You Can't Go on Blind Dates with Anyone Else, Got It?

As her voice faded, *scritch*—the sound of sand grinding between soles and the concrete floor settled. Xin Yaoqiao halted in the aisle of the third row from the front, chin tilted up slightly, refraining from looking at Han Qingyu for the moment. Behind her, over thirty fully armed Azure soldiers halted with her footsteps. Such an imposing display made her look very much like she had come to pick a fight or kidnap someone. Unfortunately, this scene did not appear on the television broadcast. The live feed had been cut the instant Harada Niisa finished saying that sentence; otherwise, Comrade Zhang Jiexia very likely would have fainted from the shock. "Hey..." In the crowd, a shock of pink hair suddenly stood up from a front-row seat. Pegmont was brimming with excitement, eager to urge them to hurry up and start fighting. But his mouth had barely opened before Makarov firmly clamped a hand over it from behind. "Shut up, Peg. If you don't want to get beaten to a pulp by him in front of everyone... you'll humiliate yourself, got it?" Makarov warned in a low whisper. Pegmont's gaze wavered. He was never one to shrink back. If the threat came from General Bochen, Christine, or even Ne and Chen Buer, Pegmont wouldn't flinch in the least, because the worst that could happen was being beaten half to death, or all the way dead. He shrank before Han Qingyu because losing to someone of his own generation in public would be truly disgraceful. And as things stood, the odds of him losing were very high. "Fine. Honestly, do you think I still have a chance of taking back my crown, Mak?" Pegmont asked as he sat down sullenly. "Of course. I've always believed you're the strongest, Peg—in the future, I mean." Makarov patted his shoulder with a grin. Meanwhile, facing Harada Niisa, who stood on stage looking flustered and at a loss, Xin Yaoqiao's lips curved slightly. She spoke once more: "My apologies. My friend Han Qingyu isn't very good at handling these kinds of situations. As for why, I imagine everyone already knows." Holding back from calling him "my Qingzi," Xin Yaoqiao was deliberately hinting at a famous and unique term—"dead iron straight man." "...Mm." With a faint, slightly awkward smile, Harada Niisa nodded meekly, then bowed in apology. She had been terribly nervous just now. Han Qingyu had indeed been the inspiration during the creation of *Forever the Stars*, and of course the young girl's heart harbored some yearning. However, the reason she had spoken those words on stage, just as Wen Jifei and the Little Prince had guessed, was due to "encouragement" from Azure officials. And right after saying it, Harada Niisa had begun to feel scared and anxious. Her nervousness wasn't because of Xin Yaoqiao—Xin Yaoqiao hadn't even shown up yet back then. She had grown anxious because she suddenly remembered a certain peculiar reputation of Major Qing's, or rather, his nickname—the very one Xin Yaoqiao was hinting at now. Just like that, both sides quickly reached an understanding. What could easily have turned into an awkward scene was defused by Xin Yaoqiao's warm and playful delivery. In truth, had this happened five years ago to the silly, naive Xin Yaoqiao who had run off all by herself to find Han Qingyu, the scene likely would have descended into utter chaos. Back then, she had known nothing of the ways of the world. Over these five years, Comrade Yaoyao-huanghuang had grown as well. "Who is she?" Having taken no part in the whole ordeal, Han Qingyu turned around in bewilderment, asking in a low, undirected voice, "Did I know her before? Is she..." "Xin Yaoqiao. You know her," Wen Jifei answered concisely, then leaned in. "Be careful. I'm guessing you won't be able to handle her." "Huh?" "If it were the old you, you could've cut through her like butter," Wen Jifei said. "That's right. But the current you probably can't," Yang Qingbai chimed in, leaning over. "You've gone soft, Qingzi. What I mean is, you've become way too normal." Hearing the two of them say that, the soul-searching question surfaced once more. *What on earth was I like in the past?* Han Qingyu began to ponder. "If it had been the old you, Miss Harada Niisa would've run off the stage crying just now, and very likely would've been scarred for life," Yang Qingbai continued. At his words, everyone around Han Qingyu nodded in silent, unanimous agreement. That included He Tangtang, who had been keeping his head down like a quail all day, and even Wu Xu and Rusty Sister. "Wu Xu, why are you nodding?" Wen Jifei suddenly leaned forward and asked. Wu Xu froze. "So Wu Xu is like me?" Han Qingyu asked with a touch of hope. "He's slightly better than you," the Little Prince muttered. "After all, wooden as our Wu Xu may be, he wouldn't turn on his friends at the drop of a hat. Sworn brothers one second, and 'watch out or I'll kill you' the next—can you imagine that? That's what you used to do." *** The assembly finally began to disperse, though most people walked very slowly, constantly looking back over their shoulders, likely lingering to watch the upcoming drama unfold. Xin Yaoqiao simply stood in place, glaring fiercely at them until the crowd was scared off. Only then did she turn around and make her way toward the inner seats of the third row. Three months ago, after that strike at the zenith, Han Qingyu had fallen into a coma, and Xin Yaoqiao had actually been there as well. She had waited until it was certain that Qingzi was out of danger and would be