VAP - Chapter 104
Chapter 104: Farewell
Spending three hundred points, Yue Du exchanged them for three hours in her original world. Whether she would extend her stay would depend on the situation.
After more than twenty years, Yue Du finally returned to the house she had shared with Yue Hao.
The wall clock displayed the date: June first.
Yue Du clearly remembered that Yue Hao's accident had been on May twenty-first, and the day she herself had died was June first, around two in the morning.
In other words, she had returned to the day of her own death?
Thanks to the System's formidable data storage capabilities, she still remembered every detail of the home's furnishings, which she hadn't seen in so long.
Even though it felt emotionally distant, her perfect memory allowed her to navigate the study and guest room with ease before pushing open the door to Yue Hao's room.
Yue Hao was lying on the bed in a peculiar position. Her expression was the same as it always was when she slept, full of a carefree, silly innocence.
Not that cold, lifeless image, with bloodstains still not wiped clean.
This was much better.
Yue Du pulled a chair over from the desk and sat by the bed, waiting for her to wake.
It wasn't the first time she'd seen the girl's sleeping habits. At least she wasn't talking in her sleep—a huge improvement.
Yue Hao's room was a complete mismatch with her public image. It was a riot of color, with stickers of cartoon characters from her childhood on the walls and a two-meter-long plush bear lying stiffly on the bed.
How to describe it? Childlike, perhaps?
At first glance, one might think a little girl of jump-rope-playing age lived here, not a woman who commanded a powerful presence on the runway.
Just as she was thinking this, a phone began to ring. From the sound of it, it was in the living room.
Yue Du's ringtone wasn't the default one; it was the hit song of the last artist she had managed. She'd thought it was catchy at the time and had never changed it.
Yue Du found her phone on the living room sofa. When she saw the caller ID, her expression grew momentarily dazed.
"Hello?"
"Yue Du, you finally answered! Are you okay? Are you at home? Should I come over?"
The caller was Wen Yilan, the artist Yue Du had been managing before her death. The girl had just turned twenty, had a good personality, and was serious about her work. She was arguably the most low-maintenance artist Yue Du had ever handled.
The last time she'd heard that voice, it had been choked with tears, constantly pleading, "Sister Yue, I know you're in pain, but you have to try and move on. If you're feeling down, come find me. I'll keep you company."
Move on. So many people had said that back then.
Of course, in the end, Yue Du hadn't listened to any of them.
Yue Du lowered her eyes and said gently, "That's not necessary."
The Main God had said it would alter the event that led to Yue Hao's death, but she didn't yet know what the new situation was. The more she said, the more likely she was to make a mistake. After briefly reassuring Wen Yilan, Yue Du signaled her desire to end the call.
"Well, get some rest, Sister Yue. And please, make sure you answer next time I call."
"Okay. We'll talk next time."
After the call ended, Yue Du glanced at Yue Hao. The girl was still fast asleep, not even stirred by the sound of the phone conversation.
The noise had, however, woken the cat in the living room.
"Meow." An orange cat, round as a ball, trotted over. Upon seeing Yue Du, it flicked its tail impatiently before turning and heading straight for Yue Hao's bedroom.
Yue Du said, "...Da Dun."
The orange cat meowed, "Mrow, meow."
It didn't even glance back.
Yue Du stood rooted to the spot, then suddenly let out a soft laugh.
It seemed the only cat-like creature who would ever cling to her was her host.
Yue Du returned to her room and found her laptop. Holding her phone in one hand, she directed a stream of data from it, connecting directly to the computer to download all the information from the recent past.
At the same time, she couldn't help but recall the past as she remembered it.
The past that the Main God had not interfered with and altered.
May twenty-first. 7:30 AM. Yue Du left the house.
Before she left, Yue Hao had been joking with her, saying that since Children's Day was almost here, this 'baby' needed a present.
Yue Du had replied, "Fine by me. Who isn't a baby? Just remember we have to exchange gifts."
"Never mind then, pretend I didn't say anything," Yue Hao had said. "Are you coming back for lunch?"
"I'm taking Yilan to meet with some production teams. It'll probably take all day. I'll be back tonight."
"What are we having for a late-night snack, then?"
