Swish… Swish…
In a pitch-black, bone-chilling darkness, Su Wanli slowly opened her eyes.
Strangely, she couldn’t make out her surroundings, nor could she feel her own body. It was as if she had become a soul floating in the void.
The only sensations were a cold that seeped into her bones and a suffocating pressure in her chest.
Just then, a faint beam of moonlight pierced through the darkness.
It fell upon an endless, churning sea, causing each wave to glimmer with specks of silver light.
And in the middle of that sea stood a figure Su Wanli knew quite well.
A head of light brown hair spread out like seaweed in the water.
Her school uniform, always ironed to perfection, was now soaked through, clinging tightly to the girl’s slender skin. She was slightly bowing her head, as if gazing at her own reflection in the sea.
“…Meng… Meng Wange?”
Su Wanli instinctively wanted to rush forward and pull Meng Wange out of that dark sea.
But her body felt bound by invisible chains, unable to move an inch. She could only watch helplessly as Meng Wange slowly sank into the water.
A huge wave of panic and powerlessness seized Su Wanli’s heart, forcing a hoarse cry from her throat.
“—Meng Wange!!”
The girl ahead finally seemed to catch Su Wanli’s voice.
She gently lifted her head, giving Su Wanli that usual calm smile, then slowly opened her mouth as if to say something.
The next second, a massive wave surged over, swallowing Meng Wange, the sea, and Su Wanli herself…
With a clear sound of waves, Su Wanli suddenly sat up from her sleeping bag.
“…It… it was a dream?”
Having survived the ordeal, she instinctively patted her chest to calm her racing heart and ragged breath.
It was still nighttime. The cold moonlight streamed in through the transparent top of the tent, allowing her to see her surroundings clearly.
An ordinary sleeping bag, a few power banks scattered messily, untouched snacks—everything was just as it was before she fell asleep.
“…Thank goodness, it was just a dream. To dream of something like that… I really shouldn’t stay near the coast…”
Su Wanli rubbed the bridge of her nose, then turned her head to look at the culprit who had caused her nightmare.
It was all because Meng Wange had tried to abandon her two days ago and go investigate Yunsheng County alone. That had made her think about it day and night, and dream about her diving into the ocean.
So, using her defenseless sleeping face to soothe her own frazzled nerves shouldn’t be a big deal, right?
After all, Meng Wange herself had said she sometimes sneaked a look at her while she was sleeping. This was just payback!
…
But the sleeping bag that should have contained Meng Wange was now lying flat and deflated on the ground.
Naturally, it was empty.
“…Huh? What’s this?”
Seeing this, Su Wanli’s breath caught.
It was still so early, the sun hadn’t even risen yet. Where had Meng Wange gone? Where could she go?
Was she… out using the bathroom?
Or had she gone to the inn to get breakfast?
Or maybe she had woken up in the middle of the night, thought the stars outside were beautiful, and wanted to take a look?
Su Wanli tried to find excuses for Meng Wange’s absence, and tentatively reached out to touch the surface of the sleeping bag.
It was cold. Utterly without warmth.
As if no one had ever lain in it.
Though common sense told Su Wanli this was all normal.
Meng Wange couldn’t possibly be in any danger. As the main heroine with an aura, even if a meteorite fell, she’d find an ancient civilization’s fallout shelter to hide in. There was no way she’d be swept away by seawater.
But because of that dream, a huge sense of loneliness and panic at being left behind surged into Su Wanli’s heart.
Su Wanli silently took a breath, then yanked open the sleeping bag’s zipper.
Not even bothering to put on the beach shoes she’d left at the tent entrance, she crawled out of the cramped space barefoot.
Outside the tent, the night was deep.
Aside from a few insignificant night lights at the top of the tent providing a touch of warmth, everything else looked pale under the moonlight.
Moreover, whether at the nearby Fate Tree, the back door of the inn, or the grill that hadn’t been put away, there was no sign of Meng Wange.
Only the endless sea shimmered with a cold glint under the moonlight.
A chilly sea breeze mixed with salty, damp air ruthlessly slapped Su Wanli’s cheeks, making her shudder and sharpening her mind a bit.
