How Can I Live Without You!

The heavy Hu Tao door was gently knocked twice, followed by two slightly hesitant "Father"s.

Lyney and Lynette walked into Arlecchino's office with their heads down, their postures as reserved as children waiting to be punished for doing something wrong.

Arlecchino's fingertips were still resting on the stack of documents when she glanced at the two dejected men and asked in a flat tone.

"What happened?"

Lyney stepped forward first, bowing with a hint of guilt. "I'm sorry, Father, Lynette identities were exposed at a glance."

Arlecchino, who had been casually flipping through the documents, suddenly stopped her fingertips on the pages. The moment she heard Lyney reveal that her identity had been exposed, her brows furrowed slightly.

Seeing this, Lyney quickly added crucial information, "However, the other party is not from Court of Fontaine, but rather the white-haired traveler Xingsu whom you specifically instructed us to keep an eye on."

Arlecchino had been somewhat cold just moments before, suddenly stopped speaking upon hearing the name Xingsu.

The office fell silent instantly, with only the faint sounds of the street outside the window. She lowered her eyes, lost in thought, her long eyelashes concealing the turbulent emotions within them, and remained silent for a moment.

Lyney quickly stepped forward, holding the neatly folded letter in both hands, and respectfully handed it over.

"Father, this is a letter he asked us to deliver to you."

Lynette stood to the side, watching quietly, not daring to make a sound and disturb the tense atmosphere in the room.

Arlecchino reached out and took the thin sheet of paper, her fingertips unconsciously tightening slightly.

She silently unfolded the paper slowly, and her expression faltered slightly the moment her gaze fell upon it.

Lyney and Lynette, standing to the side, didn't dare to breathe, quietly waiting for her reaction.

A very soft sigh slowly drifted through the quiet office, breaking the stagnant atmosphere. Arlecchino remained staring at the two paragraphs on the paper, her mind in turmoil. She didn't look up, but simply raised her hand and waved gently at Lyney and his sister.

"Go out." Her tone was devoid of emotion, only carrying a hint of weariness. "Go to the training ground for extra practice."

Knowing he had failed, Lyney dared not say a word and quickly bowed in agreement. Lynette also obediently lowered her head and followed behind her brother, quietly leaving the office, thoughtfully closing the door behind her and leaving Arlecchino alone.

The paper bears two completely different handwriting styles.

One was something she knew all too well—her own unique, neat handwriting, the very message she had secretly left beside the blank tombstone for Xingsu.

May you bask in the warm sunshine and no longer be trapped in the cold night;

May you encounter gentleness, without having to dwell on the past.

Another type, with steady yet firm strokes, is Xingsu's return stroke.

All the warmth of the world's sun is illusory; may my heart be bound to the distant white moonlight.

Unresolved debts of tenderness from a past life, I seek you in this lifetime to revisit old chapters.

The translation is...

Pepe! Pepe, how can I live without you! Pepe!

The large office fell silent again, with only the occasional crackling of the faint embers from the Hearth.

Arlecchino stared at the letter for a long time, her head bowed, the surroundings so quiet she could hear her own breathing. She remained motionless, gazing at the words in silence for a long time.

Her fingertips traced the interlaced words on the paper again and again, her heart filled with conflicting emotions.

How exactly did he discover all this?

Was it the last time I saw him, or was it as my memory gradually returned, or was it someone else entirely?

Mingming hoped that Xingsu, who had been resurrected, could completely sever ties with the bloody past of the House of the Hearth and have a peaceful and stable new life in Poisson.

Now holding a high position Harbinger of the Fatui, she is constantly surrounded by power struggles, interests, and endless conflicts, and she is unwilling to let him, who has finally been given a new life, be dragged into this murky water again.

and...

"Tsk, still the same as before, never serious."

"18, 19, 20. Sixth set of reaction training complete. All targets hit."

As soon as he finished speaking, taking advantage of the break at the end of the training session, he performed a set of tricks that were very much in the style of a magician.

With a gentle twist of his wrist, the longbow nimbly spun a clean arc between his fingers, its body tracing a gleaming silver arc in the air, like a magic card twirling on a stage. He then gripped the handle with a reverse grip, tossing it upwards again. The bow spun twice in the air before he caught it steadily, his movements fluid and graceful, as if he had just completed a magic performance, bowing in thanks to the non-existent audience around him.

Lynette had absolutely no interest in training. She propped her cheek up with one hand, her eyes vacant, and with the other hand she gripped her rapier, mechanically stabbing the training dummy in front of her again and again. She quietly watched her brother strike what he thought was a cool pose in a childish way, and her eyelids drooped down again.

After showing off his skills, Lyney casually placed his longbow on the weapon rack beside him, wiped the sweat from his brow, and turned to look at Lynette was slacking off.

Lyney walked over to Lynette and, watching her mechanical, repetitive movements, knew she had entered some kind of energy-saving mode again, so she asked softly.

"Lynette, what's wrong? What are you thinking about?"

Lynette stopped thrusting her sword at the wooden stake, lazily raised her eyelids, and looked at her brother.

"I'm wondering what the relationship is between Xingsu and my father."

This was the first time the two of them had officially met Xingsu. Their previous understanding of Xingsu came from information obtained through informants, and this was their first time interacting with him.

Unexpectedly, they were given a hard time right from the start. I had heard my father say that this guy had strong counter-surveillance capabilities, but I didn't expect that just a few glances, a few eye contact and probing would expose me.

"He's very familiar with the House of the Hearth... and seems to know Father well too... he feels like some high-ranking figure we don't know." Lyney recalled the confrontations with Xingsu, his brow furrowing slightly as he analyzed his guesses.

"But all intelligence indicates that he was merely a scholar who had fled from Sumeru."

"Are you saying... the information about him is false?"

"No, the intelligence is probably true, but the information about him is incomplete." Lynette shook her head and continued her analysis, "This level of vigilance and ability is not something an ordinary scholar could possess, and he also seems to be very familiar with Father..."

"If that's the case," Lyney felt he was about to uncover the truth, "He actually had a relationship with his father..."

"Lyney, Lynette."

Arlecchino appeared silently behind the two of them, patting their shoulders lightly with both hands simultaneously.

Lyney was lost in thought when she was suddenly patted on the shoulder. Her body trembled violently, and she almost stumbled forward a few steps.

Lynette's soft cat ears stood up instantly, her whole body tensed up instinctively, and her hand that was gripping the sword hilt tightened abruptly, filled with unexpected alertness.

My goodness, Father! How come you walk so quietly in high heels?!

"Father, Father! We..." Lyney stammered, hurriedly trying to explain.

But Arlecchino simply waved her hand dismissively, interrupting his excuses.

"No need for training for now," Arlecchino said, her tone devoid of any unnecessary emotion. "Go and bring that person to me."

"Yes."

"Yes."

Two responses rang out almost simultaneously. Lyney and Lynette didn't dare linger and quickly left the training ground as if fleeing.

Just as the two were about to step out the door, Arlecchino's voice came slowly from behind them, landing lightly in their ears.

"By the way, your adaptability is substandard; come back and practice more."

Their steps abruptly halted, Lyney's lips twitched slightly, and Lynette's cat ears drooped down a little. Neither of them dared to object, and could only grit their teeth and hurriedly move forward to find Xingsu.