After midnight

The warm breakfast time did not last long. When An Yan drank the second mouthful of porridge, he received a letter from Fang Hao. He took a look at the letter and put it in his pocket.

"Zi Ling, let's take Xiao Su to school together later."

"Okay." Su Ziling buried his head in eating and didn't ask anything else.

Qiqi also buried her head in eating. She knew that if she was not there, An Yan would talk more.

But after a while, she, who had been silent, suddenly said, "Let me clean up these things."

Realizing that Qiqi was saying that she could help clean up the leftovers and wash the dishes, Su Ziling glanced at her.

"Okay, thank you. Xiao Su, eat quickly, you're going to be late." An Yan said.

"Mmm!" Xiao Su sped up, her mouth was already full.

In just five minutes, they went out noisily, leaving a table full of leftovers and a lonely room for Qiqi. After sending Xiao Su to school, Hang Chuang turned around and flew to Xindu Building.

"It was Fang Hao looking for you, I knew it." Su Ziling said, looking in the direction of Xindu Building.

"Well, it should be the May Fourth incident. The commotion yesterday was too big."

"An Yan, are you really not going to let my brother, I mean 'Dark Night', interfere in this matter?" Su Ziling had complicated emotions.

An Yan shook his head, "We can't force them. Whoever gets closer will suffer."

"Then Qiqi..."

"Don't let anyone know about her."

"I understand." Su Ziling closed his mouth and waited quietly for the hanging window to land.

Arriving at Xindu Building, they knocked on the door and went in. Before they could say hello, Fang Hao said to them, "Thank you for your hard work yesterday. I have some latest information here for you to take a look at first."

Fang Hao seemed to be very busy. He didn't even bother to say hello and just threw a report over.

After An Yan and Su Ziling finished reading, Fang Hao said, "It was Wusi who came to Xindu yesterday, but we can't find him now. Besides him, there are reports that Shiyi is going north, and Saner and Liujiu are going south. Saner and Liujiu are traveling together, so their whereabouts are more obvious and more difficult to deal with. Many people got involved this time, and they killed many people. But what worries me most is Lingyi and the person who has not shown up yet."

"Uncle Fang."

"An Yan, I will go to Jiudu soon. Jiu Xiang attaches great importance to this matter. I will leave Xindu to you."

"I understand, Uncle Fang."

"Then you guys go back first."

Fang Hao seemed to be really busy this time, and he let the two of them go out without much explanation. As soon as they left, Su Ziling breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought Uncle Fang would let you deal with Wu Si."

"I also thought that it was probably because of my senior brother's death that they realized that it was not easy to deal with those people. Instead of giving away their lives, it is better to wait for the right opportunity."

“An Yan…”

"Okay, I'm fine. But I have to go home and talk to Qiqi again."

"Well, I'll continue training then." After leaving Xindu Building, the two separated temporarily.

When An Yan returned home, the living room was empty. He first glanced at the second and third floors, and when he found nothing unusual, he walked to the door of Qiqi's room and knocked, while tentatively calling out.

"Qiqi?"

"Qiqi?" No one answered, so he called again.

"Come in!"

"Sorry, I didn't hear you just now. I was so bored that I took a book from your bookcase."

An Yan walked in and found Qi Qi lying on the bed reading a book. The book was closed. An Yan saw that there was an illustration of the Little Prince on the cover of the book. This was An Yan's favorite fairy tale book.

"Qiqi, I want to talk to you."

"Okay, what to talk about?" Qiqi put down the book, stood up and looked at him.

Qiqi looked at An Yan quietly, her reserved and submissive appearance was like a simple and harmless girl. Like thousands of other ordinary girls, she helped to clean up everything at home and then stayed in her bedroom obediently.

"Where is May Fourth?" Anyan asked her.

"Even if I knew this, I wouldn't tell you."

"I know, and I don't really want to know where he is."

"Then why are you asking me this question?" Qiqi's eyes began to become dangerous.

"Tell him to be quiet."

"Don't worry about this. As long as I'm here, no one will find him."

An Yan raised his eyebrows and prepared to leave. Before he walked out of the bedroom, he said, "Take a look at that book."

"Thank you. I'll be careful."

"Remember to put it back after reading it."

An Yan closed the door and walked back to the living room, forcing himself to relax his tense nerves. He had agreed to this at the beginning, but from the moment Qiqi walked into the house, An Yan found that he couldn't face her calmly.

