After a rather silent dinner, Ji Qiuhuan went to the kitchen to cut fruits. The nanny offered to help, but he politely declined her assistance.

In the living room, Helan anxiously looked towards Jiqiuhan in the kitchen.

"You two are busy all the time. It's not easy to have some free time to have a meal together at home, and you discipline the child for what?!"

"Shouldn't he have been punished for the messed up things he did?"

Li Guoyi's face was cold, his anger still unabated. "It's because you pampered him too much when he was young, that he has such audacity!"

"Why are you being mean to me? What did Xiaohan do wrong?" Ms. Helan immediately became displeased. "I spoiled him, but did I also spoil your temper of always hitting people? It's all my fault. Director Li, why don't you just beat me up too!"

"Ts, there's really nothing Li Guoyi can do about his cherished wife. '...What a nonsense! Acting more and more childish. When have I ever laid a finger on you?'"

He Lan can remain forever young because she is inseparable from the continuous love and favor bestowed upon her by Li Guoyi for decades. She knows even more that her husband has long regarded Xiao Han as his own son and would not easily get angry. Gently, her soft and fair hand quietly squeezed the shoulder of this stern-faced man beside her.

"...Alright, alright. What was the reason this time for such a big outburst?"

"Not getting angry,"

Li Guoyi shook the newspaper in his hand, but his gaze did not land on it. After a moment's silence, he sighed silently. "In the end, it's still because of that case."

Helan's hand froze for a moment, and then he understood everything in an instant.

"...So, there... is a lead in the case?"

"No." Li Guoyi shook his head. "That person just looks somewhat like Zhao Yonglin. I've had someone investigate it a long time ago, but I didn't tell him because I was afraid he would be disappointed. I never expected that this child would go on his own."

He Lan didn't know what to say for a moment, furrowing his brows and sighing softly in distress. Li Guoyi was well aware that she was feeling sorry, so he calmly wrapped his arms around his wife's shoulder to comfort her.

……

The small garden in front of the villa is meticulously cared for by the house's mistress, exuding a delicate and romantic atmosphere. Under the moonlight, there is a tranquil beauty carried by the gentle breeze.

Helan walks on his arms.

Your Uncle has always had a temper like that. He brings it from the military, where he cares about people but doesn't say it. If anything happens to you, he worries more than anyone else...

"Does it hurt?" Helan asked as he intended to examine the injury on his back. "Ah, Aunt Lan..." Jiqiu Han hurriedly interrupted.

"It doesn't hurt, I'm fine."

Helan's attempt to administer the medicine in the room was unsuccessful. Seeing that the child was not allowed to be seen, he became even more convinced that the injury was severe, and his heart ached intensely. Jiqiuhan dared not exert force to stop him, so he had no choice but to repeat the coaxing and persuasion again, in order to finally retrieve the ointment from the woman's hand without leaving any trace.

"...You, Child! Why are you so awkward? When you were young, wasn't it always me who gave you medicine?"

Ji Qiuhan let out a sigh of relief, his expression unusually gentle. He reached out and repositioned the woman's shawl.

"Yeah, and then Grandma Lan felt sorry for me, so Uncle promises to beat me even harder next time." Before the woman could speak, he continued, "If Grandma Lan really cares about me, she should go back to the house now. It's getting cool at night, and if I happen to sneeze twice later, I won't just endure these two hits..."

Helan appeared as if he was going to hit him, but in the end, he didn't land a slap. Instead, he quickly turned his hand and lovingly adjusted the young man's collar. This was their first meeting, and the child before her was so thin and small. She had coaxed him for a long time before he was willing to hold her hand. However, in the blink of an eye, he had grown taller than her.

"... You have such a sharp tongue, Xiao Han, you have really grown up."

Helan had just returned from Moscow today and was indeed a bit exhausted. However, he still carefully instructed him several times. Ji Qiuhan patiently listened, responded one by one, and finally watched the nanny accompany the person back before turning to go to the car.

……

After making sure they were out of Helan's line of sight, Ji Qiuhan's rigid and tense back finally eased up, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

He pulled open the car door and sat inside. The tension in his muscles gradually relaxed, returning to a manageable state. Sweat was already starting to form on his pale forehead.

Ji Qiuhuan took out a cigarette case from his pocket, but his fingers that were trying to light the cigarette couldn't stop trembling.

He knew that the moment he came out of the detention center in the afternoon, that layer of red caught up with him.

"Xiaohan, the A-level wanted warrant has been hanging for sixteen years, yet there has been no trace of Zhao Yonglin whatsoever. In our hands, we have no direct evidence other than a photograph. ... I know that throughout these years, you have never been able to let go, but you are still young and have a promising future. If..."

In the study, Li Guoyi's final silence and sigh were like an iron axe when combined with the face of the person in the yellow vest in the detention center, forcefully splitting open a corner of the black box that had been sealed in Ji Qiuhuang's mind.

It seemed as if the overflowing blood slowly trickled into Ji Qiuhans eyes through his tiny blood vessels. The view outside the car window gradually became enveloped in a thin layer of red mist, starting from the surroundings.

