clothes are alright, they're nothing special, let alone artistic."

Lin Xiyue admired Wang Qian's aesthetic sense. Without another word, she dragged Wang Qian to the shopping village.

As the two happily entered the lobby, they saw Qin Heming wandering around in casual clothes, his hair slightly damp, clearly having just taken a shower, and looking somewhat tired.

Upon seeing Qin Heming, Wang Qian rolled his eyes as usual and said to Lin Xiyue:

"That annoying guy is here."

Qin Heming strode over and laughed as he said to Wang Qian, "Stop flipping your eyes, they're about to pop out."

Wang Qian frowned: "Stop smiling at me like that. I'm straight, I don't fall for that."

Qin Heming laughed even harder.

Lin Xiyue felt helpless seeing them like this. But seeing that Qin Heming wasn't angry, she decided to let them do as they pleased.

She said gently to Qin Heming, "Are you done with your work?"

"I'm not just done with work, I've even had a nap." Qin Heming glanced at the shopping bags in their hands.

"I thought you were sleeping, but I didn't expect you to go shopping. Aren't you tired?"

Lin Xiyue felt that her makeup must have smudged a bit after a night's work, and she was also quite sleepy, so she smiled and said:

"I'm sleepy, I want to go back to my room and take a nap."

Wang Qian had already walked towards the elevator.

"Then you should go and rest." Qin Heming waved his hand at them.

"The after-party starts at 7 p.m., so don't oversleep."

At 22:00 Cannes time, the three who had just finished the show's after-dinner party headed to Nice Airport to board Qin Heming's private plane and return to China.

.......

After dinner on May 3, Qin Heming came to pick up Qin Se as promised.

Jiang Yin led Qin Se downstairs.

When Qin Se saw her father, she ran over and threw herself into his arms.

Qin Heming laughed and bent down to pick up his son.

Then, he looked up, his eyes sparkling, and said to Jiang Yin:

"Yinyin... thank you, you've worked so hard!"

Jiang Yin frowned. She didn't know what Qin Heming meant. She thought there was nothing hard about taking care of her son.

However, she still nodded slightly.