Lu Shiyan interlaced his fingers beneath his chin, his gaze shifting between Ye Que and Shen Wu.
"You two go with her to the Bai family. Who she sees every day, what she says, what she eats..."
He paused.
In that instant, the commanding presence of a team leader faded slightly from him, replaced by something hard to name—something that hung in the air, unspoken.
"Report to me every night. In full detail."
Jiang Nuan's back stiffened.
Lu Shiyan's tone didn't sound like he was assigning a task. It sounded like he was laying down parole conditions for a prisoner.
Shen Wu leaned back in his chair, clapping his hands slowly, twice. "Captain, do you want me to count how many times she chews each bite too?"
Jiang Ce beside him was shaking with suppressed laughter, his face turning red from holding it in.
Lu Shiyan glanced at Shen Wu, his expression unchanged.
"If you think it's necessary, feel free to add that."
"..."
The faint mockery in Shen Wu's smile froze, then slowly faded.
"You're serious?"
Lu Shiyan didn't answer. He closed the file in front of him.
That was answer enough.
Jiang Nuan's fingers curled around the cup on the table. The warmth of the ceramic against her palm was steadily cooling, colliding with the chill creeping up the back of her neck.
Protected?
Monitored?
Or trapped in an invisible web, where every step she took was under someone else's control?
Her hand clenched unconsciously, then slowly relaxed.
But she had no room to refuse.
In fact... she needed this web.
The Bai family was no ordinary place. Without Zero Squad members by her side, she might walk in and never walk out.
She dropped her gaze, picked up the glass of milk that had already gone lukewarm, and took a slow sip, forcing every surge of emotion back down her throat.
"Any more questions?" Lu Shiyan's gaze swept the room.
Silence. No one spoke.
"Then that's how we'll handle the provisional agreement. I'll manage the liaison with the Bai family."
He stood up, the hem of his uniform falling into place, tracing a sharp, straight silhouette against the light.
"Dismissed."
Chairs scraped against the floor in a ripple of movement.
Qinian still looked reluctant, stepping forward as if to approach her. "Nuan Nuan, you—"
A broad hand reached from behind and grabbed the back of his collar without ceremony.
"Let's go, let's go." Jiang Ce's voice carried laughter, but his grip was anything but gentle. "Training ground's waiting. You're not getting out of extra drills today."
Qinian was dragged out the door by Jiang Ce, his voice fading into the distance, punctuated by a few less-than-civil words.
Qi Sui rose unhurriedly, smoothing his sleeve, and casually moved two steps closer to Jiang Nuan.
"Be careful in everything."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"No matter how important something seems, it's never more important than your own safety."
Jiang Nuan assumed he was worried about the trip to the Bai family to investigate the restricted-zone puzzle pieces. Her heart warmed, and she nodded.
"I know."
Qi Sui didn't say more. He turned and followed Qinian out.
Most of the crowd had left through the doorway, and the now-empty meeting room felt especially quiet.
Ye Que passed by Jiang Nuan's side. His steps faltered—barely noticeable, just a one-second hesitation.
But it was enough for his gaze to complete a full sweep: from her slightly lowered profile, down to the spot where her high collar just barely concealed the side of her neck, lingering a moment on that faint, elusive boundary line.
The fingers of his hand hanging at his side slowly curled, then relaxed.
He withdrew his gaze and walked out in silence.
Shen Wu set his teacup down on the table, the base clicking softly against the surface. Then he walked around the long table and headed for the door.
As he passed Jiang Nuan, he stopped.
Jiang Nuan instinctively tensed the mental guard in her head. Every time Shen Wu got close, she made a point of churning her thoughts into chaos, letting all kinds of random things spill out.
But this time, Shen Wu didn't look into her eyes.
He pulled a folded piece of paper from his inner jacket pocket and handed it over.
"Structural map of the public areas of the Bai family's main estate."
On the paper was a hand-drawn line sketch, the strokes so neat they seemed almost inhuman. Main residence, front hall, guest quarters, garden, covered walkways—all clearly labeled, easy to read at a glance.
But the eastern wing of the drawing was blank, with only a tiny question mark drawn in the faintest edge of ink.
Jiang Nuan looked at the question mark, then up at Shen Wu.
Shen Wu had already withdrawn his hand, his expression indifferent.
"My information network hasn't been able to map that area. In all publicly available records, that place doesn't exist."
"Thank you."
Jiang Nuan thanked him sincerely, folded the paper neatly, and tucked it into her pocket.
Shen Wu said nothing more. He turned and left.
The meeting room was down to two people.
Jiang Nuan stood up, ready to head back to her quarters to sort through her plan. She had just reached the door.
"Jiang Nuan."
Lu Shiyan's voice came from the head of the table.
Her footsteps halted.
She slowly turned around.
Lu Shiyan had sat back down at some point.
Hands crossed beneath his chin, back straight, posture exactly the same as when the meeting had been in session.
As if he had been waiting all along for everyone irrelevant to leave.
Waiting until only she remained.
The silence in the vast room was deafening, so complete that she could hear her heartbeat striking the empty walls and echoing back.
"After the meeting, come to my office alone."
His voice dropped half a tone, his thumb slowly rubbing across the joint of his finger.
"There are some things I need you to tell me personally."
Jiang Nuan's shoulders tensed.
She didn't know what he was going to ask.
Was it the reckless loss of control from last night's drunken mistake?
Or the way she made a point of avoiding Shen Wu's gaze when she answered "I'll go"?
Or maybe her proposal to go to the Bai family had been too proactive, making him suspicious?
Or perhaps... all of the above.
Lu Shiyan didn't push. He didn't press.
He just held that posture, waiting patiently.
Like a net already woven, calmly biding its time for the prey to walk in on its own.
Jiang Nuan lowered her gaze and paused for two seconds.
Good.
There were things she needed to confirm personally from Lu Shiyan's mouth as well.
"...All right."
She heard her own voice.
It was steady.
Utterly out of sync with the heart nearly pounding out of her chest.
