"Mei Li. The sole heir to House Li."
"And successor to Li Group."
Anathasia and I looked at her in silence.
I glanced at Hinami, but she avoided my eyes.
Ah… so she told Mei.
"So," Anathasia spoke first, leaning back into the couch. "Mei Li, right? The quiet enforcer among the three of you."
It was subtle, but Mei flinched.
Her shoulders stiffened. Her head remained lowered.
She didn't deny it.
"Alright then," Anathasia continued, folding her arms. "Why is someone like you here?"
Behind them, Carthanalenia casually materialized a bottle of water and handed it to Hinami with a gentle smile. Hinami accepted it with trembling hands.
Mei didn't move.
"Hinami told me everything," she said at last.
"I know." Anathasia tilted her head slightly. "Your point?"
Her phone now lay face-down beside her. Mei's sudden visit probably interrupted her plans.
Which… is fair.
Silence stretched.
Then—
"I… please—"
"If you're here to apologize because you're afraid of what I might do," Anathasia cut in smoothly, her gaze shifting to Hinami, "don't bother."
Hinami leaned closer to Carthanalenia.
"I'm pretty sure I already said I'm not interested in handing out punishments. Didn't I?"
She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"And coming here unannounced too… you're both lucky Carthanalenia's nice."
She glanced at them again.
A pause.
Then—
"Enough of this. What do you want?"
Something shifted.
The room didn't grow louder or darker.
If anything, it grew still.
Mei slowly raised her head and met Anathasia's gaze.
"I… we are aware of our transgressions," she said, her voice steadier now. Though not entirely free of strain. "I understand this is a shameless request."
Her hand tightened against her chest.
"But I am begging you."
A breath.
"Please cure my father."
Anathasia's brows furrowed. She clicked her tongue, muttering under her breath—
"This damned author."
Which was weird, but I didn't think much of it.
"Cure your father?" Anathasia raised a brow, faint disbelief slipping into her tone.
Mei nodded.
"Yes."
She pulled a folded sheet of paper from her pocket and stepped forward, offering it carefully.
"Here is his diagnosis."
Anathasia scanned it. Her expression shifted, subtly at first, then more noticeably.
She angled it toward me.
"Stage four cancer…?"
"That is correct," Mei said quietly. "According to our doctors, he has approximately three months left."
Her hand clenched at her side.
"He was already unwell when I left to come here. I didn't realize it was this severe. I thought I still had time…"
Her voice faltered.
"Please… you are my only hope."
For a brief second, something flickered across Anathasia's face.
Then it flattened.
"You're the heiress, aren't you?"
Mei looked up. "Yes, but—"
"If your father passes," Anathasia continued evenly, "you inherit everything. The company. The wealth. The power."
Mei's eyes widened.
But before Anathasia could continue, I reached out and grabbed her shoulder.
She glanced at me, eyes widened.
I shook my head slightly.
[There's a limit.]
Anathasia went quiet almost immediately.
When her gaze returned to Mei, something unreadable settled behind her eyes.
After a moment, she spoke again.
"If I help you…" she gestured vaguely toward me and Carthanalenia, "…what do we get in return?"
"My loyalty," Mei answered without hesitation. "Everything within our power. We will support your cause."
A beat.
"As the Fuyukawa clan has done for decades."
—
Mei left not long after. Hinami bowed deeply to Anathasia before following her out.
When the door closed, the house fell quiet.
The kind that lingered.
It was Anathasia who broke it.
"Cancer isn't really the issue…" she murmured, leaning against my shoulder. "It's the family behind it."
A pause.
"Well. Not exactly an issue. More like…"
"You can just say it," I said softly, running a hand through her hair.
She was quiet for a moment before continuing.
"They could be a valuable ally. I was planning to extract as much merit from this as possible."
"So that's why you agreed to remove her father's cancer," I said, "like how you turned alcohol non-alcoholic and made it sweeter?"
She nodded, already reaching for her phone as the screen lit up.
