"Pro..."
As soon as Noah uttered the first syllable, he swallowed back the next word that followed.
Close call. That nickname was fine for online banter, but he absolutely couldn't say it out loud.
"Ahem, nicknames are mainly taken for teasing or summarizing—not everyone has a nice one."
Noah corrected his wording:
"People already have names, and not everyone likes being called by nicknames."
Except for a certain Patroller who really loved being called Jinzhou's Blazing Dawn.
"Alright." Changli nodded slightly, then suddenly asked: "Then what nickname do you think Jinhsi could have?"
"There are plenty."
Noah perked up.
Things like, Legendary Endurance Queen, Little Dragon Bun, White Milk Dragon, Xi Xi, Bu Xi Xi, and so on.
Before the Ike TV era, Jinhsi was once the most popular character in Wuthering Waves secondary creations, with popularity second only to Calcharo.
It all started with a certain snow mountain husband-chasing picture.
"Ahem—"
A light cough sounded from behind. Noah turned his head and saw Jinhsi walking past him, naturally sitting in the seat next to him. She smiled and asked:
"May I sit here?"
Jinhsi's words were gentle. Her gaze unconsciously met Changli's, and the smile on her face instantly stiffened a bit, becoming somewhat guilty.
"Hm?"
Changli's lips curved slightly. Her pair of golden phoenix eyes narrowed, becoming elongated, appearing rather playful.
Something's off—her disciple was really off.
"Sit wherever, sit wherever."
Noah picked up a cup, poured more than half full of fruit wine, and handed it to Jinhsi: "Here, try some. Low proof, very sweet."
"Thank you."
Jinhsi lowered her head, holding the fruit wine with both hands. The corner of her eye furtively glanced at Noah. Changli kindly reminded:
"Jinhsi, not looking at someone when speaking is impolite, you know."
"...Yes."
Jinhsi bit her lip tightly, finally meeting Noah's gaze directly. She felt her body stiffen uncontrollably, barely squeezing out a smile:
"Thank you, Noah. From Jinzhou to Mt. Firmament, I don't even know how to thank you... This cup is for you!"
Ahhhhh— As soon as the words left her mouth, Jinhsi's mind went blank. She kept berating herself inwardly: How could I be so stupid? I can't even speak properly.
She fiercely closed her eyes, downing the fruit wine in one gulp. Beautiful blushes floated on her cheeks.
"Why so polite? It's all unnecessary."
Noah waved his hand, acting nonchalant:
"I quite like Jinzhou. I don't want to see this city of good governance and harmony suffer disaster."
"By the way!"
As if suddenly remembering something, Noah set down his wine cup and gazed at Jinhsi:
"I heard from Changli that you were planning to reward based on merits earlier. I'm quite curious—what would you give me? Care to reveal?"
"This..."
Jinhsi carefully recalled, counting on her fingers:
"The material rewards convert to about ten million Shell Credits. Then there's publicly awarding the 'Hero of Jinzhou' honorary medal, lifelong VIP status in Jinzhou, and erecting a life-sized statue to be placed in Jinzhou's City Hall..."
The most important was this lifelong VIP status. With it, one could make any request to Jinzhou's City Hall, and Jinzhou would fulfill it to the best of its ability.
Before coming to Mt. Firmament, Jinhsi believed Noah's benevolence toward Jinzhou was truly impossible to fully repay.
Thus, she decided on this reward—so she could slowly repay Noah's kindness in the future. It was another solution when rewards were exhausted.
But after the Mt. Firmament events, Jinhsi felt such rewards were still too little; she still felt indebted to Noah.
A life-saving grace with nothing to repay—perhaps with her own... Bah bah, what was she thinking?
"...Does Noah have anything he particularly likes?"
Jinhsi cautiously raised her gaze, glancing at Noah before shrinking back, then reaching to pour herself another cup of fruit wine.
This fruit wine was truly fruity.
Noah fell into thought, not noticing Jinhsi's unusual behavior.
Human desires are nothing beyond clothing, food, housing, and transportation. In this regard, Jinzhou's City Hall state guesthouse had already taken excellent care of him.
But staying in a state guesthouse always gave a sense of living under someone else's roof, leaving him with little security.
"Got it!"
Noah slapped his hand fiercely:
"I want a house that belongs to me."
A house?
Hearing this request, Jinhsi was instead delighted.
If he wants a house, does that mean he's truly decided to settle down completely in Jinzhou?
That's—great! Hehe!
Jinhsi couldn't help but show a smile on her face, yet she noticed Changli's eyes fixed unblinkingly on her.
That gaze held teasing, as if seeing through her, causing Jinhsi to instantly realize her lapse. Her face flushed red like a ripe apple.
"G-Good... I'll find an excellent residence for you later."
"That would be troublesome—eh, why is your face so red?"
Hearing Noah's concerned question, Jinhsi felt her heartbeat suddenly accelerate. The "thump thump thump" echoed in her ears, as if about to burst from her chest.
"It's... it's the fruit wine. I just drank fruit wine."
Jinhsi forced herself to stay calm.
"Fruit wine?" Noah raised his own cup in surprise.
The proof isn't high—could this wine have a strong delayed kick?
"Jinhsi—"
Changli tilted her head with a shallow smile, drawing out her voice:
"Has Teacher ever taught you that in Huanglong, toasting a guest requires interlocking arms?"
Interlocking arms toast!
Jinhsi felt her mind "buzz," going completely blank, utterly unsure how to respond.
Interlocking arms? Isn't that something done only on a couple's wedding night? Does toasting Noah require interlocking arms?
Jinhsi was speechless, stiffly raising her wine cup like a puppet on strings, not daring to look up at Noah:
"S-Sorry, I'll toast you again properly..."
"Teacher never taught you interlocking arms, so that's wrong too!"
Changli's teasing words rang again, her voice carrying a hint of barely concealed laughter.
"Ah... ah... ah..."
She had just wanted to toast Noah—done for. Would Noah think she's a very frivolous person now?
Jinhsi's brain instantly overloaded. The fruit wine in her hand—she couldn't raise it nor put it down. Faint white mist seemed to rise from her head.
"You three, excuse me."
Xinyi's words became a lifeline. Jinhsi hurriedly turned her head:
"Not at all—what is it?"
"Accommodations on Mt. Firmament are ready. Rest here tonight."
"Good!"
Jinhsi stood up in a flurry, her gaze drifting:
"Noah, Teacher, I'm a bit tired—I'll rest first."
"Alright, go ahead."
Watching Jinhsi and Xinyi leave, Noah scratched his head:
"I keep feeling Jinhsi is acting strange. No issues, right? Maybe today's stimulation was too much."
"The stimulation was indeed great, for example—"
Changli shook her head meaningfully, then imitated someone, making a pose of embracing a beauty. Her expression turned serious, her charming cheeks gaining a touch of heroism:
"I'm here to save you— no need to keep staring at me."
Noah looked puzzled: "Why are you imitating me?"
"Don't you know how handsome that is to a woman?" Changli smiled gracefully, not explaining further.
===✧✦✧===
On the other side, Jinhsi leaned against the door of her resting quarters, breathing heavily. Her face remained scorching hot.
She patted her cheeks with her hands, trying to calm down, but her heart was like a tangled mess of hemp, impossible to sort.
"How could I lose composure like that? It's simply... not like me."
Jinhsi blamed herself inwardly, but recalling the bits and pieces of today, a happy yet shy smile unconsciously spread across her face.
Thinking back, ever since Noah arrived in Jinzhou, so many fortunate things had happened to Jinzhou.