Early the next morning, an exceedingly shrill rooster crow rang out from the bedroom of the hotel suite.
Zhong Lizi threw back the thin blanket, folded her body like a doll, and sat up without the slightest difficulty.
She rubbed her disheveled silver hair, instinctively reached out to silence the alarm, then felt around for her glass of water, only to find nothing.
Still a little dazed, she opened her eyes and looked over, discovering that the bedside table was empty.
She looked toward the bedside table on the other side. Big Yellow Cat was still gazing at her lifelessly from the photograph.
Naturally, she had not forgotten to bring the alarm clock and photograph up here.
But where was her water glass?
She got out of bed and went into the living room. When she found the glass in the trash can, along with the water that had seeped out, she froze, wondering whether she had developed a habit of sleepwalking.
Only then did she realize that getting up today had been even easier than usual. She felt neither tired nor irritable at all, and her body was filled with a vibrant strength.
Was that hope, or Yuan Qi?
She stared at herself in the mirror as she brushed her teeth. Her arms ached, and so did the rest of her body, making her even more uneasy. What on earth happened?
Without stopping to wash her face, she put the electric toothbrush into its charging cup, ran out onto the terrace, and asked Jing Jiu, "What did you do to me last night?"
Jing Jiu opened his eyes, looked at her, and said, "There's foam around your mouth."
With her head full of questions, Zhong Lizi could hardly worry about that. She wiped the foam from the corner of