Affinity resumo, enredo, sinopse

Sinopse de Affinity

In 2051, a space exploration robot discovers an object containing a recorded love story about mutual redemption between a girl named Wu Nongyu and a sociopathic maniac named Xie Xinxu from an Earth-like civilization known as Planet Y.

Twenty-three-year-old Wu Nongyu is a second-year graduate student majoring in bio-genetic engineering. Five years earlier, she accompanied her brother Wu Siyuan to a crime scene, where she fatefully crossed paths with Xie Xinxu, who was then suspected of being the perpetrator and had previously been diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder. Her body seems to have a peculiar, innate attraction for him, and with just one glance, he develops an obsessive desire to possess her.

Five years later, in order to win Wu Nongyu over, Xie Xinxu disguises himself as a cold and restrained medical professor, meticulously planning his approach to make her fall in love with him step by step.

A maniac with an inherently weak capacity for empathy gradually learns to perceive emotions like a normal human being through day-to-day interactions with the sun-like young woman!

Meanwhile, Wu Nongyu accidentally uncovers the secret of her own body—unlike ordinary people, she was born carrying the A virus, which naturally triggers a strong instinctual attraction toward those carrying the B virus subtype, and Xie Xinxu happens to be one of those individuals carrying the B virus.

Unwilling to be bound together for life merely due to physical attraction, the two join hands and embark on a journey to find a way to eliminate the virus.

Resumos de Affinity

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• 10
• 11
• 12
• 13
• 14
• 15
• 16
• 17
• 18
• 19
• 20
• 21
• 22
• 23
• 24
• 25
• 26
• 27
• 28
• 29
• 30
• 31
• 32
• 33
• 34
• 35
• 36
• 37
• 38
• 39
• 40

The world, in its nineteenth year grappling with the Affinity virus, was cloaked in unease. This virus, once thought only to affect immunity, had dangerously mutated, spawning a more aggressive and antisocial B-type subtype. News broadcasts constantly reported on incidents of B-type infected losing control and harming people, prompting the government to establish a Special Administration Bureau for mandatory control. Wu Siyuan, having just been promoted to the Special Administration Bureau, picked up his sister, Wu Nongyu, after work.

Wu Nongyu expressed concern about his new, potentially dangerous role, noting the frequent news reports about B-type infected individuals attacking people. Siyuan casually told her not to jinx it. She reassured him that her recent blood test results were normal, confirming she remained a healthy Affinity A carrier. Siyuan then received an urgent call from the Bureau, requiring him to go on a temporary mission. He asked Nongyu to accompany him, promising a big dinner afterward.

As they drove, Wu Nongyu spotted a Special Administration Bureau vehicle, remarking that it must be a major case. News reports reiterated that the Affinity virus spread through bodily fluids and maternal-to-child transmission, urging the public not to panic excessively, while also announcing the Special Administration Bureau's mandatory control program for B-type infected and accelerated drug development. An urgent news flash then reported a suspected berserk attack by an Affinity B infected individual at Qiuxiao Manor.

At Qiuxiao Manor, a Special Administration Bureau team, including Wu Siyuan, responded to the scene where a reclusive Affinity B-type teenager was suspected of having murdered his parents. A local resident shared that the boy had always been a loner, never smiling or greeting anyone, and had been identified as an Affinity B carrier in a school physical examination, just like the news described—prone to going crazy and becoming antisocial.

As the teenager was escorted out of the house amidst a media frenzy, he fixated intensely on Wu Nongyu in the crowd. Bureau officials had just been advised that Affinity B-type infected individuals were exhibiting unexplained excitement and fervor towards Affinity A carriers, underscoring the dangerous nature of the boy's unusual attraction to Nongyu. Five years later, Wu Nongyu awoke with a start in her car, having dreamt of those unsettling past events.

She muttered that even after five years, the memory still haunted her dreams. She felt fortunate to be leading a wonderful life now and hoped her upcoming research institute internship would go smoothly. Her friend, Chen Yiyi, approached, inviting her to a picnic and offering mushrooms she'd foraged. Wu Nongyu was skeptical about eating wild mushrooms and worried about making it to her internship registration on time.

She tried the mushrooms, found them spicy, and then excused herself to relieve herself. As she did, she noticed a Special Administration Bureau vehicle passing by. Unbeknownst to her, that vehicle was transporting three highly dangerous Affinity B-type infected individuals. During their transfer back to the Bureau, the infected violently hijacked the transport vehicle. One of the B-type individuals, possessing an acute sense of smell, detected Wu Nongyu’s unique Affinity A scent nearby.

He seized her, declaring that she smelled great and should "become his exclusive property," telling her to "just do her part and comfort him." This led to a desperate, high-speed chase on Qingqi Street, as the hijacked vehicle sped through the streets with Wu Nongyu as a hostage, pursued by Special Administration Bureau vehicles.

One of the B-type escapees expressed to his leader that he was losing control, prompting his leader to instruct him to take an inhibitor shot and hold on until they were free. The Bureau officers repeatedly called for the vehicle, A6688, to surrender and halt, eventually requesting air support to neutralize the target. In the midst of the intense pursuit, with helicopters closing in and gunfire erupting, Wu Nongyu, terrified, cried inside the cramped vehicle.

A single tear flew out, landing near Xie Xinxu, who was driving a police car. Immediately spotting her, Xie Xinxu executed a daring maneuver: he attached a steel cable to the fleeing truck, used his police car to swing the truck around a roundabout, and then forcefully flung Wu Nongyu out of the compartment. He swiftly caught her as she was airborne.

Just then, Xie Xinxu's medication wore off, and he began to lose control, lamenting that he had no inhibitor shots left. He urged Wu Nongyu to "get off if she was done," but she, concerned he was injured, lingered and asked what was wrong. Xie Xinxu told her, "It's getting out of control," and added, "I already gave you a chance. It's your choice to stay here."

Overwhelmed by his impending transformation, he embraced her, inhaling her scent deeply and asking, "I like your smell. From now on, be mine, okay?" Frightened, Wu Nongyu struggled, crying out, "Don't touch me!" In her panic, she found an inhibitor vial that had fallen from Xie Xinxu's person during their encounter, quickly thrust it into his hand, and fled. As she ran in terror, she accidentally collided with a pillar and collapsed, unconscious.

Wu Nongyu regained consciousness on a hospital bed at the Genus Biomedical Research Institute after an unsettling night. The chaotic events of the previous evening, including a terrifying encounter and her subsequent collapse after hitting a pillar, felt like a bewildering nightmare she couldn't clearly recall, though she remembered hitting her head and suffering a slight concussion.

Gu Yanqing, a researcher at the institute, informed her and her friend, Chen Yiyi, that they had become disoriented and weak from consuming hallucinogenic mushrooms during their picnic, which led to them being found unconscious in the woods. Chen Yiyi corroborated this, vividly describing seeing numerous attackers and fighting them, only to be told it was all a hallucination.

Despite the logical explanation, Wu Nongyu harbored a deep unease; Gu Yanqing's striking resemblance to Xie Xinxu, the prime suspect from the Qiuxiao Manor case five years ago, haunted her. She mentally noted that while his demeanor was different, the physical likeness was too strong to ignore. She pondered if he was a highly intelligent, antisocial individual skilled at disguise and considered warning the director.

Carrying her doubts, Wu Nongyu began her internship at the Genus Biological Research Lab, an impressive facility that nonetheless exuded a peculiar atmosphere. She observed a strict senior and the eccentric Director Ding, who seemed overly enthusiastic about mushrooms, even after hearing they had caused the interns' predicament. During their orientation, Gu Yanqing introduced a donated cadaver as their "silent teacher."

An emergency arose shortly after: Director Ding was informed that two bodies were missing from the morgue, and the surveillance system had failed to capture anything. He instructed his staff to seal off this information and meticulously review all surveillance footage from the building, leaving no stone unturned.

Due to the emergency, their planned dinner with the director was postponed, and Gu Yanqing escorted the interns to their dorms on the seventy-sixth floor, cautioning them not to wander around at night. Still plagued by doubts, Wu Nongyu messaged her brother, Wu Siyuan, a police officer, asking about the fate of Xie Xinxu from the Qiuxiao Manor case. While engrossed in her phone, she accidentally bumped into Gu Yanqing, quickly apologizing.

Later, as she was about to close her room door for the night, Gu Yanqing abruptly extended his hand, stopping her, and declared he "couldn't take it anymore" and needed to enter. Wu Nongyu recoiled in fear, falling back onto her bed. It turned out Gu Yanqing had inadvertently brushed against a freshly painted doorframe, staining his clothes, and desperately needed to use her restroom.

Seizing the opportunity, Wu Nongyu feigned an accident, splashing water on him with the showerhead, hoping to expose a particular scar she believed Xie Xinxu carried. Gu Yanqing's response was sharp and professional; he sarcastically offered for her to help him clean his wet pants and warned her to focus on academic pursuits rather than inappropriate behavior. Feeling embarrassed and frustrated by the incident, Wu Nongyu received a call from Wu Siyuan.

Her brother inquired why she was asking about Xie Xinxu, to which she explained her recurring nightmares about his unsettling eyes. Wu Siyuan revealed that Xie Xinxu had died of illness four years ago, bringing a sense of relief to Wu Nongyu, who assured her brother she was settled and safe at the institute. Despite the reassuring news, Wu Nongyu found herself alone in the cafeteria late that night, still feeling awkward about her earlier encounter with Gu Yanqing.

The area also had poor phone signal. Suddenly, she heard a distinct thumping noise. Though terrified, she went to investigate and was attacked by a figure resembling a cadaver, getting knocked to the ground. Just as she was about to be overwhelmed, Gu Yanqing appeared, rescuing her from the assailant. As he confronted the attacker, Gu Yanqing possessively stated that the girl was his and warned the attacker not to touch her.

Gu Yanqing forcefully subdues the attacker who targeted Wu Nongyu, coldly declaring that no one else has the right to touch her. He carries the unconscious Wu Nongyu back to her ward, where he is momentarily overcome by tenderness. He leans in as if to kiss her while she sleeps, but pulls back the moment she opens her eyes, quickly regaining his stern composure.

He assures her she is safe, explaining that he has already administered a strong sedative to the assailant and notified security. Wu Nongyu, still shaken, mentions that the attacker looked remarkably like one of the "silent teacher" cadavers they were studying earlier, fearing a case of the walking dead. Noticing Gu Yanqing keeping his hand behind his back, she mistakenly assumes he was injured while protecting her. In her haste to check on him, she accidentally falls into his arms.

The sudden proximity stirs Gu Yanqing's emotions, but he suppresses them and warns her not to pull such stunts again. The tension is interrupted by a sudden power failure. Gu Yanqing realizes this is no ordinary outage, noting that all communication signals have also been cut off. He and Wu Nongyu head to the basement morgue to investigate.

Upon arrival, they are greeted by a chilling sight: the room, which should have housed over a hundred bodies, is now largely empty. They find Director Ding hiding under a bed. He explains that while he was searching for a dropped pen, the supposed corpses suddenly rose from their beds and walked out, forcing him to remain hidden to survive. Wu Nongyu examines a discarded wristband and realizes these bodies were actually Affinity B carriers.

Confronted with this evidence, Director Ding reveals the truth about the secret research at Genus. He explains that five years ago, Affinity B carriers first began exhibiting violent, uncontrollable behavior, leading to the formation of a special management bureau. These individuals, classified as "Ren" (Blades), possess enhanced physical abilities but suffer from emotional deficiency and antisocial tendencies.

To stabilize them, the government identified Affinity A carriers, known as "Yin" (Guides), whose blood and tears carry a scent that naturally attracts Ren. A Yin can stabilize a Ren through a "Pact"—a permanent, exclusive bond formed through deep physical interaction, which is even more stable than a traditional marriage. Because Yins are rare, Genus has been developing inhibitors.

The cadavers in the morgue were actually volunteers for a new drug trial; the drug likely caused temporary respiratory arrest, leading to a false declaration of death. Meanwhile, the truth behind the "resurrection" unfolds in the duty room. Nan Xing, the leader of the Ren, has disguised himself as a security guard. He listens as a doctor named Sheng mocks the Ren, comparing their cries during drug trials to those of panicked pigs.

Enraged, Nan Xing drops his facade, injects a sedative into the doctor's neck, and declares that their fake deaths were a ruse. He announces the official start of a "hunting game" against the facility staff. As gunshots ring through the building, Gu Yanqing and Wu Nongyu encounter a Ren gunman. Gu Yanqing quickly pulls Wu Nongyu into a protective embrace to hide.

Nearby, Nan Xing and his group secure a stash of inhibitors to ensure they do not lose control and accidentally harm each other during their rampage. Eventually, Gu Yanqing, Wu Nongyu, and Director Ding make it to the security monitor room. They watch in horror as the Ren move through the halls, leaving a trail of bodies.

The monitors show the group taking the elevator, and Director Ding fears they are heading toward the dormitory area to eliminate the remaining interns. Nan Xing, fully aware of the surveillance, looks directly into a camera and issues a chilling challenge, making it clear he knows they are being watched.

Director Ding realized too late that he had accidentally pressed the elevator's intercom button, alerting the adversaries on the other end. Realizing they had to act fast, Wu Nongyu retrieved a set of keys from a security guard, and the trio rushed to the elevator. They managed to lock the lift just in time, though the effort left Wu Nongyu gasping for air.

When Gu Yanqing reached out to help her up, it was the exhausted Director Ding who grabbed his hand instead, complaining about his old age. With the elevator out of commission, they had to climb fifty-four floors on foot. Director Ding headed off to warn the others to evacuate, while Gu Yanqing and Wu Nongyu aimed for the satellite signal station to send a message.

Wu Nongyu was daunted by the prospect of the long climb in just thirty minutes, but she insisted on staying with Gu Yanqing to avoid being a burden to the Director. As they climbed, they spotted a newly built transit station nearby, which Wu Nongyu noted could be their eventual escape route. Upon reaching their destination, they found a cabinet that Wu Nongyu hoped contained a password.

However, her attempt to open it caused items to spill out and triggered a power outage. They soon realized the device wasn't a keypad lock but a fax machine, which they used to contact the Special Administration Bureau. When the power tripped, Gu Yanqing went to the stairwell’s electrical room to check the breakers, instructing Wu Nongyu to shout if anything happened.

After the lights flickered back on, Gu Yanqing did not return immediately, and a Ren suddenly emerged, sending a panicked Wu Nongyu running for her life. She luckily collided with Gu Yanqing, who carried her on his back to outrun their pursuers. While clinging to him, Wu Nongyu noticed a specific mark on his neck, intensifying her suspicion that he was actually Xie Xinxu.

Hearing more Rens approaching, Gu Yanqing called Wu Nongyu a handful and locked her on the rooftop to keep her safe while he dealt with the "pests." Fearing she would be trapped if he didn't return, Wu Nongyu attempted to climb down using a rope. The rope proved too short, so she tried to swing to a neighboring platform, nearly falling in the process.

To her annoyance, she discovered that Gu Yanqing had been standing below the whole time, quietly watching her struggle because he didn't want to interrupt her effort. He eventually used his own body to break her fall. He dismissed her suspicions about the mark on his neck, claiming it was just a bruise from when she hit him with the cabinet door earlier. As they moved toward the dormitory area, they encountered another group of Rens.

Gu Yanqing handed Wu Nongyu the keys and told her to head back while he drew them away, claiming he could handle them with his remaining inhibitors. However, Wu Nongyu followed him and witnessed him ruthlessly killing the Rens, confirming his true identity as a Ren himself. The man finally dropped his act, greeting her as Xie Xinxu.

Wu Nongyu was stunned, reminding him that he was supposed to have died from an illness four years ago, but he simply called his survival a secret. With her memories of a previous kidnapping and rescue flooding back, Wu Nongyu realized he had been manipulating her. She finally confronted him, asking if he had staged everything—including the story about toxic mushroom soup—just to trick her into forming a pact.

Xie Xinxu confesses to Wu Nongyu that she is the only person who has ever made him feel alive. To him, the world was once a silent, stagnant wasteland—so devoid of meaning that he harbored a desire to destroy it all. To cope with the boredom, he began a "game" of imitation, playing the role of a popular and helpful "normal person" in society. However, the game lacked any real challenge, and he soon found himself weary of the act.

Everything changed the day he met Wu Nongyu. He describes the encounter as a mental explosion, and to his surprise, the intensity of that feeling never diminished over time. Driven by an obsession to possess her, he orchestrated a chance meeting in the heavy rain. At the time, Wu Nongyu seemed terrified of him and stumbled into the arms of her brother, Wu Siyuan.

While Wu Siyuan teased her for being so frightened by a simple blind date, he asked her to describe her ideal man. Wu Nongyu listed a specific set of traits: tall, handsome, an orphan to avoid family drama, and someone who would treat her career as his own. She even jokingly added that he should be difficult, bad-tempered, and "toxic."

