Curtain of Night

"The world always needs a few idealists."

For some reason, this sentence drifted into Bai Youyou's mind. She saw a hazy beach where someone was holding her hand, walking along the shore. The lingering warmth of that memory seeped from her palm. The harder she tried to recall it, the more violent the turbulence beneath the memory sea became, and an indescribable stinging pain spread through her.

A sense of helplessness welled up. Bai Youyou’s hand was grasped by the blonde girl, and a concerned inquiry reached her ears. "Are you alright?"

Bai Youyou’s throat bobbed as she looked at Xu Xiaoyou, who was watching her with concern. That sense of helplessness grew stronger. She must have known this girl somewhere; there must be a past between them—whether beautiful or unpleasant. The other party clearly knew something yet was deliberately hiding it from her, putting on a pretense of concern as if they were strangers.

Sadness, like aged wine, blocked up Bai Youyou’s chest with its bitterness. She wanted to directly confront the girl and ask why she was hiding the truth. If the girl refused, she would use force to make her speak. But she didn't know if she could do such a thing—what if the other party was truly just an innocent person?

"Perhaps your heart is filled with many doubts. Why not leave those questions to time?" Xu Xiaoyou suggested.

Hearing this, Bai Youyou froze for a moment. Xu Xiaoyou’s gaze remained calm as she continued.

"Perhaps, for some things, forgetting is a better state for you. Perhaps forgetting is a form of protection from someone who cares? I've seen too many people sink into a quagmire, unable to extricate themselves. If you have doubts about your background, why not leave the worries and bitterness to tomorrow? Even a seedling must accumulate energy before it can break through its seed and face the wind and rain."

The blonde girl spoke softly, her words carrying a friendly, convincing magic.

Bai Youyou felt that what she said made sense. She had only recently awakened; she was like a newborn baby in this world, where everything was unknown and novel. The mysteries above the cradle not only blinded her eyes but also blocked the prying eyes of venomous snakes.

"Can you... answer one doubt in my heart?" Bai Youyou asked after a moment of hesitation.

Xu Xiaoyou weighed it in her mind before finally nodding. Her voice was gentle. "Of course."

"Did you know me before?"

"Yes."

Hearing this answer, Bai Youyou suddenly felt much lighter. She had found an anchor in the storm. This blonde girl had become the spiritual anchor for her small, solitary boat.

"Am I important to you? Or rather, are you important to me...?"

"I apologize, but I cannot answer any questions beyond the first one. That is outside my scope of service," Xu Xiaoyou said, sipping her drink.

Bai Youyou didn't press further. It seemed her memory was indeed incomplete. Being able to resolve part of the confusion in her heart was enough to justify the meaning of today's trip.

"Isn't clearing up my confusion part of your job too?" Bai Youyou said, a bit defiantly.

"At least tell me what our past relationship was like."

"More than friends, less than lovers," Xu Xiaoyou said half-jokingly.

Bai Youyou:

1

Seeing the girl actually fall into deep thought, appearing to doubt herself, Xu Xiaoyou quickly interrupted. "Just a joke. You can treat me as a close friend. If you tell me your troubles, I'm willing to listen."

"Honestly... for me, this is only our first meeting, yet you say such boundary-crossing things. Are all the green leaves in your shop like this?" Bai Youyou’s ears felt a bit hot, and she used the cold drink in her glass to hide her embarrassment.

Surprisingly, she didn't find these boundary-crossing words repulsive. As a four-winged investigator, she could easily tell that the other party’s words were hints aimed at closing the social distance between them. In the simulated Light-Chaser Tower within the Oasis, people had tried to get close to her like this before, only to be scared away by her cold demeanor.

But with the blonde girl in front of her, she didn't feel any aversion at all. Was it really as she said—that their past relationship was that of confidants, more than friends but less than lovers?

"Senior, I can't handle things over here! She vomited all over me. It's a mess. Come help!"

A little green leaf poked his head out and shouted at Xu Xiaoyou.

As Xu Xiaoyou stood up, Bai Youyou suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her back. "Where are you going?"

"I’m going to handle things over there. I’ll be back soon." Xu Xiaoyou hadn't even finished speaking before Bai Youyou interrupted her.

"You’re not allowed to go." Bai Youyou pinched the hem of Xu Xiaoyou’s clothes.

"Youyou, you look a bit drunk."

"I am your customer right now. This is time for you and me. Serving me is what you should be doing; your time belongs to me right now." Bai Youyou turned her face away. "If you must go, I can pay more. Stay and accompany me."

Xu Xiaoyou gave a helpless smile and made a "cheer up" gesture to the frantic little green leaf in the distance. After offering some verbal encouragement, she sat back down. Seemingly realizing she had subconsciously said something strange, Bai Youyou hid her blushing face behind her long hair and placed several photos on the table.

"Lately, it's not just the memory issue that’s troubling me. There’s also this."

Xu Xiaoyou took the photos to examine them. They were photos of the streets in Dragonfly Town, with some houses circled in red marker.

Flipping through a few more, she saw many corpses that had died in gruesome ways. Most were emaciated beyond recognition, their flesh and skin severely ulcerated. Their mouths were wide open as if they had been strangled before death, and their eyes were full of terror.

"A new type of moon sugar. It started circulating in Dragonfly Town a few days ago. It’s highly hallucinogenic and addictive. Because of the hallucinations, these people have caused quite a lot of social disorder. After multiple doses, these addicts will commit suicide—either by strangling themselves until they suffocate, or cutting themselves until they bleed to death. Drowning, hanging... I've already received many similar cases."

"Doesn't revealing these things to an outsider violate the regulations for investigators?" Xu Xiaoyou's lips twitched.

"Regulations and rules don't matter; the result is what's most important. As long as the mastermind behind this can be dragged out, none of that matters." Bai Youyou downed her Red Pomegranate Ocean in one go.

Xu Xiaoyou looked at Bai Youyou with some surprise.

"Sticking to the old ways only leads to ruin."

The girl’s personality was vastly different from what was in her memory. Xu Xiaoyou didn't think too much of it, assuming that she might have encountered some kind of misfortune that caused her personality to twist.

"I’m currently investigating the source of this moon sugar. The information brokers I was in contact with have all gone missing. They must have been noticed by the sugar dealers behind this. The enemy is hidden in the shadows, very cunning and vigilant," Bai Youyou said.

"These photos were given to me before they disappeared. Try and give me your thoughts."

Bai Youyou continued, "Personally, I suspect this moon sugar is related to that gang of thugs known as Eight-Spider that has risen in Dragonfly Town recently."

Xu Xiaoyou carefully examined the details in the photos. "They look like a motley crew lacking professional quality—both in terms of the various links in their distribution channels and the core leadership behind them."

"I suspect the person manufacturing and distributing this moon sugar isn't a sugar dealer with vast social resources, but rather a professor who understands chemical principles and is tasting the forbidden for the first time."