"I'm not having any. You should get to bed early. Don't you have class tomorrow?"
Ever since starting university, Yue Hao had developed a strong aversion to attending class. At the mention of it, she began to sigh and complain about how sleep-inducing her Monday morning lecture was.
That day was a Sunday, so Yue Hao wasn't at school; she had a modeling job scheduled.
Yue Du wasn't worried. Although her sister could be a bit silly at times, when it came to her modeling work, it was as if she had a natural cheat code. She never messed up.
So Yue Du gave a casual wave, pushed open the door, and left.
If she could have foreseen the future, if she had known that "Don't you have class tomorrow?" would be the last words she ever spoke to Yue Hao—
But there were no 'if's.
At 6:30 PM, Yue Du was still in discussion with a director, while Wen Yilan was responsible for sitting beside her and maintaining a pleasant smile.
No one noticed when the screen of the phone in Yue Du's pocket suddenly lit up, displaying an incoming call from the contact 'Hao Hao'.
But Yue Du had a habit of putting her phone on silent before important meetings. There was no ringtone. The caller ID remained on the screen for about five seconds before the call was abruptly disconnected.
The phone screen went dark without a sound.
At 7:00 PM, Yue Du concluded her business and left with Wen Yilan.
Once in the car, she took out her phone and saw a missed call from Yue Hao. She immediately dialed back.
The phone was off.
Wen Yilan looked up. "Sister Yue, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing," Yue Du said. "Don't look at your phone, you might get carsick."
Wen Yilan obediently agreed.
Yue Du then tried contacting Yue Hao's agent.
The call connected, but it was hung up before it could even ring more than a few times.
By then, a vague sense of unease had begun to creep over Yue Du.
She had been in the business for years and had her connections. She asked someone to check on Yue Hao's schedule for the day. After looking into it, the person replied with some confusion, "It's already finished. Her agent took her and another girl home."
When Yue Du got home, the house was empty.
Yue Hao hadn't come back all day.
She tried calling again, but the phone was still off. When she asked the agency, they claimed they didn't know the models' whereabouts after their jobs were finished.
The orange cat kept meowing in the living room, pacing anxiously. Yue Du refilled its food bowl and continued making inquiries, but to no avail.
At 8:30 PM, she received a call from an unknown number.
"Hello, are you a relative of Yue Hao?"
"Yes, I'm her sister. Is she with you? What's happened?!"
The person on the other end paused, then sighed.
"—Please accept our condolences."
Yue Du rushed to the hospital.
Yue Hao's cause of death was a traumatic brain injury. She had stopped breathing on the way to the hospital. Resuscitation efforts failed, and she was pronounced dead.
"Well, after the job, a few of the young models got together for a party. They borrowed Young Master Ji's villa, and... uh, Yue Hao accidentally fell from the second-floor balcony. She hit her head on the edge of the pool below. Young Master Ji rushed her here immediately, but... she couldn't be saved..."
Yue Hao's agent, Qin Fangyuan, stammered.
The 'Young Master Ji' he spoke of was Ji Chenghui, the younger brother of a local real estate tycoon. Nearly twenty years younger than his brother, he had been spoiled like a son and was known for his outrageous behavior.
Yue Du said numbly, "Hao Hao would never go to a party like that."
Qin Fangyuan sighed. "I know Yue Hao is always very obedient around you, but she's a young girl. Of course she likes to have fun. It's perfectly normal for her to go out behind your back once in a while..."
Yue Du said nothing.
Qin Fangyuan had just secretly breathed a sigh of relief and was about to say more, but the look on her face frightened him into silence.
Yue Du stared him down, her voice carrying a calm, piercing intensity. "Tell me the truth."
"Would I lie to you? That's just how it is. I'm heartbroken too, but what can I do?"
"..." Yue Du turned to look at Yue Hao's face.
There was still a smear of blood on her temple that hadn't been wiped clean. Her eyes were closed, her expression a mixture of confusion, pain, and the most primal fear.
It must have hurt so much.
Hao Hao, it must have hurt so much.
Yue Du refused to accept any explanation.
She knew it was impossible. Yue Hao disliked and resisted those so-called 'parties'; she would never have gone to such an event without telling her first.
