After ninety-nine online romances, I finally met my ex in person when school started.

Jiang Yao's gaze swept over Bai He's bathrobe, which clearly belonged to Zhu Xun Chuan.

She gripped the soy milk bag tightly with her left hand, causing the plastic bag to make a screeching sound.

The butterfly knife in his right hand snapped to a halt, the blade gleaming coldly between his fingers.

The white crane put down the glass.

Her originally languid and sleepy gaze completely changed the moment she saw Jiang Yao pull out her knife.

That was the instinctive reaction of a top-tier assassin.

Her legs were spread apart in a barely perceptible arc, her center of gravity lowered, and her right hand, seemingly casually hanging at her side, was actually aimed at a stainless steel fruit knife on the island counter.

The temperature in the entire living room suddenly dropped to freezing.

Jiang Yao looked at the white crane, a wild and cold smile creeping onto her lips.

"Where did this stray cat come from?" Jiang Yao gritted her teeth, her voice filled with undisguised hostility. "It ran into someone else's house and wore my man's clothes."

Bai He remained expressionless, but that deathly stillness that showed she didn't care about anyone returned to her.

She didn't even bother to respond to such provocation.

She simply stood there, coldly observing the intruder with the air of a sovereign.

The murderous aura in the air was so intense it felt like it was about to explode the entire living room.

In the living room of the large apartment, the morning sunlight slanted across the carpet.

Despite the warm light and shadow, the air was chillingly cold.

Jiang Yao's left hand, holding the soy milk bag, had bluish knuckles, while the butterfly knife between her right fingers stopped spinning, its tip pointing downwards, locked on the front.

Her eyes, painted with upward-sweeping eyeliner, unleashed the fierce aura befitting the young lady of the Northern Territory.

Bai He stood barefoot behind the island counter. Her left hand left the water glass and hung at her side, her index and middle fingers precisely gripping the specially made high-density ceramic piece inside her cuff.

She stood with her feet apart and her knees slightly bent, a standard defensive counter-attack stance.

Neither of them spoke. In the instant their eyes met, they simultaneously confirmed one thing.

They've all seen blood on their hands.

Jiang Yao stared intently at Bai He's oversized bathrobe, which belonged to Zhu Xun Chuan. A suggestive red mark was clearly visible on the collarbone exposed at the neckline. This mark immediately ignited Jiang Yao's senses.

Jiang Yao flicked her wrist. The butterfly knife blade flashed silver in the air.

Bai He didn't even blink as the ceramic shard slipped from his fingertips into his palm.

"Click".

The door to the master bedroom was opened from the inside.

Zhu Xun Chuan, dressed in black silk pajamas, yawned and rubbed the back of his head as he walked out of the corridor. His slippers made a slow, deliberate sound, instantly shattering the tense atmosphere of killing intent in the living room.

"Why are you doing your morning exercises in the living room instead of eating breakfast?" Zhu Xun Chuan's voice was hoarse from just waking up. He half-opened his eyelids and glanced at the two people facing off.

Just one second.

Jiang Yao flicked her wrist, and the butterfly knife instantly disappeared into her sleeve. The fierceness on her face vanished, replaced by a coquettish and aggrieved expression. Carrying the breakfast, she strode across the carpet and pounced on Zhu Xunchuan.

"Brother! I queued for half an hour to buy you soy milk from Lao Li's in Nancheng. My hands are all red from the heat." Jiang Yao held up the soy milk and pressed her body against Zhu Xun Chuan's arm.

On the other side, Baihe moved even faster. The ceramic shard instantly retracted into her sleeve, her legs pressed together, and her shoulders hunched inward. She didn't run over, but stood still, clutching the collar of her bathrobe with both hands, her eyes quickly filling with tears.

"Brother, she scared me with a knife." Baihe's voice trembled, soft and pitiful, perfectly portraying a frightened little girl.

Jiang Yao suddenly turned her head, stared at Bai He with wide eyes, and thought to herself: This green tea bitch clearly wanted to kill someone just now!

Zhu Xun Chuan showed no favoritism. He took the breakfast from Jiang Yao and placed it on the island counter, then grabbed Jiang Yao's wrist. Next, he strode over to Bai He and placed his large hand directly on Bai He's shoulder.

Holding one in each hand, Zhu Xun Chuan led them to the dining table.

"Sit down," Zhu Xun Chuan said calmly.

Jiang Yao reluctantly pulled out the chair on the left and sat down, kicking off her Martin boots in the process. Bai He obediently pulled out the chair on the right, sat down with her legs together, and only occupied a third of the chair.

Zhu Xun Chuan walked to the head seat and sat down. He reached out and untied the soy milk bag, then arranged the fried dough sticks and steamed buns on a plate.

