Chapter 24: The Reason Elysia Embarked on Her Journey

For an ordinary child, a fourteenth birthday is merely a minor milestone on the long road of growing up.

But for the young man named Ling Feng, it was a special day symbolizing his entry into society and his official start in life. The life trajectory of a genius is inherently different from that of common people; in their world, establishing one’s career before starting a family is the most natural thing in the world.

Yet, on the boy’s birthday, it was his sister and nominal guardian, Eden, who truly experienced the highs and lows, and understood what it meant to see "light at the end of the tunnel."

To this day, Eden cannot imagine what would have happened if, on that moonlit night, the boy had not appeared before her like an angel descended to the mortal realm, calling out the word "Sister." Had she not, she might have succumbed to the despair that had already begun to take root within her, perhaps committing some irrational act.

The boy was the one who had once saved her from the deepest abyss of despair, the one who had restored her courage to sing amidst the apocalyptic catastrophe. It was the boy who had rekindled the light of hope in her heart, and from that moment on, he occupied the deepest place in the heart of the songstress of the apocalypse.

Since then, the boy had become more important than the world itself. To lose him would be a despair far greater than witnessing the destruction of the world she cherished. The more rational and intellectual a person is, the more likely they are to commit self-destructive, frantic acts when faced with truly unacceptable despair—just as she once had, choosing to fade away with the old era when she could have walked toward the future.

Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that on that night, the boy under the moonlight had saved her once again.

"Hoo—"

Thinking of that night, Eden still feels immensely fortunate. Back then, the excitement of having regained what was lost filled her heart, making her want to hold the boy tightly in her arms and never let go. She had come so close—so very close—to losing him forever!

Given her understanding of the boy, if he had refused to change his form of address, it would have meant he had firmly cemented their relationship in his heart as siblings, and it would never have changed. If things had truly reached that point, how would she have faced herself? She knew it was impossible for her to let go of the feelings she harbored for him, but had it come to that, even if she could disregard the strange gazes of the world, how could she face the boy’s gaze?

If that time had truly come, Eden could almost foresee herself, under the boy’s deep, penetrating gaze, wishing for the ground to swallow her whole.

Thank goodness, thank goodness...

Elysia, seeing this, smiled and leaned in close to her, hugging her gently and comforting her in a soft voice: "It's alright, it's alright, my dear Eden. Since little Feng is willing to change how he addresses you, it means there is still hope for turning things around. Don't worry so much."

On this matter, Elysia felt deeply grateful to Eden. It was thanks to Eden’s personal experience that she had become vigilant about the development of her own relationship with little Feng.

Elysia had once imagined a scenario based on Eden’s ordeal: Little Feng, with an apologetic look, saying that classic line to her: "Sister Elysia, I’m sorry, but actually, I’ve always just thought of you as my own sister—" After saying this, little Feng would take another girl’s hand, and the two of them would walk together, hand in hand, into the dreamlike sanctuary of marriage.

(Oof! My heart aches!)

Just imagining that scene in her mind made Elysia feel as if she were suffocating. (Anything but that! No!!!)

To prevent even the slightest possibility of such a thing happening, Elysia had gone to great pains. She spent a long time drawing inspiration from the "exclusive secrets" of various internet romance masters, probing little Ling Feng’s feelings for her through indirect means. After all that effort, Elysia finally concluded that little Ling Feng’s feelings for her did indeed have a tiny, slight tendency to veer toward the "dear sister" direction.

The moment she reached this conclusion, Elysia was instantly unsettled. While this tiny possibility might just be because little Feng had known her since childhood and, after years of being together, it was inevitable that a little bit of familial affection would sprout, under normal circumstances, it was unlikely that this affection would develop to the point where little Ling Feng would truly regard her as a sister.

However, on this specific matter, the Pink Fairy Lady, Elysia, could not tolerate the slightest risk.

And so, Elysia immediately consulted various relevant "martial arts manuals"!! Ahem, in reality, she simply "dove" into the romantic worlds constructed by various romance novels, calling it "seeking wisdom." By gathering the strengths of many, Elysia finally summarized the following points regarding her relationship with Ling Feng:

First, distance makes the heart grow fonder.
Second, a day apart feels like three autumns.
Third, only by losing something temporarily does one realize how precious the things—or people—we take for granted daily truly are.

Synthesizing these three points from the "Bible of Love," the Pink Fairy Lady, Elysia, was smug and satisfied, reaching a final conclusion: as long as she and little Feng were apart for a period of time, it would allow the feelings between them to heat up rapidly and burn with intensity.

The Pink Fairy Lady was proud of her own cleverness, but... once she snapped out of her self-satisfaction, the Pink Fairy Lady deflated like a punctured balloon.

(Ooh, ooh, I actually have to be apart from little Feng? How can this be? I can’t bear it! I can’t bear it!!)
(What if... what if while I’m away, little Feng gets attracted to another girl?)
(Right, this plan is still too risky. I should think of other ways.)

And so, the Pink Fairy Lady temporarily abandoned the plan.

(But, if I drag this out too long, will little Feng’s feelings for me really develop into those for a "sister"?)
(Ahhh! I’m so conflicted!)

In the end, her plan was delayed time and again, never put into practice. It wasn't until she saw that after more than a year of effort, Eden still hadn't fully turned around the boy's feelings for her, that Elysia finally gritted her teeth and made her decision.

"Just this once, little Feng. Sister Elysia will only part from you this one time. Once I return, we can be together forever! Sister will never leave you again."

And so, six months ago, Elysia resolutely embarked on her journey around the world...

Goodbye, little Feng. Tonight, I set sail ♩♪♫.