Their eyes met.

Qi Yan’s slender fingers rested on the doorknob, his cool gaze locking onto Yan An with precision.

Yan An’s eyes widened in shock. She froze, instinctively tightening her grip on the lemon inside her pocket.

Crap, crap! Why did he come back so soon?!

Qi Yan’s gaze flickered slightly before he turned and closed the door behind him with a soft click.

Then, step by step, he walked toward her.

Yan An instinctively backed away. His expression was calm, but the aura he exuded made it hard to breathe.

A wave of fear tightened in her chest. She clutched the lemon even harder.

Inside her pocket, Yan Mengmeng suffered in silence. But sensing the terrifying man’s presence, he curled up into a ball and didn’t dare move.

Qi Yan casually dusted off a few stray leaves from his clothes as he continued approaching. His voice was indifferent. 

“What are you doing in my room?”

Yan An’s legs nearly gave out. She quickly grabbed the wall for support and forced a bright, sincere smile. 

“I knocked, but you didn’t answer. I thought you might’ve fainted inside, so I got a little worried and came in to check…”

“Oh?” Qi Yan stopped in his tracks, his dark eyes studying her.

They were close enough that Yan An caught the familiar scent of his body wash and shampoo.

It was a fresh, botanical fragrance, the same as three years ago.

Back when they were married, Yan An had secretly borrowed his bath products whenever she showered.

As a Copper Coin Grass spirit, she loved plant-based scents.

After the divorce, she’d tried to find the same brand, but once she saw the price, she’d given up.

“Yan An.”

She snapped out of her thoughts and looked up. “Huh?”

Qi Yan’s gaze shifted from her face to her suspiciously bulging pocket.

Something was clearly hidden inside. Her hand was protectively clutching it.

After a brief pause, he reached out toward her pocket. “Hand it over.”

Without thinking, Yan An spun around, pressing herself against the wall like a student being punished.

“No way! Teacher Qi, this little lemon really belongs to me,” she said anxiously. Toward the end, her voice even carried a hint of a plea, almost like a whimper. 

“Please, just give it back to me.”

Qi Yan withdrew his hand. 

“So, you came here to steal a lemon?”

Yan An pursed her lips, refusing to respond. But in her heart, she snorted.

Yan Mengmeng was her child, born and raised by her. This wasn’t stealing. It was a rescue!

Qi Yan seemed puzzled. 

“It’s just a lemon. Is it really that important to you?”

Yan An nodded firmly. “It’s my lucky lemon. Of course, it’s important.”

He shook his head slightly, his expression unreadable, and walked deeper into the room.

Yan An let out a quiet breath of relief and slowly turned around. Still wary that he might double back, she kept her hand tightly wrapped around Yan Mengmeng and didn’t dare loosen her grip.

Qi Yan walked over to a shelf, took down a bag, and continued ignoring her.

Yan An watched him, then glanced at the door. A trace of excitement flickered in her eyes as she cautiously tiptoed toward the exit, planning to make a swift escape with Yan Mengmeng.

But she failed.

Somehow, even with his back turned, Qi Yan seemed to sense her every movement.

Just as she took her first step toward the door, he spoke.

“Yan An, it’s been three years. Do you really have nothing to say to me?”

Yan An’s lifted foot wobbled midair before landing with a loud thud.

She nearly tripped but quickly steadied herself.

Qi Yan pulled a document from his bag and turned around, leaning against the table as he gazed at her expressionlessly.

Yan An scratched her head and met his gaze with a blank look. Then she shook her head.

Say what? There was nothing to say.

They had parted on good terms. He didn’t know about the six seeds, and aside from that, there were no unresolved issues between them.

Qi Yan’s expression shifted slightly, like the still surface of a moonlit lake suddenly rippling.

A chill ran down Yan An’s spine. She quickly blurted, “Oh, right! I almost forgot!”

The lake grew calm once more. Qi Yan nodded. 

“Go on.”

Yan An stared at his devastatingly handsome face, hesitated for a moment, then rolled her eyes in thought.

She wasn’t sure if she was reading the situation correctly, but…

Three years ago, when they divorced, he had been just a rising young actor. Now, he was a major film star.

With such huge success, maybe he wanted some acknowledgment from his ex-wife?

People had their pride, after all. She understood.

And as a thoughtful Copper Coin Grass spirit, she was more than willing to indulge him.

Especially since he was really good-looking.

With absolute sincerity, Yan An smiled. 

“Teacher Qi, congratulations! I knew three years ago that you were destined for stardom. Seeing you achieve such great success now makes me truly happy for you.”

