Ye Jin soothingly patted Xu Yan's head and, holding her hand, said to the two people opposite them, "Did you come specifically to find me this time? Shall we go to the tavern for a drink first?"
Zhao Xinze stood up with a smile. "We'd be honored."
Xu Yan walked absent-mindedly beside Ye Jin, trying for the umpteenth time to sneak a glance at Mu Heng and Zhao Xinze.
Ye Jin helplessly pressed her down again and whispered in her ear, "Yan Yan, it's them. Don't worry."
Finally getting confirmation from Ye Jin, Xu Yan let out a sigh of relief. She looked up at Ye Jin expectantly. "Can I watch when you talk later?"
Ye Jin responded with a mix of resignation and a hint of jealousy: "Yan Yan! You can do whatever you want when you're with me." He pinched her cheek and added, "Besides, if you keep sneaking looks at them, I might get jealous."
Either Ye Jin spoke too loudly or Zhao Xinze sensed something.
He let out a dry laugh. "Mr. Ye, and this little friend here, the relationship between Mu Heng and me... is the same as yours."
Xu Yan peeked out from behind Ye Jin, blinking her eyes. "We know that."
After all, she had accidentally stumbled upon Brother Bai Heng and the military doctor in a compromising situation long ago~
Hearing this, Zhao Xinze became curious. He and Xu Yan instinctively moved closer together. "Really? How did you figure it out?"
Xu Yan said proudly, "The way Mr. Mu looks at you is exactly the same as how my dad looks at my mom."
Zhao Xinze found this child quite adorable. "Mr. Ye looks at you with a lot of love too."
The two of them unconsciously walked together, chatting happily.
Ye Jin and Mu Heng, a few steps behind, exchanged glances, both seeing exasperation in each other's eyes.
Xu Yan continued to chatter away. "There are two super cute parrots in the tavern. They let other little birds play with me."
Zhao Xinze lowered his voice. "Little one, you shouldn't tell others about this."
Xu Yan scratched her head, smiling a bit sheepishly. "I know. I wouldn't tell just anyone."
Zhao Xinze couldn't help but smile. "Then why did you tell me so easily?"
Xu Yan replied without hesitation. "Because I think you're a good person."
Suddenly labeled as a "good person," Zhao Xinze felt oddly touched. He chuckled and ruffled Xu Yan's hair. "You're quite the mischievous child."
But as soon as he said it, he froze. The action of ruffling Xu Yan's hair felt extraordinarily natural and familiar, as if he had done it many times before.
Xu Yan was also stunned. For a moment, she almost thought Zhao Xinze had regained memories from his previous life.
Ye Jin, following behind, maintained a poker face. Although he knew these two only had a pure sibling-like relationship, why did he still feel so annoyed?
Mu Heng, watching the interaction between the two in front of him, surprisingly found it heartwarming. It was as if he had often watched these two unreliable individuals joke around before.
Unreliable? Zhao Xinze was indeed quite unreliable, but why did he think that little girl was unreliable too... They had just met, after all.
Mu Heng turned to look at Ye Jin, only to see that despite his subtle jealousy, he made no move to interrupt Zhao Xinze and the little girl's conversation.
He hesitated for a moment before tentatively asking, "Mr. Ye, is this little girl..."
Ye Jin, as if knowing what he was about to ask, spoke first. "Mr. Mu, what happened in the past is gone. The present is what matters most, isn't it?"
Mu Heng looked at the two chatting away in front of them and smiled wryly. "Indeed, the present is what matters most."
Regardless of what happened before, encountering this little girl again now should be considered their good fortune.
The tavern wasn't far, and they arrived shortly. Xu Yan bounced in happily. "Little parrots! We're back!"
The parrots obligingly flew over, perching obediently on Xu Yan's shoulder.
As soon as they returned, Ye Jin efficiently brought out some snacks from the kitchen and a few bottles of wine from the cabinet.
The four of them sat at a table, and Ye Jin unhurriedly poured wine for them. "So, what brings you here to find me?"
Getting down to business, Zhao Xinze grew serious. "Mr. Ye, Mu Heng and I only recently became involved in these matters. Although it all seems quite surreal, we have orders from our superiors to seek your help."
For someone who firmly believed in science, encountering something akin to magic had almost made him question his entire existence.
Ye Jin looked puzzled. "What exactly has happened that makes your people repeatedly seek my help?"
Mu Heng's expression turned grave. "We don't know the specifics due to our rank, but our superiors will inform you once you arrive, Mr. Ye."
Ye Jin had a vague idea about the situation. He frowned. "I apologize. In the past, I might have helped without hesitation. But now..."
He glanced down at the confused Xu Yan beside him. Though he didn't say anything more, Mu Heng and Zhao Xinze understood his meaning.
Xu Yan was focused on eating fruit when she suddenly felt the gaze of all three men on her. She looked up, bewildered. "What's wrong?"
Ye Jin smiled affectionately. "Nothing, keep eating."
Xu Yan grabbed Ye Jin's arm and whispered, "Ye Jin, is this matter very dangerous?"
Ye Jin shook his head. "It's not really dangerous for me, but I'm afraid those nasty things might find their way here to you in the future. Yan Yan, I don't want there to be any possibility of you being threatened."
Xu Yan still hesitated, but Zhao Xinze spoke up with a smile. "Mr. Ye, it's alright."
Ye Jin didn't particularly care if his actions would inconvenience Zhao Xinze's superiors, but he did want to help them. Not only to repay their kindness to Xu Yan in their previous life but also because he didn't want Xu Yan to feel conflicted.
He pondered for a moment. "How about this? You could ask my sister for help instead."
Xu Yan's face darkened. "Why bother sister?"
Ye Jin held Xu Yan's hand with one of his own, while pulling out his phone with the other. "I'll give her a call then. If she's in a bad mood, it might be good to give her something to vent her frustration on."
As he spoke, he dialed the number. Liu Lingxiao picked up quickly on the other end, her voice sounding both irritated and cold: "What is it?"
Ye Jin hesitated for a moment. "Sis, are you in a bad mood?"
Liu Lingxiao let out a cold snort. "Good that you noticed. If you don't want to get beaten up, spit out whatever nonsense you have to say quickly."
Ye Jin remained calm. "Some people from the government came to see me again. You can figure out my situation from that. So, sis, if you're not busy, could you please help take care of those troublesome spirits?"
There was a long silence on Liu Lingxiao's end before she spoke again. "Fine, fine! Those two people in your shop right now, they'll run into some trouble for a while. Let them stay at your place for a few days."
Ye Jin was a bit curious. "Sis, why are you getting involved in so many things?"
Liu Lingxiao shouted impatiently, "If it weren't for Yan Yan's sake, who would bother with you?"
After yelling, she immediately hung up the phone.
