Savior

"... So that's the whole story."

In Bai Zhi's room on the Second Floor of the villa, Bai Zhi looked at Qingyi standing in front of him and spoke seriously.

"Imagine you were in my shoes; would you be indifferent to something like this?"

There are some things that Xia Wen and the others cannot know, such as the term "[Retainer]," so even if they were to talk about something, it wouldn't be in an open place like the living room.

"Hmm... Anna understands."

After thinking for a moment, Anna, still holding Bai Zhi's hand, raised her hand as well.

"Yeah?"

Bai Zhi looked pleased.

"It seems you are still capable..."

"There was another one!!"

Anna turned to look at Tong beside her, her gaze intense.

Bai Zhi: "..."

Bai Zhi felt that Anna needed more attention in her reading comprehension skills in Chinese language education.

"Just got back, very sleepy, going to sleep."

She gave a Qingyi hum, returned to the door, locked it behind her, and climbed into bed.

"Let's sleep together, and talk about it after we've had a good night's rest."

"... No, how can they be together?"

Looking at Qingyi kneeling on the bed in front of him, and Tong and Anna holding his arms on either side, Bai Zhi suddenly felt a toothache.

In fact, as her acceptance of this world increased, Tong's dependence on him had decreased a lot, and she wouldn't usually hold his hand so tightly as she does now.

But now...

"Could you let go of each other first?"

Bai Zhi tried to negotiate.

"I don't want to sleep right now, so why don't the three of you take a nap together, and I'll just sit here..."

Before Bai Zhi could finish his sentence, Qingyi pounced on him and pinned him to the bed.

"Sleep!!"

Hands wrapped her arms around his neck, rested her head against his chest, and closed her eyes as she Qingyi against him.

After thinking for a moment, Tong adjusted to a more comfortable position, then faced him and fell asleep with her head on his arm. Anna did the same.

Qingyi and Anna seemed to be quite tired, so they quickly fell asleep. Tong, who was already in a state of near sleep, was now even more ready to fall asleep, so she also drifted off to sleep in no time.

Bai Zhi: "..."

Meanwhile, in the kitchen on the first floor, Xia Wen was working hard to prepare his lunch.

There were no leftovers, but there was plenty of food in the refrigerator. What she needed to do now was to be self-reliant and support herself.

When Tian Huo returned from outside after finishing his cigarette, he saw Xia Wen standing hands in the kitchen, his hands clasped in prayer.

"What are you doing?"

Slightly curious, Tian Huo stepped forward and, looking at the tightly closed pot lid in front of him, asked the other person a question.

"I am performing a ritual to help the deceased pass on."

Xia Wen had a look of deep compassion on his face.

"What's the starting point?"

"Fish."

"What?"

"I'm making myself boiled fish."

Xia Wen glanced back at Tian Huo, his face serious.

"Eating only vegetables and white rice every day is not sustainable; self-reliance is the right path."

"Boiled fish...?"

With a touch of curiosity, Tian Huo lifted the lid of the pot in front of him.

Inside the pot, nearly a pot of clear water was sprinkled with some chopped green onions and a few pieces of tofu. Amidst this clear and white mixture, a live fish was happily blowing bubbles.

--These are the ingredients that Mu Qiansè originally planned to use to make braised fish tonight.

"... Is this how you make boiled fish?"

Seeing the scene before him, Tian Huo felt that something was slightly strange, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"That's right, that's definitely it. Boiled fish, you know, it has water, fish, scallions, and tofu, what more could you want?"

Compared to Tian Huo, who seemed somewhat doubtful, Xia Wen looked full of confidence.

"After the water boils, I'll add salt and other seasonings. Do you want it spicy or not?"

Not spicy!

When it came to food, Tian Huo nodded decisively.

"Great, I'll definitely add lots of chili!!"

Xia Wen nodded even more decisively.

Tian Huo: "???"

Bai Zhi thought he wouldn't be able to sleep, but to his surprise, he drifted off to sleep in a daze.

When he woke up again, the sun had already set.

The golden rays of the setting sun shone through the window onto the table, bathing the entire room in a golden hue.

"..."

Bai Zhi reached out and gently pressed his forehead before sitting up in bed.

"You're awake?"

Hearing the noise, Qingyi, who was sitting at the table and chair, gazing absently at the Qingyi outside, turned around and let out a soft hum when she saw him sitting up in bed.

"How was your sleep?"

"It's alright, but I haven't had a nap in ages..."

Yawning, Bai Zhi got up and went to the table.

"How are you doing now? When you came back before, you looked exhausted."

Of all the people, only Qingyi knew the most about him.

He had also informed the other party about his own Sanity Value, which was displayed as????

"I'm fine. Anna's situation has been mostly resolved, so you don't need to worry."

With a soft hum, Qingyi turned her head to look to the side.

"What's wrong, are you jealous?"

With a slight smile, Bai Zhi reached out and patted the other person's head with a hint of helplessness.

"I don't want to bring someone back every time I go out, but in a situation like that, I can't just stand by and watch someone die, can I?"

"That's because you have that ability; common simply can't do that."

She shook her head slightly; Qingyi understood this matter quite well.

"Whether it's Anna, Hitomi, or even the Bookkeeper who calls it Tian Huo, their fates were already predetermined, but you changed their fates... There's a reason Anna calls you Your Highness Prince."

So you're not angry anymore?

"Why should I be angry? Although I'm now part of the Anomaly, my heart is still human."

Shaking her head, Qingyi stood up from the chair.

"To change the fate of the unfortunate and save them from despair—if I were to condemn such an act, wouldn't I be denying myself? You, too, are the one who saved me from despair. So you don't need to explain anything to me; just do what you want."

Raising her head to look directly into his eyes, the White-haired loli began to speak, word by word.

"To give hope to the desperate, and to save the unfortunate from their fate."

"This is what the Savior does."