Long Family.

Long Yiming stood at the front receiving guests, while the Long family members gathered in the back, their expressions tense with unease.

“What do they want with Long Jin?”

“Could it be about the Atavist Management Regulations…?”

“I don’t know how the young heir will handle this. I’m so nervous…”

A crocodile-like smile hung on Long Yiming’s face as he held his teacup, though his heart thudded hard. The timing of their visit made it all too likely—it had to be about the Atavist Management Regulations.

At that moment, Jing Pei finally returned, holding the leash of a scruffy yellow mutt with its tail tucked tight, trembling in fear. From a distance, she wore a bright, gentle smile, poised and graceful. Though she was still so young, both Long Yiming and the guests rose to their feet without thinking.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Jing Pei said with a smile, shaking hands with them.

“We came without an appointment and hope we didn’t disrupt anything,” said a middle-aged man with glasses.

“Not at all. Our meeting just ended,” Jing Pei replied in a casual tone.

The guests fell silent for a moment. The middle-aged man gave a strained smile. “Was it an internal meeting among the atavist families?”

“Yes. The trouble stirred up by the Zhou family is too big. Everyone’s been having a headache over it.”

“Actually, that’s exactly why we came—to talk with Young Master Long about this matter.”

Jing Pei looked slightly surprised. She handed the dog’s leash to a confused Long Yiming and sat on the Azure Dragon chair that had been quickly brought over when he heard the guests had arrived. “Go ahead.”

“We’re from Intelligence Division Nine. Our main responsibility is managing society and removing dangerous or unstable elements.” He introduced himself first.

Jing Pei nodded.

“I’m sure you understand—what happened to the Zhou family is closely tied to the Atavist Management Regulations. Laws that are too permissive and biased toward atavists have severely hindered government oversight of public safety and the implementation of justice. The world is already chaotic enough. We need an iron hand to protect this fragile peace.”

Jing Pei nodded again. “I understand your perspective.”

“As expected, Young Master Long is different from the rest.” He looked pleased. With other atavist families, merely hearing that someone wanted to touch the Atavist Management Regulations would have sparked outrage.

A young man beside him could no longer hold back. “So we hope you can assist us.”

Jing Pei blinked. “Assist with what?”

“Assist us in abolishing the Atavist Management Regulations! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Miss Long, you have no idea how important you are to us. To move the Earth, you only need a fulcrum and a lever—the Zhou family is the fulcrum, and you can be the lever!”

They had waited years for this moment.

Abolishing the Atavist Management Regulations was no simple matter of talk. Just as the Zhou family, when pushed to the brink, considered treason—even if not every atavist family would follow suit—the government had no desire to gamble. The goal was stability, a better society; if it led to greater chaos instead, it would defeat the purpose.

That made Jing Pei’s existence crucial. She was one of the Four Symbols, extremely powerful, and the absolute authority within the Long family. Her agreement would mean the support of one major atavist family. And she could secure Lou Ting’s backing as well. Different from others, she hadn’t been raised deeply influenced by atavist family ideology. She was a “good person.”

If she chose to become a “traitor” among atavist families, it would help them a lot.

“So what would I need to do?” Jing Pei asked, stopping Long Yiming—who looked ready to explode—with a glance.

“In some time, the government will convene a meeting on this matter. Atavists nationwide will be invited, and there may be a vote. When that time comes, we hope you’ll vote for us.”

“Are you here on behalf of the government—or just your Division Nine?” Jing Pei asked.

“The government.”

Jing Pei nodded, took out her phone, and made a call on speaker.

“Hello?” Qiu Fa’s voice came through.

“Big Cat, I have a question,” she said. “There’s a government agency called Division Nine claiming they represent the government and want me to betray the atavist families. Is that true?”

Qiu Fa frowned, lowering the leg he had been resting on the desk. His deep voice rumbled like a warning growl from a great beast. “Tell those idiots to get lost. The government wouldn’t do something that stupid.”