The silver Lexus drove onto the Shenhu Expressway from the suburbs, heading in a direction away from the apartment. After two loud thunderclaps, a torrential downpour suddenly began in the dark night.

The windshield wipers swung back and forth in a hurried and frantic manner.

Like a hypnotic pointer.

It sent Ji Qiuhang's time back to that rainy night sixteen years ago, overlapping amid the mottled rain in the space and time...

In the pouring rain, alongside a pitch-black road, a young boy was walking forward stubbornly, while a girl who appeared to be seventeen or eighteen years old chased after him from behind.

Xiaohan! Stop messing around! It's pouring rain, so go home with your sister first!

However, the boy did not listen to the girl's advice. He angrily released the girl's hand and said, "You don't need to worry about me! Go marry that rapist!!"

The boy walked on in the heavy rain without looking back.

It felt as though Ji Qiuhán was right behind them. He watched his sixteen-year-old self and Ji Xià.

As the boy walked further away, the layer of red in front of Ji Qiuhuan suddenly accelerated and approached, becoming more intense as it drew nearer. The girl's slender figure in Ji Qiuhuan's field of vision grew smaller and smaller. Ji Xia ran farther away…

Ji Qiuhán unconsciously stepped on the accelerator to chase after, and the silver car instantly accelerated and surged forward in the pouring rain.

And just ahead of him, it started to rain heavily. A black car stopped beside the siblings. Ji Qiuhan saw the car window roll down, and a hand reaching out from the window, holding a cigarette. The solitary spark of fire flickered intermittently as it was drenched by the raindrops.

Later, the young him got into that black car along with Ji Xia.

No...!!!

Ji Xia!! Don't get on the car!!

Ji Qiuhuan's eyes were completely bloodshot, like a raging beast. He couldn't make a sound, just like sixteen years ago when he felt so powerless. He stared at the highway that was pouring down with rain, just like tonight, pitch black with no end in sight.

With a loud "bang!", the speeding Lexus made a sharp turn and directly crashed into the green belt, hitting the signpost. The impact was sudden and fierce amidst the heavy rain.

White smoke rose as the front hood of the copilot's seat had completely collapsed and deformed. I dare not imagine if it shifted a little further towards the driver's seat... Then there would be no need to call even the emergency hotline.

The young man driving, however, seemed completely unaware of how he had just narrowly avoided death by a hair's breadth. He was in a daze, stumbling out of the car.

Several sharp braking sounds pierced the air as the vehicles suddenly accelerated on the highway. The two black cars that had been cautiously following him immediately came to a stop, so as not to disturb him.

Several black-clad individuals swiftly descended upon the young man, meticulously examining him from head to toe. After confirming that he had no apparent external injuries, they let out a sigh of relief, their hearts still trembling with fear.

Fang Bei's heart was hanging in his throat the entire way. He had been frightened half to death by the car accident just now. After all, nobody thought Jiang Zhan's words, "If he has an accident, all of you will be buried with him," were a joke.

He held an umbrella for the young man while shouting, "Mr. Ji! The rain is too heavy, let's get in the car first!"

Perhaps it was the intense impact just now that briefly pulled Ji Qiuhan away from his nightmare. Fang Bei supported him and they made their way slowly towards a bench on the side of the road. Seeing that Ji Qiuhan was unwilling to get in the car and yet unable to exert force, Fang Bei could only assist him as they walked, half supporting and half guiding.

"...Yes! It's the subordinate's negligence! Mr. Ji is unharmed..."

Fang Bei's face was filled with despair. He handed over the phone, and Ji Qiuhan frowned and stared at it for a while, without making a move.

Fang Bei could only say, "Mr. Ji, it's the young master who's looking for you."

Ji Qiuhan took the phone call, but the fury on the other end was still raging like thunder.

He said, "Jiang Zhan, I want to see you..."

......

The torrential rain intensified, pouring down incessantly. The raindrops, as large as beans, hammered against the leaves, signs, and the paved road, resonating with a loud and constant roar that seemed to elongate the passage of time in one's ears.

Ji Qiuhan sat on the ground, his formerly straight and slender back now leaning against a bench. His shirt was completely soaked through, and he hung his head low, lost in thought. Meanwhile, Fang Bei, who stood nearby holding an umbrella, felt a chill in his heart colder than the Arctic night.

Time passed without knowing how long it had been. The red color gradually faded, and the blurry vision slightly lifted with the sudden brightness of the car headlights.

In the pouring rain, Fang Bei was kicked down by Jiang Zhan, who got off the car. Immediately following his ears was Jiang Zhan's furious roar, "What the fuck are you all standing there for?! Go and get a blanket!!"

Yi Qian's pant legs were covered in muddy stains, still rolled up on his calves. He didn't care about the heavy rain as he went to the trunk to retrieve something.

Jiang Zhan wrapped him tightly with a big gesture, amidst the cold and chaos, only the warmth of Jiang Zhan's lips said, "Don't be afraid, let's go home."