"The resting place of the eternal emperor—what will be waiting for me there?" The journey from Jiuzhaigou to Xi'an wasn't far, taking only a few hours. From high above, looking down at the brightly lit city, Chu Lian murmured softly to herself.
It was now 2 a.m. Even at such a late hour, the plane landed on time. The students, groggy from a few hours' sleep, were woken by their teachers to gather their belongings.
Ning Zhiyuan came over to wake Chu Lian, only to find she had already roused the girls beside her and was quietly chatting with them. Smiling faintly, Ning was relieved to see that they didn't seem weighed down by the earlier events. Before leaving, she cast a meaningful glance at Chu Lian and Inori—it was clear she knew what had happened that afternoon.
Chu Lian hadn't planned to hide it from anyone. With so many witnesses, and with videos bound to appear online even if the music hadn't reached certain areas, she was already mentally prepared for whatever might come next. No matter what, she didn't regret what she'd done.
Following the group off the plane, Chu Lian pulled out her phone, opened Weibo, and posted: "After a dangerous beginning, we've chosen to keep going. Our second stop: Chang'an—the city where the eternal emperor rests. I wonder what surprises this journey will bring. Who knows? Maybe I'll even meet the legendary Qin Shi Huang~~ Hehe. We've arrived safely. Wishing everyone well. It's late now, time to sleep. Good night…"
No matter what people said about her performance the day before, she continued to live as she always had, following her own plans. It made her seem a little more like an ordinary person—but she was never trying to be some untouchable fairy anyway. Why act cold and distant without reason?
Replies from night owls came quickly: "Good night~" "Good night, BlackNeko-chan~" "Good night, Chu Lian~" "Good night, goddess~" It was clear that many people had stayed up just to make sure she arrived safely.
Putting her phone away, she glanced at her classmates, noting their lackluster expressions. This kind of schedule, flipped upside down, had left their already tired bodies even more fatigued. There was no helping it—without the earlier incident, they wouldn't be in such a state. She only hoped no more such accidents would occur.
The Qingping Grand Hotel here in Chang'an, a 70-floor, 280-meter-tall five-star hotel, was even grander and more luxurious than the one in Jiuzhaigou. It seemed untouched by the misfortune of its counterpart—business was thriving. Even at 2 a.m., the flow of luxury cars in and out proved it was still a haven of indulgence.
At the entrance, the lobby manager was already waiting, flanked by a dozen beautiful women in red qipao, clearly there to welcome them.
Ning Zhiyuan asked the group to wait outside while she spoke privately with the manager. A few minutes later, she returned. "Alright, everything's arranged. Go up, take a shower, and rest well. No going out tonight, alright?" As she spoke, her eyes flicked toward Chu Lian and her group.
Even knowing the glance was meant for her, Chu Lian showed no reaction, quietly chatting with Chu Chu and Li Xiu'er as if oblivious.
Ning Zhiyuan clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "We meet at nine in the morning. Tomorrow we'll climb Mount Li and then visit the Qin Emperor's Mausoleum—one of the nine wonders of the world. If there's anything you want to buy, think about it now so we can arrange time for shopping."
"Alright, we'll be on time this time. Good night, teacher…" To Ning Zhiyuan's surprise, the first to answer was Chu Lian, who had been feigning ignorance earlier. She wore a sweet smile, as if determined to follow through.
"Good! You all heard her. Now, follow those ladies to your rooms." Knowing it wasn't the time for more conversation, Ning left the rest for tomorrow and had everyone follow the hostesses to their accommodations.
Opening the door, they found a spacious one-bedroom suite. Even with four beds, it felt roomy. After setting down their belongings, the girls headed to the bathroom.
The bathroom's design was beautiful and unique. The large bath—over ten square meters—was fed by streams of warm water cascading from above, some flowing along the walls, others directly into the pool, constantly refilling it. All the toiletries were high-end, especially gentle on the skin. Such treatment was usually reserved for a presidential suite—clearly, this was arranged specially for them.
But for now, the priority was bathing.
Chu Lian had long wanted to change out of her Gothic dress, but Chu Chu had stubbornly stopped her. The Jiuzhaigou suite had been sealed off by the military after the xenomorph incident, leaving them with nothing from before. All their current clothes and personal items were new. With no proper facilities earlier, they had saved bathing for tonight.
