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

The stone table in the courtyard was somewhat pitted, and the tabletop was washed until it was almost white.

Zhu Xun Chuan held a large, rough porcelain bowl and ate three large bowls of brown rice with the stir-fried cured meat and greens on the plate.

He ate quickly; he hadn't had such a leisurely day in a long time.

"Xun Chuan, eat slowly, there's more in the pot." The old lady smiled broadly, her wrinkled face relaxing.

Zhu Xun Chuan put down his empty bowl, took the old lady's rough porcelain teacup, and added hot water: "Grandma's cooking is excellent. This cured meat is even more fragrant than the top chef's at the Kyoto Hotel. I can eat two more bowls."

A few words made the old lady laugh continuously and nod repeatedly.

Su Mucheng held a small bowl of rice, looking at the man in front of her. She had completely abandoned her celebrity status, her eyes filled only with dependence.

Under the stone table.

Su Mucheng quietly kicked off her left cloth shoe. Her toes, encased in pure white cotton socks, traced their way up Zhu Xunchuan's trouser leg. Through the fabric, her toes gently traced and circled his calf.

Her face flushed, she bit her lower lip, and dared not look up at Jiang Yao opposite her.

Zhu Xun Chuan remained expressionless as he picked up a soup ladle with his right hand and served Jiang Yao a bowl of egg drop soup.

"Yaoyao, drink more soup," Zhu Xunchuan said calmly.

Jiang Yao raised an eyebrow and took the soup bowl. She rolled her eyes at Su Mucheng. As a woman herself, she saw through Su Mucheng's little tricks immediately. However, in this farmhouse courtyard, Sister Jiang decided to give the local host some face and not expose her on the spot.

Zhu Xun Chuan suddenly pulled his left leg back under the table.

His knee pressed down precisely, trapping Su Mucheng's wriggling ankle between his legs. His thumb even pressed down on the arch of her foot.

Su Mucheng froze, nearly dropping her chopsticks on the stone table. She quickly lowered her head, shoveling large mouthfuls of rice into her mouth, her cheeks flushed so red that even the tips of her ears felt hot.

Dinner is over.

Zhu Xunchuan rolled up his sleeves and washed the pots and pans clean, tidying up the kitchen neatly.

The nights in Jiangnan are cold. The old man's body couldn't withstand the chill, so he went back to his room to rest early.

The west wing room was very small. It was made of wooden planks pieced together, covered with faded floral sheets that smelled of sun-dried soap.

Su Mucheng changed into her pink loungewear and nestled in Zhu Xunchuan's arms.

The room was lit only by a dim, yellow incandescent light.

"Brother Chuan." Su Mucheng traced circles on the buttons of Zhu Xun Chuan's white shirt with her finger. "When I was little, I was most afraid of rainy days. The house leaked, and there was thunder outside. Grandma would hold me on this bed and cover my ears."

Zhu Xun Chuan gently stroked her back to comfort her.

"When I got a little older, I would go to the mud pond behind the town to catch loaches. When I brought them back, my grandma would make soup for me. Once, I was chased by the big yellow dog from Grandpa Wang's house next door for three blocks, and I even lost a shoe in the process."

Su Mucheng's voice grew softer and softer.

Having shed the day's fatigue, in this absolutely safe embrace, as she spoke, her eyelids grew heavy and her breathing gradually became even.

Zhu Xun Chuan pulled his arm away. He then pulled the thin blanket over her shoulders.

He turned and walked out of the room, closing the wooden door behind him.

Jiang Yao lay down to sleep in the east wing next door, her soft breathing audible. Even the dignified leader of the Northern Frontier was truly exhausted after today's ordeal.

The courtyard was quiet.

The moonlight of early winter spilled across the bluestone slabs.

Zhu Xun Chuan walked to the loquat tree in the corner of the yard. He took out a cigarette from his trench coat pocket and put it in his mouth. He took out a windproof lighter but didn't press it.

A cold wind swept by.

The branches and leaves overhead didn't even rustle. A slender figure silently slid down from a dark corner of the roof, kneeling heavily on one knee on the muddy ground behind Zhu Xun Chuan.

