The Truth You Want to Know

He... he discovered she was spying?

How could Lin not have noticed? He was extremely sensitive to gazes. After leaving home today, he could feel sneaky glances coming from Sakura's direction. At first, he didn't pay much attention, but as it became more and more frequent and obvious, he realized that Sakura might have something to say to him.

"Ah, no... it's nothing." Sakura completely lost the coldness she had when on a mission, clumsily sitting down with her hands on her knees, sitting upright and extremely nervous.

The private room was brightly lit, and the outside was also brightly lit.

The Ferris Wheel gradually ascended to its highest point, and the city was shrouded in a mysterious veil of neon lights at night, like a dancer with her chin covered who had just woken up and was now dancing her graceful body to her heart's content.

"Speaking of which, the first time we met was also at an amusement park."

Lin, unusually, took the initiative to talk to Ying. His forehead rested against the glass of the Ferris Wheel, his eyes seeing both his own reflection in the glass and the bustling city outside.

Will this world be destroyed in the upcoming Honkai?

Will this place cease to exist after ten thousand years?

Will all the traces of their existence and everything they fought for turn into tiny dust particles of time?

Even if Lin wanted to say something discouraging, he couldn't bring himself to give up even for a moment.

If the outcome was already predetermined, would you still make the same choice?

"So much time has passed?" Sakura looked outside, her eyes filled with memories. The amusement park was not the same one where they had first met, but Sakura felt as if she had returned to the past.

"You look beautiful today. Are you planning to do something?"

"Ah..."

Sakura froze for a few seconds, and after replaying Lin's words in her mind several times, a fire burned from her neck to the tips of her ears, and even the ears on the top of her head perked up.

Pretty...

He noticed it, and surprisingly, he actually complimented people.

He had praised her beauty before, but at the time he was capturing Qianqi...

This time, however, Sakura felt so happy that her heart was almost overflowing. Just a simple compliment made her unable to hold back her smile.

At this moment, Ling, who was in the next compartment, was observing Lin and the others through a monocular telescope. Her expression was somber, and when she saw Ying's change in expression, she clenched her fists with a "whoa!"

"Great! The atmosphere is great! Keep it up! Take the initiative! There are still twenty minutes left! Twenty minutes is enough to do anything!"

The older woman in the same compartment looked at the furious Ling with some embarrassment. "Uh, young lady, what are you doing..."

"Don't worry about it!" Ling stared intently at the private room in front of her and said seriously, "This concerns my sister's lifelong happiness! And whether I can be her aunt!"

"This..."

"If all else fails, just knock him to the ground and force him!"

"..."

Sakura wanted to hide it, but as soon as she met Lin's calm eyes, she unconsciously calmed down.

Every time I'm alone with Lin, I feel exceptionally relaxed, not with joy, but with a very ordinary and mundane feeling.

"There's no reason, I just wanted to wear it." Sakura's lips touched lightly as she spoke with a soft laugh.

"Really?" Lin nodded. "It's fine, wear it if you want."

For some reason, Lin's words sparked a light in Ying's mind, and she suddenly understood something.

"Lin... would you like to rest for a while?"

"..."

Lin Qingche's pupils returned to Ying's gaze. He stared into Ying's purple eyes, then nodded almost imperceptibly.

Without saying a word, Sakura reached out and gently pulled Lin's head into her arms.

Lin closed his eyes wearily and began to breathe calmly.

Even amidst the city's dazzling lights, the starlight did not lose its brilliance; serene and far-reaching, it surrounded a full moon, showering its light upon weary people.

Sakura gently patted Rin's back, just like she used to do with Rin, her gaze tender and gentle.

He must be tired.

Many things happened. He learned the secrets of the Quantum Sea and the Imaginary Tree, obtained information from 50,000 years in the future, defeated the Tenth Herrscher, and also killed a friend he knew.

