novelraw Chapter 0127 The Secret Under the Floor
Chapter 0127 The Secret Under the Floor
Wednesday.
The apartment renovation workers have arrived.
The incident started last night when Wen Ning was walking around in the second-floor loft when the wooden floor near the window made a teeth-grinding creaking sound.
That place used to be where they kept Monstera deliciosa plants, and it was also their "secret base" that they had agreed upon.
Due to years of disrepair, and possibly previous water accumulation (from Wen Ning's gardening), some of the floorboards have warped and deformed.
Jiang Ci is a perfectionist.
Especially now that he's raising Wen Ning here, he's determined to eliminate any imperfections or potential threats that might cause her trouble.
"Pry this whole piece off."
Jiang Ci stood on the second floor and pointed to that corner.
He was wearing a shirt and trousers, sleeves rolled up, and coldly directing two workers in overalls.
"Change it to solid wood. It needs to be non-slip and quiet."
He glanced again at the easel where Wen Ning usually sat.
"Let's add an underfloor heating system here."
Wen Ning sat on the sofa downstairs, holding a hot water bottle, watching the commotion upstairs with a somewhat bewildered expression.
"Jiang Ci...it really doesn't have to be that complicated."
"It can be fixed with a simple repair; there's no need to replace the whole thing..."
"Too noisy."
Jiang Ci didn't even turn his head.
"I don't want to hear the floorboards creak."
Actually, he didn't want to hear that old, decaying sound, because it would remind him of how the house had slowly died over the past three years.
……
"Sizzle—"
The sound of an electric drill began.
The workers began prying up the floorboards.
The old composite wooden planks were lifted piece by piece, revealing the gray cement layer and the keel underneath.
Dust flew everywhere.
Jiang Ci took a few steps back, but he did not leave.
He stood by the railing, watching the workers' movements.
His intense desire for control made him wary of any outsiders rummaging through his territory, especially Wen Ning's bedroom.
"Hey? Boss."
Suddenly, one of the workers stopped using his crowbar.
He pointed to the innermost corner of the wall—under the floorboard that was warped the most.
"There's a hole down there?"
"It seems... there's something else?"
Jiang Ci's brow twitched.
That location...
The floodgates of memory opened instantly.
three years ago.
It's here too.
Wen Ning squatted down, excitedly lifted the floorboards, and said to him, "This will be my secret base from now on! I'm going to hide my secret stash of money!"
He agreed indulgently at the time and didn't seal off the hidden compartment.
later……
She left later.
He thought she had taken all the secrets away, leaving him only with endless pain.
Is it...
Is she really hiding something?
"Don't move."
Jiang Ci strode over.
The voice was tense.
"I'll do it myself."
The workers quickly moved aside.
Jiang Ci squatted down.
He ignored the dust on the ground, which soiled his expensive trousers.
He reached out and pried open the broken pieces of wood.
The hidden compartment was exposed to the air.
It was pitch black.
It was covered in dust and cobwebs.
And in the heart of that darkness.
A metal box lay quietly.
It was a very ordinary tin box that used to hold biscuits.
Some of it is rusty, with yellowing edges.
Jiang Ci's heart pounded violently in his chest.
He recognized the box.
This is what Wen Ning used to use to store paintbrushes and other small items.
He stretched out his hand.
My fingertips trembled slightly.
They took the iron box out of the hidden compartment.
heavy.
There's something inside.
"General Manager Jiang?"
The assistant's voice came from downstairs; it seemed to be delivering documents.
Jiang Ci ignored him.
He stood up, as if possessed, holding the dusty box.
"You can continue."
He threw out a remark at the workers.
Then, carrying the box, he quickly walked into the study next door.
With a "bang".
Close the door.
Deadbolt.
……
In the study.
The light is plentiful.
Jiang Ci placed the iron box on the desk.
I wiped away the dust with a tissue.
The original bear pattern was revealed.
His hand rested on the lid of the box.
He hesitated for a second.
Then, forcefully lift it open.
"Click".
The rusty iron lid was opened.
There was no hidden money in it.
There were no jewelry or ornaments either.
There is only one mobile phone.
A white smartphone with a slightly cracked screen and an older model.
That was the one Wen Ning used when he was a sophomore.
Later she said she lost it and got a new one.
So... it was hidden here.
除了手机。
There were also several yellowed sticky notes pressed on the bottom of the box.
The handwriting is somewhat blurry, but it is still recognizable as Wen Ning's handwriting.
Jiang Ci picked up the phone.
Press the power button.
black screen.
no response.
After three years, the battery was completely drained.
A strong, almost suffocating intuition gripped his throat.
Inside...
There must be something there.
There was something... something she didn't want him to know, but couldn't bear to destroy.
Jiang Ci opened the drawer.
I was rummaging through the old data cable.
His hands were trembling, making a clattering sound as he flipped them.
Finally, I found a universal charging cable in the corner.
Plug in the power.
Connect your phone.
After a few seconds of deathly silence.
A red battery icon lit up in the center of the screen.
Charging.
Jiang Ci stared intently at that icon.
Shortness of breath.
He had a premonition.
When the phone is turned on again.
That mystery that had troubled and tormented him for three years.
The truth about "why I left".
Maybe……
The unveiling is about to begin.
downstairs.
Wen Ning was sitting on the sofa, lost in thought.
Suddenly, her heart clenched violently.
A strange sense of panic welled up inside me.
It's like... some deep-buried Pandora's box has been opened.
She subconsciously looked at the closed door of the study on the second floor.
There.
It was eerily quiet.