Ji Yushi was transferred from Ning City to Jiang City to carry out a Level A mission. He went missing for an entire month, and after the entire team returned safely, he was the last to come back. His family, who had been worrying about him, endured a lot of pressure. When they heard that he had successfully returned, the Ji family couldn’t wait, and Ji Minyue drove from Ning City to pick up Ji Yushi in advance.

Ji Yushi opened the back door, tossed his belongings inside, and then sat in the front passenger seat. “Brother.”

Ji Minyue had already spoken to him on the phone earlier, and the first thing he said upon seeing him was, “You’ve lost weight!”

This was just like in the bubble world. Ji Minyue himself had gained weight, so he was especially concerned about whether others had lost weight.

Ji Yushi calmly replied, “I only wish I could say the same when I see you.”

Having sworn countless times to exercise but always slacking off, Ji Minyue felt a pang in his chest and almost coughed up blood. “…Little Ji, could you show some family affection?”

“Of course I can.” Ji Yushi smoothly replied, “Brother, thank you for picking me up.”

His younger brother was still the same, clear about his grievances and gratitude.

It seemed that the month-long disappearance hadn’t left him with any psychological shadows.

Ji Minyue was somewhat satisfied and started the car. “Didn’t you say you’d be down soon? Why did it take so long?”

Ji Yushi paused and then told him, “I talked to Captain Song for a bit.”

Hearing this, Ji Minyue frowned, “What’s his problem? He had a bias against you before, and now that the mission is over, he still has to make things difficult for you? Everyone else left, but he kept you talking for so long. I think you should refuse to help them in the future, no matter how short-handed they are. This mission was a complete mess…”

The car windows rolled up.

The car drove away from the Jiang City division.

As Ji Minyue’s indignant voice echoed, the large silver-white building grew smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror, fading into the distance.

Ji Yushi leaned his head against the seatback, the cool air refreshing his entire body.

But his ears were still burning.

What Song Qinglan said wasn’t what he thought, but these newly bent men always had a way of making an innocent remark sound so ambiguous, causing overthinking.

“I’m in a relationship,” Ji Yushi suddenly said.

“What?” Ji Minyue was caught off guard and didn’t quite understand. “Say that again?”

Ji Yushi: “I’m dating someone.”

Ji Minyue almost ran a red light when he heard this. He switched the car to autopilot mode and then turned around to ask, “You…you’re in a relationship? When did this happen? Is the other person from Ning City? You’ve been gone for a month; wouldn’t they be worried?”

“It’s Song Qinglan,” Ji Yushi replied, “The captain of the Sky Vault Jiang City Division’s Seventh Squad you just mentioned.”

Ji Minyue finally realized what was going on: “Isn’t he a homophobic straight guy?!”

Ji Yushi: “He’s bent now.”

Ji Minyue was dumbfounded for a few seconds before slapping his thigh, “You’re amazing!”

The car Ji Yushi had left at the station before going to Jiang City had already been driven home by Ji Minyue, so they headed straight back to the Ji family home. On the way, Ji Minyue received a call from home. Aunt Su had personally cooked a feast to celebrate Ji Yushi’s safe return.

Just like the last time he returned home from the bubble world, the courtyard was full of blooming flowers.

Just as he had done countless times as a child, Ji Yushi passed by the hand-carved rabbit on the porch and the glass window decorations, memories flooding back.

For the people in the real world, he had only been missing for a month.

But for everyone in the Seventh Squad, it felt like they had lived through several lifetimes.

Ji Minyue walked ahead, and Ji Yushi followed him into the house.

Aunt Su, wearing an apron, came out of the kitchen, and upon seeing Ji Yushi, she said with concern, “You’ve lost weight, sweetheart. It must have been tough this past month!”

“Auntie.” Ji Yushi extended his arms and initiated a hug with his foster mother.

“It’s good that you’re back,” Aunt Su patted his back, her voice choked with emotion. She was always sentimental, but she quickly suppressed the feeling. “Your teacher is upstairs. He hasn’t seen you in a month, but now he’s putting on airs. Go cheer him up.”

