Ch. 2286..2290: My Wife Is A Hacker Chapter 2286-2290

Chapter 2286

Jared was still awake, and when he saw her return, he closed his laptop and placed it aside.

“You’re not asleep yet? Is there something important to work on?” Nicole casually asked as she took a glance at what he was doing.

“No, just looking at some details,” Jared replied as he reached out to pull Nicole over to the bed.

After shooting him another glance, Nicole whispered, “Just go to bed if there’s nothing to do.”

“Okay,” he agreed and leaned over to kiss Nicole’s forehead.

Blushing a little, Nicole gently pushed Jared away and said,” Now, go to sleep.”

“I don’t want to sleep; I want to sleep with…” Jared stared at her with darkened eyes.

His intentions were obvious.

Nicole returned his gaze with a look of disapproval and pushed him away. “I’m going to sleep.”

After that, she pulled the blanket over herself before moving away from him.

What a jerk. Even if he’s not tired, I am!’ she thought.

Jared found this very adorable.

He watched as she wrapped herself up in a cocoon, reached out, and hugged her. “What I meant was that I want to hold you while I sleep.”

This rendered her speechless. ‘This jerk is fooling me!’

“No, thanks,” Nicole said from under the blanket, her voice muffled.

Ignoring her refusal, Jared tightened his hug, and when she could no longer bear the heat, she poked her head out.

“Are you trying to suffocate me?” she complained.

“I just want to hold you,” Jared said with a straight face, his eyes locking with Nicole’s.

Nicole glared at Jared as she clenched her jaw. She wanted to refuse, but being held while she was all wrapped up would just make it stuffy, so she had no choice but to compromise.

Finally, she came out from under the blanket. Feeling content, Jared embraced Nicole, but this time, he stayed put and just held her in total silence.

Nicole let out a sigh of relief and soon fell asleep in his embrace.

Listening to her gentle breathing, Jared shook his head and planted a light kiss on her cheek before falling asleep himself.

During the next morning, the sun rose, and the land was clothed in light.

After breakfast, everyone in the Riddle family got busy with their respective tasks.

Nicole had just arrived at the Riddle Corporation when she ran into Lawrence once again. “Lawrence, why are you here so early? Is there something you need?”

“Just here to see you,” Lawrence smiled.

“Oh, come on up and chill out for a while then,” Nicole said, leading Lawrence to her office without thinking much about it.

After sitting down and chatting for a while, Lawrence casually asked, “Any progress on that electronic badge system I got you to help me with?”

“Sorry, but no,” Nicole replied, her voice brimming with guilt.

That system was truly peculiar. She had tried various methods and approaches, but she just could not crack it. This was something she had never encountered before. It felt as if the system was not locked from the outside. If anything, it seemed as though an internal failsafe had been activated, making it impenetrable.

Lawrence comforted her when he saw the guilty look on her face. “It’s okay. With your abilities, you might be able to crack it one day if you keep trying.”

After all, nobody would be able to access the system if Nicole could not.

Nicole squinted for a second before she calmly said, “I will keep trying.”

Chapter 2287

Although she genuinely wanted to help Lawrence by breaching the electronic badge system, she had already tried various methods, all of which in vain. She was frustrated with the outcome, but today, Lawrence’s mannerisms gave her a strange feeling.

In the past, Lawrence would rarely ask her anything pertaining to her progress in cracking the system. Recently however, he had already inquired about it several times in a short window of time. He did not seem to be in a hurry, but if that was the case, it made no sense as to why he would keep urging her.

Lawrence’s behavior was indeed unusual today. Previously, when Nicole reported no progress, he would just comfort her and tell her not to rush it. But today, of all days, he had urged her to try harder.

She did not want to give him a long-winded explanation about the fact that she had not been lazy. In fact, she really wanted to crack it and repay him for the favors he had done her over the years. Still, his actions today gave her a strange feeling.

She gritted her teeth and agreed, “Okay, I will try again. If it really doesn’t work, we can think of other ways or find someone else to help.”

Although Lawrence had said that she was the only one who could crack it because she was the most skilled hacker, she was beginning to have doubts about whether she had completely misunderstood the system. Perhaps someone else with a different perspective might discover other possibilities.

Lawrence’s expression stiffened for a moment but the smile on his face quickly returned. “It’s alright. Just give it a try. There’s no need to force it, and I don’t plan on finding anyone else. The only person I trust to do this is you.”

He could only turn to Nicole for help with this system. Not only was she a skilled hacker; this system was also something that was highly confidential.

Nicole glanced at Lawrence. “You said it’s just an electronic crest, didn’t you?”

‘He just wants to find a way to access the system and get the electronic crest. There shouldn’t be any issues of trust involved, right?’ she wondered.

Lawrence unconsciously turned away,

Nicole’s eyes narrowed. She had already found Lawrence’s behavior strange today, but at that moment, an inexplicable suspicion grew within her. Why was Lawrence avoiding her gaze? What was he worried about?

However, when Nicole attempted to pry for

Then, Lawrence looked at her gently as he

about my private identities, so I prefer not to have anyone else involved.”

“Alright,” Nicole said, deciding against pushing the envelope. “I will try again.”

“Don’t stress yourself out,” he reminded her as he knew Nicole’s tendency to go all out on her work.

Nicole smiled faintly. Indeed, she wanted to crack it as soon as possible.

“Well, I don’t wish to get in the way of your work, so I’ll be leaving now.” Lawrence bade her farewell and left her office.

After seeing Lawrence off, Nicole leaned back against her chair with a darkened gaze.

She pulled out the electronic system, and the two words,” electronic crest”, flashed in her mind, reminding her of the Five Crests for some reason.

Her expression stiffened for a moment as she wondered,1 Could it be…’

After some thought, Nicole shook her head. Apart from the one she had in her possession, the whereabouts of the other four crests were still unknown. So, Lawrence’s crest could not possibly be one of them.

After brushing her thoughts aside, Nicole connected the system to the computer again and began to work diligently.

However, her attempt this time was a little different than before. During the decryption process, Nicole could not shake off the feeling of deja vu. She could not understand why she felt so familiar with it.

Suddenly, a knock on the door interrupted Nicole’s train of thought, and the feeling of familiarity vanished abruptly.

 

Chapter 2288

“Come in,” Nicole said, her gaze still fixed on the screen as a smile of relief crossed her face.

She figured that the familiar feeling was due to her continuous efforts in cracking the system of the crest.

“Nicole, please sign this document.” Lulu approached her desk, noticing Nicole’s absentmindedness.

She snuck a glance at the screen and remarked, “You’re still working on this, huh?”

Although she did not understand what it was, Lulu knew that Nicole would be engrossed in it whenever she found herself having some free time.

In response, Nicole looked up at Lulu and replied, “Just put it down.”

“Okay,” Lulu placed the document down. “Doesn’t look like it’s going well. Do you want me to get you a cup of coffee?”

“Thank you,” Nicole said, expressing her gratitude.

Lulu widened her eyes in surprise. “Why are you suddenly so polite? Things really aren’t going well, huh?”

“Not exactly. It’s always been like this anyway,” Nicole calmly explained.

She had not fully recovered from the sense of familiarity she felt earlier. It felt so real, but when she tried to grasp it, it simply eluded her.

“I’ll get you some coffee. You can take a break if you’re tired, ” Lulu said with concern.

She then prepared a cup of coffee for Nicole and placed it on her desk.

Nicole loosened up after taking a sip of the coffee, I’ve been working on this for too long. It actually feels familiar, somehow.”

This was undoubtedly the most challenging task she had taken on. She had never encountered something that was so tough to crack prior to this.

“Maybe you’re somehow destined for it. After all, in this world, no one else can crack it except for you. Just take it as a test of patience,” Lulu consoled Nicole with a smile.

Nicole smiled. “I’ll take it as a compliment.”

“Of course! Don’t you know how amazing you are? You’re the creme de la creme among the Hunters. Back then, even the geniuses from our school couldn’t compete with you.” Lulu recalled the past competition with enthusiasm, her face filled with admiration.

Nicole raised an eyebrow. ‘Was I really ranked Number One in the Hunters?’

“What’s with that look?” Lulu asked, realizing her mistake.

Then, she tapped her forehead and said apologetically, “Oh, I forgot that you haven’t recovered your memories yet.”

“No matter how skilled I was back then, it’s not helping now. I’m still stuck,” Nicole said as she looked upon the insurmountable task, feeling a sense of helplessness that she had never experienced before.

“Don’t worry, if you can’t crack it, no one else will be able to.” Lulu shrugged.

To her, there was no urgency in regard to this matter.

Nicole could not help but feel amused. “What kind of logic is that?”

“Heh, I’m just stating a fact,” Lulu said confidently.

Nicole gave her an exasperated look, signed the document, and handed it back to Lulu. “Alright, here’s the document. You can get back to work now.”

If Lulu kept complimenting her like this, she might begin to lose the determination she had.

After that, Lulu grabbed the document and sauntered off with a smile.

Chapter 2289

Nicole smiled and shook her head. Then, her gaze fell back on the computer screen. Almost involuntarily, she found herself opening the Hunters website to check the tasks she had posted.

The people who had accepted the tasks before had not provided any updates, and no one else seemed interested in taking them on.

Nicole squinted as she looked at the words, “Five Crests”.

‘What do the Five Great Crests look like?” she wondered.

Meanwhile, after leaving the Riddle Corporation, Lawrence returned to Genesis Group with a sour grimace on his face.

“Mr. Royce. There’s no progress. What should we do next?” Ian asked in a low voice.

With Iris’ capture and her imprisonment, she had undoubtedly lost all the value she could possibly provide.

Lawrence had not expected that what could have been a and a crushing defeat.

“Jared should not be underestimated!” Lawrence’s eyes darkened at once.

Still, he was determined not to give up easily.

Now, all his hopes laid on the electronic crest. able to stop him.

“Let go of all the ongoing negotiations,” Lawrence said with a calm look.

Hearing this, Ian was shocked, “You want to abandon all of them? Won’t that cause even greater losses?”

