When Ji Yuzhou returned home, the lights were still off. As he opened the door, a round object suddenly rushed toward him, nearly colliding with him. Ji Yuzhou frowned and tensed up, his guard instantly raised.  

An excited voice piped up, “Xunyu! Why are you back so ea—”  

Before the word “early” could leave its mouth, the little robot realized something was wrong and abruptly swallowed the word.  

Ji Yuzhou silently withdrew his hand, which had instinctively moved toward his hip. He turned on the light, revealing a floating robot swaying nervously in midair. The screen on its face displayed a “crying” expression.  

“I’m sorry, Mr. Ji! I didn’t realize it was you…”  

The drastic change in its tone made Ji Yuzhou pause for a second.  

Reflecting for a moment, Am I really that intimidating? 

“I’m not angry,” Ji Yuzhou said, trying to soften his tone. “Has Xunyu not come back yet?”  

The round robot bobbed its head, its tone cautiously returning to normal upon confirming that Ji Yuzhou wasn’t upset. “That’s right. He always comes home really late, leaving me, a poor little robot, all alone in the house…”  

Ji Yuzhou frowned slightly.  

The military academy dismissed students early, and unlike schools outside, there was no mandatory evening study hall. By all rights, Jiang Xunyu shouldn’t be coming home so late.  

Could it be… that he’s got a girlfriend?  

Ji Yuzhou didn’t consider himself old-fashioned. During his own time at the corps, many people were in relationships. As long as it didn’t interfere with work, he had no problem with it.  

Still… a vague sense of irritation stirred within him. I was only away for a short time, and the boy has already opened up to someone else? 

For once, Ji Yuzhou didn’t retreat to his study. He sat in the living room, handling official documents on his tablet. The atmosphere in the house gradually grew heavy, the temperature seemingly dropping several degrees without him noticing.  

The little robot, trembling on the side, didn’t dare move. It feared that even the smallest action might provoke Ji Yuzhou and lead to its immediate recycling.  

Attempting to shift slightly, it froze again when Ji Yuzhou’s cold gaze swept over it.  

Life as a robot is so hard, it lamented internally, lighting a candle for itself before entering sleep mode.  

It wasn’t until much later that familiar footsteps finally echoed at the door.  

The robot’s indicator light flickered back on as Jiang Xunyu entered. Seeing Ji Yuzhou sitting on the sofa, Jiang Xunyu froze, momentarily stunned. He instinctively stepped back, glancing behind him to make sure he hadn’t entered the wrong house.  

Ji Yuzhou hadn’t returned in so long that Jiang Xunyu had grown accustomed to the idea of being the sole occupant of this large home.  

Unlike Ji Yuzhou, who had countless resources, tools, and people at his disposal to monitor Jiang Xunyu’s life, Jiang Xunyu had no means of learning about Ji Yuzhou’s whereabouts.  

Sometimes, he would tentatively ask the robot if it knew when Mr. Ji might return. The little machine, rolling its eyes, would regretfully tell him it didn’t have sufficient clearance to access such information.  

As days turned into weeks, emotions quietly built up inside him, compressing into something unspoken.  

And now, standing before Ji Yuzhou, those emotions finally erupted.  

Jiang Xunyu couldn’t suppress the astonishment—and longing—in his gaze.  

His clear blue eyes widened as he stared at Ji Yuzhou. “Mr. Ji… when did you get back?”  

In those pure, translucent eyes, there wasn’t a hint of resentment.  

“Just now.”  

Ji Yuzhou scanned Jiang Xunyu up and down. The boy seemed to have grown taller since he last saw him, but he was still too thin. Even under the thick winter clothes, his slender frame was evident.  

The heavy atmosphere in the room instantly disappeared the moment Jiang Xunyu entered. Xiao C, who had been anxiously holding its breath, finally sighed in relief and quietly slipped back into Jiang Xunyu’s room, leaving the living room to the two of them.

Having not spoken to Ji Yuzhou for a long time, Jiang Xunyu was unsure how to respond. He stood awkwardly near the entrance, staring down at his toes. After a long pause, he finally stammered out, “L-long time no see.”

The kid still carried the shy demeanor Ji Yuzhou remembered, and his mood visibly improved. He chuckled lightly and said, “Hmm, want to sit down and chat?”

Jiang Xunyu nodded obediently and sat down beside Ji Yuzhou on the sofa, setting his belongings aside.

Ji Yuzhou got straight to the point. “Do you always come back this late?”

“More or less…” Jiang Xunyu answered honestly. “About the same as today.”

Ji Yuzhou frowned slightly, clasping his hands together on his lap. “Hanging out with friends?”

“No,” Jiang Xunyu shook his head, completely unaware of Ji Yuzhou’s underlying implications. “The school allows us to stay after classes for self-study. I stay there to finish my homework before heading home.”

Ji Yuzhou’s tightly furrowed brows relaxed a little, and his tone softened as well. “Why not do it at home?”

“The teachers are there at school. That way, I can ask for help if I have questions.”

At home, in this large, empty house, he was the only living being.

Jiang Xunyu wasn’t necessarily afraid of being alone. Even when surrounded by people, he rarely initiated conversation. While he didn’t talk to Ji Yuzhou much before, at least he always knew Ji Yuzhou was present. Now, having been exposed to light, returning to darkness felt hard to adjust to.

Of course, this wasn’t something he could say out loud. All he could do was silently hope for the occasional rays of light Ji Yuzhou might bestow upon him.

Knowing now that the kid wasn’t out fooling around with some girl, Ji Yuzhou’s mood improved. But as the relief passed, he suddenly remembered what he had said before.

He had once told Jiang Xunyu to come to him for half an hour every evening to ask about any questions he didn’t understand. With the boy’s meticulous nature, he must have remembered that promise clearly.

Ji Yuzhou sighed inwardly. He had broken his word.

His voice deepened. “The situation out there has stabilized. For the time being, I should be home every evening. You…”

The rest of his sentence faltered. On the negotiation table, he had spoken countless cunning and deceitful words. Yet, when it came to Jiang Xunyu, having broken his promise once, he found himself reluctant to make another, fearing to let the boy down again.

Jiang Xunyu’s reaction, however, took him entirely by surprise. His eyes lit up instantly, clearer and brighter than freshly washed sapphires. “Really?!”

Realizing his overreaction, Jiang Xunyu quickly lowered his tone, but the joy in his eyes couldn’t be concealed. “Then I… can come back earlier in the evenings? Is that okay?”

Careful, tentative, and utterly devoid of any blame, Jiang Xunyu’s straightforwardness softened Ji Yuzhou’s heart completely. He closed his eyes briefly and said, “Hmm. Come back early.”

After thinking for a moment, he made a promise he intended to keep.

“I’ve heard from your teacher that you’ve been doing well. Keep it up, and when the New Year comes, I’ll take you out for some fun.”