Xu Xinyi was not lying; Dong Bin was only a year younger than her. The first time he saw Xu Xinyi at home, his eyes lit up. It was only later, when he learned she was his father Dong Zhenhua's soon-to-be second wife, that he restrained himself more openly.
Xiao Wenqiang understood Xu Xinyi's unspoken meaning and began to recall her memories of Dong Bin.
Dong Bin was the son of Dong Zhenhua and his first wife, Sun Guihua. During their marriage, their son had someone to look after him and was generally well-behaved. However, when Dong Bin was four years old, Dong Zhenhua divorced his first wife. As it was also a period of career advancement for him, he had no choice but to leave the child in the care of his grandparents.
Although he knew that grandparents could be doting and that raising a child might involve some spoiling, Dong Zhenhua never expected his parents to indulge their only grandson to such an extent. It was no exaggeration to say they cherished him dearly. Whatever Dong Bin wanted, he got.
As Dong Zhenhua's wealth grew, his son's arrogant and overbearing personality became more entrenched. As Dong Bin grew up, he became increasingly dictatorial, flying into rages and smashing things or hitting people whenever he was displeased.
Dong Zhenhua had repeatedly emphasized to his parents the importance of properly educating their son, warning that if his character wasn't shaped at home, society would eventually teach him a lesson. However, his parents would always agree earnestly in person, only to forget their promises when their grandson cried or pleaded with them.
Dong Zhenhua himself was too busy with his business to pay much attention, and in the end, he could only turn a blind eye, naively hoping his son would mature on his own.
Unfortunately, once a child's character is formed, it is very difficult to change. Dong Bin's personality did not improve during his adolescence; instead, it worsened. He became proficient in all sorts of vices—drinking, whoring, gambling—transforming into a thoroughly depraved second-generation rich kid.
Fighting with male classmates and bullying female classmates at school became commonplace. On one occasion, he got into a serious fight with some delinquents from outside the school and ended up in the police station.
Initially, Dong Zhenhua was unaware of the extent of his son's misbehavior. It was only when the police notified him as the guardian to pick up his son that he realized how far his son had fallen.
After bringing Dong Bin back from the police station, Dong Zhenhua, for the first time, beat his son severely.
Seeing their beloved grandson's backside and back red, swollen, and bleeding from a beating with a belt, the elderly couple was on the verge of begging for mercy. If Dong Zhenhua's mother had not suffered a heart attack afterward, he would not have let the boy off so easily.
The beating did scare Dong Bin for a while, but he soon forgot the pain and reverted to his old ways. However, he became more secretive in his actions, eventually developing a sense of counter-surveillance.
Dong Zhenhua was at his wit's end. He could only reduce Dong Bin's allowance and strictly ordered his parents not to give him any more money. But this was only a temporary solution, and Dong Bin continued to cause trouble every day.
It wasn't until Dong Bin's grandparents passed away from heart disease and other old age ailments that he tearfully told Dong Zhenhua that he would reform, study hard, and become a better person.
Later, after Dong Bin graduated from college, he told Dong Zhenhua he wanted to work at his company. Dong Zhenhua, worried that his son's personality might lead to disaster if he took over the company directly, refused. He told him to venture out on his own first, to experience the harshness of society, and then come to the family business after achieving something.
However, Dong Bin's "venturing out" was relative. Dong Zhenhua had already rented an apartment for him and continued to give him five thousand yuan allowance each month. Compared to children from ordinary families, Dong Bin was still very fortunate.
As the memories flooded back, Xiao Wenqiang felt that Dong Zhenhua's heart condition, exacerbated by chronic alcohol consumption, was about to flare up again. She took a few deep breaths before replying, "Xinyi, remember, you are his mother. You don't need to be afraid of him. If he disrespects you again in the future, tell me, and I'll cut off his entire living expenses!"
In fact, when Dong Bin was murdered, the original Dong Zhenhua was also at home. So why did such a tragedy still occur?
Xiao Wenqiang resolved that she must find a way to prevent this from happening again. However, the most important thing at the moment was to attend to business. After breakfast, she grabbed the luggage Xu Xinyi had packed and set off for the neighboring city.
On the road, Xiao Wenqiang drove while conversing with number 863685 in her mind: "86365, do you think I should buy a listening device or something, to keep track of Xu Xinyi's movements at all times?"
"But I checked earlier, and it seems these things can't be bought online. I don't know where to get one?" Xiao Wenqiang pondered with some frustration.
"Wenqiang, have you forgotten your soul artifact? It can transform into various forms," reminded number 86365.
"Can it even do things like listening devices?" Xiao Wenqiang felt like she had discovered something new.
"You can try! As long as you imbue it with a function and form in your heart, it depends on how perfectly you can perfect it," the voice replied.
"Really? Then I'll try it quickly!" Since she still had plenty of time before her appointment with the client, Xiao Wenqiang found a place to park and began to conceptualize her soul artifact.
Soon, a thin, wafer-like chip appeared in Xiao Wenqiang's hand. She held it up to the sunlight and examined it. "I haven't seen a real listening device before. Shouldn't it be smaller to be easier to install?"
"The appearance doesn't matter, as long as it works. Go and install it now!"
"Now?" Xiao Wenqiang hesitated. "I just created it not long ago." However, she quickly realized that the sooner this thing was installed, the better. If Xu Xinyi happened to contact Sun Liang in the next few days, she could be informed in time.
So, she turned the car around and drove back to the villa.
Seeing her return, Xu Xinyi asked in surprise, "Darling, why are you back?"
"I forgot to bring a document, darling. Can you help me get it? It's in the drawer to the right of the desk. I'm going to the restroom." This was an excuse Xiao Wenqiang had devised on the way, based on Dong Zhenhua's memories.
"Okay," Xu Xinyi obediently went upstairs to get the file.
Xiao Wenqiang saw Xu Xinyi's phone on the coffee table in the living room and quickly slipped the soul artifact chip into Xu Xinyi's phone case. Because it was super thin, there was no visible sign of anything extra.
When Xu Xinyi came down with the file, Xiao Wenqiang emerged from the restroom, making it seem as if she had just finished. Everything went smoothly.
This time, she truly set out. As long as Xiao Wenqiang wanted to know what Xu Xinyi was doing, her location and voice would automatically appear in her mind. Xiao Wenqiang had initially wanted to make it capable of recording video, but due to insufficient energy, it could only possess these functions for now.
Upon arriving in the neighboring city, Xiao Wenqiang headed straight for the restaurant they had agreed to meet at...