Bai He wore a black tactical mask, revealing only his eyes.

Her breathing was erratic, and her head was bowed very low.

The rules for the top assassin on the dark web are that they must maintain an absolute safe distance while infiltrating, never reveal themselves unless summoned by the target or employer, and never expose their location due to personal emotional fluctuations.

She had just been lying on the roof watching that family eat, and she lost control of her emotions. That was a fatal mistake.

"Master, Xiaobai has broken the rules and crossed the line. Please punish him." Baihe's voice was hoarse, and his hands gripped the fabric of his tactical pants tightly on his knees.

Zhu Xun Chuan turned around, took the cigarette out of his mouth, casually broke it in half, and threw it into the pile of firewood next to him.

He didn't speak.

Footsteps approached. Zhu Xun Chuan walked up to the white crane.

He didn't draw his gun, nor did he get angry.

Zhu Xun Chuan turned around, reached out and opened the old cabinet next to him, and took out a can of cola.

This is what Su Mucheng bought at the town store this afternoon and put there.

"Click".

Zhu Xun Chuan gripped the pull tab with his index finger and pulled it open with one hand. The sound of room-temperature carbon dioxide bubbles bubbling was exceptionally clear in the quiet courtyard.

He bent down and handed the cola to the white crane.

The white crane raised its head, its eyes filled with confusion and astonishment.

Zhu Xun Chuan placed his large hand on the top of her head and rubbed it hard twice through the black tactical hood.

"I lay on the roof for five hours." Zhu Xunchuan said gently, "You've worked hard, Xiaobai."

Baihe didn't dare to take the cola, and unconsciously leaned back half an inch.

Zhu Xun Chuan pulled off her tactical mask, revealing her exquisitely beautiful face, which was covered in a few specks of dust.

He forcibly shoved the can into Baihe's hand.

"The whole family is eating, and you're upstairs eating nothing." Zhu Xun Chuan looked into her eyes, his voice carrying an undeniable force. "From now on, if you want to eat, just walk in and sit down at the table."

A can of Coke at room temperature is not expensive at all.

But on this cold night, those words shattered Baihe's psychological defenses, which he had maintained for ten years.

She had rolled through piles of corpses, her hands stained with blood. She believed she was destined to live in the shadows, destined to be a heartless knife. No one had ever treated her like a normal person, and no one had ever told her that she could sit openly at a table and eat with others.

The cold metal shell of the aluminum can was gradually warmed by the warmth of my palm.

The white crane's eyes quickly reddened. Moisture condensed, and two tears rolled down its cheeks, landing on its chin.

She tilted her head back and took a big gulp of cola.

The stinging sensation of the carbonated drink slid down my throat, down my esophagus, and all the way to my stomach.

"It's good that Brother Chuan is safe." Bai He whispered, his voice thick with nasal tone.

Zhu Xun Chuan reached out, grasped her arm, and pulled her up from the ground.

The next second, he opened his arms and pulled the cold-blooded killer, who exuded an aura of icy coldness, into his embrace.

Bai He gripped the can of cola tightly in her hand. Her chin rested on Zhu Xun Chuan's shoulder, inhaling the unique scent of firewood and tobacco emanating from the man.

She didn't struggle; she obediently closed her eyes, greedily absorbing this worldly warmth.

At this moment, the top assassin on the dark web was completely devoted to her. For this embrace, she would not hesitate to risk her life even if it meant facing mountains of knives and seas of fire.

The quiet embrace lasted a long time.

"Buzzing".

Zhu Xun Chuan's encrypted phone in his coat pocket suddenly vibrated twice.

He released Baihe. Baihe quickly took half a step back, raised her hand to wipe away her tears, and her eyes regained their extremely vigilant and cold sharpness.

Zhu Xun Chuan took out his phone, and the screen lit up.

It was an urgent text message from a clandestine overseas channel.

There was only a short line of text on the screen.

"The Pan family's third branch has chartered a plane to the airport, presumably to intercept Su Mucheng. Their intentions are not good."