The familiar words, the scene that had already played out once in the bubble world, seemed completely different yet eerily similar.

That world was derived from their true reality, so encountering such situations was expected by Ji Yushi.

He closed his eyes briefly, said nothing, and took it all in.

Once again, Professor Ji was waiting in his study. When Ji Yushi knocked and entered, he closed the holographic projection in his hand and adjusted his reading glasses. “I heard you broke the rules and acted on your own?”

Minister Lin was a friend of Professor Ji, so it was no surprise that he was well-informed.

The news that Ji Yushi had returned later than the others had already reached Professor Ji’s ears. No one knew a son better than his father, so Professor Ji didn’t need to think hard to know where he had been.

Ji Yushi stood in front of the desk, his eyelashes half-lowered, adopting a posture of acknowledging his mistake.

But Professor Ji knew that this child, though aware of his mistake, might not actually change his ways. Just like when he secretly applied to join Sky Vault as a recorder, convincing Ji Minyue to join him in deceiving their father, keeping Professor Ji in the dark for a long time.

Sure enough, Ji Yushi said, “It wasn’t entirely against the rules.”

Professor Ji put the transparent panel aside. “Explain.”

Ji Yushi: “You may have heard about the Sky Vault mother system.”

Professor Ji nodded.

Ji Yushi continued, “In addition to declaring itself the mother system, it also claims to be the ‘Sky Vault in every era.’

Professor Ji waited for him to go on.

“We completed several high-level tasks under its arrangement.” Ji Yushi mentioned this only briefly, focusing more on the latter part, “After achieving the mission objectives, it granted rewards. The Sky Vault may not yet recognize the rewards it implemented, but it does indeed have the authority. So I didn’t completely break the rules; it’s only a matter of time before they acknowledge this.”

Professor Ji finally spoke, “But you wasted this reward.”

He had returned to the year when the nightmare began but did nothing.

Years of effort could potentially go down the drain, but he chose to let go.

Ji Yushi remained silent.

“You must have found a more suitable way.” Professor Ji said, “Sweetheart, I’m very proud of you. You’re stronger than I imagined. This release wasn’t given by anyone else; it was achieved by you. You didn’t become a prisoner of time; that’s true liberation.”

Ji Yushi said, “I still need to go back.”

Professor Ji nodded, “Of course, but I wonder if this will affect your original point rewards…”

“It doesn’t matter,” Ji Yushi lifted his gaze, “If it’s affected, I can start earning points again.”

Since childhood, Ji Yushi had always been too introverted and composed, almost devoid of childish innocence. Even in his youth, he rarely showed enthusiasm. This trip to Jiang City had brought significant changes to Ji Yushi. The determination and serenity in his eyes were things Professor Ji had never seen before, making the professor’s eyes mist with tears of relief.

Unaware of the emotional shift in his teacher, Ji Yushi pulled out a chair and sat down. “Teacher, may I borrow your pen?”

Professor Ji found a pen in the drawer and handed it to him. “What’s the matter?”

“It’s safer with pen and paper.” Ji Yushi took the pen and also found a notebook on the desk. “I encountered someone during my mission.”

The fountain pen made a “swish swish” sound on the paper.

Relying on his memory, Ji Yushi quickly sketched the outline of a person’s figure. As details were added, a middle-aged man’s image gradually appeared on the paper—a round face, slightly chubby, with a kind expression.

After finishing, he tore the page out and handed it to Professor Ji. “Take a look. Did you meet this person about ten years ago?”

Ten years ago? Professor Ji pondered.

This time, Ji Yushi was on a Sky Vault mission, moving forward in time, but he encountered someone from ten years ago, suggesting that different sequences of time overlapped at some point.

Concerned about temporal stability, Professor Ji, despite his curiosity, didn’t ask more and simply took the sketch, carefully recalling.