Overhearing this, Xie Xinxu suppressed his own nature and meticulously crafted the identity of Gu Yanqing to match her description, eventually personally recruiting her into Genus. In the present, Xie Xinxu’s composure begins to fail. He admits that suppressing the urge to possess her has been the hardest part of his plan. He also reveals that the "inhibitors" he previously used were actually just supplements intended to give her a false sense of security.

Now genuinely losing his grip on his sanity, he warns her that a "Ren" who loses control is terrifying and could kill everyone in the institute. He desperately asks her to form a binding pact with him. Though Wu Nongyu initially flees in fear, she eventually returns with a real inhibitor. Too shaken to administer the injection herself, she watches as Xie Xinxu takes her trembling hand and helps her plunge the needle into his neck.

As the medicine takes effect, Xie Xinxu pulls Wu Nongyu into a tight embrace, confessing that even the drug is not as comforting as her scent. He promises that if they stay together, he will ensure everyone else escapes safely. Prioritizing the lives of her colleagues, Wu Nongyu does not pull away.

When they return to the elevator area, they realize the power has been restored, sparking a fear that the Ren may have already used the lift to reach the upper floors. Meanwhile, Director Ding narrowly avoids a group of Ren by hiding behind a door. He finds two young interns and urges them to evacuate. Since the next day is a public holiday, the institute is mostly empty, but Chen Yiyi and Fang Sheng remain in danger downstairs.

Wu Nongyu manages to reach Chen Yiyi’s room just in time, helping her friend scramble out of the window moments before the Ren burst through the door with orders to kill every human they find. Once the survivors reunite, Wu Nongyu examines the floor plans for Block B and proposes a daring escape. She suggests linking the arms of two construction cranes to create a bridge to the opposite building, where they can reach a transit hub.

Director Ding admits that before he became a researcher, he had watched his father operate such machinery. Despite his aching back, he takes control of the crane to bridge the gap. As the others begin to cross, Xie Xinxu stays behind to protect Wu Nongyu, fighting off the encroaching Ren. However, just as he prepares to jump across to join her, he is struck by the moving crane arm operated by Director Ding and knocked off the makeshift bridge.

Wu Nongyu watched Xie Xinxu fall, and hurriedly looked back. Fortunately, Xie Xinxu grabbed the suspension bridge. Wu Nongyu was unwilling to watch Xie Xinxu get into trouble like this. She reached out, wanting to pull him up, but unexpectedly, she fell down first. Xie Xinxu cursed "idiot" under his breath, but he unhesitatingly flew down to embrace Wu Nongyu, landing steadily. Xie Xinxu was still very happy that Wu Nongyu was willing to die with him.

Wu Nongyu stubbornly stated that she just didn't want Xie Xinxu to always haunt her dreams. At this moment, the large fish in the pond suddenly became restless. This made Xie Xinxu suspect that it might also be infected with a virus and controlled. Previously, Xie Xinxu had only heard Director Ding say that Nanxing was connected to the fish's brain and could control this large fish.

But because this project had nothing to do with Wu Nongyu, Xie Xinxu wasn't interested and didn't know much about it. As soon as he finished speaking, Nanxing walked out. Nanxing didn't expect Xie Xinxu to be like them. Xie Xinxu could easily defeat Nanxing, but Nanxing controlled the large fish to grab Wu Nongyu.

Nanxing believed that Xie Xinxu being able to defeat her indicated a high viral load in his body, so she made a demand: to let the fish suck Xie Xinxu's blood. Xie Xinxu agreed without hesitation. But when Nanxing wanted to withdraw the large fish, Xie Xinxu didn't allow it. Instead, he forcibly made the large fish devour his blood until it was gorged to death. Xie Xinxu was also exhausted from this.

Wu Nongyu quickly went to check on him. Xie Xinxu took the opportunity to kiss Wu Nongyu to gain strength, exchanging saliva. As a result, the large fish was killed, and Nanxing fainted. Wu Nongyu worried that exchanging saliva meant they had formed a bond, but Xie Xinxu stated that he would never make a bond so casually; this was not a true bond yet.

Wu Nongyu, bringing the heavily injured Xie Xinxu, met up with Director Ding on the subway. Director Ding sent everyone away, intending to give Xie Xinxu a blood transfusion. Xia Yuyan, who was nearby, was displeased that Wu Nongyu was unharmed while Xie Xinxu suffered such severe injuries. When Director Ding came out, he was covering half of his face, claiming to have a toothache. Director Ding warned everyone not to enter the compartment.

He then called Wu Nongyu aside privately and asked her if she had known all along that Xie Xinxu was a "blade." Wu Nongyu nodded in admission. The half of Director Ding's face that he was covering was injured by Xie Xinxu. He was also worried that Xie Xinxu might lose control at any time and wanted to leave Xie Xinxu there.

But Wu Nongyu believed that Xie Xinxu acted this way for everyone's sake, and she wanted to try to help him, at least find an inhibitor before leaving. Director Ding couldn't persuade Wu Nongyu and told her that she must leave by subway when the time came. At this moment, in the subway, Xia Yuyan arrived uninvited. She smeared her own blood on Xie Xinxu's lips, seducing him. Ever since becoming Xie Xinxu's deputy, she had fallen for him.

Just when she was troubled by not being able to win him over, she learned that Xie Xinxu was a "blade." And Xia Yuyan happened to be an "inducer," believing she could help Xie Xinxu. But unexpectedly, she was pushed away by Xie Xinxu, wishing she could strangle him. Just then, Wu Nongyu arrived. Xie Xinxu weakly hugged Wu Nongyu, demanding that Wu Nongyu not hand him over to Xia Yuyan. Wu Nongyu lied, claiming that she had already formed a bond with Xie Xinxu, and drove Xia Yuyan away. Xie Xinxu, losing control, frantically kissed Wu Nongyu.

Wu Nongyu was so scared that she fell to the ground, but Xie Xinxu, like a hungry wolf preying, chased after her again to kiss her. Until Wu Nongyu had nowhere left to retreat, Xie Xinxu picked her up and placed her on his lap, kissing her incessantly. Wu Nongyu was panicking, and Xie Xinxu, fearing he might hurt her, forcibly restrained himself. The previous saliva could only temporarily stabilize Xie Xinxu's emotions.

The key was to find an inhibitor, but before finding it, he had to rely on Wu Nongyu's kisses to calm him. Wu Nongyu changed into the Blade's uniform and went with Xie Xinxu to find the inhibitor. They mingled among the Blade's team to collect the inhibitors. Xie Xinxu held Wu Nongyu in his arms, fearing that they might be identified by the Blade.

Before coming, Wu Nongyu had also sprayed half a bottle of perfume to cover the smell emanating from her wounds. Taking advantage of the chaos, Wu Nongyu managed to get four inhibitors, but before she could even feel happy, she suddenly sneezed, allowing the Blade to smell a different scent. Xie Xinxu quickly pulled Wu Nongyu away to escape, and the two hid inside the trunk of a car in the parking lot.

The Blades then chased after them, continuously firing shots. Wu Nongyu was so scared that she hid in Xie Xinxu's arms. Xie Xinxu held Wu Nongyu tightly, his eyes filled with longing and care for her. The Blades outside continued to fire, leaving only after believing they had shot Wu Nongyu. Wu Nongyu noticed that Xie Xinxu was acting strange, so she quickly opened the trunk and got out.

Before leaving, Wu Nongyu placed the inhibitors on the ground and quickly ran away. After this matter was resolved, the two were even. Wu Nongyu locked the basement door and quickly left, but unexpectedly encountered more Blades upon leaving. When these Blades rushed over, Wu Nongyu tried to use the inhibitor, but it was forcibly taken away by them. At this moment, gunshots rang out, and vehicles from the Special Administration Bureau arrived, completely surrounding the area.

Wu Nongyu saw Wu Siyuan standing above, and Wu Siyuan gave the order: shoot everyone except Wu Nongyu. A Ze used his body as a shield to protect Nan Xing. Nan Xing looked at the lollipop in A Ze's hand, saddened by A Ze's departure, and also angered by Wu Nongyu's appearance. But at this moment, a streak of light carried Wu Nongyu away. Wu Nongyu then realized that the person who grabbed her was Xie Xinxu.

Xie Xinxu questioned her if she was going to abandon him. Wu Nongyu shook her head and found that Xie Xinxu was burning hot all over. Xie Xinxu confessed that he had encountered many Blades before coming to find Wu Nongyu. If it weren't for Wu Nongyu's departure, there wouldn't have been a fierce fight. Xie Xinxu believed that he had spoiled Wu Nongyu too much before, and from today on, he would take the lead in their relationship.

Xie Xinxu pinned Wu Nongyu down, declaring that he would no longer be lenient and would henceforth take full control of their relationship. Despite the intensity of the moment, Nongyu noticed his fresh shoulder wound and expressed genuine concern, even as she admitted her previous attempt to abandon him was real. She criticized his reckless self-treatment, noting he had injected an inhibitor with such force that he had harmed himself.

When Xie Xinxu vowed to win her love to form a formal pact, Nongyu countered that a healthy relationship requires mutual respect and understanding—concepts his possessive instincts and emotional detachment might prevent him from ever grasping. She also challenged him on the rumors of him killing his parents, which he firmly denied. Their argument was cut short by the arrival of Nan Xing, a struggling Ren who appeared in a state of near-collapse.

Claiming he would "tear them apart" if he lost control, Nan Xing demanded Nongyu’s blood, believing it could still save him since she had not yet formed a pact. He tearfully recounted how the Special Administration Bureau had used him as a weapon before discarding him as a "lab rat" for agonizing experiments. However, Xie Xinxu saw through the act, realizing Nan Xing was faking his distress to manipulate them.

To ensure their escape, Xie Xinxu tied the Ren to a pillar and led Nongyu away. Left alone, Nan Xing consoled himself with a lollipop while remembering his friend A-Ze. They had once dreamed of using a substance to simulate death, hoping to escape the researchers who viewed them as "social trash" and find a place where Ren and Yin could live in freedom.

Nongyu briefly returned to confront him, questioning why he had taken so many lives despite his own suffering. Though she left an inhibitor for him, Wu Siyuan and his tactical team arrived before Nan Xing could reach it. Viewing the Ren as nothing more than a dangerous nuisance, Siyuan coldly ordered his men to shoot him, stating such "trash" should be eliminated.

As they reached the perimeter, Xie Xinxu handed Nongyu back to her brother’s forces but urged her to keep his survival a secret. He explained his severe "stress response" to the Bureau, warning that if he went berserk and hurt them, the responsibility would fall on her. He told her she was finally "free" before vanishing into the shadows. When Siyuan found her, Nongyu offered a vague excuse about being chased by lunatics all night.

Back at home, Nongyu sought refuge in sleep, only to be jolted awake by a violent thunderstorm. In her room, she saw Xie Xinxu, who claimed he had changed his mind about letting her go before kissing her forcefully. Nongyu tumbled out of bed and realized it was a dream—and to her surprise, it was an erotic one rather than a nightmare.

Later, Siyuan prepared soup for her and revealed that the investigation into Xie Xinxu’s parents' deaths had been closed due to a lack of evidence before his reported death. To help her move on, Siyuan suggested that marriage was the best way to end her lingering fears. He then presented her with an invitation to an official matchmaking event at a stadium, explaining that the government encouraged pacts between Yin and Ren. Nongyu was stunned to realize that all the suitors her brother had previously arranged for her were actually Ren.

Wu Siyuan presents Wu Nongyu with a photo of a man named Lin Juan, praising him as a suitable match and instructing her to pay close attention to him at an upcoming matchmaking event. Despite her refusal, Nongyu wakes up the next day to find herself already at the venue, realizing her brother drugged her bedtime milk to ensure her attendance. Secretary Zhang, who escorted her there, insists she stay to complete the scheduled process.

At the event, Nongyu encounters her senior, Xia Yuyan, who taunts her about a previous supposed connection with a "Teacher Gu." Xia Yuyan reveals a terrifying truth: as an "Yin," Nongyu must form a pact with a "Ren" before she turns twenty-five—which is only six months away—or face rapid organ failure and death caused by an internal virus. Xia Yuyan warns Nongyu not to compete with her for the best candidates.

Furious, Nongyu calls Siyuan to confront him for hiding her condition. Siyuan admits he only wanted her to grow up carefree while he handled the complications. He explains that he groomed Lin Juan specifically for her because of his absolute loyalty, suggesting she can treat him as a servant or even a "blood bag" to suppress her virus.

Meanwhile, Siyuan displays his own ruthless nature at the Genus facility by harshly rejecting a woman’s offer to help soothe his own active virus, asserting that he alone decides when he requires such treatment. In the arena, Lin Juan dominates the competition until the final challenger, Xie Xinxu, arrives.

When Xie Xinxu approaches the spectator area, Nongyu instinctively tries to flee, but the guards broadcast a warning that they will fire on any challenger who takes another step toward the audience. To save him from being shot, Nongyu stays to watch the duel. Xie Xinxu eventually triumphs by shattering Lin Juan’s sword.

As the winners are instructed to approach the Yin they desire, another Ren is shot dead by guards for attempting to seize Xia Yuyan by force after she rejected him. Realizing that Xie Xinxu might also meet a violent end if she rejects him, Nongyu finally reaches out and accepts him when he kneels before her. The two later negotiate a private agreement to help one another.

Nongyu proposes that she will provide Xie Xinxu with a legal identity and freedom, while he provides blood for her research into a virus inhibitor. This arrangement also allows her to avoid the marriage her brother tried to force upon her. Xie Xinxu agrees but stipulates that he requires "comfort" through physical proximity whenever he loses control. Nongyu agrees he can hold her, but any further intimacy requires her explicit permission.

Although Xie Xinxu demonstrates he can easily break his chains and ignore the contract, he signs it anyway, stating that his loyalty depends entirely on his desire for her affection. Afterward, Nongyu instructs Secretary Zhang to proceed with wedding preparations but asks him to keep the change of groom a secret from Siyuan for the time being.

Lin Juan expresses frustration at being caught in the middle of the siblings' power struggle but ultimately accepts her choice, for which Nongyu expresses her gratitude. During a grueling schedule of wedding dress fittings and photoshoots, a hungry Nongyu tries to sneak a snack during a break, only to be startled when she finds Xie Xinxu standing right beside her.

Wu Nongyu finally enjoyed a hearty meal, relief washing over her after starving herself to fit into her wedding dress. As she ate, Xie Xinxu teased her for her ravenous appetite, but she defended herself, claiming the "starving ghost" routine was the price of bridal beauty. He sincerely complimented her looks, and she playfully returned the praise, noting his striking appearance. To provide a sense of security, Xie Xinxu gifted her a pendant coated in a potent anesthetic.

He explained she could use it if he ever lost control or broke their agreement, affectionately calling her his "wife" for the first time. On the wedding day, after a video call with her brother, Wu Siyuan, Wu Nongyu was approached by Xia Yuyan. Offering a glass of water, Xia Yuyan watched as the bride seemingly succumbed to a liquid sedative within seconds. She then brought a man into the room to violate Wu Nongyu.

However, Wu Nongyu had noticed Xia Yuyan’s black nail polish and suspected foul play, only pretending to pass out. Once Xia Yuyan left, Wu Nongyu sprang up and knocked the intruder unconscious. Rushing to the ceremony to prevent Siyuan from discovering that the groom had been swapped, Wu Nongyu was intercepted by a wedding-gown-clad Xia Yuyan. The two women fought, but Wu Nongyu was quickly overwhelmed.

Just as she cowered in fear, Xie Xinxu appeared and knocked Xia Yuyan out with a vase. With no time to spare, Wu Nongyu hurried to the altar. As Xie Xinxu was signing the marriage certificate, Wu Nongyu used a party popper to spray confetti directly into Siyuan’s eyes.

Blinded and unable to see that the groom was Xie Xinxu instead of Lin Juan, Siyuan hurriedly handed his sister’s hand over to the "groom" before rushing off to wash his eyes. Xie Xinxu, amused by her cleverness, proceeded with the ceremony. They exchanged rings and vows, pledging to be bound together in life and death. Xie Xinxu promised his love would be infinite, and the ceremony concluded with a passionate kiss as the guests cheered.

That evening, Wu Nongyu found the room freezing and realized Xie Xinxu was in distress. Xia Yuyan had drugged the wedding champagne with a potent substance. Despite drinking several bottles of cold water, his condition worsened. When Wu Nongyu suggested finding a doctor, Xie Xinxu pulled her into his arms, desperately seeking the comfort of her scent. Though she initially tried to pull away, he held her on the bed, admitting her presence helped him stay in control.

He restrained his impulses, asking her only to stay by his side and reminding her to use the anesthetic pendant if necessary. they spent the night together in a peaceful embrace. The next morning, Wu Nongyu woke up in Xie Xinxu’s arms just as the doorbell rang. It was Wu Siyuan, arriving for lunch.

As the two men faced each other, they both recalled their previous violent encounter in a secret room, where Xie Xinxu had promised Siyuan a "surprise" the next time they met. While Wu Nongyu panicked, unsure how to explain the situation, Xie Xinxu boldly pulled her close, meeting Siyuan’s shocked gaze with a look of pure provocation.

