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At night, Hesta sat at the dining table in the living room with her hands tucked away, reviewing that afternoon's chess game against her notebook.

She was still the only one in the entire living room. Ever since Xu Ruyi had injured her back in a fall, the house had grown even quieter; she could barely see anyone except at mealtimes.

Her dinner sat beside her, but after taking only one bite, Hesta set it aside completely—she liked the faint hunger she felt right now. This level of discomfort was just enough to sharpen her mind.

She was almost certain that Madam Kaja would contact her again. This had not been their first meeting, but it had been their first meaningful exchange. In the moments when the other woman lit a cigarette, Hesta had vaguely sensed a trace of Anna, but that strange déjà vu soon faded away entirely—perhaps because Anna also liked being enigmatic and saying provocative things... but Anna rarely shrank back.

"...Jane?" Ding Yuqing's voice came from behind her. Hesta answered, but did not turn around until a stack of papers was placed before her.

"The manuscript you asked me to help revise," Ding Yuqing said as she sat across from her. "I've finished it."

Only then did Hesta come back to herself. She gave a soft cry. "That was fast."

"It wasn't that much work. I was just checking whether the sentences read smoothly," Ding Yuqing said softly. "Why did you insist on using Southern District 14 language? Common Tongue would be more convenient for you, wouldn't it?"

"Xiaoshu—one of my classmates—told me that if I wanted everyone in the audience to understand, I'd be better off using the local language."

Ding Yuqing gave a quiet hum and lay down on the table, watching Hesta flip