SIATOWITF Chapter 29
by VolareJi Mo An had the servants find a viewing tank and brought it over, only allowing his sister to tease the snake with a small stick through the glass after confirming the lid was sealed tight.
Under Ji Mo An’s watchful gaze, the little snake with the hat rubbed against the glass, following the stick in circles, causing Ji Mo Xin to giggle incessantly.
“Where did Lin Mo go?” Watching the ‘harmonious’ scene, Ji Mo An finally felt relieved and sat down next to Ji Cheng Yu.
“The Old Master called him away.” Ji Cheng Yu broke a banana in half and handed it to Ji Mo An.
“I don’t eat that.” Ji Mo An looked at the uneven edges of the banana with some distaste, pushing his hand away. “What was with the sudden braking?”
“Ugh, it was out in the suburbs, on that two-kilometer stretch of road, he braked three times. The force of it, I was dizzy until I got out of the car.” Ji Cheng Yu immediately wore a mask of pain at the mention of it.
“The first time, he said it looked like something ran across the road. The second time, he got out of the car and walked around it. The third time… don’t even mention the third time. The third time, he said a tree branch scraped the car. Wow, as if I don’t have eyes! The tree was at least a meter away. I suggested I drive instead, but he wouldn’t let me.”
It’s most likely Lin Mo’s own issues… Ji Mo An pursed his lips, changing the subject.
“Staying at my place tonight?”
“No way, I’m going to a hotel. Have they all arrived? Has Meng Qingyan really turned over a new leaf?”
“I told you, her persona this time isn’t dangerous, but it collapses frequently. You better not stir up trouble.” Ji Mo An raised an eyebrow. “Brother Mu and Ling Ling have a flight at dawn tomorrow. If you’re bored, you can pick them up from the airport.”
“Me? Besides, I’m a man with a family now. Don’t you think I’m incredibly stable now?” Ji Cheng Yu smugly tossed a grape into his mouth.
“Are you bringing them to the dinner party?”
“Uh… about that…” Ji Cheng Yu paused in his grape-picking, looking visibly awkward. “Old An, you know, my parents are coming…”
“I’m bringing Blood Shadow over tomorrow.” Ji Mo An glanced at his sister, who was still teasing the snake, leaning in slightly to lower his voice.
On the other side, the snake, who was becoming increasingly perfunctory with the stick, immediately abandoned Ji Mo Xin, climbed onto a tree branch, stretched out its head, and swayed back and forth, eavesdropping.
“Holy crap…” Ji Cheng Yu suddenly covered his mouth. “Wait, are you coming out of the closet?”
“Keep it down! It’s not that I want to bring him. How could I possibly want to bring him? My grandfather called me and told me to bring him.”
“Forced to come out.” Ji Cheng Yu blurted out.
“No!” Ji Mo An kicked him. “How’s the investigation I asked you to do last time going?”
“Ouch…” Ji Cheng Yu gasped, inhaling sharply. “I’m investigating, aren’t I?”
“Did you find anything?”
“No.”
“You… forget it. What good are you?”
“It’s only been a few days.” Ji Cheng Yu grumbled and started peeling an apple. “You think this is a CEO romance novel? You want all the information in three minutes. That’s just a superior’s order and the assistant running their legs off.”
“I’m going to see my grandfather. You play with Xin Xin.” Ji Mo An rolled his eyes at him, walked to the viewing tank, and opened the lid.
The snake quickly coiled around his hand and hissed at Ji Mo Xin.
“Brother, it’s bullying me because of you!” The little girl’s stick was bitten by the snake.
“It’s okay, Xin Xin, you’re bullying it because of your brother. Be fierce!” Ji Cheng Yu sprawled on the sofa, watching the fun, not minding adding fuel to the fire.
“Alright, you guys quiet down for a bit.” Ji Mo An was speechless. He put the snake back into the box and headed upstairs.
–
Inside the study…
“Sir, I will double-check the personnel later. Please keep this safe. After field testing, it has been confirmed that it can cause a certain degree of damage to the target.”
Lin Mo took out a palm-sized transparent bottle filled with half a can of fine gold powder.
“But the effect is unknown. According to the returned images, it can only cause damage to the skin’s surface. Try to sprinkle it in the mouth, eyes, and other mucous membrane areas. But this is only for self-defense; please do not use it unless absolutely necessary.”
“Okay.” The Old Master took the gold powder and examined it under the sunlight.
“Lin Mo.”
“Sir?”
“Old Zheng and I have probably seen him.” He sighed, locking the bottle into the cabinet.
“At dawn, Old Zheng stopped a waiter and asked him to deliver a greeting card. But after he left, Old Zheng and I couldn’t remember his face, no matter how hard we tried.”
“Combined with the name tag found in the control room, we can basically deduce his identity. Perhaps your people can extract my memories and find some clues.”
Speaking of this, the Old Master stroked his chest. He tried again to recall the past, but the tall figure in his memory still had a face without features.
