You're my wife, don't doubt it!

I don't know where they went to steal food; there shouldn't be any in the cafeteria.

The soft glow of the setting sun streamed through the glass window and fell gently onto the carpet.

Wait, what time is it now?

The girl looked up at the glass window... and the wall clock beside it.

Wow, it's already this late!

Yu Luying hadn't forgotten about the family dinner that evening, but her alarm clock hadn't woken her up.

There was nothing I could do; the inexplicable insomnia last night really took a toll on my energy.

Wait, the smell of meat in my mouth... Could this kid have already started eating?

An uncomfortable feeling involuntarily welled up in the girl's heart.

Why did you go to the banquet without inviting me? And why did you secretly meet with my elders without my knowledge? What does that mean?

Yu Luying started getting dressed.

When it comes to attending a banquet, no matter how unwilling you are, if you've agreed to go, you should dress formally and nicely.

But it was too late now, and since they were in a hurry to settle accounts with Xiao Yao, they couldn't care less.

In the afternoon, they said it was somewhere...? I forgot. I think the 27th floor was the VIP banquet hall...

Meanwhile, Xiao Yao went to the restroom furthest from the private room, near the stairs. After taking care of his business, he lingered for a while, still unable to figure out what Grandpa Yu was up to, but he had a very bad feeling.

We can't continue following the old man's arrangement now.

Xiao Yao washed his face again, and just as he stepped out of the restroom, he heard the sound of the elevator stopping.

He saw a tall girl wearing sportswear, sports pants, and sneakers walk out of the elevator.

Upon seeing Xiao Yao, Yu Luying immediately approached him, but her tone was quite unfriendly: "Are you taking a break halfway through your meal?"

"I didn't... I just forgot it's Friday today, and your grandfather didn't blame me, did he... Why are you so late?" Xiao Yao was a little incoherent for a moment.

"Did you deliberately skip me and come early? What are you trying to do?" Yu Luying completely ignored Xiao Yao's words.

"No, it was your grandfather who specially sent a car to... bring me here," Xiao Yao said truthfully. "They said you had already arrived, so I didn't think much of it. After all, he's your grandfather, right? By the way! You can ask Shen Jie if you don't believe me!"

"It seems you and that old man get along quite well. How did your talk go?" Yu Luying was still aggressive, completely unlike her usual gentle and reserved self: "What price did that man offer you to leave me?"

Xiao Yao had to admit that he didn't really like this kind of little apple.

"Why aren't you listening to me today?" Xiao Yao was getting impatient and raised his voice: "Your grandfather didn't offer me any price to leave you... No, your grandfather didn't offer any price to make me leave you... No, your grandfather never mentioned making me leave you. You've confused me—he wanted me to leave Shen Jie."

"..." Yu Luying listened to Xiao Yao's explanation, her expression shifting between light and dark. After Xiao Yao finished speaking, she remained silent for a while, then her tone softened slightly: "So, the old man called you to dinner just for this?"

Xiao Yao quickly shook his head, not daring to hide anything: "There's nothing I can't say openly and honestly. Your grandfather hopes that I can stand on the side of his friend...boyfriend and put in a good word for him in front of you. He's old, and he said he really hopes to reconcile with you and your mother before he dies."

"You were just bought off by that old man like that?" Yu Luying raised her eyebrows, seemingly joking, yet not quite.

That's your grandfather! You keep calling him "this old man" and "that old man"!

“What do you mean by bribery? Do you think I would sell my soul just to eat a meal? Money, yes, he did give me money, but I didn’t take a single penny, nor did I ever think of taking any. I agreed to his request from a family perspective, because I thought it was a good thing for you and your grandfather, because I felt it was the right thing to do, something that could make the future better.”

“Yes, you are the most noble.” Yu Luying said these five words and turned to leave.

What's wrong with this girl?

Xiao Yao was completely bewildered, but had no choice but to follow.

Yu Luying pressed the down button on the elevator for a long time, but the elevator was slow and wouldn't come. Xiao Yao kept bothering her, so she simply pushed open the fire door and went down the stairs.

Xiao Yao had no choice but to continue following behind Yu Luying.

Just as Xiao Yao and Yu Luying were both fuming, the lights in the stairwell suddenly went out.

“Hello! Hello? Ah-heng!” Xiao Yao shouted.

Yu Luying stomped her feet twice.

The power is out? A sense of foreboding washed over Xiao Yao.

Wait, why is it dark outside too? It's only a few o'clock. Could it be a black sticker?

Yu Luying walked to the window, put her hand into the darkness outside, and was startled.

A dark green filter shrouds the retina, and a huge black moon hangs in the sky...

This is... this is...

