Martial arts have become extinct worldwide, yet I am forced to have a large family.

On the way back.

"Eating what's in your bowl while eyeing what's in the pot..."

"Yang Xian, you've gone a bit too far!"

Liu Qin glanced at Yang Xian, her voice sounding somewhat sour.

"Sister Liu, I haven't been back for almost a week, I should at least let her know I'm safe..." Yang Xian quickly covered his phone with his hand and then explained.

"Then you'd better hurry..." Liu Qin hugged Yang Xian's arm and rested her head on it, "Once we get home, there won't be time to chat with you."

Yang Xian: "..."

He knows Liuqin too well.

After being separated for almost a week, knowing her personality, she will definitely make up for all the "losses" she made during those days when she gets back.

From the moment she took his hand and led him out of the camp, the woman's urgency was written all over her face.

Say "I don't have time to talk".

Actually, she was urging herself to finish the job quickly so she could make her a "snack".

Yang Xian sighed and picked up his phone again.

I have some things to take care of right now.

How about tomorrow?

The message has been sent.

As expected, Liu Ruyu replied instantly.

"What's wrong? You just came out of the rift, what could possibly be wrong?"

Are you injured and don't want me to see it?!

[Yang Xian, say something!]

Yang Xian scratched his head.

I couldn't figure out how to write it right away.

He can't exactly say, "I want to go back to Liuqin's house and be taken advantage of by her," can he?

After thinking for two seconds, he typed a line.

Chief Scientist Liu invited me to her home to discuss the data from this experiment.

The results of this experiment are very important and cannot be delayed.

After sending the message, Yang Xian put his phone down again.

Using the Seven Realms Willow Qin as a shield.

It should be fine now...

-

On the streets near Star Academy.

Liu Ruyu stood by the roadside, staring at Yang Xian's reply on her phone screen.

"Shall we visit Chief Liu's home?"

"Discussing the experiment with that stinky woman?"

The girl frowned.

Chief Liu's family...

That means they went to my house, didn't they?

Doesn't that mean that as long as I go back now, I can see Yang Xian?

But that place...

Liu Ruyu was lost in memories, which suddenly surged up.

That manor holds her happiest childhood memories.

In the first two years after Liu Qin took her in, she would hold her and tell her stories, and take her to see the sunset outside Star City.

Later, Liu Qin became busier and busier, and went home less and less often.

When he comes back occasionally, all he talks about is cultivation, talent, and progress.

In that house, she learned to eat alone, practice martial arts and study alone, and sleep alone with the lights off...

"Liu Ruyu, what are you thinking about!" The girl slapped her face hard.

"I'm going back to find Yang Xian, not her!"

"Call Yang Xian out, then we'll leave!"

"You don't need to say a single word to that woman!"

-

"I'm home."

Liu Qin pushed open the door and grabbed Yang Xian's hand, pulling him inside.

Let's go!

"From now on, you belong to your older sister."

"You're too impatient. Can't you let me take a shower first?" Yang Xian pulled his hand back. "I haven't showered for almost a week while I've been in this crevice."

"It's not that I don't care..." Liu Qin said nonchalantly, "Then hurry up, I'll get you some clothes!"

Men generally don't spend much time showering.

A short while later, Yang Xian came out wrapped in a bath towel.

Liu Qin was already standing at the bathroom door.

She had changed into casual home clothes, a dark purple silk robe, and her hair was casually draped over her shoulders.

The gaze behind the glasses slid from Yang Xian's face to his bare shoulders, then to the towel around his waist, and finally back to his eyes.

"Hurry up and come out, your sister can't wait any longer."

"Wait a minute, my hair isn't dry yet!"

"Why bother blow-drying your hair? Guys look best right after a shower!"

She reached out and put her arm around Yang Xian's waist, then pulled him out of the bathroom.

Yang Xian had absolutely no chance to resist.

"Put me down, I can walk by myself..."

After walking a few steps, Liu Qin pressed him down onto the sofa in the living room.

Yang Xian leaned back and looked up at her.

"Here? Not even going back to your room?"

"Right here." Liu Qin knelt on one knee on the sofa, leaned down, and touched his chest with her fingertips. "You have to make up for the food you ate these past few days."

Yang Xian looked at the face so close to his own: "Really? I'm afraid you won't be able to handle too much!"

"Then give it a try!"

Liu Qin lowered her head, and the distance between them disappeared.

Their lips touched.

The only sounds in the quiet living room were the soft breathing and the rustling of fabric.

Yang Xian's fingers ran through her deep purple hair, feeling that long-lost softness and warmth.

Liu Qin's kiss was forceful, carrying an eagerness that had been suppressed for too long and was finally being released...

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The taxi was parked on the road outside the manor.

Liu Ruyu paid the fare and got off the bus, standing by the roadside looking at the familiar iron gate not far away.

The manor's outer walls are very high, covered with ivy. A corner of the roof peeks out from inside the walls.

"I never thought I'd end up back here."

She stood there for a few seconds, took a deep breath, and then strode toward the manor gate.

The guard robot's sensors scanned her face, and the green light came on.

"Identity confirmed. Liu Ruyu. Access permissions: Permanent."

The door lock clicked open.

Liu Ruyu pushed open the door, walked through the courtyard, and arrived at the front of the main house.

Immediately afterwards, she took the key out of her pocket.

Insert the metal key into the lock and turn it gently.

"Yang Xian!!"

The door opened, and the living room lights were on.

The girl immediately spotted the man on the sofa wearing only a bath towel, and the woman on top of him.

Hearing the door open, Yang Xian turned his gaze over.

When he saw who was standing at the door, he was completely dumbfounded.

"Like jade!?"

wrong!

What is she doing here?

He's still holding the key to this place?

"Yang Xian..."

Liu Ruyu's voice came from the doorway, her voice choked with sobs.

"The thing you said you had to do... is right here..."

Her gaze shifted from Yang Xian to Liu Qin, and then back to Yang Xian.

My lips are trembling.

"It's about her...it's about her..."

"Ruyu! Let me explain!"

Yang Xian gently pushed Liu Qin away, grabbed the towel that was about to slip off, and explained, "Chief Liu and I are just..."

He hadn't finished speaking.

Liu Ruyu interrupted him.

"She's my mom."

"What?!"

Yang Xian exclaimed in surprise, thinking he had misheard.

Is Liu Qin Liu Ruyu's mother?

How is that possible?

Liu Qin clearly stated that she was not related to Liu Ruyu by blood.

Liu Qin sat on the sofa, neither standing up nor speaking.

Her expression was calm, without the slightest hint of surprise.

Before Yang Xian could figure things out, Liu Ruyu covered her mouth, tears sliding down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, I disturbed you!"

She turned around and stumbled out the door.