Chen Junnan once again “kicked the door open” and barged in.
Before he could fully express his triumphant demeanor, he saw Qi Xia just finishing giving some instructions to Tian Tian.
Tian Tian, however, appeared utterly bewildered by whatever Qi Xia had said.
“Qi Xia… this plan of yours… you…” She frowned, clearly confused, “Your approach is just too…”
Tian Tian seemed eager to comment on Qi Xia’s idea, but her words faltered, as if they had collided head-on, leaving her unable to utter another word.
“So practice while you still can,” Qi Xia told her. “We don’t have many chances—perhaps only one.”
“O-Okay… I understand… don’t worry…” Though Tian Tian said “don’t worry,” it was evident she lacked confidence. “I should go practice right away…”
“Thank you,” Qi Xia said.
“Eh…?” Tian Tian turned around, looking at Qi Xia in confusion. “What did you say?”
“I said thank you,” Qi Xia repeated.
These three words puzzled Tian Tian and even caused Chen Junnan to hesitate for a moment.
In his memory, Qi Xia rarely ever said those words.
“Th-That’s unnecessary…” Tian Tian forced a faint smile, clearly still reeling from Qi Xia’s absurd plan and merely humoring him, “I haven’t even done anything yet. It’s too early to say ‘thank you’—what if we fail?”
“It’s not just about this,” Qi Xia replied. “I’ve wanted to thank you for a long time, but you’ve never given me the chance.”
“For a long time…?” Tian Tian clearly didn’t understand. “Technically speaking, my abilities are limited. I don’t think I’ve helped you that often…”
“You have,” Qi Xia said. “I’m afraid this time will be like all the others—you’ll do what you must and then quietly disappear somewhere. That’s why I want to say it in advance.”
“This…” Tian Tian nodded vaguely, half-understanding yet unsure what to say. After a moment of silence, she finally said, “You don’t have to be so formal… Even though I don’t know exactly what I’ve done, I’m sure it’s the same as now—entirely my own choice.”
After saying that, as if suddenly recalling something, she added, “Even if I choose to quietly disappear somewhere, it will still be entirely my own choice.”
After hearing that, Qi Xia let out a meaningful sigh, as if finally untying a tiny, nearly imperceptible knot in his heart.
“Then I’ll go first,” Tian Tian said again.
“Tian Tian,” Qi Xia softly called.
“Eh…?”
“I want to ask you one last time, seriously,” he took a step forward and said solemnly. “If you were given a chance to start over, would you choose to escape from here and return to your life?”
Tian Tian froze. Clearly, she hadn’t expected Qi Xia to ask such a question at a moment like this.
Her eyes flickered with confusion for a moment, then quickly dulled into lifeless resignation.
“I don’t want to…” she whispered. “I probably don’t have a so-called ‘life’ anymore.”
Qi Xia gazed at Tian Tian, a complex mix of emotions flickering in his eyes.
“Even if you had the chance to start over, you wouldn’t want to go back and take a look?”
Tian Tian lowered her head, strands of hair falling forward, conveniently hiding the expression in her brows and eyes—or perhaps, at this moment, she had no expression at all.
Chen Junnan also fell silent at this point. If one had to describe the aura emanating from Tian Tian at this moment, it would be an unshakable decisiveness—an utter lack of attachment to the “real world.”
Both Qi Xia and Chen Junnan knew that what swirled in this girl’s mind was not hesitation over “whether or not to return to reality,” but rather the dilemma of “how to refuse politely.”
In the “End’s Domain,” there were others like Tian Tian who harbored fear toward the “real world.” But such “reluctance” was mostly pretense. After all, the people in the “End’s Domain” ultimately ended up here because they had no other choice, eventually self-deluding themselves into believing they didn’t even want to leave.
If given the chance to choose actively, most people would still hesitate.
From the very beginning, neither Qi Xia nor Chen Junnan had ever seen hesitation in Tian Tian. Whether she had retained her past memories or appeared here in a completely new state, she had never shown any longing for anything from the real world.
A few seconds later, she finally spoke: “I’m sorry. No matter what, let’s win this game first.”
Qi Xia remained silent for a moment, any nonexistent expectations vanishing completely: “Alright.”
Tian Tian nodded, turned around, and opened the door, just as Zhang Lawyer and Zheng Yingxiong returned.
They exchanged brief greetings, and then Tian Tian entered the room, closing the door behind her, busying herself with something unknown.
When Zhang Lawyer and Zheng Yingxiong saw Chen Junnan, they were momentarily taken aback and instinctively stepped back half a step.
“Little brother… this…” Zhang Chenze turned to Zheng Yingxiong.
Zheng Yingxiong also pondered for a moment before addressing Chen Junnan: “Big brother, did you get the ‘character’?”
Upon hearing this, Chen Junnan was momentarily stunned. The words he had prepared for Qi Xia died on his tongue. He turned around and stared seriously at Zheng Yingxiong.
“What’s wrong?” Zheng Yingxiong asked.
“Damn it… Is that woman even pretending to be a kid now?” Chen Junnan’s face twisted with disgust. “Zhang Jie, you better let go quickly, or he might bite you later.”
“Eh…?” Zheng Yingxiong seemed to realize the misunderstanding. “No… no, that’s not it…”
“Come on, come on,” Chen Junnan took a few steps forward. “If you’ve got guts, come at me directly. Where did you send that arrogant brat? You can’t take on adults, so you’re picking on kids now?”
“There might have been a misunderstanding…” Zhang Chenze quickly stepped forward. “Chen Junnan, we just encountered someone impersonating you earlier, and it was Yingxiong who uncovered the imposter. We haven’t been separated the entire time, so he’s genuine.”
“Eh?” Chen Junnan was taken aback. “That can’t be right, Zhang Jie. Do you know what he just called me? I’ve known this kid for days, and I’ve never heard him call me ‘big brother’ once. Isn’t that as absurd as raining soy milk from the sky?”
“I was just testing you,” Zheng Yingxiong replied impatiently. “And now you’re testing me? I don’t know who’s more concerning…”
“You damn brat…” Chen Junnan sighed. “Alright, I admit I’m a bit jumpy after dealing with that ‘shapeshifter,’ so a little caution isn’t unwarranted, right?”
Qi Xia looked at Chen Junnan and softly asked, “So, what did you find this time?”
“Oh! Right! Old Qi!” Ignoring Zhang Lawyer and Zheng Yingxiong, Chen Junnan turned around and said excitedly, “You won’t believe the amazing thing I just did…”
As he spoke, he pulled out a “character” from his pocket and held it up in front of Qi Xia.
“Jin” (towel).
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage