C5 Hacker A!

The car made its way slowly into Monarch Garden and came to a halt in front of a grand, opulent villa.

Shi Qian and Shaang Sizhan exited the vehicle one after the other.

The butler, Yan Yi, approached with a nod, "Master, Miss Shi Qian."

Shi Qian gave a slight nod in response.

Yan Yi turned to Shaang Sizhan and reported, "Master, we've identified the hacker who has been secretly sending us our competitor's confidential documents."

"Who is it?" Shaang Sizhan inquired.

"It's the enigmatic hacker A, who seven years ago hacked into the security department of a country and became an overnight sensation."

Upon hearing this, a flicker of something unusual crossed Shi Qian's eyes. She remained silent beside Shaang Sizhan, attentively listening to the exchange between the two men.

Her fingers fidgeted unconsciously.

"A..." Shaang Sizhan murmured to himself.

Yan Yi nodded and elaborated, "We've had no prior dealings with this A. It's unclear why she's assisting us. Master, do you wish to locate her?"

Despite Interpol's seven-year search coming up empty, they should be capable of finding her.

Shaang Sizhan's gaze was contemplative, as if weighing his thoughts.

Yan Yi added, "After A's most recent document transfer, Zhuiying has traced her whereabouts to the capital city. If she's here, it shouldn't be hard to find her."

By now, the trio had made their way into the villa's living room. Shi Qian addressed Shaang Sizhan, "Master Zhan, please continue your discussion with Manager Yan. I'll head upstairs."

Shaang Sizhan's inscrutable eyes met hers, and after a brief pause, he said, "Wait for me."

"Oh, alright," Shi Qian replied with a smile.

Yan Yi awaited Shaang Sizhan's decision.

Without further ado, Shaang Sizhan stated, "There's no need to search for her at the moment."

Yan Yi acknowledged with a nod, "Understood."

Hearing this, Shi Qian breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

She had kept her identity as a hacker secret from Shaang Sizhan, fearing he might misconstrue her reasons for staying at Monarch Garden.

In truth, she hadn't given it much thought at the time; after all, she was only 15 years old then and there were many things she couldn't handle on her own in the real world.

For instance, transferring schools and school records can be quite a challenge for a minor to handle on their own.

It was Shaang Sizhan who later assisted her with these matters.

Since Shaang Sizhan had helped her, she naturally felt compelled to reciprocate.

Thus, over the past few years, she utilized her hacking skills to help Shaang Sizhan acquire many vital secrets from his rivals, making it easier for him to outmaneuver them.

Shaang Sizhan's keen gaze caught her subtle gestures.

"Qian."

"Ah?" Shi Qian suddenly lifted her gaze.

"What's on your mind?" Shaang Sizhan inquired.

"I... I'm wondering what to have for dinner?" she said, touching her stomach: "I skipped lunch and I'm a bit hungry now."

"How come you didn't eat?"

"I got a little busy and lost track of time."

Shaang Sizhan promptly instructed Yan Yi, "Have the kitchen start preparing dinner right away."

"Yes," Yan Yi responded and immediately set off to carry out the order.

Shaang Sizhan's eyes swept over Shi Qian's slender shoulders, his demeanor stern and his voice slightly chilly: "If you don't start eating properly, I'll have you go hungry for three days!"

Shi Qian was taken aback: "!"

The formidable boss was indeed intimidating when serious.

Shi Qian obediently responded with an "Okay."

Later that evening, back in her room.

Shi Qian sat at her desk, turned on her computer, and began typing deftly, concealing her presence even further.

She couldn't afford to let Zhuiying track her down.

She then sent out an anonymous email.

[Don't reach out to me for now. I'm not accepting any jobs. I need some time off.]

Resting her chin in her hand, she stared at the computer screen, lost in thought...

In the school cafeteria.

Shi Qian, carrying her tray and engrossed in the audio from her earphones, paid no attention to her surroundings.

She casually took a seat.

"Alright, understood. See you at Nine Revolving Mountain on Saturday. Bye."

After ending the call, Shi Qian removed her earphones, ready to eat.

Meanwhile, snippets of conversation from nearby tables reached her ears.

"Pfft! Just a country bumpkin, really. Where does he get that confidence? Thinks he can turn from a crow to a phoenix just because of his looks. He's quite the actor!"

"Exactly. Pretending to make a phone call is just a ruse. The real audacity is in deliberately choosing to sit next to Young Master Sheng. How utterly shameless!"