When they were in the secret room, Wu Siyuan punished Xie Xinxu, but Xie Xinxu suddenly resisted, strangling Wu Siyuan's neck, and also said that he would give him a surprise next time they met. Now the two were sitting opposite each other. Wu Siyuan pressed Xie Xinxu, asking why he, who was supposed to have died, reappeared.

Xie Xinxu told Wu Siyuan that the Special Administration Bureau had violated his personal wishes, insisting that he participate in a secret experiment, which was why he escaped. Later, he heard that he had died, and this matter should be explained by the Special Administration Bureau. Wu Siyuan feigned ignorance, stating that he would investigate thoroughly and believed that the Special Administration Bureau would not engage in illegal activities.

Wu Siyuan further asked how the two had fallen in love at first sight during the fighting competition. Xie Xinxu deliberately looked at Wu Nongyu, superficially saying that he would not let Wu Nongyu leave him, but in reality, he was repeating the domineering remarks Wu Siyuan had made to oppress him in the interrogation room. This caused some shock in Wu Siyuan's heart.

When Xie Xinxu and Wu Siyuan were washing dishes in the kitchen, Xie Xinxu deliberately said that Wu Nongyu liked him very much and was very clingy, which angered Wu Siyuan. He snapped his fingers, immediately controlling Xie Xinxu's knees. Xie Xinxu uncontrollably knelt on the ground. Wu Siyuan sarcastically remarked that Xie Xinxu's knees were more obedient than people. To provoke Wu Siyuan, Xie Xinxu deliberately talked about his affectionate relationship with Wu Nongyu, enraging Wu Siyuan.

Afterward, Wu Siyuan deliberately mentioned that the Special Administration Bureau needed to recruit a new employee with an annual salary of 500,000, requesting Xie Xinxu, who was skilled, to join. The first task would be to investigate the disappearance case in Luorixi Ancient Town. The unsuspecting Wu Nongyu complained that her brother didn't think of her when there was something good. In front of Wu Nongyu, Xie Xinxu had no choice but to agree to the matter.

After Wu Siyuan left, Wu Nongyu noticed that Xie Xinxu was constantly massaging his knees and teased Xie Xinxu, saying that he couldn't even stand washing dishes and was just there to live off her. Xie Xinxu then smoothly embraced Wu Nongyu. After Wu Siyuan came out, he ordered his subordinates that as soon as Xie Xinxu went to Luorixi Ancient Town, they should arrest him.

They would then publicly announce that he had lost contact, secretly control him, and regularly provide Wu Nongyu with his blood to sustain her life. Director Ding also left the institute and headed straight for Xie Xinxu. Xie Xinxu's rescue was orchestrated by Director Ding, who had long known Xie Xinxu's identity.

Xie Xinxu had originally planned to seek revenge, but Wu Siyuan had no weakness until he saw Wu Nongyu, then he realized that Wu Nongyu was his soft spot. Although they were already bound by a contract, they had not yet truly come together. Xie Xinxu hoped that he could genuinely make Wu Nongyu fall in love with him, and also make Wu Nongyu see Wu Siyuan's true colors, ultimately eliminating Wu Siyuan.

Director Ding was worried, but Xie Xinxu was full of confidence, vowing never to let Wu Nongyu know. Just then, Wu Nongyu rushed over. Xie Xinxu couldn't help but smile as he watched Wu Nongyu run in the sunlight. Director Ding specifically presented their wedding gift, but as Wu Nongyu opened layer after layer of boxes, the smile on her face gradually faded.

The gift from Mr. Ding, who now preferred to be called Teacher Ding, turned out to be nothing more than a simple pen. As he announced his resignation to start his own research lab, he invited Xie Xinxu and Wu Nongyu to join his project. He shared a long-guarded secret: thirteen years ago, a professor couple successfully developed a cure for the Affinity virus, but a mysterious accident occurred during the final stages of their experiment.

Their research notes were hidden within a glass hard drive that was later shattered into three pieces, one of which was located in Sunset Creek Town. Recognizing this as the location of Xie Xinxu’s upcoming mission, Wu Nongyu insisted on joining him. Despite Xie Xinxu’s concerns about the danger and her brother’s likely disapproval, Nongyu remained determined, expressing full confidence in Xie Xinxu’s ability to protect her. After she left, Xie Xinxu confronted Mr. Ding for involving her.

Mr. Ding argued that since the Special Administration Bureau was also searching for the fragments, Nongyu could provide internal leads. He also noted that having an "Yin" like her nearby would serve as a safety measure if Xie Xinxu ever lost control. Back at home, Wu Nongyu sought permission from her brother, Wu Siyuan, to go to Sunset Creek Town. He agreed, but only on the condition that Lin Juan and Li Xiang accompanied her.

Nongyu correctly guessed that Li Xiang was the beautiful woman Siyuan had secretly bonded with years ago to survive a life-threatening viral relapse. This triggered Siyuan’s memory of rescuing Li Xiang from other "Ren" who had used her as a punching bag. By forming a pact, he had given her a home, and in return, she became the "antidote" he relied on for viral suppression. Later, Siyuan called Li Xiang to coordinate the trip, emphasizing that she must protect Nongyu.

His true motive, however, was for Nongyu to witness Xie Xinxu’s eventual "disappearance" so she would finally move on. Li Xiang reminded Siyuan that he was overdue for a soothing session to keep his virus in check. This concern for physical stability reminded Siyuan of a bruise he saw on Nongyu’s arm. Knowing that an "Yin" bonded to a "Ren" should have enhanced physical resilience, he suspected her bond with Xie Xinxu was a sham.

He went to warn her of Xie Xinxu’s true intentions, but Xie Xinxu arrived just in time to intervene. When Siyuan questioned the mark on Nongyu’s arm, Xie Xinxu leaned into a clever deception. He took the blame, suggesting in a suggestive tone that he had been too forceful during their intimacy the night before. This left Nongyu blushing and forced a frustrated Siyuan to leave.

Once alone, however, Xie Xinxu maintained a cold distance, ordering Nongyu to sleep in the guest room to avoid further misunderstandings. Two days later, the pair set off for Sunset Creek Town. Xie Xinxu insisted on driving the entire way, finishing the trip in six hours because he found Nongyu’s driving too slow.

During a stop, Teacher Ding called Xie Xinxu to reveal he had hidden a bottle of medicine in his bag designed to simulate human emotions by regulating neurotransmitters. Xie Xinxu took a pill just as Nongyu returned from the restroom. The couple eventually stopped at a diner, unaware that Li Xiang and Lin Juan were watching from a distance, waiting for an opportunity to neutralize Xie Xinxu.

Inside, Nongyu ignored Xie Xinxu's warnings about her sensitive stomach and ordered a cold lemon drink. When the bill arrived, the price was astronomical. Realizing they were being extorted, Xie Xinxu told Nongyu to head for the car while he prepared to "dine and dash." However, before they could leave, the restaurant owner drew a gun on them.

Wu Nongyu wanted to resist, but she was weak all over because the boss had added a certain dose of medicinal powder to the water she drank. It could control the blade virus, and she would return to normal after five days. The boss's only goal was money, and he took out a QR code to ask Xie Xinxu to settle the bill.

At that moment, a group of masked people rushed in and took both Wu Nongyu and Xie Xinxu away. Li Xiang, who was outside the window, wanted to help but was stopped by Lin Juan. Seeing the two being taken away, Lin Juan and Li Xiang followed behind them in a car. The people who captured Xie Xinxu were actually his fans who had escaped from the Special Management Bureau with him.

When he saw that Xie Xinxu's face was injured, Max was so angry that he shot the person who hurt Xie Xinxu and reminded Xie Xinxu of his identity. The patterns on the flags of the gang they had established were all the same as Xie Xinxu's tattoo totems.

Max hoped Xie Xinxu could stay to make the place bigger and stronger together, but he was very rude to Wu Nongyu and had her taken to a private room to rest. At night, Xie Xinxu returned to his room and found someone lying on the bed covered with a quilt. Thinking it was Wu Nongyu, he quickly explained that he only returned late because of small talk and had not agreed to the other party's request to stay.

Xie Xinxu said a lot, but the other party did not respond. Xie Xinxu hurriedly uncovered the quilt only to find that Wu Nongyu had been drugged by Max and her hands were tied. At Wu Nongyu's request, Xie Xinxu untied the rope on her hands.

Wu Nongyu urged Xie Xinxu to change to another room to rest because the current Xie Xinxu was no different from an ordinary person, and she was afraid her beastly nature would break out and become difficult to control. However, Xie Xinxu was unwilling to leave Wu Nongyu. Wu Nongyu forced her body to change rooms, but Xie Xinxu hugged her from behind. Looking at the clothes slipping off her shoulders, Xie Xinxu quickly dressed her properly.

Holding Wu Nongyu, he wanted to give her a shower to neutralize the drug. Wu Nongyu hugged Xie Xinxu limply and murmured for him to help her. Xie Xinxu immediately promised to help with any request she made. Wu Nongyu softly said she was thirsty. When Xie Xinxu went out to pour water, he heard the sound of someone falling into water from the room.

He rushed back to check and found that Wu Nongyu had jumped into the cold bathtub; she did not want to cause trouble for anyone. Xie Xinxu was afraid Wu Nongyu would catch a cold, so he also jumped in to hold her and support her. Looking at Wu Nongyu asleep, Xie Xinxu took out some medicine.

He had felt a stinging pain in his chest just now and suspected that the medicine given by Director Ding might be working, so Xie Xinxu took another pill. Early the next morning, Max prepared breakfast for Xie Xinxu and Wu Nongyu. Seeing Xie Xinxu's considerate care for Wu Nongyu made Max burn with jealousy. Wu Nongyu saw Max's anger and smiled unconsciously. At this time, a servant came to report something.

Max went out to handle it, followed by two gunshots. When Max walked back in, he admitted that two employees had just resigned and he had settled them. Wu Nongyu knew this was a threat. At this time, another plate of green vegetables was served. Wu Nongyu, who was unwilling to eat vegetables, poked at the food in the plate and suddenly saw a note with a car license plate number.

Wu Nongyu told Xie Xinxu the license plate number on the note sent by Lin Juan, so they could be rescued and leave. Xie Xinxu planned to try and leave. Wu Nongyu pretended to have an upset stomach and needed to go to the hospital. Max proactively pushed the wheelchair, showing sincerity in his apology. However, when going up the elevator, he only took Wu Nongyu up, stating that too many people would cause an overload.

Xie Xinxu wanted to rush up but was held at gunpoint, so he could only grudgingly trust Max. In the elevator, Max blamed Wu Nongyu for getting sick at the wrong time. Wu Nongyu explained that she and Xie Xinxu were only allied because of the virus, and there were no emotional ties between them. Xie Xinxu feared that Wu Nongyu would be harmed, so he rushed downstairs.

Fortunately, he saw Wu Nongyu unharmed, and only then did he get into the car with her. The drivers were none other than Li Xiang and Lin Juan. Halfway through the drive, Xie Xinxu suddenly made a move, injecting both Li Xiang's and Lin Juan's necks with a tranquilizer. Max's people already knew about Lin Juan's rescue plan, which is why they deliberately separated Wu Nongyu and Xie Xinxu.

They used Wu Nongyu to threaten Xie Xinxu, demanding that he bring the two strongest people from the Special Administration Bureau for Max's use. Xie Xinxu had no choice but to comply to protect Wu Nongyu. They were all brought back together again. Max failed to convince Lin Juan and Xie Xinxu, and demanded that Wu Nongyu kill the two of them.

Xie Xinxu pulled Wu Nongyu to his side, held her hand, and aimed the gun at Lin Juan, but did not hit Lin Juan. He pretended it was due to Wu Nongyu's poor marksmanship, then picked her up and returned to the room. Wu Nongyu was very angry, believing that Xie Xinxu did not care about other people's lives, but she did.

She also pointed out that Xie Xinxu's many attempts to curry favor were all for the purpose of forming a bond. Xie Xinxu was very disappointed, not expecting Wu Nongyu to think of him that way. Wu Nongyu sulked, saying that if she had known it would come to this, she would have chosen Lin Juan when forming the bond in Xi'an back then.

Xie Xinxu angrily pushed Wu Nongyu onto the bed, also realizing that she was deliberately trying to provoke him. Wu Nongyu defiantly tore open her clothes, telling Xie Xinxu to skip the preliminaries and go straight to the purpose of forming the bond. In a fit of rage, Xie Xinxu carried Wu Nongyu onto the bed and deliberately proposed forming a bond. As Wu Nongyu watched Xie Xinxu lean closer, tears unconsciously flowed down her face.

She took out the pendant Xie Xinxu had given her earlier and aimed it at his neck. However, Xie Xinxu stopped in time and reminded Wu Nongyu not to act tough again in the future. The next morning, when Wu Nongyu woke up, she found that Xie Xinxu was no longer in the room. Breakfast was placed in front of her. Just as Wu Nongyu reached out her hand, Xie Xinxu sprang up from the floor.

Wu Nongyu also noticed that Xie Xinxu had dark circles under his eyes from not sleeping all night. At this moment, Max arrived, taking the two of them to a certain place.

Max led Wu Nongyu and Xie Xinxu to his drug and weapon vaults, showing them a new shipment of stimulants designed to significantly boost virus concentration in a short period. Wu Nongyu immediately realized these could restore the strength of the imprisoned Lin Juan and Li Xiang. In the armory, she blamed her poor shooting on the equipment, prompting Max to let Xie Xinxu help her pick a pistol.

While pretending to search for magazines, Wu Nongyu surreptitiously hid several detonators in her pant leg. As they left, Max noticed Wu Nongyu's stiff gait and tried to inspect her. Xie Xinxu intervened, claiming her leg was sore because he had been too forceful with her the previous night. He then carried her away to end the suspicion. Max, however, remained wary and ordered his men to guard the drug vault closely.

He viewed this as a final test of loyalty; if either Xie Xinxu or Wu Nongyu attempted to steal the drugs, they would be deemed untrustworthy and eliminated. Later, under Max’s supervision, Wu Nongyu was forced to practice shooting with Lin Juan as her target. Xie Xinxu stepped in to assist, using chopsticks to guide her arms and waist while teaching her how to tighten her core and align her sights.

Despite the intimate coaching, Wu Nongyu intentionally missed the target and criticized Xie Xinxu’s teaching abilities to maintain her cover. That night, Wu Nongyu decided to act. She tricked and seemingly knocked Xie Xinxu out before dragging him onto the bed. Unbeknownst to her, Xie Xinxu was faking and even helped her by catching a falling lamp to prevent her from being discovered.

Thinking she was alone, she whispered a final goodbye and jumped out the window to rescue her friends. Max, who had been monitoring her room, saw her leave and ordered his guards to let her into the drug vault so he could trap and toy with her. However, Wu Nongyu outsmarted him. Instead of walking into the trap at the vault, she used the stolen detonators to blow up the corridor leading to it.

The explosion caused total chaos; the guards, fearing their inhibitors had been destroyed in the blast, lost control and began fighting one another. Taking advantage of the riot, Wu Nongyu geared up at the armory and fought her way to the holding cells. She took down the guards with ease, privately acknowledging that Xie Xinxu’s shooting lessons had actually been effective. After freeing Lin Juan and Li Xiang, the trio was quickly surrounded by Max and his remaining men.

Suddenly, a car sped toward them. While Max’s men focused on the driver's seat, Xie Xinxu emerged from the trunk and opened fire, catching the enemy off guard. As Xie Xinxu provided cover for their escape, Wu Nongyu reached out to him. In that brief moment of emotional distraction, Max fired a shot that hit Xie Xinxu squarely in the back, causing him to collapse onto Wu Nongyu’s shoulder.

Lin Juan took Xie Xinxu, putting him in the car. Li Xiang also settled previous disputes because Xie Xinxu had saved her. Max brought people and drove in pursuit. Wu Nongyu drove ahead with the injured Xie Xinxu, while Lin Juan and Li Xiang drove behind to cover the rear. Xie Xinxu suggested going to Sunset Forest, as Max had previously mentioned that the fragments might be there.

Meanwhile, Max and his men also arrived at Sunset Forest, but it was foggy there. Max thought there might be a problem and stopped the car in time. Wu Nongyu continued driving, suddenly felt very sleepy, and fell asleep unknowingly. When Wu Nongyu woke up again, she had time-traveled to a school five years ago. She saw someone bullying Xie Xinxu. Wu Nongyu bravely protected Xie Xinxu, claiming that Xie Xinxu was her husband.

But those people wanted to humiliate Wu Nongyu. Xie Xinxu stood up and angrily beat those people, scaring them away. Xie Xinxu pressed Wu Nongyu, asking why she said he was her husband. Wu Nongyu guessed this was Xie Xinxu from five years ago and he didn't know her, so she had to lie, claiming she had a dream that they were a couple in the future.

Wu Nongyu followed Xie Xinxu all the way back home and met Xie Xinxu's parents. His parents thanked Wu Nongyu for bringing Xie Xinxu back but opposed the two of them being together. However, Xie Xinxu deliberately said that he was pursuing Wu Nongyu. Xie Xinxu's parents reluctantly allowed them to date but stipulated that they could only meet three times a week. Xie Xinxu's mother also gave Wu Nongyu a camera.

