Chapter 69: The Times Have Changed
As Night Lan was lost in her face-poking fantasy, Shiyu Qianyi on the bed also emitted a soft, sleepy grunt.
“Mmm~”
Shiyu blinked her eyes open slowly, still looking dazed.
Her bright purple eyes brimmed with confusion, wearing a look of utter bewilderment.
“Hmm?”
As her vision gradually focused, she began to wake up a little.
It was dim, familiar yet strangely unfamiliar.
It seemed like a place she often inhabited.
Suddenly, she felt something—someone poking her face, creating a ticklish sensation.
Shiyu turned her head slightly and saw a petite figure sitting on the edge of the bed, looking vaguely familiar.
Even though the light was dim, she squinted enough to recognize her friend thanks to the faint glow from the hall.
“Night Lan…?”
Hearing her name, Night Lan smiled softly.
“Yep, that’s me.”
“I think I had a really long dream, where I was a pessimistic, timid girl abandoned by everyone, always curling up in tight spaces and crying.”
“That wasn’t a dream, dear. Everything was real—though I did help you bounce back.”
Night Lan reached out and gently patted Shiyu’s head, soothing her chaotic emotions.
At the same time, she softly explained the situation to help Shiyu accept reality.
Following Night Lan’s guidance, Shiyu began to merge her memories more rapidly and started to realize what had happened.
Shiyu sat up in shock, holding her head.
“So I actually died once? And I’ve been moving around as a ‘monster’ until now…”
Seeing her dazed expression, Night Lan felt a twinge of sympathy.
“It’s okay now; it’s all in the past. Don’t dwell on it. I’ll take care of everything from here on out. Just relax about your new life.”
“Umm…”
Shiyu instinctively nodded, realizing through the fusion of her memories what Night Lan had done for her.
She could pretty much declare her a lifesaver.
“Thank you, Night Lan.”
“No need to thank me. It was pure fate that brought us together!”
Night Lan sighed internally.
For both Star Sheng and Shiyu Qianyi, this kind of redemption felt a bit late.
This wasn’t their familiar timeline.
They had been Star Eclipses for quite some time now—at least a few years.
Even though their families might still exist in some form, everything had changed.
Returning to a normal life with their families would be tough.
Thus, the plan was to settle down at the Night Watcher Base first.
Once everything stabilized, they could figure out their next steps.
Noticing Shiyu was still confused, Night Lan decided to interrupt her train of thought.
“Alright, enough of these wild thoughts! You’re hungry, right? Let’s go grab something to eat!”
“Mm-hmm.”
Night Lan took Shiyu’s hand and led her out of the room into the hall.
Li Yan was sitting there, looking at the recovering Shiyu Qianyi with an expression that screamed, “Yep, expected this.”
After all, since yesterday, the obsession and power he held regarding Shiyu had vanished.
I mean, can we just take a moment to appreciate how efficient Night Lan is?
Shiyu looked towards Li Yan, and naturally, his presence occupied a special place in her memories.
If it weren’t for this big brother, she might have remained beyond reach for Night Lan to rescue.
“Thank you, Li Yan… Big Brother.”
“No need to thank me. It’s time for you to start your new life.”
“Right, and good luck to you too!”
Night Lan chimed in, “Are you sure you don’t want me to turn you back into a human? Just saying, I could totally do it!”
Li Yan gently shook his head.
“I have my own mission, and I do have a part of humanity in me. Staying as I am is fine; in fact, it’s the obsession that keeps me going.”
Some ordinary folks have unhealthy mindsets. They could be living life to the fullest, but their heads are filled with complex thoughts.
A small portion of those lost in life lose all hope for what’s to come.
Without dreams or goals to hold on to, they consider giving up altogether, wishing to end it all swiftly.
But with clear goals, they can work towards those and continue to exist.
This is what life’s meaning is all about.
Li Yan was just one of those beings.
In a way, you could think of him as someone who uses his obsession as a sort of dream to strive for.
Kinda?
Night Lan understood his perspective and chose not to meddle with his thoughts.
In the next moment, she whisked Shiyu away, leaving Li Yan alone.
This was both the end of one story and the beginning of another.
Li Yan would continue on his own journey.
…
Night Lan brought Shiyu outside, not rushing to take her back to the Night Watcher Base.
First, it was crucial to find a restaurant to fill their stomachs.
Like Shiyu, Night Lan hadn’t eaten anything that morning either.
“Qianyi, the times have changed…”
“Huh?”
Shiyu looked puzzled, not quite grasping Night Lan’s words.
Night Lan explained further.
“So, here’s the deal: this world you’re in is quite a bit out of sync with the timeline you’re familiar with. You might not be able to go back home just yet. You have to live in some special national agency for a while.”
“Oh…”
Thanks to Night Lan’s explanation, Shiyu started to wrap her head around the situation.
The fusion of her memories with those of the Star Eclipses had long made her more adaptable to such irregularities.
She wasn’t panicking; instead, she calmly accepted it.
“I’ll heed Night Lan’s advice.”
“Don’t worry! The folks there are super nice and will take great care of you.”
“What about you?”
“Well, I’ll be around for a while! I’m not leaving anytime soon.”
“That’s good.”
Right now, Shiyu wasn’t nearly as pessimistic as she once was in her Star Eclipses state.
After all, her pessimism and other negative traits stemmed from the tragic influence of the Ballad Conductor.
With the return of her humanity, she had changed quite a bit.
While she wasn’t back to being the bubbly optimist she once was, she had certainly escaped the clutches of unhealthy mental states.
This was the best outcome.
After a bit, they finally filled their bellies.
Night Lan guided Shiyu onto an ocean liner, heading straight to the Night Watcher Base in the seaside city.
It wasn’t a long journey, but it wasn’t super short either.
When they arrived at the base entrance, three figures were already waiting there.
Upon a closer look, just like last time, they were the three strongest Night Watchers in Pinghaishi.
They must have noticed Night Lan on the monitors and come to wait in advance.
After all, Night Lan had a special figure by her side.
“Hello, seniors!” Night Lan greeted politely.
Shiyu followed suit, mimicking Night Lan.
“Hello!”
The leader glanced at Shiyu and could instantly tell she was human again, then looked back at Night Lan, unable to help but marvel.
“This is the second one; is there another?”
“Um, I don’t think so; this is the last one.”
“Good job, then.”
The leader didn’t say anything more and directly led Night Lan and Shiyu back to the base.
Well, they had already gone through this once.
The second time would be a lot more familiar.
