A wage slave.
And who's the cutest?
So.
Han Fei broke into a huge grin.
"Hahaha, Hexi—no, I mean Hexi."
"Your name is Hexi."
"My name is Hexi..."
She murmured the name to herself.
She glanced at Han Fei and let go of the wariness that had just begun to rise in her.
There was something she hadn't told him: she hadn't lost all her memories. At the very least, she vaguely remembered that she might—perhaps—probably be called Hexi.
When she heard the name, her instincts told her it seemed to be hers.
Well, probably.
So.
This man seemed trustworthy.
Strangely, she didn't know why she'd lost her memory, yet she still had such a sharp sense of caution. It felt as if she'd once been tricked by a sister she'd known for a long time.
"'He' is the 'he' in white crane, and 'xi' is the 'xi' in stream. Remember, it's the 'xi' in stream."
Han Fei explained.
Hexi nodded solemnly.
"You're actually an alien. Well, you used to be an alien."
She listened quietly, with no intention of interrupting.
"I don't really know what kind of alien you are. I only know that you seemed to have enemies, suffered a severe injury, and fell onto this planet."
Hexi's expression grew even more serious at that.
Enemies?
A serious injury?
It sounded strangely familiar. It seemed to be true.
Who were my enemies?
Could they have already caught up with me?
"I found you in the He River."
"At the time, I saw someone floating in the river, so I swam over and pulled them out. That person was you. After that, I took you home so you could recover, and used my family's magic array to conceal your whereabouts. After we'd spent some time together, you told me a little about yourself, and that's how I learned you were an alien."
"Oh, right—you never told me which planet you're from."
Hexi nodded without thinking.
But she felt a little puzzled.
Had she really told him so easily?
She was completely unaware that she'd been just as candid moments ago.
"After that, to repay me, you decided to work for me."
This was starting to sound strange.
Hexi was confused.
But she still didn't speak, listening quietly.
"I tried to refuse, but couldn't, so I had to agree. That's how you became my secretary and started working for me."
"Of course, because of your identity, you've always lived here with me, and you never go out. I suppose you're trying to avoid your enemies?"
"Even when you do go out, you have to drag me along. You insist on staying right by my side."
"I understand. You don't feel safe, and I have some abilities that can conceal you and keep you safe. But you can't cling to me forever, either."
Han Fei wore an expression of helpless exasperation.
Hexi felt a little embarrassed.
She hadn't expected to have left that kind of impression on him before losing her memory.
Wait.
Then why did I lose my memory?
Her willow-like brows furrowed over her lovely face.
Tricking Hexi and the Like? I'm Innocent!
Han Fei shook his head, looking like someone who'd been bullied.
"As for your amnesia, you're always joking around with me, so I didn't think much of it. Actually, it must have been caused by what happened a few days ago."
"Uh..."
Han Fei stammered.
What if he couldn't keep making this up?
No, he had to keep her on the hook, or there'd be a disaster!
Whatever.
Han Fei figured he was pretty quick-witted.
He made it up on the spot.
"Maybe we grew close over time. I noticed you were acting a little strange toward me. Sure, I've always looked after you, but you're an alien, after all, and I had trouble accepting that."
Han Fei looked a little embarrassed as he said this, and it seemed surprisingly convincing.
"So I turned you down as gently as I could. After that, you left home in a fit of anger and were gone for several days. I kept looking for you, and only today did I find you again. Thankfully, even though you took a bit of a hit to the head, you're not seriously hurt. And when I said that just now, I thought you were messing with me again."
"You've always liked fooling around with me, after all. Sigh..."
He shook his head helplessly as he spoke, looking a little wistful and quite heartfelt.
But his eyes kept darting toward her.
Sure enough.
Hexi had gone completely still.
She looked at Han Fei in confusion, then at herself.
Finally, she looked at her battered battle armor.
She tapped herself with a pale finger, then pointed at Han Fei.
Then she looked again at her battered armor.
Had I really been in a fight before?
Was everything he said true?
Hexi thought it through briefly.
I must have run into enemies when I left home and didn't have him to protect me or conceal me.
That must be why I fought.
And that must be why I lost my memory.
Following the lead Han Fei had given her, Hexi gradually began to believe what he'd told her.
But as for growing close over time...
She looked at Han Fei and felt nothing like that.
"Don't worry, Hexi. I'll do everything I can to help you get your memories back. You don't need to worry."
Seeing that Hexi seemed to have fallen for his story, Han Fei felt a weight lift from his chest.
"Let's get reacquainted. I'm Han Fei."
He held out his hand.
Hexi timidly held out hers and took Han Fei's hand.
"I'm... Hexi."
At that moment.
She was Hexi, not Hexi.
"Mm."
"By the way, you absolutely mustn't leave me again."
"Mm-hmm."
Hexi nodded over and over like a little girl, showing no sign of arguing.
Looking at her like that, Han Fei felt a little dazed.
I'd turned an old monster into a little girl.
Why did I feel so guilty?
It's not like I was taking advantage of someone clueless!
I'm innocent!
I'm innocent!
Han Fei clutched his chest, feeling as if his heart had turned a little black.
Right.
He had to see the charade through.
He glanced silently at his phone.
Hexi probably couldn't even use the Eye of Insight right now. Otherwise, she wouldn't be so clueless.
So.
Han Fei pretended to take a call.
He ended the call at top speed.
When he turned around, he found Hexi staring at his phone with a furrowed brow.
Thump, thump.
"..."
Gulp.
"You..."
"You use something like this to communicate?"
Han Fei forced a smile. "Yeah. What about it?"
"I vaguely remember this kind of communication being very outdated, but I can't remember what's more advanced."
Before you continue