By the lake in the western suburbs.

The sky was clear today, and sunlight shimmered across the lake.

The driver leaned against the car and lit a cigarette, watching Qin Xin and Jiang Yuan chat by the lake from a distance. According to the intelligence he’d received, there was very little chance Jiang Yuan was Codename Jiang. In other words, he was most likely just an unfortunate bystander who’d been caught up in all this.

And Jiang Yuan happened to be close to Qin Xin, so the driver took it upon himself to give them some time to talk.

Qin Xin was still holding Jiang Yuan’s hand. He gazed at the calm surface of the lake, unsure what to say for the moment.

They stayed silent for a long while…

“Qin Xin, I think we should break up.”

Jiang Yuan officially brought up breaking up. At his words, Qin Xin only tightened her grip on his hand.

“If you’re worried about my reputation, there’s no need. The people I’ll have to protect in the future have no right to tell me what to do.”

Qin Xin felt a sense of superiority. She believed she was special, and that being special meant she didn’t have to care what other people thought. She respected her own will.

“It’s not just that. What you’re doing could hurt me, too. I’m thinking about this because it’s what I want. If you care too much about me, my position will only get worse. I just…”

“I don’t agree!”

Qin Xin grabbed Jiang Yuan by the shoulders and stared earnestly into his eyes. But just as she was about to say something, she noticed the shoe print on his shoulder and remembered that he’d been hurt. She immediately let go.

“I’m sorry… Did I hurt you?”

“It’s fine. I’m barely hurt at all. They’re just superficial injuries.”

“But didn’t you cough up blood?”

“I bit the inside of my mouth and drew blood. I sucked it into my mouth, then spat it out. I only coughed because I accidentally choked on the blood. The truth is, I used you to improve my position. Everything that’s happened so far went according to plan.”

Jiang Yuan openly admitted what he’d done. He knew Qin Xin would protect him, but once was enough.

“I don’t care. Used me or not—weren’t I the only person you could rely on?”

Qin Xin was being unusually forceful, looking ready to protect Jiang Yuan. He couldn’t help sighing.

“Anyway… we still need to keep our distance from now on.”

“We haven’t done anything wrong. Why should we?”

“That’s just how things are…”

“You’re willing to accept that?”

“I have to accept the facts. Accepting them is how we change things for the better—not by resisting like you do, convinced you’re right.”

“I’m doing this for you…”

“I know! That’s why we need to keep our distance. I don’t want you placed under the same surveillance as me. That’s how you know I care about you.”

Jiang Yuan didn’t know how to get through to Qin Xin anymore. Why had she become so extreme all of a sudden? What was going through her mind?

After hearing Jiang Yuan out, Qin Xin fell silent for a moment. None of this made sense to her. And she was even more disappointed that Jiang Yuan had chosen to accept the facts. They could clearly fight for something better, so why did he have to be so meek about it?

He was practically thanking the people who’d sold him out. How could anyone be so stupid?

“Even those terrorists are still human, when you get down to it. They’ve also made preparations for the apocalypse. What difference does it make which side you join? All that matters is making sure human civilization survives.”

Qin Xin had said something dangerous again. Jiang Yuan’s eye twitched at her words. Every conversation between them was being monitored now, but he couldn’t very well tell her that. It would only make her even angrier.

Still…

He’d learned something else from this. It seemed the terrorists and cultists were also preparing for a long struggle. That was what they’d told Qin Xin, hoping to bring the Doomsday Hero over to their side.

The government couldn’t force Qin Xin’s hand, either. They still had their reservations; they were afraid of turning her against them.

Then…

There was only one thing they could do now: make sure Qin Xin stood firmly with the government!

“Do they deserve that? It’s not like you haven’t seen the news. The government’s already helping clear my name. And why hasn’t it worked? Isn’t it because those terrorists have been secretly sabotaging things?”

“Well…”

Qin Xin was at a loss for words. Jiang Yuan was telling the truth. At the very least, the classmates who’d bullied him had been bribed.

“But I still can’t forgive them for using you as bait.”

“You could call it the price of my freedom. Stop insisting that everything is unfair. I’m the one under suspicion, and I’m still doing my best to prove my innocence. You’re the Doomsday Hero, yet you believe what the cultists tell you. That makes all my efforts worthless!”

Jiang Yuan’s words were harsh. Qin Xin froze for a moment and had to start reflecting on her own actions. She’d grown protective of Jiang Yuan, convinced that she was the only person he could rely on.

But it hadn’t occurred to her that Jiang Yuan didn’t need to rely on anyone at all.

She found that hard to accept. It made her own convictions feel like a childish joke.

“All right. As long as you have a goal, that’s good. I was just afraid you’d give up on yourself. I even naively thought I could save you…”

A trace of loneliness crossed Qin Xin’s face. It made Jiang Yuan feel strange. He wasn’t some abandoned puppy. Was Qin Xin being kind, or just making herself feel good?

“The best way you can save me is by following the government’s instructions. Unless you want me locked up again. If you think that’s protecting me, I’ll hate you for it.”

“I understand.”

Qin Xin nodded. Jiang Yuan had made the crucial point so clear that she wouldn’t keep acting like she knew best. She understood now that this was Jiang Yuan’s own choice. He was working to change things, while she’d only been getting in his way, convinced she was helping.

So…

“You’ve hardly ever made the wrong choice, from childhood until now. I’ll trust you this time, too. I won’t ask about your situation anymore, but I want you to remember one thing: if you ever can’t take this anymore, I’ll be right there by your side.”

With that, Qin Xin pulled Jiang Yuan toward her and gently kissed his cheek. It was a declaration of her resolve. They’d known each other for a long time and were already dating; their parents even treated each other as their future son-in-law and daughter-in-law.

But the most intimate thing they’d ever done was hold hands.

Qin Xin’s bold move was her way of declaring that she would never end their relationship. This sudden change would only make them trust each other more.

This was what she, still in the throes of adolescence, believed to be the right decision.