After Faking My Death, My Iceberg Ex-Wife Went Crazy for Me - Chapter 36

On the other side of the Pacific, the Northern Hemisphere was still bathed in sunlight.

This was Ye Ling’s third time passing by Home Bookstore this week.

“Passing by” wasn’t quite accurate, since Home Bookstore was located right beneath the Mo Yuan Technology building, just a short walk away.

The space had originally been a coffee shop. Two months ago, the owner decided to return to her hometown and transferred the lease to a young woman in her mid-twenties.

The new owner didn’t make any major renovations. She simply removed the heavy, dull furniture and replaced it with delicate and unique decorative items.

The shop had two floors. The ground floor served as the reading room, with seats arranged along a wall of one-way glass, providing excellent privacy and natural light during the day.

The second floor featured only round tables, emphasizing individual space.

Although the surrounding area was filled with office buildings, people rarely visited during work breaks to read. However, the shopkeeper also sold coffee, and her skills were decent, with surprisingly affordable prices, ensuring a steady stream of customers.

At the moment, the shop was quiet. The young shopkeeper was carrying out a box of books, arranging them in rows under the eaves to sunbathe.

This was the scene Ye Ling saw when she returned to the office after inspecting the factory.

The yellowed pages of the old books fluttered in the breeze. Some were even missing their covers. Even from a distance, one could almost smell the dampness of the paper and ink.

Ye Ling narrowed her eyes, spotting a familiar color among the books.

Leaning closer to examine the cover, she confirmed it was The End of Eternity, and remarkably, it was the 1955 first edition, still in relatively good condition.

This classic science fiction novel told a story about time travel.

Ye Ling had read it before, but this was the first time she had ever seen a first edition in the market.

Seizing the rare opportunity, she asked, “Is this book for sale?”

The shopkeeper paused before replying, “I’m sorry, ma’am, but we don’t rent or sell rare books. Since there aren’t many customers right now, you’re welcome to read it here in the shop.”

With that, she closed the book and handed it to Ye Ling.

Without hesitation, Ye Ling took the book and found a seat on the second floor.

Meng Lianqiu had already returned to the company. Thanks to Ye Ling’s proactive delegation and mentorship, Mo Yuan Technology could now operate independently even in her absence.

As for her other investments and businesses, Ye Ling mostly entrusted their management to professional managers. The only two ventures she still personally oversaw were Mo Yuan Technology and Flying Boat, the branch company she had established in Hai City.

Unlike the commercially focused Mo Yuan Technology, Flying Boat dedicated itself solely to developing maritime rescue technologies.

Working in collaboration with local rescue teams, their engineers had developed and refined numerous advanced devices. Recently, they had even been awarded the title of “Charitable Enterprise” by the local government.

Everything was proceeding smoothly according to plan. Under the drowsy sunlight, Ye Ling turned the page of her book.

A few minutes later, the musty scent of old ink mingled with the rich aroma of cocoa beans.

The wooden staircase creaked and groaned, evoking the image of countless years it had endured.

Ye Ling looked up from her book to meet the Shopkeeper’s smiling, crescent-shaped eyes.

“Hello, your coffee.”

Ye Ling thanked her and shifted the book aside to make room.

The Shopkeeper leaned down to place the cup, and a jade pendant strung on a red cord slipped from her collar. The pendant featured a delicate lingzhi mushroom design.

Ye Ling’s gaze drifted to it, and her expression suddenly froze.

“Are you alright?”

Perhaps her expression was too strained. The Shopkeeper, holding her tray, looked at her with a mixture of concern and suspicion.

“Migraine. It’ll pass in a bit,” Ye Ling said, pressing her temple. For some reason, the jade pendant felt strangely familiar. She seemed to recall having one like it as a child…

“Hiss—”

In an instant, her headache intensified to an unbearable, throbbing pain. Ye Ling gasped, desperately trying to suppress her racing thoughts.

