A child had been separated from her mother in the chaos. She was now sitting in the middle of the road with her hands over her eyes, crying. Not far from her, a car was barreling toward her like a runaway beast.

Ling Ai’s instinct was to rush forward, but the distance was too great — by the time she reached the child, the car would have already run over her.

In that critical moment, a figure suddenly flashed out from the crowd. Quick as lightning, the figure sprinted to the middle of the road in a single bound, scooped the child into his arms, and rolled to the roadside — right as the out-of-control car passed over the exact spot where the child had been sitting and crying.

The onlookers were first stunned by the sudden turn of events, then a group of people surged forward and physically blocked the car.

The furious crowd pounded on the car windows, venting their outrage.

Forced into a corner, the driver had no choice but to roll down the window and toss out some copper coins.

As the car window came down, Yan Qing caught sight of a familiar profile — it was Yan Qin, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time.

Shortly after Yan Qin had been hospitalized, she had run away from the hospital. Yan Qi had been searching for her everywhere, so running into her here was completely unexpected.

“A bunch of paupers,” muttered the driver, a man who appeared to be in his forties with slicked-back hair. After tossing the coins, he rolled his window back up.

At the moment the window closed, Yan Qin also looked out from inside the car. Whether or not she had spotted Yan Qing was unclear, but the instant her gaze swept over, she quickly averted her eyes.

The car sped away amid the shouts and curses of the crowd, leaving behind only a cloud of choking exhaust.

“Ling Ai, I think I just saw my Fifth Sister,” Yan Qing said to the person beside her. “She was in that car.”

Her words were met with silence. She turned her head and saw Ling Ai staring toward the street, her eyes brimming with tears.

Following her gaze, Yan Qing saw a young man holding the child, steadily delivering her back into her mother’s arms.

The child’s mother thanked him profusely. He simply gave a slight nod and said it was nothing.

This man who had stepped up in the moment of crisis — it was Zheng Yun.

Yan Qing hadn’t expected to see Zheng Yun here. She wasn’t sure whether he had come to watch the excitement or whether the Military Police Bureau had an assignment nearby — she thought the latter was more likely.

After handing the child to her mother, Zheng Yun turned to leave. But in the moment he stepped forward, he seemed to sense something. He turned his head and looked toward the direction of the street entertainment box.

Ling Ai had already ducked behind the large box. Zheng Yun’s gaze swept around and found Yan Qing.

He strode through the crowd toward her.

“Sister-in-law, Miss Qiao,” Zheng Yun said with some surprise. “What are you two doing here?”

Qiao Yiran cast a sidelong glance at the large box. She had initially wanted to signal Zheng Yun, but thinking of the situation between the two of them, the words reached her lips and were silently swallowed back down.

Ling Ai was now Shi Guang’s wife. She and Zheng Yun no longer had anything to do with each other. Making them meet again would only bring pain and awkwardness.

So it was better not to let him see her or know she was here.

“We came to browse the market,” Qiao Yiran said cheerfully. “Commander Zheng, what brings you here too?”

“The security office said there would be a large crowd today and asked the Military Police Bureau to help maintain order. I’m on patrol,” he said.

“Even the Director himself is doing patrol rounds now?” Qiao Yiran teased. “You all must be very busy.”

“No choice — we’re short-handed,” Zheng Yun said. “You two continue browsing. I still need to check on things over there.”

“By the way, Zheng Yun.” Yan Qing suddenly called out to him.

Behind the box, Ling Ai’s heart gave an involuntary lurch. Her hand resting on the box clenched unconsciously.

“Who was sitting in that car just now?”

Zheng Yun replied, “From the license plate, it should be Attorney Qi.”

“The famous lawyer?”

“Famous in name only. He rides on other people’s coattails in lawsuits, making a reputation for himself. You’ve seen the real him today — just a bully hiding behind the facade of a gentleman.” Zheng Yun let out a disdainful snort.

Yan Qing thought to herself: Attorney Qi has children of his own — why would Yan Qin be with him? What had Yan Qin been doing during all these days she’d been missing?

“Sister-in-law, Miss Qiao, I’m heading off now.”

“Goodbye,” Qiao Yiran waved to him.

Only after Zheng Yun had disappeared into the crowd did Qiao Yiran say, “Alright, stop hiding. He’s gone.”

Ling Ai slowly emerged from behind the box. Even so, her gaze lingered longingly in the direction where Zheng Yun had left, even though his silhouette had long since vanished.

“Stop looking.” Qiao Yiran stepped forward and took her hand. “I’ll take you both to eat braised duck necks.”

“You have so many ideas,” Yan Qing said helplessly with a smile. “I think you know every single place to eat and drink in all of Shun Cheng.”

“As a seasoned reporter, these things are essential to know thoroughly — otherwise I’d be letting down my profession.”

“Somehow I feel like you’re a reporter for a food column,” Yan Qing shook her head. “Come on, let’s go.”

She stole a glance at Ling Ai. Though a smile rested on her face, the depths of her eyes held a sense of loss — that feeling of disappointment and sorrow leaked out no matter how hard she tried to conceal it.

