In the early morning, Qi Yue’an chose to take the elevator back to the fifth floor to ensure her safety. To her slight surprise, the hallway was not completely quiet; the ‘residents’ seemed to still be awake.
This wasn’t entirely unexpected, as staying up late was common at their age, especially considering Xiyin’s erratic sleep schedule. Qi Yue’an herself often had days where she was awake for extended periods.
The elevator doors opened slowly, and she immediately saw Bai Jin standing guard near the stairwell, her posture alert and defensive. Bai Zhi, unexpectedly, was by her side.
“Miss Moon, you’re finally back!”
Bai Zhi spoke first, her voice filled with evident concern. This was the first time Qi Yue’an had seen her replacement in the apartment.
She was wearing a somewhat revealing silk nightgown, exuding a lazy aura, but her face was filled with anxiety.
“Are you hurt?”
“Don’t go wandering around at night, little fish.”
Bai Jin muttered without turning, her gaze fixed on the stairwell as if something terrifying might emerge at any moment.
Bai Zhi seemed to relax slightly, gently patting Bai Jin’s shoulder.
“Little Jin, go rest. I think it’s safe now.”
Then, as if talking to herself, she murmured, “But making such a commotion… does that mean ‘he’ is coming down again?”
The worry seemed to pass quickly, and she regained her usual relaxed expression, turning to Qi Yue’an with a playful smile.
“Miss Moon, weren’t you at Miss Star’s room? Why are you out at this hour?”
As she spoke, she casually opened her own door, leaning lazily against the frame with a sultry gleam in her eyes.
“It looks like Miss Star is exhausted and needs her rest… Would you like to come over? I can handle some things for you…”
Qi Yue’an didn’t quite grasp the hidden meaning in her words, only feeling that the invitation was somewhat abrupt.
However, when she met Bai Zhi’s mischievous and clearly suggestive gaze, she instantly understood the implication of ‘handling things,’ and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
She had never expected that the replacements she had found would be so… intense. While they were important allies outside, she couldn’t help but feel like she had opened a harem here. Was this their true nature?
Qi Yue’an silently vowed to examine Bai Zhi closely once she got out to see if her orientation was unusual.
As these thoughts raced through her mind, Bai Zhi chuckled softly, as if pleased with her prank.
“It seems you haven’t had your fill yet. Until next time, then~”
But as she prepared to close the door, she suppressed her smile, her voice taking on a barely noticeable serious tone.
“’He’ is about to come down; he might take you up. Don’t tell Miss Star. After you go up… you probably won’t have to endure loneliness anymore.”
Before she could finish, the door closed gently, leaving Qi Yue’an alone, pondering the cryptic message, her mind filled with confusion.
After a moment, Qi Yue’an finally walked towards Xiyin’s room.
After the incident where calling her true name caused her to go berserk, and confirming that magic could effectively harm them, Qi Yue’an’s courage had grown. Once the mysterious aura of these creatures was gone, they became mere combat targets, and their terrifying nature diminished significantly.
Arriving at the door, she knocked lightly. Almost immediately, it opened.
Xiyin stood in the doorway, her long, pale blue hair slightly disheveled, her face showing signs of exhaustion and lingering sadness.
She seemed to have only a vague memory of her earlier outburst, and her current emotions were primarily sadness and guilt for Qi Yue’an’s departure. Seeing her, she looked surprised.
“Moon… Miss Moon? You… you came back?”
Her voice was slightly hoarse and uncertain, her face a mix of hope, joy, and fear of disappointment.
Qi Yue’an watched Xiyin’s expressions, truly experiencing the difference between her and the real Xiyin. The real Xiyin, no matter how troubled, always appeared calm and strong.
Though she spoke little, she always quietly cared for everyone, possessing a unique composure and gentleness, like a warm haven shielding from the storm, dividing her life into hope and despair.
The replacement, though not the original, shared the same familiar face, now showing vulnerability and pain. Qi Yue’an found she couldn’t ignore it.
After a moment of internal struggle, she sighed softly.
“Yes, I’m back. Don’t be afraid.”
She spoke gently, as if soothing a child, assuring Xiyin that she wasn’t leaving because of fear or dislike. It took many words to finally calm her down.
“Sleep well, I won’t leave.”
After Xiyin fell asleep, Qi Yue’an sighed again, finally lying down beside her, face to face with the sweetly sleeping face, her mind racing with thoughts.
