Retired for A Hundred Years: Re-Employment for the Apocalypse Bigshot!-Chapter 238: Madman

Li Linyue saw a striking young man following behind his father, and was quite surprised.

This is the first time he’s brought a stranger home, and such a striking one at that.

Isn’t his dad the type who dislikes bringing subordinates home?

Even if it’s someone he’s close to, he rarely brings them home for a meal. Is the sun rising in the west today?

"This is Ji Ning. An A-level detective from the Beijing Security Bureau." Li Wenxin briefly introduced Ji Ning to his son.

Li Linyue and Li Wenxin’s temperaments are entirely different. Perhaps it’s because he’s been in academia for so long, he naturally carries a scholarly aura.

His complexion is fair, his features softer than Li Wenxin’s, and he resembles Li Wenxin’s wife more in appearance.

Only his height is truly enviable!

Ji Ning slightly tilted his head, estimating that both father and son were over 1.85 meters tall.

Fortunately, Li Wenxin’s wife wasn’t tall, just half a head taller than her, and looked knowledgeable and approachable.

"Xiao Ning, what do you like to eat? I’ll cook something now."

Wang Xiaoya released her eldest grandson from her hug with a smile and stood up from the sofa.

Unlike Li Linyue, she wasn’t surprised, instead exuding warmth.

The sternness on Li Wenxin softened significantly in her presence, his voice lowering several degrees, "She has a good appetite and isn’t picky, just cook freely." He continued, as if remembering something, and added: "Cook more, enough for eight adult men."

Only then did Wang Xiaoya show a hint of surprise, but quickly masked it with a smile, "Then let’s have hot pot."

Li Wenxin took off his coat, saying nothing more.

Ji Ning touched his nose.

Then, Li Wenxin asked Li Linyue to brew tea for Ji Ning and brought her to his study.

Li Wenxin sat behind the desk, quietly watching Ji Ning seated in front of it.

Between them was a tea set, with tea brewing on it. Li Linyue sat beside them, from time to time adding tea leaves into the hot water with a tea spoon in hand.

It was the first time Ji Ning saw this tea brewing technique, so she watched him make the tea attentively.

"Ji Ning, was it you who broke into the tombs of Jiuming Mountain?" Li Wenxin suddenly asked.

Startled, Li Linyue abruptly looked up, nearly knocking over the nearby teacup.

Li Wenxin glanced at him, ignoring him otherwise.

Li Linyue quickly reined in his emotions, continuing his task, though his hands shook a bit more than before.

Ji Ning withdrew her gaze from the tea, looking at him with a calm expression, "It was me."

Although Li Wenxin had some speculation, hearing Ji Ning’s admission still shocked him, clutching his fingers tightly.

"It really was you? Then you..."

Li Wenxin suddenly stopped, glancing at his uneasy son beside him, and suppressed his words, saying, "Linyue, go help your mom in the kitchen."

"Okay." Li Linyue, as if relieved, immediately put down the teapot, stood up, nodded politely to Ji Ning, and left the study.

"Your son is not quite like you."

Li Wenxin took a sip of tea, putting down the cup, seemingly with some resignation, "He’s more like my wife."

"I’ve noticed."

"When did you awaken your memories?" Li Wenxin asked.

Memories?

Ji Ning was surprised inside, maintaining a blank face, "At the Ming Mansion Gardens."

"No wonder you were with the Bai Family."

Li Wenxin’s gaze toward Ji Ning carried more indulgence, continuing to ask, "What do you remember?"

But Ji Ning didn’t follow his lead, instead asking, "Why did I suddenly appear in the Ming Mansion Gardens? And who am I really?"

Li Wenxin looked at her, seemingly contemplating whether to divulge this information.

"If you don’t explain, I can only ask the Ji Family Army."

At these three words, Li Wenxin’s eyes sharpened, his calm aura taking on a trace of danger, "Have you met the Ji Family Army?"

"Of course." Ji Ning slightly tilted her head up, a hint of pride in her eyes.

Li Wenxin’s fingers tightened, his nails turning a bit pale. After a long while, he drank the tea in his hand, "When did you meet those people?"

"When I saved Fu Yuanxuan."

Li Wenxin’s body paused again, suppressing his emotions, seemingly calm as he spoke, "They always like to exploit opportunities."

Whether "they" referred to the Ji Family Army or the Fu Family was unclear.

Ji Ning drank her tea without a change in expression, quietly waiting for Li Wenxin to continue.

"Aren’t you curious why you woke up one day and found yourself here instead of in turmoil?"

The teacup by Ji Ning’s mouth instantly halted.

"Because your memories have been modified." Li Wenxin, as if recalling something, showed a hint of disgust, seemingly repulsed by a memory in his mind.

"Memory modification? Am I not really myself?"

Ji Ning was a bit taken aback, but deep down she didn’t believe it, only because of her unique earrings.

If she wasn’t her original self, then these earrings must be fake, for during the chaotic times, she had once lent the earrings to others, but they were just like ordinary earrings, without any energy absorption function.

In other words, these earrings only worked for her personally.

Aside from the old professor, only she knew this secret; even her three underlings didn’t know about the uniqueness of her earrings.

"Do you believe in time travel?" Li Wenxin did not answer her question but instead asked another.

This question made Ji Ning’s calm expression change, "What travel? Are you saying I came through time?"

Ji Ning probed.

Li Wenxin’s eyes seemed distant, as if pondering something, his face showing a trace of mockery, "Some people, for the sake of profit, dare to say anything..."

"What exactly are you getting at?" Ji Ning feigned anger, her voice noticeably sharper.

"In my grandfather’s later years, he once captured a lunatic. He claimed he came from chaotic times and was one of the assassins of that Commander."

"Bang—"

Ji Ning’s cup dropped onto the table, frowning as she looked deeply at Li Wenxin opposite.

"My grandfather was very agitated and was hospitalized that night. His health was already poor..."

Ji Ning thought of the younger Li Zhan, slightly lowering her head to hide the pain flashing in her eyes.

"Everyone around my grandfather thought that lunatic had ulterior motives, deliberately fabricating such lies to deceive him, but my grandfather still met that lunatic and talked to him alone once."

"Did he believe him?" Ji Ning’s voice was somewhat hoarse.

Li Wenxin’s face showed a trace of irony, "He believed. Ignoring everyone’s advice, he insisted on sparing that lunatic’s life and secretly conversing with him from time to time. No one knew what they talked about, which eventually gave that lunatic the opportunity to strike against him..."

At this point, Li Wenxin’s hostility surged, seemingly reminded of something unpleasant, and his gaze darkened.

"So Li Zhan didn’t die of illness?"

Li Wenxin didn’t answer, looking at Ji Ning and emphasizing each word, "The Commander’s death was a heartbreak for my grandfather and those two other old men. They never believed the Commander was truly dead, so the lunatic’s appearance reignited their hopes..."