The door closed softly behind them.
The quiet inside Ān Tiān Kuò's office remained where it belonged, leaving the corridor to its own rhythm. Somewhere farther ahead, footsteps echoed against polished concrete. A pair of researchers walked past carrying stacks of folders, discussing something about resonance readings before disappearing around the corner.
Chūn Lěng Fēng let out a long breath.
"...That was scary."
Violet glanced at him.
"He didn't threaten you."
"I know."
"...That's why it was scary."
She didn't ask him to explain. Some things didn't need explaining.
He fell into step beside her. Or rather... Half a step behind her.
After a few moments, he quietly caught the sleeve of her jacket with two fingers. He was frightened but this place was enormous.
"...Where are we going now?"
He paused.
Then added the question that mattered most.
"...Will there be food?"
Violet closed her eyes for a brief moment.
"You finished all the pastries."
Chūn Lěng Fēng hesitated.
"..They were good."
"You finished mine too."
"...You weren't eating them."
"You also finished Director Ān's."
"...He smiled."
"He smiled because he was being polite."
Chūn Lěng Fēng lowered his head.
"...Those were just..."
He searched carefully for the word. Qiū Huà Bǐ had said it yesterday.
"...Apa..."
"...Appa..."
"...Appetizer."
He nodded proudly.
"Appetizers. You eat those before the real meal."
Violet looked at him for a long second. Was Huà Bǐ leading Lěng Fēng astray?
For reasons she couldn't quite explain... She suddenly understood why parents sighed so often.
"...Fine."
His head shot up.
"When we're finished here... I'll cook."
His eyes widened.
"...Really? You can cook? I thought Huà Bǐ said you've never cooked before."
"I've 'never' cooked doesn't mean I 'can't' cook."
She continued walking.
"There's a difference. I know 'how'. I simply 'don't'. I have an elder brother who cooks whenever I'm home. So why would I compete with free food?"
"...Ah."
That made perfect sense.
Chūn Lěng Fēng nodded several times.
"Yī gē is a very good elder brother."
Violet stopped and turned. She looked directly at him.
"He's my brother ...Not yours."
"..."
"...Okay."
He scratched the side of his head.
"I'll find my own then."
Violet perked a brow but said nothing. It's not like you could just walk into a flea market and buy one.
Violet looked at him.
"Let's go."
Her expression softened for the briefest moment before returning to normal.
"Violet."
A familiar voice called from farther down the corridor.
Ān Bái walked toward them with one hand tucked into his coat pocket. A strawberry-flavoured lollipop rested comfortably between his lips.
He hadn't bought it himself.
Nobody needed to ask where it had come from.
If Mù Xiāo Xiāo was anywhere inside Factor IV, she always seemed to have snacks.
And somehow...
Ān Bái always ended up with half of them.
The two of them shared meals so often that even the cafeteria staff had stopped asking whether they wanted one tray or two.
Ān Bái's eyes drifted toward Chūn Lěng Fēng.
He looked at him and waited.
Another few seconds passed.
Still nothing.
...He's quiet today. Thank goodness.
He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
Chūn Lěng Fēng blinked.
"...Why did he sigh?"
Violet answered honestly.
"Relief."
"...Oh."
"...Was I supposed to shout?"
"No."
"...Okay."
Ān Bái silently thanked heaven.
"I came to get you."
He removed the lollipop from his mouth.
"We've questioned her for the past few days. Not much progress."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"She looks like a harmless girl fresh out of high school. Then she opens her mouth."
He sighed.
"Sharper than a blade."
"Not a single sentence is wasted. Every answer sounds like one. But somehow tells you nothing."
Chūn Lěng Fēng looked from Ān Bái...
To Violet...
Then back again.
"...Who are we talking about?"
"Nán Xuě."
"Oh."
"...Who's that?"
"The girl in the sack."
"..."
He nodded slowly.
"...Right."
"I forgot."
Ān Bái looked at him.
"...How do you forget someone stuffed inside a sack?"
"I've had a busy day."
"...Fair enough."
Violet thought for a moment, then looked at Ān Bái.
"Before we go in..."
She gestured toward Chūn Lěng Fēng.
"Could someone prepare something for him? He'll be thinking about food otherwise."
Chūn Lěng Fēng immediately defended himself.
"I can think about two things."
"What are the two?"
"...Food."
"And...?"
He thought seriously.
"...Different kinds of food."
Violet lowered her head.
"...I tried."
Ān Bái looked from one to the other. Then back again.
Another foodie.
He suddenly understood why Mù Xiāo Xiāo had sounded so excited over the phone.
Factor IV's monthly food budget was about to suffer.
"I'll have the kitchen prepare something."
He slipped the lollipop back into his mouth.
"You two can head inside."
"Thanks."
Ān Bái turned the corner and disappeared.
The corridor grew quiet again.
Violet rested one hand on the steel handle before her. She didn't open it immediately.
Chūn Lěng Fēng looked at the thick reinforced door.
"...Should I say hello first?"
"No."
"...Smile?"
"...That one's optional. Not sure if she'll appreciate it though."
"...Okay."
She pushed the door open. The hinges moved without a sound.
Inside, the lights were brighter than the corridor outside.
A young woman sat alone at the metal table. Both wrists rested calmly before her. A pair of Specialist-grade restraints circled them, dull silver under the ceiling lights.
She wasn't struggling. She wasn't afraid. She looked... bored.
The moment the door opened, Nán Xuě lifted her head. Recognition surfaced almost instantly.
The moment she saw Violet, the calm she'd maintained for days cracked ever so slightly.
Her eyes landed on Violet.
"...It's you."
Violet entered first.
Chūn Lěng Fēng followed a step behind.
Violet pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down as though she'd simply come to continue a conversation that had been interrupted.
Nán Xuě's gaze lingered on her.
"...You."
"Mm."
"...You stuffed me into a sack."
"You were talking too much."
Chūn Lěng Fēng slowly turned to Violet.
"...You did?"
Violet nodded once.