Ye Fan and Zhang Lu found a secluded corner in the courtyard to keep watch on what was happening inside the house.
They couldn’t think of a reason to refuse Qin’s father’s request, so they agreed.
Inside the house, Qin’s father took his daughter to wash up, and under his care, Qin Xue transformed into a beautiful lady.
Then, he pulled his daughter to sit on the sofa, feeding her cake.
There had always been strawberry-flavored cakes at home. Since his daughter disappeared, Qin’s father bought some every day to eat alone. It was partly to comfort himself and partly out of a futile hope that maybe one day his daughter would come home.
This day had finally come, bitter grief flooded Qin’s father’s heart, yet a smile played on his face.
"Xuexue, eat more." Qin’s father fed his daughter cake.
"Daddy, you eat too." Qin Xue also fed her father. She was completely like a little girl, except she had grown into a young woman. Her expressions and voice had no trace of anything other than childlike simplicity.
Qin Xue was very happy, with cream still on the corners of her mouth. She continued chomping hungrily, savoring her favorite cake, completely forgetting her assassin identity, her memory stuck before the incident.
"Is it delicious?" Qin’s father asked with a loving smile.
"Delicious." Qin Xue smiled sweetly, nodding like a little chick pecking at rice.
Ye Fan and Zhang Lu watched this scene, their eyes fluctuating.
"She is now just like a child, seeing her , who would think she is K12, notorious among the Red Skull’s ranks?" Zhang Lu sighed, her expression turning to sympathy, pity, helplessness...
"Yes, who could imagine the amount of sin her hands are stained with." Ye Fan’s expression seemed distant.
Suddenly, he felt a kinship with Qin Xue, having a similar experience, both just returning home.
In terms of blood debts, Ye Fan had more. Of course, their experiences within the organization were different. Qin Xue sank down, becoming a cold-blooded killer, while Ye Fan endured, learned skills, and destroyed the organization for his family’s vengeance. From this point, their fates differed drastically.
"What should we do now? Are we just going to keep waiting? If her memory stays stuck before the incident, we can’t watch over her indefinitely, can we?" Zhang Lu inquired.
"Let’s wait a while longer. At least give Qin’s father and daughter enough reunion time. The longer she stays , the better for Qin’s father. Let her comfort him for the years of suffering he endured. We can wait a little longer; let’s not do anything, just observe the changes." Ye Fan said.
"That’s all we can do." Zhang Lu fell silent; stopping them forcibly now would be too cruel to Qin’s father.
After finishing the cake, Qin’s father proactively started chatting about his daughter’s school days. He didn’t want her to think too much, so he grasped at topics, trying to avoid triggering memories about her mother. This way, he could prolong the time spent with his daughter.
Qin’s father cherished this warm scene immensely; even a second of it was a significant enjoyment.
"Daddy, I got first place in my exam, the teacher praised me for being smart and said I’d be a scientist in the future."
"And daddy, my singing is really good, my classmates can’t compare."
"Daddy, Uncle Wang’s kid next door is so naughty, he even stole my eraser."
Qin Xue’s memories flipped back, recalling some school-related stories under her father’s guidance.
"My Xuexue is the smartest, the best. After this, I’ll teach Uncle Wang’s kid a lesson for you." Qin’s father smiled kindly, though inside he was anguishing, thinking how such a good daughter could suffer such misfortune.
"Daddy, you’re the best." Qin Xue hugged her father’s neck and kissed his forehead.
The two of them talked about everything and nothing, and soon, an hour had passed.
Ye Fan and Zhang Lu patiently waited. No matter how much Qin’s father changed the subject, Qin Xue’s memory was bound to return to her mother, and she asked, "Daddy, where’s mommy? Why hasn’t she come back? Didn’t you say she went out? By now, she should be home. I have to go to school."
"Mom went to visit your grandma. Today is Sunday, so you don’t need to go to school. Daddy will stay home with you." Qin’s father said.
Qin’s father’s words were merely excuses; he could only say this.
Little did he know, his words would drag Qin Xue back to the incident.
The word "mommy" exploded in Qin Xue’s mind, she murmured, "Daddy, you’re lying; today is Sunday, mommy was going to take me to the amusement park, mommy, where is she? She didn’t go to grandma’s."
The day Qin Xue had her incident was indeed Sunday, and her mom was taking her to the amusement park, which led to the tragedy.
Sunday, mommy, amusement park; connecting these three dots, her memory suddenly shifted forward.
Suddenly, she returned to the amusement park scene.
The bad guys kidnapped her, and mommy frantically chased after them.
"Mommy, help! Mommy, save me." Qin Xue’s expression suddenly changed, becoming extremely agitated, angry, and helpless.
"Xuexue, don’t think about it, daddy is right here." Qin’s father tried to take his daughter into his arms.
Qin Xue pushed Qin’s father away, causing him to tumble to the back of the sofa.
Qin’s father hastily stood up, tears streaming, lovingly saying, "Xuexue, I’m daddy, come to daddy."
"Mommy died, she was pushed off the bridge by the bad guys while saving me, and was hit by a car to death." Qin Xue cried, her memories fixated on the moment of her mother’s tragedy.
In her mind, an image appeared, that of her mother’s tragic death.
Then, another image emerged, as if time had frozen, no longer moving.
This image was of a man’s face, the man who kidnapped her and pushed her mother off the overpass.
Thinking of this image, Qin Xue was filled with murderous intent, making those who sensed this killing aura feel suffocated.
Qin’s father cautiously moved towards his daughter, reaching out to stroke her, very carefully, as if fearing the bubble of this dream would burst. He edged slowly closer to his daughter.
"Xuexue, don’t be afraid, daddy is here." Qin’s father anxiously reassured.
"Bad man, you’re a bad man, I’ll kill you, bad man." Qin Xue’s gaze turned icy cold, like cold steel sending chills to the spine.
At this moment, Qin’s father’s face overlapped with that of the bad man.
What she saw was no longer her father’s face but the ferocious visage of the villain.
Qin Xue’s figure moved, lunging towards Qin’s father.