Yè Yī's Apartment — Early Evening
The hallway was quiet when Yè Yī unlocked the door.
Qiū Huà Bǐ had already peeled off downstairs with a lazy wave—
"See you tomorrow. Try not to adopt anyone else tonight."
The door clicked shut behind Yè Yī.
Silence.
Not the normal kind.
The kind that feels… wrong.
He stepped inside, dropped his bag by the wall, and took two steps forward—
Then stopped.
Violet was on the floor.
Flat on her back.
Completely still.
No movement.
No sound.
For a split second—
His chest tightened.
He crossed the room fast, dropping to one knee beside her.
"Violet—"
His hand hovered just above her shoulder.
Then—
She turned her head.
Slowly.
Looked straight at him.
Alive.
Very alive.
Yè Yī froze.
A beat passed.
Then his expression hardened immediately.
He stood up.
"…Seriously?"
Violet blinked once.
"Hi."
He stared at her.
"You were lying there like a corpse."
"I was resting."
"You looked dead."
"Dramatic."
Yè Yī ran a hand through his hair, already stepping back.
"…I panicked for no reason."
He said it more to himself than to her.
And that bothered him more than the situation.
He frowned slightly.
Why did I react like that?
Violet pushed herself up slowly, sitting cross-legged like nothing had happened.
Then—
"I'm hungry."
Yè Yī turned.
"You can't cook?"
Violet tilted her head.
"I can."
"Then cook."
She looked at him like he'd just said something unreasonable.
"I'm African," she said plainly.
"The way I cook is different from yours."
He crossed his arms.
"So?"
"And what I cook," she added, "is also different from what you have here."
"That sounds like an excuse."
"It's a fact."
She leaned back slightly, completely unbothered.
Then delivered the line clean:
"My sworn brother wouldn't starve his sworn sister now, would he?"
Yè Yī stared at her.
Long enough to consider just walking away.
Long enough to consider ignoring her completely.
Long enough to realize—
He wasn't going to.
He exhaled slowly.
"…I can't believe I'm doing this."
Violet's lips curved just slightly.
Not a smile.
A smirk.
"Chop chop."
She even gave him a thumbs up.
Yè Yī turned toward the kitchen without another word.
Kitchen — Minutes Later
The sound of a knife hitting the cutting board filled the space.
Controlled.
Precise.
Yè Yī cooked like he did everything else—efficient, no wasted movement.
From the living room—
Violet watched.
Not openly.
Just from the corner of her eye.
Still sitting on the floor.
Like she owned the place.
Yè Yī worked in silence for a while.
Then—
"…You could've said you were awake."
Violet didn't look at him.
"You didn't ask."
He stopped cutting for a second.
"…That's not how that works."
She shrugged lightly.
"It worked."
He resumed cooking.
But his thoughts didn't settle as easily.
I panicked.
That wasn't normal.
Not for him.
He didn't panic.
He calculated.
He reacted.
But panic?
No.
He frowned slightly.
Because she looked dead?
No.
That wasn't it.
It was faster than that.
Instinct.
Unfiltered.
Which meant—
He'd already placed her somewhere he hadn't meant to.
Annoying.
Very annoying.
Back to the Living Room
Violet leaned her head back against the wall.
Eyes half-lidded.
Relaxed.
But her mind wasn't idle.
She had seen enough earlier.
ET moving.
Huáng Nián Qīng receiving orders.
Pieces shifting.
And now—
Qiū Huà Bǐ was next on their list.
Her gaze flicked toward the kitchen.
Yè Yī.
Reliable.
Grounded.
Still unaware of how deep things were going to get.
Then she spoke again.
"You cook like you're solving a problem."
Yè Yī didn't turn.
"Because I am."
"What problem?"
"How to finish this fast."
She huffed lightly.
"That's rude."
"You told me to hurry."
"That was motivation."
"That was pressure."
A few minutes later, he stepped out with a plate.
Simple.
Clean.
Well made.
He placed it on the table.
Violet stood up immediately.
No hesitation.
No "thank you."
Just sat down and started eating.
Yè Yī watched her for half a second.
"…You're not even going to pretend to be polite?"
She took another bite.
"Food first."
"Of course."
He sat down across from her.
Leaning back slightly.
Studying her.
She ate like she hadn't eaten in hours.
Maybe she hadn't.
The room settled again.
But this time, it wasn't tense.
Just… still.
Violet glanced up briefly.
"Not bad."
Yè Yī scoffed lightly.
"Not bad?"
She nodded.
"For your region."
He almost laughed.
Almost.
Violet kept eating.
Yè Yī leaned back, arms crossed.
Watching her like she was a problem he hadn't solved yet.
And somewhere in that quiet—
Without either of them saying it—
The distance between them had shifted again.
Not dramatically.
Not obviously.
Just enough.
That next time she lay still on the floor—
He wouldn't hesitate before checking.
And that?
Was already dangerous.