Chapter 23: The Cold Embrace of Intuition

After finishing her reflections on the photoshoot, Ye Qing prepared to drift into a sweet slumber.

Regardless of the hour, she never allowed worries to compromise the quality of her sleep.

True to her philosophy of rejecting internal strife, she swiftly extinguished any potential for entanglement at its nascent stage.

Yet, the moment her head touched the pillow, an inexplicable tremor seized her heart.

She sat bolt upright in bed, her mind brimming with an unsettling premonition.

After the day’s events, her trust in her own judgment had only deepened.

And Lin Shaoyao’s intuition.

‘When in doubt, consult her first.’

And so, a sleepy-eyed Lin Shaoyao was abruptly roused by a message from Ye Qing.

Already filled with resentment, seeing Ye Qing’s name as the sender only fueled her irritation.

[Xiao Conan: Miss Ye Qing, disturbing me at this hour, I presume you’ve prepared yourself for a severe lesson delivered right to your doorstep.]

Noticing Lin Shaoyao’s instantaneous reply, a subtle, almost imperceptible curve touched Ye Qing’s lips.

‘Xiao Conan wasn’t asleep either.’

[Qingyu: Since you’re awake, use your intuition to help me. I suddenly felt a palpitation just now. Is it a bad omen?]

Watching Ye Qing earnestly spout such nonsense, Lin Shaoyao couldn’t help but laugh despite her annoyance. Her soft, pink hair a fluffy halo, she sat up in bed.

[Xiao Conan: Why are you asking me about this? Do I look like a witch doctor? If you have heart trouble, go find an old lover! If you truly can’t solve it, we could always jump into the river, couldn’t we?]

A moment later, Ye Qing had an epiphany.

[Qingyu: Thank you, I understand.]

Immediately after, the other party’s avatar promptly grayed out, leaving Lin Shaoyao with an expression of utter disbelief.

‘What do you understand? Care to elaborate? Couldn’t you tell I was just messing with you?’

Meanwhile, Ye Qing had already quickly bundled herself in clothes and stepped out of her house.

She couldn’t discern what urged her from within, yet Ye Qing found herself unable to persuade herself to close her eyes in peace.

Perhaps this was one reason she had so few friends—she was, indeed, a singular individual.

However, the moment she stepped out, the unfortunate black-haired girl, before she could even pull up her hood, was sent stumbling backward by a howling northwest wind.

Fortunately, though her frame was delicate, she was bundled exceptionally tightly, resembling a small white tumbleweed. She dusted herself off, scrambled up, and began to run towards the riverside.

It was nearly two in the morning; the traffic had long ceased, and pedestrians were almost nonexistent. Only the ceaseless murmur of the river flowed on.

Ye Qing walked slowly along the small path beside the river embankment, her legs trembling slightly as she hugged her clothes tighter around herself.

The fierce wind stung her face and made it difficult to move forward. It felt as though she were struggling against a powerful current beneath the guardrail, constantly threatened by surging gusts.

She recalled her last visit here, when she had escorted Gu Xuanyu home. Back then, she wasn’t so frail; she could easily stroll from downstream to Gu Xuanyu’s residence.

In contrast, the mischievous silver-haired girl would often hide behind her, using her as a windbreak, sometimes even burrowing her head into Ye Qing’s hood like a playful little rabbit.

But now… she had severely underestimated the biting cold of the late night.

“Achoo!”

After an unknown duration of walking, Ye Qing sneezed again, her small face now flushed crimson.

The cold persistently wormed its way through unseen crevices, seeping into her delicate neck and making her teeth chatter uncontrollably.

The only sound in her ears was the unchanging rush of water. As if lulled by it, despite her numb hands and feet from the cold, Ye Qing felt a faint drowsiness creeping in.

‘I can barely walk anymore. I need to stop and rest for a bit.’

The moment this thought formed, Ye Qing’s vision went white, as if she had returned to a bright, sunny day.

This sudden sensation startled Ye Qing, making her fear she was already delirious from the cold.

She rubbed her flushed face with her hands and squatted down by the roadside.

‘This won’t do. I should have worn more clothes.’

‘But I’ve come all this way; I can’t just conjure clothes out of thin air, can I?’

‘Hiss—’

After a moment of hesitation, Ye Qing dialed An Yueying’s number again.

“I want to know, can I also transform into that mascot costume of yours?”

The moment the call connected, An Yueying heard Ye Qing’s urgent words, her voice crisp but faint, accompanied by the howling wind from the other end. An Yueying quickly grasped the situation.

Realizing the black-haired girl might be freezing, An Yueying abandoned any thought of teasing her.

“Yes, you can. Just imagine yourself enveloped within it.”

Ye Qing hadn’t anticipated it would be so simple. She mumbled her thanks, then swiftly hung up. Hearing the dial tone, An Yueying couldn’t help but smile faintly.

‘To suddenly call at such an hour, then hang up in a rush as if nothing happened—this girl truly doesn’t treat me as an outsider.’

***

Upstream, a slender, silver-haired figure was also walking aimlessly downstream along the river embankment.

She wore only a thin nightgown, allowing the biting wind to whip her clothes and toss her silver hair wildly behind her.

The girl’s burgundy eyes held no sparkle, only a faint, shimmering film of tears.

Though a tide of emotions urged her to weep, she resisted, continuing her walk in a dazed, numb state.

The power of the magical girl had not entirely vanished from her body, but it was fading at an accelerating rate.

If this continued, she would soon be unable to withstand the severe cold. Yet, Gu Xuanyu’s mind was a chaotic mess, driven forward only by a vague, persistent urge.

It was as if by walking along this path, she would miraculously find a clear day, freeing her from her torment.

However, after tearing up that diary, Gu Xuanyu’s memories began to blur into a haze.

Upon witnessing her actions, Silver Moon was speechless, staring blankly. Once she confirmed Gu Xuanyu had lost her qualifications as a magical girl, she regretfully vanished.

Knowing her failure clearly, Silver Moon didn’t hesitate, nor did she pause for Gu Xuanyu for even half a second. She deemed wasting time on a person of no consequence to be unworthy.

After walking for an unknown period, the streetlights grew dimmer. Gu Xuanyu could gradually feel the biting cold seeping through her thin clothing.

She didn’t know where she was heading, only that she was pursuing the direction of a “clear day.”

Perhaps she would simply freeze to death by the riverside, to be discovered by river patrols the next morning.

‘That wouldn’t be so bad.’

Yet, after this thought flashed through her mind, Gu Xuanyu hesitated.

A strange will to survive struggled free from her heavy heart, commanding her to return to warmth as quickly as possible.

She recalled that the reason she was here was her desperate desire to find someone.

‘If I just die on the road like this, how will I ever find her?’

‘I’m such an idiot.’

Briefly regaining her senses, Gu Xuanyu quickly turned around and began to run back in the direction she had come from.

‘There’s still time.’

However, she failed to notice that her limbs had once again grown clumsy. This simple turn caused her foot to twist suddenly, sending her sprawling to the ground.

Feeling a searing pain shoot through her ankle, Gu Xuanyu’s heart pounded with anxiety. Yet, even rising to her feet felt impossibly difficult.

Tears blurred her vision.

This scene felt eerily familiar; she seemed to recall someone else falling like this, experiencing such heartache.

‘But who will be there to help me up?’