BANG!

A bullet wreathed in red flames tore through the bulletproof glass with terrifying speed, exploding into a shower of fragments.

Simultaneously, a gravitational force slammed into the car.

Her body was jolted by the impact, and shards of glass filled the air.

Jiang Qingli’s eyes flew open.

For a brief moment, everything seemed to unfold in slow motion, like a movie flashing before her eyes frame by frame.

Before she could even register her surprise, Ye Linyuan pulled her into his arms, and a black mist enveloped them.

The black mist seemed to have a physical form, wrapping tightly around the girl and shielding her from all harm.

It was Ye Linyuan’s Superpower: Mist.

The car rolled, but just as it was about to flip onto its side, the black mist caught it, bringing it to a steady stop. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Jiang Qingli reached for the door handle, but a hand with well-defined knuckles pressed her against the young man’s chest.

"Stay still."

Ye Linyuan scanned their surroundings, opened the door, and got out, carrying the girl in one arm.

The hand on the back of her head loosened its grip slightly. Jiang Qingli opened her eyes and looked around.

They were in the open terrain of the border region between the First and Second Districts.

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing and no one threatening. The wind rustled through the trees, creating an almost peaceful quiet, as if the attack had just been an illusion.

But the massive dent in the car nearby and the shattered windows were a stark reminder that it had all been real.

She tensed up, her arms wrapped around him, unsure whether to hold on tighter or let go.

Jiang Qingli glanced at Ye Linyuan’s face. Seeing no fear or tension, she asked in a small voice, "Is someone trying to kill us?"

"They’re trying to kill me," Ye Linyuan said, his voice low. He lowered his gaze, gently tucking a strand of hair from her cheek behind her ear. "They’re already dead."

Jiang Qingli frowned with worry.

Most of the times she saw him, he was injured.

From Jiang Qingli’s perspective, Ye Linyuan’s life was a constant cycle of bleeding, healing, assassination attempts, and getting wounded only to bleed again...

She desperately wanted to know why so many people were trying to kill Ye Linyuan.

But the words died on her lips.

Knowing Ye Linyuan’s personality, she knew no one could get anything out of him unless he offered it himself.

It might even make him angry.

Jiang Qingli would rather maintain the status quo with Ye Linyuan than risk an argument that could push them apart.

A cool touch smoothed the space between her brows.

Ye Linyuan smoothed out the crease in her brow and said in a low voice, "It was the former City Lord."

"He’s hiding in the Lower District, trying to kill me," Ye Linyuan said nonchalantly, but his eyes glinted with the terrifying, bone-chilling cold of someone who had been crossed, a rare and frightening anger.

Yet he managed to forcefully suppress it.

Jiang Qingli paused. "Are you explaining this to me?"

Ye Linyuan looked down at her. "Don’t you want to know?"

Jiang Qingli feigned ignorance. "What makes you think that?"

The young man raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smile in his voice that held a trace of imperceptible fondness. "Someone has curiosity written all over her face."

’Was it that obvious...?’

Jiang Qingli averted her gaze, a little embarrassed. "Well, I didn’t ask. You’re the one who decided to tell me."

"Yes. Voluntarily."

Ye Linyuan shifted to holding her with both arms and began walking slowly toward the city district.

It was the cusp of dawn. The stars faded behind them, giving way to a vast, bright whiteness.

Leaning against his chest, Jiang Qingli suddenly asked, "Oh, right. When the bullet came flying in, I felt something strange. It was like everything was in slow motion. Was that your Superpower, too?"

Ye Linyuan’s movements paused for a fraction of a second. "It wasn’t me."

In that instant, he had indeed felt a fluctuation of Superpower energy.

But the people he had just killed all had Elemental Superpowers.

Time hadn’t stopped.

There were two possibilities for what Jiang Qingli had felt.

First, someone else was present.

Second... Jiang Qingli might have awakened a second Superpower.

He would have sensed if someone else had been there, so he ruled out the first possibility.

The second was more likely, but there was no longer any Superpower fluctuation coming from Jiang Qingli, so it wasn’t certain if she had truly awakened one.

Ye Linyuan decided to observe for a while before drawing any conclusions, lest he get her hopes up for nothing.

About half an hour later, Ye Linyuan stopped at the edge of the city district and set Jiang Qingli down.

Across the road, parked under a directional sign, was the Jiang Family’s car.

The windows of the driver’s and rear passenger’s seats rolled down simultaneously, revealing two faces with different expressions.

Yi Nuo stared in their direction, giving Jiang Qingli a respectful nod. His brow was slightly furrowed, as if he’d encountered something troublesome.

