Consciousness slowly floated up from the deep darkness.
Qin Huan felt as if she were soaking in seawater, everything around her hazy and indistinct.
Something wrapped around her consciousness, soft and warm, making her not want to think about anything.
‘Who am I?’
‘I am… Qin Huan.’
‘No, I’m Xiao Huan, Elder Sister Zhenli’s Xiao Huan.’
‘Elder Sister Zhenli said I don’t need to think about anything, don’t need to worry about anything, I just need to obediently stay by her side.’
‘Right, I just need to obediently stay by Elder Sister Zhenli’s side.’
‘But… there’s still something I need to do?’
‘I can’t remember. It seems like something very important, but I can’t remember.’
‘Forget it. Since I can’t remember, it must not be important.’
‘Elder Sister Zhenli said I only need to think about her.’
“Xiao Huan.”
Someone called her name, a voice very pleasant and gentle.
“Xiao Huan, are you awake?”
Qin Huan struggled to open her eyes.
Her vision was a bit blurry; she could only see a golden silhouette.
That person sat by the bedside, backlit, golden long hair coated with a soft halo.
It was Elder Sister Zhenli.
“Elder Sister Zhenli…”
Qin Huan spoke, her voice a little muffled.
“Mm, I’m here.”
Ju Zhenli reached out, her cool fingertips gently brushing Qin Huan’s forehead, tucking a few stray strands of hair behind her ear.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Mm.”
Qin Huan obediently nodded.
“Very well. In my dreams… it was all Elder Sister Zhenli.”
Ju Zhenli curved the corners of her mouth, revealing a shallow smile.
“That’s good.”
She leaned down and placed a very, very light kiss on Qin Huan’s forehead.
“You have to be good today too, Xiao Huan.”
“Mm.”
Qin Huan responded obediently, her eyes clear and dazed.
[Qin Huan! Qin Huan! Wake up, nya! You can’t do this, nya!]
A strange voice came from the depths of her mind.
What was that?
It sounded like…
A cat’s meow?
Oh well, don’t think about it.
Elder Sister Zhenli said not to think about anything, just to think about Elder Sister Zhenli.
Qin Huan closed her eyes, a shallow smile on her lips.
Deep in her consciousness, the orange fat cat was desperately flailing its paws, letting out one powerless call after another.
[Qin Huan! You still have to save the world, nya! You can’t fall here, nya!]
[When the three months are up, this world is going to be destroyed, nya!]
[Qin Huan——!]
In the rehearsal room, the atmosphere was somewhat gloomy.
Zuo Xi sat in the corner holding her guitar, her fingers unconsciously plucking the strings.
Fu Lan sat quietly behind the keyboard, her hands placed properly on her knees, her silver-white long hair hanging down, covering half her face.
Only Guchuan Xing still sat behind the drum set, spinning drumsticks idly, her light red long curly hair swaying gently with the movement.
“Ha~”
Guchuan Xing stopped spinning the drumsticks, propped her chin on her hand, and spoke with a lazy tone, “Huanzi is late today. Even though yesterday she said ‘see you tomorrow.’ How heartbreaking.”
“She might be held up by something.”
Zuo Xi’s voice was a little unnatural, clearly also puzzled.
“Qin Huan isn’t someone who would be late for no reason.”
“Ha?”
Guchuan Xing drew out her tone.
“You know Huanzi pretty well.”
Zuo Xi didn’t respond.
Seeing Zuo Xi like this, Guchuan Xing didn’t continue either.
She just started spinning her drumsticks again.
Fu Lan remained silent, but her light purple eyes moved slightly, landing on Zuo Xi, then quickly looking away.
Time passed minute by minute.
Qin Huan’s figure still hadn’t appeared.
Zuo Xi bit her lip.
Finally, she put down her guitar and pulled out her phone from her pocket.
“I’ll call Qin Huan.”
Guchuan Xing raised an eyebrow but didn’t stop her.
The phone rang, the beeping wait tone especially clear in the quiet rehearsal room.
Zuo Xi’s fingers unconsciously tightened around her phone.
“Hello.”
The call was answered, but the voice that came through wasn’t Qin Huan’s.
“Ju… Ju Zhenli, President?”
Zuo Xi’s voice was a bit hesitant.
“It’s me.”
Ju Zhenli’s tone was calm, as if handling some trivial matter.
“Xiao Huan isn’t feeling well today.”
“Not feeling well?”
Zuo Xi stood up abruptly.
“What’s wrong with Qin Huan? Is it serious? I…”
“It’s not serious.”
Ju Zhenli cut her off.
“She just needs rest. Once Xiao Huan recovers, I’ll let her come back to rehearsals.”
“But…”
“Is there anything else?”
Zuo Xi opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found she couldn’t say anything.
“No.”
Zuo Xi’s voice dropped.
“Please take care of Qin Huan, President Ju Zhenli.”
The call was hung up.
Zuo Xi stared at the words “Call Ended” on her phone screen, unable to calm down for a long time.
“Huanzi can’t come?”
Guchuan Xing’s voice came from behind.
“Mm.”
Zuo Xi took a deep breath, put her phone back in her pocket, and when she turned around, a smile had already reappeared on her face.
“Qin Huan isn’t feeling well. She’s resting at home today. Let’s rehearse by ourselves. We can’t let her come back and find we’ve made no progress.”
Guchuan Xing tilted her head, but finally tapped her drumsticks and said, “Alright, let’s start then.”
Fu Lan softly hummed “Mm,” and her hands hovered over the keyboard again.
The villa was very quiet.
Ju Zhenli hung up the phone and gently placed Qin Huan’s phone on the bedside table.
“Xiao Huan…”
Qin Huan was leaning against the headboard, her eyes still dazed.
Hearing Ju Zhenli’s voice, she obediently looked up.
“Elder Sister Zhenli.”
“Someone called you just now.”
Ju Zhenli reached out, her cool fingertips gently smoothing the stray hairs on Qin Huan’s forehead.
“It was a member of your band.”
“Band?”
Qin Huan tilted her head, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
“Mm, but it’s not important.”
Ju Zhenli withdrew her hand.
“Xiao Huan doesn’t need to think about that. Just think about me.”
“Mm.”
Qin Huan obediently nodded.
“Just think about Elder Sister Zhenli.”
She repeated the words as if reciting some truth.
Ju Zhenli looked at her, the smile slowly fading from her lips.
Xiao Huan was very good, better than ever before.
Wasn’t this what she wanted?
Xiao Huan’s eyes only had her.
Xiao Huan wouldn’t smile at others.
Xiao Huan wouldn’t show her that kind of expression that Ju Zhenli didn’t want to see.
Xiao Huan wouldn’t leave her, wouldn’t disappear from her life, wouldn’t make her experience that fear of loss again.
Xiao Huan was hers alone.
But…
Why did it still feel wrong?
Ju Zhenli stood up and walked to the window.
She remembered when rehearsal ended that day, that girl named Zuo Xi had caught up and said, “Thank you for inviting me to form a band.”
At that moment, Xiao Huan’s face had lit up with a smile.
That smile carried a bit of surprise, a bit of embarrassment, and a bit of pure joy.
She really liked that smile.
But that smile wasn’t meant for her, so she didn’t like it.
So she turned Xiao Huan into what she was now: only smiling at her, only looking at her, only thinking about her.
But…
The current Xiao Huan wouldn’t show that kind of smile anymore.
What kind of Xiao Huan did she truly want?