Wu Nongyu proactively took photos of them together, continuously praising Xie Xinxu's mother's beauty. Xie Xinxu, however, lost control of his emotions and returned to his room, feeling irritated. Wu Nongyu rushed over anxiously and found that Xie Xinxu had a fever. She proactively offered to help. Xie Xinxu questioned how she planned to help, but Wu Nongyu just clung to Xie Xinxu and hugged him.

Xie Xinxu felt a bit more comfortable and hugged Wu Nongyu back more passionately and tightly, but his hand uncontrollably wanted to touch Wu Nongyu. Wu Nongyu was startled and pushed Xie Xinxu away. Xie Xinxu hurriedly apologized, knowing he had been a bit rude. Wu Nongyu looked at his pained expression and could only proactively kiss Xie Xinxu. Xie Xinxu kissed her back even more fiercely.

When Xie Xinxu's mother came to deliver snacks, she noticed Wu Nongyu's lips were a bit swollen, but she thought it was from eating spicy strips and didn't suspect anything. Wu Nongyu sat next to Xie Xinxu, sweetly eating snacks. Xie Xinxu suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Wu Nongyu.

Wu Nongyu brought food inside, but seeing Xie Xinxu lying there curled up asleep with scars, she couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache. Since being infected with the Type A virus, he had been unable to express his true emotions and had been suffering alone like this every day. Thinking that the food shouldn't be wasted while Xie Xinxu was asleep, Wu Nongyu started eating heartily.

Suddenly, she turned around and found Xie Xinxu staring straight at her, which gave her a startle. Just as she was about to get up and leave, she was grabbed by Xie Xinxu, who told her in a commanding tone not to move because her scent helped him sleep. Standing outside the door, Xie Xinxu's father wanted to enter the room but was stopped by the mother.

She hoped their son could follow his own heart for once, and if there was anything that needed a scolding, it could wait until tomorrow. Xie's father obediently left. Early the next morning, people from the Special Management Bureau suddenly appeared outside, reporting to headquarters about things like shooting and asking for instructions on the next move. However, because they were too far away, Wu Nongyu could not hear clearly.

Xie Xinxu held Wu Nongyu in his arms, fearing she would be seen by the people outside. Later, the two went to the living room to check, only to find that Xie Xinxu's parents were dead in a pool of blood. There was a dagger at the scene. Xie Xinxu picked it up to examine it, but Wu Nongyu, fearing that fingerprints would lead to him being misunderstood as a murderer, quickly snatched it and wiped it clean.

Since Xie Xinxu could not cry and did not look like someone who had lost his parents, Wu Nongyu hurriedly went to chop onions and pulled Xie Xinxu to chop onions with her to make his tears flow. Xie Xinxu felt that his parents were dead yet he was shedding fake tears here, which made him feel even more sad.

However, Wu Nongyu told him that true emotions do not rely solely on tears; physical touch and verbal care are also forms of expression. This reminded Xie Xinxu of his daily life with his parents. At this time, the alarm of the Special Management Bureau sounded. Xie Xinxu knew those people had arrived. Fearing that Wu Nongyu would be misunderstood, he quickly pulled her into a room and locked her up, which was a form of protection.

As he was being taken away by the people from the Special Management Bureau, he saw Wu Nongyu outside as he walked out the door, seemingly remembering their various experiences together. He looked back again at Wu Nongyu's figure visible through the room's window, and suddenly broke free from the Bureau's people and rushed back into the room. The moment he opened the door, Xie Xinxu was unexpectedly wearing different clothes, and the layout of the room had completely changed.

It was no longer his home. A little girl in the room loudly questioned who he was, but she also couldn't help but praise the big brother for being handsome. Only then did Xie Xinxu realize that the girl in front of him was Wu Nongyu. Even the wound on his back didn't hurt as much anymore. Xie Xinxu began to wonder if this was the real world.

Wu Nongyu brought a bottle of drink for Xie Xinxu to have and even stretched out her arm, wanting the injured Xie Xinxu to drink her blood. She claimed her blood was very powerful, as that was what her father said. Xie Xinxu noticed that Wu Nongyu's arms were covered in needle marks and felt a pang of heartache, asking who had hurt her. At this moment, Wu Nongyu's father returned.

Wu Nongyu hurriedly ran out, and Xie Xinxu also successfully avoided Wu Nongyu's father's gaze. When Xie Xinxu wanted to leave, he found himself walking up and down the same flight of stairs repeatedly. He realized more clearly that this was not the real world. Out of necessity, he could only return to Wu Nongyu's home again. He heard the sound of Wu Nongyu crying under a blanket.

Seeing that Xie Xinxu had returned, Wu Nongyu begged him to take her away. Xie Xinxu looked up and saw Wu Nongyu's father frantically researching something. Suddenly, Wu Nongyu's father took a syringe and stabbed at Wu Nongyu again. Xie Xinxu quickly carried Wu Nongyu on his back and fled. Hearing her father's shouts getting closer from behind, Wu Nongyu urged fearfully to leave quickly, saying that her father was about to catch up.

Xie Xinxu took out red woolen yarn from a bag. Like a net, it stopped Wu Nongyu's father from continuing his pursuit. He handed the other end to Wu Nongyu, who followed the yarn to her mother's hospital bed. Wu Nongyu was well-behaved and sensible; she touched her mother's forehead and felt that the fever had subsided, which also indicated that her blood was beneficial for her mother's condition.

It was learned from Wu Nongyu that her mother was very seriously ill. Her father had tried many methods and finally discovered that her blood was the best treatment for her mother. To help her mother get better day by day, Wu Nongyu felt very relieved; she went from being afraid of drawing blood at the beginning to no longer being afraid. Wu Nongyu suddenly hugged Xie Xinxu, thanking him for bringing her to find her mother.

Wu Nongyu still had to go back. She was afraid her father would be sad and lonely if she didn't, because she knew that every time after her father finished drawing her blood and coaxed her to sleep, he would be sad and cry. At this moment, Wu Nongyu's father chased them again, thinking Xie Xinxu was a bad person who wanted to take Wu Nongyu away. Wu Nongyu urged Xie Xinxu to leave quickly.

Only then did Xie Xinxu jump out of the window to leave and woke up as a result. He found Wu Nongyu leaning on his shoulder, calling him "Big Brother" in her sleep. Wu Nongyu also woke up, but she still mistakenly thought she was in a dream and couldn't help but be happy that Big Brother hadn't left yet. After realizing they were awake, the two excitedly told each other about their dreams.

They seemed to have entered each other's dreams, but they couldn't afford to think too much at the moment and had to leave first. When they prepared to start the car, it surprisingly had no gas. The two could only move forward on foot. While Wu Nongyu supported the injured Xie Xinxu and walked forward, she saw a wooden box containing a piece of glass that looked like ordinary glass.

Wu Nongyu felt that using this method to store information was truly a magical thing, but Xie Xinxu suddenly told Wu Nongyu something even more magical: dinosaurs were still alive. Wu Nongyu didn't believe it at all. Xie Xinxu suddenly collapsed to the ground due to exhaustion. Only when Wu Nongyu touched the bloodstains on his wound did she realize that Xie Xinxu had more than just abrasions.

Xie Xinxu was weak and once again asked Wu Nongyu to help him recover his strength as she did in the dream. This was because when the viral load increased, Wu Nongyu could lower it, and if the viral load was low, she could increase it to replenish his energy. Xie Xinxu thought Wu Nongyu was unwilling, but she kissed him directly, and Xie Xinxu responded passionately.

Although Xie Xinxu's strength barely recovered a bit after the kiss, he still collapsed from exhaustion before they had gone far. The two rolled down a hillside, and Max, following behind with his men, caught up by following the bloodstains. Wu Nongyu woke up and saw Xie Xinxu unconscious. Overcome with grief, she held Xie Xinxu tightly in her arms, trying to wake him. But Xie Xinxu's body was limp, with no sign of waking up at all.

Wu Nongyu forced herself up, supported Xie Xinxu, and carried him forward. Wu Nongyu deliberately created a diversion, trying to use the birds in the forest to mislead Max into chasing in the opposite direction. However, unexpectedly, Max found her because the scent on her body was too obvious. Max interrogated Wu Nongyu about Xie Xinxu's whereabouts. Wu Nongyu tried to escape but was knocked unconscious by Max.

Max pointed his gun at Wu Nongyu, attempting to force Xie Xinxu out. At this time, Xie Xinxu was still in a coma without any reaction. Max kicked Wu Nongyu off the cliff. But just as he was about to turn and leave, a giant dinosaur landed, and on its back, Xie Xinxu was holding Wu Nongyu. Xie Xinxu glared at Max with a fierce and ruthless gaze.

When Max saw Xie Xinxu return, he was overjoyed, thinking it was because of their shared promise and trusting that nothing would happen to him so easily. But Xie Xinxu looked at Max with angry eyes, blaming him for taking action with Wu Nongyu. This remark pierced Max. Max blamed Xie Xinxu for no longer being the same person, having turned into someone blinded by love and long forgotten their promise.

However, Xie Xinxu didn’t even remember there had ever been a promise. Max mentioned that back when he was inside the high walls, he couldn’t endure the intense training and supervision, and he stole a gun intending to commit suicide. But Xie Xinxu stopped him and helped him escape. Once they reached a deserted place, Xie Xinxu warned Max not to follow him. If he wanted to die, there was no one around to stop him.

Then Xie Xinxu left nonchalantly. Max, however, kept striving, hoping to meet Xie Xinxu at his peak. Max wanted to create a world under the control of blades, whereas Xie Xinxu only wanted to break the unfairness surrounding blades, not to create another unequal society. From the start, the two were completely different. Max also realized that Xie Xinxu didn’t need him at all. Losing the meaning of living, he shot himself. Xie Xinxu, holding Wu Nongyu, also fainted.

When Wu Nongyu woke up, Wu Siyuan was sitting beside her, putting a watch on her that monitored her health, and mentioned that he had one as well. Wu Nongyu suddenly asked about Xie Xinxu’s whereabouts. After a moment of thought, Wu Siyuan told her that Xie Xinxu had already removed a bullet and was now resting in another hospital room. Wu Nongyu mysteriously told Wu Siyuan about seeing a dinosaur.

Wu Siyuan’s thoughts briefly returned to the time he had tamed dinosaurs and handed them over to Xie Xinxu, but only for a moment. He then casually handed Wu Nongyu an orange, making up an excuse to brush it off. When Wu Siyuan went to see Li Xiang, he found her injured and personally bandaged her, also reminding her not to undertake missions alone in the future.

Seeing the gentle Wu Siyuan, Li Xiang recalled the earliest days when she didn’t even know how to use a knife and fork to eat steak, and it was Wu Siyuan who taught her. Back then, he had been very gentle with her, and every gesture made her like him. Unknowingly, Li Xiang had fallen in love with Wu Siyuan. Thinking of this, Li Xiang fed the cake in her hand to Wu Siyuan.

Every time she was unhappy, Wu Siyuan would send her cake. Unexpectedly, Wu Siyuan instinctively stepped back and warned Li Xiang not to misunderstand their relationship. Li Xiang lowered her head helplessly. After Wu Nongyu and Xie Xinxu returned, Wu Nongyu tentatively asked about the dragon she had seen. Xie Xinxu directly took her to see the dragon he had raised. Normally, the dragon lived deep in the mountains to avoid being seen as abnormal.

Wu Nongyu, feeling concerned, realized that Xie Xinxu was in the same state she was. Holding his hand, she sincerely said she was happy to be his partner. Recalling the scenes from her dreams, Wu Nongyu guessed that they might all have been real events, including the day Xie Xinxu witnessed his parents’ brutal deaths. She swore that once she found the fragments, she would help Xie Xinxu investigate the true killer of his parents.

Xie Xinxu returned with injuries that day, and his parents blamed him for always fighting, saying that every hospital visit cost money. Wu Nongyu believed that Xie Xinxu must have felt regret for not getting along well with his parents that day. However, Xie Xinxu felt that while there might have been regret at first, Wu Nongyu appeared in his dream where the family of four took a photo together.

He no longer felt regret; instead, it was a happy ending. Wu Nongyu's father was discovered due to illegal experiments. He set that car on fire and left with her mother. At that time, her father had poked her with so many needles, and she had once felt resentment, thinking her father no longer loved her. It was not until she truly understood the reason that she stopped complaining. She should live a happier life rather than one of resentment.

Later, her older brother also went to work at the Special Administration Bureau. Director Ding suddenly called Xie Xinxu to inform him that the medicine he had taken before was wrong; it was just ordinary vitamins. The fact that Xie Xinxu had some emotions was likely not the effect of the medicine, but rather that he had developed human emotions himself. These words caused Xie Xinxu's eyes to turn red instantly, and tears fell unconsciously.

He looked at Wu Nongyu in front of him, his gaze filled with a touch more love. Suddenly realizing he was crying, Xie Xinxu became even more emotional. He reached out to touch his tears, somewhat in disbelief. The tears continued to slide down at this moment, mixed with excitement and agitation. He never believed that tears were a sign of weakness; it was because of Wu Nongyu's appearance that he had the emotions of a complete person.

Wu Nongyu came over at this time holding a photo; it was a group photo of their family of four. She had used AI to paint it for a long time. Xie Xinxu ran over excitedly to kiss Wu Nongyu. This time, Wu Nongyu did not push Xie Xinxu away but instead hugged him tightly. The two responded to each other with a passionate kiss. At that moment, it began to rain heavily.

Xie Xinxu sent Wu Nongyu back and told her to take a hot bath quickly. Wu Nongyu was incredibly happy. Recalling the kiss just now, she realized she had actually taken an active part in it, and she couldn't help but feel a bit shy. At this moment, she suddenly touched Xie Xinxu's medicine.

She saw the instructions on it and believed that Xie Xinxu had taken medication to simulate emotions with the intention of deceiving her feelings and wanting to form a bond with her. Thinking of this made Wu Nongyu even angrier. If it were true, she would definitely break off all ties with Xie Xinxu completely. Meanwhile, Xie Xinxu, who was in the living room, also suddenly thought of his medicine.

When Wu Nongyu woke up, she found that she could not move at all. Xie Xinxu came over at this time, took Wu Nongyu into his arms, and explained that he had only given her some medicine. It would not harm her; she just could not move or leave. He was terrified that Wu Nongyu would leave him, so he wanted to feed Wu Nongyu himself. Wu Nongyu could only let him hold her without moving.

Wu Nongyu woke up from the dream in a fright, realizing that she had just been dreaming. At this moment, Xie Xinxu sent a message asking Wu Nongyu to come down for a meal. Wu Nongyu questioned Xie Xinxu about what the medicine was. Xie Xinxu truthfully said it was vitamins, but Wu Nongyu obviously did not believe him.

At this time, Director Ding sent a message saying that the second fragment had been found in the hands of a collector named Yin Che. Wu Nongyu immediately became interested, and her previous unpleasantness was temporarily pushed to the back of her mind. At the same time, the head of the Special Administration Bureau also found Wu Siyuan.

Upon learning about the glass fragments, he demanded that Wu Siyuan must get them and must not let the medicine to treat the virus appear. Xie Xinxu and Wu Nongyu found Yin Che together and asked him to sell it to them. Yin Che stated that he could give it to them for free, but he needed the two of them to help.

Yin Che claimed to have a friend who had broken up with his girlfriend, Qiqi, and that Qiqi's social media feed had been abnormal lately, leading the friend to suspect that Qiqi was cheating.

Yin Che hoped they could help him find out who this affair partner was, and he would meet them again after the person was found. When Yin Che returned home, he found that Wu Siyuan from the Special Administration Bureau and Li Xiang had also come to buy fragments. Yin Che mentioned his friend's wife's matter again, but Li Xiang spoke first, suspecting that the friend Yin Che referred to was actually Yin Che himself.

Li Xiang placed a tracker on Qi and followed her all the way to a restaurant, where she unexpectedly met Wu Nongyu and Xie Xinxu. The two were about to leave, but Wu Nongyu called out to them. Learning that Wu Nongyu and Xie Xinxu were also investigating the matter, Li Xiang simply volunteered to recommend Lin Juan to help them investigate together. Lin Juan was very enthusiastic towards Wu Nongyu.

Xie Xinxu was so angry he stabbed a dagger into the table. Lin Juan was not afraid, looking at the food on the table, he said that none of Wu Nongyu's favorite foods were there, satirizing Xie Xinxu as an unqualified husband. Wu Nongyu, however, warmly extended her hand to thank Lin Juan for coming to guide their work. Xie Xinxu, fearing they would shake hands, pulled Wu Nongyu back home.

Wu Siyuan told Lin Juan to notify him immediately if he found anything about Qi. After Wu Nongyu and Xie Xinxu returned, Xie Xinxu pulled Wu Nongyu into his arms, asking her what was wrong today, why she was deliberately enthusiastic towards Lin Juan, when she had been so intimate with him yesterday. Wu Nongyu, however, was dissatisfied that yesterday's feelings were not real.