"Woo-woo-woo-woo" The sound of horns came from afar, which reminded Xiao Yao of the doomsday horn in John's Revelation.

In the blink of an eye, the hilt of the longsword and the grip of the shield appeared in his palm, while metal armor began to materialize and solidify around his body.

"Damn it, it's Shadow Time!" Before Yu Luying could even realize it, Xiao Yao had already used his sword and shield to parry a claw attack from the shadows. Then, he grabbed the hilt of his sword and thrust it to the right, instantly piercing the shadowy human figure that had launched the sneak attack right through.

"They're probably after us again, be careful!" Xiao Yao warned Yu Luying.

"I didn't bring an axe!" Yu Luying replied anxiously.

"Where's your pumpkin carriage? I'll protect you. Let's hurry up and get out of here. Corridors and stairwells are the worst kind of terrain. You'll get attacked from all sides—I was tricked like that in Shen Hongsheng's palace."

"..." Yu Luying concentrated and tried, but nothing happened. She shook her head: "It probably won't work indoors."

"Then we'll have to fight our way down one floor at a time. You stay behind me."

When you see one cockroach, it means there are countless cockroaches in the shadows, and the same applies to shadows.

In the bottomless stairwell, Xiao Yao could sense that countless shadows were lurking there.

……

……

……

Just a second before that moment arrived, Shen Jie was playing on the beach, trying to dispel the knot in her heart.

To be precise, it was playing in the sea.

The glow of the setting sun turned the sea golden. At the beach, there was an extremely thick rope, one end of which was tied to a floating rope on the sea surface, and the other end extended to the sand.

There were probably dozens of people standing or floating in the shallow sea, holding onto the thick rope, laughing and chatting as they welcomed wave after wave of waves, as if they were having a collective tug-of-war with the sea.

"Qingwei, hold on tight!" Daiyu called out with concern when he saw Shen Jie being tossed about by the waves.

Yan Xiao mocked, "Take care of yourself first. Qingwei is physically stronger and has better strength than you."

This may not be true, but Yan Xiao just said it, and that's that.

Shen Jie's little leather shoes were placed under a white lighthouse, where many shoes were stored because the ground was concrete and there was no sand or water.

At this moment, she was half-floating in the sea, clinging tightly to the thick rope as if grasping at a lifeline.

The girl's face was ashen; she neither cried out nor laughed, and her eyes were somewhat frightening.

Her hair was completely wet, with a few strands clinging tightly to her forehead. Her soaked black collar and short sleeves were wrinkled and limp, clinging to her chest and arms. In the glow of the setting sun, the pure black clothes shone with a dazzling light.

A wave even larger than the one before crashed in, eliciting gasps from the crowd.

Several people even started to flee to the shore.

Shen Jie closed her eyes, took a deep breath in advance, and let her body lie slightly on the water's surface, preparing to receive this violent impact.

...

……

.........

The impact was delayed, and the girl opened her eyes amidst the squealing of the ribbonfish.

The huge wave stopped just a few meters in front of me, and the wall of water at that distance created an astonishing visual pressure.

But it just stayed there, its form completely frozen, as if it were ice.

"What's going on? It's finally happening again!" the ribbonfish shouted. His voice, which should have been drowned out by the waves, became incredibly clear when the sound of the waves stopped.

There was even an echo.

The entire sea surface was completely frozen, with waves and tidal bores frozen in place, like a frozen planet, revealing this terrifying and eerie scene.

Shen Jie wiped her forehead and eyes, released the thick rope, and floated on the stagnant sea.

She then realized that it was completely dark. Just moments ago, the sun was still quite a distance from the sea, but in the blink of an eye, it had completely disappeared—in fact, the surroundings were as dark as midnight.

The only source of light came from the huge black moon overhead, which cast a cold, pale light that bathed the entire sea, the entire beach, and the entire world in a dark green glow.

“Shadow time…” Shen Jie murmured.

"Let's get ashore first!" the ribbonfish shouted as it pulled Yan Xiao toward the shore.

"Woo-woo-woo-woo" The sound of a horn, like the chill of winter, came from somewhere, reminding Shen Jie of the Book of John.

"Woo--Woo--"

The girl stepped ashore, her feet, encased in white printed stockings, gently treading on the sand. Her soaked black dress made a "splashing" sound as she moved.

"Should we try to get the class monitor, Brother Long, and everyone else out of the water first?" Daiyu asked, hugging Yan Xiao, who was still in shock and wearing a bikini.

Shen Jie hesitated for a moment and said, "No need. Based on our experience last time, the shadow will not harm people who are unaware of the shadow time. Moreover, when time resumes its flow, they will feel as if nothing has happened—unless we actually move them."

"Okay." Ribbonfish nodded. "So what do we do now?"