He had to consider how to change the future when civilization was on the verge of collapse, and also help those around him maintain his support in their hearts.

He is a spider silk, sparing no effort and never refusing anyone who needs him.

But spider silk can break.

Sakura understood that he didn't need anyone to do anything for him, nor did he want to do anything for anyone. He didn't need kisses, caresses, or confessions; he just wanted...

Accompany.

And some short periods of time when you don't have to think about the future.

Just like now.

"What a great opportunity!"

Ling clutched her forehead in anguish and cried out softly. She said to Ying, who was smiling naturally, "Sister, why didn't you do anything?"

Sakura smiled and shook her head, saying nothing.

Does she need to do anything? No, she can feel his breathing and heartbeat. His weakness, unseen by outsiders, is revealed to her, and she may already feel satisfied and at ease.

The world won't stop turning just because someone is missing. She and Lin are just two tiny feathers in a small corner. The moment the wind blows and they touch in the air, their fate is sealed.

"What's wrong?" Lin Jianling asked, puzzled, as she walked over carrying the dragon doll.

The pink-haired girl, holding another dragon plush toy, smiled warmly, "It's nothing, let's go back."

On their way home, the three watched the lights of every house illuminate the night. The slightly younger girl with short pink hair skipped along behind the other two, chatting about school. The girl with long pink hair looked at her with a kind and gentle gaze, while the silent, black-haired man listened quietly to what she had to say.

Time stretched out even longer than the road itself.

But when she got home, and Sakura took off her boots to reveal her toes wrapped in wet stockings, a gaze from Rin made her freeze.

"Why not? Sister, you're too biased towards Brother Lin. Does someone who's really cool have to have serious hobbies?"

The words Ling had spoken echoed in her ears, and her heart began to race once again.

Chapter Thirty-Four: The Truth You Want to Know

Sure enough, she cares a lot.

After taking off his shoes, Lin's gaze was constantly fixed on Ying's legs. His gaze was very deep, which made her nervous.

They put the dragon plush toy into the closet together, planning to take it with them when they returned to headquarters tomorrow. Then, Sakura sat on the edge of the bed wearing her soaking wet stockings that clung tightly to her skin. Lin was still staring at her legs with a furrowed brow. His overly intense gaze made Sakura turn her head away in embarrassment, her rosy face appearing ambiguous and hazy under the lamplight.

"Cherry."

"Alas!"

Lin's sudden words startled Ying, and she looked at him in a flustered manner.

What... what if next... it's just about the legs? I guess it'll be okay, but what if they want to do that later...?

Aren't you going to take it off?

"I... I... I..."

One sentence left Ying dizzy. Why was it so direct all of a sudden? Why did it immediately ask her to take off her clothes?

"What's wrong?" Lin put his thumb to his lips and asked, slightly puzzled, "Do you want me to help you take it off?"

"No need! I can do it myself!"

Sakura's fingers trembled uncontrollably, as if they were on a motor. Her hands, which could usually slice enemies into uniform strips of flesh, were now struggling to even unbutton her clothes. She couldn't tell whether she was looking forward to it or feeling scared as she thought about what was about to happen.

But no matter what, she felt she couldn't refuse.

For a moment, she felt she was incredibly shameless, even resorting to using her legs to seduce Lin...

She took off her short jacket, revealing glimpses of her fair and rosy body beneath a semi-transparent gradient shirt. She grasped the edge of the shirt and slowly pulled it up...

"What are you doing?"

Lin suddenly interrupted Ying's next action, his eyes filled with more doubt as he stared at Ying, who was biting her lip and had watery eyes.

"I... I'm taking off my clothes..."

"... Why take your clothes off here?"

"Didn't you tell me to take my clothes off..." The aloof and ruthless assassin spoke in a soft, sweet voice, like a sweet, soft cake.

"I meant for you to take off your stockings." Lin was puzzled by Ying's thought process. He raised his eyebrows and pointed to the stockings that were completely soaked with sweat. "You're very likely to get athlete's foot like this. It's best to take them off and wash and disinfect them."

