Chapter Fifteen: Ominous Signs

Zhong Si was given a narrow but private room, located on the edge of the headquarters members' living area, adjacent to Xi Ya's residence. This seemed to be a tacit consent, and also an invisible boundary.

His movements were strictly confined to this area, but compared to the isolation of the medical ward, it was a certain degree of "freedom".

Xiya took care of his daily needs, clumsily but persistently ensuring he received proper care. Zhong Si's frightened state gradually eased under the protection of Xiya, this seemingly solid "wall," although his fear of the surrounding environment and other members remained deeply ingrained.

A few days later, one afternoon, Xu Yue summoned Xi Ya again. This time it wasn't in her office, but in a small reception room next to her private study. The atmosphere was slightly more casual than last time, but Xi Ya's anxiety was no less.

He had a vague premonition that this summons must be related to Zhong Si.

Xu Yue sat on a single sofa, with a steaming cup of black tea beside her.

She was dressed casually today, in a dark blue cashmere sweater, which softened some of her sharpness, but her gray eyes still saw through everything.

“Sit down, Xiya.” Xu Yue gestured to the seat opposite her.

Xi Ya sat down as instructed, his posture upright, revealing a barely perceptible tension. He didn't speak first, but simply waited. Xu Yue picked up her teacup, gently blew on it, and didn't drink immediately, but instead asked seemingly casually, "How has Zhong Si been lately?"

“The recovery is going well. The wound is healing very well, and I can walk on my own now,” Sia replied cautiously, quickly calculating the intention behind Xu Yue’s question.

"What about your emotions? Are you still as afraid as you were at the beginning?" Xu Yue put down her teacup, her gaze calmly falling on Xi Ya's face.

“It’s better…when I’m here.” Sia added the second half of the sentence, with a hint of protection that was barely perceptible.

Xu Yue gave a soft "hmm," her fingertips lightly tapping the sofa armrest, as if carefully choosing her words. The brief silence made Xi Ya's heart pound even higher.

“I’ve observed him,” Xu Yue finally got to the point, her tone regaining its usual calm and objectivity, “especially his demeanor when answering my questions. The fear was real, but beneath it, there was something… an almost instinctive ability to capture and remember details. This wasn’t the result of training; it was more like a talent.”

Xi Ya's heart sank. He had, of course, noticed Zhong Si's unusual sensitivity, but he preferred to see it as a self-protective mechanism the child had developed after suffering, rather than a noteworthy trait. He instinctively wanted to argue, "Boss... he's just a child, and he's suffered so much; maybe he's just more sensitive..."

“You call me boss whether you’re overjoyed or upset, you’re easy to understand. But you need to know that sensitivity and talent are two different things, Xiya.” Xu Yue interrupted him, her tone leaving no room for argument. “In our line of work, accurate intelligence is often more valuable than brute force. A pair of eyes that are good at discovering and analyzing is priceless.”

Xiya's fists clenched silently at his sides, a flicker of anxiety flashing in his red eyes. He understood Xu Yue's meaning, and this was exactly what he feared most. "You mean... you want him to participate in the organization's affairs?" His voice was filled with suppressed tension.

“It’s not about getting involved, it’s about assessing potential,” Xu Yue corrected, her gaze sharpening as she looked directly into the unease churning in Xi Ya’s eyes. “We need to know what kind of polish this rough gem can be made into. Or rather, whether he is truly a rough gem at all.”

"Let Ram do the evaluation?" Sia asked with a sliver of hope, even though he knew that Ram's rigorous scrutiny would be torture for Zhong Si as well, but at least Ram's methods were more "conventional".

Xu Yue shook her head, her answer instantly shattering Xi Ya's hopes: "No. Leave professional matters to professionals. I'm entrusting him to Mu Ye."

"Mu Ye?!" Xi Ya blurted out, her voice rising slightly with shock and resistance.

That cold, precise machine-like "Raven," whose eyes are only for efficiency and intelligence? Letting the sensitive and fragile Zhong Si fall into her hands? Just imagining Mu Ye's emotionless silver-gray eyes scrutinizing Zhong Si sent a chill down Xiya's spine.

That's like throwing a fledgling bird that's just grown its downy feathers into a cold ice cave.

“Boss, no!” Xi Ya suddenly stood up, disregarding etiquette, and urgently retorted, “Mu Ye’s way…you know! She doesn’t care about people’s feelings at all! Zhong Si has only just been able to get a good night’s sleep, he can’t stand that…that kind of cold analysis! It will ruin him!” His voice was filled with anxiety that was almost out of control.

Xu Yue's face darkened. She wasn't angry because of Xi Ya's outburst, but the temperature in her eyes clearly dropped to freezing.

"Xia, calm down. You've only known each other for a few days." Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried immense force, instantly silencing Xia's agitated emotions. "Mind your stance. Are you questioning my decision, or are you questioning Mu Ye's abilities?"

Xi Ya felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over her head, instantly sobering her up a bit.

He realized he had overreacted.

He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and sat down again, but his clenched fists and tense body still betrayed the intense struggle within him.

