Over the next two months, the helicopter came by from time to time. It always circled a bit, then flew away. Cassian himself never showed up. One day, Natalie heard the roar of its blades again, heading straight for her neighborhood. She looked up at the light switched on in her house. Impulsively, she flipped the switch. The house went dark. Cash and Baron shuffled nervously to her side. Lucky tilted her head in confusion. "Woof?" Natalie, is something wrong? Natalie pressed her finger to her lips. "Shhh." She quietly turned her eyes to the window. The helicopter soon appeared above the neighborhood. This time it circled much longer than before. Instead of leaving, it hovered and then lowered itself onto the roof of the tallest building. Natalie couldn't help but smirk at this. Not long after, someone knocked on the stairwell door on the 14th floor. Natalie stood but didn't rush to answer. Olivia had gone out on house calls, so the floor was empty except for her. Even if the knocking grew louder, it wouldn't bother anyone else. She checked the camera and saw the familiar figure. Her smile deepened.Of course—it was Cassian. At first, his knock was light. Soon it grew louder and more urgent, as if he meant to break the door down. Natalie opened her apartment door and stepped into the hall. From across the stairwell door, she teased, "Who's there?" She had just finished more than two hours of training, so her voice came out a little weak. From outside came a worried reply, "Natalie, it's me. Are you okay?" Natalie played dumb. "And you are?" Silence. Three seconds later, he answered. "Cassian. Open the door." Natalie finally unlocked it; there was a trace of amusement in her eyes. "What brought you here today?" Cassian didn't answer. Instead, he reached out solemnly and touched her forehead. His tense expression eased with relief. "Are you okay?" His face was still perfect as ever, though damp with sweat, his chest rising and falling. He must have rushed up the stairs. Natalie felt a sudden softness in her chest. "Come in." Cassian studied her for a moment, then stepped inside. The place was still pitch-black. "Why don't you turn on the lights?" he asked. Natalie smirked. "I'm fishing." Cassian said nothing.Natalie reached for the switch by the entryway and turned the lights on. The room flooded with brightness. She turned to speak— But Cassian stretched out his arm and shut them off again. Natalie froze. She looked up. In the darkness, she could only see his eyes, glowing faintly. "Did you catch anything?" he asked. "What?" She blinked. "Did you catch any fish?" His voice was low and steady. So close, she could smell the scent of his body wash. She breathed it in and whispered, "I caught one." Cassian's lips curved, and he leaned closer. In the dark, she couldn't see his face clearly. But his eyes burned, like fire locked on her. "Nattie," he murmured, "my emotion's been like a roller coaster today." He called me Nattie again. Her breath hitched. "Why?" Cassian's voice dropped as he leaned even closer. "Because of you." Their noses were almost touching when Natalie suddenly sensed something strange at her side. She turned her head—and froze. She was met by six shiny, round eyes staring at them. Two of them glowed red. Natalie jumped. She flicked the light on by reflex. Lucky stood nearby, her head tilted with curiosity. Behind her came Baron, the red-eyed rabbit, and on his back rode Cash, the rooster with round, darting eyes.All three pets stared at the two without blinking. Natalie caught her breath and shoved Cassian away. "Too close!" Cassian paused, then sighed. He gave her a regretful look before heading into the living room. Moving like he belonged there, he sat down on the couch. Cassian scooped up Lucky, who jumped into his arms. His long fingers slowly stroked her head. Natalie poured him a cup of tea and asked, "Why do you keep flying that helicopter over our neighborhood?" Cassian lifted his eyes. "Don't you already know?" Natalie stayed quiet, watching him. So he explained, "The outbreak in the city is bad. I have to check on you." Natalie pressed her lips together. "Fine, but did you have to make such a big show of it?" And every time, he never showed his face. At first, it really annoyed her. He'd swoop in with all that noise and then fly off again, leaving her confused. But after a while, she noticed a pattern—he only came at night. For more than two months, he'd visited over a dozen times, never once in daylight. Just earlier, while she was looking up at the light inside her house, an idea struck her. Could it be that he was watching the lights in her house? Maybe to figure out if she was home safe? If the lights were on, she was fine. If not—something had gone wrong.