Fang Hao met An Yan and Su Ziling in the morning and set off at noon. The meeting was actually held that afternoon. He did not notify anyone this time and did not bring anyone with him. The entire trip was quite secret.

The meeting was scheduled for 3pm, and Fang Hao arrived on time. He went in and saw that they were all old acquaintances. As usual, Lin Nuan sat next to Jiu Xiang, followed by Lu Lang and Lu Li. As for the people who came to represent the Song family, Fang Hao turned to Song Nan and said, "Now anyone can enter Jiumen, what do you think, Jiu Xiang?"

"Alright, old friend Fang Hao, please sit down. Everyone knows the content and purpose of this meeting, so I won't say much. The meeting will officially begin. The first item is the life and death of the current water ability owners, except for the 'Son of God'."

"Damn! Is there any need to discuss this issue?" Fang Hao said.

"I'm sorry, I don't think so. Anyone, anyone living in this world has the right to continue living," said Song Nan.

"Ha, but the premise is what kind of person he is. Killing someone means paying with your life, this is the law!" Fang Hao said in a loud voice.

"Senior Fang Hao, it is too difficult to kill those people." Lu Li said.

"So what is the purpose of this meeting today?"

"That's not what I meant, Senior Fang Hao. I think the most appropriate way is to wear them down as much as possible and then capture them. After catching them, you can put them in jail or abolish their abilities. I have no objection to that. I'm just considering it from a practical point of view. After all, there aren't many capable people who can kill them."

"Your logic is wrong. If we can catch people, why don't we just kill them after we catch them?"

"That's right, Senior Fang Hao. There are many ways to capture someone, but there is only one way to kill someone."

"Yeah, then why not kill them after you catch them?"

"Fang Hao, considering that their lives to this point have been largely involuntary, I think we should give them a chance to re-understand the world. Therefore, abolishing their abilities after catching them is also a method I approve of," said Lu Lang.

"Opportunity? Are you willing to give people a chance? Do they want it? If you can give them a chance, then who will give Lin Xuanfeng a chance?"

"I'm sorry, but I stick to my own opinion." Lu Lang was stunned when he heard Lin Xuanfeng's name.

"I also stick to my own opinion." Fang Hao said the same.

After Fang Hao finished speaking, there was a brief silence in the conference room. Song Nan had finished watching the show, so he continued, "I also agree that we should catch the person first."

Song Nan's words are a typical example of blurred focus. What happens after catching someone? Is it killing him, accidentally releasing him, or using him as a bargaining chip in negotiations with Song Yu? The Lu family has their own plans, and so does Song Nan.

“What do you think, girl?” Fang Hao suddenly directed his criticism towards Lin Nuan.

Since the meeting started, Lin Nuan had not spoken. No one noticed that when she heard Lin Xuanfeng's name, Lin Nuan was also stunned. However, it was not because Lin Xuanfeng could make Lin Nuan waver. Lin Nuan made up her mind from the beginning.

"Kill! We must kill them by any means necessary, even annihilate them!"

"Hahahaha! You guys are a group of people who can't see things clearly even as well as this girl." Fang Hao laughed mercilessly.

"So what? The result is still undecided. Jiu Xiang, what do you think?" Song Nan asked.

Prime Minister Yang Runzhong looked at the Lu family of three and announced, "The meeting will be adjourned for ten minutes."

"A Nuan." Lu Li followed Lin Nuan out and walked to an empty corner. Lu Lang couldn't stop him even if he called him.

"I'm sorry, Lu Li. What you and father said makes sense, and I also want to be a good person. But I'm worried about more things, so I have to nip everything in the bud."

"Huh, you finally said it. I said before that I support you in whatever you do. Maybe you think I am useless, but in my opinion, you come first, then Lu Li of the Lu family."

"Thank you, Lu Li. Father..."

"I will go talk to him. No matter what happens, we will always be a family. Ah Nuan, don't worry."

"Yeah." Lin Nuan nodded, and the two walked back.

Ten minutes passed, and the final result was decided. Yang Runzhong said: "Since everyone has reached a consensus to wipe out their existence from history, let's move on to the second item of the meeting, how to deploy troops and generals. I plan to form a five-person special task force. In addition to the person I appoint as the team leader, there will be four more people, and these four people will be selected by you."

