"It's just... it made me think of Sister Lan..." Li Xiye took the tissue and wiped her tears. "I heard a lyric, and for some reason, I started imagining what would have happened if something had really happened to Sister Lan back then... Thank goodness it didn't. Thank you."

"Drink some water and calm down." Zhou Chen twisted open a bottle of mineral water and handed it to her.

Li Xiye took a few sips of water and several deep breaths, quickly calming herself. She had always been strong. It was just that she had been swept up by the music's intense emotions, which touched a vulnerable part of her and made her imagine the worst, causing her to cry in spite of herself.

"Why are so many people crying?" Li Xiye looked around and noticed that many audience members were in tears.

"Good music has a powerful emotional impact and resonance. Everyone has their own sad stories... Back in the day, the Heavenly King would catch fugitives at every one of his concerts." 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"I'm hungry. Let's go get something to eat."

Li Xiye rubbed her stomach. She was currently in her Extraordinary Development Stage and got hungry easily, even though she drank nutritional supplements every day.

"Let's go."

·

·

「International Hotel, Presidential Suite.」

Lin Yun, her concert now over, stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows in a bathrobe, admiring the night view of Hong City. Her long hair was damp, and her hands were clasped behind her back.

"Boss, I've found the information you requested." A woman in a suit uniform walked over and handed her a slim laptop.

"Zhou Chen, Li Xiye... There's a file for Li Xiye, but no records for Zhou Chen? Nothing at all?"

"That's right. It's like he's invisible. No records of him from childhood to now. It's possible that face isn't his real one," the Secretary replied.

"No, I'm certain he isn't wearing a disguise."

Lin Yun paused in thought for a moment, then smiled with great interest. "Interesting. Gather all information on their movements."

The Secretary nodded and took the laptop to the side to work. Lin Yun sat down, picked up the steaming cup of coffee on the table, and took a light sip, her expression thoughtful as she gazed at the nightscape.

A few minutes later, the Secretary had gathered all the information and presented it to Lin Yun.

"Appeared in Hong City nearly a month ago. Rescued a group of high school students from Corrupters, Li Xiye among them.

Subsequently, appeared with Li Xiye at the underground black market, participated in an Alchemy tournament, and won in a completely dominant fashion. Suspected of making a deal with the black market boss.

After that, visited the Li Family. During the visit, there was a Blood Race invasion. He saved Li Xiye and Xia Lan, single-handedly killed dozens of Blood Race members, injured the Blood Race Saint Child, Pansi, and then temporarily disappeared.

Until today, when he appeared at the concert with Li Xiye..."

Lin Yun sat in her chair, looking over the brief record of his movements. She leaned back slightly, the bathrobe stretching to form a full curve, and stared at the ceiling, her thoughts racing.

'He's clearly not wearing any disguise, yet I can't find a single record of him. We only learned his name through black market channels. He's like a ghost... a...'

Lin Yun narrowed her eyes. "—someone who appeared out of thin air."

"Miss, are you very interested in him? Why not just pay them a visit? Based on the surveillance footage, both of them seem to admire you a great deal," the Secretary asked.

"You don't get it. If I just ask him directly, where's the fun in solving the mystery?"

Lin Yun broke into a smile of anticipation. "I think I've mostly solved this interesting puzzle. Tell me, if I suddenly appear before him and reveal his secret, what kind of expression will he make? Surprise? Shock?"

"Miss, you have a party at nine. If you want to go, you should leave soon," the Secretary reminded her.

"Pull up the surveillance feed. Let's see what those two are up to now."

The Secretary took the laptop, did some quick work, and pulled up the latest surveillance footage. The screen showed an elegant, high-end restaurant where Zhou Chen and Li Xiye were having a candlelit dinner.

"In that case, let's not disturb them for now. After the party is over... what time will the party be over?" Lin Yun suddenly asked.

"Around eleven."

'Eleven... By eleven, they'll probably already be at their hotel...' Lin Yun thought for a moment. "I think I'll go over now instead."

She snapped her fingers. Her damp hair instantly dried. The bathrobe slipped away, but her perfect body was not exposed, as a set of casual clothes materialized in that same instant, covering her flawless, jade-like form.

