Chapter 111: Howling Cold Wind

On a winter night without the moon, the air always felt especially desolate.

The Floating Car rumbled slowly overhead, passing above the bustling city.

As it brushed past the 3D projections beside the skyscrapers, it left behind faint blue ripples, like a boat gliding across water.

The silent, ink-dark sky above flowed in quiet harmony with the shimmering rainbow lights below, like an inverted black ocean and a brilliant starry sky.

An Xianyuan gazed out the window at the beautiful yet lonely scenery, temporarily setting aside her overwhelming worries.

Laura leaned against her, sipping warm milk in small sips. After letting the steam from the cup linger on her face for just a moment, she already closed her eyes in comfort, her toes curling up.

"Cough… cough… cough…"

A brief cough broke the warm silence.

Zhang Xian'an sat across from the two girls, wearing a high-protection mask, coughing softly as his body trembled uncontrollably.

"Are you sick?"

Because Laura was present, An Xianyuan restrained the sharp words on her tongue and, unusually, offered the man a verbal concern.

"Cough… pretty much," Zhang Xian'an frowned; the unknown illness was far worse than he'd expected. "You should… stay away from me for now."

An Xianyuan rolled her eyes, signaling with her gaze that she had never intended to get close to him, then shifted position, hugging Laura and moving as far from him as possible.

Zhang Xian'an shrugged, tightening his mask, and dropped the subject. "I didn't expect you'd bring this little girl along… what's her name again?"

"I'm Laura…" the little girl replied timidly, hiding behind An Xianyuan.

"Don't scare her…" An Xianyuan glared at the man like a lioness protecting her cub. "Besides, if I'm going back to Korea with you, what about her? Who'll take care of her if I don't bring her? Your people? Forget it…"

An Xianyuan sighed, rubbing her hair, and fell silent.

Laura tugged at the woman's sleeve, offering the warm milk cup like a treasure, pressing it to An Xianyuan's slightly chapped lips.

"Thanks, Laura…" In that instant, meeting the girl's emerald eyes, all her bitterness and rage vanished.

An Xianyuan smiled happily, stroking the child's soft cheeks as she sipped the still-warm milk with delight.

Zhang Xian'an watched her silently, lost in thought—this stranger before him.

The next second, a pain as if his lungs were tearing apart shattered the fleeting thought in his mind.

"Cough… cough… cough… cough…"

The worsening cough echoed endlessly through the Floating Car cabin, relentless and unceasing.

An Xianyuan sighed, placed the milk cup back in Laura's arms, then reached into her handbag and pulled out a box of medicine, tossing it onto the man's lap.

"Take some. It won't cure the root cause… but…"

"CPH-4?" Zhang Xian'an fumbled to catch the flying box, surprised. "How do you know? …Cough… cough… cough… And how do you even have this?"

"You left it in your office. I don't know why you forgot to take it… and didn't you advertise that this drug works on many illnesses? Might as well try it—dead horse as a living one," An Xianyuan snapped, returning her handbag to its place.

Zhang Xian'an's lips twitched. He gripped the medicine box, his gaze flickering.

"Don't get the wrong idea… this is a deal. One box of medicine in exchange for you leaving me and Laura alone for these few days. Fair enough?"

"You're using my own things to bargain with me? Fine… deal."

To An Xianyuan's surprise, the man agreed instantly to her offhand fabrication.

She looked up, studying his unreadable eyes for the first time.

"What? Can't I be nice for once?" Zhang Xian'an rubbed his aching brow, annoyed.

"If you were truly kind, you'd let us off… I don't want to go back to Korea with you."

"Then say that to the old man himself… all this is his stupid idea."

The grotesque face of the old man flashed through her mind. An Xianyuan shuddered, as if coated in a layer of frost.

"Sister, where are we going?"

Laura, unaffected, placed her empty milk cup back on the drink rack, then snuggled back into An Xianyuan's arms, asking in a soft, childish voice.

"Ah… somewhere similar to Night City."

"Hell?"

"Pfft…" Zhang Xian'an hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but the child's sweet voice carried too clearly—and the words were too amusing.

"Laura, whisper quietly. Don't let that bad uncle hear you, okay?" An Xianyuan whispered, lips curled.

"Oh…" Laura nodded obediently, pressing her small head against An Xianyuan's ear and murmuring something else, making her laugh.

"Hey! Can you two not whisper right in front of me?"

"We're sisters sharing secrets. What's wrong with that?"

"You've got a real talent for being a mother…" Zhang Xian'an gritted his teeth, about to threaten instinctively—then caught Laura's curious gaze and swallowed the words back in frustration.

"Mother?" Laura withdrew her curious gaze, nuzzling her head against An Xianyuan's chest. "Mother!"

"Ah! Don't listen to that bastard…" An Xianyuan pulled the girl close, then secretly flipped him the middle finger.

"Then… sister?"

Every time An Xianyuan met Laura's beautiful eyes, she couldn't bring herself to refuse.

"Here's the deal: when it's just you and me, call me whatever you like. But in front of others, call me sister, okay?"

"Okay~" Laura beamed, closing her eyes again, and planted a loud kiss on An Xianyuan's cheek.

"You really don't want to be tied to me?" Zhang Xian'an sighed, asking calmly.

"The last woman who tried to get close to you became your first test subject… so, do you think I'd want to?" Mr. Zhang?

"You're better suited to be an Agent than a secretary…" Zhang Xian'an was stunned—this woman had somehow uncovered such a secret. He was left speechless.

"Keep hoping. One day will come… pray you don't die on my hands," An Xianyuan whispered, covering Laura's ears.

Zhang Xian'an nodded silently, offering no reply.

Outside the window, the howling cold wind laughed mockingly.