Extraterrestrial demons invaded; I laid the groundwork eight years in advance.

Shen Bai was awakened by noises coming from the kitchen in the early morning.

The sounds of the spatula clattering against the wok, the hum of the range hood, and Zhao Ya's hushed urging—"Old Shen, turn the heat down a bit, don't burn it."

Shen Ling's voice came from the kitchen, muffled: "It's locked right now."

Shen Bai opened his eyes. The living room ceiling was a pale gray in the morning light. The sofa wasn't long, and his ankles were sticking out of it.

He sat up and rubbed his neck. His back was a little sore from sleeping on the sofa, but it was better than he had expected.

Last night, my father slept in his room, while my mother and sister slept in the master bedroom. He didn't go to his sister's room but instead slept on the sofa. The three of them squeezed together, creating a long-lost sense of liveliness.

Shen Bai folded the quilt, put it back in the closet, and went into the bathroom to wash up.

When they came out, Zhao Ya was carrying a bowl of porridge out of the kitchen. Shen Ling followed behind her, carrying a plate of fried eggs.

"Awake? Go call Xiaotian for dinner," Zhao Ya said.

Shen Bai nodded and walked to the door of the master bedroom and knocked.

"Xiao Tian, ​​get up."

From inside came Shen Tian's muffled murmur: "Just five more minutes..."

"Dinner's ready."

"Five minutes..."

Shen Bai didn't knock again and walked back to the dining table.

  

Shen Ling had already sat down and picked up a steamed bun, breaking it in half. Zhao Ya served him some porridge and then served Shen Bai a bowl.

"Where's Xiaotian?"

"She's asleep and won't get up."

Zhao Ya put down her bowl and went into the master bedroom.

A moment later, Shen Tian was pulled out, rubbing her eyes. Her hair was messy and draped over her shoulders. She muttered, "I'm not eating anymore."

The family sat around the dining table. Plain porridge, fried eggs, pickles, and steamed buns—simple yet hearty.

"Xiaobai, are you going to work today?" Zhao Ya put a piece of pickled vegetables on his plate.

"Okay, I'll be leaving in a bit."

"You said last night that you often don't come home..." Shen Ling took a sip of porridge and asked casually.

Shen Bai considered for a moment: "I've been quite busy lately, so it's more convenient to live near the company. I'll come back whenever I have time."

Shen Ling didn't ask any more questions and lowered his head to drink his porridge. Zhao Ya glanced at her husband, then at her son, her lips moved, but she ultimately didn't speak.

Shen Tian didn't notice anything, and continued to drink her porridge while scrolling through her phone, occasionally letting out a laugh of "Look at this."

After the meal, Shen Bai helped clear the dishes and then changed his clothes.

"Dad, Mom, I'm leaving now."

Zhao Ya saw him to the door and straightened his collar.

"be safe."

"Yes."

Shen Bai left home and drove into the morning rush hour traffic. He gripped the steering wheel, and Xiao Cheng's voice echoed in his mind.

"Master, a total of fifty-seven rifts appeared globally yesterday, and all of them have been dealt with. The monster corpses have been recovered."

"understood."

"In addition, Director Chen of the Extraordinary Administration Bureau conveyed a request this afternoon through Mr. Li Zhou—he hopes that Dawn can send a representative to attend the founding ceremony of the Extraordinary Administration Bureau."

"Let Li Zhou go. He and Chen Zhengping have worked very well together before, so let him represent Dawn at the ceremony."

"receive."

Shen Bai cut off the communication and drove the car onto the elevated road.

Parents have returned, all plans are progressing smoothly, and the fracture data is within the expected range.

Everything is on track.

But he always felt like he had forgotten something.

The car exited the overpass and turned onto the road leading to Xiaoqingshan. The bamboo forest rustled on both sides, and the morning light shone through the gaps in the bamboo leaves onto the road, like scattered gold.

Shen Bai parked the car in the garage and opened the door.

The room was very quiet.

He went to the study, where the curtains were not drawn and the light was dim.

"Raven?" he called out.

no respond.

He turned on the light.

The moment the lights came on, he saw the raven pressed tightly against the wall, perched on the top shelf of the bookshelf, curled up into a black ball of fluff, with its back to him.

Shen Bai stood in front of the bookshelf, looking up at the raven.

He remembered.

My parents came back yesterday. We picked them up from the airport, ate, chatted, and slept all day. He even said he'd bring it some treats when he left yesterday morning, but he completely forgot.

The raven waited for him all day.

Shen Bai remained silent for a moment.

"I'm back," he said.

The raven did not move.

"My parents came back yesterday and are staying there."

The raven remained motionless. Its black feathers gleamed with a bluish sheen under the lamplight, but its posture clearly carried a deliberate aloofness—its wings were tucked tightly together, its head buried beneath them, not even glancing at him.

Shen Bai stood in front of the bookshelf without saying anything more.

He truly forgot; there was no excuse.

The study fell silent.

After a long while, Shen Bai spoke.

"sorry."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was very clear.

The raven finally moved. It peeked out from under its wing and glanced at Shen Bai. Its eyes held obvious displeasure and a hint of grievance.

Then it buried its head back down.

Shen Bai didn't try to coax it anymore. He drew back the curtains, sat down in a chair, and waited quietly.

The sunlight outside the window slowly moved, from one corner of the desk to another.

The raven perched on the top of the bookshelf, motionless.

About twenty minutes later.

The raven finally flew down from the horizontal board and landed on the desk. But instead of going to Shen Bai, it perched on the corner of the desk, its back to him.

"Gah—" it cried out, a short, sharp cry, clearly carrying emotion.

Shen Bai reached out to touch it. The raven hopped forward and dodged.

Shen Bai withdrew his hand and did not press the matter further.

"I'll go get you something to eat." He stood up and went into the kitchen.

The monster meat cutlet in the refrigerator was gone. He rummaged around and found a box of chicken breast, took out a piece to thaw, fried it, cut it into small pieces, put it on a plate, and took it back to his study.

The raven perched on the corner of the table, glanced at the plate, and didn't touch it.

Shen Bai placed the plate in front of it, took two steps back, and sat back down in his chair.

The raven was silent for a few seconds, then lowered its head and pecked at a small piece of chicken. It chewed it, swallowed it, and then pecked at another piece.

Shen Bai watched it eat without saying a word.

The raven finished the chicken on its plate, paced a couple of times on the table, then flew up and landed on Shen Bai's shoulder. But instead of nuzzling his neck as usual, it crouched there, keeping a slight distance.

Shen Bai turned his head and glanced at it.

"You're not angry anymore?"

The raven cawed, "Caw—" with a hint of "I reluctantly forgive you, but I haven't completely forgiven you yet."

Shen Bai didn't press the matter further. He reached out his hand, and this time the raven didn't flinch. He gently stroked its back feathers, and the raven shook its wings but didn't fly away.

"It won't happen again next time," he said softly.

The raven didn't respond, but simply leaned its body closer to his neck.

The man and the crow sat silently in the study, doing nothing. They simply stayed together quietly.

Shen Bai knew that there was now one more crow in the world who cared about him—his parents would wait for him to come home, his sister would remember his praise, and the Dawn team members would take him as their banner on the battlefield. Even this silent crow would sulk in a corner because of his absence.

The sunlight slowly moved across the tabletop, casting the shadows of a man and a crow onto the wall.

The young man was slender, with a tuft of dark hair resting on his shoulder. One tall, one short; one still, one silent; like a silhouette frozen in time.

Quiet and harmonious.