"I think it's the right move," Carthanalenia said, taking a seat across from us. "The Fuyukawas are helpful, but their influence doesn't span the entire globe."
She raised a finger slightly.
"Another influential family indebted to us makes things safer. And if they know Mom can eliminate a terminal illness without relying on medicine…"
"All this strategic talk is exhausting…" Anathasia muttered. "Just make them indebted and be done with it."
She flopped back slightly.
"I still need to catch up on my favorite series."
Carthanalenia and I exchanged a look before nodding.
The days that followed passed in a blur. With our exemption for the second semester, we only showed up on campus for attendance and left shortly after. Even the professors started questioning why we bothered.
Professor Wang most of all.
Nearly a week later, early March.
On our way back from campus, we noticed sleek black cars.
At least five of them parked near our house.
We stopped a block away.
"Huh… they're back early," Anathasia said, slipping her phone into her pocket.
"Mei?"
"Yep."
Her gaze lingered on the vehicles, then shifted toward the house.
"Carthanalenia and Egrathiel are handling them right now. Though…" she tilted her head slightly, "it looks like they're trembling."
I raised a brow.
"Who? Carthanalenia?"
She shot me a look.
"Of course not. Our daughter isn't like that."
I hummed, folding my arms.
Before I could say anything—
"Let's go. Mei and her father are already inside."
Without waiting, she grabbed my arm and tugged me forward, walking straight past the two suited men stationed at the door.
Once inside, we stepped into the living room, where Mei and her father were already waiting.
But the first thing I noticed—
[He's not bald?]
[There are cases where you don't lose your hair, you know.] Anathasia replied instantly, her tone dry.
[There are?] I glanced at her.
[And you tell me I'm the one watching too many dramas.] She sighed, then looked back at Mei and her father before taking a seat across from them, gesturing for me to sit beside her.
"Li Mingyuan," Anathasia said quietly. "Correct?"
I saw the man's eyes widen ever so slightly before settling again. A faint smile formed on his lips.
"That would be correct," he replied, straightening his posture. "It seems my daughter may have inconvenienced… someone extraordinary."
Anathasia let out a soft laugh, waving her hand dismissively.
"A little, maybe. But you're giving me too much credit."
His smile remained. He looked nothing like I'd imagined. His skin was fair, his eyes clear—alive, even. But there was caution in them.
"I have long wondered whether the Fuyukawas were hiding something," he began. "We have been allies for decades. Yet it always intrigued me…"
He paused briefly.
"How they transformed from a local enterprise into an industrial giant within a few short decades."
His gaze drifted to the small table between us.
"But before I could uncover the truth, fate chose to shorten my time instead."
He lifted his head and met Anathasia's eyes.
"The doctors were certain I would not last even four months. We consulted specialists from across the globe. All of them agreed my passing was… inevitable."
He paused.
"Until my daughter came to this country."
"Are you suggesting I had a hand in your sudden recovery?" Anathasia asked, smiling wryly.
He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he glanced away.
"Who can say? I had already accepted my death. That was before I went in for another checkup three days ago."
His voice remained calm.
"After Mei returned, claiming she had come to meet our only hope for my recovery."
His eyes settled on Anathasia once more.
"The doctors called it an impossible miracle. The main family offered prayers in gratitude. And the Fuyukawas…" a faint pause, "sent their regards. As though they already knew."
A slight tilt of his head.
"Strange, wouldn't you agree?"
"What I am trying to say," he continued, "is that I have always harbored doubts. About the world. Existence. Reality itself."
He clasped his hands together and leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, chin settling lightly against his knuckles.
"I believed there were no beings beyond what we could perceive. And yet… there was always something. A quiet uncertainty that made that belief tremble at its foundation."
"Just get to the point," Anathasia interrupted, her smile twitching faintly. "We don't have all day."
He paused, then let out a small breath and leaned back.
"My apologies. I allowed myself to ramble."
A brief silence followed.
"But my daughter's oath still stands."
His gaze steadied.
"The Li family will swear its loyalty to you… Outer God."