After dropping David off at the megabuilding and parking the Caliburn in the underground lot, Lin Mo didn't immediately get out. Instead, David seized the chance to warmly invite his boss upstairs.
He even admitted outright that his mom had been waiting for the boss for quite some time. Ever since David came home the previous night, she'd been restless, had even quit her job at Night City Medical Center, and had spent the whole day at home worrying about where the crew's future workshop should be located.
Lin Mo only sneered. With a cold laugh, he shoved David—who was stubbornly clinging to the passenger seat—out of the car and said, utterly confident:
"Don't think I don't know what you're up to. You're just scared your mom's gonna chew you out for coming home late, so you want me to take the heat. Forget it."
David sat dumbfounded on the concrete, stunned that Lin Mo had seen straight through him. He quickly asked how he knew.
Was his heart really that transparent? Could everyone just read his thoughts that easily?
Am I really that simple?
Lin Mo only chuckled again. This wasn't something you needed to guess at—everyone had lived it.
Back home, he too had someone waiting every night—an older sister who would scold him if he came back too late.
Lately she'd been staying late at the company, so he'd been able to play around without consequences.
Now it was David's turn to experience the same.
Lin Mo never bothered answering the question. He simply said, "You guess," closed the Caliburn's door, and sped away into the underground lot, the sky-blue sports car vanishing in a streak.
David remained in the empty garage, reeking of alcohol.
The capsule Lin Mo had given him sobered his mind but didn't erase the stench clinging to his body—something his mom would surely notice.
"If it comes to it, I'll just tell her I fell into a wine cellar while taking out the trash. She won't be able to argue with that!" David muttered grimly to himself after much thought.
Besides, tomorrow was Sunday. It wasn't unusual to come home late on a Saturday night. Surely his mom wouldn't scold him too harshly.
With his excuse ready, David comforted himself, and with the courage and confidence he'd drawn from Jackie, headed for the elevators.
Westbrook, North Oak.
The Caliburn cruised steadily along the hillside road in auto-drive mode, headlights piercing the dim halo of the streetlamps.
Inside, Lin Mo slouched in the perfectly ergonomic seat, yawning after a long, exhausting day. The drive wasn't far now—he'd be back at the family estate soon.
A glance at the dashboard clock: 23:35.
Ever since the first time he'd stayed out late, his curfew had crept later and later.
It was like a personal boundary: once you broke it once, it only got easier to lower it again.
Lin Mo considered himself no exception.
Fortunately, Xu Wanxue wasn't home most nights, so he didn't have to worry about her catching him.
Seeing there was still some time before arriving, he pulled the braindance wreath from the storage compartment.
In a world as technological as this, the wreath was one of the few things that still felt... mystical.
Just by thinking about running a simulation for the next day, it would appear in his inventory—if there was no "inventory," then it would manifest in the nearest compartment.
With so little time left until midnight, it would be too late once he got home. He'd have to settle for running it in the car.
Lin Mo slid the wreath on and launched the next day's simulation.
Minutes later he took it off, shaking his head in mild disappointment.
The simulated "events" of tomorrow were nothing special.
A rare Sunday with no contracts, no plans—the script was dull, mundane. Hardly worth watching.
With that thought, the Caliburn cut through the night like a blade, soon pulling into the familiar estate.
But the moment he stepped through the gate, a bad feeling struck.
His eyes shifted to the open-air parking lot inside the manor—where a sleek, mirror-polished AV was parked.
Lin Mo's eyes went wide. For several seconds he just stared, before finally croaking two words from his throat:
"...Fuck."
Served him right. He'd just mocked David, and now karma had swung back around to him.
Remembering his smug taunts earlier, Lin Mo felt like a general on stage with a dozen flags stuck in his back.
With a heavy sigh, he parked, got out, and resigned himself.
"Looks like someone thinks that just because I've been gone a few days, my rules don't matter anymore—that he can ignore his sister altogether."
In the villa's living room, Xu Wanxue sat cross-legged in a plush robe, legs folded regally, staring straight at him from the sofa like an empress passing judgment on a rebellious subject.
Lin Mo sat across from her in silence, eyes fixed downward, adopting the look of a pig ready for slaughter.
If he could choose, he would've gone on the offensive—boasting that he had the chops to get into Afterlife now, that he'd killed enough people to fill a room.
But those were only fantasies.
No matter how mature he tried to act, at home he was always just the younger brother.
"I'm sorry," Lin Mo sighed, repeating the phrase for what felt like the hundredth time.
She sighed too, her gaze heavy with disappointment.
"I came home hoping to surprise you... and you roll in at this hour." Her voice was full of reproach, but she still didn't punish him.
In truth, she never had. Apart from scolding him and withholding pocket money, she'd never raised a hand against him.
She simply couldn't bring herself to.
The two sat in silence for a while. Then, noticing he hadn't even washed up after walking in, Wanxue lowered her eyes and whispered:
"Could you try... not to keep making me worry like this?"
"I'll try," Lin Mo replied softly.
She laughed then, the tension easing. Shaking her head, she murmured:
"Every time I come home in a good mood, you ruin it."
Lin Mo smiled faintly and quickly shifted the topic:
"How's work? Is the research at the company wrapping up?"
"More or less. The prototype's complete. I think you already know what it is... Honestly, sometimes I wonder how your head works—your instincts are terrifyingly sharp." Her voice softened.
Lin Mo studied her expression carefully, then asked:
"So... do you have a day off tomorrow?"
He already knew the answer—the simulator had told him.
"No. I can only stay here until seven in the morning..." Wanxue glanced at the clock on the wall. The hands had already passed midnight. She corrected herself:
"...I guess I should say, until this morning."
Exhaling, she relaxed, the imperious air slipping away, replaced by weary warmth. She looked at Lin Mo with a gentle smile, held out her arms, and teased:
"Well? Aren't you going to carry your sister back to her room?"
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MY CYBERPUNK 2077 SIMULATOR
🧠💻 MY CYBERPUNK 2077 SIMULATOR 💻🧠
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📢 SYSTEM ONLINE! 📢
My Cyberpunk 2077 Simulator has 100+ chapters ahead available on Patreon! 💾🔥
Enter Night City with a simulator, a system, and the kind of advantage most mercs would kill for.
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⚙️ Level up.🔫 Fight harder.🌃 Stay alive.💀 Or get swallowed by the city.
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🌃 Cyberpunk: Dogtown Legend🔥 Cyberpunk: The Relentless👩👦 Cyberpunk: Lucy Adopted Me and I Got a System🤖 My Girlfriend's a Cyberpsycho—Who Knew?🛡️ Star Wars: The Rise of Mandalore🌌 Star Wars: Relics of the Past🏰 Game of Thrones: Secrets Beneath the Dreadfort⚡ The Rebirth of Harry Potter🌹 R18: Reincarnated in Her World
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