Morning sunlight streamed through the wide glass windows of the kindergarten classroom, scattering across colorful tables and tiny chairs arranged neatly in rows.
The air smelled faintly of crayons, milk, and the sweet tang of strawberry jam sandwiches.
Children's laughter echoed from every corner, innocent, loud, and chaotic. It was a world too small for adult worries, but too full of energy for peace.
And sitting right in the middle of it all, looking like she'd rather be in a war council than surrounded by toddlers, was Chi Huaijin.
She sat perfectly straight, her hands folded on the desk like a miniature adult enduring a mandatory meeting.
Her porcelain face was calm, but her eyes, the deep, knowing eyes that had once seen death, betrayal, and a landslide that glimmered with silent suffering.
'This… is my battlefield now,' she thought gravely, staring at the pastel-colored alphabet posters on the wall. 'Not demons, not the apocalypse, but a kindergarten!'
