The next morning, sunlight poured quietly through the tall glass windows of Lin Xuan's mansion, painting the living room in warm gold. Lin Xuan sat on the sofa with one leg crossed over the other, calmly reading a thick, leather-bound book. Beside him, Anika leaned closer than necessary, her chin resting on the edge of his shoulder as she tried to peek at the pages.
"Big brother Lin, look at me," she said softly, shifting in front of him, blocking the book with her face.
Lin Xuan turned a page without reacting.
Shin stepped into the room, took one look at the scene, and froze.
"What the hell," he muttered, dragging a hand through his hair. "This is so unfair. I swear, just seeing this makes me jealous. And you, black-eyes, at least respond to her."
Lin Xuan glanced at him for half a second, then returned to reading.
Anika looked over at Shin. "Where are you going this early?"
Shin shrugged. "I want to prepare a gift for Nanao. I'm heading out for some shopping. Want to come?"
She shook her head immediately. "Nope. I want to spend time with big brother Lin."
Shin sighed dramatically. "Why is he always so lucky…"
He turned and walked toward the garage, still mumbling to himself.
Moments later, the engine of his car roared to life. He pulled out of the mansion's driveway and sped down the empty morning road.
After about an hour, the city's modern districts faded behind him, replaced by pale stone pathways and towering white walls. A massive silver gate rose ahead — the entrance to Pale Orchard.
Shin slowed his car and stopped just outside the gate. He tapped the steering wheel twice, then pulled out his phone and made a call.
The line connected almost instantly.
"I'm outside," Shin said. "Tell your guards to open the gate."
"Understood," came the calm reply.
A few minutes later, the giant gate slid open with a low metallic hum.
Shin smirked. "Nice. Still have good timing."
He drove inside, the road leading him through an enormous orchard of glowing pale-blue trees before arriving at a grand white mansion. He parked in the front garage, stepped out, and stretched lightly.
Inside the mansion's living room, a woman stood near the center, waiting.
She was striking — tall, graceful, her long ash-pink hair flowing over a sleek black outfit. Even without trying, she carried an air that made the room feel smaller.
Shin walked in, gave her a slow look, and grinned.
"Whoa. You look beautiful even when you're not showing off your cleavage," he said. "It's been years since we met, Selene."
Selene blinked, then folded her arms. "Master, we meet after years and the first thing you talk about is my cleavage?"
Shin chuckled and stepped closer. "Didn't like that? Fine, I'm sorry. So, how have you been?"
"I'm fine," she replied. "What about you?"
"Always great," Shin said. "Anyway, can I sit now?"
"Of course. Would you like something to drink or eat?"
"Caffeine," Shin said immediately, dropping onto the couch. "Strong."
Selene nodded and left the room. A few minutes later, she returned with two steaming cups of coffee. She handed one to Shin and sat beside him.
She looked at him carefully. "I heard there was some trouble on Ignis Prime. Some Evolvers who hadn't evacuated… died."
Shin took a sip, then leaned back. "Yeah. There was a beast — way stronger than we expected. It nearly wiped us out. It's been days, but it's still stressful. I need something relaxing."
He turned slightly toward her. "That's actually why I came here today. I want to go shopping. Wanna come with me?"
"Shopping?" Selene repeated, her voice rising just a little.
Shin nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Yeah. I want to buy a gift for my girlfriend. And since I clearly have no talent in that department, I thought I'd drag you along."
Selene stared at him for a moment. "So… you came all this way just to take me shopping for someone else?"
Shin leaned closer without warning, reached out, and gently pressed her cheeks between his fingers. He smiled brightly. "Why? Are you jealous?"
Her reaction was instant. "W–What? Why would I be jealous? I'm not jealous at all!"
He laughed and released her face. "Relax. I'll buy you something too."
"I don't need anyone else to buy me things," Selene said quickly, turning her head away.
"Yeah, yeah," Shin waved it off. "Anyway—how did Pale Orchard climb back up the rankings? Last I heard, you were down at twentieth."
Selene straightened, her tone shifting into something more composed. "We were demoted because we lost too many fighters. But our researchers stayed loyal and intact. We hired new combat forces and stabilized our operations. That brought us back to sixteenth."
She paused, then added, "And when the Nethyra Clan was annihilated… we rose to fifteenth automatically."
Shin's expression froze. "Wait. Nethyra was annihilated?"
"You didn't know?" Selene asked, surprised.
"Nobody told me," Shin said, sitting up straighter.
"It was done by Lin Xuan," Selene replied calmly. "The leader of the Obsidian Onyx Guild."
