Thanks for Mike and NeoSamurai223 for becoming as a Supporter!
===BREAK===
Shao Yun turned his head slightly, giving the nearby door a quick glance as helplessness welled up inside him.
He lowered his voice just a bit and asked, "What exactly are you trying to do?"
Eula gripped his shoulders tightly, pulling herself even closer without hesitation—so close that she practically pressed her forehead right toward his.
Their faces were less than five centimeters apart.
Being stared at from such an intimate distance made Shao Yun feel extremely uncomfortable.
Eula's eyes were wide, her tone trembling with something close to hysteria as she whispered:
"Why did you come to Fontaine?"
As she spoke, her warm breath brushed against him, carrying a faint scent of iridescent-rose toothpaste.
Right now, Eula was nearly pressed entirely against Shao Yun.
Driven by fear and panic, she had lost the ability to think rationally.
All she wanted—needed—was to know why Shao Yun had come to Fontaine.
Shao Yun, however, did not lose his composure the way she had.
It had been quite some time since he'd had any intimacy with Lumine, and Eula suddenly leaning in so close stirred an instinctive frustration inside him—an agitation he could barely suppress.
Eventually, he had enough.
He raised his right hand, grabbed her shoulder, and forcefully pushed her away.
"Really? My legs are on my body. I go where I want to go. And by your logic, I should be asking you—why did you come to Fontaine?" he snapped.
Thrown off balance, Eula stumbled backward.
She tried to steady herself, but her heels wobbled, and she fell directly onto the bed.
Even though a mattress was softer than the floor, the sudden impact still sent a sharp ache through her hips.
She instinctively reached back to rub the sore spot, then glared up at him.
"What are you trying to do?"
Shao Yun stared at her—at that accusing the victim first expression—and irritation flared inside him.
"What I'm trying to do? That's what I should be asking YOU! You dragged me into your room out of nowhere, pressed yourself against me, said a bunch of nonsense—and right now you should be thankful your head is still attached to your shoulders!"
He was already strained from the lack of intimacy with Lumine.
And Eula getting so close earlier had practically tortured him.
After venting his frustration, the room fell silent.
Sitting at the edge of the bed, Eula slowly lowered her head.
Her hands clenched the bedsheets tighter and tighter.
Her voice suddenly broke—fragile and choked with suppressed sobs:
"Please… please just leave me alone… I finally managed to settle down here in Fontaine, a place where no one knows me, where I can start over… Why do you have to show up and torment me again…"
Tears slid down her pale cheeks, darkening small patches on the sheet between her knees.
She sniffed and continued:
"Either kill me right now and bury my body back in Mondstadt… or stop tormenting me… please…"
Her blue hair hung over half her face, shadowing her trembling expression.
Shao Yun looked at the pitiful girl in front of him.
His heart softened despite himself, and his previously harsh tone eased.
"Listen… I don't mean you any harm. Lumine, Paimon, and I came to Fontaine for a vacation. I don't want trouble."
He paused, then continued:
"I know I destroyed your family, and I know it hurts. I don't expect forgiveness—and honestly, I don't think I was wrong. It's something that can't be undone."
He exhaled deeply, then gave his promise.
"All I want to say is: I won't torment you. I won't interfere with your new life. If you want to keep being friends with Lumine and Paimon, I won't stand in the way."
Hearing this, Eula slowly lifted her head.
Tears continued to fall.
Her voice trembled with desperation.
"I only ask one thing. Stay away from me. That's all I want."
"Even just remembering what you look like makes me terrified. I have nightmares."
Her eyes were red and wet with tears.
Shao Yun clenched his jaw and answered as sincerely as he could:
"All right, Eula. I… I'll do everything I can to avoid you. But you have to understand—we both live in Fontaine right now. It's hard to avoid running into each other completely."
"If we meet by accident, I'll pretend I don't know you. I'll act like I didn't see you at all. Is that good enough?"
He paused, then added:
"And Lumine and I will leave Fontaine eventually. After that… even if you died here, I wouldn't involve myself. Okay?"
Eula listened to his strange reassurance without much visible reaction.
After a long moment, she nodded lightly.
The agitation in her tone faded into calm resignation.
"…Fine. I suppose that's the only option we have for now."
Indeed—minimizing contact was the wisest choice.
Fontaine was huge. Surely, they wouldn't cross paths every day.
Thinking this, Eula let out a subtle breath of relief.
Seeing they had finally reached an understanding; Shao Yun quickly shifted the subject.
"Go wash your face. If Yanfei sees you like this, she's going to start asking questions. It'll cause trouble for both of us."
Eula nodded without objection and headed to the bathroom.
She turned on the faucet, letting cold water run over her hands before splashing her face repeatedly. Once her red, puffy eyes looked less obvious, she dried herself with a towel.
Composing her expression, she went to the kitchen and began preparing tea as though nothing had happened.
…
Later, Eula warmly invited Yanfei to stay at her home.
Though small, it was more than enough for two.
Yanfei hesitated at first, not wanting to impose, but Eula insisted:
"You're not charging me for tutoring, so it's only right that I cover your lodging and meals!"
Unable to refuse her generosity, Yanfei eventually agreed.
At that moment, Shao Yun seemed eager to escape.
He hurried toward the door as if fleeing the scene.
But the moment he stepped outside, Yanfei followed him out.
She had already noticed the slight redness around Eula's eyes—evidence of crying that even washing couldn't fully erase.
There had to be a reason.
Something involving Shao Yun.
So, she stopped him bluntly: "Shao Yun, what exactly happened between you and Eula?"
Caught off guard, Shao Yun froze.
He knew this was far too complicated to explain—and he had no idea where to even start.
After a moment's hesitation, he answered vaguely:
"We… have a very complicated past. Even I can't sort it all out. All I can say is… well, maybe she chose the wrong family when she reincarnated."
Yanfei frowned, curiosity intensifying.
"How complicated? What does reincarnation have to do with it?"
There was no way Shao Yun could explain that he had wiped out all members of the Lawrence Clan except Eula.
So, he tried persuading her to drop it.
"Yanfei… it's really messy. I don't even know how to describe it. So… please don't pry anymore."
But his evasiveness only made her imagination run wilder.
She looked at him with suspicion—almost the look one gives a notorious ex-boyfriend.
"Don't tell me… you two are like a pair of ex-lovers who broke up?"
Shao Yun's eyes widened.
"What—Yanfei, did Fontaine water melt your brain?!"
"I barely know Eula! What nonsense are you talking about?!"
Yanfei simply shrugged, arms folded.
"Well, can you blame me? It was just making tea—why did the two of you need to do it together? And why did it take so long?"
Shao Yun was speechless.
After a long pause, he answered seriously:
"Yanfei, I strongly suggest you stop digging into this."
"And let me be clear: whatever you're imagining between me and Eula—there's nothing like that. In reality, she and I are mortal enemies. Blood feud. The real kind."
Considering he had annihilated her family, it was indeed a blood feud.
Yanfei listened, but somehow it only sounded more like exes to her.
Still, seeing his irritation, she wisely backed off.
"Fine… then I won't ask."
Clearly, she still misunderstood their relationship—but at least she stopped questioning him.
…
Shao Yun left the apartment.
Once outside, he took out a stack of real-estate flyers.
Flipping through them, he muttered:
"Right… I need to find a place to stay as soon as possible."
"This apartment definitely won't do. If I live this close and run into Eula every day, she'll definitely go insane…"
===BREAK===
Like the story and want more chapters?
Join and support me by joining my Patreon!
[email protected]/SiRoasa