She hadn’t seen him in a long time. He had grown considerably thinner since their last meeting, his eyes sunken and hollow.

But his spirit was still good. Whenever he attended to his duties, he was always serious and dedicated.

Just now, when he had saved the little girl, he had taken great risk — a single misstep and he would have been crushed by the car. Yet in moments like that, he never considered his own safety.

This was the Zheng Yun she knew. He had never changed.

Carrying a heart full of hidden feelings, Ling Ai arrived in front of a small shop. The aroma reached them before they did — the distinctive scent of braised spices made one’s mouth water.

A long queue stretched from the shop entrance, all customers waiting to buy duck products.

Qiao Yiran pulled the two of them through the back door. Inside, two tables were set up.

“This shop only does takeaway — no dine-in,” Qiao Yiran said, helping herself to some chairs with easy familiarity.

“Then how are you eating inside?”

“I have a good relationship with the shop owner.” Qiao Yiran winked. “Wait here, I’ll get the braised food for you.”

Qiao Yiran left and returned shortly carrying a large plate piled high with duck necks, duck gizzards, and duck intestines.

Even before she reached them, the fragrance had already bewitched everyone present.

“Come, come, come — only by following me do you get this kind of special treatment. Other people can’t even get through the door.”

Yan Qing laughed. “Reporter Qiao has her talents. We’re lucky to enjoy the benefits of your connections.”

Ling Ai was already eagerly reaching for a duck neck. After one bite, she couldn’t stop praising it. “This is incredibly delicious.”

“Delicious, right? Anything recommended by me, Qiao Yiran, is guaranteed to be good.”

Ling Ai’s smile suddenly froze at the corner of her lips. She remembered how Zheng Yun had once taken her to the street food area, how he had navigated it with ease, knowing exactly which stalls were good and which weren’t.

Ling Ai gently gnawed at the duck neck in her hand, her mind replaying over and over the scene of seeing him just now. Waves of sorrow welled up inside her, and even this delicious duck neck had taken on a deeply bitter taste.

“Oh, by the way, I have gifts for you two.” Qiao Yiran wiped her hands and pulled two small boxes from her little leather purse. “New Year’s gifts.”

Yan Qing took one without ceremony. “How can I accept this — I didn’t prepare anything for you.”

“You just said you couldn’t accept it, yet you’re still taking it.” Qiao Yiran deliberately pulled her hand back.

Yan Qing snatched it and waved it in the air. “You said you were giving them to us — why won’t you let us take them?”

“Treating us to food and giving gifts on top of that,” Ling Ai said, masking those sad feelings so as not to worry her friends. She too reached over and took a box.

Inside each box was a slim red leather wallet.

Red is a bold color that can easily feel garish if poorly handled, but this wallet’s color coordination was pitched just right — accented with a few simple white lines, it wasn’t flashy in hand, yet it was delicate and elegant.

“How beautiful,” Ling Ai sighed admiringly. “Where did you buy this? Such a lovely wallet.”

“My father made a trip to the Italian nation. Leather goods there are famous. Apparently these two wallets are even from some royal brand — the average person can’t get their hands on them.”

“They must have been very expensive,” Ling Ai said with some embarrassment. “I’ll have to prepare gifts for you both as well.”

“Just accept them, both of you. What’s there to be polite about with me? Besides, my father has plenty of money — if he doesn’t spend it on me, he’ll spend it on those concubines. Why not enjoy it while I can?” Qiao Yiran wore an utterly indifferent expression.

Ling Ai was speechless.

“Then I won’t stand on ceremony,” Yan Qing said.

Qiao Yiran leaned in with an air of mystery. “There’s a secret inside these wallets.”

“What secret?” Ling Ai asked curiously. “It’s just an ordinary wallet, isn’t it?”

Even as she spoke, she opened the wallet. In one of the inner compartments, she made a surprising discovery — something that looked like an amulet.

Ling Ai carefully pulled it out. It was shaped like a talisman, but the pattern on it was very strange.

“Is this an amulet?”

Qiao Yiran smiled. “This is an exclusive amulet used only by our Qiao family — outsiders can’t get hold of it. My father donated a large temple on a mountain, and there is an enlightened monk there. Every year he performs rituals to pray for the Qiao family’s blessings, and these amulets are born from those rituals. Don’t underestimate them — these are objects that every member of our family must wear. They ward off misfortune and disasters.”

“That powerful?” Ling Ai studied it carefully, her expression one of astonishment and curiosity.

At that moment, Yan Qing also took the amulet out of her wallet. When she saw the pattern on it, her gaze instantly turned grave.

“These amulets are for Qiao family members only — my father only gives them to his children. He has a rather favored concubine who found out these amulets were efficacious and wanted one, but my father flatly refused. These two were secretly stolen by me from my brother — when he notices they’re missing, he can just ask Father for more.”

Qiao Yiran was still chattering away when her arm was suddenly grabbed. She startled, looked over at Yan Qing’s grave expression, and asked, “Yan Qing, what’s wrong?”