Having bathed together the night before, the four girls felt less pressure this time. Even Chu Chu's impressive figure didn't draw as much attention—because Chu Lian was the true focus.
Li Xiu'er's skin was soft and tender; Chu Chu's was crystal-clear, her figure making her beauty striking but not overwhelming; Inori's was like snow, but without its coldness—more like a white lotus in water. Chu Lian's, however, was pure ice and jade—her body warm like fine Lantian jade, like a veiled fairy lying in the water, drawing every gaze.
The result was that she became the target of teasing, leaving her breathless. With Li Xiu'er present, she couldn't unleash her full physical ability to retaliate. By the time they finished, her cheeks were flushed, her ears pink, and her lips parting as if after vigorous exercise.
The others lay on their beds watching her with amusement—even Inori, usually quiet, wasn't immune. It seemed Chu Chu's bad influence had spread! No—Chu Chu had always been the instigator, so she was clearly to blame for corrupting both Inori and Xiu'er. Chu Lian shot her a glare, making Chu Chu, who was playing with Tina while sneaking glances, shiver. She knew her big sister had pinned this entirely on her.
Chu Chu considered feigning innocence with playful antics, but realized Chu Lian needed a target to vent at—and only she could fill that role. Sighing, she scratched Tina's belly and flopped onto her back to stare at the ceiling.
Chu Lian slowly towel-dried her hair, planning to browse the news, when her phone rang. Seeing the caller—Zhao Ziming—she frowned slightly, but still answered.
On the other end, Zhao Ziming had feared she wouldn't pick up. Hearing the line connect, he breathed a sigh of relief. If she was willing to answer, they could talk.
"Chu Lian, thank you for what you did this afternoon. If it weren't for your performance, our follow-up work would have been much harder." Zhao Ziming got straight to the point. It was clear that the incident had been a heavy blow for them, and figuring out how to handle it had been a headache. Chu Lian's actions had eased much of their burden—he couldn't not thank her.
Chu Lian gave the same answer she had given Inori: "I just did what I should."
"Whether or not it was your duty, you helped us. Without your concert to calm the people's hearts, I wouldn't even have time to call you right now." He spoke honestly—he hadn't rested in over ten hours, and this call was squeezed into a rare free moment.
"If that's all you wanted to say, you've already said it twice. If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up—it's late, time to sleep." Chu Lian disliked late-night interruptions, no matter the reason.
"Of course there's more." Hearing the impatience in her voice, Zhao Ziming hurried before her temper could flare. "About the plan for your class to perform in every city where we have a branch—let's cancel that. Just sing a few songs for us when you return. Is that alright?"
"One song." Her cold, blunt reply left no room for negotiation.
Zhao Ziming was overjoyed—he had worried she wouldn't agree at all. "One is fine! Thank you! Also, we're sorry about the incident, especially regarding Zhang Feng's special case. We'll handle that. As for the clothing and personal items you lost, we'll consult your classmates about compensation. And…"
"I'll handle Zhang Feng's matter. Don't interfere. As for my classmates, do whatever you think is right—you don't need my input." She cut him off calmly.
"Then one last thing—could Miss Inori be our company's image ambassador? The pay is generous, perhaps you could let her consider—hello? Hello?" He stared at his phone—she had hung up without a word.
He sighed with a bitter smile. "If I could choose freely, Ayase would be my first choice, then you. But I know neither of you would agree, so I thought of Inori instead. Turns out she's also untouchable for you. I suppose Chu Chu and Chu Ke are also off-limits? Hah… I knew the answer before I asked."
On the other end, Chu Lian plugged in her phone, turned off the light, and prepared to sleep. At 3 a.m., even after an earlier nap, getting up at nine would be hard without rest.
Chu Chu and Li Xiu'er, sensing her bad mood, stayed quiet. As the lights went out, they obediently lay in their beds. Inori, however, lay beside her again, wrapping her arms around Chu Lian's waist and whispering softly in her ear: "Lian, good night…"
Her irritation toward Zhao Ziming faded under Inori's gentle voice.
Listening to the steady breathing beside her, her gaze on the ceiling grew hazy.
Each girl, carrying her own thoughts, drifted slowly into sleep…