The jazz track “Almost Blue” flowed slowly through the cafe.
The trumpet’s tone was soft, wrapped in a hint of weariness.
As the long notes were drawn out, the air seemed to sink along with them.
Himuro Mio rested her cheek on her hand, listening quietly.
The melody had no sharp edges, yet it left one feeling unintentionally exhausted.
Her heart truly ached.
‘Why didn’t you rely on me sooner?’
That thought stayed in her heart.
She didn’t send it.
She picked up her coffee.
No milk.
And no sugar cubes.
The dark liquid wobbled gently in the cup, reflecting her calm eyes.
Those eyes were as quiet as a pool of deep water.
Many who interacted with her said she had almost no emotions.
But they were wrong.
She didn’t drink immediately, simply watching the steam rise from the rim of the cup.
If she added a bit of sugar, the taste might be softer.
But she didn’t reach for it, because some bitterness should not be diluted — just like the first half of Xiaobai’s life.
[Yukino]: You’ve really worked hard, Xiaobai.
Himuro Mio didn’t use a frivolous tone to tease him as she usually did, nor did she try to steer the atmosphere back to its usual lighthearted track.
At least in this moment, she didn’t want to.
She wanted to be serious, to listen seriously to every word he said, and to seriously feel the pain he had endured.
She took a sip of the coffee.
The bitterness spread slowly across her tongue.
A clean, direct taste.
Unlike sweetness, it didn’t float on the surface.
Bitterness sinks, descending into the stomach before slowly turning into a lingering fragrance.
She liked this taste.
Even though it was bitter, one couldn’t bear to put it down.
Coffee was perhaps just like the life of Baiye Duxing.
She lowered her head and continued typing.
[Yukino]: In other words, Yi’s parents are actually your biological parents, and your parents are actually Yi’s biological parents?
[Yukino]: The sudden wealth has left you lost.
[Yukino]: Right?
[Yukino]: You know that, logically, you should be happy at a time like this, but you just can’t feel it.
She paused.
Her finger hovered above the screen.
Then she continued.
[Yukino]: This isn’t because you’re foolish, nor is it because you’re ungrateful.
[Yukino]: It’s because you’re too sensible.
[Yukino]: You’re used to thinking for others, used to restraint, and used to pushing your own needs to the very end.
[Yukino]: Your life has had no buffer.
[Yukino]: Your closest kin are trapped deep within a maze, yet you’ve been pushed to the exit.
[Yukino]: An ending where only one person is saved is never easy.
[Yukino]: You must have thought that once you were capable, you would make sure they lived a good life.
[Yukino]: But when happiness comes too suddenly, not even giving you time to prepare, that gratitude loses its direction.
[Yukino]: You might have cried.
[Yukino]: But from the Xiaobai I know, you must have wiped away your tears very quickly.
[Yukino]: Because you wrote it in your novel.
[Yukino]: To strive to live is the greatest defiance of death.
The glow of the screen reflected off her fair face.
She stared at that avatar.
It was as if she wanted to see his entire life path through that blurry icon.
She continued typing.
[Yukino]: Everything you have now wasn’t fought for.
[Yukino]: It was stuffed into your hands.
[Yukino]: You matured too early.
[Yukino]: You learned not to expect, not to demand, and not to trouble others.
[Yukino]: So when others feel sorry for you, your first reaction isn’t warmth, but awkwardness.
[Yukino]: Your kindness has given you moral guilt.
[Yukino]: Because you feel that some people are already unable to share in your current happiness.
She took a deep breath.
It was very light, yet it was like a thin thread slowly tightening.
[Yukino]: Xiaobai.
[Yukino]: Promise me, okay?
[Yukino]: No matter what happens in the future, tell me.
[Yukino]: I don’t want you to be alone.
[Yukino]: You shouldn’t be alone either. You still have me.
Very quickly, a reply popped up.
[Baiye Duxing]: I just told you the events leading up to my arrival in Donghai.
[Baiye Duxing]: It’s really no big deal.
[Baiye Duxing]: You’re thinking of me as being too sensitive.
[Baiye Duxing]: : That smiley face was very faint.
So faint it could almost be ignored.
Himuro Mio stared at the smiley face emoji he sent. She knew.