Qi Yan listened to her praise, but it went in one ear and out the other. His expression remained indifferent as he opened the document in his hands and skimmed through it.

After a moment of silence, he looked up. “And?”

Huh? There’s more?

Yan An tugged at her hair, struggling to come up with something else to say. She racked her brain for more compliments. 

“I’ve watched all the movies you’ve acted in over the past three years. You were amazing. I really liked them. Everyone really liked them…”

But even after she finished speaking, Qi Yan showed no reaction.

Finally, with her inspiration completely drained and her throat dry, Yan An could only change the subject. 

“Teacher Qi, where did you just go?”

Qi Yan paused for a moment. His brows knitted slightly as if he were recalling something. Then, he replied, “Just went for a walk.”

“A walk sounds nice. It must be cool outside at this hour,” Yan An chuckled awkwardly. 

Then, as if suddenly remembering the time, she glanced at her watch and gasped. 

“Oh wow, it’s getting late! Teacher Qi, you should get some rest. I’ll be going now!”

With that, she bolted toward the door like a streak of lightning.

Qi Yan, who had been leaning against the table, straightened up and calmly watched her retreating figure.

“Yan An,” he called. “Where is the child?”

Yan An’s body went rigid. Her face turned pale in an instant.

Qi Yan’s words were like a bomb dropping out of nowhere, blasting her mind completely blank. She couldn’t think.

She stood frozen for a long while before finally turning around, staring at him, nearly forgetting to breathe. 

“Wh-what child?”

“You and my child.” Qi Yan held the document in his hand and approached her.

Yan An’s smile froze, stiff and unnatural. A strong sense of alarm surged within her.

How could he possibly know about the child?

Aside from Liang Baiyu, she was the only one who knew.

And while Liang Baiyu often bailed on people, he was tight-lipped. Besides, he still believed the children had been born through Yan An’s asexual reproduction. He had no idea they had a father.

Liang Baiyu didn’t even know she and Qi Yan had been involved.

So how did Qi Yan find out?

Did he know about the seeds?

Was that why he refused to return her bitter gourd and lemon earlier today?

No way. What do I do now?

Panic surged through Yan An, but she forced herself to remain calm.

Stay cool. Stay cool. Stay cool.

Don’t panic. Don’t panic. Don’t panic.

She swallowed hard and put on her best innocent face. 

“Teacher Qi, what are you talking about? We never had a child…”

Qi Yan stopped in front of her. From the file in his hands, he pulled out a single sheet of paper and placed it in front of her.

It was a medical report from three years ago.

The conclusion at the bottom clearly stated: Pregnant.

Yan An stared blankly at the document, trying to search her memory.

Oh. Right.

A few days before their divorce, Qi Yan had gone in for his annual medical check-up. He had brought her along for convenience.

Back then, she had no idea a medical exam could detect pregnancy.

And afterward, she had completely forgotten about it.

Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay calm.

She wasn’t the same person she had been three years ago.

Yan An took a deep breath, reached out, and took the report. She glanced at it a few times, then looked up with a bright smile. 

“I was never pregnant. This must be a mistake.”

Qi Yan watched her closely. “Oh?”

She smiled even wider. 

“Of course. You see reports of hospitals making mistakes all the time. There are cases where people are even misdiagnosed with terminal illnesses, only for it to turn out that the hospital got the wrong patient. I think this is one of those cases.”

Without warning, Qi Yan suddenly reached out his hand.

Yan An flinched, shrinking against the door. 

“I’m serious, Teacher Qi. I really wasn’t pregnant. You know, I’ve been short on money lately. If I had been pregnant, I would’ve brought the child to you long ago. You’re rich. I wouldn’t have to work so hard filming variety shows.”

Qi Yan’s hand paused midair. His gaze flickered toward her, unreadable.

After a moment, he withdrew his hand and pulled the report from her grasp. 

“You’re short on money?”

Yan An let out a quiet breath of relief and nodded vigorously.

Qi Yan lowered his gaze, studying her.

She looked up at him with big, sincere eyes. Her round little face was pale and soft.

His expression darkened slightly.

Without realizing it, he raised a hand.

Yan An blinked, her long lashes fluttering like butterfly wings.

Qi Yan’s hand hovered in the air before lightly tapping the space in front of her face. Then, without another word, he turned away.

“Go back,” he said.

Yan An rubbed her face, feeling the tension finally ease. Beaming, she chirped, “Goodnight, Teacher Qi.”

Then, she yanked open the door and dashed out.

Just as she reached the staircase between the second and third floors, she crashed straight into Wen Yang, who looked as pale as a ghost.