The courtyard was still warm with faint laughter.
For once, it felt like the Lu family could breathe.
Lu Chuan sat quietly beside Kelly, carefully finishing his steamed bun.
Lu Tuan and Lu Cheng were playing nearby, no longer as tense as before.
Mother Lu watched them for a long time.
Then she quietly said:
"…They haven't smiled like this in a long time."
Kelly didn't answer.
But something in her chest tightened.
Because she knew—
peace never lasted long in this world.
Mother Lu's expression suddenly changed.
Her voice dropped.
"Kelly."
Kelly looked up.
The old woman hesitated.
Then said quietly:
"That educated youth came again."
Kelly's fingers paused.
Her eyes sharpened instantly.
The reborn female lead.
Mother Lu continued, even more serious now:
"She didn't come alone this time."
A silence fell.
Even the children, sensing the change in atmosphere, stopped moving.
Lu Cheng slowly stepped closer to Kelly without realizing it.
Mother Lu swallowed.
"And she asked about Chengzou."
Kelly's gaze darkened.
"…What exactly did she ask?"
Mother Lu lowered her voice.
"Where he went."
"When he died."
"And…"
A pause.
Her next words were almost a whisper.
"…whether the children are truly his."
The courtyard temperature seemed to drop instantly.
Kelly's expression went completely still.
That question wasn't normal curiosity.
That was targeting.
At that exact moment—
the system flickered violently in her vision.
[WARNING]
[FATE INTERFERENCE DETECTED]
[THE THIEF'S CHOSEN PIECE HAS ACTIVATED A SEARCH PATH]
Kelly slowly turned her head.
Toward the road.
The distant path beyond the village looked calm.
Too calm.
Then—
she saw her.
Beneath the old tree at the edge of the road.
A young woman stood quietly.
Neatly dressed.
Calm posture.
Perfect smile.
She looked nothing like someone from this poor village.
But her eyes—
her eyes were wrong.
Too sharp.
Too certain.
Like she already knew the ending of everything she saw.
When her gaze met Kelly's—
she smiled wider.
Not friendly.
Not polite.
But victorious.
As if she had finally confirmed something she had been waiting for.
Then she spoke.
Her voice carried clearly across the distance.
"Comrade Kelly."
A pause.
Then softly:
"I finally found you."
The children froze.
Lu Cheng immediately stepped in front of his brothers.
Mother Lu stiffened.
Father Lu, who had just walked out of the house, stopped completely.
Only Kelly remained still.
The system exploded inside her mind.
[CRITICAL STORY CHARACTER ARRIVAL]
[FEMALE LEAD: ACTIVATED]
[SECONDARY SCRIPT REWRITE INITIATED]
The woman at the tree tilted her head slightly.
Still smiling.
Then she added, softly enough only Kelly could feel the meaning behind it:
"You've changed the story."
A chill ran through Kelly's body.
Because that sentence meant one thing:
This woman didn't just know the plot.
She was part of it.
And she had come here—
to correct it.
The wind moved through the village road.
The leaves rustled.
And the first true confrontation of fate finally began.