Chapter 125: Have a Sweet Dream

After a brief silence, Ji Linmo took out his phone and dialed "Mother’s" number.

Mother’s phone was currently in the hands of Liu Xiao; it was time for her to fulfill her promise.

The moment the call connected, the person on the other end remained silent in a tacit understanding. Ji Linmo caught the hint and tapped his finger against the phone, signaling in Morse code.

【It’s me, Ji Linmo.】

Only after receiving confirmation did Liu Xiao speak.

"I am here, Mr. Ji Linmo. Is there something you need?"

"Liu Xiao, I need you to sneak into Qin Feng’s room tomorrow night and steal all the reagents. I will hold Qin Feng back to provide cover for you."

Ji Linmo gave a concise summary of the situation regarding the meteorite. Knowing her tendency to flee, he emphasized the importance of the task.

"Liu Xiao, this reagent is the key to our escape from this place, and there is enough to split between us. If you have any plans to keep it all for yourself, I will show you no mercy. You are smart; you should know that joining forces with me is the only way to turn the tables on Qin Feng."

The woman on the other end murmured an acknowledgment, indicating that he could leave it to her.

"Rest assured, Mr. Ji Linmo. You don't need to doubt me on this. Besides, once I revert to my original form, my stealth is excellent and I am quite fast. Stealing is more than manageable for me."

Hearing Liu Xiao’s confident tone, Ji Linmo had nothing more to say. After finalizing the strategy with her, he hung up.

"So, the urgent priority is to find the final clue before the meteorite arrives..."

Ji Linmo frowned, pulling out the pink phone he had stolen from his parents' bedroom earlier. The old-fashioned device had no passcode and was easily unlocked. Looking at the photos—mostly filled with anime characters—the man concluded this was the "younger sister’s" phone. However, the storage was shockingly small, and even the text messages showed nothing extra, offering absolutely no clues.

"It seems... the last clue must still be found near my parents."

Ji Linmo closed the phone. Having lingered in the utility room for too long, he quickly strode back toward the ground floor to avoid suspicion the next morning.

"Mr. Ji, what a coincidence~ Can't you sleep either?"

The moment he stepped out of the utility room, the boy’s voice came abruptly from above.

The man looked up to see the boy leaning against the second-floor railing like a long-dormant predator, smiling as he looked down at him.

"Mr. Ji, you were in the utility room for quite a while. Is there a problem?"

"No problem."

Not intending to say more, Ji Linmo hurried toward the stairs, but a pair of sneakers appeared in his path. It was Qin Feng, blocking him with a smile.

"Oh~ if there’s no problem, why are you in such a rush, Mr. Ji?"

"If you have any intel, we could share it. Don't be stingy, now~"

Ji Linmo looked up at the boy, sweeping a glance over him. Currently, Qin Feng’s stature was still in that raw, transitional phase between boy and young man, like a lush white poplar, yet he was already looming over him. His build, too, looked more substantial than the one in the photos; he would likely grow even more robust than him.

"Do you have any intel to trade?"

Ji Linmo remained calm. He knew Qin Feng was probing, trying to discern from his expressions and movements whether he had seen the note. For the sake of tomorrow's plan, he could not risk alerting his opponent.

"Oh my~ I don't really have any good intel at the moment~ How about you let me off, Mr. Ji? I’m still just a kid, after all~"

With that, Qin Feng acted like a child, tugging at the corner of Ji Linmo's coat and shaking it in a spoiled manner. Yet, in the instant his smiling eyes locked onto Ji Linmo’s, they darkened, swirling with unreadable emotions.

He was suspicious.

Ji Linmo did not hesitate any longer; he opened his pocket slightly.

"I was in the utility room to check this... there didn't seem to be any surveillance there."

Qin Feng stared at the pink phone in the man’s pocket, his smile remaining fixed. Seeming to realize something, he nodded with feigned understanding.

"I see... a phone. That is indeed valuable information."

Ji Linmo pulled his coat shut and lifted his chin toward Qin Feng with a blank expression.

"Indeed it is. So, Qin Feng, if you want to see it, you’d better trade it for something equally valuable."

The boy let out a low laugh. Watching Ji Linmo remain unmoved by his act, he slowly raised a finger.

"But Mr. Ji, what if I said I didn't just want to see it, but take it for myself?"

"Do you have the ability to stop me?"

The question made Ji Linmo’s brow tighten instantly. But he did not back down; he stood straight and firm before the boy, his actions making his stance clear.

"Try it."

Ji Linmo dropped the words coldly, ready for action. The "younger sister’s" phone could absolutely not be given to Qin Feng. If the phone were in the boy’s hands, he would likely receive a "goodnight" every evening and be forced into a deep slumber, rendering all his efforts futile.

Watching the man closely, the boy suddenly spread his hands and laughed.

"Oh my~ Mr. Ji, I was only joking."

"Look, you're frowning again. Frowning isn't a good habit, you know~"

With that, Qin Feng reached out tentatively, as if waiting for the man’s reaction. This time, Ji Linmo did not block him, allowing the boy to act. Qin Feng smiled and reached out, using his fingers to smooth away the man’s furrowed brow. The boy’s slightly calloused fingertips were a bit rough, and as they traced Ji Linmo’s forehead, the man could not help but stiffen from the tension.

"It’s very late now, Mr. Ji, so there’s no need to frown. I won't disturb you any further."

In the darkness, the boy’s voice was ghostly. He lowered his tone and cupped Ji Linmo’s cheeks as if admiring a work of art.

He is... telling me not to frown?

Ji Linmo felt suspicious, but he sensed a threat behind the words, so he complied. Sure enough, seeing the man’s brow slowly unfurrow, the boy smiled and withdrew his hand. His gaze drifted over Ji Linmo’s eyes, and with great satisfaction, he straightened the man’s slightly messy collar.

"Then goodnight, my dear Mr. Ji. I wish you sweet dreams tonight~"