Mia Grant didn’t know how she fell asleep that night, nor was she aware of the time.

She only vaguely remembered sitting on the bathroom counter, held tightly in a fervent embrace.

She buried her face in his neck and cried her heart out.

And Felix Sinclair, just as he had said earlier, kept his gaze averted. He didn’t look at her once from beginning to end, carefully protecting her stubborn yet fragile pride.

After coaxing her to sleep, Felix Sinclair tucked her in, took his phone, and walked out onto the balcony.

He turned to close the balcony door and unlocked his phone.

His jacket was damp with her tears, so he had just left it in the bathroom.

Now, he was only wearing a thin gray sweater.

A cold wind blew against him. Felix Sinclair let out a heavy sigh and sent a message to his department head.

"Good evening, sir. My apologies for bothering you so late. This is Felix Sinclair from the mathematics department."

"I have a question I’d like to ask, if you have a moment."

The department head replied quickly.

Seeing the reply, Felix Sinclair didn’t hesitate and carefully typed, "I’d like to inquire about changing my major."

After a long wait, the department head still hadn’t replied. Felix Sinclair frowned, deciding to wait a bit longer.

But instead of a message, he received a call from the department head.

"Felix Sinclair, is that really you? I need to hear your voice right now!"

"It’s me, sir."

The department head was silent for a few seconds, then asked, "Today is Christmas, right? Not April Fools’ Day?"

"Changing my major is a decision I’ve made after careful consideration, sir. I mainly want to understand the specific process."

"..."

"Aren’t you completely devoted to mathematics? Wait, what major do you want to switch to?"

"I... I’m very interested in physics."

More of that familiar silence.

The department head took a deep breath. "What’s so great about physics? Did Professor Li brainwash you?"

The department head assumed the other department was to blame.

"No, it’s my own decision."

"No, no, I can’t accept that reason. Felix, you were born for mathematics. Don’t go astray!"

"Are you in your dorm right now? I’ll—I’ll drive over and find you. We need to talk about this in person!"

The department head was panicking. He felt he had to set him straight immediately.

’There is no way I’m letting him go through the night with this idea of changing majors!’

’I won’t allow it!!!’

"I’m sorry, I’m not in Jynsia right now. I know this is very sudden, but it’s truly how I feel."

"I always thought that I loved mathematics, loved all the numbers and formulas. I thought they would be enough to carry me far."

"But then, I walked alone for too long, and for a time, I couldn’t find my reason for being."

"It is perfect, but I am not."

"Maybe physics isn’t something I’m naturally good at. Maybe it will all be for nothing in the end, and I’ll never be able to make any contribution to the field in my entire life."

"But I still want to do this."

"I know it’s stubborn."

"But this is my reason for being."

"I hope that the next time someone asks me that same question, I can tell her with more conviction..."

"Love and science are not in conflict."

"They can both explain why we appeared in the same space and time."

"So, I sincerely hope you will seriously consider it and give me a chance."

"The world of mathematics is vast and boundless; it certainly won’t miss someone like me."

"The same goes for physics."

"But right now, someone needs me to do this."

There was a long silence on the other end of the line, then the department head sighed. "Is it worth it? To give up something you’ve loved and pursued for so many years? Aren’t you afraid you’ll suddenly regret it one day?"

"Some things can’t be compared. But if I had to pick a winner, then yes, it’s worth it."

"If I regret it one day, it will only be because I didn’t step into this field sooner."

"You kid, are you getting carried away? It’s fine for young people to be in love—it’s always like this at the beginning—but you still need to calm down. Your life is your own."

"In the words of you young people today, isn’t this what you’d call being ’love-brained’?"

Felix Sinclair’s tone was exceptionally calm. He looked up at the distant moon and said softly, "I believe I am being very rational and clear-headed."

"I admit I love her very much, and I would even give everything for her. But that’s not because I’m a good person."

"It’s because she is."

"No one is a fool. No one is born liking to give of themselves."

"It’s simply because she’s worth it."

"The kind one, the bright one—that’s her, not me."

---

「Portia.」

The bedroom was brightly lit.

All the servants in the room had been driven out, leaving only the butler.

The butler hadn’t expected the night to turn out like this.

The sight of the pitch-black gun muzzle still made his heart pound with fear.

On the bed, the old gentleman’s eyes were tightly shut, the ventilator still running.

A few equally elderly doctors stood to the side, none of them having recovered from the shock.

At their age, they couldn’t handle such a major shock.

Hayes Hughes stepped forward, found his mentor, and asked about the old gentleman’s condition.

The old hospital directors were tight-lipped at first, but in the next second, the man on the sofa lifted his gaze, a faint smile playing on his lips as he said in a low voice, "I recall Mr. Garrison’s daughter just graduated this year?"

"..."

As his voice faded, the atmosphere in the room dropped to a freezing point and grew eerie.

Mr. Garrison looked over in a panic. The man on the sofa had his long legs crossed, his powerful aura on full display. The halo of light from the wall sconce fell upon his deep-set features, adding an eerie, almost horrifying quality.

They had smelled the scent of blood on him when he entered.

They had also all heard the gunshot from upstairs.

Mr. Garrison was an old man; what hadn’t he been through? Naturally, he understood the implication in the other man’s words.

He could, of course, refuse to answer.

But then the other man wouldn’t mind going after his daughter.

Everyone has a weak spot.

And a beast of prey like this, when attacking its target, possessed a natural sense of superiority. He was already accustomed to the habits of his quarry, so he remained completely at ease throughout the process, unhurriedly trailing behind it.

It didn’t even matter if the prey escaped. If he wanted, with a crook of his finger, he had countless ways to deal with it.

Truth be told, the people of Portia had always had a very high opinion of Silas Grant.

Everyone praised him as a noble gentleman, a man of integrity, elegant and poised in his bearing. But no one was naive enough to think he had gotten to where he was today solely with the old gentleman’s support.

A successor groomed by the old gentleman would not have gotten there with clean hands.

Mr. Garrison conceded.

’It has come to this, anyway.’

"Wait a moment. I’ll send the report to Hayes."

Ten minutes later, Hayes Hughes had finished a rough reading of the report and confirmed the details with the other directors several times over.

Only then did he turn to look at Silas Grant on the sofa.

Beneath his glasses, those dark eyes were sharp, and the smile on his lips was tinged with undisguised contempt. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

He didn’t seem to particularly care about the answer.

There was no expectation in his eyes, only a flicker of amusement.

After all, the man was going to die no matter what.

Snapping back to his senses, Hayes Hughes shook his head gently. "He’s not going to make it."