The air in the room suddenly felt… off.
"Going by common logic, it really should be Raiden Ying. But Makoto seems to really like her new name. And since I'm such a doting little sister, following big sis and switching to a new family name is totally normal, right?"
Shogun looked at Xia Zhi with a faint smile tugging at her lips.
Xia Zhi froze for a beat. "Right…"
She held his gaze, her smile widening just a little. Then she asked, "Do I look good like this?"
He looked at the easy, natural smile sitting on her face, then nodded. "Yeah. Compared to when you smile during the nighttime massage, this one looks a lot better."
"Right…"
"Did you practice smiling before you came to find me?"
"No."
"Really didn't?"
"Really didn't."
"Then how'd you suddenly get so good at it?"
"No idea. Maybe I was just happy after getting a name. I wanted to smile, so I did."
"Oh… alright. Since the name's settled, and there's nothing else, let's go."
Xia Zhi got up.
Xia Ying suddenly called out, "Wait."
He paused, confused. "Hm?"
She looked at him with a hint of expectation in her eyes. "Can I ask you for one more tiny favor?"
"Go ahead."
"I want to hear you play that Guqin piece from tonight again."
A Guqin piece?
Again?
Wasn't Ei always the type who only cared about martial arts?
If she had the same memories as Ei, why was she suddenly into music?
Or… was she up to something?
With that strange look she'd given him earlier, an idea surfaced in Xia Zhi's mind.
This little sister-in-law… did she end up falling into the same lovestruck state as Ping?
Even though Ei and Shogun were god-tier beings, far above Adepti, their resistance to abnormal mental states would still be higher.
And sure, Ei had looked calm at the time, but he'd had Heart Flutter activated. His already absurd charm stat had doubled. Who knew whether they got caught by it or not…
It was also possible Ei herself wasn't affected, and only the Shogun inside her consciousness got hit.
Xia Zhi thought about it for a few seconds, mulling over the possibilities.
Xia Ying watched him, her voice soft. "Can I, cousin?"
"…Of course."
He sat back down, placed the Guqin across his lap, and began to play.
Xia Ying leaned forward, resting her elbows on her thighs, cupping her chin in both hands. Her eyes shone slightly as she quietly watched him.
Before long, the song ended.
She let out a satisfied breath. "It's beautiful."
"Thanks."
"Does it have a name?"
"A name…"
It actually didn't.
He thought back to the day he'd been chatting with Cloud Retainer, talking about Ping's razor-sharp tongue.
Cloud Retainer had suddenly taken out her phone and made him say something like "Cloud Retainer's grace eclipses that of Ping." She recorded it and sent it over to annoy Ping.
Ping didn't buy any of it.
Cloud Retainer was disappointed.
So Xia Zhi gave her an idea: he played this Guqin tune and had her re-record that line—but only half of it—before sending it. Sure enough, Ping freaked out.
It really was a nice melody, but it had been made on the spot as a bedroom joke. He was too lazy to name it.
But now, seeing Xia Ying's expectant expression, telling her it didn't have a name would probably let her down.
Fine. He'd make one up.
After a moment of thought, he said, "This song is called Favor."
"Favor? …Favor…"
She repeated it softly. Her eyes grew brighter and brighter.
She looked at him, her voice carrying a trace of happiness. "I really like that name."
"I'm glad you do."
"It's such a beautiful piece. It'd be great if I could hear it every day."
"Don't worry. I'll record it properly and upload it to the group folder. You can download it anytime."
"Recordings don't feel the same."
"You can come find me. I'll play it for you like I did just now."
"Doing that every day would bother you."
"It's fine."
"I thought of something."
"Oh?"
"You could teach me how to play!"
"…Hm?"
"That way, whenever I want to hear it, I can play it myself."
She looked at him with sparkling hope in her eyes.
Xia Zhi laughed. "Alright. If you want to learn, I'll teach you. Let's start with the strings and the notation."
"Okay!"
Xia Ying stood, then naturally sat right beside him.
She lowered her gaze to the Guqin lying across his lap, her eyes fixed as she listened earnestly.
He walked her through the basics of music theory, then taught her a beginner's Guqin piece.
Unfortunately, Xia Ying didn't seem to have much talent for music. She kept plucking the wrong strings.
Xia Zhi had to guide her hands twice before she started improving.
Which made her progress slow.
But that was alright.
Gods had time to spare.
After she finished playing, he nodded. "Not bad. That's enough for today. Take your time absorbing it."
Xia Ying smiled. "Okay. Thanks, cousin."
The two of them walked out of the small room, quickly drawing curious stares.
Mainly because they'd been inside for quite a while. The two of them alone in a tiny room at night definitely sparked imaginations.
But when everyone saw how natural and composed both of them looked, they turned away in disappointment. Only two pairs of eyes kept following him.
Ping.
And Xia Le.
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