“…I-It can’t be, right? There’s no way Meng Wange would suddenly jump into the sea or anything. She’s the main heroine of this world, and I still have so many tasks left. The plot is far from over…”
But…
“…Meng Wange! Don’t do anything stupid, Meng Wange!”
Somehow, a force drove Su Wanli to take a deep breath and shout hoarsely toward the sea, then take a few steps forward in the direction of the waves—
“Hey! Hey, hey, hey! We can talk about anything! Don’t you want to become my best strategist and most convenient tool? Don’t you want to see the painting I made for you? You better come back—”
“…Miss Su, what are you doing?”
“…”
Hearing that familiar voice behind her, Su Wanli’s body froze for a moment.
She turned around slowly, inch by inch.
Behind Su Wanli, under the tree hung with countless wooden plaques, Meng Wange lightly stepped out from the other side of the trunk.
She was still wearing the black outfit she’d bought at yesterday’s festival, with the black fox mask on her face.
In her hand were a few wish plaques that Li Yunsheng had given her.
Facing the fierce sea breeze, Meng Wange tidied her hair a bit, weighed the plaques in her hand, and smiled at Su Wanli.
“Um, I’m not entirely sure, but judging from your actions just now…”
“Did you happen to think I was in that sea?”
Su Wanli opened her mouth silently, but for a moment, nothing came out.
“Hehe, even if in your heart, your personal maid is all-powerful, I can’t grow gills and breathe underwater like a fish, you know?”
Though Meng Wange was clearly teasing her, Su Wanli couldn’t feel angry at all.
Only one thought occupied her mind.
…Thank goodness, she’s still here.
Huh?
That’s weird.
Why did that thought cross her mind?
Of course Meng Wange would naturally be by her side. Where else could she go?
Su Wanli quickly pushed those random thoughts away, adjusted her mindset, and put on a haughty, indifferent expression again.
“…Hmph, who would think you’re in the sea? The sound of the waves just kept me from sleeping, so I came out to get some air. Don’t flatter yourself.”
She crossed her arms and pouted coldly at Meng Wange.
“Anyway, don’t just talk about me. What about you? Why are you suddenly out here in the middle of the night?”
“Me?”
Meng Wange raised the plaques in her hand, shaking them gently at Su Wanli, and said with a smile:
“I wanted to hang a few more plaques on this tree. There are too many wishes I want to fulfill, and one plaque isn’t enough to write them all down.”
As she spoke, she tucked the plaques into her chest and took two steps closer to Su Wanli.
“But if I appear too greedy in front of the gods, maybe none of my wishes will come true.”
“So I thought I’d hang them up quietly while He’s asleep.”
“…’While the gods are asleep’? Isn’t that a bit superstitious?”
With the crisis over, Su Wanli relaxed as well.
She rolled her eyes at the heroine who was spouting nonsense with a straight face, then stretched her arms in the cold wind.
“If there really is a god, He’d probably be so angry at a half-hearted believer like you that He’d knock all your plaques down.”
“Would He? I think it’s the opposite.”
“Maybe He’d choose to help this troublesome believer of His first.”
Meng Wange stopped in front of Su Wanli with a smile, took off the thin black cloak over her shoulders, and draped it over Su Wanli.
“After all, looking at the results, He’s already granted one of my wishes.”
She gently brushed off some dust clinging to the cloak, then raised her finger and pointed at the distant horizon.
“That is, allowing me to watch a magnificent sunrise with you at such a wide beach.”
“…Huh?”
Su Wanli blinked in confusion, following Meng Wange’s gaze.
As if to confirm Meng Wange’s words, a thin line of gold suddenly tore through the deep darkness where sea and sky met, embedded at the edge of the horizon.
Then the golden line expanded and spread, dyeing the surrounding clouds with brilliant orange-red and dazzling gold.
Before her eyes could adjust, the sun leaped out from the other end of the sky.
A flood of golden light poured down, gilding the entire sea, the beach, and the giant tree behind them with a warm golden edge.
“…Sorry, I seem to have forgotten something very important.”
Quietly, Meng Wange placed her hand on Su Wanli’s shoulder.
Then she whispered softly in Su Wanli’s ear—
“Good morning, Miss Su.”
“May you… have a wonderful day today.”