"Senior, since when did you become a philosopher?"
"And that philosophy doesn't sound very convincing..."
Zane looked at Qingyi, clearly puzzled. He didn't share the same feelings and couldn't quite grasp where her sudden words were coming from.
"Senior, what's going on with you?"
Concern flickered in Zane's eyes as he looked at her, waiting for an answer.
"You're right... you don't even know yourself."
Qingyi didn't respond directly. She just gave a helpless smile. If Zane had the answer to her question, she wouldn't have ended up here in the first place.
"Senior..."
"Ah, it's nothing."
"My thoughts were just a bit jumbled, but I'm fine now. You don't need to worry."
Qingyi stood up, reached out, and gently brushed aside the fringe on Zane's forehead—like she was patting his head. Then she chuckled softly and said,
"Get some rest, Zane."
"Good night."
With that, she turned and headed back inside. The night sky shimmered with stars, and a full moon hung high, casting a frost-like glow across the ground.
Zane remained in the courtyard, alone, surrounded by silence. The birds that had chirped earlier were now gone, as if they had never been there at all.
"Sigh... Senior..."
Zane's eyes were calm, like a still lake. He blinked slowly, and a faint ripple stirred across his gaze. He exhaled softly.
"You won't tell me anything and just leave me to worry... That's really not fair."
His body relaxed, and he lay down on the grass. Facing the sky, he lay where no branches or leaves blocked his view, letting the night stretch endlessly above him.
He looked up lazily, arms resting at his sides. He didn't know what to do—or rather, how to choose.
"Let it be, huh..."
He lay there quietly, his eyes bright.
"Good night, she says... As if I could sleep right now. No way could I sleep under these circumstances..."
...
Late at night, in Qingyi's room, she wasn't asleep. She sat on her bed, hugging the Book of Trajectories to her chest, eyes flickering with thought.
She looked over to the table where the white flower sat. Starlight outside twinkled like falling meteors, their crystal tails sweeping across the sky.
"What an idiot..."
A faint ache pulsed from her chest. It wasn't painful, but it was sharp enough to leave her throat tight, like something stuck she couldn't swallow.
She sat like that for a long time, until the emotions settled.
"That idiot... If the timing weren't so terrible, I'd give him a proper scolding…"
"But at least now I know the reason behind Zane's situation. Next, I just need to find a way to fix it…"
Qingyi glanced at the white flower and planned to place it on the windowsill for now. She'd return it to Zane's room in the morning.
But just as she set the book aside and leaned forward, she lost her balance and fell straight to the floor.
"Damn it... I forgot my legs had gone numb from sitting too long…"
She pushed herself over with her arms, upper body sprawled on the floor, legs still dangling off the bed. With a sigh, she looked like she'd given up on life.
After a while, the numbness faded a bit. Qingyi lowered her legs and carefully stood up.
But the moment she lifted her head, she saw a figure outside the window. Qingyi furrowed her brow and leaned in for a better look—only for a face to suddenly press up against the glass.
Startled, Qingyi instinctively stepped back, but her still-numb legs tripped her, and she fell flat on the floor.
"Senior, what's going on?"
Outside the window, Zane peered in curiously.
"What are you doing?"
"Zane! Don't you know it's wrong to sneak around? It's the middle of the night and you're out here doing this?! I literally just warned you about this earlier, and now you—!"
To cover up being startled, Qingyi launched into an aggressive scolding. Zane, of course, wasn't going to let it slide.
"Come on, Senior! I was about to go to bed when I heard something from your side. I got worried and came to check. The window just happened to be open…"
But Qingyi completely ignored his explanation.
"Oh? Still refusing to confess? Have you forgotten what my actual job is?"
She reached out through the window and grabbed Zane, then with a surprisingly strong pull, dragged him inside.
"Zane, tonight your master is giving you a proper lesson!"
"Wait! Senior! You're totally just using this as an excuse to beat me up!"
Zane backed up quickly, gritting his teeth. Something about Qingyi's mood gave him serious déjà vu—it felt just like the first time she came after him.
To his surprise, Qingyi didn't deny it. She casually pulled out a three-section staff from who-knows-where and walked toward him with a smile.
"Hehe... That's right, little disciple."
"It's just an excuse… But it's not a beating—it's emergency training! Just a little sparring between master and apprentice!"
Since the opportunity finally came, there was no way Qingyi was going to let it pass. But this wasn't a lecture—it was full-on stick training...
...
By morning, Qingyi had already left the courtyard. Zane, meanwhile, was heading to the video store.
The last time he woke up, Belle and Wise had come by, but they hadn't stayed long or even greeted him properly before leaving for something else.
This time, Belle had invited him specifically to watch a new film. Since he had nothing else to do, he figured he'd go.
Of course, he was also curious about what Qingyi was up to this time, but as usual, she kept it to herself. He wasn't going to press her—if he annoyed her again and got smacked around, he'd really lose out.
...
Outside the video store.
"Tsk. Closed in broad daylight? Don't they want to make money? Fairy's electric bills haven't magically disappeared, have they…"
Zane stood in front of the tightly shut door, arms crossed, one hand stroking his chin as he pondered.
Even if they needed extra time off, this seemed excessive.
After all, the real workload in the video store didn't fall on Belle and Wise, the hands-off managers—it was No. 18 who did the actual labor.
And even if No. 18 couldn't handle it alone, there was still Sjal and Heddy. They were basically free help…
Shaking his head, Zane raised his hand and knocked on the door. Almost immediately, Belle's voice came from inside.
"Who is it?"
Zane replied, and Belle called out again,
"Zane, you're here! Wait—hold on a sec!"
Inside the store, Belle glanced up and quickly lowered her head again, speaking into the phone.
"Qingyi, what do you think of this film? Is it good or not?"