Companionship

For Wen Yiting, his complex feelings for his biological mother, aside from the indelible bond of blood, consisted only of these fragmented emotions. It was also this sorrowful connection that stirred the impulses brought by life and death, causing him to harbor many unusual feelings toward Zhao Yi.

From childhood to adulthood, all the ambiguity surrounding his origin erected a paper-thin wall when faced with the temptation of uncovering the truth. It only took a gentle poke at the right moment to throw the door wide open.

The reason he fell into this kind of trap was largely because all the accidents had suddenly collided without warning, leaving him completely unable to react. He only thought of seizing this final opportunity—yet the most crucial person still could not withstand the onslaught of the illness.

"Perhaps, this was no accident."

What actually surprised people was that the third person had finally spoken, regardless of Wen Yiting, who was immersed in his inner conflict, or Liang An, who was quietly sucking in a breath of cold air on the side, desperately signaling with his eyes.

The logic was sound, but this was not something to be said aloud.

"This wasn't an accident?" Wen Yiting was somewhat puzzled and fell into deep thought. "Then could it be..."

Although the saying "the bystander sees more than the player" was a textbook example in his case, there was a limit to his denseness. Wen Yiting was no fool. Once he snapped out of his emotional entanglement, he began to unearth the actual truth, following this hint to investigate further...

Liang An didn't want his plan to have another potential variable. At least for now, he kept a respectful distance from the act of trusting others and cramming highly uncertain variables into his formula.

Even the relentlessly clinging Jiang Qiu was no exception.

"Ahem, we can discuss the specific details again tomorrow." Seizing the opportunity while Wen Yiting was silently hesitating, Liang An took over the conversation. "If we stay too long, it will inevitably arouse suspicion. Especially with multiple people acting together, we still have opportunities."

With these words, Wen Yiting's attention was almost instantly diverted. "In that case, does Officer Liang already have a clear understanding of the current situation?"

"I have a general idea," Liang An brushed it off. "It's just that I still need some verification, reference, and elimination."

Although to someone with high EQ, this kind of talk was equivalent to saying, "I haven't done anything, and I know nothing."

But in reality, he wasn't completely empty-handed; at most, he still had doubts and wanted to complete the final piece of the puzzle.

However, Wen Yiting at this moment only needed a saving straw. Relying on others to understand his situation was rather awkward, making this brushed-off state quite suitable.

Although he couldn't understand this kind of mutual benefit dominated by one person, after walking out the door, Jiang Qiu, as an outsider, finally noticed something unusual.

"What are you thinking about?" Liang An had also noticed his hesitation.

For personal reasons, Jiang Qiu's emotions were difficult to express outwardly, but this didn't mean others had no way of reading when something was off with him. Similarly, due to his peculiar nature, whenever his situation needed to be considered, others would pay attention to the subtle actions of this rare, expressionless character.

Not to mention old friends, even someone who had only met him a few times could notice that he behaved differently when standing quietly on the side. Jiang Qiu's gaze was always fixed on his object of attention, without avoidance yet keeping it highly confidential—such as the place he wanted to go, or the other people who were talking. The exception was like now, staring blankly into the distance without a target.

"I am contemplating," Jiang Qiu said with a serious face.

What the process and result of his contemplation were could not be fully understood, but Liang An knew very well that if Jiang Qiu didn't say much, it meant he didn't feel this was a query that needed explaining, but rather his personal consideration.

Although he would regret this later, for now, the matter indeed had nothing to do with him.

"Don't you want to know what I gathered from what Wen Yiting said?"

Jiang Qiu was indeed intrigued and turned his head to look back.

"Previously, I still held doubts about the abnormal development of many things on the island, but now, the motive seems much clearer."

When speaking of kidnapping, most people would picture dark basements, sturdy prisons, and the like, completely unlike the current situation which, though simple, provided worry-free living conditions and even allowed people to walk around freely, looking like a "supermarket shopping trip" everywhere.

But the fact remained that their physical freedom was indeed restricted.

Now it seemed that the slightly excessive outward abundance was largely to appease Wen Yiting.

Compared to Zheng Xuansheng, who carried his own guilt, his mind filled with remorse, not daring to interact with others and remaining as silent as gold throughout, Wen Yiting was an adult raised in a healthy family, simply acting on a momentary impulse over some leftover events.

Appropriate reminders made him adapt more to this gentle environment, balancing his constantly hesitating emotions amidst his doubts. But after realizing he had lost contact with the instigator, Wen Yiting also began to grow anxious, and after fully recognizing the truth, only the remnants of his former feelings remained.

"The person who planned everything was meticulously cautious to an extreme, maximizing control over the impact while minimizing variables to the lowest degree."

This level of caution made Liang An, who was currently stuck in the theoretical stage, feel somewhat ashamed by comparison.

Perhaps in the previous "show," abundant food and stable lodging were not essential conditions. But this also revealed another point: this was an unusual and relatively special situation, enough to make one even more cautious.

There could be no mistakes.

This was not a human experiment, but it was indeed a practice of human nature.

"Do you mean all of our reactions are within someone else's expectations?"

Jiang Qiu's summary was very accurate, but whenever such words came from his mouth, they always gave people a feeling of being caught between laughter and tears.

After all, when it came to doing things that exceeded the expectations of ordinary people, he was someone who acted without even realizing it. Liang An, who knew a portion of the inside story, found him different from those who had naturally grown accustomed to him, feeling only helpless and regretful.

The pity was that if he didn't exist in normal human society with such an identity and talent, without someone to cover for him, Jiang Qiu would probably never have been able to live so freely. And if he could possess the reaction capabilities of an ordinary person, he would be much more independent than he was now.

"I will keep an eye on the movements of the key figures next," Liang An dismissed the thoughts in his mind and sighed. "Whatever you want to do, try to ask me first."

Those two most important people happened to be the ones most easily connected to Jiang Qiu, which was a fact that gave him a major headache. If not for this, Liang An might have already disclosed the truth.

Jiang Qiu blinked, his head turning back. "If the situation is safe, can I go out for a bit?"

Clearly, this was the result of his contemplation. Adhering to the previously discussed procedure, he made his request as agreed.