Lin Yu truly came to understand what kind of person Mu Liuli was back at Qiongdian Academy.
Although Xia Yanran and she didn’t get along, they weren’t bitter enemies.
During an off-campus event, Mu Liuli once helped Xia Yanran out, ending up injured herself.
Later, when Lin Yu and Xia Yanran went to visit her, they learned that Mu Liuli’s family was quite wealthy, but… that was all she had left.
Twelve years ago, when Rift Beasts invaded Nest City No. 3, the tragedy that ensued extended far beyond just Lin Yu and Lin Mowei.
Mu Liuli, too, was a victim of that incident.
The only consolation was that she inherited a vast fortune left by her parents, though she also had a pack of wolfish relatives lurking, eager to snatch it away.
She awakened early. When an assassin was about to plunge a knife into her heart, she awakened an ability called “Puppet.”
She herself didn’t much like this ability, but it was enough to keep her safe.
“I’m done eating, you two take your time.”
Mu Liuli wiped her mouth with a napkin, stood up, and left the table.
As she left, she glanced at Xia Yanran, then nodded at Lin Yu, silently expressing her gratitude for him smoothing things over just now.
Lin Yu curled his lips in a faint smile and said nothing.
He felt there was nothing wrong with his actions. He wasn’t currying favor with Mu Liuli, nor did he let Xia Yanran and her fall out too badly.
But it seemed one of the parties didn’t see it that way.
As soon as Mu Liuli left, Xia Yanran put down her chopsticks, crossed her arms, and glared at Lin Yu, cheeks puffed out in annoyance.
“Hey, what was that just now, you and her exchanging looks? What’s that supposed to mean?”
Lin Yu was lowering his head to sip his soup. At her words, he nearly choked, then looked up at her in confusion.
“Who? Who did I exchange looks with?”
“Who else? Mu Liuli!” Xia Yanran jerked her chin toward the door. “The way she looked at you, and you smiled back at her—You’ve never smiled at me like that!”
Lin Yu was stunned for a moment, then couldn’t help but laugh. “That was just being polite. And since when have I not smiled at you?”
“Never!” Xia Yanran turned away, grumbling angrily. “When it’s me, all you ever do is say ‘Oh,’ ‘Mm,’ ‘Alright, Yanran.’ Don’t think I can’t tell you’re brushing me off! Hmph!”
She mimicked Lin Yu’s flat tone so well it was uncanny.
Watching her seething, utterly unreasonable jealousy, Lin Yu found it both amusing and a little helpless.
He deliberately sighed, “Ah, what should I do then? Want me to smile at you now? With extra gentleness?”
He really did stretch his lips wide, pulling an exaggerated, completely un-gentle smile.
Xia Yanran turned and, seeing his ridiculous face, burst out laughing with a “pfft”—then quickly tried to hold it in, forcing a stern look.
“So ugly! No sincerity at all…”
“What would count as sincere, then?” Lin Yu played along, knowing this girl needed to be coaxed.
Xia Yanran’s eyes darted. Suddenly, she leaned in and tapped her own cheek with a finger, looking at him shyly and expectantly.
“Unless… you give me a kiss.”
Lin Yu’s mouth twitched. He knew this girl just couldn’t give up her mischief toward him.
He leaned back. “Don’t push your luck! I see you as a good brother—why are you always trying to take advantage of me?”
Xia Yanran pouted, as if she’d expected this answer, though a flash of disappointment passed through her eyes.
But she quickly perked up again, her eyes shining as she came up with a new “solution.”
“Then… feed me, at least? That’s fair, right? Treat it as your apology for siding with an outsider just now.”
She pointed to the untouched dessert on the table. “I want that pudding.”
Seeing her “I’m compromising so you’d better agree” expression, Lin Yu knew he wouldn’t get through this meal in peace unless he played along.
With a resigned sigh, he picked up a small spoon, scooped out a piece of pudding, and brought it to her mouth.
“Come on, Sister Xia, open up.”
Xia Yanran immediately beamed, obediently opening her mouth and chomping down on the pudding, cheeks puffed out as she chewed, eyes crinkling in satisfaction.
“More!” She swallowed and promptly pointed to the pudding for another bite.