Baiye Duxing wasn’t the type to actively expose his wounds.
He would smile.
He would change the subject.
He would call everything “nothing.”
But true pain was often hidden within that phrase “it’s nothing.”
No matter how humorous the language, it couldn’t cover the bitterness behind him.
In the beginning, Yukino had been deceived too.
She truly thought he was just a corporate drone working in Xinghai City.
The jokes in the group were constant, and he also tried to maintain a relaxed and active atmosphere.
But his life had never been easy.
Himuro Mio closed her eyes, recalling bits and pieces, as well as recent events… Suddenly, a touch of coldness slowly surfaced in the depths of her eyes.
She remembered not long ago, someone using Baiye Duxing’s account tried to break off their friendship.
The words were deliberate, aimed at driving a wedge between them.
At the time, she was only confused.
Now that she thought about it again, the mist was clearing.
It was Yi.
She was obsessed with peeling herself away from Xiaobai’s side.
Thinking back to recently, when Baiye Duxing told her he didn’t want to receive photos of her “girlfriend,” Himuro Mio.
Behind that was also Yi’s shadow.
This wasn’t simple jealousy; it was control.
Like an invisible hand gripping his throat, not letting him breathe freely.
Yi might love him, but that kind of love was a swamp.
It would first entangle, then sink, and finally drag a person into the depths, turning them into a marionette in her hands.
She would absolutely not allow it.
Xiaobai was not her toy.
She started typing again.
[Yukino]: Your girlfriend doesn’t want me to send you photos of my girlfriend, right?
[Baiye Duxing]: Yi did tell me that she hates me looking at Miss Himuro’s photos.
[Baiye Duxing]: After all, your girlfriend is very beautiful. It’s normal to worry that I might fall for someone else.
[Yukino]: She’s not by your side right now, is she?
[Yukino]: Otherwise, I guess she’d definitely be angry and wouldn’t let you keep chatting with me.
[Baiye Duxing]: Yi wouldn’t do that.
[Baiye Duxing]: Actually, Yi is really great.
She’s very gentle and considerate.
Even though we’re the same age, she’s like an older sister to me.
She looked at that phrase “really great.”
The corners of her lips tightened slightly.
[Yukino]: What have you been conditioned into?
[Yukino]: My girlfriend said she’d show you some of her photos as a way of supporting you.
[Yukino]: So please don’t let her down, Xiaobai.
Himuro Mio stood up.
She took out a selfie stick and adjusted the angle.
Click.
When it came to her looks, she possessed an almost arrogant confidence.
[Yukino]: I just took this photo of my girlfriend.
Take a look, and then delete the chat record and the image.
Or maybe make a cloud album.
[Yukino]: It shouldn’t be too difficult for you to come to Tokyo now.
[Yukino]: Whenever you have time to come to Tokyo, I will definitely host you properly.
[Yukino]: There are many things that are different when said online versus in person.
After sending it, she switched to the webnovel website and tipped Baiye Duxing another 10,000.
She actually wanted to send a gift even more, but Himuro Mio didn’t have his address or any more real-world information.
Moreover, an ocean separated the two of them.
She could only use money to express her affection and recognition for him.
[Baiye Duxing]: Why are you so good to me?
[Yukino]: I like your stories.
[Yukino]: And you’re my good brother.
[Yukino]: By the way, half of the tip money came from my girlfriend, Himuro Mio.
[Yukino]: She likes your stories very much too.
[Yukino]: She wants to meet you when you come to Tokyo.
[Yukino]: For that day, she is working hard to learn Chinese.
[Baiye Duxing]: My god.
[Baiye Duxing]: Bro, won’t you get jealous?
[Yukino]: What is there to be jealous of?
[Yukino]: Don’t tell me you think you’re more charming than me and could steal my girlfriend away?
[Baiye Duxing]: If there’s a chance in the future, I will definitely come to Tokyo to meet you.
[Yukino]: You have to come!
[Baiye Duxing]: I will!
If he didn’t keep his promise, she wouldn’t make Xiaobai swallow 1,000 needles.
Instead, she would use her own way to invite Xiaobai to Tokyo.
Regardless, there were many methods.
The power of the Himuro family was enough to satisfy her every wish.
Naturally, that included using somewhat extreme methods to invite a person to her side.