This made Xie Xinxu misunderstand that Wu Nongyu disliked the kiss, and he promised not to kiss her actively if she disliked it in the future. What angered Wu Nongyu was that Xie Xinxu's feelings for her were all reactions under the influence of drugs. When Wu Nongyu was lying bored on the bed, she suddenly saw Qi's account update, asking for flower shop recommendations. Wu Nongyu worried that she wanted to buy flowers for her affair partner.

The next day, Wu Nongyu, Lin Juan, and Xie Xinxu went to a flower shop to follow the flower delivery driver. However, the driver's bag fell to the ground during his ride. As he went to pick it up, a car suddenly came and hit the delivery driver. Xie Xinxu, without hesitation, opened the car door and jumped out, stopping the vehicle with one hand, but his hand was injured as a result.

Wu Nongyu noticed Xie Xinxu getting into the car awkwardly, and quickly told Lin Juan to follow the person delivering the flowers by himself. She got into the car uneasily with Xie Xinxu. Just as she was about to take out the inhibitor, Xie Xinxu couldn't resist wanting to kiss Wu Nongyu. Wu Nongyu reminded Xie Xinxu that he had said he wouldn't actively kiss her.

Xie Xinxu immediately stopped, took out an inhibitor from his bag, and asked Wu Nongyu to inject it for him. At this moment, Lin Juan returned and saw this scene, also finding it strange that since Xie Xinxu was losing control, there was no comforting, but instead, an inhibitor was used. He guessed that the two had not formed a pact at all. Just then, Wu Siyuan called, and Lin Juan told Wu Siyuan his guess.

Wu Nongyu also received a message from Lin Juan that the flowers were an opening gift from Qi to a friend, not to a lover. When she saw that Xie Xinxu's inhibitor was still not working, Wu Nongyu hugged Xie Xinxu, stating that comforting Xie Xinxu was written in the contract, and he could speak up if he was truly uncomfortable. This remark made Xie Xinxu very angry.

He questioned Wu Nongyu if anyone could receive her comforting as long as it was written in the contract. Wu Nongyu, infuriated, pushed Xie Xinxu away and cursed him for being sick. Qi actively appeared before Wu Nongyu and Xie Xinxu, knowing they were investigating her. She explained that she had not actually cheated. The purpose of taking those photos and posting them on Moments was to let Yin Che know that she could live very well without him.

Qi recalled that Yin Che was her tutor back then, and perhaps Yin Che was her type, so she irredeemably fell in love with him. Later, Yin Che's family fell ill, and Qi's father promised that if the two married, he would give Yin Che a sum of money for his family's treatment. After they married, they found they were incompatible, with many different living habits. Qi liked cats, but Yin Che was allergic to cats.

Later, Yin Che had a project that required solitude and asked Qi to find a place to live elsewhere. Qi left angrily, but in reality, she hadn't left at all; instead, she posted on Moments saying she was traveling everywhere. Qi's next plan was to get even. Wu Nongyu sent a message to Yin Che, saying his wife had really cheated. Yin Che immediately canceled all his plans to go find Qi, but he was knocked unconscious with a stick.

When he woke up, he was in a room, with three people in black robes sitting in front of him, telling him he was already dead. The degree of his repentance for his actions would determine whether he would be processed as waste.

Qi pressed Yin Che on why he failed to cherish their partner after marriage. Yin Che admitted that he was afraid of ending up like that cat: at first it was loved by Qi, but later it was abandoned along with its cat bed. He was terrified that once something was obtained, it would no longer be cherished, and that he himself would be discarded.

So he deliberately kept a distant, on-and-off attitude in front of Qi, believing that only this way could he maintain the freshness of marriage. As a result, he rarely ate together with Qi. But no matter what, he still felt he couldn’t satisfy Qi. Eventually, he overheard Qi complaining on the phone that married life was boring, not even as good as being single.

That was why he proposed that he had a project and suggested Qi move out to live separately. In fact, Yin Che had liked Qi for a long time, but he didn’t know how to get along with her, so he used his own way to do whatever he could. He discovered that Qi really liked ordering takeout, so he would secretly log into Qi’s account, check what she ordered, make the same dishes himself, and replace her takeout.

The takeout Qi ordered would be eaten by him instead. Every time he ate it, his stomach hurt, but he was always glad that Qi didn’t have to eat that takeout. When Wu Nongyu called Yin Che to tell him that Qi was cheating and asked to meet, Wu Siyuan also called Yin Che, telling him that Qi had not cheated at all and had actually been secretly following Yin Che the whole time.

He even sent several tracking videos to Yin Che—Qi had always been right behind him. Yin Che walked up to Qi in front of him, apologized to her with deep emotion, and said he hoped that in the future he could face his own heart honestly. Qi hugged Yin Che tightly. Wu Nongyu also smiled. Li Xiang, who had been listening to everything, was moved to tears as well.

Wu Siyuan invited Li Xiang to go to his place to wash her face. Li Xiang, in turn, reminded Wu Siyuan that inviting her to his home late at night could easily make her misunderstand it as an attempt to develop an ambiguous relationship. Wu Siyuan shyly explained that he was simply showing concern for a colleague.

After Qi and Yin Che left, Wu Nongyu began to put Xie Xinxu on trial, openly pointing out the effects of the medication he had been taking. Xie Xinxu sighed and said nothing, but when he saw Wu Nongyu on the verge of tears, he finally spoke about his feelings: seeing Wu Nongyu soaking in the bathtub made his heart ache; seeing her together with Lin Juan and the others made his chest feel tight.

Later, as they entered each other’s dreams, they both experienced different sensations. When one particular feeling became more frequent, it even made Xie Xinxu’s eyes ache. Every time he held Wu Nongyu and kissed her, the racing heartbeat—that was what being moved felt like. Wu Nongyu felt even more upset. It turned out that these feelings didn’t require sincerity at all—just taking medicine was enough.

Yet she demanded that Xie Xinxu keep taking the medicine until the day she no longer wanted him. Xie Xinxu said he didn’t want to take the medicine anymore, and Wu Nongyu thought he no longer liked her, becoming even angrier. Xie Xinxu suddenly pulled Wu Nongyu onto the chair and told her that what he had been taking all along was actually vitamins. His emotions might have truly been healed by Wu Nongyu.

It was the wonderful Wu Nongyu who made him unable to resist, who had assimilated him. Wu Nongyu hugged Xie Xinxu tightly. Yin Che sent fragments to Xie Xinxu. Wu Nongyu hadn’t expected to obtain fragments without spending a single cent. The two of them now had two fragments already, with only the last one left. Wu Nongyu gathered the fragment information on the computer, staying busy nonstop, while Xie Xinxu held Wu Nongyu close, clingy and insisting on going to sleep together.

Xie Xinxu tried to be intimate with Wu Nongyu, but she was preoccupied with her work. When he eventually carried her to the bedroom, she stopped him as he began to undress, admitting she wasn't ready to form a "pact" yet. Xinxu playfully clarified that he simply meant they should literally sleep, leaving Nongyu feeling flustered and embarrassed. Meanwhile, Wu Siyuan learned through an email from Director Xia that his sister, Nongyu, had acquired a fragment.

His team confirmed that Yin Che had sent a package labeled "fragile glass" to her. Worried that her involvement would put her in danger if Director Xia found out, Siyuan decided to retrieve the fragment discreetly. He arranged a dinner at Nongyu’s house, intending for Li Xiang to find the item while he distracted his sister. He also dispatched a team member to Mugang, where the third fragment was reportedly located.

During the dinner, Li Xiang followed Siyuan's subtle cue and asked Nongyu for hand cream. When Nongyu offered to fetch it, Li Xiang insisted on going to the bedroom herself to find it. Suspicious of her movements, Xie Xinxu excused himself and caught her attempting to open a password box inside a wardrobe. As Siyuan and Nongyu rushed in, they found Xinxu pinning Li Xiang against the wall to stop her. Back at their own place, Siyuan’s jealousy flared.

He aggressively kissed Li Xiang, accusing her of flirting with Xinxu and claiming he loathed "the smell of another man" on her. When Li Xiang suggested his reaction proved he cared for her, Siyuan coldly denied it, stating that both she and Lin Juan were merely "his" property as Ren. He insisted his anger stemmed solely from his animosity toward Xinxu before abruptly leaving for work.

At home, Nongyu expressed her own jealousy over the incident between Xinxu and Li Xiang. Xinxu comforted her with affection until her mood lifted. However, their peace was interrupted by the delivery of a hard drive. Upon playing it, Nongyu was horrified to see footage of Siyuan humiliating and experimenting on a bound Xie Xinxu. Xinxu explained that the Special Administration Bureau had forced him into the secret experiment against his will.

He admitted he had kept this from her to avoid ruining her relationship with her brother, but a furious Nongyu immediately went to confront Siyuan. At Siyuan’s residence, Nongyu noticed women’s shoes and forced Siyuan to admit he had formed a pact with Li Xiang. She then showed him the video of his past cruelty. Siyuan dismissed his actions as "combat training," claiming other Ren would envy such an opportunity.

This confrontation triggered a painful memory for Siyuan: as a child, he had discovered needle marks on young Nongyu's arm from their father’s experiments. To protect her, he had called the police to report his father, Wu Ming. This act led to a tragedy where their parents died in a car fire, and Nongyu was subsequently expelled from school, leaving Siyuan to relocate and raise her alone.

In the present, Siyuan maintained his chilling philosophy that Ren are devoid of emotion and exist only as weapons to be used and discarded. He explicitly told Nongyu that Li Xiang was nothing more than a "blood bag" and could never be his wife, a statement that deeply wounded Li Xiang as she listened nearby. Siyuan warned Nongyu that Xinxu was only using her as a hostage for revenge.

However, Nongyu rejected his cynicism, accusing him of only believing what suited his worldview. She declared her determination to find a cure for the Affinity virus so they could all live as ordinary people. Despite Siyuan’s warnings that Director Xia was already aware of her actions, Nongyu remained resolute, reminding her brother that he was the one who had set the precedent for "choosing justice over family."

After Wu Nongyu left, Li Xiang quietly exited the room, her composure hiding any visible distress. Meanwhile, Wu Nongyu, reeling from the recent events, messaged Chen Yiyi, expressing her low spirits and asking if she wanted to meet for milk tea at Huayuehui. Chen Yiyi, however, was out of town for research, regretting she couldn't join. At the same time, Wu Siyuan received a takeout delivery.

Before he could eat, a news alert flashed on his phone: a sudden fire had broken out at Huayuehui Commercial Street, with emergency rescue operations underway. Alarmed, he immediately tried calling Li Xiang, but his calls went unanswered. He abruptly left to search for her, even asking a shop owner if Li Xiang had been there, only to be told she hadn't. Unaware of Nongyu's safety, Xie Xinxu found himself unable to reach her.

He called Chen Yiyi, who informed him that Nongyu had mentioned going to Huayuehui about ten minutes before the fire. Realizing Nongyu might be in danger, Xie Xinxu rushed to the scene. Amidst the chaos, he narrowly saved Wu Siyuan from an explosion. Instead of gratitude, Wu Siyuan sarcastically remarked that Xie Xinxu, like a trained dog, would always protect his master.

Xie Xinxu retaliated by pinning Wu Siyuan against a doorframe, countering that only Nongyu had ever truly tamed him. Wu Siyuan then warned Xie Xinxu that Nongyu now knew his true intention was to get revenge on him, insinuating that she would never trust him. He even provocatively suggested Xie Xinxu beg him to put in a good word.

Xie Xinxu dismissed this, confident in his relationship with Nongyu, arguing that if even someone as cold as Wu Siyuan could develop feelings for a Ren, Nongyu’s feelings for him were undoubtedly genuine. Later, Wu Nongyu found Li Xiang sitting alone on a bench, having been unable to charge her phone or get her milk tea.

Nongyu approached, initially wanting to offer comfort, but Li Xiang cut her off, accusing her of not needing to feign concern, especially since it wasn't her brother's money being spent. Li Xiang revealed that Wu Siyuan had admitted their relationship to her, concluding that he was a terrible boyfriend for hiding it so long. She then lashed out at Nongyu, calling her a terrible sister for wanting to marry someone her brother despised without his consent, effectively driving him crazy.

Li Xiang suggested that anyone who loved either of them, such "awful siblings," must have it incredibly hard and advised Nongyu to reconsider her choices. Nongyu retorted that Li Xiang should be the one thinking clearly, asserting that Xie Xinxu was merely using her and that if she couldn't see it, she might even endanger her brother. Nongyu then wondered aloud if there was anything harder to keep fair in this world than her current predicament.

Xie Xinxu, having been informed by Chen Yiyi that Nongyu was safely home, rushed back. He found Nongyu tending to his injuries, questioning why she hadn't answered his calls or messages, asking if she was trying to push him away. He then directly asked if she believed Wu Siyuan's accusation that he was using her.

Nongyu confirmed her confusion, stating that she suddenly felt like she didn't know her brother anymore, and similarly, Xie Xinxu felt like a stranger to her too, leaving her no choice but to doubt his initial intentions.

Xie Xinxu admitted his desire for revenge against Wu Siyuan, but when Nongyu urged him not to, he pressed her, asking if it was because her brother, despite his flaws and past mistakes rooted in his family background, was still her "perfect brother in every way." He reflected on the irony: he had countless ways to exact revenge, but by a twist of fate, the girl he fell for at first sight turned out to be Wu Siyuan's sister.

He confessed that he was so madly in love with her that he'd lost his mind, explaining how he had rushed into the burning mall like a madman, performing a good deed he’d never imagined, only to save his enemy, all because she hadn't answered his calls and Chen Yiyi had mentioned her location.

Xie Xinxu then offered Nongyu a choice: he could forget his hatred for Wu Siyuan, but only if she compensated him with an abundance of love to overshadow his deep-seated resentment. When Nongyu hesitated, Xie Xinxu playfully threatened to keep her locked up. Nongyu then embraced him tightly, promising to love and protect him unconditionally. She expressed gratitude for his concession, seeing it as an opportunity for her brother to reform.

She vowed to persuade Wu Siyuan to turn himself in and confess his past wrongdoings, allowing him to atone for his actions. Meanwhile, Li Xiang returned to her room, where Wu Siyuan had placed takeout, specifically her favorite cakes, for her. Wu Siyuan entered, looking disheveled from the fire. Li Xiang rushed to embrace him, confirming she understood that his earlier harsh words were merely a facade to protect Nongyu from further emotional harm.

She tearfully declared her unwavering love for him, saying she was certain of her feelings and desired a place by his side, even if only for a moment. Wu Siyuan, acknowledging that loving him would be difficult, asked if she was truly sure. Li Xiang confidently replied that she had been certain for the past hour, a realization that had come to her after her confrontation with Nongyu.

She wanted to know what he meant, and they shared a passionate kiss, cementing their reconciliation. Back at home, Wu Nongyu was sorting through study materials, intending to give them to Chen Yiyi for her thesis. Xie Xinxu, seeing her pack, mistakenly thought she was leaving and rushed to stop her. Nongyu quickly clarified her actions.

As she applied medicine to his injuries, Xie Xinxu relaxed, commenting on how hard it was to believe she and Wu Siyuan were siblings, as they were so different. He teasingly reminded her that he had gotten those injuries looking for her, so she was responsible. He asked her to massage the wound. Then, in a spontaneous moment, Nongyu hugged him and suggested they form a pact that very night.

Although Wu Nongyu had initiated the request to form a pact, she remained visibly nervous as the moment approached. While kissing Xie Xinxu, she accidentally brushed against his wound, causing her to pull back in a sudden panic. Xie Xinxu, however, was unfazed; he gently took her hand and placed it on his waist to reassure her.

Sensing her insecurity and lack of experience, Nongyu apologized and offered to study how to do it properly so she wouldn't cause him any more pain. Xie Xinxu pulled her into a warm embrace, telling her that she was already doing a wonderful job and that her touch had only made him feel a bit ticklish.

Despite the intimate atmosphere, he decided not to proceed with the pact that night, noting that it had been an exhausting day for both of them. As they drifted off to sleep, Nongyu resolved to use her love to dissolve the deep-seated resentment Xie Xinxu held toward her brother, Wu Siyuan, hoping she could keep both men in her life. Meanwhile, Lin Juan was struggling with his own condition, injecting an inhibitor in the solitude of his room.

He had recently noticed that the treatment's efficacy was rapidly declining. When Wu Siyuan entered, he warned Lin Juan that the body naturally builds up a tolerance when inhibitors are overused. Frustrated, Lin Juan recounted how he had been ambushed by a group in Mugang, which not only left him hospitalized for days but also cost him the chance to retrieve a fragment.

He demanded that Wu Siyuan arrange another matchmaking session to find him a compatible Yin, insisting on a successful bond this time to prevent him from going berserk. Wu Siyuan was dismissive, reminding Lin Juan that he had already squandered a previous opportunity by losing to Xie Xinxu.