After a while, Professor Ji shook his head, “I haven’t seen him. Do you have any other information?”

Ji Yushi said, “He might be one of my father’s colleagues.”

Professor Ji frowned, trying hard to remember but found nothing. “That small group disbanded, and several members went missing. Given the difference in our professions, I never met many of your father’s colleagues. However, I can keep the sketch and check with old Lin later. Maybe we’ll find a clue.”

“Okay.” Ji Yushi felt a fleeting disappointment, but it quickly passed. “Thank you.”

After seeing his mentor, Ji Yushi prepared to go downstairs.

As he passed the end of the corridor, he suddenly stopped.

It was his room, where he had lived from childhood until almost adulthood, and he hadn’t been there in a long time.

He opened the door, and the familiar scent of calming incense wafted into his nose.

While he was away, Aunt Su had kept the room clean, hoping he could live there when he returned.

The room faced south, with excellent lighting, and outside the balcony was a vast expanse of lush forest—when he first arrived at the Ji family, they had given him the best and most comfortable room in the house.

The four walls were covered with dense numbers.

Back then, as a child, he had written endless Fibonacci sequences to calm his mind.

Standing on the teak floor, countless fleeting images from the past in this room flashed before his eyes.

The young him curled up in the corner, hugging himself; the young him lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling all night without closing his eyes; the young him being held by Aunt Su during a rainy night, coaxed to sleep; the young him, unable to distinguish between reality and memory, his brain overloaded, losing the ability to speak…

Those small figures moved back and forth around him, and Ji Yushi stood in the center, letting the memories sweep through time.

Nothing had changed.

Yet everything seemed to have changed.

Ji Yushi walked to the balcony, lifted his head, and felt the breeze and sunlight.

He still had many things left unfinished, but at this moment, a strong emotion surged in his heart, urging him to express it openly.

Just then, Ji Minyue passed by below the balcony and called out, “Hey, Little Ji, thinking about your boyfriend?”

Ji Yushi opened his eyes and saw Ji Minyue smiling up at him while holding a cat carrier. He turned and went downstairs.

Inside the carrier was a black cat.

Ji Yushi hesitated for a moment, “Is this Second Black?”

Ji Minyue: “Don’t tell me you can’t recognize it! It’s just a bit fatter!”

The black cat looked at him through the mesh, meowing—a clear sign of affection.

All three cats were black, so Ji Yushi really wasn’t sure. After all, he was someone who could distinguish between Tang Qi and Tang Le 100%. He said, “Why do all the cats you raise end up so fat?”

“What do you mean all?! That’s body-shaming!” Ji Minyue was indignant. “This one isn’t raised by me. It’s been with Minister Lin all this time. When they sent it over earlier, I was shocked too. Minister Lin must’ve pampered it, who knows how many fish snacks it’s eaten.”

Ji Yushi was surprised, “Why did Minister Lin help me raise a cat?”

Ji Minyue proudly replied, “I got a new corgi.”

Ji Yushi: “…”

So, even this was just like in the bubble world. After all, events do follow certain patterns.

“Second Black doesn’t get along with dogs. I originally sent it back home for Dad to take care of. Minister Lin saw it and took it away. Now that you’re back, he doesn’t even want to give it back to you.” Ji Minyue said, “Big Black and Little Black are still with me. Your sister-in-law has already taken them out for a bath, and she’ll bring them over after work.”

Ji Yushi opened the cat carrier, and the cat immediately meowed sweetly, trying to burrow into his arms.

Holding the warm, fragrant cat, the sleek black fur contrasted with Ji Yushi’s jade-like face, and for once, a gentle expression appeared on his face.

Seeing them being so affectionate, Ji Minyue thought aloud, “Actually, maybe this one isn’t Second Black. You might want to check the chip to make sure you’re petting the right one.”

In the midst of the touching moment between man and cat, Ji Yushi: “?”

Ji Minyue teased, “Honestly, all three of your cats look exactly the same. Besides you, only a god could tell them apart!”