Lin Yun casually reached out, grasping a pair of large sunglasses out of thin air and putting them on. The next second, she vanished from the spot.

「The Restaurant.」

Li Xiye felt like she was sitting on pins and needles. The atmosphere of this place was too... too intimate. It made her extremely uncomfortable.

A heart-shaped candle burned on the table. Even a complete idiot could see this was a romantic candlelight dinner meant exclusively for couples. Li Xiye felt as if her secret crush was completely exposed. If she'd known, she never would have listened to Guan Yao's tempting suggestion to book this restaurant.

Now she didn't even dare to look at Zhou Chen. She was so nervous she couldn't think of anything to say, so she could only lower her head and stuff her face, using her hunger to mask her awkwardness.

Just then, she heard Zhou Chen's voice.

"You don't have to be so nervous."

Zhou Chen's tone was gentle. "Relax a little. The incense here has a calming effect on the mind. Don't be so tense. Take a few deep breaths."

Hearing this, Li Xiye took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down.

After a long silence, she opened her mouth to speak several times, only to stop herself. After an intense inner struggle, she finally mustered the courage to speak. "Zhou Chen, I..."

"I know," Zhou Chen interrupted her, scratching his head. "I'd have to be a real idiot not to have noticed."

Li Xiye's face flushed slightly. She unconsciously stabbed at the steak on her plate with her fork, her mind clearly in turmoil. "Then... you..."

"I'm sorry, but I can't," Zhou Chen sighed softly.

He knew very well that nothing good would come of a relationship between him and Li Xiye. The letter had made it clear: he and Li Xiye had long since been separated.

Whether he died or returned to the future, a separation where they could never meet again would be the greatest blow for lovers. He didn't want to break Li Xiye's heart; it was too heavy a burden for a young woman to bear.

The best solution was to maintain a purely platonic friendship.

But now, it seemed that idea wasn't very realistic.

"Is that so..."

Li Xiye bit her lip, then forced a smile as her eyes quickly reddened. "It's okay. I was being too forward."

Seeing the young woman's heartbroken expression, Zhou Chen's heart softened, and he felt a pang of guilt. "There's something... I don't know if I should tell you..."

"You should tell her. Otherwise, it's just too cruel for a young woman whose confession was just rejected."

A woman's voice came from the side. Lin Yun, dressed in casual clothes and wearing large sunglasses, walked over, pulling a chair with her. She placed the chair next to the table, sat down, crossed her long, slender legs, and folded her arms.

Zhou Chen looked at Lin Yun. He could feel her gaze fixed on him from behind the sunglasses.

Lin Yun stared at him and said, enunciating each word, "—Tell her... that you're actually from... the future."

"..."

After several seconds of silence, Lin Yun slapped the table, looking thoroughly displeased. "Where's the reaction? Give me a reaction!"

"I already knew you were coming. What kind of reaction did you want? Oh... you must have wanted to see my shocked expression, right?" Zhou Chen understood Lin Yun's—the King of Music's—personality perfectly. She was completely unpredictable.

He glanced around. It seemed no one had noticed what was happening. Lin Yun had probably used some method to shield their table.

"Tsk." Lin Yun clicked her tongue in annoyance and looked at the bewildered Li Xiye. "Why don't you have a reaction either?"

"I... I..." Li Xiye was completely stunned. 'Zhou Chen is from the future? Why is Lin Yun here? They seem to know each other so well?'

The young woman, already a mess from her failed confession, felt her brain completely short-circuit.

"How did you figure it out?" Zhou Chen asked.

"Simple. I sensed the blessing on you. It's a Power from the same source as mine, but it's stronger than my current self. Combining that with your mysterious movements, it wasn't hard to deduce that you're from some point in the future. A point in time when I have already been crowned King," Lin Yun explained with a smile, unceremoniously picking up the half-empty bottle of red wine on the table and pouring herself a glass to taste.

"To be able to receive my blessing, you must be..."

Lin Yun studied Zhou Chen, then clapped him on the shoulder. "—my underling, right?"