The soldier who bent down had an unfathomable glint in his eyes.

Chu Xingyue took a step back and closed the door behind her in front of Chu Ning's dormitory. The dormitory door was made of a special material that was not easily broken. Without evidence, she would not wrong any soldier.

The soldier who was packing his things noticed Chu Xingyue's actions and his eyes darkened. He straightened up, saluted Chu Xingyue, and then turned and left.

Chu Xingyue pushed open the dormitory door, went inside, and closed the door to shut out everything outside.

Water droplets slid rapidly across Chu Xingyue's body in the bathroom, a beautiful sight that no one could witness.

Who could have infiltrated so far as to even enter the research institute?

Chu Xingyue took a quick shower. After all, she was a soldier, so how could she waste any time taking a shower? Plus, she was still thinking about what had just happened, so she was even less likely to waste time and finished quickly.

Chu Xingyue had no solution in mind for the time being and could only wait and see.

However, I need to talk to my mother, Chu Ning, first. I don't know if this is targeting Chu Ning alone, a part of the research institute, or everyone.

Thinking of this, he moved even faster, and Chu Ning's dormitory door was knocked on.

"Why are you in such a hurry, child? If you don't dry your hair, you'll get headaches later. You mustn't be careless."

Chu Ning opened the door and saw that her daughter's hair was still dripping wet, so she couldn't help but speak.

"Come in quickly, Mom will help you clean up." Chu Ning reached out and pulled Chu Xingyue, who was standing at the door, into the dormitory.

"Okay," Chu Xingyue smiled at Chu Ning and let him pull her into his dormitory.

Chu Xingyue's hair is growing very fast. The hair that was already below her ears has grown a little longer and can now cover her neck a bit.

Feeling the gentle touch on her head, Chu Xingyue's heart was filled with joy.

"Mom, can I ask you about your past?" Chu Ning paused in wiping her hair, then quickly came back to her senses.

"What's there to say? It's all in the past now," Chu Ning's voice rang softly above him.

“Tell me about it. I also want to hear you talk about those things. Just pick out some of what you can say.” Chu Xingyue leaned on Chu Ning’s shoulder.

Chu Xingyue sat on the bed, while Chu Ning went to the bathroom to put away the towel for drying her hair.

They brought out some food, and the mother and daughter sat together.

"The work I did over there was the same as what I do now. It wasn't hard, just that I had no freedom," Chu Ning recalled of that monotonous life.

“Every day I do the same job, day after day.”

"Doing the same work, but they're researching nuclear energy?" Chu Xingyue knew why she had no freedom when she heard it was about nuclear energy.

"Then you'll come back?"

“It’s the son of a lady your uncle rescued abroad. His family invested some money in the research institute. He knows me, and he’s been planning and helping me escape for the past few years. I’ve been back for so long, and I don’t dare to contact him. I don’t know if I’ll ever have the chance to see him again.”

"By the way, when I escaped, I was chased by the people in the research lab. I encountered two Chinese people there. If they hadn't intervened, I would have been caught. I could tell they weren't very loud, and it was too dark to see their faces clearly."

Chu Ning recalled the scene at the time. Now that she thinks about it, Rossi helped her escape, but if it weren't for those two young men, she wouldn't be sitting on the bed with her daughter chatting like this.

"Think about it, it was pitch black there at the time, and how did two young Chinese men happen to be there and save me? But I couldn't care less about that in the situation. I had no choice but to run for my life."

“No matter why they were there at the time, they saved you, Mom, which means they are no ordinary people. If fate allows, we will meet again. I will remember this with you, and if fate allows, I will help you repay them.”

"This is a debt of gratitude that Mom should remember; you don't need to repay it." Chu Ning gently patted Chu Xingyue's hand.

"You must remember this. If it weren't for them, I don't know when I would have been able to see my mother again." Chu Xingyue rested her head on Chu Ning's shoulder, and Chu Ning reached out and touched her daughter's head.

"Has no one been looking for you since you came back?" Chu Ning recalled the scene that had just happened outside the dormitory.

"I don't know. I guess they've been searching all along. I only stayed here for a few days after I came back. I didn't even contact my family." Chu Ning knew they wouldn't let her go. She knew everything about their research institute; there was too much data. After she came back, she could only hand over what she knew.

"Mom, be careful these days. Try not to be alone. If you get lost, come to my place and wait for me so we can go back together," Chu Xingyue instructed Chu Ning.

Chu Ning's heart skipped a beat when she heard this.

"What do you mean? What did you find? Did they come looking for us? That's impossible, this is a military stronghold, they couldn't possibly get in."

Chu Xingyue felt the pain in her arm. She could sense that her mother was very nervous, no less so than if she had seen something terrifying. Her eyes were wide open and her breathing was rapid.

"Don't be nervous, don't be nervous. I've only just discovered a little clue, which is why I wanted to know about your life over there all these years." Chu Ningyue put her arm around Chu Ning's shoulder and gently stroked her back, trying to calm her down as quickly as possible.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here. I'll protect you. Get a good night's sleep tonight, and we'll talk about it tomorrow. I'm here." Chu Xingyue comforted Chu Ning.

She hadn't intended to tell her, but considering that her mother had been able to return safely after being restricted in her personal freedom for so many years, her mental fortitude was definitely stronger than she had imagined. Before coming here, she had prepared to tell Chu Ning about this, so that she would be cautious when she was alone.

Chu Ning gradually fell asleep to Chu Xingyue's soothing words. Perhaps she had suffered something unimaginable outside, because Chu Ning did not sleep well that night. She was curled up, as if she might wake up at any moment. Chu Xingyue did not sleep all night and kept an eye on Chu Ning. When Chu Ning had a nightmare, Chu Xingyue would gently pat her mother to calm her down and help her get a good night's sleep.

This night was anything but peaceful for Chu Ning; it was like reliving his escape before his return, a night filled with terror. In his dream, Rossi was captured by those people, who tortured him without his consent, trying to force him to reveal where he had stolen her. In the dream, he heard Rossi's screams. Outside the dream, Chu Xingyue was taking care of Chu Ning.