Somewhere in his consciousness, Li XinWen heard a knocking against a wooden surface. It was soft yet persistent and was enough to bring his awareness back. When he opened his eyes, Sun Xiao was peeking in and had opened the door to his room.

"Xin-gege, it's almost dinner time…" Sun Xiao informed him timidly as if to apologize for the interruption. Somehow it made Li XinWen feel that Sun Xiao's timidity was also a defense mechanism on his part to put some distance between himself and those around him.

"Ah'xiao, you know you don't have to be afraid of me right?" Li XinWen asked as if to reassure the boy that it was okay.

"Not afraid…" Sun Xiao's short response was to be expected.

"Alright, alright," Li XinWen said smiling "You're not afraid…are you here to help Ge?"

Sun Xiao did not give an answer but made his way over and helped Li XinWen stand up from where he was seated. Gently taking Li XinWen's arm and placing it on his shoulder for support.

"You've become quite strong and have grown so much Ah'Xiao. Gege appreciates you supporting me like this," he said fondly to Sun Xiao as they made their way downstairs to the dining room. And Li XinWen did not notice the slight blush that adorned Sun Xiao's cheek.

When they arrived downstairs, Li XinWen immediately noticed a difference in the air around the ground floor. It felt different from when he first arrived home from the press conference. Something was abuzz. It wasn't dark or menacing. It felt more electric and energized, but he couldn't seem to locate the source. 'I wonder where this energy is coming from,' he thought distractedly and didn't notice the man sitting in the living room, looking at him expectantly.

It wasn't until Xue Rui cleared his throat and made a coughing sound that Li XinWen's averted his gaze towards where Xue Rui was seated. For a split second, Li XinWen saw a faint green light flickering around Xue Rui which quickly dissipated. 'It must have been my imagination,' Li XinWen thought before greeting Xue Rui.

"Good evening Rui-ge. Welcome to our home. To what do we owe the pleasure of your company?"

Sun Xiao helped Li XinWen sit down on the sofa opposite Xue Rui before sitting down beside Li XinWen quietly.

"JingHua invited me for dinner to celebrate your discharge from the hospital," Xue Rui responded smiling broadly.

'Didn't Hua-jie and Rui-ge have a fight? Perhaps they've already made up with each other? Well, that was fast. I guess a woman in love can easily find it in her heart to forgive,' Li XinWen thought while looking for Li JingHua. 'If it were me, I would've let the cold war lasts for a very long time...' 

The sounds and smell coming from the kitchen indicated that Li mother and Li JingHua were busy preparing dinner. Li XinWen was looking forward to dinner having tasted the sumptuous spread they prepared when he arrived during lunch. In the world where he was from, eating was considered more as a form of indulgence instead of a need. 

As an immortal, he didn't need to eat for sustenance. But the food he had for lunch, made a lasting impression and just thinking about it made his mouth water. Smiling at the thought Li XinWen's attention was again caught by a faint flicker in Xue Rui's direction.

A vibrating energy seems to be drawing his consciousness but he couldn't put a finger on it. As if a pulsating force was surrounding the very space they were occupying. Li XinWen's attention was brought back to the present when he felt someone tugging at his sleeve.

It was Sun Xiao who wore a worried expression on his face as if he was about to cry. "-in-gege…Xin-gege…" Sun Xiao said in an almost tearful voice. It seems that he had been calling out to Li XinWen for a while.

Xue Rui watched this with a look of concern.

"What is it Ah'Xiao? Are you okay?" Li XinWen asked while looking over the boy to make sure there was nothing wrong.

"Rui-dage…" Sun Xiao replied "Xin-ge wasn't paying attention?"

"Huh? Uhm…No? I'm sorry," as he directed his attention towards Xue Rui. "Apologies Rui-ge. Did you say something?"