When Lin Juan angrily asked if they were even friends, Wu Siyuan coldly replied that he made it a rule not to befriend a "Ren" (Blade), and even if forced to, he would proceed with extreme caution. Filled with bitterness, Lin Juan left the room and made a phone call to locate someone. Later, Lin Juan visited Wu Nongyu and found her having just accidentally cut her finger while working.

Although she asked him to wait in the living room, Lin Juan instead followed her and locked the door behind him. He confrontationaly pointed out that she and Xie Xinxu had clearly failed to form a pact, questioning why she had chosen to use an inhibitor on Xie Xinxu during his recent loss of control instead of calming him through a bond. He even threatened to test her blood to see if she was lying about their relationship.

However, as he moved toward her, he ultimately hesitated and backed down, admitting to himself that he lacked the true malice required to be a villain. Xie Xinxu arrived shortly after, initially suspecting that Lin Juan was harassing Nongyu until the situation was explained. Seizing the moment, Lin Juan proposed a deal: he would lead them to a fragment if Nongyu convinced her brother to transfer him to the logistics department, as he was exhausted by frontline duty.

Nongyu agreed to the trade, and though Lin Juan reached out to seal the deal with her, Xie Xinxu stepped in and firmly shook his hand instead. In a secluded underground garage, Wu Siyuan met with Director Xia. The Director expressed her dissatisfaction with the slow progress in obtaining the fragment from Yin Che and authorized Wu Siyuan to use unconventional methods if necessary. Once Wu Siyuan departed, a subordinate named Xiao Zhang approached the Director.

It was revealed that Zhang had been secretly recruited to monitor Wu Siyuan’s every move. Director Xia promised to bring Zhang to work directly under her once Wu Siyuan was dealt with. Reflecting on her own past as a pharmaceutical clerk, Director Xia explained her obsession with power. Ten years ago, she had discovered research notes on the mutation pathway of the Affinity virus and used her own blood to develop the first inhibitors.

She confessed that she had clawed her way to the top by ensuring the Bureau remained indispensable; if the fragments were gathered and a true cure was developed, the Special Administration Bureau would lose its reason to exist. She urged Zhang to be ruthless, as their opponents were just as determined to seize the opportunity. Back at his residence, Wu Siyuan received a message from Nongyu.

She demanded that he transfer Lin Juan to logistics and lend him to her for a week, promising that this would earn his forgiveness. Fearing for her safety, Wu Siyuan agreed but pleaded with her to stop involving herself with the fragments, insisting that he was only trying to protect her. Meanwhile, Xie Xinxu met with Mr. Ding and confessed his own manipulative actions.

He admitted that he had intentionally let Nongyu see the video of Wu Siyuan mistreating him, believing he could manage her reaction. However, he realized he had miscalculated when he briefly lost contact with her; the fear of losing her made him realize how much he truly cared. He felt guilty seeing her try so hard to please him to make up for her brother's sins, which was why he couldn't bring himself to form the pact yet.

Mr. Ding likened Xie Xinxu’s path of revenge to a train on a cliffside and suggested that even if he couldn't stop the journey, he should at least ensure that those traveling with him felt happy and at ease. Taking this advice to heart, Xie Xinxu joined Nongyu and Lin Juan on a journey to Mugang, located in a complex desert zone on the Western District border.

As they neared their destination, Lin Juan handed out scarves to help them blend in. Xie Xinxu tenderly wrapped the scarf around Nongyu, much to the annoyance of Lin Juan watching from behind. They eventually arrived at a boxing gym where a match was underway. Lin Juan looked at the ring with a sense of familiarity, recalling his own history there. He revealed that the gym owner had confirmed the prize for the competition was indeed a hard drive fragment. As they watched, Lin Juan remembered his time fighting there, having already defeated nine challengers in the past, just as a voice from the crowd offered congratulations.

After Lin Juan defeated his ninth challenger at the underground boxing gym, he was disappointed to receive a mere manhole cover—presented as a "medal"—instead of the promised glass fragment. When he questioned the prize, he was told that the real fragment would cost him his life. Later, while planning their next move, Lin Juan suggested using the same entry strategy, but Xie Xinxu flatly refused. He insisted they needed a different approach to avoid being "played" or ambushed again.

That night, Xie Xinxu and Wu Nongyu shared a quiet moment in their room. Seeing how exhausted she was, Xie Xinxu offered to scratch her back to help her relax. Though she initially hesitated, she soon found it soothing and drifted off to sleep in his arms. Watching her sleep, Xie Xinxu gave her a gentle kiss. The group soon shifted their focus to Lu Ziye, the boxing gym's owner.

Knowing he frequented a specific restaurant for hot soup every morning after staying up all night, they planned to corner him there. However, upon arriving at the shop, Xie Xinxu sensed something was wrong. He noticed the water had a strange odor and realized they were being watched.

After spotting a "Wanted" poster with his own face on the wall, he realized he was the target and urged Lin Juan and Wu Nongyu to flee while he dealt with the situation. As Wu Nongyu stepped outside, she was intercepted by Secretary Zhang. He claimed that Wu Siyuan had detected she was in danger via her monitoring system and sent him to assist.

Trusting him, Wu Nongyu told Lin Juan to go back and help Xie Xinxu while she went with Zhang. Once they were in the car, Zhang’s true colors emerged. He seized her phone and tracking watch, throwing them out of the vehicle. He explained that he could not allow her or Wu Siyuan to dismantle the Special Administration Bureau, and he intended for her to perish at the hands of violent, escaped "Ren" (monsters) frequenting the Mugang area.

Meanwhile, Xie Xinxu came face-to-face with Xia Yuyan. She revealed that her mother, Director Xia, was the head of the Bureau and that Mugang was under her personal management. She dismissively described her husband—the owner of the boxing gym—as nothing more than a "blood supply." Xia Yuyan admitted she had issued the warrant for Xie Xinxu simply because she wanted to see him, confessing her obsession despite his clear lack of interest.

She also revealed that the news regarding the third fragment was a trap designed by her mother to eliminate Wu Siyuan and all his associates. She mockingly informed Xie Xinxu that Secretary Zhang had already taken Wu Nongyu. However, Zhang’s plan hit an unexpected snag when his car was hijacked by a group of robbers looking for inhibitors and "Yin." During the chaos, the robbers seized Wu Nongyu and moved her to another vehicle.

In the scuffle, the tracking watch was placed back onto her wrist. Elsewhere, Wu Siyuan was attempting to celebrate Li Xiang’s birthday by cooking a meal for her. When she asked for her gift, he instead showed her his watch, which was vibrating with an SOS signal from Wu Nongyu. Realizing his sister was in peril, they immediately set out to find her. The robbers eventually abandoned Wu Nongyu in a desolate location.

As night fell, a group of female Ren discovered her, drawn by the scent of a "Yin." Just as they prepared to attack, Wu Siyuan arrived and fired his gun into the air. He deliberately cut his own finger, letting the blood drip to attract the attention of the Ren and draw them away from his sister. As the frenzied Ren swarmed him, Li Xiang and her team arrived to provide backup, engaging the attackers in a fierce firefight.

During the battle, Li Xiang used the manhole cover Lin Juan had received as a tactical platform. Wu Siyuan fired a shot at the cover, sending it—and Li Xiang—flying toward their enemies, allowing her to cut down several Ren in one swift motion. As the sky darkened, a pterosaur descended from above, carrying Xie Xinxu. The allies stood together against the remaining horde, and Wu Nongyu watched with tears of relief as her brother and friends fought to protect her.

Following the intense battle, Wu Siyuan and Xie Xinxu both reached out to help Wu Nongyu. Taking both their hands, she expressed her delight at their perfect coordination, hoping they could team up again. Siyuan immediately dismissed the idea, while Li Xiang explained that his refusal was actually a good sign—it meant Wu Nongyu would no longer be in danger, rendering such a collaboration unnecessary.

However, Wu Nongyu scolded her brother, remarking that despite being nearly thirty, he still lacked the judgment to distinguish friend from foe, specifically referring to the betrayal of Secretary Zhang under Director Xia's orders. Siyuan promised to investigate the kidnapping and the second group involved, but when he offered a ride, Xie Xinxu coldly declined, telling Siyuan to focus on his own troubled affairs instead.

As they walked away, Xie Xinxu pulled Wu Nongyu close, demanding she never act alone again. Wu Nongyu admitted that seeing him work with her brother made her happy, and she had greedily hoped for a full reconciliation. She acknowledged that cooperating with someone he disliked was a difficult compromise made for her sake, promising to make it up to him.

Xie Xinxu accepted this with a kiss and insisted she move in with him permanently rather than returning to her apartment. On their way back, Li Xiang noticed Siyuan’s hand was bleeding. She felt the urge to kiss him but hesitated, fearing rejection. To her surprise, Siyuan leaned in and kissed her first. He explained he had urgent matters to settle but promised to return home before midnight to celebrate her birthday.

While away, Siyuan picked out a gift for her. At a shop, he described his girlfriend as a woman who appeared tough on the outside but was incredibly comforting and happiness-inducing to be around, much like a fragrance with gentle middle and base notes. This was to be their third birthday together. Meanwhile, back at home, Li Xiang was resting when she heard a knock.

Assuming Siyuan had returned early, she rushed to open the door, but the person waiting outside was an assassin. When Siyuan finally arrived with a birthday cake, he found the door ajar. Inside, Li Xiang lay on the floor in a pool of blood. She weakly joked that he was so slow she almost couldn't wait for him. Siyuan desperately wanted to take her to the hospital, but Li Xiang knew her time had run out.

Since it was not yet midnight, she asked to blow out the candles and make a wish. With tears streaming down his face, Siyuan prepared the cake. Li Xiang’s wish was that she had never formed a pact with him, so that the man she loved wouldn't die because of her.

Siyuan held her tightly, telling her she should instead wish for him to be punished for his stupidity by losing the love of his life forever, and that in their next life, he would be the one to love her through the most hardship. Hearing him call her his "greatest love," Li Xiang’s fear of death faded. She passed away in his arms after one final, soulful kiss.

Siyuan recalled how, in previous years, he was always called away by work on her birthday, leaving her to cry alone over her cake. He had intended for this year to be different, but tragedy struck. Elsewhere, Director Xia was preparing for a livestream when Secretary Zhang informed her that the plan was a success. Three berserk Ren had been sent to kill Li Xiang in her home, staged to look like a fatal brawl.

Xia was pleased, noting that without Li Xiang, Wu Siyuan wouldn't survive much longer either. The next morning, Wu Nongyu and Xie Xinxu woke up in each other's arms. Nongyu got up early to cook, but Xie Xinxu embraced her from behind, telling her she didn't need to do chores to please him.

He apologized for previously using his love to bind her like a sacrifice to pay off her brother's debts, promising that from now on, she could just be herself. Nongyu playfully teased that she intended to drain him of all that love. As he lifted her up like a child and continued cooking, she requested sashimi porridge and strawberries for breakfast. Their domestic peace was interrupted by the arrival of Wu Siyuan.

Seeing the genuine care Xie Xinxu showed his sister, Siyuan admitted that he had been wrong and that his sister was right all along. He confessed his newfound belief that the Ren possess the capacity for deep love and can be wonderful fathers, friends, and partners. Sensing the weight of this admission, Wu Nongyu recorded his words on her phone. Siyuan looked on with a heavy heart, expressing sincere regret for the actions he had taken in the past.

Wu Nongyu is deeply moved by her brother’s apparent change of heart. Wu Siyuan admits that he sincerely regrets his past actions against the Ren and feels a heavy sense of guilt for his mistakes. Nongyu, half-joking, teases that it must have been Li Xiang’s love that finally reformed him.

She playfully suggests exposing all the corruption within the Special Administration Bureau together, even if it means Siyuan has to go to prison, promising that she and Li Xiang will visit him every day with good food. Siyuan, amused by his sister’s eagerness to see him behind bars, records a video of her "backstabbing" him, and they share a warm moment as she labels him the best brother in the world. However, Xie Xinxu remains troubled.

When Nongyu shows him the video and explains that Siyuan is already organizing evidence against the Bureau, Xinxu remains hesitant, asking for more time to process his feelings. Determined to protect his sister and settle his debts, Wu Siyuan messages Director Xia to ask if she wants the first two fragments. They arrange a meeting in an underground parking garage. Siyuan presents a small box containing the fragments, which Xia immediately sends for verification.

Xia praises Siyuan for supposedly choosing the greater good over family ties, but Siyuan coldly corrects her, explaining that he is surrendering the fragments specifically as a trade for the safety of Wu Nongyu and Xie Xinxu. Xia agrees to the deal but adds a lethal condition: she cannot allow a traitor to remain alive. She demands that Siyuan disappear along with the fragments.

Siyuan, feeling that Li Xiang’s death has already effectively ended his life, accepts the terms but threatens to have his associates release evidence of Xia’s crimes to the higher-ups if she breaks her word. Xia suggests that he die in an abandoned building near the Bureau during a staged mission. Siyuan scorns her, remarking that she is far more terrifying than any Ren because she chooses to be a villain of her own free will.

Siyuan travels to the abandoned building and activates an explosive device, sitting quietly as he waits for the end. Meanwhile, Wu Nongyu’s watch—which is linked to Siyuan as her emergency contact—notifies her that he is in a dangerous location. She and Xie Xinxu rush to the site, where Xinxu insists she stay back while he enters the unstable building. Xinxu finds Siyuan and, refusing to let him die, hoists him onto his back to carry him out.

Siyuan admits that Xinxu has exceeded his expectations and that Nongyu made the right choice. In a final test of their bond, Siyuan snaps his fingers, triggering the subconscious training command that once bound Xinxu. Although Xinxu’s knees buckle instinctively, he refuses to drop Siyuan, driven by his desire to keep Nongyu from being heartbroken.

As they struggle toward the exit, Siyuan reveals a dark secret: on the day Xinxu’s parents died, it was Siyuan who had sent the squad to their house. Just as the building begins to collapse, Wu Nongyu appears and calls out to them. Siyuan looks at her one last time and tells Xinxu that he is leaving him with a massive mess to clean up. He then allows himself to fall backward into the crumbling ruins, disappearing beneath the debris.

In his final moments, Siyuan’s mind drifts to a vision of a peaceful life where he finally keeps his promise to watch television until the end with Li Xiang. Outside the wreckage, Nongyu hysterically blames Xinxu for failing to save her brother. Xinxu, reeling from the revelation that Siyuan helped kill his parents, argues that Siyuan deserved his fate.

He asks Nongyu to forget her brother so they can be each other’s only world, but Nongyu responds with a sharp slap. She calls him a cold-blooded monster and declares that she would never choose him over her brother. Realizing he is no longer her priority, Xinxu’s demeanor turns cold, and he decides he will no longer center his life around her.

As Nongyu desperately tries to dig through the rubble, the building shifts again, and falling debris knocks her unconscious. As Xinxu pauses to look at her, a pterosaur suddenly descends from the sky.

Xie Xinxu could not bring himself to leave Wu Nongyu behind in the collapsing building. He summoned his dragon to carry her to safety, and when she finally regained consciousness, she found him watching over her with unexpected tenderness. Her first thought was of her brother, Siyuan. However, when she asked for him, Xie Xinxu avoided the subject, telling her she needed to rest while he went to alert the doctor. Sensing the grim reality, Nongyu began to weep.

It was then that Lin Juan entered the room, revealing that Siyuan had come to see him before the tragedy occurred. During that final meeting, Siyuan had offered a rare apology for his past behavior, admitting there would be no more chances to make amends. He then asked Lin Juan for a crucial favor, explaining that Director Xia (Xia Shang) had already murdered Li Xiang.

Having realized that Siyuan was hiding Nongyu's collection of fragments, the Director now viewed him as a traitor and intended to eliminate everyone close to him. Siyuan’s plan was to hand over fake fragments to Director Xia, and he tasked Lin Juan with infiltrating the tech department to swap the inspection reports so the deception would go unnoticed.

Knowing his own time was limited, Siyuan even arranged a matchmaking session for Lin Juan and ensured he was no longer tied to the Bureau. Lin Juan realized then that Siyuan was settling his affairs and giving his last words. Lin Juan then handed Siyuan’s final letter to Nongyu. In the letter, Siyuan told her to stop crying and look toward the future.

He explained that with Li Xiang gone and his own life already fading from illness, dying on his own terms felt far more dignified than wasting away in a hospital bed. He requested a joint burial with Li Xiang, sharing that they had enjoyed a genuine, happy relationship and that he had no regrets. He also revealed that he had secured Xie Xinxu's safety by striking a deal with Director Xia, jokingly asking if that made him Xie’s lifesaver.

His final instruction to Nongyu was to remain low-profile while searching for the remaining fragments; destroying the Bureau’s purpose was the only intelligent way to achieve true revenge. He warned her not to disturb his and Li Xiang’s peace by crying at their grave. After paying their respects to Siyuan, the tension between Nongyu and Xie Xinxu remained. Back at the house, she began packing her belongings and informed him that their previous agreement was now void.