After saying that, he asked, quite puzzled, "Don't you feel uncomfortable?"

"Huh?" Sakura was stunned for several seconds before asking blankly, "Isn't it supposed to be disinfected with your mouth?"

"... What kind of disinfection method is that? It could cause fungal lung infections."

After watching with pity, as Yinghong walked blushing and steaming into the bathroom to wash and disinfect her stockings, Lin decided that she would strictly control what Ling browsed online in the future.

Mei sat cross-legged on the ground, her sword resting flat on her lap, quietly meditating in this cemetery from which she could not leave.

The series of events had exceeded her comprehension. Why did Lin suddenly turn on her with a knife? Would he attack others? Who was the girl who looked exactly like Elysia? What was their relationship? What was their purpose?

How much is there that she doesn't know?

Calming her inner turmoil, Mei recalled her mistakes in the previous battle.

Every battle needs to be re-examined, especially a lost one.

"Whoosh."

Mei's eyes lit up in the darkness, a thin line slicing through the passing raindrops, stopping just short of landing on her delicate neck.

She held a knife in one hand, gazing at the blue-purple-haired girl with a contented smile.

"Hey~ Mei, don't point something so dangerous at someone's neck~" She calmly took a step back, dodging the blade, then slowly walked towards Mei, who was glaring at her, with her hands behind her back. "Aren't we best friends?"

Mei remained vigilant, holding her knife horizontally in front of her to stop the girl from approaching, and demanded sharply, "Who are you? What did you do to Lin?"

"Me? I am Elysia."

"Hmph, don't you want to laugh when you tell your own lies?"

"I'm smiling, I've been smiling the whole time. Lin Ke loves seeing me smile, and Mei must like it too, right? After all, who doesn't like to see a beautiful girl's smile?" The girl put two fingers to the corners of her mouth, her smile hiding a hint of wickedness.

Mei coldly opened her mouth. "At least in terms of spouting nonsense, you and Elysia are the same."

"That's so mean, Mei, but I like it too."

The girl touched her lips, a playful smile appearing on her face. She narrowed her eyes and stared at Mei: "As for Lin... I didn't do anything to him, and his current situation has nothing to do with me."

Do you think I'll believe you?

"You believe me? You don't believe me?" The girl pointed to her left eye, then to her right eye, and shook her head with a click of her tongue. "What difference does it make?"

"So what exactly do you want? Are you going to fight again?"

Mei hadn't forgotten the girl's previous order for Lin to kill her; the smiling girl in front of her was definitely not a kind person.

"Let's just consider it a misunderstanding and let it go." The girl casually brushed it off, but Mei certainly couldn't just let it go like that. However, what the girl said next made her hesitate. "Didn't you always want to know about the secrets of the Fire Moth, the Previous Civilization, the Imaginary Tree, the Flame-Chasers, and the Forest?"

"..."

Mei's intuition told her that this was most likely a trap, but the girl clearly understood that it was just a scheme to use what Mei was looking for as bait.

She hesitated for a few seconds, then coldly asked the smiling girl, "What do you want to say?"

"What I mean is... I'll tell you what they're unwilling to tell you, and I'll reveal what Lin has been hiding from you."

What price is required?

"How could I let Mei pay the price for my kindness?" A playful glint flashed in the girl's eyes. "However, I do have a favor to ask Mei. To be precise, the truth I want to tell Mei requires Mei assistance."

"You haven't answered me yet."

"What?"

"Who are you?"

"Sigh... I have to say, you are indeed the person Lin has chosen. In some ways, you are just as stubborn as him. She is special and unique in your hearts, which is why you deny me and get angry, even though you still only have a vague understanding of their story." The girl sighed, a complex look deep in her shrewd eyes. "I did indeed only use data from Lin's memory to correct and restore her appearance."