"Lian, time to get up…" In a hazy daze, Chu Lian heard a soft call by her side. She opened her eyes, turned her head, and saw Inori lying next to her, her wine-red eyes seriously gazing at her profile, her small lips opening and closing.
"Mm, is it already morning?" Last night she had been lost in thought for a long time, not even noticing when Inori had gotten up to take a shower. Eventually, while thinking, she had dozed off in the living room. Judging from the situation now, Inori must have carried her into the bedroom after finishing her bath.
Placing a finger gently to her lips, Inori made a quiet "shh," then pointed toward where Chu Chu and Li Xiu'er were sleeping. She whispered, "The two of them stayed up very late last night, don't wake them."
Chu Lian frowned slightly, pushing herself up on her arm. Looking in the direction Inori pointed, she saw the two girls still fast asleep, hugging their pillows. With a light sigh, she murmured, "Why think so much? Wouldn't it be nice to just rest well?"
She didn't want to think about what Chu Chu and Li Xiu'er had done to her last night. Anyone in her place wouldn't have been able to fall asleep easily either.
One of them, after secretly fulfilling her long-held wish of tasting her big sister at last, had been too excited to fall asleep. The other, suddenly facing a strange surge of feelings, had done something very H, very H to Chu Lian. After such embarrassing things, falling asleep was simply not Li Xiu'er's nature.
In short, the reason both of them stayed awake until so late was directly tied to Chu Lian herself. Because of her, their hearts had been stirred, making it hard to rest.
Looking up at the clock on the wall, it was only a little past seven. Compared to the last time she had checked, only three hours had passed. "So I only slept that little, huh?" Yet she didn't feel any drowsiness. After all, she had rested plenty on the plane, and yesterday, whether at Mount Li or in the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, she had also enjoyed some good sleep.
Besides, her body's constitution now far exceeded that of ordinary people, so her need for rest was much less. She hardly felt any fatigue at all. Probably, aside from the tiredness that came from deep within her heart, there were few things left that could exhaust her.
Moving quietly, she got out of bed and took Inori's hand, leading her together into the living room.
The two of them wore matching pure white nightdresses tied at the waist with pink ribbons. As they walked, the fabric swayed lightly, looking beautiful. Paired with their pure, breathtakingly lovely faces, the scene was dazzling.
One thing was certain: if this moment were captured and uploaded online, their identical nightdresses would instantly sell out on Taobao. And countless new fans of loli or yuri would surely be gained.
Yawn~ With a soft yawn, Chu Lian sat with Inori on the sofa, her gaze returning to the electronic clock on the wall, lost in thought.
After a long while, she turned her head toward Inori. Her lips parted as if to speak, hesitating for a moment before finally asking, "Inori, if you had the chance to return to your own world and live there again, would you go back?"
She was thinking about the plot of Guilty Crown. Perhaps Inori's world wouldn't unfold in the same way, but someday, there would definitely be someone who loved and cherished her with his life. That might be better than just staying here with her.
Before bed, the words she said to Inori weren't just emotional impulses. She truly wanted to give this girl from another world a stable promise, so she wouldn't overthink and could live peacefully here. But if one day the chance arose for her to live a better life, Chu Lian would absolutely let her choose freely…
But… was that really what she herself wanted? She had never asked herself this question. Maybe she was avoiding it. Or maybe she already knew the answer…
"No…" In her mix of hope and self-mockery, Inori gave her the answer she wanted. "Right now, Inori is the Inori of now, not the Inori of the past. It was Lian who let me know what it means to be human, what emotions are, and the meaning of my existence. Compared to these, those forgotten memories of the past are no longer important."
As she spoke, Inori lifted her small hands to cup Chu Lian's cheeks, gazing into those eyes as deep as the starry sky. With a gentle smile, she said, "So now, I am only Lian's Inori, and only Lian's Inori."
"Even if I were to recover my memories, know where I came from, and see again those people from my past—both familiar and strange—that fact would never change. Because…" She didn't finish the last words aloud. Instead, she whispered silently in her heart: "Because my heart moves for you, and aches for you."
Feeling the warmth of those hands on her cheeks, Chu Lian closed her eyes and pressed against her palms, letting out a firm "Mm." After that, neither of them spoke again. They simply enjoyed this quiet, peaceful moment together.
Having received each other's promise, the invisible barrier between them finally vanished. Even if there was still much to learn, to know, to understand about each other, they believed that from now on, the road ahead would be one they would walk together.