The truth came to light faster than she had expected.
Qin Fangyuan might have been a practiced liar, but the same couldn't be said for everyone else who was there—especially the other young women at the 'party'.
"Brother Qin took us. He said it was an event the agency wanted us to attend..."
"We didn't know what it was at first. When we found out, Yue Hao said she was leaving. But that Young Master Ji said that since we were already there, anyone who left would be disrespecting him. Yue Hao said she had a family matter to attend to, and then they turned nasty."
"I really don't know what happened after that. I just saw Yue Hao trying to leave, but Young Master Ji and that short friend of his wouldn't let her. They chased her out onto the balcony."
The girl finished her rambling account and pleaded in a small voice, "Please, you can't tell them I told you. I beg you. I have a show next week."
Another attendee was a minor celebrity who was rumored to have been involved with Young Master Ji in the past. Yue Du managed to pry a few words out of her.
"About what happened... sigh. Young Master Ji didn't expect it either. He never meant for anyone to die."
"Your sister really did fall by herself. It was just an accident, and it would be hard to prove otherwise in court. Young Master Ji will discuss compensation with you. You... shouldn't press the matter. It's for your own good."
Yue Du whispered, "For my own good?"
The minor celebrity shook her head. "Think whatever you want. I'm planning to quit the business, or I wouldn't have told you any of this."
Young Master Ji's older brother soon sent people to discuss the matter of compensation.
Yue Du said, "That was my sister."
The man adjusted his glasses. "And? The fact is, your sister fell accidentally. Our Young Master Ji bears no responsibility for that. We are here to discuss compensation merely as a gesture of apology."
"Whether you accept this money or not, the outcome will not change. Please, think it over carefully."
Indeed. Nothing would change.
Resort to the law? It was useless. There was no evidence, and even if there were, their connections would ensure it wouldn't even be ruled manslaughter.
Ask for help? Yue Du did have some influential contacts, but after they learned the details, they all said they were powerless to help.
Finally, Yue Du went to the Yue family.
Her biological father was a member of the Yue family. While not the most powerful person in the household, he held some status.
"So, you still remember you have a father."
"You want me to pick a fight with Old Ji over this? What can I do? Look, if something had actually been done to your sister, I might have some grounds to negotiate with him. But without a shred of evidence, it's a lost cause."
His current wife sat demurely to one side.
"Du Du, is it? Your auntie understands your predicament, but your father is in a difficult position. For a family like ours, why would one become a model? If you were short on money, you could have just told me, couldn't you?"
Yue Du knew it was hopeless.
She handled the funeral arrangements with an outward appearance of calm. Then, she made a phone call to Wen Yilan.
"Yilan, I'm sorry. I'm planning to resign."
"You can ask the agency to have Jin Xi take over for you. Her style is a good match for yours; she'd be the best fit."
"It's nothing. I just need to clear my head."
"I probably won't be coming back."
"Mm... By the way, do you remember my cat? Yes, the big orange one. I've left him at home. I don't think I can take care of him anymore. I seem to recall you saying you wanted an orange cat?"
"That would be great. The key is under the third flowerpot outside the door. If it's possible, could you come pick him up this morning?"
"Yes, I'm fine."
"Thank you."
Yue Du poured one last bowl of food for Da Dun. The orange cat was in no mood to eat and just let out a soft "meow."
Yue Du said, "I'm leaving now."
Since there were no other paths left to take, she would have to rely on herself.
An idle, second-generation heir like Ji Chenghui didn't actually have much security. He especially hated it when his brother sent people to watch him, so he was always wandering about on his own.
Finding out his schedule wasn't difficult.
Ji Chenghui's favorite haunt was the Yuxin Club. He partied wildly and was always staggering around drunk.
It was said that the club had initially been concerned for his safety and assigned staff to keep an eye on him, but Ji Chenghui had disliked it and insisted on sending them away. Eventually, the club stopped bothering.
Yue Du told the club staff she would be sending a minor celebrity over, and they understood immediately.
Yue Du came herself.
She waited in a corner of the hallway. After about an hour, she saw Ji Chenghui stagger out of a private room.
Someone in the room called out, "Brother Ji, where are you off to?"
