Chapter 454
“I hadn’t thought about it before, so I never investigated,” saying this, Simon casually picked up the
notebook his mother had left behind.
“Then let’s start with this notebook. There’s a lot of stuff written on it. Maybe the clues will be left on it,”
Marina said.
“Mm.” Simon replied.
In reality. Simon had already perused the contents of this notebook in the past.
However, as he grew older, he never revisited it.
This was the first time since bing an adult that he opened the notebook before him.
It mostly chronicled Simon’s journey of growing up.
Marina was utterly captivated as she got to learn about Simon’s childhood through the pages of the
notebook.
When she discovered that Simon had actually run away from home when he was young, she couldn’t
help but be taken
aback.
Her eyes rested on Simon, filled with curiosity.
“I can’t believe it! You were so young and already running away from home?” Marina asked in
amazement.
“It wasn’t precisely running away,” Simon nced at the passage Marina just read.
He was lost in memory.
“Then tell me, what’s going on there? Could it be that your mother deliberately framed you?” Marina
asked.
Simon slowly recollected the events. “I remember, at that time… it was because I wanted to get a dog,
but my mother didn’t approve.”
“So, you decided to run away?” Marina tilted her head.
“It wasn’t running away. My mom said I couldn’t have a dog at home.
“I thought to myself, ‘Fine then, I’ll find a ce of my own outside, where I can make all the decisions
about the household.
“That way, I could have a dog, and my mom wouldn’t have any grounds to stop me,” Simon exined.
“Wow, that’s quite impressive! Having such a clear mind at such a young age.” Marina’s said, and her
lips couldn’t help but curl upwards.
She began to picture a five–year–old Simon, dragging his little suitcase as he set off to find a new
home–a particrly adorable image that made her want to pinch his cheeks.
Simon looked at Marina, and his expression softened.
He continued, “I walked with my suitcase for half a day and eventually found a vast and open
grasnd.”
“I decided to make that ce my home, thinking that once I had a dog. I could y with it freely on the
grasnd.
“Then, I gathered a bunch of small sticks and painstakingly constructed a little shelter.
“But just as I settled into the nest, lost in thoughts about the future, my mom suddenly appeared and
told me that the grasnd was hers too.”
Haha!
Marina couldn’t help but burst intoughter upon hearing the end of the story.
She gazed at Simon with sympathy and amusement.
*So.
you walked for half a day and didn’t even leave the doorstep of your own home?
“Don’t you ever go out normally? Don’t you know how vast your own home is?
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Marina truly wanted to be considerate, but she couldn’t hold back herughter.
“I usually took a car when I go out.”
“And I always thought there was only one house.
“I thought that once I left the house, the rest of the ce wouldn’t be home anymore,” Simon exined
and then added, “Don’t you all think the same way?”
Simon looked a little bewildered, which made Marina all the more amused.
“Haha… Marinaughed so hard her stomach hurt.
“What’s so funny?” Simon stared at her with a helpless expression.
“Seriously, it’s just so hrious!” Marina’s eyes were even a bit teary
“You might get oxygen deprivation if you keepughing like that. Stopughing now,” Simon reminded
her.
To be honest, this was the first time he had seen someone cry fromughing.
“You were so adorably naive when you were young. I can’t bear it. You feel that once you leave the
house, other ces are no longer home.
“Why are you so cute? I had a very strong sense of direction when I was young.
“I know how big my manor is. I even think that there’s grass growing at the entrance of my house. No
one can pluck it casually.” Marina said as she held her stomach.
Simon was rendered wordless.
“Aren’t we still looking for clues? If you continue to smile like this, the sky will turn dark soon,” Simon
reminded.
“Alright, I’ll stop. I’ll stop. Marina waved her hand repeatedly.
Honestly, her stomach really did hurt now. It was just that this whole thing was really funny.
However, this matter was really funny.
Marina made a conscious effort to contain her emotions and continued flipping through the contents at
the back of the
notebook.
There were still many fascinating anecdotes to explore.
This gradually slowed down Marina’s reading pace.
By the time they finished reading the entire notebook, the sky had darkened.
Marina hesitated to close the treasured notebook in her hands.
“If your mother were a writer, she would have been incredibly talented. Her writings are truly
captivating.” Marina remarked, feeling that the gaps in her knowledge about Simon were being filled
through these heartfelt entries.
“She was always an impressive individual. From what I remember, there seemed to be no challenge
she couldn’t conquer.” Simon’s eyes glimmered with a tinge of nostalgia.
“It’s a shame. If your mother were still with us. I’m confident we would have had the most harmonious
rtionship as mother–inw and daughter–inw, Marina expressed her heartfelt confidence.
She had already discerned Simon’s mother’s personality from the words penned in the notebook.
She would definitely get along with her..
“Well, if she were still here, she would definitely get along smoothly with you.” Simon nodded
affirmatively.
“Oh my, I got so engrossed in the story that Ipletely forgot to search for any hidden clues. I need
to go through it again.” Marina suddenly remembered her primary objective.
Observing Marina’s current state, the look helplessness on Simon’s face deepened.
He couldn’t shake off the feeling that Marina wasn’t truly driven by the pursuit of hidden clues.
She simply desired to immerse herself in the enchanting tale they had just concluded.
Nheless, Simon refrained from making anyments and proceeded to examine other items.
However, no matter how meticulously he inspected them, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Meanwhile, Marina diligently flipped through the notebook multiple times.
She even removed the book cover, but to no avail in finding any leads.
“Could it be that I was mistaken? Or perhaps your mother didn’t have the opportunity to leave behind a
clue regarding the fifth key? Marina gently ced the notebook down and reached for a nearby
handkerchief.
The handkerchief was made of fine silk, and delicately embroidered on it was a simple orchid,
seemingly unremarkable.
Marina’s brows furrowed slightly.
Curiously, she raised the handkerchief, examining it with a hint of yfulness.
At that precise moment, the sunlight filtered through the fabric, casting a mosaic pattern on her face.