Wei Lan’s expression was resolute—an unwavering determination as if she were willing to dig out her heart to earn another’s trust.
And Han Su trusted her.
It was an indescribable intuition, deeper than fate.
In fact, even if Wei Lan had not sworn, or even not rembered any of this, that intuition would still exist—Han Su would still trust her.
Asking that question seed more like caution born of reason. And even before reason had received an answer, emotion had already offered one. Instead, Han Su felt asking that question was a bit redundant.
So he slowly pressed down on Wei Lan’s hand where she had sworn, and softly replied: “The kidnapping case is still ongoing, and I have been trying to rescue the other children. Unfortunately, up to now, I’ve only managed to save two.”
“What?”
Wei Lan’s pupils contracted sharply, confusion and disbelief washing over her features.
From her perspective, the kidnapping case had happened ten years ago. She did not know why she had been kidnapped, but it was all in the past.
“You … you are still trying to rescue other children? Are they… still alive?”
“That Ancient Castle really exists?”
“…”
Han Su t her questions, slowly smiled, and shook his head: “It’s not that simple.”
“The Ancient Castle has never been found in reality, and I have gone back to ten years ago to save them.”
“Ti after ti, with low success rates, but I am still trying.”
“…”
Han Su’s answer instead put more bewildernt on Wei Lan’s face. She couldn’t understand how all of this could be, from those two sentences. But the casual expression Han Su wore when saying it suddenly struck her heart.
At that mont, inexplicably, Han Su’s father’s words flashed through her mind.
He was a person who had suffered greatly.
She had actually asked Xu Ji’s father: why did you say he suffered? He was just a newcor in the Disaster Managent Bureau, scrambling to get his investigator’s license.
Xu Ji’s father had only said: as a child, a survivor of a kidnapping case, he carried too much pressure that he shouldn’t have had to bear. Even now, the Black Table still offered a bounty on him.
An innocent person shouldering the pressure of twenty‑five missing children. As an elder, he felt so sympathy for him.
At that ti she couldn’t fully grasp what Han Su ant by “still trying,” but she imdiately understood why his eyes always held such profound weariness. At once she had a visceral sense for the word “suffering” that Xu Ji’s father had used.
That kind of exhaustion made her feel hollow and sad.
She gripped Han Su’s hand tightly and asked: “Then why didn’t you try to tell ?”
“You rescued , why didn’t you co to find ?”
“I don’t understand why in my current mory it’s as if I was never kidnapped. I don’t know what kind of monster kidnapped us, but I was one of them. You could have co to find . I could have helped…”
“I also… should help with this!”
“…”
Han Su understood Wei Lan’s anxiety and her questioning, but hearing her words, he smiled.
Then he looked down and explained to Wei Lan: “First, I was afraid you wouldn’t believe .”
So things could not be explained with words.
Actually at that ti I had forgotten your na—but saying that aloud felt hurtful…
Then he offered a second answer: “If they were rescued, then they were rescued. You were far from the kidnapping case, far from those monsters. That’s already good.”
He smiled, then continued: “When I t you at the Coastal Club I thought perhaps you would never rember. I didn’t know you had Mysterious Side ability. I only assud you were a girl walking a catwalk on stage.”
“I didn’t need to disrupt your life, right?”
“…”
Wei Lan looked at his smile. Suddenly her eyes stung sharply. Adults have the instinct to hold back tears. She was no exception.
Her training included emotional control, yet at this mont her vision blurred instantly.
A surge of uncontrollable regret filled her heart.
It seed like the child once trapped in the Bronze Room was blaming her.
Blaming her for being rescued, then suddenly throwing everyone and everything behind and just running away…
Han Su watched her unraveling expression, sighed helplessly inwardly.
For himself, this was the first ti. Previously with Xu Ji, that carefree person had never rembered anything, so he carried all of it alone. He had not tried to make Xu Ji understand, nor let him share the burden.
Until now, Wei Lan rembered.
That sense of kinship among kindred spirits, finding warmth in each other’s presence, had co too abruptly and too intensely.
So intense that he felt unsettled, as if it might be a fleeting illusion.
As he sighed softly, about to comfort Wei Lan, he suddenly heard chaos outside, faint gunfire and terrified screams. He imdiately beca alert, withdrew the hand reaching for Wei Lan’s hair, and said in a low voice:
“I know you have lots of questions you want to ask. So do I.
