Chapter 34: Injury and Fishy Shenanigans
Inside a quiet coffee shop.
A long-haired black girl and a silver-haired loli sat at a table—it was Mo Qianmeng and Night Star.
“Audience Performer, why did you suddenly want to learn to paint?”
“Because I want to draw some important people to remember them.”
“In this day and age, can’t you just take a photo?”
Mo Qianmeng honestly couldn’t think of an easier way to capture someone’s likeness than a good ol’ snap. If you want to commemorate someone, learning to paint seems a bit over the top.
Night Star stammered in response, “Uh… because of various circumstances… those people are no longer around, and only exist in my mind…”
“Mm…”
Mo Qianmeng fell silent for a moment, deciding not to pry further, and simply nodded.
“Okay, I can teach you how to paint, but painting requires talent and hard work, and it takes a lot of energy and time. It’s not something you can just pick up overnight.”
“No problem, I’ll work hard!”
Night Star was determined. Whatever she wanted to learn, she knew there would be rewards—just like when she learned to sing with the singer before.
With that, Mo Qianmeng took her to her art studio.
“Since we’re going to draw portraits, you should learn in a realistic style. Let’s start with the basics.”
“Mm-hmm!”
So, Night Star began seriously learning to paint, striving to whip up simple portraits of the First Generation theater group members as quickly as possible!
It seemed that sensing Night Star’s strong determination, Star also gave a little boost.
……
While Night Star was diligently learning to paint with Mo Qianmeng, Night Lan was at the Night Watcher Headquarters, not quite knowing what to do.
Suddenly, her doorbell rang—someone was coming to find her.
But only a few people should know of her room’s existence, like the Leader, Ji Yun, and Night Feather.
The Leader wasn’t likely to come looking for her personally, and Ji Yun usually popped in after sending a message. So that left only Night Feather.
With that thought, Night Lan went to open the door, and sure enough, Night Feather was standing there.
“Night Feather, is there something you need?”
“Night Lan, when I came to look for you this morning, where were you?”
“Uh, I had some personal stuff to take care of…”
Night Feather looked slightly puzzled.
“You have personal matters? But weren’t you sent here for training? The new recruit training started this morning! I wanted to find you to join in, but you were just… gone!”
“Uh…”
Night Lan was at a loss for how to explain. She definitely couldn’t reveal her secret; she’d just have to come up with some excuse to dodge the issue.
“Ahem, it’s a secret! The Leader said I can’t just spill it. Can we not dig deeper?”
“Is that so? Well, I see.”
Night Feather didn’t seem to doubt anything. Instead, she confidently declared, “Then you’ll come with me tomorrow. Although I shouldn’t be mingling with a bunch of mortals learning those basic skills, thinking about showing off my majesty in front of them is quite beneficial for future endeavors. Plus, you’ll be there, so I can protect you from being bullied.”
“Ah…” Night Lan was left speechless.
What to do now?
It seemed she couldn’t bluff her way out. She could have just hung around the lounge and slacked off, but with Night Feather lurking, her cover would be blown, right? Refusing would definitely lead to her secret being discovered.
Taking a deep breath, Night Lan could only nod lightly.
“Mm-hmm, understood.”
Thinking it over, she wanted to stay at the headquarters for a while anyway, so she might as well find something to relax with. Training among the newbie Night Watchers could work out well.
But Night Lan wasn’t keen on going through heavy training; she’d have to ask the Leader for clearance to slack off a bit.
“Let’s go with that then; you can watch as I become the most revered person among those mortals.”
Night Feather swaggered away, truly embodying that “cool yet overly dramatic” vibe.
It looked so real, far from a façade.
Once Night Feather left, Night Lan fell into deep thought and quickly messaged Ji Yun.
Before long, Ji Yun’s figure appeared beside Night Lan in a flash.
“Is there something you need?”
“Uh, yes! Since I’m stuck here for a while and due to some unavoidable circumstances, I’d like to join the newbie cohort for training. Is that okay?”
Ji Yun noted this and nodded, preparing to relay it to the Leader.
Feeling a bit shy, Night Lan added, “Um… if it’s possible, I’d appreciate a bit of special treatment. Like how the infirmary works during military training…”
“Okay, I’ll let the Leader know.”
With that, Ji Yun left.
Night Lan exhaled a sigh of relief, her tense body relaxing right along with it.
Now, she just needed to go with the flow.
On the other side.
Ji Yun arrived at the Leader’s office, waiting for permission to enter.
It seemed the Leader was currently occupied with someone else, so she couldn’t just barge in.
Just then, the office door opened, and a slender figure walked out.
Ji Yun glanced over and saw a very pretty woman with striking blue-silver long hair—a type you just couldn’t help but notice at first glance.
This was one of the Sunlight Night Watchers from the headquarters, and among the nation’s Sunlight Night Watchers, she ranked quite high in strength.
The woman gave Ji Yun a polite nod before turning to leave.
Ji Yun said nothing more. Once she got the Leader’s go-ahead, she stepped into the office.
The Leader was lounging on the couch, as if just hosting that woman.
“What’s the matter?”
“Night Lan has a request and needs your help.”
“Go on.”
Ji Yun relayed Night Lan’s request without missing a beat.
After hearing it, the Leader paused to think for a moment.
“Staying here for a while? I bet she’s bored and wants to find something to do. Let her have it; I’ll have someone arrange it shortly.”
Ji Yun wore a knowing expression.
That girl truly was special, if even the Leader was indulging her this much. She grew more curious about Night Lan’s identity.
Suddenly, Ji Yun remembered something and quietly asked, “Leader, what was that Sunlight Night Watcher’s business with you?”
Though she knew this wasn’t something a secretary should be asking, the Leader sometimes shared little tidbits of “unimportant” info to satisfy her curiosity.
Even though the Leader was the top dog, he wasn’t as serious as one might think.
So, Ji Yun was quite happy to be by his side, assisting him while soaking up some wild gossip.
The Leader answered her simply.
“Nothing too important; she just wanted to inquire about someone. That person you already know of—Night Lan from Yun Chang City.”
“Could it be they know each other?”
“No, she just had a favor to ask on behalf of an old friend from Yun Chang City. Moving forward in the capital, even without my protection, Night Lan should be just fine.”
As the Leader spoke, a smile crept onto his face, as if recalling something amusing from the past.
That incident was quite the story!