This sensation was familiar. Every time she tried to access memories from her kidnapping, this excruciating pain would resurface.

She had consulted numerous doctors about it, and their conclusions were similar: the brain, when triggered by trauma, activates a self-protective mechanism.

Ye Ling didn’t accept this explanation. She harbored no intense negative emotions toward the kidnapping or even the kidnapper himself.

If anything, she felt that the missing memories were more like they had been shielded or locked away, with the headaches acting as the high-voltage wire on the fence.

Of course, after explaining this to her first doctor and receiving the dismissive response of “a child’s wild imagination,” Ye Ling never attempted to explain it again.

Returning to the present, the shopkeeper had vanished unnoticed. Now that the pain had subsided, Ye Ling found her back covered in a layer of cold sweat.

The creaking of the wooden stairs echoed once more. Ye Ling looked up, her eyes still carrying a lingering chill.

The shopkeeper paused, then cautiously raised her hand. “Um, I brought an ice pack and some painkillers. I’m not sure if they’ll help.”

As she placed the items on the table, the scar on her right palm flashed briefly into view.

Ye Ling, not wanting to frighten her, averted her gaze to signal that she should take the items back.

Misunderstanding her intention, the shopkeeper grasped her right hand with her left, her thumb rubbing the scar. “I accidentally burned myself as a child. It’s not dirty.”

“I didn’t mean that,” Ye Ling clarified. “My headache has actually gone away. I don’t need these.”

“Alright then,” Ye Ling conceded.

The shopkeeper took the ice pack and medicine. “My surname is Jian, and my name is Jian Xinci. Please don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything.”

With that, her crescent-shaped eyes curved into a radiant smile.

Ye Ling nodded. After the shopkeeper left, she pulled out a tissue and wiped away the water stains left by the ice pack on the table.

A strange voice echoed in her mind, almost like a seductive whisper:

This bookstore may look unassuming, but its collection seems quite extensive. Perhaps I should come here more often.

And the shopkeeper, Jian Xinci… what a memorable name.

As she spoke, Ye Ling’s mind involuntarily conjured those crescent-shaped eyes, superimposing them over a pair of light brown eyes etched deep within her heart.

Her heartbeat quickened, as if something long dormant within her was stirring to life.

The corner of her mouth twitched, trembling slightly before gradually lifting into a gentle, almost tender curve.

She and Xiaoxiao…

No, that’s wrong. It’s nothing like it at all!

Pain flickered in her ink-black eyes, as if two conflicting emotions were tearing at her, struggling against each other.

In the room where the air flowed freely, Ye Ling felt a suffocating sensation, like drowning.

Whose voice was that? Was it her own?

Why would she think such a thing?

Or, to put it another way, were these truly her own thoughts?

Ye Ling shuddered violently.

Clatter, clatter—

A strange sound echoed in her ears. At first, Ye Ling thought it was her teeth chattering, but she soon realized it wasn’t.

She followed the sound to a round wooden table, where a coffee cup was shaking incessantly, its base clattering against the saucer like a small boat tossed by ocean currents.

Ye Ling belatedly glanced down at her hand.

It was trembling, causing the entire table to shake.

So, she was afraid.

Afraid of what?

After a moment of silence, Ye Ling abruptly reached out and overturned the table.

With a dull thud, dark liquid spilled across the floor, carrying porcelain shards in its wake.

Before the creaking of the wooden stairs could sound again, Ye Ling picked up a shard and pressed it against herself.

After landing, Xue Jiqing rushed to the hospital without even catching her breath.

Outside the hospital room, Meng Lianqiu had just finished speaking with the doctor, her brow still furrowed with worry.

Xue Jiqing unconsciously slowed her pace. “How is Ye Ling?”

Meng Lianqiu sighed and opened the door.

On the hospital bed, Ye Ling lay with her eyes tightly closed, her face showing no signs of pain, as if she were merely asleep.

But no matter what methods they tried, they couldn’t wake her.

