The Duan family did not panic.
They didn't rush, scream, call neighbors, or gossip. Panic was for people without control.
Madam Duan arrived at the gate in minutes, her face composed, her eyes cold.
"What is this?" she asked.
"A message," Yichen replied, gaze fixed on the box.
Madam Duan's eyes flicked to Su Nian. "From your family."
Su Nian nodded once.
Dr. Fang hovered at the edge of the group, looking like he wanted to crawl into the nearest hedge. "Maybe it's a fruit basket," he offered weakly.
Yichen glanced at him. "It's not."
Dr. Fang sighed. "I tried."
Su Nian stared at the message. Her father's handwriting was unmistakable. Firm strokes, careful curves, controlled pressure.
Her father never wrote to her.
Not once.
"You said you were disowned," Madam Duan said quietly.
"I was," Su Nian replied.
"Then why does he summon you?"
Su Nian's chest tightened. "Because I'm useful now."
Yichen's voice was calm but sharp. "Or because he's being used."
Madam Duan's eyes narrowed. "Used by whom?"
Su Nian looked down at the box again. The black qi around it wasn't random resentment. It was directed—like a leash tugging.
"The same people who put black qi on Yichen," she murmured.
Yichen's gaze hardened. "Then this is a test."
Madam Duan's jaw clenched. "We do not entertain tests."
Yichen's eyes stayed on Su Nian. "Do you want to go?"
The question was deceptively simple.
Su Nian's throat tightened. Part of her wanted to say no instantly. To cut the Su family off fully, to let them rot in their own resentment.
But the black qi on the message felt like a hook.
If she ignored it, something else would happen—something worse, more public, more dangerous.
"It's bait," Su Nian said.
Yichen nodded. "Yes."
"And if we don't take it," she continued, "they'll throw the hook somewhere else."
Madam Duan's expression hardened. "Absolutely not. You will not walk into a trap."
Su Nian met her eyes. "Then we go together."
Silence.
Madam Duan's lips pressed thin. "You're bold."
Su Nian's voice stayed even. "I'm practical."
Yichen's mouth curved faintly, as if he found that repetition amusing.
Madam Duan turned sharply. "Yichen, your leg—"
"I can walk," he said.
"You can barely—"
"I can walk," he repeated, and his tone ended the argument.
Dr. Fang raised a hand timidly. "Just… as a medical professional… I recommend not walking into cursed family traps. It's generally unhealthy."
Yichen glanced at him. "Noted."
Dr. Fang sighed. "I did my part."
An hour later, the Duan convoy rolled toward the Su family home.
Su Nian sat in the back seat of the black sedan, hands folded in her lap. Yichen sat beside her, posture relaxed, eyes watchful. He didn't speak much, but his presence filled the space like gravity.
She felt him glance at her occasionally—not curiosity now, but assessment.
As if he was measuring how she handled fear.
"You're quiet," he said eventually.
"My family trained me," Su Nian replied.
Yichen's gaze sharpened. "How?"
Su Nian stared out the window. "By punishing me for existing."
Silence.
Then, softly, Yichen said, "If they try anything, I'll stop it."
Su Nian's throat tightened. "Why?"
Yichen's voice was calm. "Because if someone breaks what belongs to my alliance, they're breaking my authority."
It should've sounded cold.
But it sounded like protection in a language he understood.
The Su family gate came into view.
Same iron bars. Same manicured garden. Same house that had never felt like home.
As the car stopped, Su Nian's heart slowed—not from calm, but from the numb steadiness she'd learned as a child.
The gate opened.
Her father stood on the front steps, face neutral, expression carefully composed.
Beside him stood Su Wan, smiling brightly.
Too brightly.
And behind them—
A man Su Nian didn't recognize.
Tall, dressed in an expensive coat, hands clasped politely.
But his shadow was wrong.
Black qi clung to him like a second skin.
Su Nian's breath caught.
Yichen's voice was low. "Who is that?"
Su Nian's mouth went dry. "I don't know."
They stepped out of the car.
Su Wan rushed forward first, eyes sparkling with false warmth. "Sister! You came!"
Su Nian didn't move toward her. "You summoned me."
Su Wan pouted. "Father did."
Her father finally spoke. "You've caused trouble."
Su Nian's lips tightened. "I left quietly."
"You left without permission," he replied, as if she were still property.
Yichen stepped forward smoothly. "Permission is not required when you discard someone."
The air froze.
Su Wan's smile faltered for half a second.
Her father's gaze moved to Yichen, recognizing wealth and power instantly. His posture shifted—subtle, but unmistakable—humility blooming out of self-preservation.
"Duan Young Master," he said, forced politeness. "An honor."
Yichen's expression remained cool. "You summoned my doctor."
Her father smiled thinly. "We are family. We simply worry."
Su Nian's stomach turned.
Then the strange man stepped forward, smiling pleasantly.
"Miss Su," he said, voice warm. "I've heard so much."
Su Nian's gaze sharpened. "Who are you?"
He bowed slightly. "Li Sheng."
Her blood ran cold.
Li.
The name that haunted her grandmother's warnings.
Yichen's gaze turned lethal.
And Li Sheng smiled wider, as if he enjoyed their reaction.
"I came," Li Sheng said gently, "to invite you back into society."
Su Nian's voice was tight. "I wasn't aware I'd been in it."
Li Sheng chuckled softly. "Clever." Then he glanced at Yichen's leg. "I also heard you're recovering. That's wonderful."
His words sounded like praise.
The black qi around him felt like a knife being sharpened.
Su Wan clasped her hands excitedly. "Isn't it lovely? Sister, Mr. Li is offering to sponsor you. Imagine! You'll finally be useful."
Su Nian's jaw clenched.
Yichen's voice was calm but deadly. "She's already useful."
Li Sheng smiled. "Then perhaps we should discuss… sharing."
Su Nian's skin prickled.
Because the black qi around Li Sheng reached toward her like invisible fingers.
And her vision blurred for a moment—like the world tilted—
As if something inside her answered back.