Ye Hai shook his head and chuckled softly, his figure suddenly retreating backward, leaving behind only the words: “I am sorry, Xiao Xi. See you tonight.”
Then, not a single trace of his existence remained.
Ye Xi gripped the doll tightly, her body even trembling slightly.
At this moment, all she knew was that her heart was in chaos, and memories of the past with Ye Hai began to swirl before her eyes.
“Xiao Xi, I am sorry.”
“I am sorry…”
Ye Xi could no longer remember how many times Ye Hai had said “I am sorry” to her.
She had already grown accustomed to it, but this time, the same words falling into her heart caused an indescribable sense of unease.
Perhaps it was because tonight would be the fork in the road where they headed toward different paths?
Or perhaps it was because Ye Hai was about to do something unexpected?
Ye Xi could not guess, only because Ye Hai was like a distant father to her; the two possessed a blood relationship but no actual affection.
“Miss, some questions have no answers.”
A Ran, wearing a black baseball cap and a white face mask, appeared abruptly beside Ye Xi.
Ye Xi was not surprised by this, instead saying calmly: “Did Ye Hai confess everything to you?”
A Ran gave a bitter smile and whispered: “You could say that.”
“Tell me.”
“No, now is not the time.”
Ye Xi took a deep breath, suppressing her surging emotions.
“I understand. Is there anything else you are here for?”
“Shen Wan, she…”
Hearing the name Shen Wan, Ye Xi felt her heart skip a beat.
Various terrible outcomes surfaced in her mind; from the bottom of her heart, she had already treated Shen Wan like her own little sister.
“What happened to Xiao Wan?”
A Ran opened her mouth, then handed over a note, continuing: “You had better read it for yourself.”
“Brother, by the time you see this letter, I will already be out of Nanjiang City. I know my own physical condition; even if I turn back into a human, I will not have many days left.”
“I am sorry, Brother. Please forgive Xiao Wan’s willfulness just this once.”
Ye Xi rubbed her temples in frustration and said with a grave tone: “You have so many people, yet you could not even keep an eye on a little girl like her!?”
A Ran was stunned.
She had not expected Ye Xi to care so much for Shen Wan, but failing to watch over her was indeed her fault.
Therefore, she could not argue, so she had to say: “It was my negligence. I will bring her back.”
Seeing that A Ran was about to leave, Ye Xi sighed and said: “Wait a moment first.”
A Ran hesitated slightly and looked at Ye Xi in confusion.
“Let us see what Shen Ji has to say first. After all, Shen Wan is his own younger sister.”
“But…”
A Ran opened her mouth, wanting to say something more.
Ye Xi looked complex and muttered: “They are siblings, after all. Compared to your aimless searching, he should be better at guessing where Xiao Wan is hiding.”
A Ran nodded, then responded: “Yes.”
—
At the exit of Nanjiang City, inside a black car.
Shen Wan was leaning against the black car window with interest, saying excitedly: “Uncle, you really are a good person. Thank you for bringing me here.”
The corners of Ye Hai’s mouth curled up.
He had only learned that Shen Wan was a test subject after bringing Doctor Bai back.
What was done was done, and he could not change anything, so he could only plan to take Shen Wan away from the Inspection Team to use as a trump card to threaten Shen Ji.
“Are you not worried that I am a bad person kidnapping you?”
Shen Wan grinned and laughed: “I have seen you before, Uncle.”
Ye Hai was stunned; he had no impression of the little girl before him.
“Oh? When have you seen me?”
“You are Ye Xi’s father, right?”
Ye Hai’s expression tightened, but he replied against his conscience: “Child, what kind of joke are you telling?”
Shen Wan shook her head and continued: “I eavesdropped on your affairs at the Inspection Team before. You brought me away just to use me as a final threat to my brother, right?”
Ye Hai’s expression shifted, oscillating between anger and uncertainty.
Were the brats of the Shen family all this smart?
First, there was Shen Ji, who thwarted his plans again and again, and now Shen Wan saw through his intentions.
But so what? The person was still in his hands.
“Uncle Ye, I advise you: the villains in stories rarely succeed.”
Ye Hai gave a disdainful snort and retorted: “History is written by the victors; the heroes and villains are not decided by you.”
“Although I do not understand why you are obsessed with creating a Blood Race nation, even going so far as to develop the transformation agent that turns humans into the Blood Race.”
“But there is one undeniable fact.”
Ye Hai asked suspiciously: “What?”
“The stage of the world is not yet ready to change its protagonist. Everything you are doing now is a complete act of ANTI-HEAVEN ACTION.”
“ANTI-HEAVEN ACTION? The King Seed has already appeared; this is the best time for the Blood Race to rise! There is nothing more appropriate than right now!”
Ye Hai shouted almost hysterically.
Shen Wan remained calm, countering: “My brother is a human.”
“Impossible! I heard him say with my own ears to Liu Yao that he was adopted!”
“Believe it or not, but I must tell you: using my brother as a shield for your noble ideals is not a wise choice.”
“You are already in my hands. Do you think he would dare to gamble with your life?”
Shen Wan pursed her lips and suddenly said: “Perhaps?”
—
Shen Ji read the note over and over again.
Upon confirming it was Shen Wan’s handwriting, the heart that had been hanging in his chest finally died.
“Shen Ji, do not worry. We will definitely find Xiao Wan.”
Ye Xi held Shen Ji’s dejected face in her hands, her eyes filled with determination: “Xiao Wan leaving without saying goodbye might just be because she did not want you to worry. You being like this is of no use. Think carefully: where could Xiao Wan appear?”
“Where…?”
“Think carefully.”
Shen Ji closed his eyes and concentrated, searching through his memories for everything related to Xiao Wan.
But no matter how he pondered, there was never a location that warranted special attention.
It was not until the images in his mind settled on one particular scene that Shen Ji finally had an idea.
“Brother, look!”
A young Shen Wan held up a piece of white paper to Shen Ji.
Shen Ji curiously flipped the paper, looking left and right, but could never find anything special about it.
“What do you want me to see?”
Shen Wan giggled and acted mysterious: “In the name of the Empress of Night, I hereby swear! Secret painting, reveal yourself!”
He saw the white paper, once illuminated by the purple light from Shen Wan’s hand, reveal an image.
Although Shen Ji was surprised at the time, he later learned that it was nothing more than a trick using the fluorescent agent in a hidden pen.
Intuition told Shen Ji that even though the paper looked plain and unremarkable now, it must contain hidden clues left by Shen Wan.
“Do you have a purple light?”
Ye Xi was stunned by Shen Ji’s sudden question.
Was he not just thinking about where Shen Wan might be?
What did this have to do with a purple light?
Shen Ji did not explain, instead dashing toward the nearest stationery store in a single bound; there would surely be purple lights there compatible with hidden pens.
Without time to think, Ye Xi and A Ran followed closely behind Shen Ji.
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