Jiang Zhixing carefully took the plate from Jiang Jinyu and said softly and with difficulty, "...Okay, thank you, Uncle Jiang."

His mind was in turmoil; Jiang Jinyu had never shown him such a threatening look before.

Even in our daily interactions, he is a very loving elder who will praise him with satisfaction when he hears about his achievements.

But now... it's like suddenly escaping from a dream into reality, giving him a rude awakening.

All the heartwarming scenes seemed to be just his imagination; Uncle Jiang didn't care about him as much as he appeared.

But with Uncle He present, he didn't show any sign of discomfort on his face, but he stood upright without saying another word.

Silence fell between the three of them. He Liyu, holding a roasted sweet potato, turned his gaze from Jiang Zhixing to Jiang Jinyu and said with a faint smile, "It seems that Xiao Jiang has something to say to you, so I won't disturb you any longer."

He Liyu's figure quickly disappeared.

Only the two of them remained in the corridor. Jiang Jinyu threw a few more sweet potatoes on the stove, then seemed to remember Jiang Zhixing's presence and looked up at the boy who was standing quietly.

His displeasure gradually subsided: "What is it?"

His voice was devoid of emotion. Jiang Zhixing's lips moved slightly, and he raised his indifferent eyes, saying, "It's Mother. She's looking for you. Something's very wrong."

Jiang Jinyu frowned slightly, not immediately realizing that Jiang Zhixing's tone was off, "What happened to her again?"

Jiang Zhixing glanced at him, a sarcastic smile playing on his lips: "How would I know, Uncle Jiang? Mother only needs you."

Jiang Jinyu paused, raised his head and met the boy's silent eyes. But after only two seconds, the boy looked away, and Jiang Jinyu could only put away his probing gaze and stand up.

“I’ll go check on her,” he paused, then turned back to reassure her, “Don’t worry, your mother will be alright.”

However, the boy remained calm and even gave an "oh" with a slight smile.

As Jiang Jinyu walked away, he pondered the boy's words from earlier, and for some reason, he felt that there was a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

As his unease intensified, he found Jiang Yanxin curled up on the floor in a room at the far end of the second floor.

With all other thoughts gone, Jiang Jinyu quickly stepped forward, squatted down, and asked softly, "Ayan, what happened? Why did you send Axing to find me in such a hurry?"

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Jiang Yanxin sluggishly raised her head, her face as pale as paper and her expression listless, completely devoid of her usual noble elegance.

"It's Shen Linyue, she's back, she's really back." She grabbed his hand, tears streaming down her face, her expression heartbreaking.

Jiang Jinyu was stunned for a moment, but did not answer. He carefully tucked her messy hair behind her ear, and then his gentle voice slowly came through.

"Ayan, you can't just say things like that. What evidence do you have?" Jiang Jinyu smiled gently, but the smile didn't reach his eyes at all.

Jiang Yanxin's heart sank to the bottom in an instant; she couldn't believe it.

"Didn't you say you would trust me? Why don't you believe me now?"

The smile on Jiang Jinyu's lips vanished completely, and his fox-like eyes became unfathomably deep.

"Do you think that guy surnamed Chen betrayed us?" he said quietly. "Or do you believe that there really is such a thing as the dead coming back to life?"

Jiang Jinyu gently stroked her face; his fingertips were slightly cool, yet for some reason, a chill suddenly rose in Jiang Yanxin's heart.

"You're tired, Ayan. I'll look into this. Have you taken your medicine yet? Let's take it first." He helped her up, his strength leaving her no room to refuse.

Jiang Yanxin didn't even know when her tears stopped. She stared blankly at the man in front of her, feeling a sense of unfamiliarity for the first time.

But seeing the pills the man handed her, she obediently swallowed them.

She lay back in bed under his care, but Jiang Yanxin's gaze never left him.

Watching him tuck the blanket around her, Jiang Yanxin whispered, "Can you stay with me a little longer?"

Jiang Jinyu rubbed her head, as if dealing with a child throwing a tantrum.

"Ayan, there are still many people waiting for me downstairs. You know we can't both disappear at the same time."

Jiang Yanxin pursed her lips and smiled generously: "I understand, then you can go ahead and get busy."

Jiang Jinyu stood up and took two steps toward the door. When he turned around, he saw Jiang Yanxin still staring at him. After thinking for a moment, he walked back.

He said helplessly, "I'll stay with you for a few more minutes and tell me what happened upstairs."

...

Several sweet potatoes were shared between Shen Linyue and He Xiao.

I have to say, eating sweet potatoes in the dead of winter is very comforting; it warms both your stomach and your heart.

After finishing his meal, He Xiao sprawled on the sofa and, watching He Liyu handling official business on his phone, asked, "Where did you get the roasted sweet potatoes in this villa? They were delicious."

With a satisfied look on his face, it's the perfect time to sleep after a hearty meal in the dead of winter.

He Liyu didn't even look up when he heard this: "Jiang Jinyu baked it. That's about all the good skills he has."

He Xiao: "..." His sleepiness vanished instantly, and the boy sat up in shock, his face full of disbelief.

"Damn, aren't you afraid he'll secretly poison you?"

He Liyu: "..."

He raised his eyes and said calmly, "What do you think the probability is?"

He Xiao pursed his lips, wanting to say that one should always be wary of others, but Shen Linyue, who was still dealing with sweet potatoes, mumbled something.

“0. The Jiang family wants to test us, but they won’t be foolish enough to take action on their own turf, unless they want to defy the odds.”

He Liyu's expression softened: "A-Yue is absolutely right."

Completely ignored, He Xiao: "?"

That's it?

Oh? I just thought you wanted to hear Lin Yue answer your questions. :)

"Oh, you didn't know Jiang Yanxin went to see Lin Yue this afternoon? She was acting like a madwoman, clinging to Lin Yue and wouldn't let go." He Xiao glanced at He Liyu and sneered. What should he do if he inexplicably wanted to make things difficult for He Liyu?

Sure enough, He Liyu frowned upon hearing this, looked her up and down with concern, and asked, "Is nothing wrong?"

Shen Linyue glanced at He Xiao before replying to He Liyu, "It's nothing, it's just part of the plan."

He Liyu let out a breath and nodded slowly: "Be careful next time, don't let her get close to you."

Shen Linyue smiled sweetly and asked, "Besides headaches, does Jiang Yanxin have any other ailments?"

He Liyu paused for a moment, about to explain, when the little girl seemed to suddenly realize something and smiled shyly to the side.

"Sorry, I forgot you don't care about women other than your sister."

He Liyu: "..." Suddenly he felt like he was being teased, but it was probably just his imagination.

"Mmm." He pursed his lips and nodded reluctantly.

He Xiao, who had been completely oblivious, asked, "What? Am I outside the plan?"

The two looked at him at the same time, then looked away and changed the subject.

"We'll be going down the mountain soon, and we won't be spending the night here," He Liyu said calmly.

Shen Linyue frowned as she looked at the snow falling outside the window, which showed no signs of slowing down: "Won't there be any danger?"

"Yes, I had someone spread de-icing agent on the road, it's alright," He Liyu reassured her.

As for He Xiao: ? ? ?

Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh?