We moved to Golden Courtyard

"Impossible. When these test subjects came in, you and I both tested them. Their brain development far exceeded that of their peers. There's still a problem with the method. We need to continue experimenting and trying different approaches."

"Trial and error... test subjects are precious. You have no idea how much money the organization has spent on this batch of children, so we have to use them sparingly."

"Don't worry. By the way, have you disposed of the test subjects from last night?"

"What's there to deal with? Nobody can get into this place. Just find a patch of snow and throw it in."

“I was devastated. I don’t know how these voices got into my brain, but I know for sure that the information is absolutely real.”

The breeze by the lake stirred the clothes of the three people.

Xu Qi looked serious.

He knew that this was Kafka's spiritual power, which had awakened at that moment—a spiritual power awakened due to extreme fear.

"Later, I planned to escape from that orphanage for a month. There were three of us, A297, A303 and A309. The four of us successfully escaped from that orphanage."

Actually, on the day of our escape, something unexpected seemed to have happened inside the orphanage, which increased the chances of our successful escape.

At this point, Kafka showed a relieved expression, but what followed was...

It was a sadness unlike anything I had ever experienced before.

"Of the four of us, only I awakened my spiritual power. The other three girls chose to escape with me because they trusted me."

During our escape, we found A312's body... to be precise, it was basically just bones, and a head that had been gnawed in half...

But we had no time to care about that scene anymore. The people at the orphanage quickly discovered our escape and chased after us.

But deep within the Siberian snowfields, besides the cold, hunger, and the pursuers, we also faced Siberian wolves.

"If you manage to reach the outside world alive, please live well in my place."

……

"Run the other way! I'm injured, and the wolves will target me first. 309... her wish is also my wish! Please... stay alive!"

……

"317, they... they're all dead..."

In the snowy cave, the girl handed over the last bit of food she had to the purple-haired girl named 317.

“Take it, I can’t hold on any longer. You’re the best among us… We’ve never regretted escaping with you.”

"297..."

"What kind of expression is that? It's not pretty at all..." The girl tried to reach out and brush her hand away from the other person's face, but her hands were already frozen.

"I... I'll give you a name."

"name?"

"Yes, just like the characters in novels, they all have names. Kafka, he's my favorite author. Do you like that name?"

A317, or rather Kafka knew, was a quiet girl who always carried a book in the orphanage and would read for a whole day.

Her favorite novel is called "The Metamorphosis".

She gave a smile that was more like a grimace and said to the girl lying in front of her, "Well, from now on, my name will be Kafka."

"That's... wonderful..."

"I took the last bit of food that 297 had given me and left the cave. I don't know how far I escaped, I only know that I was eventually rescued by a hunter."

From that day on, I received my own name—Kafka. But I never imagined…”

Kafka turned to look at Ellie.

“You were actually there at the time.”

Xu Qi was still immersed in Kafka's past and found it difficult to move on. Upon hearing this news, he looked at Alicia in astonishment and asked, "Aili?"

"Yes, that's right... I was traveling around the world at the time. I saw you and your friends parting ways. I wanted to protect you, but the wolf pack had already caught up with us."

When I drove the wolves away and returned to the cave, you were gone, leaving only... your companions.

Kafka stared blankly at Alicia, whose face was filled with sorrow. She never imagined that she had owed someone a life long ago...

“Bearing the mission of your comrades, you have managed to survive until now... Kaffa, you are truly remarkable.”

Tears streamed down the woman's cheeks.

Xu Qi asked one last question.

"What's the name of that orphanage?"

"Cocolia...Cocolia Orphanage".

Chapter 1023, Section 1016: The Passage to a Woman's Heart

Therefore, everything has the most reasonable explanation.

Why did Kafka betray Cocolia? What was the inside man driving all of this?

Now everything has an answer.

Xu Qi looked at this woman whose childhood was filled with suffering, and he also found it hard to imagine what her life was like afterward, or how she had gradually come to where she was today.

The wariness in her eyes lessened slightly. With Alicia present, she could naturally verify that what the other party said was true, not to mention that Dr. Mei had also conducted an investigation.

Cocolia Orphanage... This institution does indeed exist in Anti-Entropy.

It was the first organization to conduct brain research on modern humans.

However, the research methods were fraught with taboos, and conducting live experiments on humans was something that was revealed when the terrorist organization Anti-Entropy first came into the public eye.

It has now been destroyed, but there's no guarantee that the other side won't continue in the shadows.

It's not hard to tell from Kafka's words that their initial research targets were children.

Xu Qi turned his head and saw that Kafka had already controlled her emotions, but her body, which subconsciously adopted a guarded posture, was still telling him something.