After a pause, he added, “And don’t call me Big Cat.”

The assistant nearby rolled their eyes: You secretly call her “Little Dragon,” don’t you?

The faces of the Division Nine members darkened. They had come under the banner of the government, hoping to turn a “good person” into a sacrifice for their goals—only to be exposed on the spot.

Jing Pei ended the call and looked at them with a smile. “I think Qiu Fa’s assessment of you is quite objective. Tell me—why would I want the Atavist Management Regulations abolished? The privileges within that system helped me protect my friends Wen Yuxian and Zhang Simiao. In the future, I might need them to protect others too.”

They had arrived full of confidence, but left in disgrace, muttering only, “We misjudged you.”

Long Yiming spat. His grin turned cold and full of teeth. “Do they think our family is easy to bully? Trying to trick you into being a sacrificial pawn.”

Good thing this niece of his wasn’t a “good person” in the usual sense. If anything, she was fierce. He had already concluded that Jing Pei was not normal—there was a hint of madness in her bones, and she didn’t seem to know the meaning of fear.

“But why bring back a dog like this?” Long Yiming asked, baffled and disgusted. “It’s filthy, it stinks, and it’s ugly. If you wanted a pet, I could’ve gotten you a lion. Why pick up some scruffy mutt?”

“Don’t look down on it,” Jing Pei said with a smile, bending down to look at it.

The little dog trembled all over.

Whether the future could change… depended on it to a great extent.

…

Xiao Cheng saw the video of the Zhou family being arrested and sensed that Mei Yanlan would soon return. He had caught a glimpse of her in the footage—just a fleeting silhouette, even only her back—but he knew it was his wife.

The Tribunal Division had too few people, so even his wife, a logistics worker with no real combat ability, had been running around nonstop. She didn’t even have time to come home and care for her pregnant husband. The thought made him so furious he had already punched several pillows to ruin.

He still hadn’t let go of how she dismissed the idea of divorce last time and dashed out the door. The divorce agreement was already prepared—he was just waiting for her return so he could scare her properly!

For that, he even skipped work today, sitting at home with arms crossed.

At last, after the resentful husband had waited for so long, the door opened.

“Husband, you didn’t go to work today?” Mei Yanlan tossed her bag onto the shoe cabinet and asked casually when she saw him.

“Hmph. Not everyone can be as carefree as you,” he said it with no expression on his face. Then he shoved the divorce papers across the table. “I told you before—if you dared to walk out that door, we’d get divorced.”

Mei Yanlan looked slightly surprised.

Heh. Now you’re scared, right? Now you know what happens when you ignore me! Come here, hug me, say you love me, beg me to forgive you!

But instead, Mei Yanlan strode over, didn’t even glance at the agreement, grabbed a pen, and signed her name in swift strokes.

And she smiled.

Xiao Cheng’s expression shattered.

“There. Take it. I’ll go pack my things and leave,” Mei Yanlan said, pushing the papers back. She swayed her hips as she hummed and headed upstairs.

Not bad, not bad at all. The agreement to seize the moment had been fulfilled. Before death could come, she had fully enjoyed herself. She’d even done some good—helping a “tragic couple” have two or three children so they could finally be together.

“…Mei Yanlan! What’s this supposed to mean?” Xiao Cheng nearly lost his mind. At the same time, that restless unease that had haunted him in recent days surged again. He chased after her—this wasn’t how it was supposed to go! She had signed without a second thought!

“What do you mean, ‘what do I mean’?”

“You signed without hesitation! That’s a divorce agreement!”

Mei Yanlan walked into the walk-in closet and replied casually, “I know. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“Is that what I wanted?” Xiao Cheng trembled with anger, his eyes reddening. “Mei Yanlan, have you wanted a divorce all along? So you could find some man outside?”

“Just tell me—do you already have someone else? These past few days, were you really working, or were you with some other man?!”