Chapter 21


    Chapter 21


    She clicked on the email, revealing its contents. [Help me find someone, Cynthia Yates, female, from


    Nexuria, here’s her picture. Find all the information you can about her, and name your price.]


    Cynthia nced at the sender’s email address, an ount she had frequently interacted with a few


    years ago. They had both been knowledgeable and shared simr goals, which led to a period of


    mutual assistance. However, they eventually lost touch.


    However, why would this person want to investigate her?


    She quickly typed a response. [Did she do something to you?]


    Joshua received it as soon as the message was sent. He had assumed that after several years without


    contact, she might not even use the ount anymore, so he was prepared for his message to go


    unanswered. However, to his surprise, she responded almost instantly.


    Reading her reply, he sat in the back seat of a car, fingers tapping on the keyboard. “No, I’m helping a


    friend. I can’t say more. Can you find any information?”


    Cynthia looked at histest response and furrowed her brow in contemtion. In the next moment, as if


    she had realized something, she opened the photo Joshua had sent. She noticed that the background


    appeared to be the living room of a luxurious vi. She replied, [Is your friend Joshua?]


    She rarely investigated people’s backgrounds, even those she was in contact with, like the person she


    was messaging now. She primarily used her technical skills to gather evidence. However, now…


    Was it Joshua looking into her? Or someone close to him?


    “Cynthia?” Jimmy waved a hand in front of her face. “Cynthia!”


    Cynthia shifted her gaze from the phone screen and looked at him indifferently. “What’s up?” “What


    were you thinking about?” Jimmy stopped the car at a traffic light, his curiosity piqued. “You were


    staring at your screen for a long time.”


    “Nothing.” Cynthia locked her phone screen and put it in her pocket, ignoring any further messages in


    her inbox.


    “Before you got off the ne, my sister sent me a message saying that the surgery went well for


    Shirley, and she’s already resting in her ward.” Jimmy continued driving as the light turned green. “She


    wanted me to tell you not to worry too much.”


    Cynthia responded, “Alright.”


    However, she could not help feeling worried. Shirley had always been the apple of her eye, the kind of


    child who would cry in pain over a minor scrape. Now, she had a broken bone and at head injury, and


    Cynthia could not imagine how much pain the poor girl was in.


    At six thirty in the afternoon, Jimmy dropped her off at the hospital, informed her of Shirley’s ward


    number, and then went to park the car.


    Cynthia entered the third inpatient ward and made her way to the sixth floor. The closer she got to


    Shirley’s ward, the more anxious she became. Her palms were damp with sweat when


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    Chapter 23


    she finally reached the door.


    She looked inside through the window of the ward. A cute, well–behaved girly in bed with her eyes


    closed as if asleep. Beside her bed sat her worried, deadbeat father, Mr. Yates. He was already in his


    fifties, but his handsome face looked more like that of a man in his thirties or forties.


    Sensing Cynthia’s gaze, Mr. Yates looked up, and their eyes met through the observation. window.


    In that instant…


    Both of their hearts experienced a slight disturbance as Mr. Yates‘ gaze seemed to be glued to Cynthia,


    unable to look away.


    “Cyn…” Cynthia, unable to express her emotions,posed herself and opened the door to the


    hospital room. She was still wearing the casual ck suit and white T–shirt she had worn to the divorce


    proceedings, giving her a cold and aloof appearance.


    She closed the door behind her.


    “Cyn.” Mr. Yates‘ voice choked with emotion as memories surged uncontrobly in his mind.


    “How is Shirley?” Cynthia asked, not addressing him as she approached the bed to look at the girl who


    was sleeping deeply.


    Mr. Yates suppressed his emotions and answered her question. “She should be fine. Her wounds have


    been treated, but we’ll have to wait until she’s recovered to do more tests.”


    Cynthia nodded in response, and the room returned to silence.


    Mr. Yates‘ gaze rested on her, noticing she had lost weight.


    “You…” Mr. Yates hesitated.


    “I’ll be here at the hospital. You should go home,” Cynthia interrupted, her tone cold.


    Mr. Yates did not speak. He wanted to ask her how she had been these past two years, but he knew


    that Cyn would not discuss such things with him. After carefully considering his words, he asked, “You


    and Joshua…‘


    “We’re getting a divorce,” Cynthia said as she sat down beside the bed, her gaze fixed on Shirley.


    Understanding that Cynthia did not want to talk much with him, Mr. Yates exchanged a few more words


    of concern before finally leaving the room.


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    As he was leaving, he ran into Jimmy.


    “Mr. Yates?”


    “Cyn must have rushed back without eating lunch.” Mr. Yates said, ncing back at the room before


    adding, “Make sure she eats somethingter.”


    “Alright,” Jimmy agreed, knowing that Cynthia and Mr. Yates did not have a great


    rtionship. He said nothing more.


    After Mr. Yates left, Jimmy entered the room and yfully said, “Cynthia, guess who I saw when I came


    back from parking the car?”


    Chapter 21


    Cynthia shot him a look, clearly warning him not to disturb Shirley’s rest.


    “The man on your marriage certificate,” Jimmy whispered.


    Cynthia raised her eyebrows slightly, a glimmer of doubt in her eyes. “Are you sure?”


    “Of course, I’m sure. He was even brought here in a Neal Group business car from the Nexuria branch.


    Do you think he knew you were here and came to see Shirley on purpose?” Jimmy provided the


    details, his toneced with his joy for gossip.


    Cynthia remained silent, mentally retracing her steps from boarding the ne to parting ways with


    Joshua, certain she had not revealed her location.


    “It’s impossible.”


    “Why not?” Jimmy continued quietly, careful not to disturb Shirley’s rest.


    Cynthia spoke concisely, “He doesn’t know I’m here, and he doesn’t know I’m Shirley’s sister.


    ”


    Jimmy was puzzled. “What do you mean?”


    “I never told him my true identity,” Cynthia informed him calmly.


    “That doesn’t mean he couldn’t find out. Whether in Jiverton or Nexuria, he has a widework of


    connections. As soon as the name Joshuaes up, many people would be willing to help him,”


    Jimmy argued, knowing Joshua well.


    Cynthia looked at him.


    Jimmy, as if realizing something, stared at her wide–eyed. “Did you hide your own information from


    him?”