sent back to his hometown before duty compelled her to leave. Over the ensuing three months, Xin Yaoqiao had first led the effort to fully decipher the language of the Great Spike civilization, compiling a complete syllabary. Afterward, she stayed on to help Azure decipher the massive amounts of residual data recovered from the six Great Spike motherships. When she finally heard that Han Qingyu had awakened, before she could even celebrate, she received the "terrible news"—the bastard had started going on blind dates the moment he woke up! Moreover, these blind dates were escalating, spreading across the entire world. Without the slightest pretension or bashfulness, Xin Yaoqiao had come specifically to stop Han Qingyu from continuing. Though she had matured, her personality and style hadn't completely changed. *Even if he really has to go on blind dates, it should be me first! Five years ago when I took a liking to him, your precious Major Qing was still in the recruits' camp!* If she hadn't learned from Chief of Staff Xu's message outside the venue that Qingzi had lost his memories, Xin Yaoqiao wouldn't have handled things this way just now. She would have marched him right out of the hall... Waving both hands, Xin Yaoqiao forced a smile, greeting Wen Jifei and the others first before slowly turning her gaze to Han Qingyu. *Qingzi lost his memory...* Her heart ached for him, and her eyes quickly reddened. Yet the moment their eyes met, Han Qingyu's gaze wavered, and he flusteredly looked away... An instant chicken-out. *Oh my, so this is what Qingzi was like before joining Azure at nineteen? Look at that timid, panicked look in his eyes, like an easily bullied little brother... How fun!* Xin Yaoqiao's mood instantly brightened again. She told herself that although Qingzi's head had been damaged, given his original state, having it broken was probably an improvement. *What is this Major Xin smiling at?* Han Qingyu stole another glance at her, finding it rather chilling. While she was lost in thought, he silently stood up, stepping over the back of the seat, preparing to climb over and flee. A hand reached out from behind, grabbing the fabric of his shirt and giving it a gentle tug. "Where is Major Qing off to?" Xin Yaoqiao asked, deliberately adopting a cloying, coquettish tone. "...The restroom," Han Qingyu replied without turning around. "Oh, let's go together." Releasing her grip, Xin Yaoqiao vaulted lightly over the seats to follow him. "I'm going to the men's room," Han Qingyu said, keeping an eye on her out of the corner of his eye as he walked. "Doesn't matter." Xin Yaoqiao was practically dying of laughter inside, but maintained a calm demeanor on the surface. *So this girl really isn't someone I can handle, just like Plague Chicken and Yang Qingbai said. Fine, I refuse to believe she'll actually follow me into the men's room,* Han Qingyu thought. Saying nothing more, he walked on. *Actually, going back five years, this should be right around the time I first met him. Why is there such a massive difference between the two Qingzis?* Xin Yaoqiao wondered as she followed behind him. *Is it because his Yanxiu has locked itself away along with everything else?* *Or is the difference that back then, Qingzi was far more lonely, helpless, and terrified?* Back then, he had been "coerced" into coming, forced to confront a colossal danger that lay completely beyond human comprehension. From the moment he left home and stepped into Azure, Qingzi had already been prepared to teeter on the line between life and death. He had lived in a perpetual struggle for survival, which was why he had been obsessed with growing stronger, stingy, greedy, numb, cold, and utterly single-minded. This time, however, with different circumstances and surroundings, he didn't share that visceral dread. Thinking up to this point, seeing that the restroom was just ahead, Xin Yaoqiao naturally couldn't actually follow him inside, so she spoke up once more: "What, Major Qing used to bully people so terribly, and now you're pretending not to know me?" Han Qingyu stopped and turned around. He desperately wanted to ask how on earth he had bullied her and what he had done, but he still remembered that his amnesia couldn't be revealed—doing so might put him in danger. So he kept quiet. "All right, let's introduce ourselves again. My name is Xin Yaoqiao. You can call me Qiaoqiao, or Yaoyao, or Huanghuang. If you want to call me Yaoyao-huanghuang, that's fine too." Xin Yaoqiao extended her hand casually and introduced herself. This time, Han Qingyu looked at her, but still said nothing, nor did he shake her hand. "Do you have a small pouch?" Left with no other choice, Xin Yaoqiao prompted. "Yeah." Han Qingyu finally nodded. "Is there a used girl's hair tie inside it?" "...Yeah." Han Qingyu looked up at her. "That's mine." The moment she spoke the answer, Xin Yaoqiao suddenly feared he would say, *Then let me give it back to you.* With the old Han Qingyu's personality, he very well might have. Yet he didn't. Han Qingyu stood there, utterly stunned. *The hair tie used by this Major Xin is with me, kept in my most important pouch. Could it be...* *Looks like he's totally bewildered, hahaha! So... should I take advantage of the situation?* *Ugh, forget it. A relationship built on a scam isn't real love...* Thinking this, Xin Yaoqiao suddenly widened her eyes, glaring fiercely. "So, you're not allowed to go on blind dates with anyone else, got it?!" "...Yeah." Han Qingyu looked at her and nodded meekly.