Outside, the snow was falling even harder without them realizing it.
In the kitchen, Wise had finished preparing dinner and began placing the dishes onto the dining table.
Afterward, he headed upstairs and gently knocked on Belle's tightly shut bedroom door, calling out, "Belle, dinner's ready! Come down and eat before it gets cold."
A few seconds passed after he said that, but no sound came from inside the room, which made Wise feel a little puzzled.
Logically speaking, even among family who lived together every day, Belle should at least have given a polite response.
So, Wise knocked again. "Belle, are you in there? Don't tell me you've fallen asleep?"
Wise thought it might be useless to knock again, but surprisingly, Belle's voice soon came from within. "I know, big brother. I'm not asleep. I'll be down in a bit. Oh, and Zhong Yan is here too."
Wise hadn't known about Zhong Yan's arrival, as he had been busy in the kitchen the whole time.
"Zhong Yan's here too? Then we should treat him well tonight. You two... never mind," Wise started to say something but swallowed it halfway.
He knew exactly how strong his sister's competitive spirit was. He also knew she must have endured hardships in order to catch up to Anby and Ellen.
He could only hope that her efforts would be properly rewarded.
With that, Wise left the second floor, giving Zhong Yan and Belle some private space.
At that moment, inside the room, Zhong Yan and Belle sat at opposite ends of the sofa.
Zhong Yan sat with his head down, while Belle stared at him without blinking.
Her expression was extremely calm, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking.
After a long silence, Belle finally broke the heavy atmosphere. "My brother says dinner's ready. Let's go eat first."
Her voice, like her expression, was calm, but that only made Zhong Yan feel even more uneasy.
He had a vague, ominous feeling that he might lose her.
Thinking of that, Zhong Yan didn't move to go downstairs but instead summoned his courage and grabbed Belle's hand.
Belle, who had been about to leave, was startled by the sudden action. Before she could speak, Zhong Yan said, his tone full of pleading, "I know I'm wrong, but I can't help it. I don't want to lose any of you—Anby, Ellen, or you."
"You can scold me, hit me, whatever... but I won't just let you walk away. At least... at least give me a definite answer. Even if I'm doomed, I need to know."
His voice was so sincere that Belle's expression softened slightly. She let out a light sigh and finally said, "I'm not angry, not disappointed, and I never thought about ending things with you."
"I just need time. Time to accept everything. Can't you even give me a little space to cool down?" There was a slight hint of complaint in Belle's tone.
Judging by her expression, she was being completely honest. Yet Zhong Yan still felt anxious, though after hesitating for a while, he eventually let go of her hand.
The two then went downstairs, where Wise was already waiting patiently. Wise, who had excellent table manners, didn't start eating first; only after the two of them had taken their seats did he pick up his chopsticks.
Soon after, dinner ended, and Zhong Yan tactfully left the video store.
Just as Belle said, she needed time to cool off. As long as she didn't intend to end their relationship outright, there was still hope.
Before she made her final decision, all Zhong Yan could do was wait quietly.
Lately, things had been unusually calm on the Exaltists' side. After two of the Twelve Shields had been captured, they probably wouldn't act again so soon.
Even if they did, they likely wouldn't choose anywhere near New Eridu—such a move would be far too conspicuous.
Besides, Zhong Yan had already planted a pawn like Chi on the Outer Ring. With Chi's strength, unless the Exaltists sent their top forces, there wouldn't be any problems.
Next, Zhong Yan planned to visit Anby at the Cunning Hares. Word had it her condition wasn't great lately—even simple walking had become difficult.
If it weren't for someone as attentive as Nicole taking care of her every day, she might not have been able to endure it.
...
At that moment, in the rented apartment of the Cunning Hares—
"Nicole! Is dinner ready yet? Anby says she's super hungry," Nekomata poked her head into the kitchen, calling out to Nicole, who was busy cooking.
"Almost done! Just a little longer!" Nicole shouted back hastily. "Billy, move your hands faster!"
As she spoke, Nicole gave Billy a hard smack, only to clutch her hand in pain when she hit the solid metal frame.
"I'm already doing my best to help, Boss Nicole! But my programming doesn't even have a cooking module!" Billy said, flailing around awkwardly in an apron while fumbling at the kitchen counter.
As Nicole's assistant chef, Billy's days lately had been far from easy. A combat model robot being forced into housework—how ridiculous.
But there was no helping it. After all, Anby was carrying a child. As Nicole often said, no matter who else suffered, the baby must not.
Besides, they had accepted Zhong Yan's commission to take care of Anby—and he had paid them in full.
Thirty million Denny! Where else could the Cunning Hares find such a lucrative deal? They had to perform well.
"You two... are you that busy?" A familiar voice suddenly came from behind them. They turned and found Zhong Yan smiling warmly at them.
Upon realizing it was him; Nicole immediately raised the spatula in her hand and scolded, "What kind of father are you? Anby's almost due, and you barely visit once every two days!"
"Come on, tell me yourself—how long has it been since you last came to see Anby? Not a week, but at least five days, right? Even the last check-up, we were the ones who took her!"
At this moment, Nicole looked exactly like a worried mother nagging over her daughter.
But truth be told, with someone like Nicole taking care of Anby, Zhong Yan could be completely at ease.
At least in Zhong Yan's eyes, Nicole was an absolutely reliable caretaker... uh, commission partner.
And getting scolded by Nicole didn't even faze Zhong Yan. Instead, he chuckled sheepishly and said, "Hahaha, sorry about that! I haven't been feeling great lately. Besides, isn't it because I trust you guys? With Anby in your care, I'm totally reassured."