After midnight

More than a month has passed since Song Hongtian's death. On this autumn day, the drizzle fell, and the whole sky was gray. The cool breeze blew in from the window, soft and penetrating, turning the pages of the book on the coffee table one by one.

An Yan took a sniff, and his nose was filled with the unique coolness of autumn. It was a little after 1:00 p.m., just the right time for people to doze off, and the lights were not on in the house, taking advantage of the cooler weather in this season.

An Yan was lying on the sofa thinking, time has passed so fast, there has been no news for more than a month, the three major families are all quiet. An Yan didn't want to think about it anymore, he thought, Xiao Su will report tomorrow, and school will start the day after tomorrow.

Children have to go to school no matter where they are. Xiao Su will soon start to learn how to cultivate his abilities in Xindu. As for Zi Ling, he should have made rapid progress during this period. The Hanging Window Stations in Beizhong and Beicheng will eventually be built.

An Yan slowly fell asleep as he thought about it. The weather outside was getting darker, and the wind was still blowing.

The weather in early autumn is always cloudy for many days. On the day of reporting, the sky was also cloudy. Xiao Su opened her arms and let Su Ziling put on her coat.

"Brother Ling, are you going to accompany me to report to the new school?"

"Yeah, is Xiao Su happy?"

"happy."

You don't need to bring too many things for reporting, just some portable certificates and documents, which An Yan had prepared long ago. After An Yan put the things in, he pulled Xiao Su's schoolbag chain, and then checked again through the outer layer of cloth.

"Okay, let's go out."

Under the mandatory regulations of Jiudu, the Xindu government is not allowed to open primary schools. If a gifted child in Xindu wants to attend a formal primary school, he or she must go to Jiudu. Those children who are recognized as gifted at an early age will receive a school admission notice from Jiudu when they are of the appropriate age. If you do not report when the first grade of primary school starts, the school will assume that you have given up the qualification to receive formal education in the following years.

What about the other children? The government allows private primary schools to open, but private primary schools often do not receive subsidies or better educational resources. The primary school Xiao Su attends is a private primary school. But the difference is that Xindu Private Primary School was opened by the Revolutionary Army and is now owned by Fang Hao.

This school has existed for as long as Xindu has existed. It is registered under the name of each revolutionary army leader, has its own independent operating organization, and is backed by major business giants in Xindu.

They left very early and were almost the first to enter the campus. After completing the formalities, Xiao Su wanted to go and see her class. Although the weather was gloomy, her mood was sunny and bright. Although she had experienced classes before, it was her first time to enter the campus. She felt extremely excited and nervous.

She saw red and white checkered patterns covering the three-story teaching building, sturdy young poplars growing vigorously, and patches of nameless small wild flowers in the flower beds. All of this showed the unique style of this campus.

"An Yan, we can go to school together after we go back." Su Ziling was walking with Xiao Su on the campus. Perhaps he was influenced by the environment here, he suddenly said to An Yan.

"Oh, I must have fallen behind on this homework."

"No, you can find a teacher for tutoring."

"I don't want to. I might as well look for you, the top student in the grade?" Su Ziling said this with a look of hatred on his face.

"Dad, Brother Ling, we're here. Look, it's right there." Xiao Su pointed to the building in front of them.

"Let's go, let's go, hurry up." Su Ziling couldn't wait to lead Xiao Su over.

Xiao Su's classroom was in the middle of the second floor. Su Ziling stood at the door and took a look. It was a single desk for each student. The classroom was very large, with only 20 to 30 desks. The names of the students were written in advance and placed in the grooves. Business cards were neatly placed in the grooves, which were 5 cm long and 2 cm wide. The business cards had the names of the students who would go to school in the future printed on them.

An Xiaosu's seat is in the third horizontal row of the second vertical row, which is a good location.

Xiao Su sat over with excitement and shyness. She looked up at the blackboard and the bright window secretly, as if she was inspecting her territory. Su Ziling also walked around the classroom. It was great, youth.

