After midnight

Zhao Yunqi returned home in a daze. He didn't remember how he got home. He only remembered that he was standing at the door when he came to his senses. He patted his face, took a deep breath, and opened the door.

"Brother?" Zhao Yunshuang was at home, and she called him hesitantly.

"Oh, you're back so soon." Zhao Yunqi was in low spirits and didn't really notice that something was wrong with Zhao Yunshuang either.

"Yeah, are you hungry? I'll go bring out the food."

Zhao Yunqi nodded and sat at the dining table absentmindedly. He watched his sister bring dishes to the table, and when she finally brought out a bowl of medicine, he suddenly stood up and overturned the medicine on the floor across the table.

With a bang, the pieces of the bowl flew far away and the soup spilled all over the floor.

Zhao Yunshuang covered the finger that was accidentally hit by her brother, her bright eyes full of surprise and fear.

Under the gaze of these eyes, Zhao Yunqi felt embarrassed and annoyed. He cleared his throat and said, "Yun Shuang, summer is here, and the formula of this medicine should be changed. I'll clean it up, you eat first."

After saying that, Zhao Yunqi stood up and walked to the bathroom. Zhao Yunshuang sat down obediently, she looked at the black mass on the ground, then turned around, picked up the chopsticks and lowered her head to eat.

"Yun Shuang, why is your back covered in dust?" Zhao Yunqi came over after cleaning up and saw Yun Shuang's clothes covered in dust.

"Oh~ Maybe I accidentally bumped into something." Zhao Yunshuang said calmly. She was frightened by the threats of the two strange men, and she couldn't give the cookies away, so she hurried back. She took a long time at home and just when she wanted to clean herself up, she remembered that it was time to cook dinner.

"Yes." Zhao Yunqi sat down opposite her, "Don't take the medicine yet. I'll go check the formula."

"Okay." Zhao Yunshuang began to feel suspicious. Her brother was acting very strangely today.

"Eat quickly." Zhao Yunqi picked up a piece of vegetable with chopsticks and put it in her bowl.

After dinner, Zhao Yunqi did not go to the study room but went directly to the bedroom, which was unusual. Zhao Yunshuang wanted to change his clothes quickly, so he did not think much about it. Zhao Yunqi liked to lie on the bed when thinking, which could free his mind more than the study room.

He closed his eyes and thought attentively, reviewing his life so far. He thought about how he became famous at a young age, the disorder of Zhao Yun's abilities when he awakened, and Song Hongtian's timely assistance. He thought about everything and figured it all out.

The next afternoon, at the same time and place, Zhao Yunqi opened the door and found Yin had been waiting there for a long time.

He looked at Yin who was confident, and said straight to the point: "I won't help you deal with Song Hongtian, but I can help you achieve your second goal."

"Okay." Yin agreed readily.

After he had made his point, Zhao Yunqi opened the door and returned the same way. Yin watched Zhao Yunqi leave and slowly put down the cup. This was just as he had expected. He had never expected Zhao Yunqi to deal with Song Hongtian himself.

The door closed, and Yin got up and hurried back to Xindu.

After Lin Nuan returned to Jiudu, she did not go home, nor did she contact anyone from the Lin or Lu companies. She lived in a small, secluded inn, waiting for the opportunity.

Zhao Yunshuang rarely goes out, but she always goes out. As long as she goes out, the hero saves the beauty can be staged. The result is as she expected, but there must be another carefully planned encounter, which would be even more perfect.

After receiving the progress from Yin, Lin Nuan went to bed with her clothes on, but in this dark night, she couldn't fall asleep. She tossed and turned for a while, and then simply got up and got out of bed. She sat in the deathly silence for a while, and finally opened the door of the inn.

She came to the cemetery, where her parents' graves were next to each other. This was her second time here. It was late at night, and the cold wind blew. The cemetery was strangely cold, but Lin Nuan seemed unaffected. She sat cross-legged on the cold ground in front of her parents' graves, and she kept her eyes open until dawn.

The sun rose slowly on a new day, and Yin returned to Xindu. After walking to the villa called Impression East City Bank, he skillfully pressed his fingerprint in front of a door and opened the door where An Yan and Su Ziling lived.

He walked into the living room and looked around, then asked the person sitting in the corner, "Where's Zi Ling?"

"Take Xiao Su out to play."

"Oh~" Yin nodded, with no intention of leaving.

Walking in from the entrance, you will find the living room. An Yan created a small corner next to the window of this living room, which just happened to face the stairs leading to the second floor. In the corner, there is a wooden bookshelf and a sofa more than one meter long. The sofa is covered with a dark blue cloth that just hangs two centimeters above the floor.