This feeling might not yet be love, but rather a deep, deep attachment. But who could say if, in the future, this attachment wouldn't transform into something richer, more fragrant? They didn't think too much about it—or perhaps, in their hearts, they hadn't even realized it. Yet vaguely, both seemed to be awaiting that moment.
Letting her hands fall, Inori pointed toward the bathroom and said, "Go wash up quickly, or else we'll be too busy again." Reluctantly pulling away from that warmth, Chu Lian knew this wasn't the time for tenderness, but still didn't feel like doing anything else.
"You're the big sister, after all…" That soft reminder jolted her awake, reminding her that she wasn't alone. There were still two younger girls she had to look after. Well, she selectively ignored the fact that Li Xiu'er was actually four days older than her.
"Then could you call the waiter to send up breakfast? I'll go wash first." Standing up, Chu Lian spoke to Inori. Just as her words fell, the phone suddenly rang—not her mobile, but the landline by the door.
"What an untimely call…" she muttered, walking over reluctantly. Picking up the receiver, she held it to her ear.
Before the other party could speak, she cut in first: "I'll give you ten seconds to explain why you're calling me. If it's nothing important, I'm hanging up. When I have time, you can call again. But for you, I'll never have time."
The other end was clearly stunned by Chu Lian's machine-gun interruption, not reacting until she impatiently began counting down.
"One…"
"Two…"
"Chu Lian, I found something…"
"Four…"
"Things you might need…"
"Six…"
"Seven…"
"Information about the Otherside powerhouses' invasion…"
"Nine…"
"I saw Ayase's figure!"
"Give me the files, immediately!"
She had ignored everything else he said, but the moment Ayase was mentioned, her full attention snapped toward it. Forgetting her count, she asked urgently.
"I've already sent the files to your private email in an encrypted folder. Once you read them, you'll understand everything…"
"That's not your concern. I only want Ayase's data. If your information is accurate, I'll grant you one request."
"I believe it's exactly what you need…"
Beep… beep… beep… As the hang-up tone came through, Zhao Ziming lowered his phone from his ear. Looking at the string of digits on the screen, he shook his head with a bitter smile. "I think you'll definitely need those things. I'm not worried about you denying it, because I still hold something even more important."
Of course, he hadn't said that as a threat to Chu Lian, but rather as a conviction for himself—a belief to not throw everything away for Ayase alone. He feared becoming someone who lived only for her, someone Ayase would despise and scorn. So he kept striving to improve himself, believing that even if he could stay just one-tenth of a second longer in her line of sight, that alone would be a success.
Snapping the phone shut, Chu Lian leaned against the cabinet, staring blankly ahead until Inori walked to her side and softly called, "Lian…" Only then did she return to herself.
Looking at Inori in a daze, Chu Lian didn't know what she wanted to say.
"That person called Ayase… she's the red-dressed sister who danced with you before, right? She's so beautiful…" After all, Inori came from a world far more advanced in technology than Earth. She was very familiar with using things like computers. And since Chu Lian was now her center, she had always kept an eye on her information, even searching for traces of her past.
So of course, she knew about that woman—a woman like a blazing flame, capable of burning away the pride in men's hearts. She understood very well that this woman was Chu Lian's constant reliance, her center. Whether it was the way Chu Lian looked at Ayase, or the occasional glance Ayase gave her, their feelings were laid bare. Even if the two of them themselves didn't realize it, even if 99% of the world didn't see it, Inori could.
That was why she understood why Chu Lian became so serious the moment Ayase was mentioned. Because she wanted to know more about that woman—even if only scraps of clues, she still wanted to know.
"Mm, it's her. She's my support, the strength that carried me here. As long as she's there, I can do anything." Yes, whenever Ayase was present, she always made her feel invincible.
"Then where is she now?" Inori asked curiously. Just what kind of circumstances could separate two people bound by such a deep connection for so many days?
"In a place not far, but still beyond my reach. But soon, she'll be back. When she returns, I'll introduce her to both of you." Speaking of Ayase's return, Chu Lian's eyes finally lit up.
Yes, no matter how many things Ayase hid from her, no matter how much she never told her, Ayase remained the most important person to her in this world. More than her parents, more than Inori or Xiu'er, more than her siblings. Because that bond was etched deep into her soul—irreplaceable, unforgettable.
"She's really… coming back soon?" Inori's wine-red eyes flickered with countless thoughts. In the end, what remained was pure curiosity and yearning. She felt that this woman would surely become someone very important to her as well.