Lin Yu gave in, feeding her one spoonful after another.
Xia Yanran ate while swaying her head, every so often shooting him a smug glance—any trace of jealousy or bad mood had long since vanished.
“Hehe, now that’s more like it.” Finishing the last bite, Xia Yanran wiped her mouth with a tissue, all her earlier gloom swept away, back to her energetic self.
“You’re forgiven!”
Seeing her bright smile, Lin Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Dealing with Xia Yanran sometimes felt like coaxing a child—you just had to use the right method.
“All done, and the movie’s about to start. Let’s go.” Lin Yu stood up.
“Okay~!” Xia Yanran hopped up, naturally taking his hand as they headed out. “Hurry, hurry, don’t be late!”
Feeling the warmth from her hand, Lin Yu glanced at her once more, at her dazzling smile, and shook his head helplessly.
Fine. As long as she’s happy.
Afternoon, northern district of Nest City.
Lin Mowei, clad in Biological Armor, raised her longsword and brought it down with a fierce slash.
This was the last Rift Beast needed to break through the Mother Nest’s spatial barrier.
She ripped the nerve ganglion from its body and handed it to Mu Qingqing beside her.
“Take it for analysis. Find out as soon as possible what frequency is needed to break the Mother Nest’s spatial barrier.”
“Yes, Chief.” Mu Qingqing silently glanced at Lin Mowei.
Though the Chief had shown up on time after the break, Mu Qingqing, knowing she’d left mid-mission, still felt something was off.
As if… she’d gotten some kind of replenishment and was now glowing with vitality.
With the Chief’s ability, two hours were more than enough for a round trip in twenty minutes. The rest of the time… what had she done?
Mu Qingqing didn’t know and didn’t dare to guess.
An hour later, the report was in Lin Mowei’s hands.
“Good. Everyone, push a little harder. Let’s take down the Mother Nest in one go—then you’ll all get some time off.”
“Alright!”
Mu Qingqing cheered along with the others, but inside, she felt uncommonly calm.
Curiosity—call it gossip by another name.
As an otaku who spent all her off time surfing the web, gossip was something hard to resist.
But when it involved her revered Chief… what was she supposed to do?
……
When Lin Mowei opened her front door, the sunset’s glow had painted the living room a warm orange.
She wore an expectant, relaxed expression. The fatigue from constant high-intensity battle seemed to lift just thinking about seeing her little brother soon.
“Xiao Yu, I’m home.”
She took off her coat as she called out, her voice much softer than when she was outside.
But the room was silent. No familiar figure. No noisy sounds from the game console.
Only the faint hum of the air conditioner answered her call.
Lin Mowei’s gentle look froze in an instant.
She hurried into the living room, her gaze sweeping over the empty sofa, then turning to the kitchen and her brother’s tightly shut bedroom door. No one.
He should be home at this hour.
She’d calculated the time especially, settling the Mother Nest before dinner so she could eat with him.
Suddenly, an uncontrollable thought popped into her mind—Xia Yanran! It had to be that little girl!
A twisted possessiveness and the anxiety from her brother’s absence flared inside her like a lit fuse, crackling as it spread.
Yesterday’s seemingly “normal” footage on the surveillance cameras now appeared, to her, as an elaborate sham.
Was it Xia Yanran? Did that stubborn girl finally show her true colors? Had she underestimated her?
Countless uneasy suspicions bubbled up, making her breath quicken.
She forced herself to calm down, pulled out her phone, and dialed Lin Yu’s number.
The call connected. The ringtone buzzed in her ear.
“Pick up, Xiao Yu…” she urged quietly, her fingers unconsciously tightening their grip.
A few seconds later, instead of her brother’s clear voice, she heard a burst of background noise—muffled voices mixed with… a stifled sound, something like whimpering or… panting?
It was very soft, quickly drowned out by more environmental noise, but Lin Mowei caught it.
Her heart plummeted as if she’d been dropped into an icy lake, her blood freezing in that moment.
What was that sound? Where was he? Who was he with?
A thousand questions exploded at once, her grip making the phone creak in protest.
In the quiet room, Lin Mowei could even hear her heart pounding, thumping fiercely against her eardrums.
And on the other end of the line, the noise went on—yet no one spoke.