In addition to these, there are two patterned pillows on the sofa. One is a circle woven with needle and thread, and the other is a simple floral pattern. Yin can't tell what kind of flower it is.

An Yan closed the book and casually placed it on the low table in front of him. The low table, which was less than half a meter long, was covered with a clean and tidy tablecloth and a cup of gradually cooling boiled water. An Yan stared at the book and couldn't help but smile. This was the book he hadn't finished reading in Qingdao, and Su Ziling brought it with him.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing." An Yan moved his butt inward. The outermost waistband of the book, together with the cover, was sandwiched in the page he was reading, which made An Yan feel very happy.

Yin sat over. He didn't expect An Yan to leave a seat for him. He thought that in An Yan's eyes, they were not that familiar. After Yin sat down, he leaned back against the sofa and relaxed. He could hear the breeze blowing in through the window not far away. He suddenly didn't know where to start.

"Do you want to talk to me about Su Ziling?" An Yan said.

"Almost." Since An Yan spoke first, Yin sat up straight. "I can probably understand why you came back first, but now that Zi Ling has caught up with me, you..."

"I have my own plans."

"Of course I know this, but...it's still not possible?"

An Yan didn't say anything. Yin continued, "Although Zi Ling has grown up now, he is still more like a child when facing this world. If he doesn't really face the blood, he may not realize many things, so..."

"I will protect him."

Yin was somewhat surprised by An Yan's answer. His original intention was to let Su Ziling take on his responsibilities as soon as possible. Because Yin knew that if some things were not done early, it would be too late to wait for fate to whip you. Yin pondered for a moment and said, "I thought the existence of the 'Guardian' was to realize his meaning."

"He's different."

These four short words choked Yin to the point of being speechless. "Can I understand that he hasn't gained your trust as a 'guardian' yet?"

Yin raised his eyebrows, feeling a bit complicated. He was happy for Su Ziling, but also felt sad for him, and even a little indignant.

"Yin, you are neither me nor him." An Yan answered calmly.

That’s right, Yin gritted his teeth, stood up, and walked to the second floor without looking back.

"Yin," Anyan called him, "next time you pass by here, remember to take off your shoes, the floor will get dirty."

"By the way, you've been here for two or three days. Remember to go out for some fresh air. If you get moldy, I'll throw you out of my house." Yin was very angry. He smiled, turned around, and left again.

An Yan opened the book again with a smile. Unexpectedly, both of them were in a good mood.

"My brother is back? He came back from here?" Not long after Yin left, Su Ziling came back with Xiao Su. The fingerprints of the three were recorded in the electronic lock at the door.

"Well, did you see him?"

"Yes, I was just outside. Xiao Su and I went to the supermarket so we lowered the window in advance."

"So, what did you buy?"

"I bought some vegetables, fruits, and yogurt. Next time my brother comes in, don't let him wear shoes."

"Ah, I've already told him." Su Ziling's expression of sacrificing his own relatives for the sake of justice amused An Yan, and he couldn't help but say it.

Su Ziling imagined Yin's expression and couldn't help laughing. The summer sun shone on the floor tiles in the room, leaving faint shadows. Su Ziling looked at An Yan who was still smiling with his head tilted, and his heart was clear.

How he wished that summer afternoons could always be so quiet.

Since what happened two days ago, Zhao Yunshuang has not dared to go out recently. In the past, when she was afraid to go out, she would act like a spoiled child and ask her brother to accompany her, but recently, every time she thought of this idea, she always backed away.

The bowl of medicine that Zhao Yunqi had knocked over had been cleaned up, and there was no trace of it on the floor of the living room, but that didn't mean it had disappeared. Zhao Yunshuang always thought of the miserable state of the bowl of medicine in her heart, and the black, sticky juice flowed from her heart to her blood vessels.

And since that day, she has not taken any medicine. She is always in a bad mood, whether it is due to psychological reasons or the weather, so she stays at home. Zhao Yunshuang originally thought that her inconsolable mood would continue for a few more days, but on the second day of July, Song Xin knocked on her door.

"Brother Yunqi said you were not feeling well, so he asked me to come and chat with you to relieve your boredom." After opening the door, the first thing Song Xin said was this.

What? Zhao Yunshuang was a little happy and a little awkward. She looked at the girl's bright face and reached out to hug her. Girls always have so many topics to talk about, and they talked about a man after a while.

"Do you remember I told you about a man named Zhang Dong?" Song Xin felt a little expectant and a little unnatural.

"I remember. You mentioned him a lot recently. What's the matter?"

"Just... um..." Song Xin was too shy to speak.

