The package arrived at 7:03 a.m.
Black box. No return address.
Yinyin opened it in her fuzzy pajamas with one eye closed and toast hanging from her mouth.
Inside?
A pink USB drive.
No message.
Just a sticker on it that said:
"Curious, XYN?"
She blinked.
"What kind of low-budget hacker sends a USB in pink? What are we? Twelve?"
She plugged it into her laptop without fear because:
a) she had 47 virus walls
b) she was probably more dangerous than the USB
c) she was slightly unhinged
Inside the USB
One file.
Titled: "THE TRUTH ABOUT YOU."
Yinyin stared at it.
"Ohh?? We doing this now? Drama at sunrise?? Okay."
She opened it.
It was a fake breach.
A video popped up — a deepfake of a man in a suit speaking in code.
"XYN. Your husband isn't who you think he is.
He's watching. Listening. Run before it's too late."
She blinked.
Then burst out laughing.
"WOW. Who wrote this? A high school intern from 'Fast & Furious: Hacker Edition'?"
She pulled out her phone, opened Telegram, and messaged BlackNine.
Chat: XYN ↔️ BlackNine
XYN: Nice try.
XYN: Your little USB video? I give it 2 stars.
XYN: Plot was weak. CGI was fake.
XYN: Also, I reverse-traced the USB signal. You're... what?
Sitting in Shanghai with a cup of overpriced coffee?
Zeyan, in his study literally drinking overpriced coffee, nearly choked.
"She traced me??"
She kept going.
XYN: You want a tip? Next time you send a trap, don't make the actor say "your husband is watching."
Sounds like a telenovela.
Unless my husband is secretly you…
LOL. Imagine that.
He stared at the screen.
Heart racing.
Smirking like a madman.
"This woman is chaos. I married actual chaos."
He typed back.
BLACKNINE:
You're smarter than I expected.
And scarier.
XYN:
Thank you 😘
That's the nicest thing anyone's said to me all week.
Later That Day
Yinyin burst into Zeyan's office mid-meeting with a handful of glitter and slapped it on his desk.
Everyone froze.
She pointed dramatically.
"This is for being too serious all the time."
He raised a brow. "Excuse me?"
"You're boring lately. I feel like you're hiding something."
He smirked.
"Oh really? What do you think I'm hiding?"
She leaned closer and whispered:
"Maybe you're secretly my online stalker... or worse, a failed romance author."
He laughed.
"You're ridiculous."
"And you love it."
"Unfortunately, yes."