Ex-wife becomes the world's number one hacker

Jiang Yin raised an eyebrow and stood there stunned.

"Don't stare so wide-eyed, I'll leave after I finish eating." Qin Heming turned and went back to the kitchen, his voice tinged with laughter.

"I have to go back to the hospital tonight; I won't be officially discharged until tomorrow."

Jiang Yin walked to the kitchen door and peeked inside.

Qin Heming was seen wearing her floral apron, trying to flip a wok, creating a scene that was both abrupt and harmoniously comical.

"Can you cook?" Jiang Yin couldn't help but frown. "Don't blow up the kitchen."

Qin Heming didn't turn his head, but gestured towards the kitchen counter with his lip:

"Why are you looking down on people? Don't you have a master?"

Jiang Yin followed his gaze and saw a tablet set up there, on which a chef wearing a white hat was explaining the key points of stir-frying.

She was speechless for a moment: You can do that? Learning something new and then applying it?

Before she could say anything, Qin Se had already rushed out of the house like a cannonball and grabbed her leg:

"Mom! Look at the picture books with me!"

Jiang Yin hesitated for a moment, glancing at Qin Heming's still somewhat thin back, wondering whether she should replace him.

"Go ahead, it'll be ready soon, you don't need to." Qin Heming seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, deftly scooping the vegetables into the plate.

"Are you... sure you can do it?" Jiang Yin hesitated.

"Go, go, stop nagging." Qin Heming laughed and pushed her out.

"Don't stand here and affect my performance."

Seeing that his movements were fairly skilled, Jiang Yin stopped insisting and let her son pull her to the sofa so they could squeeze together and watch cartoons.

Before long, Qin Heming's cheerful voice rang out: "Dinner is served! Your Majesty, Your Highness, it's time to dine!"

Qin Se was very pleased with the nickname and jumped off the sofa with a cheer.

Jiang Yin walked to the dining table, raising an eyebrow slightly: Wow, quite a display. Steamed fish, stir-fried pork with chili peppers, garlic greens, and a milky white fish head tofu soup—the table was laden with dishes.

She took the rice bowl Qin Heming handed her, picked up a piece of green vegetable with her chopsticks, tasted it, and thought it was pretty good. A genius is a genius; everything he does is done with style.

Looking up, she met Qin Heming's bright, expectant eyes.

She simply nodded: "Delicious."

Qin Heming's eyes instantly curved into a smile, and the corners of his mouth couldn't be suppressed as he grinned upwards:

"Try this fish too, Sister Hui taught me how to make it!"

The meal was exceptionally lively.

Qin Se was especially excited. He hadn't eaten with his parents in a long time. He chattered non-stop at the table, praising every dish.

"Dad's cooking is the best in the world!" he announced, holding up his spoon.

After the meal, Jiang Yin naturally cleared away the dishes and went into the kitchen.

She stood quietly by the sink for a long time.

Outside the window, the city lights twinkled, and the sounds of Qin Heming and his son playing cards drifted to his ears; Qin Se's laughter was crisp and bright.

Having experienced the tense standoff at the hospital during the day, the ordinary, everyday atmosphere felt like a gentle medicine, slowly seeping into her tense nerves.

A weary heart silently relaxes in this noisy warmth.

No wonder people say home is a harbor. It's a light that's always on for you, even in the midst of storms, without needing to look out.

After tidying up the kitchen and entering the living room, Jiang Yin immediately saw Qin Heming sitting on the carpet. He was arranging his mahjong tiles, with two tiles under his thighs, each with a corner sticking out.

"Qin Heming," Jiang Yin laughed angrily, "Are you even human? You cheat even when playing with your son?"

Qin Heming was taken aback for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter:

"Oh well, I'm used to it, it's an occupational hazard, hahaha..."

"Dad's cheating!" Qin Se belatedly exclaimed.

Qin Heming beckoned to his son, lowering his voice, but enough for Jiang Yin to hear:

"Come on, son, Dad will teach you a trick. Next time you play with Mom, do the same..."