"Did he confess to you?" Zhao Yunshuang asked in surprise.

"Oh, no, no! We are not in that kind of relationship." Song Xin hastily denied but added, "But, I do think he seems to be interested in me."

Zhao Yunshuang had heard Song Xin mention Zhang Dong a long time ago. Song Xin said that they often ran into each other in the courtyard of the Song Mansion. Zhang Dong was not as dull as the rumors said. They chatted and got along well. So Zhao Yunshuang teased her.

"What? Don't you like my brother anymore?"

"How is that possible!" Song Xin immediately retorted.

When Song Xin realized that Zhao Yunshuang was teasing her, she leaned over and pounced on him, and the two of them started a fight.

"Okay, I have something serious to talk to you about. Recently, I want to try a different kind of tea for my father to drink. Do you have any good suggestions?" After making enough noise, Song Xin stood up, panting.

Song Hongtian's daily tea was prepared by Song Xin. Many people didn't know this, but it wasn't a secret. Zhao Yunshuang shook her head out of habit when she heard this. Song Xin usually asked her casual questions, so she couldn't help much and didn't really understand it.

Sure enough, Song Xin quickly took over the conversation, "Okay, I'll take a look myself."

A person with a simple lifestyle and fixed habits can easily be exploited by people with ulterior motives, and there is never a shortage of people with ulterior motives in this world.

After returning to Xindu and this world, Su Ziling found that An Yan was more of a homebody than before. Since he saw him again, he had hardly ever left the house, and he even stopped going to the water maze.

Su Ziling carried the heavy vegetables in his hands and sighed deeply. After he met Yin, Yin didn't say much to him. After he met An Yan, it was even more impossible for An Yan to tell him everything.

Song Hong openly plotted to murder Lin Nuan's parents, and the revolutionary army captured Beiguan, all of which he pieced together from some scattered rumors outside. He had no idea what would happen next, and An Yan seemed to have no intention of saying anything, which was really annoying.

"It's really you."

Su Ziling was startled and turned to look at the person next to him.

"I've been watching you for a while, and we meet again."

"you are?"

Su Ziling didn't know him, but he greeted him with a smile, as if he was an old acquaintance, and it seemed that there was no possibility of mistake.

"I'm Xu Xing. You may not recognize me, but I recognize An Yan. He mentioned you to me. I happened to be there that day when you came to Xindu from Jiudu by hanging window. I didn't expect to meet you again."

Although Xu Xing tried to be as tactful as possible, Su Ziling was still ashamed and embarrassed. He smiled stiffly and blamed An Yan in his heart.

"Uh... don't mind it. I was actually rude." Seeing Su Ziling's expression, Xu Xing quickly explained, "Actually, An Yan and I met in Shanghai. He showed me your photo."

Su Ziling's heart skipped a beat when he heard the familiar place name. He showed an expression of sudden enlightenment, and even Xu Xing's words in front of him seemed a little more credible. "I live nearby, do you want to come over to my house and sit down?"

"No, I'm just passing by. By the way, can I write to you and hang out together?"

"sure."

"Okay, that's settled then." Xu Xing smiled at him and turned away. Su Ziling looked at him in confusion and decided to quicken his pace and go home to find out what was going on.

He changed his shoes, put the dishes in the kitchen, poured a glass of boiled water, walked around the living room, and then asked casually, "I just ran into Xu Xing when I went out."

An Yan looked up at him and motioned for him to continue.

"He said that you and he met in Shanghai."

Su Ziling's words were full of curiosity and inquiry, and An Yan kindly took over the conversation. "Well, we are both 'rebels of time' so we have had contact before. That guy recognized you, probably because he stole my phone a few days ago."

"You brought your cell phone?" Su Ziling was surprised. Because he also brought his cell phone this time, but found that he couldn't access the Internet here. He thought, there's no way An Yan didn't know this.

"Ah, there's something in my phone."

That so-called thing is a photo, right? Is this what An Yan looks like when she is shy? Su Ziling was in a good mood, and then he said, "Xu Xing said he wanted to ask me out to play."

"Go ahead if you want to, but don't waste your time talking to him."

"Why?" Since An Yan called that guy, it proved that An Yan didn't hate him, so why did he say that.

"Because Xu Xing is a shameless and cunning person."

Su Ziling burst out laughing. Anyone who could be described by An Yan in such a righteous way must be a very interesting person.

"By the way, where is Xiao Su?" The two talked in the living room for a long time but there was no sign of Xiao Su.

"Wuying said she wanted to take her out shopping for clothes, so she won't be back for dinner."

"Ah, if I had known earlier I would have gone too." Su Ziling said and walked into the kitchen.