Li Yunlan instantly grew anxious. "This is absurd! After everything Zhou Xiaoming has done, how could she still go looking for him?"

Zhou Xiaoling was also worried. "I knew something felt off. What do we do now?"

Lin Xiaoxiao sighed inwardly. "Let's not panic yet. Huai'an's friend is already searching for Zhou Xiaoming's hiding spot. Xiaohong should be safe."

But really, she thought, if Zhou Xiaohong knows where he is, why couldn't she just tell Zhou Huai'an? What was she trying to prove by going herself?

Just as Zhou Huai'an was about to go find Lin Zihao, Lin Zihao himself arrived. Noticing Zhou Xiaoling in the room, he greeted Li Yunlan and Lin Xiaoxiao briefly before motioning for Zhou Huai'an to step outside.

Lin Xiaoxiao observed how the usually bold and boyish Zhou Xiaoling suddenly became shy and awkward, sneaking glances at Lin Zihao and watching him even after he left.

She nudged Zhou Xiaoling. "What's going on? Do you know Lin Zihao?"

Zhou Xiaoling blushed and shook her head. "N-No, I don't."

Her obvious denial made it clear she was hiding something. While Li Yunlan was busy washing vegetables, Lin Xiaoxiao whispered, "I thought you and Lü Zhigang were a thing. You grew up together, even shared a desk."

They always bickered, but wasn't that what love-hate relationships were like?

Zhou Xiaoling stared at her in shock. "How could you think that? Lü Zhigang? No way! I don't like him—he's so petty."

Lin Xiaoxiao nodded knowingly. "Alright, I get it now. You like Lin Zihao."

Zhou Xiaoling's eyes widened, and she quickly covered Lin Xiaoxiao's mouth. "Shh! Don't say that! What if he's married? Besides, finding my sister is more important right now. Stop joking around!"

Lin Xiaoxiao suppressed a laugh. She never would've guessed that cheerful, easygoing Zhou Xiaoling would be interested in someone as cold and stern as Lin Zihao.

Zhou Huai'an was quiet and reserved, but Lin Zihao was genuinely cold—like a blast of Siberian air. Even his gaze felt sharp and penetrating.

Lin Zihao had come to tell Zhou Huai'an that Zhou Xiaoming was likely hiding somewhere in the city. Since his double had been exposed so quickly, he wouldn't risk showing himself anytime soon.

He suggested that Zhou Huai'an come up with a way to draw Zhou Xiaoming out.

Zhou Huai'an frowned. "It's too late for that. Zhou Xiaohong went looking for him."

Lin Zihao was taken aback. "Zhou Xiaohong? Your sister? What is she thinking?"

Hadn't the double's confession been clear enough? Going to find Zhou Xiaoming now was practically suicide.

Zhou Huai'an shook his head. "I don't know. Can you get some people to help find her? We can't let anything happen to her. Zhou Xiaoming is ultimately after me—he'll come for me eventually. When he does, I'll need you to take me to him."

Although this was an unexpected complication, neither Zhou Huai'an nor Lin Zihao was overly concerned. Zhou Xiaoming was the one who should be nervous. They just hadn't accounted for Zhou Xiaohong's recklessness.

Lin Xiaoxiao helped Li Yunlan prepare dinner. Zhou Huai'an returned alone—Lin Zihao had already left.

Zhou Xiaoling was surprised that Zhou Huai'an knew Lin Zihao, and seemed to be on good terms with him. She wanted to ask but didn't dare, so she quietly ate her noodles.

Li Yunlan was still worried about Zhou Xiaohong. Hesitantly, she said to Zhou Huai'an, "Xiaohong may be foolish, but I don't want to see her get hurt."

Zhou Huai'an nodded. "Don't worry. I'm handling it."

He couldn't promise she wouldn't face consequences, but he could ensure she returned alive.

Somewhat reassured, Li Yunlan said, "Good. She needs to learn a lesson. She's always thought we favored the others and kept everything bottled up."

Zhou Xiaoling was also annoyed. "She overthink things. Second Brother always sent gifts for everyone. When we were kids, he said I was the youngest and gave me a bigger piece. She cried and refused to accept it. After that, he always made sure everything was equal. She's so dramatic!"

Even though they were sisters, she often found Zhou Xiaohong's personality frustrating. She turned small issues into big dramas.

After dinner, Zhou Xiaoling decided to stay, squeezing into bed with Li Yunlan.

Since it was still early, Lin Xiaoxiao didn't want to retreat to her room just yet. She bought ten cents' worth of sunflower seeds and sat outside with Zhou Xiaoling to chat and snack.

They took small stools and sat outside, facing the street, careful not to disturb Li Yunlan.

Zhou Xiaoling was straightforward and open. Because she liked Lin Xiaoxiao, she answered every question honestly, even sharing childhood memories. "I often wonder what it would've been like if our oldest brother had been with us. I think we would've been really close."

Curious, Lin Xiaoxiao asked softly, "Was Zhou Xiaoming not good to you when you were little?"

Zhou Xiaoling pursed her lips. "He was okay, I guess. But only when our parents were around. Once when I was seven or eight, my parents weren't home, and there wasn't much to eat. He said he was going to a classmate's to borrow a book, so I followed him secretly. Guess what I saw?"

"He was eating a braised pork knuckle all by himself! After that, I never liked him. I told Second Brother, and he told me not to tell our parents. He said siblings should be generous and forgiving. That night, he sneaked a roasted chicken from the cafeteria for me and my sister."

Lin Xiaoxiao couldn't help but remark, "Selfish from the start. Takes after Wang Fenglan."

Zhou Xiaoling snorted. "That's why we never got along. I was closest to Second Brother. He was closer to my sister. I guess I've always been a good judge of character—I knew he was a hypocrite."

But back then, no one believed her. They all thought it was just childish squabbling....Meanwhile, Zhou Xiaohong grew more upset the more she thought about it. She couldn't accept being used by Zhou Xiaoming, and she felt despised by Zhou Huai'an and Lin Xiaoxiao, and ignored by her mother.

She was determined to find Zhou Xiaoming herself—to make up for her mistakes.

She remembered him saying that if he ever came to Longbei, he would visit the Earth God shrine in the southern part of the city. He claimed it was a powerful place, though it had been damaged over the years and remained dilapidated.

After asking around, Zhou Xiaohong found the shrine.

It was a scene of ruins—collapsed walls, signs of fire, weeds taller than a person.

Suppressing her fear, she pushed open the door. Inside, the clay statue of the deity lay shattered on the ground.

Light filtering through the broken window lattices illuminated thick cobwebs everywhere.

Terrified, Zhou Xiaohong took a step back. Was Zhou Xiaoming really hiding in a place like this?

Suddenly, she regretted coming alone. She turned to leave.

And found herself face to face with Zhou Xiaoming's sinister smile...