“I’m not questioning you, nor am I questioning Mu Ye’s abilities.” Xi Ya’s voice lowered, with a hint of pleading. “I just… I just feel it’s inappropriate. Zhong Si… he’s very fragile.”

“Vulnerability can become resilience, provided the method is appropriate. And to judge whether the method is appropriate, one needs to understand the nature of the material. Mu is also the most suitable evaluator.” Xu Yue’s tone left no room for negotiation. “Besides, Xiya, you seem to have forgotten one thing.”

She paused, her grey eyes, like the coldest ashes, locking onto Xiya's gaze: "He's someone I allowed you to bring back. The price for him staying in the organization is that he must prove his worth, or at least let us see his potential risks. This isn't a request, it's a decision. You just need to carry it out."

The last few words, like a final verdict, struck Xiya's heart. All his reasons for trying to protect Zhong Si seemed pale and powerless in the face of Xu Yue's cold logic based on organizational interests.

He understood that he had neither the leverage nor the standing to defy Xu Yue's decision. His loyalty, everything he had, was bestowed upon him by Xu Yue. To challenge Xu Yue's authority was not only foolish, but also a betrayal of that loyalty.

A profound sense of powerlessness and panic swept over him. He seemed to see Zhong Si being taken into Mu Ye's cold and ruthless intelligence world, tormented by various tests and scrutiny, and the faint light that had just ignited in his eyes was extinguished once again.

But he could only watch helplessly, powerless to do anything about it.

He lowered his head, his red hair obscuring the churning pain and struggle in his eyes. After a long while, he managed to utter a single word in an almost inaudible voice:

"……yes."

That response drained all his strength. It was as if he hadn't agreed to an arrangement, but rather personally pushed the person he wanted to protect into unknown suffering.

Looking at his defeated yet still stubbornly enduring appearance, Xu Yue's eyes flashed with a faint, unreadable emotion. She understood Xiya and knew the torment he was going through at that moment.

But she knew all too well that in this dog-eat-dog world, acting on emotions was a deadly luxury. Whether for the sake of the organization or for Xiya himself, this decision was necessary to prevent him from becoming too immersed in this transference.

"Inform Mu Ye that starting tomorrow, she will have full authority to evaluate Zhong Si. During the evaluation period, you must not interfere unless Mu Ye allows it," Xu Yue gave the final instruction.

“…I understand.” Xiya’s voice was dry.

He stood up, bowed to Xuyue, then turned and left the reception room with somewhat unsteady steps.

The door closed behind him, cutting off the light from the outside world, and seemingly cutting off the fragile peace he had just managed to gain.

Back in the living area, Xiya saw Zhong Si sitting on a small stool by the door of his room, quietly watching the door at the end of the corridor where people occasionally came and went.

The last rays of the setting sun streamed through the narrow skylight high up, casting a warm band of light on him. He looked so small, so quiet, as if a slight breeze could blow him away.

Upon seeing Xiya return, Zhong Si's purple eyes instantly lit up, like two polished gems, filled with complete dependence and a hint of barely perceptible joy. He stood up, seemingly wanting to greet her, but then hesitated, stopping abruptly.

That gaze, so full of pure dependence, now felt like a red-hot branding iron, searing the heart of Xiya.

How could he tell the child that tomorrow, his only protection would be temporarily lost and that he would have to face the organization's most fearsome "Raven" alone?

Xiya walked up to Zhong Si, trying to force a reassuring smile, but found that the muscles on her face were as stiff as stone.

He reached out, intending to ruffle Zhong Si's black hair as usual, but his movement froze in mid-air.

In the end, he simply patted Zhong Si's thin shoulder stiffly.

“Tomorrow… Miss Muya will come to see you.” Sia tried to make her voice sound calm. “She might ask you some questions, or… give you some tests. Don’t be afraid, just answer truthfully and do your best.”

The light in Zhong Si's eyes dimmed instantly, replaced by a familiar fear.

Mu Ye... that woman he had only met once, yet who exuded a chilling aura even more intense than that of Gong Yang.

He instinctively grabbed Xiya's sleeve, his purple eyes filled with pleading, as if asking, "Can't you stay with me?"

Xiya understood the plea, and his heart felt as if it were being tightly gripped by an invisible hand.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, hardened his heart, and gently but firmly pulled Zhong Si's hand away from the corner of his clothes.

“This is…the boss’s order.” He said through gritted teeth, “I…can’t interfere.”

Zhong Si's hand fell limply to his side, the light in his eyes completely extinguished, leaving only a blank fear and despair.

He lowered his head and stopped looking at West Asia.

Seeing Zhong Si's small shoulders collapse instantly, Xi Ya felt an unprecedented heartache and self-blame.

He seemed to see once again Yanni's eyes, gradually losing their luster, on his sickbed years ago. Was history truly about to repeat itself? Only this time, it was he himself who was pushing his "brother" into unknown danger.

As night fell, the headquarters was brightly lit, but it couldn't illuminate the huge shadow of "unease" in Xiya's heart.

He knew that from tomorrow onwards, Zhong Si's fate would enter a new trajectory that he could not control.

He could only stand as a tormented bystander, praying that this fragile "little butterfly" could find a glimmer of hope under the cold gaze of the "raven."