Nyoi-Bo Studio

  Nyoi-Bo Studio

  Qin Shu wondered if Chao Yan had been keeping an eye on her movements of late.

  She would not put it past him. He always was one to look out for her.

  [ Chao Yan: I’ve been following your movements these two days. ]

  Qin Shu relaxed a little when she read the message. Chao Yan was still as frank as he had always been.

  [ Qin Shu: I’m in Nan Yue. Have you been treated for your poisoning? ]

  [ Chao Yan: Yes. I’m better now. Will you be visiting Chao Yan Manor? ]

  Qin Shu heaved a sigh of relief. It was good that he had recovered from his poisoning.

  Chao Yan Manor?

  She remembered Chao Yan Manor as the estate on the other side of Mount Qi. She had met Chao Yan there.

  Had he changed its name?

  [ Qin Shu: There are some matters I need to settle before considering anything else. ]

  [ Chao Yan: Okay, I miss Xiao Jiu. ]

  “.……” Chao Yan had only met Xiao Jiu once. It had been three years since he had last seen her son. Why would he miss Xiao Jiu?

  Qin Shu put her phone back on the bedside table and closed her eyes to rest.

  “Knock, knock……”


  A series of knocks at her door woke her. She did not know how long she had slept.

  “Knock, knock……”


  The knocks on the door continued.

  Qin Shu rubbed her eyes and got up, still feeling sluggish. When she opened the door, it was Seymour who greeted her. “What’s the matter?” She asked, annoyed.

  Apologetic, Seymour said, “I’m sorry to disturb your rest, Young Master Ling. It appears the perpetrator has returned, and my master would like you to seize this opportunity to capture the culprit in one fell swoop.”


  “Give me a second.” Qin Shu picked up the laptop she had packed in her backpack and stepped out of her room. “Let’s go.”


  “Young Master Ling, please follow me.”


  Seymour led the way, and Qin Shu followed.

  Xiao Jiu was sleeping in the adjacent room. When Seymour knocked on the door, he also woke Xiao Jiu.

  He woke in an unfamiliar room. Unlike most other children, Xiao Jiu was not in the least bit scared or rather, he did not allow it to show on his face. Calmly, he got down from the bed and wore his shoes. After which, he went to his mother’s room and knocked on the door a couple of times, “Mommy, Mommy.”


  Ye Luo heard the commotion and stepped out of his room. “Young Master, the Young Madam is not inside.”


  Xiao Jiu turned around when he heard Ye Luo. “Uncle Ye, where did Mommy go?”


  “Seymour called the Young Madam away,” Ye Luo said.

  Xiao Jiu thought of the man who picked them up and spoke of something called ‘hacking’. “I want to look for Mommy.”


  Ye Luo did not waste his words asking Xiao Jiu why he was looking for his mother. He merely placed President Ba on the ground and said, “President Ba will lead you to her.”


  “Meow.” President Ba stared at Xiao Jiu. Then, as if reaching a decision, he took the lead and strode in a certain direction, covering a surprising distance on his four short limbs.

  Seeing this, Xiao Jiu broke into a trot, tailing President Ba closely.

  Ye Luo accompanied Xiao Jiu and President Ba, just in case.

  Qingyun Manor boasted quite an impressive security network, its defence nigh impenetrable to all but a select few. For Yun Yao to be so worried, it meant that the other party’s hacking skills were a notch above his own.

  Seymour led Qin Shu to the study. Yun Yao was seated at his desk, annoyance seeping out from under his mask of calm.

  Two men sat at desks perpendicular to his own. Each of them faced a monitor, furiously typing away.

  No one needed to guess what they were doing; it was obvious to anyone in the know.

  Hearing the approaching footfalls, Yun Yao looked up and saw the young man he had not seen in four years. Age had done nothing to mar his beauty. “Young Master Ling, you’re here.” Yun Yao stood up and offered his hand by way of greeting.

  “How long has it been?” Qin Shu asked.

  “Ten minutes. Sorry to trouble you, Young Master Ling.” Yun Yao replied.

  Yun Yao gave up his seat automatically, inviting Qin Shu to take over.

  Qin Shu wasted no time getting down to business. She set her laptop to one side and studied the display shown on the screen before her.

  Without overthinking the situation, her hands danced on the keyboard, typing in code sequences rapidly.

  “Do you know what the other party’s intentions are?” She asked, her eyes fixed on the screen.

  “I don’t know……” Yun Yao stared at the delicate fingers flitting about on the keyboard, mesmerized. Those hands were not as large as the average man’s, glowing fair and bright. It was so unlike anyone else he knew. They were beautiful.

  Although Qingyun Manor was strong, they were not so strong that they were unbeatable. The competition was fierce.

  Hackers were a common problem.

  Qin Shu glanced at the two men opposite her. Why were two highly skilled hackers unable to catch one?

  At this time, Xiao Jiu entered the study hot on President Ba’s heels. He was not intimidated by the older men in the room and hastened to his mother’s side.

  President Ba sauntered over casually.

  Once he was certain of Xiao Jiu’s safety, Ye Luo stood guard outside and did not enter.

  Xiao Jiu peeked over his mother’s shoulder. His mother’s hands flew across the keyboard at an astonishing speed, crafting complicated code sequences.

  Though his mother had taught him the basics, it was all theory without any real, practical application. He had never seen his mother demonstrate her abilities before.

  It was a rare opportunity to learn. Seeing something firsthand is always better than hearing it from someone else. The experience is not the same.

  Xiao Jiu realized he had been a toad in a well. What he practised was child’s play compared to his mother’s true ability; the difference was like heaven and earth.

  Not only was he slow, but also wholely ignorant to the intricacies of code crafting. He had not even memorized the basics, let alone what his mother achieved with a flick of a finger.

  Qin Shu was aware of her son. Hoping he would learn something from watching her, she decided to turn the event into an impromptu lesson.

  Yun Yao eyed Xiao Jiu seriously. He looked like a student eager to learn. It was not difficult to perceive the child’s uncanny intelligence.

  Qin Shu paused, feeling a little regretful. Perhaps she had been too heavy-handed…… “The other party has retreated.”


  Yun Yao frowned. The other party evaded capture and posed a significant risk since he did not know their motives.

  “They’ll probably try again,” Qin Shu said.

  “Are you confident in their capture?” Yun Yao asked.

  “I’ll do my best.” Qin Shu was not so arrogant to believe herself infallible.

  At this moment, Xiao Jiu pointed at the computer and exclaimed, “Brother, look at the computer.”


  Qin Shu swivelled around. The other party had retreated, but now they were back already?

  Her hands returned to the keyboard.

  It was her territory. She could do whatever she wanted with a click of a button.

  Xiao Jiu noticed a laptop by the side. It was his mother’s.

  He grabbed it and booted it up. After connecting to the internet, he imitated his mother and began coding.

  Yun Yao shook his head knowingly. He had read the siblings like a book. True to his older brother’s pedigree, the younger also knew how to hack, and his skill was not half bad for someone his age. His hands might not have been a tenth of his brother’s speed, but if kept at it, there was little doubt he would become a force on par with his elder sibling. Yun Yao firmly believed the young boy would be amazing when he grew up.

  Yun Yao could not fathom the amount of time, patience, and dedication needed to reach his current level.

  While other children his age were playing outside, this young boy practised increasing his hand speed.

  Abruptly, Qin Shu asked Yun Yao, “What’ll happen if your computer is hacked?”


  Yun Yao’s solemn expression said it all. “My computer houses many secrets. If those are leaked, our losses will be unimaginable.”


  “I’ll do my best.” Qin Shu’s hands did not stop moving even as she spoke. Seeing her son hard at work, Qin Shu was struck with inspiration…… “Xiao Jiu, do you see that red dot on the computer screen? I talked about it in one of our lessons.”