By noon, Qin Yage was rubbing her stomach in distress.

“Yage, what’s wrong?”

“Why aren’t you going to eat?”

“Wanna eat with me? I brought something really good!”

Her classmates chirped around her like a flock of sparrows. It was driving her crazy. If they found out she hadn’t brought a bento, they’d laugh her to death. And she’d blown all her pocket money yesterday. Sure, plenty of people would happily bring her lunch if she hinted at it, but who wanted that kind of charity?

“Sorry, I prefer eating alone.”

“Oh, I see…”

A wave of disappointment rippled through the crowd around her.

The elementary school Qin Yage and Qin An attended was Hongxing Elementary, one of the better-equipped public schools in Nan’an City. But the school had no dorms, no cafeteria, just a tiny kiosk that sold awful-tasting bread.

Qin Yage ran up to the rooftop. A light breeze brushed her cheeks. Her eyes felt swollen, her stomach was flat and empty, and she had this sudden urge to cry. She was cute to the point of breaking the meter—mascot of the class and the whole school. Everyone knew who she was. Because of that, she almost never had to participate in cleaning or chores. As long as she studied hard and did her job as the school’s adorable mascot, that was enough.

If only everyone would listen as well as that idiot brother of hers. No, he wasn’t good at all. He hadn’t even prepared the so‑called bento today.

The iron door to the rooftop creaked open. Qin Yage bolted to the side like a startled rabbit and hid.

But the people who came in were no strangers. It was Qin An and Little Tyrant, the two people she knew best.

“This place is nice, right? It’s my secret base,” Little Tyrant said, standing by the railing. The wind swept past, lifting his slightly long hair. He actually looked kind of cool.

“Yeah, it is.”

From the rooftop, they could look down at the whole of Nan’an City: the distant docks, green hills in the back, the playful campus below. The whole scene felt full of life.

Little Tyrant opened his bento box, picked up his chopsticks, and started eating. Noticing Qin An just standing there, he asked in surprise, “Why aren’t you eating?”

Qin An scratched his head awkwardly. “I didn’t bring a bento.”

“So you’re gonna buy bread?”

“No, I didn’t bring any money either.”

“Uh… then aren’t you gonna go hungry?”

“Yeah.”

“Why don’t you go find your sister? Maybe she has money.”

“Forget it.”

“You sure that’s okay?”

“Probably fine.”

“How about I… share mine with you?”

For some reason, a faint blush dusted Little Tyrant’s face. Must’ve been a trick of the light.

“Really?”

Little Tyrant flashed a dashing grin. “Of course. Mom made a bit too much anyway. I can’t finish it.”

He ate half, then left half the rice and most of the meat, and handed it to Qin An.

Qin An grabbed the chopsticks and dug in like a starving wolf.

“Uh… shouldn’t you flip the chopsticks around? I used that side. It’s dirty.”

Qin An waved a hand. “We’re both guys. No need to be so picky.”

“Well, yeah, true… haha—” Little Tyrant forced a laugh, his fingers brushing against his lips as his cheeks went pink.

“Those two damn lovebirds…” Qin Yage muttered from her corner, biting her sleeve. “Stupid fox. Traitor brother. I hate them both.”

“By the way, Little Tyrant, can I borrow some money?”

“What, you’re still not full? Gonna buy bread?”

“No, I’m full. It just feels wrong walking around without a single coin on me.”

“Oh—well, I only have…”

In the afternoon, Qin An and An Qi stuck to their non‑aggression pact, just like a married couple sulking at each other, neither stepping over the invisible line between them.

After school, Little Tyrant went off to pursue his athletic career. Qin An had originally thought Little Tyrant wasn’t very popular, but actually he was on good terms with a lot of the sports clubs. Probably because he often subbed in for others during matches. Qin An, meanwhile, was a loyal “Go‑Home Club” member, currently waiting for Qin Yage at the gate.

Going home together was one of the three rules Qin Yage had laid down for him.

Qin Yage walked out of the school gate slowly, like a queen surrounded by her entourage. She really was that dazzling. Back in Doville, one of her assassin instructors had told her to use her looks to lure targets in and then kill them. If she followed that route, she’d become an A‑rank assassin for sure. But that method had been killed off by Qin An before it even started. How could he possibly allow his sister to become that kind of assassin, no different from a prostitute?

Qin An kept a distance of exactly three meters between them. He controlled it perfectly—not too close, not too far.

But his deliberate three‑meter gap put Qin Yage in a bad mood. A very bad mood.

They turned into a narrow alley. There were fewer people here, and it was a bit dim. This wasn’t even the route home. Qin An was just about to call out to her when Qin Yage suddenly crashed into his arms.

“Carry me,” she said.

Qin An almost wondered if he’d heard wrong.

“Carry me!” Her voice had a faint trace of irritation.

“Why?”

“I can’t wal— I told you to carry me, so carry me. Why are you complaining so much?” She tried to sound like a queen, but her head only came up to Qin An’s chest.

“Fine, get on.” Qin An had no choice but to crouch down and wave her over.

Qin Yage swallowed hard. She was the one who suggested it, but she still felt shy. As a third‑grader, she already knew boys and girls weren’t supposed to casually touch. But they were siblings, so it should be fine… right? It was like she made some huge decision before she finally leaned onto Qin An’s back.

Qin An’s back wasn’t very broad. His steps were a bit unsteady, but somehow it felt incredibly safe. Like walking across a smooth, open grassland.

“Am I heavy?” Qin Yage whispered softly into his ear.

“Super heavy. You could compete with a little pig.”

Qin Yage bit down hard on his neck with all her strength, making him yelp in pain.

“Don’t you know weight is taboo in front of a girl? Even if she’s heavy, you’re supposed to say she’s light as a feather.”

Qin An played dumb. “If you’re that light, wouldn’t you just fly away?”

“Idiot.”

The siblings chatted on and off as they walked. Against the backdrop of the sunset, the scene looked almost warm.

“Boss, two cotton candies.”

“Got it.”

The moment she saw the cotton candy, the drowsy Qin Yage’s eyes snapped wide open.

Qin An paid, thinking how valuable money was in the year 2000. Just one dime could buy two cotton candies.

When he’d seen how weak her voice was earlier, and how she still forced herself to make him carry her, he’d already guessed she probably hadn’t eaten lunch. She must’ve spent all her pocket money at the candy stand near their house. Thankfully, only her family knew about her love for sweets. If other people knew, who knew which creep would lure her away with a lollipop someday.

“Are both of these for me?” Qin Yage asked, a bit nervous.

“Yeah.”

Her happiness instantly doubled. Her eyes curved into crescent moons, and the sulky mood from noon vanished without a trace.

There was still some distance to home. With her mouth full of sweetness and her heart full of honey, Qin Yage fell asleep on Qin An’s back.

But only Qin An knew that the real important part was just about to start. Only if he got through what was coming could he cut ties with Doville and live an ordinary life.

The door he was heading to wasn’t his own, but their neighbor Aunt Xia’s. Aunt Xia worked as a doctor at the city hospital and as a part‑time school doctor for Hongxing Elementary. Back when Qin An and Little Tyrant got hurt fighting, she was the one who treated them.

Knock, knock—

The door opened, and Qin An called out respectfully, “Aunt Xia.”

“Xiao An, what’s wrong? Is your sister sick?”

“No, our door’s locked and I forgot my key. I’m planning to climb in through the window. My sister’s asleep, so can she rest at your place for a bit?”

“Of course she can.”

Aunt Xia smiled and took the sleeping Qin Yage from him. Asleep, she looked just like Sleeping Beauty—a delicate porcelain doll. Something that absolutely had to be protected.

Qin An took a deep breath and quietly pushed open his own front door.

As for the locked door… that was a lie. Only Qin An knew how dangerous his home was right now. In his previous life, it was at this exact time that Doville’s assassins killed his foster parents, stole the ten‑billion inheritance, and took him and his sister away. He vaguely remembered what they’d said:

“Good, that hateful look in your eyes. You’re a promising seedling. If you don’t want to die and want revenge, come with us. When you become stronger than us, you can take your revenge.”

The day Qin An officially became an assassin, he killed those two. The ones who’d dragged him and his sister into the dark.

Qin An scanned the room, every sense on high alert. No trace of anyone breaking in yet. So they weren’t here?

He lay down on the sofa and pretended to sleep.

The lights were off. The house was pitch‑black. Suddenly, voices came from the darkness.

“Didn’t the intel say the person who inherited ten billion lives here? Why isn’t anyone around? Huh? There’s a kid here.”

“Looks like he’s asleep?”

“Hey, what are you doing? Don’t tell me you’re into kids. And boys, even. That’s a pretty nasty fetish, you know.”

“I’m just saying the kid’s in decent shape. Since we can’t find the money, we’ll take him back as a substitute.”

“Barely acceptable. We were supposed to pick up a batch of kids to brainwash and train anyway. The money was just a bonus. It’s not like we’re short on cash. Pick him up. He’ll thank us someday.”

“Nice idea. Let him be chained to Doville for the rest of his life.”

So it really was them.

Suddenly, Qin An opened his eyes.

That sharpness, forged between life and death, locked straight onto the pistol at the man’s waist. Qin An’s hand shot out and ripped the gun from the man’s holster.

In an instant, all three of them froze like statues.

The “sleeping” boy on the sofa clutched the pistol in both hands. The man leaning over him instinctively raised both arms. The other man, in black, reflexively tried to draw his own weapon. The killing intent that exploded in that split second almost made them think they’d walked into an ambush. But a heartbeat later, the two men exchanged a startled look, then let out unsure, mocking chuckles.

The kid on the sofa was just too young, too scrawny. The safety on the gun was still on. He could barely even reach the trigger.

“Heh, hey, kid, let me teach you. That’s not how you hold a gun—”

Before he could finish, Qin An’s finger flicked the safety off.

“Bang—” The bullet punched through his chest, and a strange, blooming flower of blood spread across the floor as he fell.

The recoil kicked Qin An’s body back a little. The other man had already drawn his gun on reflex. But in the instant he aimed at Qin An, his mind was full of doubt. His first reaction wasn’t that Qin An had fired.

Was someone ambushing them? Another person eyeing that billion-yuan inheritance?

It was only a split second, but they still pulled the trigger at the same time. A bloody hole opened between the man’s brows. He collapsed, his face still frozen in utter disbelief. Qin An, on the other hand, took a hit in his right shoulder. Blood instantly spread, soaking half his body.

It was the same spot he’d been shot not long ago, but this time Qin An didn’t feel any pain at all. What he felt was a rush of relief. The boulder that had been crushing his heart finally dropped. The path of fate must’ve changed. Even if he was just a tiny butterfly, he must’ve stirred the world line by now.

He could feel the life in his body leaking away. With such a fragile shell, he probably wouldn’t last much longer before he kicked the bucket...

But as long as his little sister was safe, it was fine. As long as she could stay far away from the filthiest, most terrifying things in this world and grow up healthy and happy, it was enough.

In the distance, sirens wailed, getting closer. By force of habit, he wiped the fingerprints off the pistol and put it back into the guy’s hand. He pressed his palm against his shoulder and staggered forward a few steps. Then the whole world started spinning...

In the haze, he heard his sister crying. That sound was so raw it tore right through his heart.