The world outside the window began to change.
The bumpiness vanished, the road turning into smooth asphalt, with neatly trimmed hedges sprouting up on both shoulders.
Jiang Nuan stared out the window for a while, then slowly leaned back into her seat.
In the apocalypse, even clean drinking water was rationed, and the Bai family was using water to water their hedges.
Her fingers unconsciously brushed over the small, delicate silver earring on her earlobe.
A gift from Bai Siyuan. She had even gone out of her way to have Shen Wu inspect it—it was completely clean, just a simple defensive item against psychic-type ability users.
She had been looking for a chance to test whether it actually worked.
Now there were three people in the car: Ye Que driving, Shen Wu and her in the back seat. Perfect conditions.
Jiang Nuan decided to try it.
She mulled over her words in her head, then released a tentative thought:
[Shen Wu is an idiot.]
The person sitting beside her showed no reaction.
It works?
Jiang Nuan's courage grew.
[Shen Wu is a sharp-tongued jerk.]
[Shen Wu's face barely shows any expression every day, plus his mind-reading ability—back in ancient times, he would've been a eunuch director of the Eastern Depot.]
[No wait, he's too good-looking, so more like the Western Depot—]
[Anyway, he's an out-and-out black-hearted dumpling, all rotten filling beneath that shell, acting all deep and aloof all day, but really just...]
"That was enough after the second line."
An icy cold voice cut off Jiang Nuan mid-flow.
Her mental celebration screeched to a halt.
Shen Wu was looking at her from the side. "One more line, and that's personal defamation."
Jiang Nuan froze in her seat, her ears burning. "You... can hear that?"
"Standard shielding works fine." His gaze swept over the earring on her ear. "But when you push more psychic output through, your head might as well be on loudspeaker. Hard to ignore even if I wanted to."
...
This guy would rather amp up his psychic output just to eavesdrop on her insulting him. Was he insane?
She turned her face away, her gaze darting around the cabin before landing on Ye Que's profile in the rearview mirror.
A faint, barely-there curve tugged at the corner of his mouth as he smoothly turned the steering wheel.
"We're at the checkpoint."
The remaining lightness in the cabin tightened instantly.
The armored vehicle slowed and stopped at the first security gate on the perimeter of the Bai estate. The massive metal gate slid open slowly under the scan.
Facial recognition, ability-wave scanning, undercarriage inspection.
The armored vehicle was guided onto a metal platform, where mechanical arms extended from beneath to conduct a full scan of the vehicle—about thirty seconds.
Jiang Nuan counted the surveillance cameras on the tall wall ahead.
Just on this entry stretch alone, there were seven cameras at different angles.
The Bai family's obsession with security ran even deeper than she had imagined.
The scan finished, and the iron gates slid open to both sides.
The armored vehicle rolled into the circular driveway of the Bai family's main residence.
Three people stood at the entrance.
Bai Siyuan was at the front, wearing a light gray coat with the edge of a white shirt collar peeking out. Beside him stood a man in his forties or fifties—tall and thin, wearing a standard Federation uniform jacket, his features unremarkable.
Last was the Bai family butler, around sixty, with a deferential posture.
The vehicle door opened. The moment Jiang Nuan's foot touched the driveway, Bai Siyuan's gaze landed on her immediately.
His eyes traced over her face, then paused on her earlobe.
That small silver earring sat there quietly.
She was wearing it.
Bai Siyuan's lashes flickered, and the curve of his mouth lifted slightly—like a small expectation, just barely fulfilled.
"A Nuan."
He crinkled his eyes at the corners as he stepped closer, stopping at just the right distance.
Anyone would think this was a proper elder brother welcoming his sister home.
"Brother." Jiang Nuan responded with a natural tone.
Bai Siyuan gave Ye Que and Shen Wu a slight nod. "The trip must have been tiring."
Then he turned, gesturing toward the uniformed man beside him.
"This is the Federation-appointed protocol observer, Mr. Song Huaicheng."
Song Huaicheng gave a slight bow. "Just going through the motions. I won't disturb anyone."
Jiang Nuan glanced at him. Ordinary face, ordinary smile, a standard Federation staffer.
She nodded back with a smile and didn't think much of it.
The butler stepped forward at the right moment, bowing slightly.
"Master Bai has already made the arrangements. Miss Jiang's residence is in the main house, right next to the young master's study, convenient for siblings to catch up. The guest quarters are also fully prepared—Mr. Ye and Mr. Shen each have their own suite, fully equipped with dedicated service."
The words were thoughtful and thorough, airtight in logic.
The reunion agreement's subject was her and Bai Siyuan; Ye Que and Shen Wu were guests, so placing them in the guest quarters was only natural.
Song Huaicheng stood to the side, saying nothing after listening—clearly finding this a perfectly normal hospitality arrangement.
But Jiang Nuan had pored over Shen Wu's handwritten diagram no fewer than ten times before setting out.
The guest quarters and the main residence were two completely independent zones.
Between them sat an entire garden and two security checkpoints.
Even ignoring the checkpoints, the distance alone was at least a ten-minute walk.
In the world of ability users, that was enough time for her to die three times over.
Jiang Nuan didn't hesitate for long.
She turned slightly, casually reaching out to take Ye Que's forearm.
The muscle beneath tensed for a moment, but she didn't give Ye Que time to react.
She tilted her head slightly, shifting her gaze from Ye Que to Bai Siyuan. A hint of shyness rose in her eyes, and her voice softened.
"Brother, I forgot to mention... Ye Que, he's my boyfriend."
The air froze for a split second.
Bai Siyuan's pupils contracted sharply—but only for an instant.
Like a massive shadow churning beneath the surface of water, then sinking back into the depths without leaving a trace.
When he raised his eyes again, his expression had already realigned—warm smile, flawlessly perfect in its thoroughness.
"...Is that so."
His voice was steady, even carrying a hint of relief, as if a long-held worry had finally been laid to rest.
"I'm glad A Nuan has someone to take care of her."
The stiffened tension in Ye Que's arm relaxed. Then he adjusted his angle slightly, letting Jiang Nuan's hold settle more securely.
"Yeah. I'll take care of her."
Jiang Nuan mentally gave him a thumbs up. Smooth. Really smooth.
"And Shen Wu." She pressed her advantage, her tone growing even more affectionate. "He's my sworn brother. Practically family. No need to have him stay separately, right?"
Shen Wu's gaze lingered for a moment on the linked arms of Jiang Nuan and Ye Que, a smirk curving at the corner of his mouth. Then he looked at Bai Siyuan. "Yeah, Nuannuan's my little sister. No need to be so formal, Brother Siyuan."
Song Huaicheng stood by without speaking. The agreement didn't specify lodging zones—this fell within the scope of mutual negotiation. He had no reason to intervene.
Bai Siyuan's gaze rested on Ye Que for a moment, then drifted down to the hand Jiang Nuan had wrapped around Ye Que's arm.
His lashes lowered, casting a small shadow that just happened to hide the sharp edge beneath his eyes.
"That was an oversight on my part."
He turned to the butler, his tone casual. "Prepare two more rooms next to A Nuan's."
The butler acknowledged and withdrew.
Bai Siyuan looked back at Jiang Nuan, making a "please" gesture with his hand. His smile was warm and impeccable.
"Come, I'll take you inside."
The group passed through the front hall and stepped into the main residence.
Jiang Nuan didn’t let go of Ye Que’s arm.
Bai Siyuan walked at the front, half-turned, glancing back at Jiang Nuan from time to time as he spoke, his tone as natural as if he were chatting casually with a younger sister he hadn’t seen in years.
“The main residence just had the greenhouse garden renovated. Once you’re settled in, I’ll take you to have a look.”
He paused, and his voice took on a hint of genuine warmth.
“I gave the kitchen a heads-up earlier. Red bean cake — your favorite when you were little.”
“We found half a piece in the refugee quarter, and I gave it all to you. You only let yourself have a tiny bite each day, and eventually it went bad. You were upset for days.”
Red bean cake.
Jiang Nuan liked red bean cake too.
“Thank you, big brother.” She answered smoothly, falling right into the rhythm.
Up ahead, there was a massive white fountain.
Her heart gave a sudden lurch.
The images in her fragmented memories overlapped with what she saw before her — the curve of the lawn, the shape of the fountain, even the arrangement of those irregularly shaped decorative stones by the pool, all matched to the last detail.
The original owner really had lived here.
Her body reacted before her mind did. The hand holding Ye Que’s arm tightened without her meaning it to.
Ye Que noticed.
But he didn’t turn his head or say a word. He just lifted his other hand, covered her fingers, and pressed his thumb once against the back of her hand.
Quietly.
I’m here.
Bai Siyuan stopped walking. He tilted his head, his gaze landing on Jiang Nuan’s face, his tone concerned and easy. “What’s wrong?”
But there was a glint of scrutiny in his eyes.
“Nothing.” Jiang Nuan let go of Ye Que’s arm, stepped forward a few paces, and looked into the pool. “Just thought the koi were beautiful.”
Bai Siyuan watched her in silence for two seconds, as if trying to discern something, but in the end he only smiled.
“You loved watching the fish when you were little.”
His voice carried a touch of nostalgia.
“If you like them, I’ll have more varieties brought in later.”
At the very rear of the group, Song Huaicheng walked at a leisurely pace.
An inconsequential piece of background, his presence deliberately kept to the lowest possible profile.
As they passed a corner of the covered walkway, he slipped his hand into his inner coat pocket to take something out.
Jiang Nuan happened to turn her head to look at the scenery, and her peripheral vision caught the motion.
It was a pocket watch.
A brass-colored case, glowing with a mellow luster in the sunlight. The lid bore worn patterns, looking as though it had a long history.
In this post-apocalyptic world, where most things had been replaced by digital and intelligent alternatives, carrying a purely mechanical antique was indeed unusual.
Jiang Nuan gave it a second glance.
Song Huaicheng seemed to notice her gaze and lifted his head.
He gave her a gentle smile.
“Old habit.”
He snapped the watch shut, slowly rubbing his thumb across the lid.
“I’m sentimental that way.”
Jiang Nuan nodded politely and turned back to continue forward.
What she didn’t notice was that, the moment she looked away, behind Song Huaicheng’s lowered eyelids, a hint of meaningful amusement flickered across his calm eyes.
The watch was tucked back into his pocket.
Click.
So faint it was almost inaudible.
The second hand still turned.
[Just as planned.]
Up ahead, Bai Siyuan angled his head, his gaze flickering rapidly over the spot where Jiang Nuan had just been holding Ye Que’s arm.
His smile didn’t change.
But the hand hanging at his side slowly curled.
Into a fist.
