The thought flashed through his mind in an instant.
When Zhou Yunting raised his hand, his fingers brushed against the uneven scars on his body.
And with that touch, his faith seemed to awaken once more.
He loved that military uniform.
Loved that olive-green color.
Loved the hope it represented.
Meanwhile, Liu Zhixia stuffed fresh cotton into their two old, worn mattresses.
A full twenty jin of new cotton.
Once packed in, the bedding became soft and fluffy to the touch.
As for the old cotton they replaced—
It had long since hardened and blackened with age.
Without hesitation, Liu Zhixia threw it straight into the stove.
The eggs, grain, and other food supplies were divided and hidden separately among the four of them.
Holding the rubber shoes in their hands, the three generations of the Zhou family all felt deeply moved.
How had they once believed Zhixia was unsuitable for Zhou Yunting?
Such a thoughtful, warm-hearted girl softened even the coldest parts of their hearts.
The way Zhou Yunting looked at Liu Zhixia seemed to carry warmth now.
Liu Zhixia, however, had no idea what had come over the man.
He was probably just touched emotionally.
As the crescent moon slowly rose into the sky, a strange heat began spreading through her chest.
Liu Zhixia clearly felt the burning sensation there.
This had never happened before.
It felt as though something was breaking through the soil, preparing to bloom.
Glancing toward the tightly covered partition nearby, she carefully loosened the buttons of her clothes.
The sight before her nearly made even calm and composed Liu Zhixia cry out in shock.
A crimson butterfly-shaped mark was slowly taking root upon her chest.
Bit by bit, it became clearer and more vivid.
Like spreading ink upon paper, the pattern gradually expanded outward.
Then fiery red color automatically filled the design.
Mysterious.
Enchanting.
Under the moonlight, Liu Zhixia’s delicate face seemed wrapped in a hazy beauty.
Perhaps because she was concentrating too intently—
She failed to notice the burning, stunned gaze that flashed past for only a second.
Zhou Yunting still had lingering fear as the image from moments ago replayed endlessly in his mind.
No matter how hard he tried, he could not force it away.
Inside the silent room, the beautiful girl stared in shock at the glowing crimson butterfly blooming across her chest.
At that moment, Zhou Yunting suddenly felt as though she might disappear into the wind at any second.
Was this the secret she had always hidden?
Now that the Zhou family had suffered such a catastrophic downfall, even though he had prepared hidden contingencies—
There were still many situations beyond his reach.
If Liu Zhixia’s condition were discovered…
Would he truly have the power to protect her?
The man clenched his fists tightly, veins bulging along his arms.
Once, he had arrogantly believed himself to be the leading figure among the younger generation in the capital.
Yet now, he felt utterly powerless.
Unable even to protect the girl he liked.
The desire to become stronger stirred wildly within him.
Zhou Yunting was not stupid.
Over the past few days, he had already begun piecing together the truth from his own reactions.
And after that single glance tonight—
Everything suddenly became clear.
He liked that girl.
Or perhaps, more accurately—
He liked the girl who awakened after attempting suicide.
That single glance just now—
The crimson butterfly had not only imprinted itself upon Liu Zhixia’s body.
It had branded itself into Zhou Yunting’s heart as well.
Like a scorching mark burned into his soul.
Hot and eternal.
Once he understood his own feelings, Zhou Yunting realized one thing immediately:
Their return to the capital had to happen sooner.
He needed to climb upward as quickly as possible.
Only then could he shelter the girl he loved beneath his wings.
Meanwhile, Liu Zhixia remained stunned by the changes within her space.
Beyond the supermarket area of her dimension, a vast forest had now appeared.
At the center lay dozens of acres of fertile land.
Above the fields floated dense white mist so thick it almost seemed capable of condensing into water.
Entering the space mentally, Liu Zhixia let out a long breath.
For the first time in her life, she felt complete satisfaction in both body and soul.
Unable to stop herself, she released a soft sigh of comfort.
Without realizing it, she became immersed within the sea of mist.
Gradually, she closed her eyes and began circulating her cultivation energy.