"I'm going to the damn toilet!"
"Isn't there one in the room?"
"Don't you know? Brother Ji likes using the ladies' room!"
"Hahahahaha."
Ji Chenghui was drunk. As he rounded the corner, he saw Yue Du standing there and let out a whistle. "Well now, little beauty. Waiting for someone?"
Yue Du waited for him to draw near before saying softly, "The person I'm waiting for is named Yue Hao."
Yue Hao. The name made Ji Chenghui freeze, sobering him up instantly. "You—"
The sound of a blade piercing flesh.
Yue Du's hand was steady.
The first strike was to his throat. Ji Chenghui's eyes widened. He tried to scream for help but could only manage a low, gurgling sound, like air escaping a broken bellows.
"You didn't touch her, did you?" Yue Du murmured, as if to herself. "But you wanted to. You're the reason she fell. And the result is that Hao Hao is gone."
So, you deserve to die.
A second thrust, then a third.
Some rational people are terrifying when they truly lose control, and Yue Du was one of them.
She dragged the silent body into the corner and, expressionless, took off her blood-stained jacket, turned it inside out, and put it back on.
The jacket was reversible, with one dark side and one light side.
Yue Du walked to the door of the private room and knocked.
"Come in!"
"Hello, which one of you is Mr. Chang Lin? Young Master Ji asked me to fetch you. He said there's something fun going on."
Chang Lin was Ji Chenghui's short friend. According to the young woman at the party, he was the one who had first chased Yue Hao onto the balcony.
His family was well-off, but not in the same league as Ji Chenghui's. He managed to stay in Ji Chenghui's circle by being entertaining and obedient.
"Let's all go, let's all go!"
"I wonder what kind of fun it is. Why didn't he invite us?"
Chang Lin laughed and cursed, "Get lost. Brother Ji only asked for me."
Yue Du said, "Please come with me."
Halfway there, Chang Lin sidled up to her. "Hey, the 'fun' Brother Ji mentioned... it wouldn't happen to be you, would it?"
Yue Du didn't answer, only shaking her head with a small smile as she continued to walk.
"It's just back here."
"What is it, really? You're not messing with me, are you?"
"I don't know either. Young Master Ji said it was a surprise." Yue Du paused. "He told me to tell you it's that 'type' you've always wanted to try."
Hearing this, Chang Lin's suspicions vanished. "Brother Ji is a true friend."
He took two steps forward. Behind him, the tip of a blade was raised, glinting in the light of the crystal chandelier overhead.
Twenty minutes later, Yue Du emerged from the shadows and walked straight to the reception desk on that floor.
She smiled. "Hello."
The receptionist had seen her come up earlier and knew she was just some "minor celebrity," so their attitude was less than enthusiastic. "Can I help you?"
"Please call the police. There's been a murder."
"I'm the killer."
—That day was May thirty-first.
The autopsy results came back quickly.
Ji Chenghui had fifteen stab wounds, with the fatal one being to the heart. Chang Lin's condition was similar.
"This was brutal. What kind of grudge was this?" the medical examiner said, shaking his head. "The first wound would have incapacitated him. The next dozen or so were just venting rage. The final blow to the heart was incredibly precise."
His assistant remarked, "The killer must have studied medicine. I'm not sure I could be that precise under the circumstances."
The medical examiner paused. "Huh? I thought they said the killer was a celebrity agent."
The assistant was shocked. "Is the entertainment industry that cutthroat these days?"
The medical examiner was equally incredulous. "I suppose it must be..."
In this revenge case, there were two victims. The killer turned herself in immediately after the murders, only to be found dead by suicide in her holding cell the next day.
She had slit her wrists with a razor blade. The time of death was in the early hours of the morning.
No one knew how she had smuggled the blade in, nor why she had chosen to kill herself after surrendering instead of immediately after the murders. It seemed redundant.
Yue Du retracted the data stream.
Using her own equipment and information from the web, she now had a general understanding of what had happened over the past few days.
With the event of Yue Hao's death altered by the Main God, the course of events had taken a different turn.
On May twenty-first, Yue Hao had indeed been cornered by those two men and, in a moment of desperation, had jumped from the second-floor balcony.
