Hearing her daughter’s question, Li Caifeng quickly replied,
“Your sister called your dad yesterday afternoon.”
“Huh? She called yesterday afternoon? How come I didn’t know?” Yan Qi asked, puzzled.
Li Caifeng promptly cleared up her confusion.
“Because you were at the hospital getting checked by the doctor at the time.”
“Oh, so she called while I was being examined—no wonder I don’t remember. By the way, Mom, what did Jiejie say on the phone?”
Curious about her sister’s conversation, Yan Qi pressed further.
Li Caifeng answered, “Nothing much. She just asked if your dad and I had gotten caught up in the terrorist attack yesterday morning, since we hadn’t answered her calls earlier.”
“And what did you tell her?”
“The truth, of course. If we hid something this serious from her, she’d think we didn’t treat her as real family.”
Yan Qi then asked, “How did she take it?”
After a moment of recollection, Li Caifeng replied, “At first, she was pretty shaken. But after your dad and I reassured her, she calmed down. Otherwise, she might’ve dropped her studies and rushed home right then.”
“Jiejie hasn’t changed at all,” Yan Qi murmured, thinking of her sister’s tendency to act impulsively when emotional.
“Yeah, Yanling’s still the same as always,” Li Caifeng agreed with a fond sigh.
As their conversation about Yan Qi’s sister wrapped up, the two of them finished carrying the dishes into the kitchen.
After washing up, they returned to the living room—only for Yan Zhenyi to suddenly call out to them.
“Honey, Xiao Qi, come quick! There’s breaking news!”
Hearing his shout, Yan Qi and Li Caifeng, who had just left the kitchen and were about to go about their own business, paused in surprise. Without hesitation, they hurried over.
“What’s so important that you had to call us over, dear?” Li Caifeng asked as she approached the couch where Yan Zhenyi sat.
“See for yourself,” he replied, his eyes fixed on the TV.
Following his gaze, both Li Caifeng and Yan Qi turned their attention to the screen—just in time to hear the press conference spokesperson officially acknowledge the existence of supernatural powers in the world.
The announcement included partial details about the Abyss, as well as the establishment of a new nationwide agency—the Supernatural Affairs Bureau (SAB)—tasked with managing superhumans and defending against Abyssal monster invasions.
“Honey… is all of this real?” Li Caifeng asked, sinking onto the couch.
Yan Zhenyi didn’t hesitate. “After what we went through yesterday morning, how can you doubt it? If the government’s announcing it, it’s definitely true.”
“Right… I can’t believe I even asked such a silly question,” Li Caifeng muttered, shaking her head at her own momentary lapse.
As for Yan Qi, she showed little reaction—she had long since prepared herself for this reality.
Watching her parents on the couch, she silently vowed to protect them no matter what.
Once the news segment ended, the already heated Chinese internet—still buzzing from yesterday’s terrorist attack at Fangfeng City’s train station—exploded once again.
Netizens everywhere debated the implications of superhumans, Abyssal monsters, and the SAB, fiercely exchanging theories about what this new era would mean for humanity’s future.
But Yan Qi, back in her room, had no interest in speculating. She didn’t care about humanity’s grand fate—only that her family could live as safely and happily as they did now.
“Should I head to Ma Fangfang’s place first and try to photograph that cultivation manual?” she wondered, sitting on her bed.
After some thought, she decided against going immediately. It’d be smarter to wait until her parents were asleep.
The main reason? She couldn’t risk them checking on her while she was gone.
Sure, they hadn’t come looking for her the previous times she’d snuck online as the virtual diva—but luck wasn’t something to rely on. Even with her computer rigged to alert her if someone called or knocked, she couldn’t guarantee she’d make it back in time.
“Better to go at night when everyone’s asleep,” she concluded.
With that settled, a drowsy Yan Qi stopped overthinking it. She pulled her fragrant blanket over herself and soon drifted into a sweet slumber.
…
Before she knew it, night had fallen.
Glancing at her computer clock—10:00 PM—Yan Qi, now in pajamas and looking every bit the girl ready for bed, was certain her parents had already turned in.
Without hesitation, she activated her transformation.
In a flash, she became the virtual diva once more—and plunged back into the familiar depths of the internet.