Mr. Jiang frowned, clearly displeased. “What is it?”
Jiang Sui lowered her eyes. “Um… a friend of mine invited me to her 20th birthday party, but I don’t have money for an outfit, and I don’t have money to buy her a gift.”
Her voice turned slightly tearful as she added softly, “I haven’t bought new clothes in a long time.”
“Enough,” Mr. Jiang said impatiently.
This illegitimate daughter had asked him for money like this more than once before. He was already sick of it. But she was still his daughter—if she embarrassed him outside, it would reflect badly on him too.
“I’ll transfer it to you later.”
After saying that, he left.
Jiang Sui clenched her fist silently in victory.
When she returned to her room, she received the transfer—fifty thousand yuan.
Just by acting a little, she had gotten eighty thousand in total. Money really was easy to make when you were rich.
The next morning, Jiang Sui didn’t work out because her arms were too sore, and she had to drive all day.
There was no ready-made breakfast this morning, but she was already familiar with the kitchen and storage rooms. She heated up several packs of frozen crystal shrimp dumplings.
These were different from supermarket ones—they were handmade for the villa, made with fresh ingredients and no additives.
If she had spatial abilities, she would have emptied the entire cold storage.
The system spoke up: “Hos—”
“Sorry, I refuse,” Jiang Sui interrupted immediately.
Joking. Just seeing Xie Yanhan’s gloomy face these past two days already made her feel cold in the spine. If she actually bullied him, she wouldn’t even be able to sleep at night.
Thinking about Xie Yanhan’s cooperation in moving, she even brought him breakfast.
When she returned to the bedroom, she was surprised to see him standing on the balcony.
The late-summer sunlight was still bright. He wore a white shirt, his figure outlined by the light. The fabric was slightly translucent, revealing his slim, tall frame and a clean, youthful aura.
Hearing movement, Xie Yanhan turned around.
His face was pale and strikingly handsome, but his eyes were filled only with cold, dark hostility.
He looked like a ghost living in shadows—completely devoid of warmth or life.
Jiang Sui stopped instinctively. She wanted to run, but there was nowhere to go.
Forcing a smile, she said awkwardly, “G-good morning.”
Xie Yanhan stared at her silently. He didn’t even bother to respond.
Jiang Sui instantly regretted bringing him breakfast. But since she already did, she could only convince herself it would be over soon.
They probably wouldn’t see each other again after this anyway.
“I brought you breakfast. Eat it and we’ll leave,” she said, handing it to him.
Xie Yanhan glanced at the food, then slowly looked up at her. His eyes were cold and empty.
Her fingers tightened slightly.
She instinctively felt he didn’t want it—and might even find it disgusting.
Just as she was about to pull back, he took it.
“Thank you,” he said politely.
Then he stood by the balcony and quietly ate the breakfast she brought him.
There was no expression on his face the entire time. It didn’t look like he was eating—more like completing a mechanical task.
While checking her packed supplies, Jiang Sui couldn’t help sneaking glances at him.
As expected of someone who would later awaken a top-tier healing ability—even after a high fever and unconsciousness two days ago, he was now standing perfectly fine.
He looked completely normal.
After finishing the last bite, Xie Yanhan set the plate down.
“I’m done,” he said calmly.
It sounded like a report after completing an order.
Jiang Sui thought: that must have been how he and the original host interacted.
Whatever the original host demanded, he did. No refusal. No resistance.
No wonder he looked so disgusted when she brought him breakfast.
Xie Yanhan had very few belongings—just a small bag.
He followed her silently through the packed boxes in the house, asking nothing, as if even if she sold him, he wouldn’t resist.
At the first floor, Jiang Sui glanced at the full storage room and hesitated.
She wasn’t sure if she should warn him.
But given how much he hated the original host, he probably wouldn’t believe anything she said anyway.
Still… thinking about his future, she felt a bit sorry for him.
If he hadn’t been treated like a lab subject and dissected over and over again, would he have turned out less extreme?
She spaced out.
Xie Yanhan walked behind her, eyes lowered, dark and unreadable.
Today, she wasn’t wearing that heavy makeup. Her bare face was clean and soft, her eyes bright and lively—full of vitality.
It was different from usual.
He frowned slightly, but didn’t waste time thinking about her.
“You’re moving out. The place has nothing, so bring some things,” Jiang Sui said. “It’ll save you from buying them later.”
In the end, she decided not to tell him about the apocalypse. She would just give him some supplies instead.
Xie Yanhan remained expressionless, like a puppet being moved however others pleased.
Whatever she said, he did. No reaction. No objection.
Thinking of it as “free loot,” Jiang Sui packed a lot of food and supplies for him. They carried everything to the car together and drove to the rented apartment.
The entire ride, neither of them spoke.
Xie Yanhan sat silently, but his presence was heavy and cold, like a corpse.
At times, Jiang Sui felt like he might be looking at her—but every time she checked, he was just staring out the window.
Maybe she was just overthinking.
After arriving, she helped carry everything upstairs.
With both hands full of heavy rice and oil, she was already out of breath.
Once she left South City, she definitely needed to train properly. In the apocalypse, this weak body wouldn’t even be able to fight.
She opened the door and immediately dropped the bags.
“This is the place I rented for you,” she said. “Take a look.”
It was a simple, clean apartment with nothing special.
Xie Yanhan glanced around briefly. “Okay. Thank you.”
Seeing there was nothing else to say, Jiang Sui waved. “Then I’ll go. You unpack.”
She turned and left.
This time, Xie Yanhan didn’t speak.
His pale fingers held the door handle and slowly closed it—but his eyes never left her back.
The door narrowed to a thin crack. He stopped moving, continuing to watch through it.
Jiang Sui was waiting for the elevator.
She checked the floor indicator, then her phone. Suddenly, as if sensing something, she turned back.
He didn’t move at all, still holding the door, keeping that narrow gap open—just enough not to be noticed.
Just like yesterday morning.
He watched her expression change—from alert, to confusion, to suspicion. Then she muttered something to herself.
The elevator arrived. She stepped in.
But he still didn’t move.
Through the gap, he continued watching her empty figure.
In his mind, he clearly recalled her lips moving as she muttered:
“An illusion?”
That was what she had said.
Xie Yanhan suddenly smiled faintly, amused.
He murmured to himself:
“Such a pity… it’s not an illusion.”