Churan lay on the hospital bed, one hand resting on the mouse, the other propping up his chin, lost in thought.

He and Lengjiang had been running a dungeon together when Lengjiang suddenly forced himself offline without a word—an unprecedented move. At first, Churan assumed a disconnection, but after waiting, Lengjiang’s account still didn’t log back in. Something must be wrong.

After more waiting with no sign of Lengjiang, Churan frowned. He reached across the desk, grabbed his phone, and pulled up Shallow Peace’s contact. Hesitating, he switched to QQ to message her but couldn’t decide what to type.

Should he say Lengjiang dropped out of the game? That seemed too trivial to bother her over—maybe it was just a home internet outage.

Or ask if something happened to Lengjiang? But if it was the same false alarm, wouldn’t Shallow Peace think worse of him?

Churan stared at his phone for ages before sighing and typing: “Xiao Leng disconnected mid-game. Is something wrong at home?”

He waited briefly, but Shallow Peace didn’t reply. He knew she was probably out and about, so a delayed response was normal.

Just as Churan was about to get out of bed, his phone vibrated. He snatched it up immediately.

“Yeah, I’m at the airport. Can’t talk now. I’ll explain in a couple days,” Shallow Peace’s message read.

So Churan had guessed right—Lengjiang really had an emergency forcing him offline. Churan worried; their friendship ran deep.

Lately, Churan spent most of his time gaming. Solo play was dull, but Lengjiang’s company made it fun. Without him, the game felt pointless.

Sighing, Churan scrolled through his contacts, found Song Qian’s number, and called.

“Beep…”

“Yo? What’s up?” Song Qian’s voice crackled over loud background noise.

“Dungeon run?” Churan asked quietly.

“What? Say again!” Song Qian yelled. Churan repeated, “Dungeon run.”

“…”

“…”

Silence hung for a moment. Song Qian finally blurted, “Dude, are you feverish? You’ve got a girlfriend now—I’m not crashing as a third wheel!”

“Xiao Leng’s got issues. Anjie said she’d explain later. I’ve got nothing to do, so I called you.” Churan kept his tone flat. No gaming partner meant dragging someone else in.

“…”

“…”

Another pause. Song Qian smacked his lips. “Fine—I’ll head over soon.”

“What are you up to?” Churan had heard the noise the whole time.

“Packing takeout for you, obviously,” Song Qian drawled. Churan chuckled. “Got it. Waiting.”

“Mhm.”

…

Next afternoon, at a villa…

“Xin Qian still hasn’t been found?!”

In the lavish main hall, Qian Jingzhen stood at the center, scolding the elderly butler. The butler kept his head down. After a full day, he’d sent every available person searching, yet Xin Qian had vanished without a trace moments after leaving the gate, according to the guards.

The butler nodded faintly. Nearly a hundred people had combed the area—no sign of her.

Every corner had been turned over. Not even a shadow remained.

“Ugh! This is infuriating!” Qian Jingzhen spun away, fuming. The butler stood helpless. Shallow Peace had specifically warned him to watch for Xin Qian’s potential elopement. Now it had happened—and how could a living person just disappear?

The hall’s atmosphere grew heavy. Footsteps approached.

“Why are people returning? I told everyone to search for Xiao Xin!” Qian Jingzhen snapped. His household should’ve been out looking. Seeing them back only fueled his rage.

He turned to find Shallow Peace entering. His expression softened. “Xiao An… you’re back.”

“Yeah. I heard.” Shallow Peace didn’t glance at him. She placed her handbag on the sofa, then faced him, expressionless.

“Rest, both of you. I said I’d handle my sister. Your interference only backfires—why won’t you listen?” Shallow Peace rubbed her temples. Xin Qian was the family’s constant friction point, and Qian Jingzhen was notoriously impatient.

She’d warned them repeatedly not to rush things with Xin Qian, yet they kept causing trouble.

“Xiao An, what was the point of lying to us all this time? He’s still the same!” Qian Jingzhen strode to the sofa and slumped down, huffing heavily.

Shallow Peace moved beside him, gently massaging his shoulders. “Dad, if I hadn’t, how would you focus on the company? I told you—leave Xiao Xin to me. Don’t you trust me? She’d just started improving, and now this…”

She stopped, sighing in resignation.

“…” Qian Jingzhen transformed around her. He brewed tea, sipping calmly. “Alright, I was foolish this time. I asked Haoxuan—he said Xiao Xin never went to school once…”

So Chen Haoxuan had tipped him off… Shallow Peace’s gaze turned icy, though Qian Jingzhen, facing away, didn’t notice.

“Xiao An, are you pretending not to understand—or truly clueless? Haoxuan’s not sharp, but I called him after landing, asking about Xiao Xin. His vague answers exposed your act.” Qian Jingzhen set down his cup, reclining with closed eyes.

“…” Shallow Peace was speechless. She’d never expected this—and Chen Haoxuan had actually covered for her. She knew Qian Jingzhen never lied to her; his treatment of her and Xin Qian was polar opposites.

She barely knew Chen Haoxuan, judging him only from fragments.

Since the truth was out, Qian Jingzhen wouldn’t betray her. He’d come home personally, catching Shallow Peace off-guard while she visited Churan—leading to this mess.

Regret was useless now. Shallow Peace focused on next steps. Qian Jingzhen’s attitude suggested her plan wasn’t fully exposed; if it were, she’d be trapped.

“Xiao An, Haoxuan may lack smarts, but what’s wrong with him? Young, matching your achievements, good character—bright future. Why does Xiao Xin reject him? How foolish can she be!” Qian Jingzhen inevitably circled back. Shallow Peace had expected this. She frowned. “Dad, forced marriages don’t work. If she dislikes him, don’t push it.”

“Impossible! Beyond the impact on our future, we proposed this. Backing out would be a grave loss of face!” He shot up, voice sharp—even with Shallow Peace, this topic triggered him.

Shallow Peace remained unmoved. In their world, reputation was everything.

Qian Jingzhen realized he’d lost control again. Xin Qian’s disappearance still gnawed at him, but with Shallow Peace, he could be a gentle father. He sat back down, sighing deeply.

“Dad, let me search too. I know my sister best.” Shallow Peace withdrew her hand from the sofa. Qian Jingzhen nodded silently, face buried in his palms, weary.

Shallow Peace turned and walked out, followed by three guards and the butler.

Outside the villa, she headed to the backyard. The guards and butler exchanged confused looks—Xin Qian had fled toward the main gate.

Shallow Peace stopped beside a neatly trimmed hedge near a stone wall. Nothing seemed unusual.

The butler stared blankly at her, then the hedge.

Shallow Peace placed a hand on the foliage and pulled. To their shock, the hedge swung aside like a hidden door.

“This…” The butler, managing this estate for decades, had never known of this mechanism.

“We found it playing as kids. Keep it quiet,” Shallow Peace said flatly. She didn’t step through, pushing the hedge back into place.

The butler gaped. Shallow Peace turned away, walking as she spoke: “Prep the car. Search the city—we won’t find her after a day, but we must make the effort.”