"Nomination? That's too troublesome. Wouldn't it be enough for each of the four parties to send one representative?" Song Nan said.

Yang Runzhong smiled and looked at Song Nan, which was exactly what he meant. So he also smiled and looked at others to ask for their opinions.

"I agree." Lu Lang said.

"agree."

"agree."

Fang Hao and Lin Nuan also continued.

"I'll give you a day to think about it. The second meeting will be held at 3 pm the day after tomorrow. Please submit your names on time. Just in case, we'll need four alternates, so please list two names for me. The person at the bottom or behind will be put on the alternate list. If necessary, the second person will fill in the position in time."

"Okay, today's meeting ends here. We will discuss the third question at the next meeting. Finally, let me remind you that this incident is highly confidential and must not be disclosed to anyone except those on the list. In addition, please consider the list of personnel carefully. If there is no one who can use pure abilities, then you are sending them to their deaths."

After the meeting, Fang Hao took the Xuanchuang back home. He was in a heavy mood. If Lin Xuanfeng was still alive, his first choice would definitely be Lin Xuanfeng. But now he couldn't choose anyone. Song Xinjun was not good enough, and Zhou Chen was also not capable enough.

Fang Hao pinched his brows in worry. This time, Song Nan, Lu Lang and even Jiu Xiang all tacitly did not mention An Yan. They must have ulterior motives. But no matter what, he would never write An Yan's name. As for Su Ziling, the two of them were one. If An Yan could not be used, Su Ziling could not be used either.

Fang Hao opened his eyes tiredly and looked at the tall buildings of Xindu. Xindu was such a beautiful and magnificent city. It was the result of his life's work. He must leave An Yan as his trump card for it. As long as An Yan was there.

An Yan didn't know how much hope Fang Hao had placed on him with those few casual words in the morning. When Fang Hao returned to Xindu, An Yan was preparing his dinner wholeheartedly. Tonight was the first time Qi Qi entered the kitchen with An Yan.

As soon as she entered the kitchen, Qiqi found that she liked this feeling. Something called fireworks in the world instantly overwhelmed her, giving her a warm sense of belonging. This sense of belonging could not only relieve her fatigue but also make her busy and fulfilling. This sense of belonging even gave her a vague illusion that An Yan had become much gentler.

"An Yan?"

"Ok?"

"What are you doing?"

“Cook sweet potato porridge.”

"How can I help you?"

An Yan looked back at her and said, "Just stand there obediently."

"Oh." An Yan said so, and Qi Qi really stood there obediently. She secretly looked at An Yan's profile, An Yan's figure, and An Yan's hands as he was cutting vegetables. Those hands were slender and had distinct joints. Qi Qi, look at him more, look at the person you covet more, and see how beautiful he is.

"Zi Ling and Xiao Su are coming back."

An Yan, who had been busy, suddenly said something. Qiqi quickly listened and sure enough, she heard the sound of running in cotton shoes getting closer and closer.

"Dad, I'm back."

"Good boy, what did you learn in class today?"

“I learned to recite poems, learn to draw, and also learned abilities.”

"Qiqi?" Qiqi turned and left when she heard Su Ziling calling her.

"Qiqi, do you really have any problem with me?" After Qiqi left, Su Zilingchao asked An Yan in a low voice.

"You're overthinking it." An Yan glanced at him, "Help me pick some vegetables quickly. I also need to pick some onions, ginger and garlic."

"Oh." Su Ziling took off his coat and threw it to Xiao Su. "Xiao Su, help your brother take out the coat. Your brother Ziling will cook you a big meal tonight!"

Xiao Su rolled his eyes, grabbed his coat and walked out. After the first day, he got used to it much better on the second day. At ten o'clock, An Yan rushed Xiao Su to bed and returned to his room. This time, after he lay down, he gradually fell asleep.

In his dream, he met Qiqi for the second time.

The little girl had grown a little taller, but also a little thinner. An Yan saw her from a distance in the narrow passage. She was standing in a long line, pushing her bicycle forward with a group of children. When the two passed by, An Yan saw her eyes. Those painful and empty eyes emitted an incredible light when they saw him.

At dawn, An Yan opened his eyes. When they passed each other that time, he didn't know what Qi Qi was thinking when she saw him.

He only remembered that pure look full of optimism and hope.