Only this time, she hadn't accidentally struck the pool's edge. Instead, she had landed squarely in the water, swam to the side, and hastily fled.
Because of this incident, 'Yue Du' had been furious and had confronted Yue Hao's agency. The agency, knowing they were in the wrong, had forced Qin Fangyuan—the agent who had taken an unsuspecting Yue Hao to the so-called party—to resign.
Afterward, however, Ji Chenghui apparently hadn't given up. He had brought the matter up with Yue Hao's agency again.
Given that Yue Du was also in the industry, the agency didn't dare make any promises, and simply stalled both parties.
The reason Wen Yilan had asked if she was okay during the phone call was that 'Yue Du' had been fuming about this incident for days.
It just so happened that Wen Yilan was preparing for a new role during this time and had no other scheduled activities, so 'Yue Du' had simply stopped going into the office.
Until today.
Yue Du was speechless.
She suspected the Main God had fabricated this entire storyline. After all, the 'Yue Du' in this version of events wasn't her, and she had no idea how things had actually been handled.
"Sis." Yue Hao poked her head out of the doorway.
Yue Du was silent for a moment before replying in her usual tone, "You're awake?"
The phone call hadn't woken Yue Hao, but seeing her now holding the cat, Yue Du guessed she'd been woken up by being stepped on.
"Why are you up so early today? Heading to work?" Yue Hao asked, tilting her head.
Yue Du said, "Ah..."
Work. After lazing around like a salted fish with her host for so long, hearing that word again felt like an echo from another lifetime.
Yue Hao didn't press the issue. She turned toward the kitchen. "Perfect, I'll make breakfast. Are pancakes and oatmeal okay?"
"Wait," Yue Du said.
"What's wrong? You don't want pancakes? How about egg crepes?"
Yue Du smiled and shook her head. She stepped forward and, reaching around the cat, gave her sister a hug.
Yue Hao was bewildered. "Hey, Sis, why the sudden—"
The orange cat's fur stood on end. "Meeeoowww—"
Yue Du chuckled. "What's wrong with a hug? You used to pester me for them all the time when you were little."
Yue Hao mumbled, "You said it yourself, that was when I was little."
But Yue Du could see she seemed quite happy about it.
After they finished breakfast, the time she had exchanged for was nearly up.
Yue Du wanted to stay longer, but she couldn't afford to just burn through her points. Not knowing what crazy scheme the Main System might cook up next, she had to keep some points in reserve as a precaution.
But she couldn't rest easy about Yue Hao.
The systems in the Main God's space did have benefits when it came to visiting home.
A single mission for a System could last for decades, or in cases with large time spans, even centuries. The flow of time between most small worlds was roughly the same, which created a serious problem—
If a System completed one mission and hundreds of years had passed in their original world, what was the point of a family visit? They probably wouldn't even be able to find the graves of their loved ones.
Therefore, to maintain employee morale, one year spent in a mission world was equivalent to one day in a System's original world.
It made visiting family and friends much more convenient.
But Yue Du still couldn't rest easy.
Her last mission had been in a cultivation world, where centuries and millennia passed in the blink of an eye. If her next world was similar and had no set time limit, what would happen to Yue Hao?
Her sister suddenly disappearing for months, or even years.
It wasn't just about Yue Hao; she would also have to quit her job as an agent.
An agent had to be on call at all times. Being out of contact for a few months was unthinkable; even a few days would drive people mad.
Yue Du was good to her artists, but she wasn't particularly passionate about the job itself. Quitting was for the best.
"Hao Hao, don't accept any modeling jobs for the time being."
Yue Hao said, "I know. I still want to punch Qin Fangyuan just thinking about it. He's lucky he disappeared so quickly, or I would have beaten him half to death that day. Ptooey."
Yue Du mused, "And you need to be careful of that Ji Chenghui, too."
Relying on her System abilities, Yue Du hacked into the internal network and private devices of Ji Chenghui's brother's corporation as she spoke. After a leisurely browse, she found exactly what she expected: evidence of commercial bribery.
Figuring that a family like the Jis was probably also guilty of tax evasion, she copied their financial statements and other related documents as well.
