During the time Yun Mingxin was with Kujou Kana.

Inside the Su family mansion.

Lu Wei cautiously trailed behind Su Xiaoyue.

She’d always felt an inexplicable dread toward the Su household—not because they treated her poorly, but precisely because they treated her *too* well. They never held back their true personalities around her, simply because they considered her family. And their personalities… well…

She could only think: *To grow up emotionless in a place like this, Su Xiaoyue’s emotional deficiency must be truly severe.*

The mansion before them was exquisitely decorated. Artificial groves were arranged just right, filling the entire area with a crisp, refreshing scent—perfect for retirement and rest. Despite its vast size, the place was eerily quiet and empty, devoid of human presence.

"Xiaoyue, why are we even here?!" Lu Wei’s legs trembled slightly.

Ever since her first childhood visit, this place had haunted her.

Su Xiaoyue’s mother had been frail since birth. She passed away when Su Xiaoyue was very young. Carrying a child had been life-threatening for her, a near-fatal gamble that resulted in Su Xiaoyue’s birth. But Su Xiaoyue was born over a month premature, causing significant complications.

A part of her brain—the prefrontal cortex, the section governing emotions—had been damaged.

The greatest impact? Su Xiaoyue felt no emotional fluctuations.

So the Su family doted on her relentlessly, striving to give her the absolute best.

The doctors hadn’t said it was incurable. They’d only said it required something called a "miracle."

Miracles existed in this world. They just demanded time—perhaps unimaginably long stretches of it.

Thus, the Su family had grown… extreme.

And Lu Wei’s trauma stemmed from exactly that.

Her mother had been close friends with Su Xiaoyue’s mother. They’d visited the Su mansion often due to Su’s mother’s delicate health.

During their very first meeting, three-year-old Su Xiaoyue had climbed an artificial rockery and fallen.

She’d only suffered minor scrapes.

Yet Su Xiaoyue’s father, right before Lu Wei’s eyes, smashed the entire rockery apart stone by stone.

The Su family patriarch had then arrived with a bulldozer. First, he crushed the rocks to dust. Then, with an excavator, he scraped away three entire layers of earth.

Their snarling faces had haunted Lu Wei’s dreams countless times since.

Unfazed by Lu Wei’s trembling, Su Xiaoyue replied flatly, "I came to consult Grandma. Your methods didn’t work."

"What?!" Lu Wei huffed indignantly. "I racked my brain! Read books! Watched romance anime! Devised over a dozen strategies for you—and you’re saying they’re useless?"

Su Xiaoyue said nothing. She simply showed Lu Wei her phone screen—a chat window with Yun Mingxin.

*"Can I meet you?"*

Su Xiaoyue had sent only that single line. But right after it glowed a glaring red exclamation mark.

Lu Wei deflated, muttering under her breath, "How’s that my fault? I don’t know what men think!"

"I gave you tactics, but you didn’t even have the basic prerequisite—a contact or friend slot! It’s like trying to make bricks without straw!"

"In those books and anime, the leads are always secretly in love! The guys are super nice! They forgive the girls no matter what! Where am I supposed to find solutions for *this*?!"

A wave of sorrow washed over Lu Wei—the bitter realization of being treated as a tool, yet failing even at that.

"So I’m not blaming you," Su Xiaoyue said, patting Lu Wei’s head in comfort. She might not feel emotions, but she knew patting heads solved everything when someone cried. "I just want to ask Grandma why I don’t want him to leave… and how to get him back."

"Fine," Lu Wei whispered, still nervous. "But don’t go more than two meters away from me."

Su Xiaoyue nodded. Just as she turned to lead Lu Wei through the gate, it swung open with a thunderous boom.

A booming voice echoed out:

"Hah! No wonder the magpie’s been chirping—it’s my little Xiaoyue returning home!"

A sturdy figure appeared in the doorway.

The man looked over sixty, his hair completely white. Wrinkles lined his hands and face, yet his complexion was ruddy and vibrant. He radiated robust health—clearly well-cared-for. Even now, his features hinted at a fiercely formidable youth.

Seeing him, Lu Wei shuddered twice, fear tightening her chest.

"Hello, Grandpa," Su Xiaoyue greeted calmly.

Su Tianquan burst into hearty laughter, his aged face alight with undisguised joy. "Good! Thank you, my sweet granddaughter! How have you been? Has anyone dared trouble you?"

"*Who* would dare trouble her…" Lu Wei mumbled under her breath.

Suddenly, she froze. One face flashed in her mind.

Well…

Actually, *that* man *could* trouble her anytime. Su Xiaoyue would never resist.

She’d once told Lu Wei that during their year together, Yun Mingxin had kissed her exactly 320 times.

At first, it had been four or five times a day. The frequency had dwindled over time.

Su Xiaoyue, the weirdo, had counted every single one.

She’d even asked Lu Wei why the number dropped.

*So awkward.*

…

Oblivious to Lu Wei’s thoughts, Su Tianquan pounded his chest.

"Don’t worry! There aren’t many people in this world your grandpa can’t handle! Whoever upsets you—I’ll send them to the Sahara Desert if it takes every trick I know!"

"Alright, alright, old man! Don’t scare Xiaoyue!"

Another elder had silently appeared in the doorway.

She peered through delicate gold-rimmed spectacles, radiating scholarly grace. Her warm smile felt deeply comforting. Though her hair was silvered, an innate elegance lingered—a beauty who must have turned heads in her youth.

Her gaze softened as she looked at her granddaughter. "This old fool stares at the security monitors all day. The moment he spotted you, he scrambled out like a startled monkey."

She then turned to Lu Wei, her tone gentle. "Xiao Lu, it’s been too long. How is your mother’s health? This old man was just overexcited—he didn’t mean to ignore you. His manners failed him. Apologize, old man!"

Su Tianquan slapped his forehead. "Ah! Right, right! Forgive my rudeness, Xiao Lu!"

"It’s fine, Grandpa Su! Really!" Lu Wei waved dismissively from behind Su Xiaoyue’s back.

Seeing the girl cower like a timid lamb beside Su Tianquan, Grandma Su’s eyes crinkled with extra warmth.

"Xiaoyue, dear," she asked, "what brings you here today? Is it something important?"

"Or just to see your dear old grandpa!" Su Tianquan chimed in, still beaming.

He’d always adored girls. His wife had only borne sons—sons he’d vented his frustration on daily (to no effect). Finally having a granddaughter had been pure joy.

"Grandpa, I didn’t come for you. I came for Grandma."

Su Tianquan’s smile froze. His shoulders slumped as if suddenly burdened. He looked utterly heartbroken.

"Oh? What do you need Grandma for, dear?" Grandma Su asked kindly.

"Even if it’s to send your grandpa to the ICU," she added lightly, "it’s perfectly acceptable."

Su Tianquan’s face turned green.

Lu Wei trembled violently.

*This* was exactly why she feared this family.