But what matters most right now is how to leave Lilac Courtyard later.”
As he spoke, he pulled out from the box the chanical Fragnt, and whispered: “This chanical Fragnt is very important. I need to take it out of Lilac Courtyard.”
Now that the banquet scene had turned chaotic, the theft of the chanical Fragnt must have caused major trouble.
The exit inspection would be strict.
“I’ll help you!”
Wei Lan hastily stood and wiped away tears from her face, saying: “I can try putting the chanical Fragnt into my makeup box and take it out. The security captain at Lilac Courtyard is also in the sa line of work; her eyesight is sharp, but she can’t see through my makeup box.”
“That is a rule all those dealing with the Queen Organization must abide by: the Queen’s personal items must not be seen.”
“Of course…”
At this, her eyes narrowed slightly and she said: “If necessary, I will break out forcibly.”
“Worst case I won’t stay in Qinggang here anymore—go to another city and start over!”
“You…”
Looking at Wei Lan’s resolve, Han Su felt sowhat surprised.
Breaking out of Lilac Courtyard—that would turn theft into outright robbery?
That skinny young girl, who hadn’t left a deep impression on him back then, now not only shone brightly but carried a streak of outlaw spirit...
Speaking of which, he suddenly rembered sothing: “Just now, why did you go down?”
“Your original purpose attending this banquet was also to seize that chanical Fragnt?”
“I was commissioned.”
Wei Lan, hearing this, finally smiled, showing no secrecy: “Our Queen Organization is originally a mysterious organization that takes on various commissions—assassinations, escort, protection, theft. That’s our trade.”
“But we only accept ancient coins as paynt.”
“…”
‘Well, so it turns out you beca criminal?!’
Han Su heard this and found it bizarre, but also realized: “Previously when you appeared at my mission site… you were…”
“Yes!”
Wei Lan said: “Mr. Xu commissioned . He asked to protect you during that mission, okay?”
At this point she also suddenly understood and whispered: “You just said that in the Ancient Castle you rescued two children. So besides , the other one is…”
Knock knock knock!
Before Han Su could speak, soone outside banged at the door. A voice called: “Miss Wei Lan, are you inside? Hurry, hurry, there’s trouble outside, let’s run…”
“Can I co in? Say sothing, I’ll open if you don’t…”
“…”
Wei Lan suddenly seed to grasp sothing. She tore off a tissue, wiped the tears and the blood seeping from her wound, and went to open the door. Xu Ji burst in and shouted: “Your makeup upkeep in this industry is so troubleso. Let’s run…”
He spoke while lifting his head, then suddenly froze, tongue apparently stuck:
“Run… run… run…”
His gaze shifted from Wei Lan’s disheveled clothing to Han Su seated in the chair, noticing the tear‑dampened patch on his knee, and the expressions on both their faces.
His mind worked overti before he let out a “ah!” and covered his mouth with his hand, staring dumbly: “Although people were shooting, people were killing, it seems… not so urgent…”
He said that while actually trying to back out of the room.
Han Su frowned and said: “Co in!”
Xu Ji imdiately darted in, ca beside Han Su, looked all around carefully, then with worry and disappointnt said: “Old Han, what can I say to you…”
“I already warned you before—they’re not for us…”
“They’re all monsters. If you fall in love with them you’ll be cursed, you’ll be in big trouble…”
“…”
What nonsense is this?
Han Su caught sight that Wei Lan’s face had turned sowhat grim as she listened. He hurriedly pulled Xu Ji aside: “Why are you still here?”
“Got lost…”
Xu Ji then said: “Damn, Lilac Courtyard is so big I got lost. By the ti I found the correct direction they wouldn’t let go. Brother Zhuzi called and told to pass through Miss Wei Lan to leave together…”
“Who would’ve thought that coming here we’d run into you…”
“…”
“Actually we ran into you!”
Han Su corrected his wording. At that mont he heard the chaos in the distance and Wei Lan’s assistant trying to hold people back. His expression shifted slightly and he nodded to Wei Lan.
He lifted the box holding the chanical Fragnt and tossed it to Wei Lan.
Wei Lan caught it, imdiately slipped it into her makeup box, and lightly tapped—its combination lock was already secured.
Her motion was so smooth that even Han Su was stunned. He felt as though he had seldom felt such complete trust in soone.
Perhaps he had never felt it before?
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