By the time Yang Li and Tang Lingyi stepped out of Baihui Mall, it was already dark.
Yang Li was holding the long receipt, sighing in disbelief, "My goodness—your whole outfit cost this much? Good thing the client agreed to reimburse us; otherwise, I'd never have splurged like this."
"Hahaha, is this your first time shopping so extravagantly, Sister Yang?" Tang Lingyi laughed, amused by Yang Li's pained expression.
Their organization was actually quite wealthy, but Yang Li, who managed their funds, had never spent money on luxuries. She only used it to buy new research equipment or cutting-edge weapons from the black market.
"Yeah, well... Oh dear, it's getting late! Let's hurry up and go over the operation plan—you need to head to Tianye Group first thing tomorrow morning."
"Huh? Shouldn't I go at night? You know I'm used to operating after dark."
"You silly girl! Since when do wealthy heiresses visit their companies at night? At that hour, they should be partying at nightclubs!"
"Sister Yang, you really know your stuff!" Tang Lingyi exclaimed, eyes wide with mock astonishment.
"This is nothing! And hey—could you please watch your expressions a bit? You're a girl; don't make such exaggerated faces."
"Don't worry—I'll slip into character the moment the mission starts," Tang Lingyi replied confidently, flashing Yang Li a thumbs-up and a bright smile.
Yang Li couldn't help but chuckle at Tang Lingyi's playful, endearing manner—but just as the corners of her mouth lifted, her brow suddenly furrowed. "Where's your jade pendant?"
"Huh?" Prompted by Yang Li, Tang Lingyi instinctively reached for her neck—and gasped. "Huh?! Where's my jade?!"
"Did you leave it somewhere? Let's go back and look for it."
"I guess so... Wait! Someone bumped into me earlier—maybe they stole it!"
She suddenly remembered the person who'd collided with her. Before that encounter, she was certain her jade pendant had still been there.
The two hurried back to the mall to search, but of course, the thief wasn't foolish enough to stick around. They were long gone.
"Damn it! The thief actually dared steal from me!" Frustrated and clenching her fists, Tang Lingyi fumed. She prided herself as a phantom thief—yet today, someone had stolen from her!
And that jade wasn't just any ordinary trinket. According to Yang Li, it had been hanging around Tang Lingyi's neck when Yang Li first found her as a child. Tang Lingyi had always believed it held clues to her true identity, which was why she'd worn it constantly all these years.
Now, the jade that had accompanied her since childhood was gone—it left her deeply unsettled.
"Alright, stop sulking. Once this job's done, I'll buy you a better one. Out with the old, in with the new," Yang Li said gently, using the same coaxing tone she'd use with a younger sibling.
In Yang Li's eyes, though Tang Lingyi was nominally her "younger brother," she was really more like a child she'd raised herself.
"I know, but... it's the pendant I've worn since I was little. It just feels... wrong without it."
Yang Li sighed. "Fine. When you get back, you can pick any laptop you want from the digital mall—deal?"
"Really? Thank you, Sister Yang!" Tang Lingyi's eyes lit up instantly, and she threw her arms around Yang Li in a tight hug.
Though losing the jade still stung, as a digital media student, owning a top-of-the-line laptop with ultra-high-resolution display had always been her dream. The excitement helped lift her spirits considerably.
"Seriously, so cheer up! Don't go into tomorrow's mission in a bad mood."
"No way! I'll get it done—guaranteed!" Tang Lingyi snapped a crisp military salute.
"Pfft—you're such a goofball. Come on, let's head back."
Back at their base, Yang Li walked Tang Lingyi through the layout of Tianye Group's headquarters and introduced her to key executives, making sure she wouldn't accidentally blow her cover.
Tomorrow happened to be Saturday, so Tang Lingyi didn't even need to skip class. After sleeping at the base that night, she reluctantly agreed—after Long Ge's repeated begging—to play a few online games with him to help him rank up. They finally logged off and went to bed around 2 a.m.
...
The next morning...
Tang Lingyi was still fast asleep when Yang Li burst into her room and yanked her out of bed.
"How are you still sleeping? You've got a mission to run!"
Still half-asleep, Tang Lingyi was dragged into a makeup room, washed up, and then meticulously made over.
"There—nobody will recognize you now," Yang Li said, satisfied, as she looked at the mirror. The face staring back was now a perfect, 100% match for Tian Suimei.
