“That’s right. It’s me.” Yan Shan turned around—and froze.

“You two... which one of you is my niece?”

The sight before him left Yan Shan a little dazed. The two looked so much alike that, apart from their height, they were almost indistinguishable. Even he couldn’t tell at a glance which one was his niece.

“Uncle, it’s me.” Yan Zimo stepped forward, looking a little emotional.

“Then the other one must be Ye Qianxue, the one you talk about so often?”

“H-Hello, Uncle. I’m Ye... Ye Qianxue.”

Ye Qianxue could barely get the words out. She’d spoken with Yan Zimo’s uncle over the phone, but this was the first time she’d met him in person.

“Why does this feel like meeting the family...?” Yan Zimo felt a strange stirring inside. She thought carefully about the scenes she’d seen in TV dramas—and realized this really was just like them!

The realization left her not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Given how ambiguous things were between her and Ye Qianxue, it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to call this a meeting with the family. The only difference was that they were both girls.

“But Uncle knows the truth about my past. Even if I wanted to be with Ye Qianxue, he wouldn’t object, right?” The thought had barely crossed Yan Zimo’s mind before she hurriedly stamped it out. She and Ye Qianxue were just close, weren’t they? They weren’t exactly a couple...

“Close enough to be practically pressed together, though?” Yan Zimo’s thoughts were getting all kinds of ridiculous again.

“Big Sis! Big Sis? Uncle’s calling you!”

Ye Qianxue’s voice pulled Yan Zimo back from her thoughts.

“No, no. Stay calm. Stay calm—”

Yan Zimo took a deep breath and gathered her thoughts. Then she said to Yan Shan, “Sorry, I zoned out for a moment. I’ll go make you some tea.”

Yan Zimo went to the kitchen to make tea, leaving Ye Qianxue alone with Yan Shan. She sat there stiffly, unsure whether she should speak or stay quiet.

As the atmosphere grew more and more awkward, Yan Shan was the first to break the silence. “On my way here, I heard a rumor...”

Ye Qianxue perked up her ears, afraid she might miss even a single word.

“The rumor is that you and our Zimo are dating?”

Yan Shan dropped the bomb as he shared what he’d heard, studying Ye Qianxue as if he were trying to get a read on her character.

The moment he said it, Yan Zimo dropped the teacup she was preparing in the kitchen. Ye Qianxue, meanwhile, broke out in a cold sweat.

“What do I do? What do I do? What do I do!?” Yan Zimo panicked, firing off three questions in her head. At the same time, she desperately wanted to know how Ye Qianxue would answer. Maybe then she’d finally know what kind of relationship they had.

Ye Qianxue stammered for a long while. She seemed to have finally settled on an answer and was just about to speak when Yan Shan burst out laughing.

“???” Yan Zimo’s face was practically covered in question marks. What on earth was her uncle up to?

Yan Shan looked kindly at Ye Qianxue and spoke slowly. “It’s all right. I was joking. And even if it were true, I wouldn’t object. I may be getting on in years, but I’m pretty open-minded about these things.”

“Phew...” Ye Qianxue let out a breath of relief. Yan Zimo knew it was time to step in and smooth things over.

“Uncle, here. Have some tea.” Yan Zimo set the freshly brewed tea in front of Yan Shan, looking every bit the perfect housewife.

Yan Shan looked at Yan Zimo, who was practically a different person from before, and teased her. “I never thought that mischievous little troublemaker would grow up to be so capable at home.”

Yan Zimo’s face turned red at his words. She shot him a look, knowing he was teasing her about having changed from a man into a woman, but she also stayed on her guard.

“Capable at home? Is he talking about me?” Yan Zimo was dying inside. She’d noticed herself becoming more and more feminine, but this was the first time anyone had called her “capable at home”!

“Damn, I’m getting more and more girly! What if I end up falling for a man? Hell no. I’d rather die!” Yan Zimo screamed inwardly. She felt like she was in danger, but couldn’t think of any good way to deal with it.

“Anyway, Uncle, what brings you here? I said I’d come visit when I had time. Why did you come all this way yourself?”

“Hmph! You’ve said that on the phone who knows how many times. If I waited for you, you unfilial girl, to come visit, I’d be in my coffin by then!” Yan Shan chided her with a laugh, letting his displeasure show.

Yan Zimo scratched her head sheepishly, feeling thoroughly ashamed. She really had stood Yan Shan up plenty of times.

“Anyway, the main reason I came this time is because of what happened at the Yongjing military base.”

“Huh? Uncle, are you joining this operation too?” Yan Zimo was overjoyed. If her uncle took part, that would make things a whole lot safer! With a powerhouse like him watching over them, she and Ye Qianxue wouldn’t have to shoulder so much pressure.

“Don’t get too excited. I’ll be directing things from the rear. Unless something out of the ordinary happens, I won’t be stepping in. You’re still the ones who’ll have to do the real work.” Yan Shan knew exactly what his niece was hoping for, and quickly put an end to her daydreams.

“Aw, really...?” Ye Qianxue sighed in disappointment from the side.

“Anyway, get some rest early and make sure you’re in top shape. I won’t stay tonight. There’s still work for me to handle at headquarters.”

“Huh? Can’t you stay a little longer?” Yan Zimo tried to persuade him to stay. They’d only just gotten the chance to see each other, and now he was already leaving.

But Yan Zimo didn’t press him. Her uncle was the Marshal of Huaguo, with countless matters to deal with every day. Finding time to see her at all was already no small feat.

After seeing her uncle out, Yan Zimo took a shower and got ready to turn off the lights and go to bed. It was worth mentioning that Ye Qianxue didn’t try anything funny. She was perfectly quiet.

Yan Zimo lay in bed, gazing quietly out the window. Beside her, Ye Qianxue was already fast asleep, sleeping soundly and occasionally mumbling in her dreams. It only made her more charming and cute—if you ignored what she was saying in her sleep...

“Heehee~ Big Sis, please spank me and do whatever you want to me!”

Yan Zimo’s face turned into a storm cloud when she heard that. “That girl can’t even behave in her sleep. What kind of naughty stuff is she dreaming about now?”

“I wonder what’ll happen on this journey. There might be danger...” Yan Zimo had a feeling this operation wouldn’t go smoothly.

Ye Qianxue sweetly curled around Yan Zimo’s arm. Yan Zimo gazed at her with tender affection and silently vowed, “Whatever happens, I have to—at the very least, I have to protect her!”

That night, who knew how many people lay awake...