“I believe memories can be hidden, but never erased.”
“This…” Lin Mo frowned, seeming somewhat conflicted.
This was indeed a good method. If they could decode the other party’s attack method, it would be very beneficial for future research.
But two minutes later, Lin Mo shook his head.
“Sir, please forgive me, but I cannot agree.”
“Why?”
“We do have talent in the field of mental exploration, but in the past hundred experiments, whether it was mental manipulation, hypnotic suggestion, or the memory retrieval you mentioned, it would cause some damage to the human brain.”
“It’s usually fine, but if we were to forcibly retrieve memories after he has erased them, I’m afraid…” Lin Mo suddenly stopped talking, looking towards the door.
“Young Master An is here.”
……
Ji Mo An stood in front of the door, about to raise his hand to knock, but the door opened from the inside.
“Lin Mo.” Ji Mo An wasn’t too surprised to see Lin Mo opening the door.
“President An.” Lin Mo politely stepped aside to let Ji Mo An in.
“Wait for me for a while. I need to talk to Grandfather first.” Ji Mo An said to him.
“Yes, President An.” Lin Mo nodded slightly, his gaze lingering on the box in Ji Mo An’s hand for a moment before quickly looking away.
“Then, you can talk first.” He exited the study, gently closing the door.
“Grandfather.” Ji Mo An pulled out a chair and casually placed the box on the table.
The little snake immediately poked its head out of the box, tilting its head and flicking its tongue at the Old Master.
Bathed in sunlight, its black scales shimmered, looking quite beautiful.
“This is…” The Old Master saw the snake’s golden eyes, his fingertips trembling unconsciously.
“Xin Xin found this snake, and Mom kept saying she wanted to see it, so I brought it over. I was afraid they’d get bitten, so I just brought it up here.” Ji Mo An touched the snake’s head, and the snake immediately nodded happily.
“It listens to you. Is Xin Xin doing better? I’ve already reprimanded that child Lin Mo. In the future, let Little Bai drive Xin Xin instead.” The Old Master harrumphed, taking out an envelope from the drawer.
“You also know your father doesn’t care about work. I skipped him and directly announced you as my successor, and your second uncle is not happy.”
“This is…” Ji Mo An took the envelope, feeling something like a card inside.
“This wasn’t given to me by your second uncle, but intercepted from him.” The Old Master sighed. “An An, before you officially become the leader, this kind of mistake must never be made again.”
“……” Ji Mo An opened the envelope, and a photograph slid out.
The other protagonist in the photo was indeed Blood Shadow.
“I just took him to dinner. This photo… the forced perspective is very clever.” Ji Mo An looked at the close figures in the photo, silently calculating the photographer’s position.
“An An, Grandfather will only say one thing. People will only believe what benefits them, regardless of whether it is true or not.” The Old Master took the photo, tore it to shreds, and then lit it in the ashtray with a lighter.
“So… An An, Grandfather is giving you a task. Your second uncle definitely has more than just this one photo. Find them all and destroy them. Grandfather doesn’t mind you using some small tricks.”
The old man watched as the photo completely turned to ashes and patted the back of Ji Mo An’s hand reassuringly.
“Don’t be nervous, this is the necessary path for an heir.”
“Okay.” Ji Mo An subconsciously glanced at the little snake lying in the box.
“As for that child you brought…” The Old Master’s expression darkened. “I’m afraid you won’t bring him before me before the banquet starts.”
“……” Ji Mo An didn’t refute, he was indeed thinking that.
“It doesn’t matter, you’re all grown up, and Grandfather, of course, respects your choices. Why not take this opportunity to introduce him to your mother, as a model, openly and legitimately.”
A model… Ji Mo An immediately understood what Grandfather meant.
“I will.”
“Good boy.” The Old Master nodded in satisfaction. “Then Grandfather has nothing else to say.”
“Go find Xin Xin. The horse farm bought a new batch of ponies. She’s always wanted one. Take her to choose one this afternoon.”
“Okay.” Ji Mo An nodded, picking up the box. “Then I’ll go.”
“Go ahead. This snake looks obedient. But cold-blooded animals can never be truly domesticated. Be careful not to get bitten.”
……
“The old man said I can’t be domesticated.” As soon as he left the study, Blood Shadow immediately complained.
“That’s my grandfather.” Ji Mo An ruthlessly used his fingers to manually close his mouth.
“Grandfather said I can’t be domesticated!” Blood Shadow was still able to speak, even with his mouth covered.
“Don’t get presumptuous. If you say another word, I’ll make soup out of you.” Ji Mo An looked around warily.
“I’ll say one last sentence.” The little snake used its tail to wrap around Ji Mo An’s finger.
“Quick, say it.”
“Do you want me to help you with that bad guy second uncle of yours? I just need to…”
“You.” Ji Mo An picked up the snake and stuffed it back into the box. “Don’t do anything, and don’t use any of your weird tricks in front of anyone.”
“Wuwu…” The little snake rubbed against his finger, looking even happier.