If Lu Jinghuai hadn’t mentioned before that Ji Nian had saved him, seeing this beautiful boy kneeling obediently before her with eyes full of trust, Ji Nian would have definitely misunderstood.
But now, all she saw in those silver-gray eyes was sincerity and faith.
She was almost moved by the boy’s earnestness.
"You were unconscious back then—how do you still remember that?"
Ji Nian couldn’t stand him looking at her like that and gestured for him to get up, pulling him to sit beside her.
Lu Jinghuai obediently took his seat next to her, his gaze flickering over the hand that had briefly tugged at his before quickly withdrawing.
"Your eyes," he said.
Ji Nian touched the corner of her own eye and echoed, "Eyes?"
She distinctly remembered using color-changing contact lenses at the time.
Lu Jinghuai nodded but didn’t elaborate.
"When you came to Country O to deliver the antidote, I sensed it too."
And then there was that dream—so surreal it felt unreal, yet every detail remained etched in his memory.
It wasn’t until he saw Ji Nian’s photo in Lu Zhi’s phone that he recognized her instantly, even though her face was completely unfamiliar.
Ji Nian sighed and remarked on how fateful it all was.
Who would have thought the "little girl" she’d encountered back then would turn out to be Lu Jinghuai?
System: [Just like who would’ve thought your uncle was the rabbit you used to raise.]
It even thought of a darkly humorous scenario—when Chen Mo was old and bedridden, Ji Nian would probably be quite skilled at tending to his needs.
"Good thing you held on back then. I didn’t do much—it was your own bravery."
Compared to that moment, the grueling rehabilitation process had been the real torment. Thankfully, he’d succeeded—otherwise, Ji Nian couldn’t imagine how much darker the world would be without the Little Imperial Grandson’s beauty… no, without him as a person.
Lu Jinghuai gazed at her and thought, No, you’re far more important to me than you realize.
"...Do you have ice? You should ice your eyes, or they’ll swell tomorrow."
With that, she was already on her feet, heading toward the kitchen. Having been here once before, Ji Nian roughly remembered the way.
She moved so quickly that Lu Jinghuai didn’t even have time to stop her.
The moment Ji Nian stepped into the kitchen, she was assaulted.
A pungent sting forced her eyes shut. "Ugh—"
"Are you cutting onions?"
She hastily retreated.
Suddenly realizing something, she turned to look at Lu Jinghuai’s reddened eyes.
Caught under her gaze, Lu Jinghuai murmured a quiet, "Yeah."
"The cook took the day off, so I tried making food myself."
The worst part was, he hadn’t recognized the onion. Assuming it was edible, he’d started chopping—only to be overwhelmed by the burning sensation. Realizing his mistake, he’d immediately fled the scene, deciding to pretend none of it had ever happened.
After all, once the cook returned tomorrow, she wouldn’t ask him about it.
Hearing Lu Jinghuai’s explanation, Ji Nian leaned against the wall, laughing so hard she could barely stand.
No wonder the onion still had its skin on.
Seeing her laugh so heartily, amusement flickered in Lu Jinghuai’s eyes too—though mixed with a hint of displeasure, since she was laughing at him. His ears turned pink under the hallway lights, betraying his embarrassment.
"Why didn’t you just order food?"
Noticing his mood, Ji Nian reined in her laughter and wiped the tears from her eyes.
Hadn’t they just eaten earlier?
Thinking back, Lu Jinghuai had indeed eaten very little, pushing his food around before declaring he was full.
Lu Jinghuai explained, "I don’t like outside food."
"Fine, then tough it out. Eat more at breakfast tomorrow."
Ji Nian patted his shoulder.
No wonder Ji Nian had been single her entire past life.
‘If you’re hungry, just endure it.’ Even the stingiest person would at least hypocritically say, ‘You should still eat something, or you’ll ruin your health.’
Lu Jinghuai, however, didn’t seem to mind. Glancing at the time and seeing how late it was, he took off his jacket and handed it to Ji Nian, suggesting she change out of hers.
At least it would cover her legs a bit more.
"Or, if you don’t want to wear this, I can find a new one for you."
His cautious expression made it seem like the slightest misstep would earn him a rejection.
Ji Nian: "……This one’s fine."
Even if it was just a few steps, it wouldn’t be right to refuse the Little Imperial Grandson’s kindness.
Once the gray jacket was off, it revealed a thin white short-sleeve underneath. The sleeves were even shorter than their school uniforms, leaving his arms almost entirely bare. His fair skin and surprisingly toned arms were on full display, the muscles subtly defined when he moved. This content belongs to novęlfire.net
Without the jacket, his scholarly aura diminished significantly. Ji Nian’s gaze lingered on the exposed curve of his ear, now visible since his hair was tied back.
She thought to herself that something was missing. When was Lu Jinghuai’s birthday? She’d have to ask Uncle Lu Zhi later.
Noticing her stare, Lu Jinghuai touched his face. "Is there something on it?"
Ji Nian quickly slipped into the new jacket, draping the old one over her arm as she walked out. "No, I was just thinking—when I first saw your red eyes, I thought I’d made you cry."
Hearing her assumption, Lu Jinghuai chuckled.
No wonder Ji Nian’s pupils had dilated in shock earlier.
"I don’t cry easily."
Relieved, Ji Nian patted his shoulder without reservation. "That’s great. Humanity’s future is saved."
Seeing Ji Nian emerge wearing a different jacket, Wei Yang’s lips trembled. "……Why… why the sudden change of clothes?"
Damn it, he should’ve followed them inside!
"The Little Imperial Grandson was worried I’d get cold, so he gave me this. See? I still have the one I came in."
Hearing the explanation, Wei Yang’s fatherly instincts relaxed.
Chemistry class was Ji Nian’s most relaxing time of the day. She’d already reviewed all the middle school material during the summer break after elementary graduation.
The teacher turned a blind eye to her daydreaming—such was the privilege of a top student.
Ji Nian scribbled notes on scratch paper while her deskmate peeked over, disappointed to find nothing understandable before getting scolded by the teacher for fidgeting.
[Sun Xiao’s medical report at age fifteen showed all indicators were normal.]
[That confirms one thing.]
[His abnormal readings must be tied to that sudden disappearance ten years ago.]
It seemed likely he’d been taken for large-scale extraction, though why he’d survived a decade remained unclear.
Ji Nian guessed Sun Xiao had probably been used as a lab subject. The fact that Crow had chosen him as a pawn was no coincidence either.
This was familiar territory for her—in her past life, she’d seen too many seniors lured by money into shady labs. Some struck it rich, changed their names, and emigrated. Others ended up dead or crippled in "accidents." And some simply vanished without a trace.
"Help me look up information on people with similar cases to Sun Xiao in recent years. There’s no way they’d target just one person—there must be many more victims.
The culprit is like a gopher, darting out to scratch someone before immediately burrowing back into hiding. They’re slippery to catch, but Ji Tingzhou and Chen Mo aren’t ones to be trifled with. They’ll toss a fire into the hole, smoke them out, and finish the job."