You Wrote to Teacher Changli Too, Didn't You?

After Jinhsi said, "I hope it's true," the two of them remained silent for a long while.

She then spoke again.

I received your letter when I was very young.

I was just a child back then.

Jinhsi looked down at the letter in her hand, a very faint smile curving her lips, so faint it was almost undetectable, but the light in her eyes was genuine.

"They were groomed to be future prime ministers. Every day before dawn, they had to get up to study, learn etiquette, learn politics, and learn everything that would be useful in the future."

"I tried so hard. Every day I told myself I had to be worthy of the position of Prime Minister, worthy of the Sentinel's trust, and worthy of everyone's expectations." She paused, "But nobody believed me."

Kexi frowned.

"They don't see me. They see the identity of 'Resonator of the Sentinel.' They say I'm the chosen one, that I have the Sentinel's protection, that I was born to stand in that position."

Jinhsi held a hint of bitterness.

"Nobody cares what I did. The books I stayed up all night reading, the etiquette I practiced until my fingers blistered, the speeches I rehearsed countless times in front of the mirror—it's all taken for granted in their eyes. Because you're a Resonant of the Sentinel, you're supposed to be this excellent."

She pressed the letter to her chest and looked up at Kexi. Something flickered in her eyes.

"But there was this person. I didn't know who he was, what he looked like, or where he lived. But he kept writing to me."

Kexi's Adam's apple bobbed.

"In his letter, he said, 'Believe in me.'" Jinhsi's voice trembled slightly. "Not believe in the Sentinel, not believe in the future Prime Minister, but believe in me. He said I could definitely do it, that he knew how hard I had worked, and that he was proud of me."

Her fingers gripped the envelope tightly, her knuckles turning slightly white.

"He would share his daily life with me in his letters, telling me what he ate, what interesting things he saw, and what annoying people he encountered. It was like... like he was really right next to me."

Jinhsi lowered her head and took a deep breath.

When she raised her head again, her eyes were slightly red, but the smile on her lips was the most genuine Kexi had ever seen.

"Those letters were my only expectation during that period. Every time I received a letter, I would secretly hide in my room to read it, read it again and again, until I could recite every single word. Then I would put the letter under my pillow, and take it out to read it again when I couldn't sleep at night."

She stood up, walked to Kexi, and held the letter in her hands as if it were a unique treasure.

"Later, I became the Prime Minister. Everyone came to congratulate me, saying that I was indeed the chosen one. But do you know who I wanted to tell first?"

Kexi didn't speak. He knew the answer.

"It's him." Jinhsi looked into his eyes. "I want to tell the person who has always believed in me that I haven't let him down. I did it."

She held the letter up to Kexi, and the light in her eyes finally overflowed, sliding down her cheeks.

"So, Young Master Kexi, you asked me if those words were true. To me, those words are neither true nor false; they are the most important part of me from childhood to adulthood. They are the reasons that have told me 'just hold on a little longer' on countless nights when I wanted to give up."

"And now, I've finally seen him."

She smiled, a smile tinged with tears, with relief, and with a profound gratitude that Kexi had never seen on anyone's face before.

That person is you.

Kexi looked at Jinhsi's tearful eyes, then at the letter in her hand that she had read over and over again countless times, and felt a pang in her heart.

He was about to say something emotional to respond to this weighty trust, but before he could even organize his thoughts, Jinhsi wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and changed the subject.

"But then I suddenly realized that person seemed to have written to more than just me."

Kexi's expression froze instantly.

Jinhsi's gaze had shifted from tenderness and emotion to a calm, scrutinizing one.

"Did you also write a letter to Teacher Changli?"

Kexi felt her scalp tingling inch by inch.

Changli.

Why is it Changli again?

Last night, he barely escaped Changli's knife at Porto-Vino Castle, and only a few hours later, Jinhsi sat in front of him again and asked the same question.

Did the master and apprentice plan this beforehand?

"Um—" He opened his mouth, his mind racing, trying to find a less offensive way to put it.

"Yes or no?" Jinhsi didn't give him a chance to dodge the question.

"Don't try to deceive me. I saw that Teacher Changli had an envelope exactly like mine."

Kexi closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

It's over.

what to do?

I need an answer urgently!

Kexi was thinking of something to say, or rather, something to make up.

"Answer me!" Jinhsi suddenly pressed close, not giving him a chance to escape.

Kexi was completely numb. Looking at her serious expression, he knew there was no escaping it, so he decided to give up and said, "Yes, I also wrote a letter to Changli."

Jinhsi took a deep breath.

She didn't get angry, didn't stand up and leave, and didn't even show any sign of being deceived.

She simply took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled, as if using that breath to process a fact she had actually guessed but had been unwilling to confirm.

"So, have you written for other people as well?"

Kexi's smile vanished completely.

"... I wrote it."

"How many are there?" Jinhsi tilted her head, her tone even carrying a hint of curiosity, but Kexi knew that behind this curiosity lay nothing but a knife.

"Can we skip this question for now?" Kexi pressed her hand to her chest, her expression extremely sincere. "I'm afraid that after you hear this, you won't be able to leave the Montelli Manor today."

Jinhsi looked at him and remained silent for a moment.

Then she sighed very softly, a sigh carrying a complex emotion that Kexi couldn't quite put her finger on.

"I only want to know one thing." She tucked the letter back into her bosom, looked up at Kexi, her gaze earnest and resolute. "I just want to know. When you wrote to Teacher Changli, were the words you said the same as those you wrote to me?"

Kexi opened his mouth, ready to reiterate his "theory of universal love," Jinhsi raised a hand to stop him.

"Please answer me seriously." Her voice was calm, but something beneath that calm made Kexi's heart race.

If I tell her the truth, will she just stab him to death?