Facing someone she deeply cared for, and now a beautiful girl she had never met before, lying defenselessly in front of her, she found herself unable to muster any interest, despite the once-dreamt-of scenario. Perhaps it was her inner turmoil, or the physical changes, but she felt no excitement.
She wasn’t an emotionless machine; in these days, she constantly faced enigmatic people and seemingly friendly but dangerous creatures, her mind always on edge, even after staying up all night, a sense of anxiety lingered.
“What about the real Xiyin, Bai Zhi, and Bai Jin? Are they okay? Are they worried?”
These worries and fears lingered, and she had been the first to propose being lifelong teammates, but now, trapped in this unfamiliar space, she might be the first to leave. Fear was natural.
Lin Xiao and the mysterious sixth floor also caused her anxiety. She had a premonition that ‘he,’ as mentioned by Bai Zhi, might be Lin Xiao’s replacement, possibly living behind that mysterious door or on the sixth floor before 11 PM.
What would happen if ‘he’ took her up?
Various doubts swirled in her mind, and she forced herself to sleep, preparing for the exploration or ‘his’ potential arrival the next day.
****
Several hours passed in silence, and at six in the morning, before dawn, Xiyin’s eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she felt was an unfamiliar heaviness, making it difficult to move.
She looked around, her eyes filled with confusion. Everything seemed exactly like her bedroom, unchanged, yet something felt intensely wrong. She had a strong sense that this might be another place.
Her head ached, as if her soul had been brutally torn out and stuffed into another body. She struggled to stay conscious and retrace her memories:
A few days ago, she noticed Qi Yue’an had been gone for a long time, feeling uneasy, she asked Bai Jin and Bai Zhi to watch the house and went out to find her.
During this time, she discovered that the school had somehow become sealed, with an eerie atmosphere. Deciding to investigate, she lost consciousness the moment she stepped through the school gate… and when she woke up, she was here.
“Where am I…”
As she tried to piece things together, she felt a warm, soft, small body stir in her embrace.
She looked down, and in the faint light, she recognized Qi Yue’an curled up in her arms, her petite frame, warm body, and familiar scent causing Xiyin’s mind to go blank, her cheeks flushing uncontrollably.
Despite now being female, she retained memories from her past life as a male, where contact with the opposite s*x was rare. This intimate contact made her heart race, her thoughts drifting to embarrassing and defenseless scenarios, momentarily uncertain of where to place her hands.
But as the light brightened, she saw the faint traces of dried tears on Qi Yue’an’s face and the deep fatigue etched in her brow. All her wandering thoughts were instantly replaced by a strong sense of heartache and protectiveness.
It seemed Qi Yue’an had been alone here for some time. Xiyin vowed to herself that since she had promised to be a lifelong companion, she would put aside the past and protect Qi Yue’an.
With extreme care and gentle movements, she attempted to extricate herself from Qi Yue’an’s embrace, fearful of waking her.
Successfully getting out of bed, Xiyin quietly opened the door, intending to figure out where she was. The room’s interior was eerily familiar, almost identical to her own, but lacking the subtle signs of life, more like how it looked when she lived alone.
Opening the door, she stepped out into an endless hallway. Just as she wondered what to do, she encountered ‘Bai Zhi’ coming out of her room.
“Oh my~”
‘Bai Zhi’ saw her and immediately displayed her signature, teasing, and suggestive smile.
“Never thought, Miss Star~ You’re quite the aggressor, aren’t you? Successfully ‘counterattacked’?”
Xiyin was utterly stunned. What was Bai Zhi doing here? Her attire, her tone… everything was strangely off, as if she had lived here for a long time.
And what did she mean by ‘counterattack’?
Xiyin wasn’t as pure or slow-witted as Qi Yue’an. Combining her waking up beside Bai Zhi and her understanding of certain urban legends, she suspected they had been assigned unusual roles here.
“She’s still resting. Keep your voice down.”
“Oh~”
Using a universal phrase, she tried to gather information, but just as she was about to speak, a large, rough hand suddenly covered her mouth from behind, silencing her.
Xiyin’s eyes widened in shock as she turned to see a stranger with black horns and golden flame-like hair standing beside her, signaling her to be quiet with a sharp, warning gaze.
“I need to talk to her. If you don’t have urgent business, I’ll take her now.”
With that, he grabbed Xiyin’s hand, gesturing for her to follow.