Since they had never officially formed a "pact," she intended to live her own life and continue the search for fragments alone. She even suggested she would cooperate if he wanted to find another "Yin" to bond with. When Xie Xinxu questioned if she intended to find another "Blade" like Lin Juan, Nongyu pointed out the insurmountable barrier between them: she was the sister of the man suspected of killing his parents, making it impossible for them to be together.

Xie Xinxu refused to let her go, embracing her and pleading for them to live as they had before. However, Nongyu struggled against him, admitting that although she knew her brother had chosen his own death, seeing Xie Xinxu only reminded her of the brother he hadn't saved. As she attempted to leave with her suitcase, she found the door would not open. Xie Xinxu revealed that he had already changed the locks.

He confessed that he had tried to let her go when she chose her brother over him, but his dragon had instinctively saved her against his own resolve. He explained that Siyuan had used the virus in his body as a floating chip to connect his consciousness with the dragon, and the creature’s actions proved that his heart had chosen her long ago.

Xie Xinxu declared that if they could no longer be joined by love due to the shadows of the past, she would remain by his side as a hostage until the truth of his parents' death was uncovered. He was perfectly willing to let their bond be forged in hate if love was no longer an option.

Xie Xinxu prepares a diverse breakfast to tempt Wu Nongyu, who has lost her appetite. He uses his house keys as leverage, promising her a chance to take them if she finishes her meal. Nongyu complies but fails to find the keys on him within his one-minute limit. When he patronizingly offers more time in exchange for more food, she reaches her limit and knocks the meal away.

Xie Xinxu remains unbothered, claiming her anger won't change his feelings for her. In a sudden shift, Nongyu pushes him into a chair and kisses him passionately, only to pull away coldly a moment later. She mockingly asks if her "performance" was worth ten minutes of his time to play another round of his "key-finding game." A message soon summons Xie Xinxu to the Cat Ears Cafe at 11:00 AM.

Before leaving, he takes two key fragments as insurance, threatening to destroy them if Nongyu tries to escape. At the cafe, he meets a former subordinate of Wu Siyuan. The man reveals the dark truth: Director Xia was obsessed with the high-activity Affinity B Virus in Xie Xinxu’s body and ordered his parents to be brought in by any means. When his parents refused to cooperate, the agents lost control and murdered them.

Director Xia then sent Wu Siyuan to "clean up" the scene and take Xie Xinxu under the guise of a criminal investigation, leading to years of brutal, secret training. The dying subordinate confesses this to clear his conscience before he passes away. Back at the house, Nongyu finds Li Xiang’s phone and unlocks it using her brother’s birthday.

She discovers that the package containing the video of Wu Siyuan’s cruel training of Xie Xinxu was actually sent to her by Xie Xinxu himself. She realizes his entire presence in her life was a calculated plot to drive a wedge between her and her brother to achieve his revenge. Overwhelmed by the betrayal, she becomes oblivious to her surroundings and forgets to turn off the stove while boiling water.

Xie Xinxu returns to find the house filled with carbon monoxide. He rescues an unconscious Nongyu, and Director Ding arrives to provide medical aid. Her condition is dire; the Affinity A Virus is ravaging her immune system, causing a life-threatening fever. Director Ding explains that her body is too weak for a standard pact and suggests a blood exchange, using Xie Xinxu’s high-concentration B Virus to suppress her A Virus. Xie Xinxu immediately agrees to the procedure.

When the exchange initially fails to revive her and the monitors signal her body's decline, a devastated Xie Xinxu pleads for her to wake up. He kisses her through his tears, and miraculously, the alarms subside as her vitals stabilize. Overwhelmed with relief, he weeps and thanks her for choosing to stay with him.

Wu Nongyu wakes from a recurring dream in a snowy landscape to the faint whisper of a man thanking her for returning. Although she forgets the specifics of her dreams upon waking, the lingering emotions feel deeply ingrained in her. She views these nightly visions as a continuing sitcom, imagining herself crossing into parallel universes to experience different lives. In reality, Nongyu is spending a gap year in her hometown, helping her brother, Siyuan, manage a homestay.

She hides the fact that she was actually laid off, finding the quiet rural life a necessary healing process. One day, her friend Chen Yiyi joins her to gather firewood. Nongyu mentions a mysterious guest who booked a room for an entire month but has remained unreachable.

Looking at the guest's photo, Yiyi is struck by his handsome features and jokingly encourages the perpetually single Nongyu to make a move, describing the warmth of a winter embrace as an essential life experience. After Yiyi leaves, Nongyu discovers a man lying unconscious in the snow. With the mountain roads blocked and no ambulance able to reach them, she brings him back to the homestay. The man is Xie Xinxu.

When he wakes, he looks at her with a mix of surprise and deep concern. He explains that he came to the area to photograph rare bears but got caught in a blizzard, lost his luggage, and fainted from exhaustion. Nongyu is surprised to realize he is the very guest she had been waiting for. While checking him in, Nongyu looks at his ID and notes that his name is quite interesting, as the initials of Xie Xinxu are "X.

X. X." He is momentarily taken aback, perhaps hoping she has remembered him, but her distant, unfamiliar gaze leaves him disappointed. Trying to be a kind host, Nongyu prepares a bowl of instant noodles for him, only to realize later that they were expired. Feeling guilty, she suggests he move to a guest room, but Xie Xinxu feigns dizziness and nausea, blaming the expired noodles so he can stay in her personal quarters for better care.

Worried about his condition, Nongyu agrees. As night falls, a heavy snow causes a typical local power outage. Nongyu goes out to check the breaker but is terrified when a large bear appears. She rushes back, but the door is locked from the inside. Xie Xinxu opens it just in time, and she falls into his arms in a panic. The bear eventually breaks the door down, forcing them to hide behind a cabinet.

Xie Xinxu holds her close, reassuring her that the animal will leave once it has eaten its fill. Nongyu finds herself leaning into the embrace, a feeling that lingers even after the danger passes. Disturbed by her own "sinister" thoughts and growing attraction, she quickly gets up to check the fridge, nearly getting hit by a falling beverage before Xie Xinxu catches it. Their physical proximity sends her heart racing.

The next morning, Xie Xinxu sets to work repairing the damaged doors and windows. Nongyu prepares a drink for him, and when he takes it directly from her hand, the closeness causes her heart to pound again. She finds herself thinking that a kiss might be even better, but she tries to suppress her imagination. Later, Xie Xinxu mentions he is skilled in many things and asks if there is anything else she needs help with.

In a moment of impulsive curiosity, Nongyu asks if he knows how to kiss. Immediately embarrassed, Nongyu tries to flee, claiming her mouth ran faster than her brain because she has been single for too long. However, Xie Xinxu stops her and gently agrees to satisfy her curiosity, though he claims he is not very experienced. They share a tender kiss, and Nongyu is so nervous that she completely forgets to breathe. After the kiss ends, Xie Xinxu softly asks if she needs to be taught how to breathe. Flustered and breathless, Nongyu quickly bids him a hurried goodnight and runs away.

The lingering sensations of the previous night’s kisses played on a loop in Wu Nongyu's mind, leaving her both flustered and preoccupied. When Xie Xinxu arrived to help her open a can of food, he gently told her that he was willing to assist with anything she needed. Taking him at his word, Nongyu made a bold request: she asked him to teach her how to breathe properly while kissing.

Xie Xinxu agreed to the lesson, explaining the importance of maintaining a rhythm and knowing when to pause. However, as they began to practice, he quickly lost himself in the moment. His kisses became increasingly demanding, causing him to forget his own instructions. Sensing the situation was spiraling out of control, Nongyu proposed a signal—if she touched his ear, he had to stop so she could catch her breath.

Xie Xinxu agreed, yet when they resumed, his passion grew so fervent that he ignored the signal. It was only when Nongyu began to cry softly that he realized his lack of restraint. Overcome with guilt, he apologized, confessing that he had been captivated by her since they first met and became increasingly greedy for her affection.

He even offered to move out of the homestay to give her space, but Nongyu surprised him by suggesting they try actually dating instead. Life soon settled into a sweet, domestic routine. Watching Xie Xinxu wash the dishes filled Nongyu with a profound sense of happiness, making her feel that this love was finally real. However, the boundary between reality and this dreamlike bliss remained fragile.

At one point, she thought she saw the warning "Don't trust him" written on a calendar, but the words vanished the moment she blinked. Their peaceful time was interrupted by the arrival of Nongyu’s brother, Wu Siyuan, and his partner, Li Xiang. Nongyu introduced Xie Xinxu as her boyfriend, and although Siyuan pulled the younger man aside for a serious talk, he found himself instantly liking Xie Xinxu, even offering him a lollipop.

Later, Siyuan climbed onto the roof to retrieve some hidden savings for a celebratory dinner. When Li Xiang suddenly appeared and startled him, Siyuan tumbled off his chair. As Li Xiang helped Siyuan inside, Xie Xinxu climbed up to repair the hole left in the roof. Following him up, Nongyu stared at the spot and was suddenly hit by a traumatic surge of memory: the reality of her brother falling to his death.

The illusion of the parallel universe shattered, and she realized that Xie Xinxu had been repeatedly entering her dreams while she lay in a coma. In the conscious world, doctors had informed Xie Xinxu that Nongyu remained unresponsive not because of physical injury, but because she seemingly chose not to wake up. Despite the near-impossibility of connecting dreams, Xie Xinxu had persisted, making this his ninth attempt to reach her. Within the dream, a cold and awakened Nongyu confronted him.

She explained that in his previous attempts, he had tried to force her to remember the real world, which only caused her dreams to collapse and led her to create new ones. For this ninth encounter, he had changed his tactics, withholding any mention of reality in hopes she would choose to leave on her own. However, she revealed that his very name acted as a trigger in her subconscious, manifesting warnings like "liar" and "don't trust him."

She could never truly forget the pain he caused by using her as a tool for revenge against her brother—a scheme that resulted in her and Siyuan spending his final days in a bitter "cold war" of arguments. The memory of Siyuan’s fatal fall was etched into her soul, and she preferred the sanctuary of a dream to the agony of facing a reality where her brother was gone because of Xie Xinxu’s actions.

Xie Xinxu held her tightly, begging for a chance to make amends and promising to protect her from further suffering. Nongyu, however, remained unmoved. She told him she finally understood the purpose of their meetings across these nine dreams. No matter their identities, they were destined to fall in love at first sight, drawn together by an irresistible attraction. She realized she could use this cycle as her own form of retribution.

By allowing him to find satisfaction in their love over and over again, she would ensure that he also experienced the torment of losing her repeatedly. She vowed that he would lose the one he loved for eternity. Ignoring his desperate apologies, Nongyu pushed him away, questioning if he was satisfied with this resentful version of herself that his own actions had created. She declared that she was moving on to write her next story—one that would not include him.

Wu Nongyu declared her intent to move on to a new story where Xie Xinxu no longer existed, but Xinxu was not ready to let her go. Waking up in the car and seeing her in a deep, restless sleep, he whispered that if she was unwilling to wake up, he would simply stay by her side within her dreams. Holding her hand, he plunged back into her subconscious.

Nongyu found herself in Xinxu’s former home, witnessing a manifestation of his past. She watched as a younger Xinxu cornered the man who killed his parents. The man begged for mercy, claiming he had only killed them because he lost control and went berserk, but Xinxu was cold, desiring only his death. Nongyu watched the revenge play out, feeling a mix of horror and pity for the man Xinxu had become.

Nongyu attempted to leave the dream to create a new one, but the nightmare shifted. She saw Xinxu chained up, seemingly playing the victim, before he suddenly turned his aggression toward her brother, Wu Siyuan. In a shock of violence, Xinxu choked Siyuan and stabbed him with a blade. Nongyu watched in horror as he dragged Siyuan’s body away, only to find the scene transforming into the ruins where Siyuan had once fallen.

As the cycle of violence repeated, Nongyu stepped in to stop him, forcing him to look closely at the person he was trying to kill over and over again. To her shock, the face of the victim was Xinxu's own. Standing amidst the ruins, Nongyu finally understood the nature of his inner world.

Xinxu had been living in a cycle of hatred and vengeance where every blow he struck against his enemies—whether it was the killer or the man who trained him—was actually a wound he was inflicting upon himself. Nongyu realized that continuing to hate and torment him would only trap her in this everlasting nightmare as well. Choosing to break the cycle, she took his hand and urged him to leave this place.

As they looked at each other and shared a final, soft smile, a blinding light enveloped them, and they both woke up back in the car. Though Xinxu held her tightly, Nongyu suggested that they were both exhausted from the struggle and should finally let each other go. Xinxu quietly agreed. Before they parted ways, Xinxu cleared the air regarding her brother.

He explained that Siyuan was not the one who killed his parents; they had been killed by a "Ren" who lost control, and Siyuan had merely been following Director Xia Shang’s orders. This revelation eased the tension between them, offering a sense of closure. As Xinxu helped Nongyu pack her things, he was meticulously attentive, organizing her medications.

He reminded her to take liver-protecting tablets when she stayed up late studying, along with Vitamin C, lutein, and stomach medicine for her digestion. He even provided a new drug to delay the viral outbreaks in her body, insisting she contact him if she felt unwell. Nongyu, moved by his care, couldn't help but cry. As the night drew to a close, Nongyu suggested that they indulge themselves one last time since it was their final night together.

Lying in bed, Xinxu asked her to rate how much she hated him on a scale of one to ten. Nongyu admitted it was a ten, but she quickly added that her love for him was also a ten. She confessed that she truly and deeply loved him, describing their bond as a peak love-hate relationship.

Xinxu thanked her for giving their relationship a "suspended sentence" rather than a "death penalty," allowing time to show whether their beautiful memories or their painful feelings would last longer. They spent the remaining hours of the night in each other's arms, cherishing the final moments of their connection. The following morning, Xinxu woke up to find Nongyu already gone.

Six months passed, and Nongyu moved forward with her life, enrolling as a PhD student at a medical school to research a cure for the virus. One afternoon, as she left the lab, two male colleagues approached her to invite her to a welcoming feast. Nongyu politely declined their invitation, looking toward Lin Juan, who was waiting for her in the distance. She told her colleagues that she couldn't join them because her boyfriend had arrived to pick her up.

Wu Nongyu thanked Lin Juan for his continued help in posing as her boyfriend to ward off unwanted suitors. While Lin Juan admitted he was more than willing to make the role permanent, Nongyu reminded him that she was still technically a married woman, despite their separation. Accepting the situation for now, Lin Juan asked for a small favor in return, handing her a container and asking her to keep it filled with candy.

When Nongyu remarked that she had refilled it quite recently, Lin Juan playfully countered that her last "refill" was already a month ago. Having moved in right next door, Lin Juan visited Nongyu daily to share meals. Nongyu realized this was his way of honoring a promise made to her brother, Wu Siyuan, and she lightheartedly advised him not to take the instruction so seriously.

She even joked that he should start paying for his food, leading Lin Juan to quipped about selling himself to her with a lifetime warranty to cover the costs. Their conversation eventually shifted to the search for the final fragment. Lin Juan revealed its likely location was Xiaoshan Village, a place once popular for adventure tourism but recently avoided due to viral rumors of supernatural activity.

Nongyu remained skeptical of the ghost stories, so they planned to hire a local guide and gather equipment. Lin Juan also reminded her that it was the tenth of the month—time for her antiviral inhibitor injection. However, Nongyu insisted on postponing the shot until after their mission, fearing the drug's heavy sedative effect would prevent her from waking up when needed. Upon arriving at a restaurant near the village, Xie Xinxu spotted Nongyu from a distance.

He watched her for a long time with a faint smile but hesitated to approach. While they were eating, Chen Yiyi appeared with her boyfriend and greeted Nongyu, teasing her about her "companion" before Nongyu helped the couple take a photo. Moments later, Nongyu thought she saw Xie Xinxu nearby and rushed toward the figure, only to realize she had grabbed the arm of the guide Lin Juan had arranged.

The guide offered them a "private price" to bypass his boss, and after Lin Juan paid him twenty thousand yuan to enter the restricted areas of the village, the guide boasted about being a dedicated "workaholic" who would risk anything for the job. As they hiked into the mountains, the guide noted Nongyu’s exhaustion, which Lin Juan attributed to her missing her recent injection. The atmosphere shifted when the guide received a phone call.

The person on the other end described the guests perfectly—mentioning a man with single eyelids and a woman with long, curly hair—and asked for their location. Realizing they were being tracked, likely by the Special Administration Bureau, Nongyu and Lin Juan quickly went into hiding.

When a group of men in black arrived, Lin Juan prepared to draw them away, but Nongyu stopped him, worried that his high drug resistance might cause him to lose control if he were forced into a fight. As they hid, another figure in black appeared and successfully lured the pursuers away. Watching the man's retreating figure, Nongyu felt a profound sense of familiarity. Xie Xinxu had indeed been the one to lead the pursuers away.

Although he managed to eliminate the attackers, the battle left him injured and drained. Even after administering three inhibitors to himself, his condition remained critical. Sensing something was wrong, Nongyu rushed back toward the scene of the conflict to confirm her suspicions. She arrived just as Xiao Zhang and two other "Ren" were closing in on the weakened Xie Xinxu. As one of the attackers moved to strike, Nongyu intervened by hurls a large stone, knocking the "Ren" unconscious.