The surrounding mist surged toward her frantically, invading every pore of her body.
Time passed little by little.
Liu Zhixia’s figure grew increasingly hazy and graceful within the fog.
Eventually, she became completely wrapped in dense mist.
Only when the stars faded and dawn painted the horizon pale white did Liu Zhixia slowly open her eyes in astonishment.
The heavy mist had grown thinner.
Yet her strength had surpassed even what she possessed in her previous life.
Her aura had become calmer and more restrained.
Like a treasured blade hidden back within its sheath after sharpening.
When Liu Zhixia fully opened her eyes, a noble elegance seemed woven directly into her bones, radiating naturally from within.
The moment Zhou Yunting woke and saw her, he lost focus once again.
This time, it was not overwhelming beauty at first glance.
Rather, it was the graceful radiance flowing from inside her that scorched his heart.
His chest thumped wildly.
He suddenly wondered:
So this is what it feels like after realizing you love someone?
To have your heart race uncontrollably every time you see them?
The Zhou father and son still needed to remain home pretending to be seriously injured in order to mislead their enemies.
That meant Old Master Zhou and Liu Zhixia still had to report for work.
Breakfast naturally could not be skipped.
After yesterday’s shopping trip, Liu Zhixia realized she had forgotten to buy vegetables.
So she steamed rice and made a pot of braised pork.
After tightly shutting all the windows, she finally brought the dishes to the table.
The three generations of the Zhou family had not eaten braised pork in a very long time.
Naturally, they craved it badly.
Yet strangely, none of them picked up their chopsticks first.
Not because they lacked appetite.
The aroma alone was irresistible.
But they still remembered the words spoken by Liu Zhixia’s parents:
Zhixia can manage porridge, but she doesn’t know how to cook.
Surely she must have made some disastrous meals before.
Otherwise, why would her own parents intentionally lower expectations before her in-laws?
What they did not know was that the person sitting before them had already changed completely.
The current Liu Zhixia was a true hidden powerhouse from the twenty-first century.
And cooking just happened to be one of her specialties.
She had even won culinary competitions multiple times.
Ordinary dishes became magical in her hands—
Provided she cooked seriously.
And after yesterday’s incident, she had indeed put genuine effort into this breakfast.
One look at Zhou Yunting—the first brave soul to taste it—made that obvious.
His chopsticks simply would not stop moving.
Commander Zhou and Old Master Zhou continued holding their chopsticks motionlessly, waiting for Zhou Yunting to confirm whether the food tasted as incredible as it smelled.
Unfortunately, the man only kept stuffing food into his bowl, completely ignoring them.
Old Master Zhou finally thought:
With an aroma this good, how terrible could it possibly be?
And if it truly tasted bad—
Could Zhou Yunting, the notoriously picky eater, possibly be eating so enthusiastically?
Without hesitation, the old man joined the battle for food.
Commander Zhou quickly followed.
The three men ate silently.
Only their chopsticks moved faster and faster.
Almost as if by mutual agreement, none of them touched the dishes on Liu Zhixia’s side of the table.
The three Zhou men ate so happily they practically wanted to swallow their own tongues.
Liu Zhixia blinked in confusion.
It was only breakfast.
Was it really that delicious?
While the Zhou family enjoyed an unusually luxurious breakfast—
Zheng Chunli spent the entire previous night restless and distracted.
By morning, her panic reached its peak.
Dazed and mentally exhausted, she took sick leave and skipped work entirely that day.
The reason was simple:
She discovered that her spatial dimension was slowly evaporating.
And it was visible to the naked eye.
She wanted to scream.
Wanted to rage hysterically.
But in the end, she lacked the courage.
She knew better than anyone how heaven-defying her space truly was.
In her previous life, it had been her greatest support.
Shouldn’t it shine even more brilliantly in this lifetime?
So why—
Why was it slowly being stripped away from her?
The fear in her heart grew heavier and heavier.
By evening, it reached its limit.
Her space completely disappeared.
Gone without a trace.
No matter how she searched—
She could no longer find it.