"Well, that was a great punch you landed on his chin."
Li Yuetong's voice was light, trying to ease the tension.
Zhi Han slowly turned her head.
Her gaze was flat. Dead serious.
Li Yuetong immediately raised her hands. "Okay. I'll shut up."
Zhi Han looked back at Xin Ying, anger still flickering beneath her calm. "You shouldn't have fought him in the first place."
Xin Ying noticed it instantly.
She leaned forward without hesitation and pressed a soft kiss to Zhi Han's forehead.
"I'm sorry, Li Hua," Xin Ying said quietly. "I won't do that again. I promise."
Zhi Han froze.
Then she huffed, turning her face slightly away. "…Okay."
Li Yuetong's wife smiled faintly from the side. "It was still a dangerous move," she said gently. "But we're glad you're okay."
Xin Ying relaxed back against the couch, her bandaged arm resting carefully at her side. After a moment of silence, she spoke again.
"So… can someone tell me more about how you all came to this world?"
Li Yuetong exchanged a glance with her wife before answering.
"The only people who kept their memories are me, my wife, Li Hua… and Ling Zhihao."
Xin Ying's fingers curled slightly.
"We thought nothing would go wrong," Li Yuetong's wife continued. "But Ling Zhihao figured it out. He realized Li Hua was Zhi Han."
"He didn't just want power anymore," Li Yuetong added quietly. "He wanted control—over the world, over people."
Zhi Han looked down at Xin Ying, her expression softening.
"But at least I found you," she said. "That part didn't go wrong."
Xin Ying smiled faintly.
Zhi Han took a breath, then added more calmly, "In this world, I'm a businesswoman. My name is Zhi Han. I'm twenty-two."
Xin Ying blinked. "…You're seven years younger than me."
Zhi Han winced. "I know."
Li Yuetong coughed. "I'm twenty-five. Police chief. Guess I traded court politics for paperwork."
Her wife chuckled. "And I stayed in business. Some things never change."
The atmosphere slowly eased, warmth settling into the room.
After a while, Li Yuetong stood up. "We should head back. The police will handle Ling Zhihao from here."
Her wife squeezed Zhi Han's shoulder gently. "Take care of her."
Zhi Han nodded. "I will."
When the door closed behind them, the mansion fell quiet.
Xin Ying exhaled, sinking deeper into the couch. "It's strange," she murmured. "Different world… same people… same trouble."
Zhi Han sat beside her, careful not to touch her injured arm.
"But you're here," Zhi Han said softly. "That's enough for me."
Xin Ying turned her head and met her gaze.
"Me too."
Outside, the city lights shimmered—unaware of empresses, plots, or worlds crossed.
And inside the quiet mansion, two people who had once ruled an empire together finally had the chance to live—
not as ruler and protector,
but simply as themselves.
---
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