Xu An smiled wryly at the rat's accompanying meme of a spectator, a helpless chuckle escaping her lips.
Xu An had always trusted the rat's information network, but for some reason, looking at the face of Weng Quan on the photo, Xu An inexplicably felt that the person behind Qin Chuan was not this guy.
Or perhaps, to put it another way, how could someone like Qin Chuan be willing to take orders from Weng Quan?
Although Zhou Zhe had previously complained that Qin Chuan was like a machine, blindly following orders from superiors.
Xu An did not think so.
Even though Xu An and Qin Chuan were at odds and Xu An had no worldly desires for him, it did not affect their mutual appreciation.
She believed that while Qin Chuan was ruthless in his actions, he could discern right from wrong.
He wouldn't be like Zhou Zhe described, accepting anything and everything.
It had to be said that in some aspects, Xu An indeed understood Qin Chuan better than Zhou Zhe.
Xu An dejectedly closed the file on Weng Quan and transferred a sum of money to the rat from her personal account.
Before long, she received a reply from the rat: "Thank you, boss! Welcome back next time!"
Xu An chuckled. Just as she closed her communicator, something flashed in her mind. She suddenly remembered returning home and seeing the young lady from the Chu family next door arguing with her husband right at her doorstep.
Yes!
They had even thrown a small satin velvet box at her.
At the time, the box was very small, and Xu An hadn't paid much attention. But she heard the husband say, "I won't let you give it away..."
Xu An thought that the small box probably contained the chip that Weng Quan wanted.
Just as Xu An was contemplating whether to ask the rat to investigate the chip, a knock sounded at her door.
"Nannan, aren't you eating?"
Hearing her mother's voice, Xu An got off the bed, changed into fresh sleepwear, and walked out of the room.
"Of course, Mom! What delicious food have you made?"
"I made you steamed crab roe buns today!"
Xu An's face lit up with joy. She knew that while this dish was delicious, it was actually quite time-consuming to make.
One had to painstakingly extract all the crab roe and then make it into a filling, which was then wrapped in the buns.
As Xu An finished washing her hands and came out, she saw a metal box placed in the corner by the door.
Cold air was constantly emanating from all sides of the box, and a faint chill permeated the entire living room.
Xu An curiously looked at the box. It had an 'X' symbol on it, and nothing else.
"Mom, what is this box for?"
Xu Yan, who was busy in the kitchen, came out upon hearing her daughter's call. She said, "Oh, I ran into He Ci when I went out today. He said this was for you and asked me to bring it to you. He also said not to open it and to wait for you to handle it yourself. I saw that he seemed quite urgent, and I was afraid it was something important, so I brought it back."
If Xu An hadn't reminded her, she would have almost forgotten.
As soon as Xu Yan mentioned He Ci, Xu An knew what was sealed inside the box.
She was surprised that He Ci had actually managed to get her "Life No. 1," but also felt a sense of lingering fear. She didn't know if their research institute had overcome the problem of this plant absorbing human vital energy.
If it was a sample of the original plant that was sent, and if Xu Yan's curiosity had gotten the better of her and she had opened the box, then Xu Yan would have already become a dried husk.
Even though she knew He Ci had warned her mother not to open the box, the thought of her mother potentially being in danger still made her feel a surge of apprehension.
Xu An carried the box into her room. Just in case, she took the box and flashed into her personal space.
In her space, the flow of time was slowed down, and these plants couldn't harm her.
With that thought, she walked under the space tree with the box.
The farmland within the space had already begun to take shape, and the crop maturation cycle was stabilized at once every two weeks.
Every two weeks, Xu An would come in to harvest fresh fruits and vegetables, and also to till the soil and replant new seeds.
After nearly a year, the space tree had grown taller and was now taller than Xu An.
The once bare branches were now lush and green, indistinguishable from an ordinary large tree.
However, as the space tree grew larger, its originally slender trunk began to thicken, and the previously inconspicuous indentation gradually became more apparent as the tree grew.
Xu An wasn't lacking in curiosity about what the indentation on the space tree was.
But as the space tree grew larger, every time Xu An looked at this indentation, she felt a strange sensation.
It was as if, at the location of this indentation, there should have been a heart, but it had been forcefully removed.
Xu An shook her head, dispelling the strange thought.
Sitting under the tree, she opened the sealed box. The butterfly also flew to Xu An's side and landed on her shoulder.
Within the box, amidst the swirling smoke from the dry ice, Xu An saw a living plant and a small bottle of dark purple medicinal liquid.
Xu An's anxious heart finally relaxed a little. It seemed He Ci was worried that Xu Yan might open the box, so he had added a second layer of protection inside.
This way, even if Xu Yan opened the box, she wouldn't directly touch the plants and risk her life.
In fact, Xu An had misunderstood He Ci. Setting aside Xu An's relationship with him.
He Ci also had great respect for Xu Yan. He Ci was alone on the lighthouse, and he had gone through hard times in the beginning.
But Xu Yan would always give him some food whenever they met. This was also why He Ci later stepped forward to help Xu Yan.
Xu An first brought the small bottle of medicinal liquid to her nose. a faint, herbal fragrance instantly filled her senses.
It was as if she were in a spring garden, refreshing and exhilarating.
Xu An thought that what He Ci said was indeed true. This medicine might have the miraculous effect of reversing aging.
Even the butterfly on her shoulder was captivated by the scent of the medicine and kept approaching the plant.
Xu An looked at the living plant and a bold idea immediately formed in her mind.
In fact, not only did she think about it, but she also acted on it.
Since this plant needed vitality to grow, where else could there be more vitality than her personal space?
The answer was nowhere!
Xu An's space possessed endless vitality, which not only satisfied the conditions for the plant's survival but also did not harm human lives. It was truly killing two birds with one stone.
Without delay, Xu An, wearing insulated gloves, picked up the plant and walked to a secluded patch of farmland, planting the vegetation there.
She did not take the finished bottle of dark purple medicine out; instead, she kept it in her space.
After finishing all this, Xu An emerged from her space and, confirming that she felt no discomfort, pushed open the door and walked out.