The living room fell silent for a moment just past two in the afternoon.
Dazzling autumn midday sun filtered through the curtains, its golden beams drifting like fish across the grain of the dark wooden floor.
Yet.
In this Friday afternoon nap hour, no one felt the least bit sleepy.
Lanqi had probably just come within inches of the crematorium.
Had the Poet of Great Love wished, a few words to provoke Talia would have let Lanqi skip the hospital straight to the grave.
Yet the Poet of Great Love was in high spirits today, deciding to save Private Lanqi.
"Forget it. If I bicker with you, it would reflect poorly on me instead,"
the Poet of Great Love said with a hint of exasperation, seeing that Talia was still gripping Lanqi tightly.
With that, she dismissed her own summon, turning back into one orange and one purple magic card before vanishing from Lanqi and Talia's sight.
Out of sight, out of mind—having said what she needed to say, it was best not to let Talia see her any longer.
"..."
Hyperion was speechless.
She dearly wanted to tell the Poet of Great Love: if you want to learn how to be human, don't learn from Lanqi...
Meanwhile, by the wall.
Once the Poet of Great Love vanished, the living room fell even quieter.
"Lanqi..."
Just as Talia continued to stare at Lanqi, waiting to see how he would quibble or take a stand,
Lanqi said nothing more.
He merely smiled and closed his eyes.
As if to say: do whatever you will with me, as long as you no longer misunderstand me, that is enough.
Or perhaps he was gambling that she would soften her heart.
Time finally resumed its normal flow.
Talia was left a bit at a loss.
She was certain Lanqi wasn't frightened at all; in fact, he seemed utterly serene. This posture of submitting entirely to her judgment did not look like an act or a reckless thrill-seeking game.
She turned the Poet of Great Love's words over in her mind. According to her—
Lanqi had always been nonchalant toward the Poet of Great Love and clearly distinguished between her and Talia.
Furthermore, if his heart had fluttered for the Poet of Great Love, he would long since have suffered a backlash from that dangerous magic card. Thus, it was virtually impossible for Lanqi to harbor any romantic feelings toward her...
"..."
In Talia's golden eyes, complex emotions stirred, yet her gaze visibly softened.
She realized she might have truly wronged Lanqi.
He had always been loyal to her.
Perhaps she ought to be a little gentler with him.
Even though she had no idea how to be gentle yet.
Talia released Lanqi and turned her head away, no longer looking at him.
"Phew..."
Watching the spat from the side, Hyperion let out a sigh of relief.
Even though Miss Tata remained as silent as ever, her impassive expression making it impossible to read what she was thinking, she was clearly no longer angry.
On second thought, with Lanqi's resourcefulness, he wasn't someone who would casually stumble into a jealous crossfire—unless he actively escalated his courting of death, only then might he overturn his ship and trap himself.
And given the intensity of Lanqi's courting of death, if he ever did crash and burn, she couldn't begin to imagine how spectacular the wreck would be.
Then again, Hyperion thought, surely that day would never come.
Surely... right?
Lanqi operated entirely on the principle that supreme skill breeds supreme boldness.
"I'll take Boss Cat back now. I'll come pick up Hyperion at the academy this evening,"
Talia said, scooping up the little black cat from the floor and glancing back at Lanqi and Hyperion.
Boss Cat had been spectating the drama from the floor this whole time, its brain short-circuiting once more.
It didn't understand. Why? Why wasn't this kid afraid of a jealous bloodbath?
"All right, thank you, Miss Tata,"
Hyperion expressed her gratitude, seeing her and Boss Cat out.
Only after Talia closed the door and left did Lanqi and Hyperion relax, sitting down onto the sofa in the living room.
This was Hyperion's first time visiting Lanqi's dormitory.
Yet being in the same room with Lanqi felt remarkably natural.
Neither of them felt constrained.
It felt comfortable, almost like home.
Perhaps because they were together so often and knew each other so well, and previously the two of them had spent time together just like this at Tata's house.
"Why does she feel like your mother?"
Lanqi scratched his head and asked in confusion.
Talia and Hyperion had only met a few days ago, yet their bond had visibly grown warm, with Talia clearly showing a protective, caring attitude toward her.
Granted, Talia's age was more than enough to be Hyperion's mother, but one had to consider Talia's prospects: being hundreds of years old and saddled with a kid would make it even harder to marry off.
"Don't say such things! Miss Tata is still very young. She's more like an older sister, how could she be a mother..."
As Hyperion denied it, her voice grew quieter and quieter.
Truth be told, she, too, often secretly imagined Tata's warm care as a mother's love.
It was just that even entertaining the thought felt disrespectful, making her seem petty and presumptuous.
"True. In any case, I just can't imagine her ever becoming a gentle, virtuous wife and mother, hahaha."
Lanqi simply felt words like "gentle," "virtuous," and "maternal" had nothing whatsoever to do with Talia.
Right at that moment, the door to Lanqi's dormitory opened again.
Lanqi's laughter cut off abruptly, and he straightened up instantly.
Talia stared silently at Lanqi for a moment, then shifted her gaze to Hyperion.
"Hyperion, are you having dinner with him tonight, or coming back to eat at home?"
Talia asked, cradling Boss Cat.
"I'll come back and eat at home,"
Hyperion answered after a moment's thought.
The days she could stay at Tata's house were not unlimited; when the time came, she certainly wouldn't have the cheek to keep lingering there.
So over these two weeks, Hyperion wanted to cherish the time spent living with Tata as much as possible.
"Then I'll come pick you up at five."
Talia nodded, and the door to Lanqi's dorm clicked shut behind her once more.
"..."
Lanqi fell silent, as if pondering the origins of the universe.
Could it be that Talia had reached an age where maternal instincts awakened naturally?
No, that wasn't right. Even demon mothers raising children shouldn't be this gentle...
Hyperion was now staring at Lanqi as well.
She had finally realized something.
Perhaps Lanqi's constant complaints about Tata being harsh on him weren't entirely Miss Tata's fault.
Rather, this guy was perpetually and unconsciously spouting sarcastic remarks!
It was as if extremely rude thoughts were constantly running through his head, and he barely managed not to blurt them all out!
"Lanqi, please stop teasing Miss Tata from now on, all right? I'm worried something terrible will happen to you..."
Hyperion clenched her fists nervously, looking at Lanqi on the opposite couch and pleading with him.
She couldn't tell whether Lanqi was simply an embodiment of unfiltered sincerity, or if he found life too dull and sought the ultimate thrill by poking Talia.
"How could I ever tease my teacher? Besides, I spend every day doing good deeds and accumulating virtue. The Goddess of Fate will surely protect me."
Lanqi offered an innocent smile, leaning back against the sofa as he turned his head to look at Hyperion.
"..."
Hyperion had nothing left to say.
In her heart, she could only offer a confession to the Goddess.
She had done her absolute best to stop Lanqi.
If, by some terrible chance, a truly catastrophic disaster were to strike Lanqi one day, she only hoped it wouldn't drag her down with him...
Chapter 206