She transferred everything to her computer, encrypted it, and then made an encrypted backup on a USB drive.
"If he gives you any trouble, go find your Sister Tang Xin." Yue Du solemnly handed the USB drive to Yue Hao. "If the situation becomes critical, give this to her. She'll know what to do."
Tang Xin worked in new media and was a friend Yue Du had known for several years. Whenever she needed to suppress a story, she would go to Tang Xin, who was a loyal friend with extensive connections.
This evidence would be most effective in her hands.
Thinking back on it now, Yue Du realized she truly had lost her mind, resorting to stabbing someone with a knife.
If she had used her connections and played her cards right, she likely could have brought down the Ji family within a few years. After all, their real estate company wasn't some deeply entrenched enterprise...
Still, stabbing them directly had been much more satisfying.
Yue Du considered it further. "Should I hire a couple of bodyguards for you?"
Yue Hao gave a dry laugh. "Sis, aren't you overreacting? You don't need to be so tense."
After getting things in order, Yue Du exchanged for a few more hours of stay time to discuss her resignation with the agency.
The head of the agency was naturally reluctant.
Any agent at Yue Du's level was deeply connected. Letting her go could mean losing that entire network.
Yue Du haggled for a long time, finally reaching an agreement only after promising not to join a competitor and to stay out of the agent industry for five years.
Yue Hao, who had been playing with the cat on the sofa, looked up when she finished. "So you quit."
"Yes. I have another job."
"What is it?"
Yue Du put on a grave expression. "It's a state secret."
Yue Hao had a wild imagination. It was unclear what scenario she had cooked up in her head, but she asked in alarm, "Don't tell me... you actually have superpowers and have to go on a mission for the country?"
Yue Du was speechless. The part about having powers was actually true.
"Or are you a secret government scientist, heading to the great northwestern desert to research... certain kinds of bombs?"
Yue Du was speechless. Do you think I'm Deng Jiaxian?
Yue Du let her rattle off a few more guesses before smiling. "In any case, it really is classified. I have to go somewhere very far away, and I won't be able to contact home while I'm there."
"I see," Yue Hao said. "When are you leaving?"
"Today."
"How long will you be gone?"
"The duration is uncertain. It could be a few days, a few months, or even a few years."
Yue Hao grew wary. "Is it dangerous? Is that why you asked if I wanted bodyguards?"
"It's not necessarily dangerous. It's just that I won't be able to come back, and I'm worried you might run into trouble with no adult to help you."
"I'm an adult now," Yue Hao muttered under her breath.
Yue Hao took the news of her sister's impending secret mission surprisingly well. Not only did she accept it, but she also began running mental simulations of what to do if she were kidnapped and used as leverage against her sister. The depths of her imagination were truly something to behold.
Yue Du called Wen Yilan and her other contacts to explain the situation, then made a show of packing a suitcase as if she were about to leave on a long trip.
Her exchanged time was almost up.
Yue Du pushed the door open and took one last look at Yue Hao.
"I'm off."
"Stay safe, and come back soon."
Yue Du smiled. "I will."
She stepped outside, then suddenly turned back. "Oh, right. I forgot to tell you something—I have a girlfriend."
With that, she slammed the door and ran.
Yue Hao was speechless.
Yue Hao said, "Huh?"
"Huh-huh-huh-huh-huh?!"
She ran to the door in her slippers and threw it open, but the hallway outside was empty.
The elevator display didn't show a car descending, and there were no footsteps on the stairs. There was only an eerie silence.
Yue Hao clung to the doorframe, murmuring, "No way..."
#MySisterWentOnASecretMissionForTheCountry#
#AndSheCameOutToMeRightBeforeSheLeft#
Seriously, why does she have a girlfriend? When did she even get one?! Aaaah!
She carefully closed the door. When she turned around, she noticed a small box sitting on the entryway cabinet with a sticky note attached.
"A Children's Day gift for the little kid, Hao Hao."
Yue Hao held the box in her hands. Before she even looked inside, she suddenly felt the urge to cry.
"You're so mean, Sis... I haven't even gotten you a Children's Day gift yet."
You have to come back soon, and I'll give you yours.
Ugh.
Maybe I need to prepare one for my sister's girlfriend, too?
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