"An Yan, don't you come and take a look?" he asked.

"No." An Yan stood at the door, looking at them intently.

At this time, parents came with their children one after another. So An Yan opened the door and stood outside. After a while, they were ready to go back.

Standing at the school gate, Su Ziling waved his hand, climbed up the hanging window and flew away in an instant. An Yan pulled Xiao Su and walked towards home. They walked hand in hand, and there was no rush anyway.

"There are a lot of new students this year." At the school gate, a dense crowd of people came in and out.

"Yes, I will have a lot of classmates." Xiao Su said cheerfully.

Yes, An Yan thought, going to school is something to look forward to. He looked at the distant horizon, where wisps of golden light emerged from behind the dark clouds.

"What's wrong? Ye, come over at this time." Ye knocked on the door and came in. Yin looked up at the upside-down clock. At this time before dinner, if Ye was at home, he would usually be forced by Wuying to help in the kitchen.

"Codename 03...he's gone."

Yin put down the pen in his hand, not knowing what to say for a moment.

"Before he left, he wrote to tell me to thank you."

Yin barely raised the corners of his lips. Song Hongtian was dead, but the shackles on Code 03 still existed. He escaped without getting the only antidote, and Yin and the others couldn't do it either. He came to Dark Night just because he hoped they could give him peace in the remaining days.

A month ago, Code 03 recovered from his injury and set out alone. He said he had never experienced an upright life, and he set out leisurely and comfortably, walking in this bright and sunny world.

However, Yin and his companions did not expect that every time they arrived at a place, Codename 03 would send them a letter. There was nothing in the letter, only the lines he had outlined, sometimes a uniquely shaped house, sometimes a few tall trees.

The pictures drawn by simple and messy lines are what he saw and heard. Yin and his friends understood that Code 03 regarded them as friends. A killer became an ordinary person who needed friends in his last moments. He placed his unknown ending on them.

"Let's build a tombstone for him and let the river collect all those letters."

Ye nodded. He understood where Yin’s melancholy came from. They were just luckier than Code 03.

"Oh, there's one more thing that will definitely make you happy." After a while, Ye spoke again. He couldn't help but smile when he talked about this.

"What could be the matter?" Yin looked at Ye curiously.

"Xiao Su starts school tomorrow, and An Yan invited us to dinner tonight. Wu Ying has gone over to help. Oh, by the way, He, Qing, and Wu have also gone over."

"So, now there are only two of us left here?"

"Yeah, so when you're done, hurry over there. I'm going over right now."

"Okay, you go ahead, I'll be right there."

After Yin finished speaking, Ye went out and mercilessly closed the door. Yin smiled and shook his head helplessly. They might lose more people in the future, so it would be wisest to cherish the present. Yin glanced at the half-written document, turned it upside down on the table, and chased after him.

Su Ziling came home that night and heard a commotion in the house while changing his shoes at the entrance. He walked into the living room curiously and saw that everyone was there. Even Qing and Wu, who were rarely seen on weekdays, were there.

They seemed to have come very early, and half of the fruits and melon seeds on the coffee table had been eaten. People were lying here and there, each finding the most comfortable position. He and Qingyang were lying together and talking about something, while Ye was sitting next to them reading a book, and He pressed his thigh on his leg. Wu occupied a sofa by himself. He rarely wore a mask today but still wore a black sweater. He tucked his face into his collar and put a wide hat on his head. I don't know if he was sleeping or staring out the window in a daze.

"Why are you all here?" Su Zilingji saw that Xiao Su didn't see Anyan, so he walked towards Yin who was standing at the kitchen door.

"So you didn't know we were coming over for dinner tonight?" Yin said to him while gnawing on a chicken leg.

"I don't know. Where's An Yan?"

"In the kitchen."

Su Ziling turned around and went into the kitchen. The table was filled with plates of all sizes, and it looked like there were still several dishes that hadn't been cooked. An Yan saw him coming and said, "Xiao Su will start school tomorrow. He has been well taken care of by Yin and Wuying for such a long time, so I thought I'd just invite everyone over for a meal."

