Endymion Lin barely noticed when a girl sat down beside him. She looked petite, her delicate face not exactly striking but appealing in its own way. Her complexion was a little pale, giving the impression of malnutrition. She wore a plain T-shirt and denim jeans—cheap, but neat and tidy.
At that moment, the girl was looking at him with an expectant expression. Clearly, she had just tugged at his sleeve.
"Is something wrong?" Endymion asked, confused. He didn't recognize her.
"Could you move over just a little?" the girl asked hesitantly.
Endymion glanced at the seat beside her and immediately understood. The subway car was packed, and next to the girl, a blonde young man was clearly taking advantage of the crowded conditions to harass her.
"Let's switch seats," Endymion suggested.
"Thank you so much!" The girl quickly moved to the seat he offered, grateful for his help.
She had managed to escape the harassment, but now it was clear that Endymion had made an enemy of the blonde youth.
"Hey, you've got some nerve!" the blonde youth glared at Endymion angrily.
Endymion ignored him, continuing to sit as if he hadn't heard a word.
"Kid, you're asking for trouble. You dare steal from me?" The blonde youth suddenly jumped up, shouting loudly.
His shout quickly drew the attention of several nearby passengers. In an instant, dozens of eyes turned in their direction.
"Boring!" Endymion replied indifferently, unimpressed by the poor excuse.
"You're accusing him of theft? He didn't steal anything!" The girl bravely defended Endymion.
Endymion was taken aback, turning to look at her. He hadn't expected this fragile-looking girl to stand up for him.
"A thief would never admit it," the blonde youth sneered at Endymion. "What's the matter, kid? You too scared to let me search you?"
"You're not a cop. You don't have the right to search me!" The girl's confidence seemed to be growing.
Just then, a female voice came through the train's speakers: "The train will arrive at the Nodin Tower station in one minute. Passengers for Nodin Tower, please prepare to disembark…"
Endymion frowned slightly. He didn't want to get caught up in this mess any longer. He quickly muttered an incantation, and a crimson ember sparked at his fingertips—no larger than a coin but radiating blistering heat. With a hissed incantation, it streaked toward the blonde's trousers.
As the ember faded, a wave of dizziness reminded him—magic always demanded its price.
The man shrieked, batting at the flames as they spread. Endymion moved. His Starry Combat Qi surged through muscle fibers—elbow jammed into the harasser's solar plexus, knee driving upward into his thigh. Three precise strikes echoed with sickening thuds.
The blonde youth's face twisted in pain as he scrambled to put out the flames while Endymion swiftly delivered a few expert blows.
The train arrived at the station, and Endymion stopped, his voice calm: "You should thank me. If not for me, you might've been seriously burned."
The blonde youth's face went pale, his hands clutching his pants in agony, unable to utter a word.
Ignoring the shocked stares of the other passengers, Endymion stood up, dusted his hands, and walked off the train, heading toward the station's exit.
As the train pulled away, the blonde youth let out a blood-curdling scream.
The Nodin Tower speared through Shuimeng Star's skyline—its obsidian surface studded with holographic ads for Eclipse-class mechas. Floor 68 glowed with bioluminescent security runes, accessible only via a retina-scanned elevator. Even the Chairman needed Level-X clearance codes Yuxue personally generated each dawn.
Endymion stepped into the lobby, tapping his wrist computer to contact Yuxue.
"You're late! As punishment, figure out how to come up yourself!" Yuxue's lovely face appeared on the screen, and she looked slightly annoyed.
"Fine," Endymion sighed and walked up to the reception desk.
"Good morning, sir. How can I help you?" The receptionist smiled sweetly, her voice polite and professional, which caught Endymion off guard.
"Oh, I'm here to see Miss Yuxue." Endymion explained simply.
"Do you have an appointment with Miss Yuxue?" The receptionist asked, her expression hesitant.
"Of course, we arranged it earlier. You can ask her if you like," Endymion responded quickly.
"Let me check with Miss Yuxue. May I have your name, sir?" The receptionist was still polite.
"It's Endymion." Endymion hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Endymion" wasn't a common surname, and everyone on Shuimeng Star would instantly associate it with the prestigious Endymion family.
Sure enough, when the receptionist heard the name, her eyes widened, and she looked at Endymion with a new expression before quickly contacting Yuxue.
At that moment, the doors to Yuxue's private elevator opened, and a stunning, mature woman stepped out.
"Aunt!" Endymion called, hurrying to greet her.
"Hehe, Liam, I told you you've gotten handsome!" Yuxue playfully reached up to touch his face. "And you've put on a bit of weight too. Looks like you've been doing well!"
Her soft hand caressed his cheek, and Endymion's heart skipped a beat. The familiar scent of her perfume made him feel light-headed.
"Aunt, let's go upstairs," Endymion said, a little embarrassed.
"Let's go!" Yuxue linked her arm through his, leading him toward the elevator.
Endymion couldn't help but blush as he felt the soft, comforting sensation of her arm around his. The allure of this captivating woman was hard to resist, and despite their familiarity, Endymion found it difficult to ignore her magnetic presence.
What Endymion didn't know was that many eyes were watching him from behind, each one filled with a single thought: "This kid dares to take advantage of Miss Yuxue!"
As they entered Yuxue's apartment, Endymion shook his head. This wasn't the first time he'd been here, and it looked just like it always did—clean, but still chaotic. Prototype mecha cores hummed under pizza boxes, and holographic blueprints flickered under discarded silk blouses. Clothes and socks were scattered everywhere, two pairs of underwear thrown on the bed, and to his surprise, a pearl-gray lace bra draped over the armrest like a fallen banner.
"Battlefield aesthetics!" Yuxue declared with a wave, kicking aside neural interface cables tangled with stockings.
Endymion couldn't help but start tidying up, just like last year. Yuxue, as always, helped him, though her attempts only seemed to make things worse. But he didn't mind her help—they chatted about the events of the past year as they worked together.
Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, it was already lunchtime. The room was finally tidy.
"Hmm, Liam, I think I'm a bit hungry. How about we go buy some ingredients and cook?" Yuxue stretched and yawned, looking content.
"Sure." Endymion didn't mind. Every year, Yuxue said it was for his birthday, but by the time he arrived, he usually ended up doing most of the work while she played her usual role of trying (and failing) to help. The genius mecha designer was hopeless when it came to daily tasks.
A few minutes later, Yuxue linked her arm through his, and they stepped into the elevator.
"Yuxue!" A girl in the lobby saw Yuxue and hurried over, beaming.
Endymion blinked in confusion. Could it be? He stared, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. Had this girl... split personalities?
The woman in the lobby had platinum-blonde hair that shone under corporate lights—identical to the subway girl's malnourished mop. But where the waif had timid hazel eyes, this woman's glacial blue gaze pinned him like a specimen. Impossible... yet their jawlines matched pixel-perfect."Yuxue!" Her voice was liquid honey laced with steel—a polar opposite to the subway girl's tremors. Endymion's grip tightened on his aunt's arm. Two faces. One genetic code.
...