"No matter how good you are outside, once you're on my turf, there's only one rule." Zhu Xun Chuan raised his head, his eyes losing their warmth, sweeping over the two with absolute pressure.

Jiang Yao sat up straight. Bai He lowered his head.

"In my family, knives are only for cutting fruit, and ceramic shards are only for coasters." Zhu Xun Chuan tapped the table. "Anyone who dares to lay a hand on a family member will be punished according to family rules."

The words "family" landed. Jiang Yao's anger subsided by half, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up. Bai He's fingers, which had been gripping the edge of his bathrobe, also relaxed, a hint of smug satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

Zhu Xun Chuan used two reprimands to forcibly bring these two top dangerous individuals into his protective circle.

"Let's eat." Zhu Xun Chuan pushed two cups of hot soy milk in front of them.

The atmosphere at the dinner table remained eerie, but the murderous intent had completely vanished.

Jiang Yao looked at the white crane opposite her, unable to suppress the competitive spirit within her. She picked up a freshly fried, crispy youtiao (Chinese fried dough stick) and forcefully broke it in half. She stretched out her arm and shoved one half directly at the white crane's mouth, her movements rough, but her tone deliberately feigned magnanimity.

"Want some? It's fresh out of the pot." Jiang Yao raised her chin slightly.

Bai He looked at the fried dough stick offered to her mouth but didn't take it immediately. She turned her head, her wet eyes looking at Zhu Xun Chuan with a questioning gaze.

Zhu Xun Chuan picked up the soy milk, took a sip, and ignored it.

Bai He withdrew her gaze. She slightly parted her rosy lips, bit one end of the fried dough stick, and took it from Jiang Yao's hand.

"Thank you, sister," Baihe said softly.

Jiang Yao almost choked on the word "sister". She picked up her soy milk and gulped it down, cursing inwardly: Who's your sister? I'll draw your blood sooner or later.

The white crane lowered its head and chewed on the fried dough stick in small bites, its drooping eyelashes concealing the disdain in its eyes.

Right under Zhu Xun Chuan's nose, the two rolled their eyes at each other, strangely reaching a tacit understanding that "neither of them is easy to mess with, so let's just keep to ourselves."

Zhu Xun Chuan took in everything. He picked up his chopsticks, placed a small steamed bun in Jiang Yao's bowl.

"Eat more. You've come all this way, you must be tired," Zhu Xunchuan said.

Jiang Yao immediately beamed with joy, all her previous gloom vanishing.

Then, Zhu Xun Chuan reached out and pulled up the loose collar of Bai He's bathrobe to cover the conspicuous red mark. His large hand then ruffled her slightly messy pigtails.

"Go change into clean clothes after you finish eating. This one is too big; be careful not to catch a cold."

Baihe nodded, her cheeks flushing red, looking incredibly docile.

What could have turned into a bloody conflict was transformed into a comical "sisters sharing the meal" thanks to Zhu Xunchuan's authoritarianism and art of diplomacy.

Sunlight completely illuminated the entire living room. The gloom brought about by the downfall of the Zhao family left no trace in this 600-square-meter space.

After breakfast, Jiang Yao rushed to clear the dishes. Bai He turned and went back to the guest room to find a change of clothes. Shen Tianxi and Meng Wanqing were still catching up on sleep in the guest room; she moved very quietly and made no sound.

Zhu Xun Chuan walked onto the open-air balcony and lit a cigarette.

As the autumn winds blew, Beijing returned to its usual order. The news of Zhao Tingzhi's arrest still dominated headlines across various newspapers.

Zhu Xun Chuan leaned against the glass railing, exhaling a puff of smoke. The Zhao family's matter was settled; it was time to fulfill his promise.

He took out his encrypted phone from his pocket and unlocked the screen.

"Tonight, a private dinner at the grand apartment to celebrate the successful completion of the operation."

Zhu Xun Chuan copied the sentence and sent it to Gu Qing Han and Xia Wan Ying respectively. Then, he looked back at Jiang Yao, who was wiping the kitchen counter, and Bai He, who had just changed into a spare set of Shen Tian Xi's casual clothes and walked out of the guest room.

Including Shen Tianxi and Meng Wanqing, who were still sleeping.

Tonight's dinner is destined to be a clash of titans.

Zhu Xun Chuan flicked away his cigarette ash. What did a chaotic battlefield matter? As long as they were in his territory, these proud women couldn't escape his grasp.

Just as he was about to put his phone back in his pocket, a notification popped up at the top of the screen.

Zhu Xunchuan paused.

This is an extremely private messaging app with only one contact person.

The gray avatar is now flashing.

Zhu Xun Chuan squinted and opened the chat box.