"Oh, like this." Su Ziling said and picked up a piece of meat and put it into his mouth. At this time, Wuying walked in and patted Su Ziling on the back.

“Don’t pinch the meat on the plate!”

"Sister Wuying~"

"Okay, stop being a spoiled brat. I've left an extra chicken drumstick for you in the bowl over there. Remember to wash your hands first."

"Thank you sister!"

Su Ziling did as he was told. After washing his hands, he took a few bites of the chicken leg and ate it before leaving. At this time, he saw Xiao Su, who was sitting on the sofa next to the bookshelf in the corner. The sofa was full of gifts for Xiao Su, such as school bags, extracurricular books, and autumn clothes.

"Brother Zi Ling."

"Xiao Su received so many gifts, are you happy?"

“Happy, very happy.”

"Well, study hard in school and make more good friends."

"I know, you've said it many times."

Yin was standing by the window nearby. When he heard the conversation between Su Ziling and Xiao Su, he laughed out loud without hesitation.

"Brother." Su Ziling walked over.

"How have you been training lately?"

"We'll know after a fight."

"You are quite confident." Yin said, "Okay, it's time to see the results of your apprenticeship."

"Really?" Su Ziling's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Really? Wait for me to arrange it."

"Okay, hey, Xiao Su, do you need my help?" Seeing Xiao Su was about to pack up his things back to his room, Su Ziling asked hurriedly.

"No need, Brother Ling, you and Brother Yin can talk here." Xiao Su ran up the stairs holding something.

"Xiao Su is such a likable girl."

"I like it. Why don't you and Sister Wuying have a baby too?"

"What are you talking about?" Yin glared at him, and Su Ziling hummed without saying anything.

It was completely dark outside the window, and the wind was a bit chilly. Yin half-closed the window and saw that Su Ziling was in a good mood, so happy that he almost sang a little song. So he asked him, "Are you so happy?"

"Hmm~"

Su Ziling was really happy. He didn't feel tired at all after coming back today. There was a kind of happiness in his eyes and in his every move. The happiness was so high that it was about to overflow.

"I am also very happy."

Yin said silently, looking at the group of people lying on the sofa. They rarely relax like this. In fact, they rarely get together at home. Yin is really happy tonight. His younger brother is back and growing up healthily, and the Son of God An Yan is a very reliable companion.

At this moment, Yin suddenly was not worried about the future at all.

"I didn't expect An Yan to invite us to dinner."

"Yeah, I didn't expect that either." Maybe the timing was just right, and familiarity and joy came naturally.

The meal lasted until eleven o'clock in the evening. Xiao Su sat on the sofa beside her, feeling sleepy, but she refused to go upstairs first. Yin and his friends ran away after finishing their meal. Su Ziling was at a loss as to what to do with the leftovers on the table. He said angrily, "Ah, these people are really..."

"Send Xiao Su upstairs to bed first. You have to get up early tomorrow."

"Let me clean up with you first."

"No, go up quickly and remember to let Xiao Su brush his teeth and wash his face."

"Okay." Su Ziling took Xiao Su upstairs. Xiao Su was so sleepy that she almost missed a step on the stairs, so Su Ziling had to pick her up.

After Su Ziling went upstairs, An Yan carried the plates one by one and put everything in the kitchen. He turned on the faucet and started washing. After he put all the pots and pans in place and wiped the table, he went to get a mop to mop the floor.

Suddenly, An Yan stopped and looked at the railing on the second floor. He found that Su Ziling was lying there looking at him.

Being discovered, Su Ziling put down his hands and feet and turned to go down the stairs. He took the mop from An Yan, and An Yan took out the garbage.

They went up together at about 11:40, said good night, and went into their rooms.

Su Ziling turned off the light and curled up in bed to sleep. Tonight, An Yan seemed to be different. Maybe he was closer to them. Su Ziling thought about it and fell asleep contentedly.