Shin let out a low whistle. "That explains a lot."
She studied him. "So… do you still intend to use Pale Orchard?"
"Yes," Shin said. "But not for my previous plan. I want Pale Orchard to secretly protect Hina."
Selene's eyes narrowed slightly. "That's a serious request."
"I know," Shin replied. Then, as if changing the topic on a whim, he added, "By the way—can you show me that Cristarion artifact?"
She hesitated. "It doesn't do anything."
"But you still have it, right?"
"Yes," Selene sighed. "If you insist, I'll take you."
They entered a private lift at the end of the corridor. The doors closed, and the platform descended deep beneath the mansion. When it opened, a vast underground laboratory stretched before them, filled with glowing panels, floating screens, and researchers moving briskly between stations.
Selene led Shin through the lab to a sealed chamber. Inside, on a reinforced pedestal, rested a small, dull-looking orb.
A researcher stepped forward. "It's useless," he said bluntly. "It reacted once, killed several researchers, and then went dormant. Since then, nothing."
Shin walked up to the orb and placed his hand on it.
Nothing happened.
"Huh," Shin muttered. "Interesting."
He turned to Selene. "Can I take it?"
The researcher stiffened and looked at her. After a moment, Selene nodded.
"…Yes," the researcher said reluctantly. "But I doubt it has any value. It's probably just trash."
Shin picked up the orb casually. "Yeah. It's useless for side characters like you."
The researcher frowned. "Side… characters?"
"But for a main character," Shin continued with a grin, "this thing's a treasure."
The researcher looked helplessly at Selene. "Ma'am… what is he talking about?"
She sighed. "Ignore him. He's always like this."
Twenty minutes later, Shin and Selene were standing in her room.
Before she could say anything, Shin spoke first. "Before we leave, wear a veil."
Selene looked at him. "A veil?"
"Yeah," Shin said casually. "If you go out with me like this, people might recognize you. Then they'll start assuming I have some ridiculous background, stop provoking me, stop fighting my friends, and boom—no conflicts, no trouble, no loot."
He waved a hand. "My team will lose out on treasures. This is a core mandatory event in any proper Xianxia setting."
Selene stared at him in silence for several seconds.
"…What kind of nonsense is that?" she finally said.
"Trust me," Shin replied easily. "It's important."
After a brief pause, Selene walked toward the wardrobe. When she returned, a thin veil covered her face, soft fabric draping down and hiding her features.
She stopped in front of the mirror.
For a moment, she didn't move.
"It's been a while," she said quietly, "since I hid my face because of someone else."
Shin leaned against the wall. "Oh? You wore something like that before?"
"Yes," Selene replied. Her voice was steady, but distant. "My father was a misogynist. He used to say that women belonged in the kitchen, they should always lower their heads in front of men, men can do anything they want with women, they only exist for giving birth."
She clenched her fingers slightly. "He ordered me to cover myself all the time. Even inside my own house."
Shin frowned. "Sounds like an ugly bastard."
"Yes," she said simply. "He was."
They didn't speak after that.
A few minutes later, they were seated inside Shin's car. The vehicle slid out of Pale Orchard and merged into the city's flow.
Half an hour passed.
The car slowed to a stop beneath a towering glass structure. Light reflected off polished panels, the entrance of the mall buzzing softly with movement and distant chatter.
Shin stepped out first, stretching his arms. Selene followed, the veil hiding her face, her presence subdued yet unmistakably refined.
Inside, the air smelled faintly of perfume and new fabric. They entered a clothing store lined with mannequins dressed in elegant outfits.
Selene moved ahead instinctively, fingers brushing across fabrics as her eyes scanned colors and cuts. She was focused—too focused.
"This one," she said, lifting a dress. "It will suit her. Simple, but not plain."
Shin nodded. "You're good at this."
She picked another, then another, comparing them carefully. Eventually, her hand paused on a dress slightly apart from the rest. She held it up, studying it longer than the others.
Shin noticed immediately.
"You like that one," he said.
Selene hesitated. "It's… nice. But it wouldn't suit her."
"Then take it for yourself," Shin replied casually.
She turned to him. "I don't need—"
"Didn't say you needed it," Shin interrupted. "You want it. That's enough."
Selene fell silent, eyes lingering on the dress. After a moment, she exhaled softly and nodded.
"…Fine."
She picked up the dress and walked toward the fitting rooms. Just before stepping inside, she paused, glanced down at the dress, then disappeared behind the curtain.
Shin leaned against a nearby rack, arms crossed, a faint smile tugging at his lips.