In the back seat, Gu Nian propped his cheek on one hand and gave Jiang Qingli a beaming wave. From the shape of his moving lips, Jiang Qingli could tell he was calling out, "Sister."

Waving back at them, Jiang Qingli’s feet touched the ground. She took a few steps, then noticed he was still standing there, watching her.

"What is it?" Jiang Qingli had a bad feeling. "Aren’t you coming home with me?"

"No. I have to make a trip to the Twelve Cities," Ye Linyuan said. "For half a month."

What Ye Linyuan didn’t say was that this group had been hunting him for years, trying to steal his genes.

Ye Linyuan had never bothered to wipe out these worthless assassins completely.

Most of the time, Ye Linyuan found everything dull. Leaving a few ants to chase him was a way to alleviate the boredom.

Sometimes he would even let them hurt him, just to watch the blood flow from his wounds.

His healing ability far surpassed that of an ordinary person; no wound, no matter how severe, could kill him.

The pain, in fact, made him feel alive.

But now...

His gaze fell upon the girl’s concerned face, and a dark shadow flickered in his eyes.

He didn’t want to leave any threats behind. He never wanted to see fear on her face again.

Ye Linyuan said in a low voice, "Give me something of yours."

"What kind of thing?" Jiang Qingli asked.

"Anything," Ye Linyuan said. "It has to have your scent on it."

Jiang Qingli looked down at herself. She was only wearing a dress and a pair of canvas shoes.

’Where am I supposed to find something with my scent on it...?’

’He can’t possibly want my... my... my un—’

Shaking her head to dispel the strange thought, Jiang Qingli pinched her reddening ear and beckoned to Ye Linyuan. "Come here."

Ye Linyuan lowered his head as she unfastened her necklace.

The necklace she’d worn today was rather unisex: a thin chain with a small metal tag engraved with her birthday.

Jiang Qingli had bought it on a whim during her last shopping trip when she saw the numbers by chance.

She fastened it around Ye Linyuan’s neck but didn’t let go immediately, instead hooking a finger under the chain.

The young man was bent over, allowing himself to be drawn closer to her.

Their breaths mingled, a gentle intimacy in the air.

Jiang Qingli looked up, his reflection captured in her eyes.

"Ye Linyuan, take care of yourself. Don’t get hurt so easily."

"And don’t be gone too long."

Her commanding tone was laced with obvious concern.

When he didn’t respond, she tugged on the necklace. "Did you hear me? You’re my bodyguard. If you get some kind of incurable injury, who’s going to protect me—"

"I know."

As soon as he said that, Ye Linyuan cupped the back of her head and kissed her.

-

Across the road, Gu Nian stared at the kissing pair, his pink eyes turning red.

’That damned old snake.’

’Sure, Ye Linyuan got his kicks slaughtering those traitors, but Yi Nuo and I were the ones who had to clean up the bodies and wipe the surveillance footage, terrified someone would find out and drag Jiang Qingli into it.’

’That was bad enough.’

’And now this old bastard is all over Sister, practically eating her face.’

’Don’t think I can’t see it. Ye Linyuan is doing this on purpose!’

Gu Nian ground his teeth, his delicate, handsome features filled with impatience.

Just as he was contemplating how he could screw Ye Linyuan over in the Lower District, Jiang Qingli started walking toward them.

The moment the girl’s gaze fell on him, the darkness on Gu Nian’s face vanished completely, replaced by a sweet, obedient smile. "Sister~"

Jiang Qingli slid into the car, still a little worried about Ye Linyuan, and her response was somewhat absent-minded.

A hand took hers. Gu Nian said softly, "What’s wrong, Sister? Are you in a bad mood?"

"A little," Jiang Qingli said, stroking his hair.

"Then do you want to pet my ears, Sister? It’s really stress-relieving," the rabbit-eared boy said with a docile smile.

From the driver’s seat, Yi Nuo watched Gu Nian’s instant change of expression in the rearview mirror.

The Gray Wolf Butler’s thin lips curled into a sneer.

’His heart is black to the core, yet he puts on this naive, clueless, idiotic act for her.’

But when he saw Jiang Qingli raise her hand to pat Gu Nian’s cheek and say with a smile that it was nothing, the Gray Wolf Butler’s eyes dimmed.

’Sometimes, even he envied that kind of "stupidity" that earned so much concern.’

The car drove into the city district, the rest of the ride silent.

...

It was still early, so Jiang Qingli went home first to wash up and eat the breakfast Baili Jing had made.

She arrived at the academy with Gu Nian, only to be stopped by someone in the garage.