Five years later.
"Hey, you little rascal, stop right there!"
"When I catch you, I'll skin you alive and make soup for my dog!"
Ren Yunying's frantic screams echoed from behind, sounding as if she was about to devour a child at any moment.
As it turned out, Ren Yunying was indeed planning to eat a child.
Because the moment she finally caught Daniel, she immediately pointed a dagger at his neck, itching to slice it open.
Daniel promptly raised both hands in surrender, looking utterly spineless.
Pinned down and unable to move, Daniel's fiery red hair was wild and unruly. The young wolf's features had grown handsome with a hint of mischief, but now contorted into a grimace due to the blade at his throat.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Daniel yelped, raising his arms to reveal clearly defined muscles, and attempted to shift the blame. "It wasn't my idea this time, I swear! I only meant to give Little Three a bath! It was Chloe who suddenly added fuel to the fire!"
Ren Yunying let out a derisive snort. "Bullshit. When I arrived, you were right by the crucible, staring unblinkingly at Little Three as it was about to be boiled red!"
As Daniel tried to argue further, Ren Yunying continued:
"Besides, if you really weren't responsible, why did you run when I showed up?!"
Realizing he couldn't talk his way out of this one, Daniel grew anxious. He carefully pressed his fingers against the edge of the dagger to prevent it from advancing even half an inch, looking particularly pathetic.
Seizing the moment when Ren Yunying's attention wavered, Daniel immediately pushed the dagger away and took off running.
The little wolf had grown up, become more handsome, and simultaneously more daring.
Ren Yunying's eyes widened in disbelief. "You dare to run?!"
Daniel thought to himself that he wasn't about to stick around and let Ren Yunying slaughter him like a chicken.
He wasn't an idiot, after all!
On the training grounds of The No.1 Military Academy, a human and a wolf sprinted wildly, creating a comical scene.
Daniel couldn't help but wonder.
How was it that Ren Yunying, who had lived for so long, still had such nimble legs?
There wasn't a hint of the sluggishness or unsteadiness one would expect from an elderly woman.
Of course, her appearance didn't betray her age either.
Daniel ran until his legs felt like they were about to fall off, vaguely sensing that he might drop dead on the training grounds.
Just then, he caught sight of a familiar slender figure in the distance.
Daniel squinted his eyes, studying the figure for a moment before finally confirming who it was.
He immediately perked up with excitement. "Chloe! Chloe! Look at me!"
Chloe, in the distance, faintly heard a voice and hesitantly turned her head.
She then saw Daniel running towards her with a fierce expression on his face.
Chloe: "..."
Her instincts told her this couldn't be good.
So when Daniel came running over, seeking some form of protection from Chloe, he saw the girl slowly raise her hand—
And with one swift motion, she slapped him, sending him flying.
Daniel, who had just barely caught his breath after coming to a stop, was instantly sent flying several dozen meters away by the slap.
Coughing and in disbelief, he struggled to his feet, looking at Chloe with an extremely hurt expression.
Not far away stood the girl, tall and slender, her slightly curled black hair tied back in a neat high ponytail. A black obsidian earring adorned her earlobe, and her gaze as she looked over held a hint of mockery.
Daniel said dejectedly, "You slapped me? After all these years, you actually slap me when I need your help the most?!"
"It's precisely because we've been friends for so many years that I need to be more careful," Chloe replied calmly. "Especially when it involves you—it's bound to be trouble."
No sooner had she finished speaking than Ren Yunying caught up, viciously cracking a whip in Daniel's direction!
Accompanied by an earth-shattering boom, Chloe blinked, watching with composure as Daniel got beaten.
After the series of explosive whip cracks subsided and Ren Yunying wiped the sweat from her brow, Chloe eagerly approached:
"Dear Instructor Ren, what happened this time?"
Ren Yunying's expression hardened. "He tried to make soup out of Little Three."
Chloe: "..."
She immediately widened her eyes and pointed an accusing finger at Daniel, exclaiming:
"Little Three is so cute, why would you try to make soup out of it!"
Daniel pouted, looking defiant. "I had my reasons! Besides, Little Three is so tough, how could it possibly be boiled to death so easily?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Chloe saw Ren Yunying expressionlessly pull a barely breathing Little Three from her pocket, dangling it in her hand.
And Little Three itself... was half-dead.
Chloe took a deep breath. "Daniel!"
Daniel's eyes widened in equal measure. "It's faking it! When I threw it into the pot, it was happily taking a bath!"
Not only bathing, but it had even extended its tentacles to taunt him.
Chloe looked at the black-hearted Daniel, then at the pure and innocent Little Three who had suffered such abuse. Without a moment's hesitation, she pinned all the blame squarely on Daniel.
Seeing Chloe approaching, Daniel panicked and let out a piercing scream.
What awaited Daniel was a tag-team beatdown from Ren Yunying and Chloe.
If it weren't for Chloe suddenly feeling sleepy halfway through and being carried away by the punctual Anderson, Daniel might have ended up with a broken leg.
He glared resentfully at Little Three, who was pitifully nestled in Ren Yunying's chest pocket, and cursed inwardly:
Bah! You green tea bitch!
...
The bloodbath on Daniel's end didn't affect Chloe in the slightest.
After five years of treatment, Chloe had grown accustomed to her occasional bouts of narcolepsy.
To be precise, Chloe could fall asleep anywhere, anytime, except when on the battlefield.
No matter where she was, even while eating, she could go from wolfing down food one second to nearly face-planting into her rice the next.
She had been thoroughly spoiled by those around her.
Because Chloe subconsciously knew that even if she fell asleep regardless of the situation, her companions would always be there to catch her in an instant.
If not Anderson, then Qin Huaibei, Daniel, or Katherine.
In her daze, Chloe opened her eyes to look at Anderson, who was carrying her.
The boy had shed his childhood innocence, his face now chiseled with defined features and a high bridge nose. His emerald eyes held a deep coldness as he looked back at her.
With broad shoulders, he showed no signs of fatigue even after carrying Chloe for so long.
Chloe yawned and snuggled deeper into Anderson's embrace.
With her eyes closed, she naturally couldn't see the warmth that flashed across his gaze.
By the time they returned to the dormitory, Chloe was already fast asleep.
Anderson carefully carried her to the bed, then stood by the bedside, gazing at Chloe for a long while.
After some time, he extended his long, slender fingers and, with restraint, gently caressed the girl's fair cheek twice.
Anderson's eyes lowered slightly, and if one looked closely, they could easily notice his suddenly paused breathing, his slightly trembling fingers, and his momentarily quickened heartbeat.
He slowly withdrew his hand and turned to leave the room.
The moment he closed the door, a dark shadow materialized from thin air, speaking in a hoarse, low voice:
"Sir, there's been a slight issue with the southwestern trade route."
