After seeing the manager off, Yu Li intended to send Bo Jingmo a message when a phone call came through precisely at that moment.

Her brow arched slightly as she answered with a light laugh, "Uncle Xin, what brings you to call me?"

"...What do you think?"

On the other end of the line, Xin Hao let out an ambiguous huff. "Yu Li, you work fast."

During their initial collaboration, Yu Li had indeed mentioned expanding his team, but he hadn't expected it to happen so swiftly.

Just one dungeon run later, and two new members had already joined.

Yu Li lazily propped her chin on her hand, chuckling. "Is speed a bad thing?"

"Good, of course it's good." The profiles of the two newcomers had already reached Xin Hao's hands. He skimmed through them briefly—their abilities were decent, and their performance in previous dungeons had been passable.

But his purpose for calling wasn't just about that.

"I heard you went to PEACE? That old bastard Xing Yuan seemed thoroughly pissed, even calling me about it. What did you talk about with him?"

"He contacted you too?"

"Yeah. Rambled about how you're this world's calamity and warned me that keeping Bo Jingmo around would lead to regrets." Xin Hao rubbed his chin. "First time I've heard him sound so serious."

Yu Li replied offhandedly, "Nothing much. Just asked him one thing, and he refused."

Seeing she wasn't inclined to elaborate, Xin Hao didn't press further and switched topics. "Yu Jiao's resigning. Did you know?"

Yu Li said, "Mm, I knew."

Xin Hao sighed, setting down whatever he was holding as he leaned back into his chair, his expression faintly dazed.

Though he and Yu Jiao were rivals in some respects, hearing this news still left him with an inexplicable, subdued melancholy.

Back then, the few of them had been part of the same batch of players, clearing dungeons together through thick and thin.

If not for Limu's departure, they might still be tackling dungeons as a team now, and these separate factions wouldn't even exist.

But now, Yu Jiao was the first to choose to leave.

Perhaps it was the complexity of emotions that came with learning an old friend was stepping away, but tonight, Xin Hao was uncharacteristically talkative.

It was as if he'd made Yu Li his sounding board.

Or perhaps, a substitute for someone else.

"Didn't you say you knew Limu? Did she ever tell you about our past? Ah, I doubt that woman would've said anything. What's she hiding for now? Is she afraid of someone? Or afraid we'd blame her?"

"But we never blamed her. If she wanted to leave, then leave. But now that she's back, why not say anything?"

"Today, I asked Yu Jiao if she wasn't going to wait for Limu anymore. She just smiled at me—creepy smile, honestly. Felt like there was a trap in it."

"Looking at her, you'd think she'd met Limu and just... let go of years of obsession all at once."

Yu Li listened quietly to his rambling without interruption, though her thoughts drifted along with his voice.

Xin Hao and Qi Cheng’an were the ones she'd met after Yu Jiao.

Back then, Yu Li hadn't been in the dungeons for long either. After being confined in an orphanage for ten years, her exposure to people had been minimal, leaving her viewing everyone with suspicion.

Her decision to team up with Yu Jiao back then had stemmed from wanting to learn how to live like a normal person through Yu Jiao's skills.

Xin Hao and Qi Cheng’an had been her first test subjects.

Yet somehow, that initial contact had led to them becoming teammates, a connection that persisted even now.

Undeniably, these two years in this world had been more eventful than her entire decade prior.

Seeming to realize he'd been rambling, Xin Hao quickly said, "Sorry, I think I got carried away."

Yu Li snapped out of her thoughts, smiling faintly. "It's fine."

"Ah, getting old makes me long-winded," Xin Hao lamented. "It's late, so I won't bother you further. I'll go bother Qi Cheng’an instead, haha. Next time, I'll swing by your place to meet the new recruits."

"Sure."

After hanging up, Yu Li straightened. Instead of hailing a cab, she strolled leisurely down the street, her gaze idly scanning her surroundings.

This was a famous commercial district, livelier than ever at night. Compared to ten years ago, the changes were significant.

The only constant was the crowds of people walking together—couples, families, friends.

Yu Li moved through the bustling crowd alone, a solitary figure starkly out of place.

Like a lone ghost set apart from the world.

Pausing at a crosswalk, she slowly lowered her eyes, wordlessly pulling up her hood before shoving her hands into her pockets.

Everyone kept asking why she wanted to leave.

This was the reason.

In the orphanage, everyone had been alone. The loneliness had been equally shared, and any companionships were superficial facades.

But here, everyone had someone.

Yet whether it was Yu Jiao or Xin Hao, their connections with her existed only within the dungeons.

An invisible barrier would always stand between them.

Every part of her was fabricated, making integration impossible.

Walking down this street before, Yu Li had always been acutely aware of the overwhelming loneliness and alienation.

This time was no different.

She disliked this—the bustling crowds only emphasized how out of place she was. She'd rather find an orphanage in this world to hole up in.

So sometimes, it wasn't that Bo Jingmo needed her.

—It was that she needed Bo Jingmo.

But that fool still didn’t seem to grasp what she truly wanted, leaving the day after she regained her memories.

The light turned green, and the crowd began surging forward. The murmurs of conversation snapped her out of her reverie.

Yu Li exhaled, pushing those thoughts aside as she lifted her gaze, about to step onto the crosswalk—

When suddenly, her eyes widened, her feet freezing mid-step.

Amid the flowing crowd, countless figures passed by.

Yet on the opposite sidewalk stood a man in a long coat, his posture straight as a pine tree. He stood there quietly, as if he'd been waiting for ages, his aloof and noble demeanor drawing glances from passersby.

When their eyes met,

the corners of his lips curled gently, his tender gaze enveloping her like a warm embrace. Slowly, he withdrew a hand from his coat pocket, his familiar, deep voice carrying a long-missed sense of security as his lips parted.

"Lili."

Yu Li stared at him blankly, her heartbeat thunderous in her ears, the surrounding chatter fading into nothingness.

Only when the crosswalk timer began counting down did she blink, her eyes stinging, before bolting across the street and throwing herself into his arms. He caught her effortlessly, lifting her slightly as she buried her face against his shoulder, her voice muffled.

"Bo Jingmo."

"Mn."

"...I missed you."

At her words, the man lowered his head, pressing a tender kiss to the tip of her ear.

"Me too, wife."