A crescent moon hangs in the night sky.

After taking a shower, Jiao Yuyin went to the kitchen to warm a glass of milk, as usual. Lu Yu quietly peered through the doorframe, blinking.

"Is there anything you want to say?" Jiao Yuyin shoved the milk cup into Lu Yu's hand and pinched her small nose.

Lu Yu sipped her milk. "Why are you in a bad mood?"

"Why do you ask that?" Jiao Yuyin instinctively wanted to deny it, but when he saw the bright light in Lu Yu's eyes, he sighed and said to himself, "The goal has been achieved, so there shouldn't be anything to be sad about... Little Yu, do you think I've changed?"

Lu Yu didn't say anything, and silently hugged Jiao Yuyin.

"All I know is that you will always be the person I care about most, no, the person I love most." Lu Yu's voice swayed along with the milk on Jiao Yuyin's back.

When you trust each other unconditionally, any explanation is superfluous.

Being responsible to the one you love most, and having that person understand you, is enough.

As for the utterly rotten Jiao family, their fate was to become one with corruption. Jiao Yuyin found the occasional pangs of guilt laughable.

“I can hear what other people are thinking, but I don’t know what you are thinking, so I don’t know if I’m guessing correctly. Let’s just talk about it. You… do you feel guilty towards your father because you did something that hurt the Jiao family?” Lu Yu asked softly.

"Probably..." Jiao Yuyin ruffled Lu Yu's soft hair, then steadied her arm with one hand to prevent the milk from spilling behind her. The firm muscles on her arm felt bouncy and pleasant to the touch.

The two sat down on the sofa. Lu Yu finished her milk before saying, "Today I heard Dad's true feelings. He does have a special affection for Mom. That's why Cen Li was able to get to his side. However, Dad probably knew about Jiao Yushen arranging for Tao Peng to report the Wen Group. He played the role of intentionally condoning it, or rather, fueling it. As for the rest, I didn't hear anything else."

“Heh…” Jiao Yuyin twitched the corner of his lips and voiced his guess, “Perhaps it’s the real mastermind behind it all. It’s not impossible.”

"What do you plan to do next?" Lu Yu asked.

"Taking advantage of the chaos in the Jiao family, let's get some big things done. It's time to go see Sister Ou." Jiao Yuyin chuckled mockingly. "But before leaving Qingbei City, let's go see my elder sister first."

“Yes, you’ve been holding back the evidence from the Luo City slaughterhouse until now. Your older sister must have realized by now that you’ve orchestrated all of this. She won’t do anything desperate, will she?” Lu Yu’s voice rose an octave.

Jiao Yuyin said, "No, keeping Jiao Yushen around is to let her think there's still hope for her. I need you to come with me to listen to her innermost thoughts these next two days. There aren't any other arrangements in the team for the time being, right?"

"No arrangements yet, we'll have to wait for the Olympic roster to be announced. Little Radar is on standby." Lu Yu smiled mischievously.

The crescent moon is bright, and with the starlight of the sky, it seems that it still cannot illuminate the unknown road ahead.

*

In the Qingbei City Nursing Center, the innermost room on the first floor was completely sealed off, with only a few rays of sunlight filtering through the small windows high up.

The door creaked open.

Two staff members from the nursing home carried a chair into the room. Jiao Yuyin strolled into the room, sat down naturally, and looked down at Jiao Hua'an, who was lying on the floor in a disheveled state.

The door was closed again.

Jiao Hua'an's gaze slowly focused, and she instantly straightened her posture, trying to maintain the aura of an elder sister.

"Dad only told you to sue me, not to put me under house arrest! You heartless bastard!" Jiao Hua'an shouted angrily.

"Tch—" Jiao Yuyin said calmly, "You have to eat prison food and suffer some punishment. This is probably not even a tenth of what you did to my mother."

"You! I knew it... How could someone who's always so dejected and unsuccessful suddenly change their ways! So you knew all along. Heh..." Jiao Hua'an burst into laughter, "You'll find out later that you've picked the wrong person!"

“That’s not wrong. Didn’t you participate? I won’t let anyone who participates go, including your most beloved younger brother. Without his older sister’s care, I’d like to see how long Jiao Yushen can hold out.”

Jiao Yuyin's words instantly turned Jiao Hua'an's face cold. She glared at Jiao Yuyin and asked, "Aren't you going to ask me who the murderers of your mother are?"

"What, is it that you've had a change of heart and want to confess, eldest sister?" Jiao Yuyin said calmly, looking at the beam of light shining through the small window.

Jiao Yuyin's reaction was beyond Jiao Hua'an's expectations. She thought that Jiao Yuyin had come with a clear purpose, at least wanting to negotiate some terms, to learn some truth about what happened back then from her, or to find out who was involved. But his completely unmoved demeanor sent a chill down her spine.

Jiao Hua'an remained silent for a long time.

Jiao Yuyin said, "Is my elder sister going to negotiate with me? But I'm sorry, I don't seem to trust her at all, so I really can't believe what you say."

“You don’t need to provoke me. Let me tell you, a temporary victory doesn’t count as a victory. Do you think you’ve won by ruining me and Yu Shen?” Jiao Hua’an said through gritted teeth. “I’ll be waiting to see your final fate.”

Lu Yu, separated by a wall, listened intently to Jiao Hua'an's thoughts.

You're running around doing everything for Jiao Yuchen now, only to find out in the end that Jiao Yuchen is the real murderer of your mother. That scene will be incredibly exciting; you two will fight to the death. I... I will definitely wait until the day Yushen comes to take me back...

Lu Yu calmed her breathing, walked to the door, and gently knocked three times.

Jiao Yuyin stood up, without saying a word, only adjusted his glasses, glanced at Jiao Hua'an, and turned to leave.

...

A black van was driving on the road to Shuangbai Village in Nan'ai City.

Xiao Zhong turned on some quiet music.

Lu Yu sat in the back row, held in Jiao Yuyin's arms, and slowly spoke of what she had heard.

“Not a single member of the Jiao family has been lost. Jiao Cheng, Jiao Hua’an, Jiao Yushen, Jiao Yuchen… It’s just that what exactly happened back then, and my second sister Jiao Huachang, these things will probably only be known when we meet Sister Ou.” After Jiao Yuyin finished speaking, he tightened his embrace around the person in his arms.

Lu Yu frowned and warned, "Jiao Yuchen will be released from prison soon, and he probably won't be able to hide anymore then. He will definitely target you, so be very careful afterward."

“It can’t be hidden anymore. Whether it’s the competition for power in the Jiao family or the investigation of old matters, it can’t be concealed anymore. Now it’s all about seizing the opportunity and racing against time.” Jiao Yuyin looked at the trees rushing past outside the car window.