From afar, the villa loomed like a giant’s shadow—dark, silent, utterly empty.

It conjured an image of Shi Xia living there alone, wrapped in quiet solitude.

“…” Ye Chang’an followed Shi Xia into the vast, hollow villa.

She switched on the entryway light—a soft, warm glow—then handed him indoor slippers. To his surprise, they fit perfectly.

And… they were a man’s style.

Given Shi Xia’s current life, it was unlikely she’d bring any guy home. Only one possibility remained.

She had been preparing… preparing for *him* all along.

Even during his disappearance, when hope had vanished without a trace, she kept things ready in her solitary home—just in case he might return.

Speechless, Ye Chang’an walked down the long corridor toward the living room. Lights flickered on layer by layer—warm amber, sudden brightness—as if the entire villa was welcoming him home.

Shi Xia hung her bag on an elegant coat rack and spoke calmly:

“I don’t like strangers in my space. Normally, I only hire a cleaning lady occasionally to tidy up.”

“Besides, my routine is pretty limited, so most rooms stay unused.”

“This villa actually belongs to my brother. Leaving it vacant felt wrong… so I moved in.”

*My property…?*

Ye Chang’an had never been clear about his own wealth—bank balances, properties under his name. Back then, his world revolved only around anime and the orphanage.

After his disappearance, his inheritance was evenly divided among ten orphanage children, per the will he supposedly left.

Ye Shixia never mentioned that will—to spare everyone the pain. To them, its appearance felt like the collapse of faith itself.

They’d have gladly refused every share, if only Brother Chang’an could come back.

And Ye Chang’an never brought it up either—

Because he had *zero* memory of writing any “will”!

As far as he recalled, he vanished at the orphanage gate and reappeared at the same spot—skipping exactly five years.

He never remembered writing a will. He’d always seen the whole thing as an accident.

But if a will *did* exist… it felt like the past Ye Chang’an had foreseen his own disappearance.

Whether he knew some hidden truth remained unclear.

One thing was certain: the present Ye Chang’an knew nothing about *why* it happened—and his memories held blurry gaps.

“Dad, you should shower first.”

“Mm…” Ye Chang’an, flustered as expected, gave a soft reply, then added carefully, “Shi Xia… just call me Chang’an. ‘Dad’ is…”

“Does Dad not like it?”

“No… In daily life, ‘Chang’an’ is fine.”

“Got it. I’ll only say ‘Dad’ in bed, okay~?”

“What a weird thing to say!” Face flushed, Chang’an hurried into the bathroom.

Shi Xia smiled fondly.

“Chang’an, I’ll go get your clothes.”

Footsteps faded gently down the hall.

*She… even prepared clothes for me? After all this time gone… she kept everything ready.*

*Maybe because she held onto hope—*

*That when I returned, there’d be a home waiting.*

A warm current surged in his heart, blending with the shower’s gentle flow.

“Ah~” It had been ages since hot water soaked his whole body like this. Pure bliss.

Soon, soft mist veiled the bathroom.