"Nagging..."

Zhou Jiuya turned to look out the window. Back in 2009, he heard quite a few rumors that the Lin Family had found out Lin Xingshi boarded the Human-Snake Ship to escape. They traced the clues to the stowaways on the ship at that time, captured them all, and interrogated them harshly one by one.

In the end, the Lin Family learned from these scumbags that there were two children on the ship who left together after disembarking.

And coincidentally, one of those children was the heir of the Lin Family, and the other was the Child of the Year Beast.

So later on, when only Lin Xingshi returned to Hai Fan City, the Demons assumed the Little Nian Beast had already fallen victim to the Exorcists.

The Year Beast Monarch was disheartened. For many years, it no longer sought the Little Nian Beast, instead recuperating while plotting revenge against the humans.

But Lake Hunting advanced so rapidly, with talents emerging from the four great families, that the Great Monarch's plan kept getting postponed, unknowingly letting ten years slip by.

After returning home, Lin Xingshi never mentioned this matter, as if she had never met that Demon child.

When the family inquired at the time, she simply said, "I saw he was all alone and thought he was a trafficked child, so I saved him from the traffickers, protected him as we got off the ship, and after that, we went our separate ways and never met again."

Mixing truth with lies often makes people more convinced. Half of what Lin Xingshi said was false, and half was true. She just left out the six months they lived in between. Regardless, they indeed went their separate ways later.

"Old Hui and Wujiu are already waiting for us at the restaurant. I'll call a cab," Zhou Jiuya said as he walked, pulling out his phone from his Zhongshan suit pocket.

Lin Xingshi nodded, suddenly turning to glance at him. "Why not talk about yourself? How are things developing with Ke Qirui?"

"Let's not talk about seeing her as a sister, and besides, I'm not interested in her. Are you kidding me?" Zhou Jiuya said, yawning, and tilted his head to put his phone back in his pocket.

"Oh, our Jiuya is always saying one thing and meaning another... You always followed me like a little tag-along since you were young, and in a blink of an eye, you're all grown up," Lin Xingshi said. "Youth is fleeting, and opportunities are rare. Seize the chance if there's someone you like."

"Get lost... You're talking like you're my mom," Zhou Jiuya coldly retorted, glancing at his phone.

"I've always felt like I'm the mother for you three," Lin Xingshi laughed.

"Maybe for Old Hui, with his immature nature, he does need a mom. Wujiu is too silently reserved... perhaps lacking motherly love in childhood," Zhou Jiuya mused.

"Don't let them hear that. I don't want any big news about 'discord within Lake Hunting' getting out," Lin Xingshi chuckled.

She paused for a moment. "Speaking of, Jiuya, if you weren't an Exorcist, what would you want to do?"

"Continue with my antiques. What else?" Zhou Jiuya replied. "In the antiques business, age doesn't matter much, and even after retirement, it won't be too late."

"I see..." Lin Xingshi mused thoughtfully.

"What about you?"

"I don't know... I always feel like my life is predictable," Lin Xingshi said wistfully.

"By the way, your birthday is coming up in a couple of days," Zhou Jiuya suddenly mentioned.

Lin Xingshi suddenly paused.

"Birthday?" she murmured, head lowered.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just haven't celebrated a birthday in a long time. The elders in our family don't really think about it," Lin Xingshi shrugged nonchalantly. "Let me think, it's been almost ten years since the last celebration, hasn't it?"

By now, the two of them had walked out of the Lin Family residence, stopping on the coastal highway. Lin Xingshi looked up at the sea, her face bathed in a mottled halo of light.

"Last birthday celebration..."

A cool breeze blew from the horizon, lifting her fiery red hair. The scent of the sea touched her nose, and as she gazed toward the distant grey sea-sky boundary, memories suddenly resurfaced in Lin Xingshi's mind.

....

...

Eleven years ago, in the heat of summer, Li Jing.

From the moment they discovered that apartment building, Lin Xingshi and the Little Nian Beast had been living there for a while.

And during those days, Lin Xingshi often saw people on the street searching for her. But each time, she deftly led the Little Nian Beast away.

Yet, something was different on this day. The two returned from buying supplies at the supermarket. In the apartment's living room, Lin Xingshi turned on the air conditioner with the remote. Then, she rushed over to draw the curtains, blocking out the summer sun.

The living room instantly became dim, with only vague shadows cast on the floor through the curtains.

Lin Xingshi wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand and stuffed the drinks and bread that the Little Nian Beast had stolen from the supermarket into the fridge, slamming the door shut.

Then she clapped her hands, sat down on the sofa, and glanced at the calendar.

It was August 24, 2009. Next to the date was a neatly written line by the Little Nian Beast, "This is the 124th day that Xiao Nian and Lin Xingshi spent together in Jing."

Indeed, they had been there for over four months, but the apartment's owner still hadn't returned.

The two originally agreed that as soon as the owner returned, they would immediately leave to find a new place. So in those first days, they were constantly on edge.

Every night, one of them would stay awake, squatting on the rooftop and keeping watch—although often that person ended up sleeping the soundest.