Even after so many years, she still hasn't been able to escape the shadow of her childhood.

This shadow will likely accompany her for the rest of her life, and even if Cocolia were to die, she would find it difficult to escape.

"Please come to the courtyard often in the future."

Kafka looked up in surprise.

"Also, tell your good friend Haha Rabbit that if you don't want to continue... I won't force you to stay."

"Mr. Xu Qi...?"

“You finally gained your freedom, but then, driven by hatred, you put yourself back in prison. I don’t want you to… fall into a new prison.”

In the evening, after a day of playing, everyone agreed to have a barbecue by the lake for dinner. For children like Rosalia and Lilia, it immediately felt like a picnic.

And Kafka...

She seemed somewhat dazed throughout the day.

As night falls, I sit alone by the lake, gazing at the moonlit surface, but my mood is not as calm as the lake at that moment.

What are you thinking about?

Hearing the voice that spoke to her, Kafka finally came to her senses, but when she saw Mei beside her, her expression turned strange, after all... they rarely interacted.

"I heard Mei tell you about your conversation during the day. Were you thinking about what Xu Qi said to you?"

"..."

Kafka nodded, and Mei also gathered her skirt and sat down next to her.

"He's a man who's sometimes too good at talking and sometimes not. Actually, what he's trying to say isn't complicated, you should be able to understand it."

Kafka nodded.

"He wants to give me my freedom."

He wants you to be free.

"..."

The lake in my heart is once again rippling with waves.

Kafka used to think Xu Qi was gentle, but that was only based on his attitude towards the people around him. She never expected that he would always be this gentle.

“However, the two meanings are quite similar,” Mei said casually, propping herself up with her hands behind her back. “But since you know that, why do you still look so dazed?”

"Maybe it's because... I don't actually want to leave."

Upon hearing this, Mei's expression froze.

Kafka seemed to realize what it actually meant when she had such thoughts.

Neither of them spoke for a moment.

Finally, it was Mei who spoke.

"Miss Kaffa."

"...Please speak..."

For some reason, after realizing that she might have some inexplicable feelings for Xu Qi, she became a little nervous when she looked at Mei.

After all... this is the legendary first wife.

"Although these words are not really suitable for me to say, after all, you are older than me and have more experience, but if... I mean if."

If you've truly met a man you absolutely don't want to let go of, my advice is—don't worry about prejudice or opinions, just boldly pursue him.

Kafka held her breath.

"But if..."

“If it were someone else, I definitely wouldn’t say that, after all, it would be breaking up someone else’s family. But…” Mei’s expression was filled with helplessness and a hint of resentment.

"He's different after all. When I agreed to Alicia and Sakura's relationship, I should have expected what would happen later, so... understand?"

This is indeed the demeanor of a first wife.

Kaffa was deeply impressed by Mei.

“There are some things I don’t think Xu Qi will say, so I have to say them.” Mei composed herself, looking at the other person with a serious and earnest expression.

“I think we both understand that even because of that past, you don’t deserve much trust. You’re different from others, like Rita or Bronya.”

Kafka nodded in understanding.

"Besides, I also understand one thing: you may not trust me about other things, but when it comes to matters between men and women, I know far more about them than you do. You have to trust me in this regard, okay?"

Matters between men and women?

Kafka nodded, confused. She didn't understand why they were suddenly talking about this.

"There is only one path to a woman's heart."

The moment those words were spoken, even Kaffa blushed. Perhaps only Mei could remain so composed at that moment.

"I used to scoff at it, but now I'm convinced. Love without sex, and sex without love, are both incomplete. Anyway... we need your loyalty."

Mei turned to the side and pressed her hand against Kaffa's lower abdomen beneath her leather jacket.

"Although this may sound a bit ridiculous, I still have to tell you—I can tell that you do like Xu Qi to some extent."

Given this premise, if you've ever experienced the feeling of having your heart's passage occupied by someone else, then... you'll be completely unable to leave Xu Qi.

So, if you have any other thoughts, as Xu Qi said, we're setting you free; you can choose to leave.

……

Kafka lowered her head, her pretty face flushed with a rare blush of shyness.

Fortunately, she wasn't the kind of shy little girl who would blush at the slightest provocation.

In just a short while, she adjusted her mindset.

“I agree with you, but… Miss Mei, please forgive my bluntness, but I don’t need you to lower your guard against me. I only need to be responsible for my own affairs.”

Therefore, I refused.

……

The two women gazed at each other in silence for a long time, until at one moment, Mei suddenly broke into a beautiful smile.

That smile revealed a quality called acceptance.