Jin Zhou didn’t glance back as he walked down the narrow hall, the echo of his boots steady, unhurried.
Outside, the air was thick with exhaust and cold night mist with drizzles. The idling black sedan waited at the curb, its rear door already open.
Sliding in, he settled into the leather passenger seat beside the scarfaced man who was the driver. The driver eased the car away from the curb, tires whispering over wet asphalt, carrying them into the waiting dark.
The other operative n boarded their vans and drove just behind Jin Shuren’s Sedan.
"Master Jin... We have completed it..." He got the file carrying the Divorce papers and presented it to him.
Jin Shuren sat in the middle of the backseat, his tall fra slightly hunched to shield the two in his arms from the jostle of the road.
Yueyao was curled on one lap, her head turned toward his chest, breathing slow and even in a deep, exhausted sleep. Yueqin rested on the other, her small face tucked close to her mother’s, the tips of their foreheads nearly touching.
He had draped a thick wool shawl over them both, pulling it snug to the neck so that only their faces peeked out from the soft folds. Beneath the shared cover, their breathing seed to fall into the sa rhythm, one quiet exhale blending into the other.
The warmth of their bodies seeped into him, but he kept his arms locked around them with a steady, almost immovable grip.
Outside the windows, the city lights slid by in blurred streaks, but inside the car, the world felt smaller, confined to the cocoon of heat, the faint mingling scent of rain-damp hair and fabric softener, and the fragile weight of what he held.
For the first ti that night, his gaze softened.
The divorce papers were passed to him over the seat, the edge of the folder grazing his sleeve. Without loosening his hold on either of them, he took it and flipped it open with one hand.
Shen Xiao’s signature stared back at him, bold, deliberate, and yet hollow. Jin Shuren’s gaze lingered for a beat, his thumb brushing the ink as if testing its permanence. Then, without shifting either of the sleeping heads on his lap, he held the folder out toward the front.
"Jin Zhou," his voice was quiet but absolute, "by tomorrow morning, before I woke up, that divorce should have been finalized. Yueyao’s registry is cleared of anything to do with the Shen family."
"Yes, sir." Jin Zhou took the file, tucking it neatly into the briefcase at his side.
The sedan glided through the misty streets, wipers keeping slow ti with the rain. The scent of damp asphalt seeped into the cabin, mingling with the faint, familiar fragrance clinging to Yueyao’s hair.
"Should we do a follow-up on them?" Jin Zhou curiously queried while eying their Master from the front mirror.
"They are not worth the trouble, leave them to their own device, but if they misbehave you know what to do," he said at last, his voice low but cutting.
The scar-faced driver in the front seat gave a small nod, eyes fixed on the road. The line of black vans behind them mirrored every turn, their headlights casting long, wet shadows on the slick pavent.
Yueqin stirred faintly, a soft sound escaping her. Jin Shuren shifted his palm, steadying her. His eyes softened for an instant, his voice dropping to a near whisper ant for no one else. "Almost ho."
The city slid past in streaks of gold and grey, and in the quiet hum of the engine, Jin Shuren’s gaze stayed fixed on the road ahead, silent proof that one Chapter had ended and another was already in motion.
Rain traced thin silver lines down the glass, blurring the city lights into a haze. Yueyao’s breathing was slow and even, her face turned toward Yueqin’s, the two of them cocooned beneath the shawl.
Jin Shuren’s gaze lingered on them a mont longer. His thumb brushed absently over Yueqin’s small shoulder, as if grounding himself in the steady warmth between them.
The sedan eased to a stop in front of a well-kept apartnt building, its façade lit by warm sconces.
Beyond the gates, the neighborhood stretched in quiet elegance, a mix of manicured villas and modern high-rise residences, their windows glowing softly against the damp night air, which still carried the faint tang of rain.
Upstairs, behind a dimly lit window, Fang Lin was pacing in her living room, her phone clutched in her hand. She had called Jin Shuren several tis a few minutes ago, but hadn’t gotten any response from him.
A sudden knock at the door startled her. She peered through the peephole and saw Jin Zhou standing there, his black coat dusted with rain.
She hastily opened the door, "Did you find her? How is she? Where is she?" Fang Lin asked in a rush, her voice tight.
"We have got Yueyao," Jin Zhou said, his tone low but firm. "She’s safe now, but you can’t stay here. Shen Xiao won’t let this go, knowing you are her friend... Your Uncle said you pack what you need, you are moving back to Hangzhou City with us."
Fang Lin blinked, the words taking a mont to settle. "You an... tonight? And now?"
"Now, it’s your Uncle’s instructions and he is downstairs waiting..." he corrected her, "We are already on our way to the airfield."
He didn’t wait for her to argue, stepping inside as if to make sure she actually moved. Fang Lin glanced toward her bedroom, her mind racing.
Within a few minutes, she was stuffing clothes and essentials into a small suitcase, her hands shaking despite the urgency in her movents.
Jin Zhou took the case from her and gestured toward the door. "Let’s go."
As they stepped out into the night, the black sedan’s headlights cut across the wet pavent forging forward.
Fang Lin....
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