Better to Have Always Flown Alone

On the street.

A fleet of luxury cars with consecutive license plate numbers roared past simultaneously, drawing curious glances from pedestrians. Although this city was a gathering place for tycoons and dignitaries, such a spectacle wasn't something one witnessed every day.

Inside one of the understated yet opulent limousines, Ji Qingyi sat upright in the back seat, her delicate brows furrowed as if she were suppressing a storm of rage.

Who would have thought that her fiancé, Su Cheng, would dare to address her romantic rival, Li Guanqi, as "mother" right in front of her? To Ji Qingyi, this was nothing short of a humiliating insult—especially since the other woman was younger than her, fueling her fury even further.

Which raised the question:

What was she supposed to call Li Guanqi now?

Liu Qingyue cautiously stole a glance at her mistress, silently grateful she was merely an observer in this mess.

She lowered her gaze to the notebook on her lap, continuing to analyze the uploaded surveillance footage, isolating close-ups of Su Cheng's expressions and movements in hopes of uncovering some clues.

Just then, the car's communication device crackled to life.

"Miss, Team Three reporting. The young master has left Li Guanqi, but Li Guanqi has suddenly vanished from our surveillance range. Should we expand the search perimeter?"

Hearing this, both Ji Qingyi and Liu Qingyue frowned in unison. After a moment, Liu Qingyue mused, "I bet she’s using that invisibility knife again to tail Su Cheng."

Ji Qingyi gave a slight nod.

Liu Qingyue promptly issued orders: "Abandon the search. Regroup with Team One and widen the surveillance radius. Maintain contact with Team Two."

"Understood!" Team Three acknowledged before cutting the transmission.

Meanwhile, Liu Qingyue couldn't help but grumble inwardly: This game of hide-and-seek was already headache-inducing enough, and now we have to watch out for Li Guanqi too? It’s like being ambushed at every turn!

The communication device buzzed again: "Miss, Team One reporting! The young master just spent an unusually long time staring at a half-dead mouse by a sewer grate—one that had been run over by a car. Something feels off. Awaiting instructions."

Team One’s update left Ji Qingyi and Liu Qingyue exchanging bewildered glances.

"How utterly pointless," Ji Qingyi muttered, shaking her head before commanding, "Continue observing. Report any abnormalities immediately."

"Miss, you shouldn’t dismiss it like that," Liu Qingyue turned to gaze out the window, a faint smile playing on her lips. "At least he’s earnest, isn’t he? Even if it’s just a dying street rat, he still tries to save it. Isn’t that what you’d call kindness?"

"So you’re saying he wants to be a Savior?"

Both mistress and maid had already learned of Su Cheng’s condition through surveillance. Without exaggeration, he was currently a walking "elixir of life."

Thus, they could easily guess his intentions—undoubtedly, he planned to use his abilities to revive the mouse.

Sure enough—

Before Liu Qingyue could finish speaking, another update crackled through: "Reporting to Miss, the young master somehow procured a bottle of medicine, rushed back to the mouse, and fed it to the rodent. Now he’s just standing there, lost in thought. No idea what’s going through his mind."

"What kind of medicine did he feed it?" Ji Qingyi pressed.

"We examined the packaging closely. It appears to be a common... rat poison."

"See? He even went out of his way to buy medicine for the mouse—"

"Wait, rat poison?!"

Liu Qingyue’s words caught in her throat as her eyes widened in shock. "Is he... out of his mind?"

They had assumed Su Cheng intended to save the dying mouse through some medical means. Never had they imagined he would specifically purchase rat poison.

Such an absurd act defied all logic—it was hardly something a sane person would do.

………………

Meanwhile.

In a concealed corner not far away, Li Guanqi was intently observing everything. Using her invisibility, she had stealthily positioned herself near Su Cheng, ensuring she neither disturbed him nor aroused his suspicion.

She watched silently—until Su Cheng did something utterly incomprehensible.

He approached the barely alive mouse and fed it the rat poison he had just bought.

Though Li Guanqi couldn’t make out Su Cheng’s expression, the sheer absurdity of the scene made her eyes widen in disbelief.

She had assumed he wanted to save the mouse.

Instead, he was feeding it poison?

Was it to spare the creature a prolonged, painful death?

But then again, wouldn’t the poison make its suffering even worse?

Soon, however, she understood Su Cheng’s reasoning. The moment the mouse stopped breathing, he pulled out a syringe, spat into it, and injected his saliva into the rodent’s body.