"Yay! Yay!" Qin Se clapped her hands excitedly.

Jiang Yin rolled her eyes, too lazy to pay attention to the "cheating father and son," and turned to go into the study.

Since Qin Se started staying here, she's been leaving get off work on time almost every day. But she always brings some work back with her, dealing with it after her son goes to sleep. Today, with Qin Heming by her side, she can finally clear out the backlog of urgent documents.

Around nine o'clock, Jiang Yin was immersed in a sea of ​​code.

Qin Heming's voice came softly from the study doorway: "Yinyin, am I leaving?"

She was writing a crucial part, without even looking up: "Okay, be careful on the road."

But after a few seconds, I didn't hear the door open.

She listened intently, but could only hear the father and son whispering in hushed tones outside, which was indistinct.

It's probably because Qin Se is pestering his dad to stay with him again.

She raised her voice: "SeSe, let Daddy go home. You should go to sleep. Mommy will be ready soon."

She sped up and finished the last piece of code.

At that moment, Qin Heming's clear farewell echoed from the entrance hall:

"Goodnight, Yinyin!"

Then came a loud "pop," followed by his smiling voice: "Goodnight, son."

The door opened, then closed gently.

Jiang Yin saved the document and had just stood up when she saw Qin Se standing at the study door with her head down. Her small shoulders slumped, and she was shrouded in a visible sense of loss.

Her heart tightened, and she quickly went over and squatted down: "What's wrong, Se Se?"

Qin Se half-raised her face, which was wet with tears.

Jiang Yin's heart suddenly clenched: "What happened? Why are you crying?"

Large tears rolled down Qin Se's cheeks as he sobbed, his words incoherent.

"Mom... are you... still angry with Dad?"

Jiang Yin paused, then softened her voice: "Why do you ask that?"

Qin Se wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, but the more she wiped, the more tears she shed.

"I want Dad to live with us... Could you... please stop being angry with him?"

Jiang Yin sighed softly and pulled her son into her arms.

"Do you know why Mommy is angry with Daddy?" She stroked the top of her child's soft hair.

"Because he took me away..." Qin Se leaned on her shoulder, her voice muffled.

"But...he's already fixed it...he sent me back..."

Jiang Yin held her son's warm little body, her chest feeling as if it were filled with something soft yet heavy, making it ache.

The truth has been out for some time now.

The initial shock, confusion, and anger have long since settled into a coherent narrative in the face of time and clear evidence. Many misunderstandings have been clarified, and many prejudices have been corrected.

She no longer doubted Qin Heming's love.

That love even carried a desperate madness and an almost obsessive protectiveness.

but……

In a deep, hidden corner of her heart, a small emotion still lingers. It is neither as sharp as hatred nor as clear as resentment, but it is wrapped in something she has yet to name.

Perhaps it's the remnants of old fears, or the shards of glass that weren't completely swept away after trust was crushed, or perhaps it's just the last stubborn, lingering knot in the long process of healing wounds.

She couldn't quite tell what it was.

But it's there.

I can't spit it out, and I can't swallow it down.

She'll call it for now: a knot in her heart.

.......

The next day at noon, Jiang Yin, Tang Ning, and Li Tianmu had lunch together and then walked through the central square back to their office.

In the distance, Long Xingyuan was waving at her.

Tang Ning and Li Tianmu exchanged a knowing glance and tactfully quickened their pace to walk away.

Jiang Yin walked up to Long Xingyuan and stopped, maintaining a proper social distance:

"Director Long, hello."

Long Xingyuan smiled, his face warm, but a hint of relief flickered in his eyes:

"I'm being transferred soon, and I've come to say goodbye before I leave."

Jiang Yin had already heard about this from Li Tianmu.

He was promoted for his outstanding work and will be assigned to a local city to take charge. Although it is not an economic powerhouse, it is precisely because of this that it is full of challenges and opportunities. It is in such places that it is easier to achieve real results.

"Congratulations!" Jiang Yin offered her heartfelt congratulations.

She knew that when a new official takes office in a place like this, the first thing he would do is to revitalize the economy.

