The table was already set with two place settings, toast, and juice. Su Xiaoxi pinched herself discreetly—this wasn't a dream. Agent 001 was making her breakfast.
"Eat," Lin Yi said, placing a plate in front of her before sitting down with a cup of black coffee.
Su Xiaoxi took a bite of the scrambled eggs and was surprised by how good they were. "Wow, this is way better than I expected!"
"You thought I couldn't even fry an egg?" Lin Yi raised an eyebrow.
"I assumed agents survived on energy bars and military rations..." Su Xiaoxi joked, then froze mid-bite as she realized what she'd just said.
Lin Yi set down his coffee cup. "...How long have you known?"
"Guessed," Su Xiaoxi admitted quietly. "You're too... *professional*. And the way you fought those men that day... it wasn't something an ordinary person could do."
Lin Yi was silent for a moment. "Don't tell anyone."
"Of course!" Su Xiaoxi nodded quickly. "Then... can you tell me your real name? Or is 'Lin Yi' also fake?"
"It's real," he answered curtly before changing the subject. "We'll stay here for the next few days until we confirm it's safe."
After breakfast, Lin Yi began teaching her more about security—how to spot surveillance cameras, detect if someone was following her, even how to use basic weapons. Su Xiaoxi paid close attention, though her focus occasionally drifted to Lin Yi's hands—his long, deft fingers, the defined muscles as he demonstrated movements, and the faint scars that occasionally peeked out.
In the afternoon, Lin Yi went out to "scout the situation," leaving Su Xiaoxi alone in the safe house. Before leaving, he repeatedly warned her not to open the door or answer calls from unknown numbers. Bored, Su Xiaoxi flipped through the few old magazines on the shelf until she noticed the corner of a photo frame peeking out from under the couch cushion.
Curiosity got the better of her, and she pulled it out—it was a faded old photo of a stern-looking man in military uniform and a smiling boy, standing in front of what appeared to be an army base. The boy was around seven or eight years old, but Su Xiaoxi recognized those eyes instantly.
"...Is this Lin Yi?"
The date on the back showed it was taken twenty years ago. Young Lin Yi smiled shyly, a stark contrast to the man he was now. The man in uniform was likely his father—their eyes and brows were nearly identical.