In less than a minute, a miracle unfolded—the once-dying mouse sprang back to life! Its wounds healed at a visible pace, its body regained its normal size, and even its fur became glossy and sleek. It scrambled to its feet, full of vigor, looking around as if reborn.

"The mouse... came back to life?"

Li Guanqi stood frozen, too stunned to speak. She had never imagined Su Cheng’s bodily fluids held such miraculous power—capable of reviving a creature on the brink of death in an instant!

Yet what followed sent chills down her spine. Moments after its revival, the mouse suddenly burst into flames.

The fire wasn’t external—it erupted from within, consuming its organs, flesh, and bones from the inside out. In under thirty seconds, the vibrant little life was reduced to ashes, leaving no trace behind.

Its brief resurrection seemed nothing more than a fleeting afterglow.

A horrifying thought surged through Li Guanqi’s mind, making her blood run cold.

She didn’t dare dwell on it.

Was Su Cheng, like the mouse, merely experiencing a temporary revival?

If the regenerative properties of his cells were depleted by the elixir in his body, pushing him into acute organ failure... would he meet the same fate?

Would he, too, perish in agonizing flames?

The thought overwhelmed her with dread. She yearned to rush forward, wrap her arms around Su Cheng, and beg him to stop wandering recklessly and return for treatment immediately.

Screech—

At that moment, over a dozen black cars roared in from all directions, surrounding Su Cheng before he could react.

The lead car’s door swung open, revealing Ji Qingyi at the forefront.

Su Cheng shielded his eyes from the blinding headlights, slowly turning to face Ji Qingyi once his vision adjusted. His expression remained unreadable.

Ji Qingyi’s gaze first fell on the pile of ashes on the ground before locking onto Su Cheng. Her eyes were complex, her face grave, the air thickening with tension.

"Come home with me," she said, her voice low and firm.

"No." Su Cheng’s refusal was immediate, leaving no room for negotiation.

Ji Qingyi’s brows twitched briefly, but she quickly smoothed her expression, as if she’d anticipated this. Calmly, she asked, "Don’t you want to participate in the archery competition anymore?"

"I'll go, but I'm not ready to go back yet." Su Cheng's tone remained cold, as if he were discussing a matter of great importance. "There are still things I need to handle."

"What things? Tell me."

"Things that are right." Su Cheng's voice was utterly indifferent, not even lifting his eyelids.

"Is this how you treat me?" Ji Qingyi stared at him, her expression now stern and icy. The gentle, refined demeanor she had shown in their past interactions had completely vanished, replaced by an aura of sharp authority, as if she had transformed into a different person.

All she wanted now was for him to return and receive proper treatment, to avoid further complications that might push Su Cheng beyond the point of no return.

If necessary, she would resort to force.

"And what if I insist on staying?" Su Cheng countered calmly, meeting her gaze without flinching.

Hearing this, Ji Qingyi turned away and, assisted by her attendants, returned to the car. Outside, the attendants swiftly donned what appeared to be gas masks before hurling an object toward him.

"Apologies, young master."

Su Cheng stood still, allowing the unidentified object to land on his leg. He glanced down briefly, only for the gas to instantly spread, engulfing his entire body.

Just as the attendants assumed Su Cheng had been subdued and moved to retrieve him, they were met with a sight that left them stunned.

Su Cheng was inhaling the fumes through his nose, then exhaling them like smoke from a cigarette. Unaccustomed to smoking, he coughed a few times. "Cough... this stuff packs a punch."

The attendants barely had a second to process this before launching their second contingency plan.

But before they could act, the sky darkened with a swarm of crows. They descended in a chaotic flurry, screeching as they dove at the attendants, pecking and clawing.

The attendants flailed in vain—the crows were too numerous. More importantly, a dense flock encircled Su Cheng, obscuring him entirely within a swirling black mass, like a cascading waterfall of wings.

At the same time—

A pale, delicate hand seized Su Cheng's wrist once more.

Inside the car, Ji Qingyi sat with her eyes closed, seemingly indifferent to the chaos outside.

The entire ordeal lasted no more than a minute.

By the time the crows dispersed, Su Cheng was gone.

Ji Qingyi slowly opened her eyes, her gaze deep and unreadable as she fixed it on a distant point outside the window. Softly, she murmured, "Let’s see if you can bear the weight of the truth when it comes to light..."