Chapter 50: A "Rented" Home

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When the cabinet door opened, there was none of the sci-fi atmosphere of the silver metal case in the study, nor any towering stacks of classified documents. What met the eye was a row of neatly arranged, categorized folders. The labels were clear, mostly in English or professional abbreviations: TaX ReCOrdS, InSUranCe POliCieS, VehiCle DOCS, PrOperty...

It was just the most ordinary household filing cabinet.

Yu Ling’s tense nerves relaxed slightly, only to be immediately engulfed by a wave of heavy disappointment. She flipped casually through the folders. The tax records showed that Zhao Chen’s income genuinely fell within the reasonable range for a senior engineer (forged with extreme precision). The vehicle documents contained the purchase contract and insurance policy for that ordinary joint-venture car. The insurance policy covered routine types such as medical and life insurance.

Her gaze finally landed on the folder marked "PrOperty." Property? She remembered Zhao Chen saying that this apartment was rented.

With a stir of indescribable emotions, she pulled out the folder. Inside were only a few thin sheets of paper.

At the very top was a printed lease agreement. Party A (the landlord): Su Wan. Party B (the tenant): Zhao Chen. Property address: the exact address of the apartment they were currently living in. Lease term: one year (starting from the date of their flash marriage). Rental amount: a figure that seemed exceptionally "people-friendly," almost dirt cheap, for prime downtown real estate, followed by printouts of monthly bank transfer records (account name: Su Wan). At the bottom of the contract were clear signatures from both parties and red thumbprints. Su Wan’s signature was graceful and forceful, while Zhao Chen’s signature matched the handwriting he usually used to sign for courier deliveries.

Beneath the contract was... a photocopy of the property ownership certificate?

Yu Ling’s gaze fell upon the photocopy. The property address was similarly clear and unambiguous. Under the column for rights holder, it was crisply printed: Su Wan. Ownership status: Sole ownership. The seal of the issuing authority was distinct. In the lower right corner was a line of small printed text: "This photocopy is consistent with the original and is for lease registration purposes only."

Everything looked flawless and seamless. A standard chain of documents proving that the apartment was indeed rented, even taking into account the requirement for lease registration by attaching a photocopy of the property ownership certificate under the "landlord" Su Wan’s name.

A profound sense of the absurd, mingled with a relieved exhaustion, swept over Yu Ling instantly!

She pinched those light sheets of paper, her fingertips ice-cold. So... it really was rented? That gentle-mannered Su Wan who lived next door in 1602 was actually the landlord? Those expensive furnishings, top-tier daily necessities, and even the Lamborghini that had vanished downstairs... could all be explained away as "the landlord has extensive connections," "a gift from a friend," or "borrowed"?

What about last night’s photos, then? What about the woman in the cafe? The silver case in the study? The "Nirvana Project"?

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The overwhelming doubts that had been suffocating her these past few days seemed to be shattered into pieces by this seemingly "ironclad" lease agreement! A wave of exhaustion washed over her—weariness from torturing herself with suspicion, followed by a profound sense of shame and... a pathetic trace of relief.

Was she... really thinking too much? Had she frightened herself out of her wits by a string of coincidences and Zhao Chen’s mysterious background, scaring herself with shadows of her own creation? Could that woman at the cafe truly have been nothing more than a business partner, just like those people she had met at the V.M. Manor gathering that day? And the case in the study... perhaps... it really was just "high-end gaming equipment" belonging to some tech-geek friend of his? After all, he had even explained away the "Nirvana Project" as a game dungeon...

Yu Ling leaned against the cold filing cabinet, sliding slowly down onto the carpet. She clutched the lease agreement and the property ownership certificate photocopy tightly in her hand, her knuckles turning white from the force. Her mind was in turmoil, various emotions violently tearing at her—the relief of having discovered the "truth," the shame of her own paranoia, the numbness following the alleviation of feeling deceived, but in the deepest recesses of her heart, those lingering doubts about the photos, the study, and Gu Qianqian remained, like stubborn reefs half-submerged in the tide of suspicion.