Xie Xinxu, barely able to stand, pulled Nongyu into a brief, relieved embrace while Lin Juan arrived and watched them in silence. The moment of respite was cut short as three more people emerged from the forest. Lin Juan immediately stepped in front of Nongyu and Xie Xinxu to shield them from the new arrivals.

As Lin Juan prepared to confront three figures in the woods, they suddenly fell to their knees, pleading for Xie Xinxu to save their village. After the group returned to Xiaoshan Village, the village chief explained that their home had recently been developed as a tourist attraction, but prosperity was cut short when a "ghost" appeared behind the ancestral hall.

During a filming project’s opening ceremony three months prior, the apparition had terrified the crew and media, causing a female investor to flee and leave behind an expensive camera. Refusing to leave without her footage, she had been staying at the chief’s house ever since.

Frustrated by the Special Administration Bureau's refusal to help without tedious "procedures," the chief hoped Xie Xinxu’s skills could help retrieve the camera so the village could expose the truth and force the authorities to intervene. Xie Xinxu agreed to help. That night, Xie Xinxu, Wu Nongyu, and Lin Juan made their way into the dark ancestral hall. Their goal was twofold: retrieve the investor’s camera and locate the third fragment, which Xie Xinxu believed was hidden inside.

He warned the others to be quick, noting that Secretary Zhang’s henchmen were a far greater threat than any local ghost. During the search, Lin Juan’s legs grew weak with fear, and a brief panic ensued when something landed on him, though Xie Xinxu quickly identified it as bird droppings. They successfully found the fragment and debunked the mystery, discovering the "ghost" was merely a bird draped in a red cloth.

Despite the eerie atmosphere, Xie Xinxu stayed behind to ensure the camera was recovered safely. Witnessing his bravery and willingness to help the villagers, Wu Nongyu’s perception of him began to change, and she realized he possessed a hidden inner kindness. The village celebrated the resolution of the mystery with a barbecue. Xie Xinxu felt a pang of loneliness and jealousy when Wu Nongyu gave several meat skewers to Lin Juan, causing him to sit apart from the group.

Noticing his mood, Wu Nongyu brought him a unique skewer she had kept aside just for him, which immediately cheered him up. The lighthearted atmosphere continued when a local boy invited them to play with a canister of gas; after Xie Xinxu inhaled it, his voice became hilariously high-pitched, drawing laughter from everyone. As the night ended, Wu Nongyu prepared to administer an injection that would put her into a profound sleep.

She handed her keys to Lin Juan, asking him to wake her the next morning. Once she was asleep, Xie Xinxu quietly entered her room to perform a secret blood exchange—a ritual he had maintained for the past two years to protect her health. Although Lin Juan was unhappy with the arrangement, he stood guard outside, eating candies to calm his nerves. However, the secret was nearly discovered when Wu Nongyu suddenly stirred and woke up. Xie Xinxu managed to duck behind a screen just in time, but a suspicious Wu Nongyu began to reach toward his hiding spot.

Lin Juan knocks on the door, interrupting a tense moment after Wu Nongyu wakes up sensing an intruder. Although Lin Juan spots Xie Xinxu hiding behind a screen, he pretends not to see him to keep Wu Nongyu calm. He offers her a massage to help her relax, but she politely declines. Once she drifts back to sleep, Xie Xinxu emerges from his hiding spot.

He watches her sleep, and when she calls out for her brother, Siyuan, in her dreams, he is overcome with guilt and gently kisses her hand before slipping away. At the Special Administration Bureau, Director Xia is furious during a meal. She realizes that the fragments Wu Siyuan previously delivered must have been fakes, as Wu Nongyu is still searching for a third one.

Enraged by the deception, she orders Chief Zhang to mobilize all field agents to find Wu Nongyu and Xie Xinxu within two days. Lu Ziye, who is bound to the Director’s daughter, Xia Yuyan, offers his help but is mocked by Yuyan for his perceived incompetence. Director Xia dismisses him, reminding him that his only duty is to keep Yuyan happy. With all three fragments finally collected, the group needs a secure location to develop the cure.

Xie Xinxu suggests Mr. Ding’s secluded suburban home, which features a private laboratory. Wu Nongyu agrees, but her trust is shaken when she discovers blood-exchange equipment in Xie Xinxu’s bag while looking for a tissue. She begins to wonder why he is still carrying a device meant for virus transfer. After arriving at Mr. Ding’s residence, Xie Xinxu excuses himself to return a call to Lu Ziye, revealing that Lu has been his secret informant.

Lu provided the accurate locations for the fragments, including the one in Xiaoshan Village, while providing misleading information to the Bureau. Lu is desperate for the medicine to be completed so he can finally escape the miserable life he leads serving the "disgusting" Xia family. Back in the lab, Wu Nongyu decides to test her suspicions. She claims the virus is acting up due to overwork and asks Lin Juan for her usual suppressant.

Later that night, she catches Xie Xinxu in her room attempting a secret blood exchange. The truth is finally revealed: for two years, Xie Xinxu has been sacrificing his own health to filter the virus from her system. He admits the injections she received were merely nutrients mixed with sedatives to ensure she slept through his visits. Wu Nongyu confronts Xie Xinxu about his secrecy.

He confesses that he was afraid she would look at him with disgust or be reminded of painful memories if they met face-to-face. Realizing the depth of his humble devotion, Wu Nongyu tells him that an unequal love—whether too domineering or too humble—creates unnecessary pressure. She urges him to stop suppressing his feelings and to love her more openly. Moved by her words, Xie Xinxu pulls her into a tight, emotional embrace and leans in to kiss her.

Wu Nongyu stopped Xie Xinxu before their kiss could go any further. She clarified that while she had agreed their relationship should be one of equals, she hadn't yet committed to a mutual romance. She suggested that he was welcome to be more open about his unrequited feelings for her, but as for their future, she preferred to let their relationship evolve naturally. Xie Xinxu, though emotional, readily accepted her terms.

When they stepped out of the room, they found Lin Juan waiting. Realizing that Wu Nongyu now knew the truth about the blood transfusions and the fragments, Lin Juan took her aside to apologize for the long-standing deception. He confessed that the information regarding the third fragment had actually come from Xie Xinxu. However, he made it clear that he and Xie Xinxu were far from friends.

He admitted that every time he had to wait outside her door for thirty minutes while Xie Xinxu was inside, he was consumed by jealousy. He had feared that Xie Xinxu might be secretly hugging or kissing her—dark thoughts that stemmed from his own suppressed feelings for her over the past two years. Wu Nongyu apologized to Lin Juan for inadvertently taking advantage of his affection, but she was firm about her boundaries.

She told him that she wasn't ready to fall for anyone else right now. Lin Juan was stung by the suddenness of her rejection, but he chose to accept their reality as friends rather than clinging to a hopeless wish. He jokingly told her that she had been demoted from his third-best friend to his fourth-best.

Before letting her go, he urged her to choose someone truly great, insisting that if she ever chose Xie Xinxu, it should only be after Xie Xinxu became as outstanding as Lin Juan himself. After Wu Nongyu left, Lin Juan sat on the floor and pulled out some candy. This brought back memories of the many times he had sat outside her room during her treatments, eating sweets to pass the time.

He recalled how Wu Nongyu once noticed the pile of wrappers in his trash and, worried about his teeth, gave him a specific low-sugar brand to eat instead. As he ate the last few pieces of the sour candy, tears began to fall. He told himself it was just the sourness of the candy making his eyes water, but he felt a sense of finality knowing that he wouldn't be eating them for her much longer.

In a separate part of the city, the Special Administration Bureau surrounded the building where Wu Nongyu and the others were staying. However, at Director Xia’s residence, a more direct confrontation was taking place. Mr. Ding, the head of the institute, appeared and held Director Xia at gunpoint. He revealed his true identity as Wu Ming, Wu Nongyu's father, who had staged his own death in an explosion thirteen years ago and changed his appearance.

He had known for two years that Director Xia was responsible for the death of his son, Wu Siyuan, but he had bided his time to ensure the fragments were found. Claiming that Director Xia was now useless to him, Wu Ming shot her to avenge his son's life. The next morning, Lin Juan and Xie Xinxu both prepared breakfast for Wu Nongyu. Not wanting to show favoritism, she sampled both meals and praised them.

Their quiet morning was interrupted by a news report stating that Director Xia had been shot in her home the previous night and was currently in a coma following emergency surgery. Xie Xinxu noted that with Director Xia incapacitated, there would be no one left to obstruct their progress in developing the medicine, though Wu Nongyu felt an uneasy sense of suddenness regarding the event.

At the hospital, a distraught Xia Yuyan lashed out at Lu Ziye when he tried to comfort her, cursing her decision to marry someone she deemed so useless. Once she walked away, Lu Ziye immediately placed a secret call to Xie Xinxu, informing him that the evidence of the Xia family’s illegal businesses and the Mugang account books were hidden in Xia Yuyan’s car. Unfortunately, Yuyan overheard his betrayal and returned to strike him across the face.

Xia Yuyan intended to flee with the incriminating documents, which were locked in a safe inside her car. However, she was stymied by the password. During a tense exchange, Lu Ziye revealed that she failed to open it because she didn't truly know him. He had grown tired of her controlling every aspect of his life, even forcing him to change his birthday from April 14th to June 16th because she found the original date unlucky. He declared he had finally had enough of her. As Xia Yuyan attempted to drive away with the safe, her path was abruptly blocked by Xie Xinxu.

After successfully intercepting Xia Yuyan and seizing the vehicle containing the evidence against Director Xia, Xie Xinxu hands the materials over to Lin Juan to report the corruption to the authorities. However, the physical toll of the mission causes Xie’s virus to flare up. Even after injecting an inhibitor, he finds no relief and collapses in a corner, trembling with pain. Wu Nongyu finds him in this state and, despite his protests, refuses to leave him.

Reminding him of their agreement to be honest with each other, she embraces him to help soothe his symptoms, and the two spend the night together. The following morning, Nongyu notices scratches on Xie Xinxu's arms and finds anxiety medication hidden under his pillow. When Xie wakes up, he is initially apologetic, explaining he only intended to hold her. Nongyu, however, is more concerned about his injuries.

Xie reveals that his symptoms began two years ago after she left; as a "Ren" separated from his bonded "Yin" for too long, he developed severe separation anxiety, leading him to self-harm when the distress became unbearable. He expresses hope that once he is cured by the new drug, he can pursue her again as a normal person.

Director Ding soon arrives with news that the trial results for the newly developed medicine are a success, claiming the virus has been eliminated in Lin Juan and the other volunteers. He pushes for immediate mass production to save lives, but Nongyu suggests further observation to check for adverse reactions. After Ding leaves, Nongyu meticulously reviews the lab reports and discovers that Director Ding—who was responsible for recording the data—omitted certain information.

Realizing the drug is dangerous, she tries to warn the volunteers, only to find that a signal jammer has been installed in the building. Director Ding returns, now armed with a gun, and forces Nongyu and Xie Xinxu to sit for a meal. He chillingly reveals that the drug was never meant to save the infected but to eliminate them by causing total organ failure, effectively "cleansing" the population of the virus.

Xie Xinxu manages to seize the gun from him, but Ding remains unfazed, as he has already submitted the formula for mass production. He finally reveals his true identity as Wu Ming, Nongyu’s father. He recounts the tragedy of sixteen years ago, explaining that his wife, Lin Yu, had devoted her life to curing the virus. Because they lacked a crucial catalyst for the formula, Lin Yu had secretly tested a first-generation version on herself, which resulted in her falling into a permanent coma.

Director Ding continues his harrowing confession, explaining the obsession that consumed him after his wife, Lin Yu, fell into a coma while researching a virus cure. Desperate to wake her, he theorized that a high concentration of the A-Virus might be the key. He went as far as using his daughter Wu Nongyu’s blood for experiments, as her viral concentration was significantly higher than average. This cruelty led his son, Siyuan, to report him to the authorities.

Following the scandal, an associate named Dayu fled with the formula to prevent the research from being shut down. Director Ding then staged a fatal fire, leaving behind biological remains to fake his and Lin Yu's deaths. He underwent plastic surgery—even opting for double eyelids to suit Lin Yu's preferences—and changed his name to Wu Ming to continue his search for the missing catalyst of the cure.

After years of searching, Ding began to fear the final component did not exist. With both his and Lin Yu’s health failing, he abandoned the pursuit of a perfect cure and instead chose a path that would eliminate the virus by causing the organs of all infected individuals—the "Yin" and "Ren"—to fail. He learned that the formula data was stored on a glass disk split into three fragments.

To find them, he manipulated Xie Xinxu into becoming his assistant, though their methods eventually diverged. When Nongyu asks if Siyuan’s death ever gave him pause, Ding sheds tears but maintains that individual sacrifices are necessary for the "greater good." He then leads Nongyu to see her comatose mother, warning her and Xie Xinxu that if they try to leave, Lin Juan and the other captives will be killed.

Once Ding leaves, Nongyu and Xie Xinxu coordinate a plan to rescue the captives. However, Lin Yu’s condition suddenly worsens as she begins vomiting blood. Xie Xinxu performs an immediate transfusion using his own blood, which miraculously wakes Lin Yu from her long coma. Overjoyed yet confronted by the horror of what her husband has become, Lin Yu pleads with Ding to stop his plan, reminding him that her research was meant to cherish life, not destroy it.

Softened by her plea, Ding agrees to disclose the location of the test subjects just as police sirens fill the air. As the police arrive to arrest him, Ding asks for a final moment with Nongyu. He clarifies that he never wanted her or Siyuan involved in this dangerous "whirlpool."

He admits that while he initially hesitated when Xie Xinxu insisted on bringing Nongyu into the institute as an intern, he eventually agreed, realizing that if his daughter had to bond with a "Ren," Xie Xinxu was the best choice. He also reveals he sent her Lin Yu’s favorite fountain pen as a wedding gift to ensure her mother’s blessing reached her.

In a final admission, he reflects on the irony of fate: Siyuan’s report once "killed" him, yet Ding later indirectly facilitated the revenge that targeted his own son. Despite his coldness, he reveals he had protected Nongyu in secret—injecting Xie Xinxu with a stimulant to save her in the Sunset Forest and using her watch to send a distress signal when she was kidnapped by Xiao Zhang. As Ding is led away, Nongyu clings to her father and weeps, finally parting with a complex mix of grief and realization.

The authorities move to arrest Director Xia Shang, presenting her with a warrant as her son looks on. Admitting to being an accomplice, her son hopes for a lighter sentence due to his cooperation, while the truth behind her decade-long criminal empire in Mugang and the Qiuxiao Manor murders finally comes to light following the confession of key witness Chen Qicheng.

Meanwhile, Wu Nongyu discovers that Xie Xinxu’s blood contains the missing component needed for the cure, explaining why her mother, Lin Yu, woke up after his earlier transfusion. Lin Yu notes that the substance causes the human voice to become temporary sharp and high-pitched when inhaled. This triggers a memory for Xie Xinxu of a game he played as a child in Xiaoshan Village with gas found near satellite wreckage.

He rushes back to the village, but the chief informs him that the gas is gone, leaving only an empty bottle. Knowing that Lin Juan and the others are in critical condition, Xie Xinxu asks Lin Yu if extracting the component from his own blood would save them. Lin Yu warns him that because the substance has fused with his blood, total extraction would leave him in a permanent coma.

Xie Xinxu hides his intent from Wu Nongyu at first, but later suggests using his blood to her. Terrified of losing him, she vehemently refuses, insisting they have time to keep searching. To comfort her, Xie Xinxu suggests they stop focusing on the tragedy and instead focus on each other. Wu Nongyu agrees, and the two reconcile, enjoying a brief, blissful period of domestic life together. However, Xie Xinxu eventually makes a final decision.

One morning, he tells Wu Nongyu that he must go on a very long "business trip." He explains that while she would eventually find the component elsewhere, Lin Juan and the others cannot wait. He poignantly adds that if he is the one lying in a coma, her love for him will drive her to find the source much faster than she would for anyone else.

Following Xie Xinxu’s sacrifice, Lin Yu and Wu Nongyu successfully develop a special drug using the component from his blood. The virus is eradicated, and society returns to normal. Life moves on for their friends as well; Lin Juan is scouted by a talent agency and becomes a trainee. Wu Nongyu encourages him, joking that his clean lifestyle makes him "scandal-proof" and wishing him a successful debut.

She also finds peace after seeing a photo on an online forum showing that Xie Xinxu’s "dragon baby" pet is thriving in the wild. Wu Nongyu documents their entire journey and publishes it as a message to extraterrestrial civilizations. In the year 2051 on Earth, scientists decode the message from Planet Y and realize the mysterious missing component is actually helium. Moved by the story, they arrange for an interplanetary delivery to send the substance back to her.

Later, while Wu Nongyu is wandering the streets, she receives a phone call telling her to turn around. She looks back to see Xie Xinxu standing across the way, smiling at her. She runs into his arms, and the two are finally reunited.