Lawrence gave Ian a frosty glance in return. “What difference does it make if we don’t give up? Jared is intercepting every company that intends to cooperate with us. Any project that interests him will inevitably be claimed by the Johnston Group. If we continue like this, we’ll be the ones at a disadvantage.”

He knew that this was Jared’s warning, but he refused to accept it, nonetheless. Though he had lost this time, there would always be other opportunities.

With that, Ian could only oblige. “Yes, sir.”

At this juncture, there really was no other choice but to give up. They could only acknowledge their loss, cut them, and move on.

Ian turned and left after confirming that Lawrence had nothing for him to do.

As Ian walked off, Lawrence leaned against his seat, his eyes as dark as an abyssal soon, everything would be resolved with great ease. Unfortunately…

Nicole still had not cracked that system. And if she could not do it, would there be anyone else in the world who could? Would the system be locked forever, thus causing such a tremendous fortune to go to waste?

Time passed quickly, and soon, lunch hour came.

“Are you going out for lunch, or should I bring some back for you?” Lulu peeked in through the door.

“Let’s go,” Nicole stood up.

After all, she was feeling a little tired after all the work in the morning and wanted to get some fresh air.

Soon, the two of them left the Riddle Corporation.

“I heard there’s a new restaurant with great ambiance. Shall we go there?” Lulu proposed, sounding quite enthusiastic.

“Sure,” Nicole accepted without much concern about what she wanted to eat.

Chapter 2290

After arriving at the restaurant and placing their orders, Nicole and Lulu chatted while waiting for their food.

“June is getting married, and I’m thinking about what wedding gift to give her.” Lulu propped her chin up with both hands, frowning in contemplation.

As her best friend, she felt that she should do more than just give her something simple; she wanted to give her a gift that was more meaningful.

Noting Lulu’s dilemma, Nicole teased, “Actually, you might as well consider having a double wedding. Wouldn’t that be even more meaningful?”

“I…” Lulu sighed. ’Forget it.”

Even though Nicole had jokingly suggested it before, Lulu had seriously considered the idea and found it impractical. Her situation with Spencer was distinct from that of Samuel and June.

“You always overthink things,” Nicole said with a look of defeat.

If two people loved each other deeply, a great deal of worries would automatically be rendered void. If Spencer really cared about Lulu’s background, he would not have dated her in the first place. And if Spencer had already chosen Lulu, she had every right to stand by his side.

“Let’s not talk about me. Let’s talk about June,” Lulu said in an attempt to change the subject.

Seeing that Lulu did not want to discuss it further, Nicole decided not to push her. “Let’s go out and choose a gift some other day. There’s no rush.”

After all, Samuel’s leg injury still needed more time to heal, which meant that there was more time to prepare for their wedding. Therefore, they had all the time in the world to select the perfect gift for June.

Hearing this, Lulu agreed, “Alright, let’s hit the mall together one day.”

As they were about to dig in after their food had arrived, they heard a familiar voice.

“Oh, this place is great, Spencer. I heard the vibe and the food are unique, so we must try it.”

Following the voice, Nicole and Lulu looked up to see Spencer and Icyln entering the restaurant.

Icyln halted in her tracks as she was not expecting to bump into Lulu and Nicole, with Spencer following suit.

The four of them exchanged glances, whereupon an awkward tension began creeping into the room.

“Let’s eat, Nicole.”

Lulu lowered her head as if nothing had happened and continued eating.

Nicole was at a loss for words as she furrowed her brows.

She believed that Spencer was maintaining a healthy, platonic relationship with Icyln, but being caught in such situations repeatedly would inevitably create a rift between him and Lulu.

“Nicole, Lulu, you’re here for lunch too, huh?” Spencer walked over to them, greeting them with delight.

The last thing he expected was to run into them during lunch.

As he was about to pull a chair over and take a seat, Lulu said, “This table is occupied, so why don’t you get another?”

“Lulu?” Spencer looked at Lulu with his brows raised. ‘Why was she pretending as if she did not recognize me?’

“We just got done rehearsing and decided to find a place for lunch. It’s quite a coincidence that we bumped into you guys here.” Icyln approached them, her voice casual and calm, though the smugness in her tone was evident.

“We don’t know each other well, and you don’t need to act as if you’re pleased to see me. Since we’re all here to have a meal, just go ahead and occupy another table.” Lulu shot Icyln an impatient glance, as if to say, “Get out of my face and stop wasting our time.”

Icyln’s expression stiffened, and her face turned pale. “Is there a misunderstanding? Spencer and I really just came for lunch. Nothing else.”

Lulu stifled a cold snicker, finding Icyln’s pretentiousness and attitude tedious to deal with. A person of her standing was not worth paying attention to, so Lulu went on to disregard her, not bothering to acknowledge her.

Lulu lifted her brows, and with a stern look, she said, The thought of you and Spencer having any improper intentions never crossed my mind.”

She really just did not want to see them. And because of Icyln, Lulu did not even want to see Spencer right now. Just thinking about them made her feel suffocated.

Icyln’s face turned even paler, and she looked somewhat wronged as she said, “By saying that, you’re still laying the blame on me. You’ve really misunderstood Spencer and I.”