So he said sincerely, "If you need any support in your future work, such as investing in building a factory, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you for the investment," Long Xingyuan's smile deepened.

"Qin Heming has already talked to me. He probably wants me to feel indebted to him so he can trust me more." He said, laughing heartily.

A slight embarrassment flashed across Jiang Yin's face; she didn't know how to respond.

Long Xingyuan looked at her, a gentle sigh gracing his smile:

"Ever since this operation, when I learned that Qin Heming is your husband, I realized that I had no chance at all."

He gazed into the distance, his voice calm:

"No wonder you got married so early. In the eyes of the older generation, he was always that 'other people's child.' When we were kids, Li Tianci and I were always trying to make trouble for him. But the older we get, the more we have to admit that he is the best among his peers. You... are from the same world."

Jiang Yin listened quietly without interrupting.

Long Xingyuan paused, and when he spoke again, his tone was much more solemn:

"I talked to him a few days ago. I asked him if he felt resentful that he had done so much quietly, but might never be known. He said..."

He took a deep breath, and a sincere respect rose in his eyes:

Qin Heming said, "If justice must be seen by someone, then it doesn't deserve to be called a sacrifice."

As soon as those words were spoken, the surrounding noise seemed to fade into the distance.

Long Xingyuan's throat bobbed a few times, and his voice became deep and powerful:

"Thank you... thank you to all the heroes who have dedicated themselves to the covert front. The peace and prosperity we enjoy today is thanks to your sacrifices. With you all doing this, what reason do I have not to do my utmost to build up the land I am about to go to?"

The words have been spoken, and the meaning is clear.

Long Xingyuan naturally changed the subject, raising his chin and gesturing diagonally forward, a smile returning to his eyes:

"Hurry up and go over there, or he'll tear that potted plant bare, and I'll have to fine him."

Jiang Yin turned her head in the direction he pointed.

Qin Heming was standing next to a lush green plant, with a few fresh broken leaves scattered at his feet and unconsciously picking one up in his hand.

Seeing the two looking over, he quickly threw away the leaves, adjusted his expression, raised his head, and gave them a natural and generous smile, even waving his hand.

However, before that smile could fully unfold, Jiang Yin caught a glimpse of tension and resentment in her eyes.

Jiang Yin's gaze shifted further into the distance, where two tall figures were peering out from behind a large ornamental tree, about the size of a bowl.

She couldn't help but frown, utterly unable to comprehend Tang Ning and Li Tianmu's thought processes:

What misunderstanding do they have about their own size? How could such a tree possibly shelter two grown people?

When the two men noticed Jiang Yin looking over, they immediately straightened up as if they had been electrocuted. One of them pretended to be calm and looked up at the sky, while the other pretended to brush off non-existent dust from the other's body.

Then, the two pretended nothing was wrong, but their feet moved quickly, and they ran away as if they were fleeing.

A few whispered gossips drifted on the wind:

"Do you think... President Jiang will be able to forgive Lao Qin this time?"

"I think so... I feel that Xiaoyin has never really let go in her heart."

"That's true, childhood sweethearts aren't so easy to break up."

"But we can't forgive him so easily! He needs to be taught a lesson so he won't dare to do it again. He's too audacious!"

"That's enough, Lao Qin has had a tough time too..."

"Tsk! Whose side are you on?! Why are you always taking his side, huh?"

"Hey, hey, don't hit me! Isn't it enough that you're on the other side...?"

……

When Qin Heming got home from get off work in the evening, he was still busy in the kitchen.

After dinner, Jiang Yin cleared away the dishes, while Qin Heming, as usual, played with Qin Se in the living room.

The sound of flowing water mingled with the laughter of children, becoming Jiang Yin's favorite background noise.

Jiang Yin dried her hands and walked out of the kitchen, preparing to go to the study to handle some work, when Qin Se's crisp voice called out to her:

"Mom!" He ran over, carrying a kit of craft materials, his eyes shining with anticipation.

"The teacher assigned homework that the children and their parents need to complete together."