Chapter 245: Oh! She Changed How She Addresses You!

Su Wenqian was extremely efficient; shortly after issuing the order, Xia Wan appeared outside Qin Feng's office.

She still wore the simple research assistant uniform, her hair tightly bound at the nape, her face as composed as ever—yet deep within those clear eyes, upon receiving Su Wenqian's notice that Qin Feng wished to see her personally, a faint, unusual ripple seemed to flicker across them.

"Mr. Qin, Xia Wan has arrived," Su Wenqian reported.

"Let her in."

Xia Wan stepped into the office and stopped several paces from Qin Feng's desk, bowing slightly: "Mr. Qin."

Qin Feng set down the documents in his hands, his gaze resting calmly upon her without speaking immediately. It was not a sharp gaze, yet it carried an insight that seemed to pierce through appearances and see straight to the essence, causing Xia Wan to unconsciously straighten her spine, her fingers at her sides twitching almost imperceptibly.

The office fell silent, save for the faint hum of the air purification system.

Su Wenqian, standing to the side, sensed acutely that the atmosphere of this meeting was utterly different from when Xia Wan had previously come with her family to express gratitude—less formal, more scrutinizing, and… an indescribable, invisible clash, as if something were being confirmed.

Finally, Qin Feng spoke, his voice flat and uninflected, yet he dropped a bombshell question directly:

"How much do you know about the anomaly at Kunlun Mountain—Shenhua Tianfu?"

He did not ask if she was willing to go, nor explain the mission details—he asked directly how much she knew.

The question came out of nowhere, almost nonsensical; any ordinary teenage girl would have been utterly bewildered.

But Xia Wan's reaction made Su Wenqian's pupils contract slightly.

At the instant she heard the words "Shenhua Tianfu," her composed expression did not crack—but her eyelashes trembled faintly, as if the name had plucked a string deep within her.

She did not immediately deny it or show surprise; instead, she fell silent for a moment, as if rapidly weighing her options.

Then she lifted her head, meeting Qin Feng's deep gaze, her voice still clear and melodic, yet less distant than before, tinged with… candor?

"Energy leakage, spatial folds, and… ancient seals have been triggered," she replied softly, her tone not speculative, but as if stating a fact.

Su Wenqian's heart jolted! Xia Wan indeed knew—and it sounded like she understood more than Han Lao's reports!

Qin Feng showed no surprise at her answer, and continued: "Can you handle it?"

This time, Xia Wan hesitated barely at all; she nodded, her tone carrying a certainty utterly incongruous with her age and appearance: "I can try. The 'rules' there… are of the same origin as some things I… know well."

Rules? Same origin?

Su Wenqian grew more alarmed with every word. This had utterly exceeded her understanding of Xia Wan! What secrets did this girl truly conceal?

Qin Feng looked at Xia Wan. Though her words revealed astonishing information, his face showed no change—only a quiet instruction:

"You have twenty-four hours to prepare. Request any equipment directly from Assistant Su. After twenty-four hours, someone will take you to the outskirts of Kunlun Mountain."

"Yes," Xia Wan replied, asking no further questions.

The mission assignment was unexpectedly simple—even brutal. No action plan, no contingency plan, only a destination and the command: "You handle it."

And Xia Wan accepted this near-total neglect.

Just as Xia Wan was about to bow and withdraw, Qin Feng added one more line, his tone still flat:

"Stay safe."

Those three words caused Xia Wan's motion to pause slightly.

She lifted her head again, gazing at Qin Feng. This time, her eyes lingered on his face a fraction longer—within that composed gaze, something complex flickered and vanished too swiftly to be caught.

She drew a quiet breath, and when she spoke again, her address to Qin Feng had subtly changed.

No longer the distant, respectful "Mr. Qin."

But…

"Yes, Qin Feng… brother."

The moment "brother" left her lips, the air in the office seemed to freeze.

Su Wenqian's eyes flew wide open; she stared at Xia Wan in disbelief, then cautiously glanced at Qin Feng. She almost doubted her own ears!

Brother?

Xia Wan just called Mr. Qin… brother?!

This… this was even more shocking than learning she could handle the Kunlun Mountain anomaly! What did this sudden, intimate address imply? Was it Xia Wan's unilateral overreach and probing, or… did some unknown bond exist between them?

When Qin Feng heard the term, his eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly. He looked at Xia Wan, his gaze profound, as if trying to pierce through this sudden "brother" to uncover all her secrets and intentions.

After uttering the term, Xia Wan showed no panic or embarrassment—her face remained composed, her eyes meeting his without flinching.

After a brief silence, Qin Feng neither corrected her nor responded—only repeated softly:

"Go."

Xia Wan's lips seemed to curve upward, ever so slightly, then returned to stillness. She bowed again, said nothing more, and turned, walking steadily out of the office.

The door closed softly behind her.

The office was left with only Qin Feng and Su Wenqian.

Su Wenqian was still reeling from the earth-shattering address; she turned to Qin Feng, unable to suppress a hushed exclamation, her voice thick with disbelief:

"Sir, she… she just called you… brother?! Oh! She changed how she addresses you! This…"

Qin Feng did not answer Su Wenqian's shock. His gaze rested on the direction Xia Wan had left, his fingers idly tapping the desk, a flicker of thoughtful light deep in his eyes.

Brother?

Interesting.

The girl who had suddenly entered his field of vision carried more mysteries than he had anticipated.

And this journey to Kunlun Mountain might be the key to unraveling them all.

He waved his hand, signaling Su Wenqian not to press further.

"Prepare the equipment as she requested."

"Yes, sir," Su Wenqian replied, suppressing her countless questions and bowing to accept the order.

But she knew—since Xia Wan had uttered that "brother," something had already changed.