Just then—

The study door was gently knocked upon.

"Lingling?" Zhao Chen’s low, gentle voice came from behind the door panel. "I cut up some fruit. Would you like some?"

Yu Ling snapped back to her senses like a startled rabbit! In a flurry of panic, she stuffed the lease agreement and the property ownership certificate back into the folder, shoved the folder haphazardly into the filing cabinet, and slammed the door shut! The key... the key was still stuck in the lock! She hurriedly pulled the key out, clutched it tightly in her palm, her heart hammering wildly!

"Lingling?" Zhao Chen’s voice carried a hint of perplexity as he knocked on the door once more.

"I... I'm coming!" Yu Ling hastily replied, her voice tinged with an imperceptible tremble. She quickly composed her expression, took a few deep breaths, forced herself to look as calm as possible, and then went over to open the door.

Zhao Chen stood at the doorway holding an exquisitely arranged fruit platter, a gentle smile on his face, though his gaze swept like a searchlight across Yu Ling’s slightly pale face and her somewhat disheveled hair, finally landing on the filing cabinet behind her that had just been closed. His eyes flickered imperceptibly, so fast it might have been an illusion.

"Looking for a book? Took you so long?" he asked casually, walking into the room with the fruit platter and placing it on the desk.

"No... didn't find what I wanted to read." Yu Ling averted her gaze, her voice somewhat dry, and subconsciously tucked the hand holding the key behind her back, her palms sweating slightly from nervousness.

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Zhao Chen’s gaze lingered for a split second on the hand she had hidden behind her back, a flicker of knowing comprehension passing through the depths of his eyes before his gentle expression returned. He picked up a piece of cantaloupe glistening with moisture, and naturally extended it toward Yu Ling’s lips, his eyes carrying an indulgent smile. "Have a taste. It's very sweet."

Looking at the fruit so close at hand and his tender expression, and recalling the "truth" she had just uncovered in the filing cabinet, Yu Ling felt an even greater surge of shame and bewilderment. She hesitated for a moment, then finally parted her lips, taking a small bite from his hand. The refreshing, sweet juices spread through her mouth.

"Mhm... sweet," she murmured, lowering her eyelashes.

Watching her slightly trembling eyelashes and her posture of submissive compliance, Zhao Chen’s smile deepened, carrying an unperceived certainty that the prey had returned to his control. He put down the fruit fork, naturally extended his arm, and gently pulled Yu Ling into his embrace.

His embrace was warm and solid, carrying a familiar scent. Yu Ling stiffened for a fraction of a second, her body instinctively wanting to resist, but the "relief" brought by the lease agreement and her craving for this warmth ultimately made her yield without pushing him away. She buried her face in his chest, feeling his steady heartbeat, and the chaotic state of her mind seemed to find a momentary, illusory anchor.

"Rest when you're tired. Stop letting your imagination run wild," Zhao Chen’s low voice sounded above her head, carrying a soothing magnetism as his chin gently brushed the top of her hair. "This home will always be your harbor. And I... will always be here."

His words were gentle and firm, like a magic spell, attempting to smooth out every ripple in her heart once more.

Yu Ling leaned against his chest, closing her eyes as exhaustion washed over her like a tide. That impeccably forged lease agreement served temporarily as a potent placebo, numbing her sensitive nerves. She chose to believe in this warm embrace, chose to believe in this tangible "reality." As for that stubborn reef at the bottom of her heart known as "doubt," she deliberately buried it even deeper.

Holding her and feeling her body gradually relax in dependence, Zhao Chen wore a gaze of bottomless darkness beneath his outward tenderness. He tilted his head slightly, his eyes sweeping over the quiet filing cabinet, the corners of his mouth curving into an imperceptible, icy arc. This carefully woven illusion of "ordinarily mundane life" still required more threads to reinforce it. And Yu Ling’s current submission and temporary "peace of mind" served as the best opening move for his next chess match.

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