“The girl who called 120 said President Ye had a sudden migraine before collapsing. By the time she realized something was wrong and went upstairs, she found President Ye unconscious on the floor.”

“Thankfully, she fell away from the broken glass and wasn’t injured.”

Xue Jiqing gazed quietly at the person on the bed. “What did the doctors say?”

“They haven’t determined the cause yet,” Meng Lianqiu replied. “The current theory is that President Ye may have experienced some kind of shock, leading to her unconsciousness.”

“Shock,” Xue Jiqing murmured, tears welling in the corners of her eyes. “Could it be… because of Xiaoxiao?”

Meng Lianqiu shook her head. “News from Hai City didn’t arrive until an hour after President Ye collapsed.”

She paused, then continued, “I hadn’t even had a chance to inform you yet. I didn’t expect you to already know.”

“How could I not know?” Xue Jiqing said with a bitter smile. “It’s all over the news. Someone even turned it into a story, claiming Ye Ling had been deeply devoted for three years and finally reunited with her deceased wife.”

“Reunited? Such a loaded word.”

“The news?” Meng Lianqiu’s expression darkened. “I specifically told them not to release the information yet.”

“It’s not your fault. Judging by how quickly the clickbait accounts picked it up, we’ve been targeted. The people behind this were clearly prepared, just waiting for this day to come.”

Xue Jiqing said grimly, “I’ve already sent people to investigate. I’ll let you know as soon as I have any leads.”

“Okay,” Meng Lianqiu replied hesitantly. “But what about Teacher Jiang?”

Xue Jiqing paused for a moment before answering, “Chen Qiao is with her. She rushed over immediately after hearing the news. For now, we shouldn’t need to worry about Teacher Jiang. But Ye Ling… has the doctor said when she might wake up?”

Meng Lianqiu shook her head. “President Ye’s vital signs are stable. The doctor said she could wake up at any time.”

Xue Jiqing walked to the bedside and suddenly reached out to check Ye Ling’s breathing.

“I suddenly think it’s better she remains unconscious for now.”

Otherwise, she wouldn’t know how to tell her—

Geng Xiaoxiao’s body had been found.

“Who?” Lan Xiao blinked in confusion. “Whose body did they recover?”

“Oh, it wasn’t a recent recovery,” Pu Mengyu said, shoving her phone in Lan Xiao’s face. “The news said they found it a while ago, but due to some error—whether it was the staff’s mistake or something else—the remains have been at the funeral home unclaimed.”

“?”

If the body had been at the funeral home all this time, then who was she?

Lan Xiao’s mind flooded with questions. Before she could examine the news further, Pu Mengyu snatched the phone back and began scrolling through the comments.

“Ah, it’s so sad,” Pu Mengyu sighed, reading aloud. “To be separated from her lover for so long.”

“They’re saying the CEO of Mo Yuan Technology makes time to visit Hai City every month, and the rescue team patrols the sea whenever they’re free. They must all be hoping to find her lover.”

“Probably,” Lan Xiao replied absently.

This wasn’t the first time she’d heard about this. Right now, she only wanted to know one thing.

Xiao Ba, what’s with the corpse that just surfaced?

Xiao Ba? 823?

……

Lan Xiao pulled the pendant out from under her collar and slapped it hard.

System 823?!

Still no response.

No matter how she called, System 823 remained as silent as death.

Could it really be dead?

Or had its after-sales service expired, causing it to disappear?

It couldn’t just vanish without a word, could it?

Lan Xiao felt a sudden surge of irritation. She shoved the necklace back under her collar, turned, and ran back the way she came.

“Something urgent came up! I have to go back now. You guys have fun!”

“Hey, wait!” The green light suddenly turned red, forcing Pu Mengyu to stop. She shouted after her, “Aren’t you getting your phone fixed? You smashed the screen yesterday!”

“We’ll talk about it another time!”

Lan Xiao needed to confirm the current situation in China first.