Before ra could even finish her sentence, a group of men who looked like bodyguards suddenly swooped in, silencing her with their presence. They had this cold, no-nonsense vibe as one of them spoke up from outside the car. "Ms. ra, sorry for the trouble. This woman is a distant rtive of the CEO and isn''t in the best mental state. We didn''t expect her to wander out tonight."


    The woman, who seemed so disturbed before, instantly quieted down, almost like she was scared.


    ra wanted to talk to her a bit more, but the security team had already driven the car away. They stopped in front of the main vi, where the lights were still on.


    ra got out, holding her bouquet of flowers, and instinctively turned around, hoping to catch a glimpse of where the woman was taken. But there was nothing —she''d disappeared like a ghost. Rubbing her temples, she felt a headache starting to creep in.


    Suddenly, the door in front of her swung open. Standing at the entrance, she noticed the living room was empty. She ced the flowers on the coffee table, ready to leave, but then she spotted Dn on the second floor.


    He was leaning against the railing, his voice calm and collected. "Why are you sote?"


    ra looked up, a hint of surprise in her voice. "Mr. Dn, are your legs feeling better?"


    "Yes."


    He lowered his eyshes, his throat moving as if he had more to say. Whenever ra was around Dn, she couldn''t shake off this feeling of unease, though she couldn''t quite figure out why.


    She scratched her cheek, "I''m sorry for dropping by sote. The florists in the Capital didn''t have these flowers, so I went to the countryside to pick them. Took a bit more time than expected. You weren''t waiting for the flowers, were you?"


    It was past three in the morning, and for someone as disciplined as Dn, it was strange for him to be up.


    He didn''t reply, just kept watching her. ra was at a loss. Dn''s silences often left her unsure of what to say, not knowing whether to stay or go.


    After a few awkward minutes, she finally said, "Well, the flowers are here, so I''ll get going. You should get some rest too."


    As she took a step away, he suddenly asked, "Is the snow heavy outside?"


    ra instinctively patted her head, thinking maybe she had some snowkes there he''d noticed. "A bit. This year''s snow in the Capital seems heavier than usual."


    "Yeah."


    ra felt ufortable. What was Dn getting at with these random questions? It made leaving feelplicated.


    She stood there for a few more minutes, unable to handle the silence any longer. "So..."


    But before she could finish, he asked, "Do the flowers smell nice?"


    Caught off guard, ra looked up and met his gaze. His eyes were calm, one hand hanging by his side, his whole figure softly illuminated by the warm, golden light.


    It was the first time she''d seen Dn like this, almost as if he was lost in a heavy memory.


    "They smell wonderful, even better than winter jasmine. I picked several stems; I hope you like them."


    Ever since she''d seen that disturbed woman, ra had felt uneasy, and now she just wanted to leave. After answering him, she lowered her head and headed for the door. This time, Dn didn''t say anything more.


    When she reached the entryway, she couldn''t help but nce back. He was still there, his shadow blurring in the dim light.


    ra''s headache suddenly intensified, and she quickly made her way out. Back in her car, she pressed her temples hard, but the pain wouldn''t let up, making her feel nauseous.


    Barely holding it together, she managed to get home, hurriedly washed up, and copsed into bed, feeling like her head was about to explode. She took a painkiller and a couple of sleeping pills, lying still in bed.


    She hadn''t dreamed in a while, but soon after falling asleep, a dream took hold. She was back in a deste, war-tornndscape, wandering aimlessly. Every few steps, she stumbled, with two people closely following her, their eyes full of worry. "Ms. ra, let''s go back."


    She didn''t listen, just kept moving forward numbly. All three of them were injured, the two men more so, but they followed her every step, like loyal guardians.


    One of them had a small braid proudly resting on his shoulder, his fox-like eyes red with fatigue.


    When ra fell, they rushed to support her, "Should we go back?"


    She lifted her eyes nkly, emptiness staring back, "Back where? There''s nowhere to go back to..."


    ra jolted awake, the sharp pain from the dream lingering into reality, making her feel like every bone in her body hurt.