Tang Lingyi, who'd been dozing with her eyes closed, opened them at Yang Li's words and gazed into the mirror.
Her eyes widened involuntarily. If before she'd merely resembled Tian Suimei greatly, now the girl in the mirror was Tian Suimei herself.
After the makeup, Yang Li fitted Tang Lingyi with special iris-colored contact lenses and fingerprint overlays. At this point, a flawless imitation of the heiress Tian Suimei was fully complete.
"Alright, off you go—finish quickly," Yang Li said, ushering the fully disguised Tang Lingyi out the door. Time was money, after all—the sooner the mission succeeded, the sooner they'd get paid.
Yawning, Tang Lingyi hailed a taxi.
"Driver, to Tianye Group headquarters."
Tianye Group was located in downtown S City, while their organization's base was out in the suburbs—it would take quite a while to get there.
Over an hour later, at precisely 12:30 p.m., Tang Lingyi arrived at Tianye Group's main building.
Standing before the entrance, she looked up at the fifty-meter-tall skyscraper and couldn't help feeling a bit awed.
One single corporation owned an entire building this massive? Truly, poverty had limited her imagination.
She pulled out a compact mirror to check her disguise—confirming once more that she was virtually indistinguishable from Tian Suimei—cleared her throat lightly, and strode confidently into the building.
The receptionist, seated at the front desk, looked up in surprise and immediately rose to greet her.
"Miss Suimei! You're back?"
"I came to see my father about something. Where is he right now?" Tang Lingyi replied smoothly, mimicking Tian Suimei's voice.
She'd watched several of Tian Suimei's online interviews and had a strong ear for voices—her imitation was already about 70–80% accurate. Combined with her near-identical appearance, even if her voice wasn't perfect, most people would just assume she had a cold.
"Oh, the Chairman is in a meeting upstairs in the boardroom. Should I let him know you're here?"
"No need. I'll just wait in the reception lounge upstairs," Tang Lingyi said politely, flashing a courteous smile before walking away with perfect posture and confidence.
"Oh... okay," the receptionist murmured, watching Tang Lingyi's retreating back with a puzzled expression.
Since when did Miss Suimei act so considerate?
Normally, she'd have snapped, "Tell that old man to stop his meeting right now and appear before me in one minute!"
Tang Lingyi entered the elevator and calmly pressed the button for the 19th floor—the location of the room that held all of Tianye Group's secrets.
The door looked no different from any other office door, with a simple plaque reading "Chairman's Study."
Ordinary on the outside—but full of hidden mechanisms within.
Tang Lingyi placed her hand on the doorknob and deliberately held it for a few seconds.
"Fingerprint verification successful. Welcome," announced a disembodied voice.
The doorknob clicked loose. She turned it gently, and the door swung open.
The handle concealed a sophisticated fingerprint scanner, though it looked completely ordinary.
Inside the study, Tang Lingyi saw only bookshelves filled with volumes and a single rosewood desk.
According to Yang Li's intel, there should be a statue on one of the shelves.
Sure enough, she spotted a golden ox figurine. She grasped its base and turned it gently to the right.
*Whirr...*
The bookshelf mechanism activated, sliding apart to reveal a metallic door behind it.
Tang Lingyi stepped forward and pressed the button on the door.
Instantly, a red beam shot down from a camera above the doorway, scanning her body.
As Yang Li had explained, this was an infrared scanner checking both her iris and body profile.
Good thing she'd used the gender-altering reagent—otherwise, if the infrared scanner detected that "Tian Suimei" had an extra... appendage... even a machine might find that suspicious.
"Identity confirmed: Tian Suimei."
The door slid open. Tang Lingyi hurried inside and began her search.
Per the client's request, she used a miniature camera to copy Tianye Group's corporate strategic plans, financial ledgers, and confidential project documents. Once she handed the memory card to Yang Li, the mission would be complete—smooth and effortless.
After collecting all the necessary data, she carefully restored everything to its original state, deactivated the study's hidden mechanism, and walked out calmly.
This mission had been far too easy—especially since both the Chairman and CEO happened to be in a meeting. It was practically fate smiling upon her.
Just as Tang Lingyi stood in the elevator lobby, smugly waiting for the lift, the doors opened—and out stepped several men in black suits.
Leading them were an elderly man and a young man.
The elder was none other than Tian Yushu—Tian Suimei's father.
Tang Lingyi froze.
And so did Tian Yushu.