But this time, Nguyen Thanh An did not answer 037.

She simply watched in silence as the sky blazed with fire, completely enveloped by the thin membrane, unable to even feel the temperature rising, while sirens continued to approach from below the mountain.

"The matter in Fengxian Village has lasted for so many years. It seems that the reason it was exposed is because it was done by Jiang Shihe."

“I should have known. He’s a born bad guy, yet he’s also a detective who’s been used as a consultant. He’s capable of these things, and only he could do these things here…”

He buried the crimes of Fengxian Village with the sound of police sirens;

Then, with a great fire, send the wicked to hell.

Ruan Qing'an paused, subconsciously turned around, and looked at the small brick house. The old man who had hit him was trapped in the fire, screaming desperately because he couldn't escape, while he stood quietly in the middle.

He buried not only Fengxian Village, but also himself...

It was that twisted madman who personally sent his mother away.

Separated by the sky-devouring fire serpent, the raging flames, and the short distance between them—a mere step—it felt as vast as an insurmountable chasm. He clearly had a chance to escape, but Ruan Qing'an could tell that Xiao Jiang Shihe had no intention of running away, no intention of living.

His self-loathing comes from the bottom of his being.

So she stopped trying to persuade him. As he said, it was his past, and Ruan Qing'an couldn't change anything.

They gazed at each other from afar when suddenly Xiao Jiang Shihe spoke.

“I envy him, sister, I really envy him… I’ve been stuck here, endlessly repeating this nightmare, but he can be outside, and he even got to meet you…”

"You're so gentle, sister. I like you so much, even more than he does, so please remember me, okay, sister..."

He spoke in a low, hoarse voice, as if pleading.

As Ruan Qing'an watched Xiao Jiang Shihe being engulfed by flames, her leaden-gray eyes remained fixed on him, gentle and tolerant: "Yes."

Until the moment before he died, he heard her say—

"I will always be watching over you."

I will always remember you.

"I will...love you forever."

His entire body was engulfed in flames, and Xiao Jiang Shihe was convulsing in pain. His body was covered in wounds, but a smile of near satisfaction graced his lips.

That's enough...

Until Fengxian Village was completely engulfed in flames, until police cars arrived with sirens blaring, until the major case of women trafficking was exposed, everything came to an end, and all was consigned to the past.

When Nguyen Thanh An woke up again, she was lying on the computer desk in the police station's archives room, and it was already broad daylight outside the window.

037: [Ancestor, you've finally woken up.]

"...Yeah, I'm awake. It feels like I had a nightmare."

Ruan Qing'an paused, then subconsciously turned around, looked at the sunlight outside the window, and said in a deep voice, "I finally understand the background of the whole instance. The original owner also came from Fengxian Village. Not long after the original owner escaped, the police exposed it, and Jiang Shihe also ruined everything."

"Fengxian Village was destroyed, and so was he..."

037: [Ancestor, the male lead—]

She chuckled softly, seemingly sarcastic: "I know he has a severe case of self-loathing, there's nothing I can do about it."

037 paused for a moment: [No, I mean he's here.]

Ruan Qing'an then realized what was happening. She subconsciously looked up and saw Jiang Shihe leaning against the door of the archives room, looking at her. The man's tall figure was completely different from the one in her nightmarish memory, but... she knew it was him.

Even Nguyen Thanh An learned of his identity.

But before she could speak, Jiang Shihe said first, "Come with me first, we can't stay here any longer."

"Wh-what?"

Ruan Qingan looked down at the bodies of the police officers scattered on the ground and subconsciously explained, "It wasn't me, I just came here—"

"I know."

But before Ruan Qing'an could finish speaking, Jiang Shihe strode forward, pulled her into his arms, his strong arms bulging slightly, making his shirt bulge and revealing his exceptionally handsome muscle lines, and then picked her up horizontally.

Suddenly feeling as if she were suspended in mid-air, Ruan Qing'an immediately wrapped her arms around Jiang Shihe's neck before daring to secretly open her eyes. Right in front of her was the man's excessively superior and handsome profile, with deep black eyes that were incredibly profound.

"I believe that even if it was you who did it, it will still happen."

"The ground is too dirty, don't touch it."

He spoke in a low voice. After hearing Jiang Shihe's words, Ruan Qingan looked down at the ground and realized that what was left on the ground was the fragments of the broken iron photo frame that Ji He had broken earlier. But it was not dangerous; it was just debris.

Although he wouldn't get hurt, he was still worried.

Jiang Shihe's kindness was always impenetrable and thorough, just like in that nightmarish past, even as a young Jiang Shihe, he could be considerate in every aspect and without reservation.

Ruan Qing'an was silent for a moment, then subconsciously leaned against his chest.

Jiang Shihe easily and steadily carried her, took a long stride, and walked out of the archives room while saying, "I'll take you out first. There's no one left in the entire police station, not even Captain Long."

Where did they go?

Ruan Qingan couldn't help but ask a question in return.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Shihe paused, his expression becoming somewhat strange, and said in a deep voice, "I went to F University because someone on the internet said that he is the serial killer."

"So Captain Long took his men over there, saying that no matter if it was true or false, they had to go and check it out. If it was true, they would arrest the person directly, and if it was false, they would still arrest the person and detain them for a few days."

Seeing the strange way Jiang Shihe was speaking, Ruan Qing'an suddenly asked, "Mr. Jiang, you know it must be fake, right?"

"..."

"Or rather, you know of the existence of another version of yourself."

Hearing Ruan Qing'an's words, Jiang Shihe shifted his gaze slightly: "Ah... you didn't hide it? You should know what I am now, Miss Ruan, what kind of being am I?"

He's a madman, a murderer, or... a vengeful ghost.

Ruan Qing'an was silent for a moment, then suddenly reached out and hugged Jiang Shihe's neck, as if protecting little Jiang Shihe. She whispered, "I forgot what you were saying, Mr. Jiang."

All I know is that you are my Mr. Jiang.

After a moment of silence, she heard the man's heavy breathing. Jiang Shihe closed his eyes, as if he was holding back something. Then he lowered his head and pressed his forehead against hers.

He sighed softly, "Don't be so nice, Miss Ruan."

He will find himself falling more and more in love with her.

Only after carrying Ruan Qing'an out did Jiang Shihe say to her, "Wait for me here. We need to deal with the corpses inside. Don't worry about them. Even if Captain Long comes back, don't worry about them."

"I see."

The girl nodded obediently.

Seeing Jiang Shihe walk back again, Ruan Qing'an felt an uneasy feeling in her heart, as if something was about to happen.

037: [Oh no, ancestor, he's a ghost!]

"That's not right either. His ghost realm should be controlled by Xiao Jiang Shihe, just like the nightmare we saw. Jiang Shihe is acting strangely now. What kind of existence is he exactly?"

Ruan Qing'an couldn't help but bite her lower lip lightly. Her worry was that Jiang Shihe was a ghost, yet had lost all his powers—

"That's terrible, Ji He is a poisonous snake..."