Jiang Nuan held Ye Que’s hand as she walked toward the seat beside Bai Siyuan.
The warmth of their palms pressed together steadied her nerves, the pressure threading between her fingers neither too firm nor too light—like a silent “don’t be afraid.”
Ye Que stopped beside her and let go of her hand.
She assumed he was about to sit down, but instead he circled around to the back of the chair and pulled it out for her.
The motion was utterly natural.
So natural that even Jiang Nuan herself was caught off guard for a moment.
She looked up at him; his expression was calm, and he tilted his body slightly, silently waiting for her to sit.
As if pulling out a chair for her was something he had done ten thousand times before.
Through the mental link, Shen Wu’s voice drifted in.
【Oh? So Ye Que has gentlemanly moves after all?】
【Did he pick that up just now at the Bai estate, or did he practice it alone in the base against thin air?】
Jiang Nuan nearly laughed out loud.
【Shut up.】Ye Que said.
Once she was seated, Ye Que took the chair to her left.
He was tall and broad-shouldered, and as he sat down, his wide frame naturally cast her entirely into the shadow of the warm lamplight.
A sense of safety, sometimes, is purely physical.
Shen Wu, meanwhile, walked around the table and pulled out the chair across from them.
【Ye Que, you can let go of Jiang Nuan’s hand now.】Shen Wu said through the link.
Jiang Nuan looked down.
Her left hand was resting beneath the table, and Ye Que’s hand had somehow found its way back on top of it—palm covering her knuckles, fingertips pressed against her wrist bone, as if the gesture had simply continued after they sat down.
Or rather, he had never intended to let go.
【…Shen Wu, you really could talk less.】Jiang Nuan rolled her eyes through the mental link.
This was his idea in the first place—to put on a convincing act in front of Bai Siyuan.
【I’m just trying to reduce how much I have to report tonight.】
Jiang Nuan, “…”
Shen Wu, what exactly are you implying?
She kept her face neutral as she picked up her water glass and took a sip, scanning the table.
Bai Siyuan sat at the head, she was to his left, Ye Que right beside her, and Shen Wu across from them.
One seat was still empty.
“Brother,” Jiang Nuan turned slightly toward Bai Siyuan, her tone curious, “where’s Mr. Song?”
“He might still be resting. I’ve already sent someone to remind him.”
As he spoke, Bai Siyuan reached over to straighten the water glass in front of her.
His fingertips brushed the rim, as if checking whether the temperature was right—small, fussy gestures, meticulous in their care.
Just as he finished speaking, the dining room door swung open from outside.
“Apologies for being late.”
Song Huaicheng walked in, having changed into a dark, old-fashioned suit—as if he had deliberately tidied himself up before coming.
He offered an apologetic smile.
“The Bai estate’s garden is truly stunning—one of the finest sights in the entire Federation.”
“You flatter me, Mr. Song,” Bai Siyuan replied with a polished smile, gesturing with one hand. “A residence is merely a place to dwell. What the Bai family truly cares about has always been the greater good of the Federation.”
Song Huaicheng smiled at that and exchanged a few pleasantries about serving the Federation.
Bai Siyuan indicated the seat to his right.
Song Huaicheng shook his head.
“No need. An outsider like me sitting in that position would only be in the way.”
He walked around most of the table and pulled out the chair in the farthest corner. His back against the wall, away from the main light source, he sat right at the edge of the dining room’s shadows.
His expression was too dim to read clearly.
【Why do both of these people talk like that!】Jiang Nuan frowned furiously through the mental link.
【Adults all talk like that.】Shen Wu’s voice chimed in. 【The literal meaning and the real meaning are always opposites. You’ll get used to it, Little Jiang Nuan.】
【Thanks, Teacher Shen. Next time I’m being sarcastic, I’ll hold up a sign first so you don’t automatically slip into lecture mode.】
【You’re improving, Little Jiang Nuan.】
Ye Que picked up his water glass and took a sip.
【Ye Que, the corner of your mouth is twitching.】Shen Wu said.
Ye Que unhurriedly set down the glass and dabbed the corner of his mouth with his napkin.
His movements were composed, his expression flawless.
【…It’s gone now.】
Staff filed in one after another, bringing dish after dish to the table.
