Second life, ice-cold

"My body... won't warm up... it's always ice-cold..."

Qiqi spoke softly, sounding deeply hurt.

She had wanted to work hard to warm herself up before going to sleep beside Xiu Yuan, but she hadn't expected him to wake up already.

Hearing her words, Xiu Yuan had meant to comfort her by saying, "You're a zombie, Qiqi. Of course you won't warm up," but the sunlight falling on them made him freeze.

He...

Seemed to understand what Qiqi had been trying to do.

"Qiqi, how long have you been doing stretches here?"

"I don't remember..."

At her answer, Xiu Yuan's eyes widened, and an overwhelming ache flooded his heart.

He had kept his distance while sleeping because he hadn't wanted to make Qiqi uncomfortable.

But to Qiqi, it seemed he had stayed far away because he disliked how cold her body was.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think it through, and I made you suffer."

Xiu Yuan pulled Qiqi into his arms, apologizing for his mistake.

He had only thought about sparing her physical discomfort, never realizing that his actions would hurt her feelings.

He had told her she was his favorite while they were picking violetgrass, only to turn around and sleep far away from her.

Xiu Yuan cursed himself for being an idiot.

The sudden embrace left Qiqi startled, and then she began struggling with all her strength.

"My body... is very cold... if you hug me... you'll get sick..."

Hearing her words confirmed what Xiu Yuan had suspected.

So instead of letting go, he held her even tighter.

"No, Qiqi, I won't. You're not cold at all. You're my favorite."

"I was wrong. I shouldn't have stayed so far away from you last night."

"My body was too warm. I was afraid hugging you would make you uncomfortable. It definitely wasn't because you're cold."

"I'm sorry, Qiqi. I won't do that again."

His words made Qiqi stop struggling, her wide eyes filled with disbelief.

She seemed to suspect she had misheard him, doubt flickering in her gaze.

Qiqi couldn't believe he was telling the truth.

-Xiu Yuan had deliberately stayed away from Qiqi because he was warm and didn't want to make her uncomfortable?

-It wasn't because he disliked how cold Qiqi was...?

-Was Qiqi dreaming...? If so, Qiqi wanted to stay in this dream forever...

As these thoughts crossed her mind, her eyes reddened, tears shimmering in them.

"Really...?"

"Xiu Yuan... wouldn't lie to Qiqi... right...?"

She asked hesitantly, her gaze wavering. She hardly dared to look at him, just like a child who had done something wrong.

In her, Xiu Yuan saw a pitiful lack of self-worth, timidity, and the habit of blaming herself whenever anything went wrong.

Seeing Qiqi like this cut him to the heart.

"Really. I'm not lying to you, Qiqi. I swear, if I lie to you, I'll..."

For a moment, Xiu Yuan couldn't think of anything to swear on, and his raised hand froze in place.

"Then... you'll never get to drink coconut milk again..." Qiqi finished for him.

"All right. If I lie to Qiqi, I'll never get to drink coconut milk again."

"Then Qiqi... wants to sleep beside you... is that okay...?"

"Yes, of course."

Xiu Yuan's answer filled Qiqi with delight, sweeping away all her earlier unhappiness.

With the misunderstanding cleared up, Qiqi felt happier than she ever had before.

A faint smile appeared on Xiu Yuan's face as well.

"Come on, Qiqi. Let's go get our coconut milk."

"Okay~... Qiqi likes coconut milk..."

After traveling for a while, they returned to Liyue.

This time, both Xiu Yuan and Qiqi were extra careful, afraid they might run into that little rascal Hu Tao.

Although Xiu Yuan still really wanted to see Hu Tao, for Qiqi's safety, it was better to stay away for now.

"You're here so early! Did you find everything?"

They had only just arrived at Wanmin Restaurant when the sharp-eyed Xiangling hurried over to greet them.

"Of course."

As he spoke, Xiu Yuan took out a generous handful of violetgrass, fifteen in all.

"Wow... so many! Thank you so much. Let me treat you to another meal as an extra reward."

Xiangling hadn't expected them to find fifteen sprigs of violetgrass when it was so difficult to gather.

Overjoyed, she immediately offered to treat them to another meal.

How could Xiu Yuan possibly turn down such a wonderful offer? He hadn't eaten breakfast yet, either.

"Sure! I'm going to eat plenty."

"You really don't stand on ceremony, do you?"

"Well, your cooking is delicious."

"What a sweet talker. Have a seat. The food will be ready soon."

After their brief conversation, Xiangling indeed brought out several plates of food.

Every dish looked and smelled delicious.

And, of course, there was no shortage of coconut milk.

Qiqi felt little interest in all this delicious food. She only liked coconut milk.

As for why...

Perhaps it was because coconut milk had no bones and went down smoothly?

Even Xiu Yuan wasn't sure about that.

After eating, Xiu Yuan lavished praise on Xiangling's cooking again, his aim being nothing more than to score another free meal.

His praise was sincere, though. Xiangling's cooking really was exceptional.

"Finished? Then come with me. The coconut milk is in the back."

"Okay."

Following Xiangling into the storeroom, Xiu Yuan picked up two crates of coconut milk.

"This should keep Qiqi supplied for a while."

Xiu Yuan struggled back out with the two large crates in his arms.

Only to find that Qiqi, who had been sitting at the table just a moment ago, had disappeared again.

Panic seized him. He looked around and found Qiqi in front of the counter, her head tilted back as she stared intently at the little finch in its cage.

Her sparkling eyes were filled with delight. She seemed very fond of it.

Xiangling noticed this too.

"If you like it, you can take it with you. Just bring me some more ingredients next time you come. Anything will do, as long as I can cook it."

"You... really can... give it to Qiqi...?" Qiqi asked in disbelief.

"Of course." Xiangling walked over with a faint smile, took the birdcage down from the counter, and handed it to Qiqi. "Just remember to bring some more ingredients next time."

The little finch hopped around inside its cage, leaving Qiqi transfixed.

"No problem. Thank you," Xiu Yuan said gratefully.

"Thank you... you're... a very good person..."

"Look at you, little one. Just yesterday, you were hiding behind Xiu Yuan because you were scared of me." Seeing how adorable Qiqi was, Xiangling couldn't resist teasing her.

"Huh...? I was...?"

"I'm sorry... Qiqi... doesn't remember..."

Xiangling paused at her words, then remembered that Qiqi had a poor memory. Xiu Yuan had even taken quite a few notebooks from her.

"It's all right. You're so cute, Qiqi, I'll forgive you," Xiangling said with a gentle smile.

"Thank you... Xiangling... I'll remember you..."

"We won't keep you any longer, then. Let's head back, Qiqi," Xiu Yuan said, bidding her farewell.

"Sure. Come again when you have time. You're always welcome at Wanmin Restaurant." Xiangling smiled and waved.