Fine white porcelain plates bore delicately crafted dishes—vivid in color, fragrant in aroma, gleaming under the silver cutlery and warm lights in a way that seemed almost too refined for this world.
The last dish to arrive was a plate of red bean cakes.
The glossy cakes were cut into neat little squares, arranged on a celadon plate, and placed directly in front of Jiang Nuan.
Bai Siyuan glanced at her sidelong, warmth and expectation in his eyes.
In her fragmented memories of the original owner, she had loved red bean cakes.
And as it happened, so did Jiang Nuan.
She curved her lips at Bai Siyuan. “Thank you, brother.”
The angle of Bai Siyuan’s smile softened. “I’m glad Ah Nuan likes it.”
He raised a hand, signaling all the staff to leave.
The dining room doors closed behind them, footsteps fading away.
In the vast space, only five people remained. The clink of dishes and the sound of breathing were amplified by the high ceiling, lending the room a deliberately constructed sense of intimacy.
“Speaking of which, I never properly thanked all of you for the rescue aboard the White Whale.”
He leaned forward slightly, sincerity coloring his tone.
“The situation was dire at the time. Had Zero Squad not performed with such dedication, I doubt I would have made it out in one piece.”
He paused, as if weighing his next words.
Then his gaze swept past Ye Que and Shen Wu, landing on Song Huaicheng in the corner, and his smile deepened just a fraction.
“The Federation is fortunate to have blades as dutiful as all of you—truly a blessing.”
“Seeing you all give such tireless effort must put the Federation’s mind at ease.”
“Wouldn’t you say so, Mr. Song?”
A beat of silence in the mental link.
Then Shen Wu let out a cold laugh.
【Hah.】
【Little fox.】
Jiang Nuan picked up a red bean cake with her chopsticks and took a bite, a moved smile plastered on her face.
【I heard it too. Dutiful, tireless, blades.】
【He’s praising us on the surface but defining us underneath. In other words: Zero Squad is a tool the Federation pays to risk their lives—everything you did was just your job. Don’t think saving me gives you leverage over me.】
【And he’s not done—he drags Song Huaicheng into it too, making the Federation’s representative publicly echo that characterization.】
Shen Wu, 【…I take back what I said earlier. It’s not improvement. It’s a meteoric rise.】
Song Huaicheng clearly hadn’t expected the crossfire to land on him in his corner.
He took a sip of water. “Mr. Bai is too kind. Zero Squad has always been outstanding—that’s plain for everyone to see.”
Then he set down his cup and smiled at Bai Siyuan. “Today, you all are the stars. No need to mind me.”
With one sentence, he deflected everything—neither taking Bai Siyuan’s bait nor backing up Zero Squad.
Slippery as an eel.
Ye Que, without a word, reached over and took the plate in front of Jiang Nuan. Knife and fork moved with precise strokes, cutting the entire steak into even, bite-sized cubes.
“It was our duty.”
He kept his head down, cutting the meat, the sound of silverware touching porcelain barely audible.
“Clearing the restricted zone and protecting the victim—that’s always been the squad’s job.”
He slid the sliced steak back in front of Jiang Nuan.
Only then did he lift his eyes to Bai Siyuan.
“No need to thank us, Mr. Bai.”
The words "the victim" landed on the table, neither heavy nor light.
Bai Siyuan's hand, holding the teacup, paused for a beat.
Then he smiled and gently set the cup back onto its saucer.
The porcelain met with the faintest of clinks. "Mr. Ye is quite right," he said.
【Nice.】Shen Wu said through the mental link.
【Tell him he's just a fragile thing that needs protecting, and to drop the attitude.】
A pause.
【Little Ye Que, you've grown.】
【Shut up.】Ye Que said.
Shen Wu was unmoved.
【Say that word again, and I'll put every last detail of you and Jiang Nuan today into the report.】
Jiang Nuan took a bite of her red bean cake.
【Want me to write it for you?】
Lu Shiyan was far away at base—what did she have to fear?
At the quiet corner of the dining table, Song Huaicheng lowered his head and cut off a small piece of bread, bringing it to his mouth.
His free left hand hung beneath the table, his fingertip silently tracing the lid of the old pocket watch in his pocket.
No one noticed him.
And no one noticed his gaze, resting on Jiang Nuan, lingering for a long while.
