Listening

"The manager hasn't changed, Ms. Dujuan. The one you saw before was just one of my many forms."

Only then did Dujuan breathe a sigh of relief.

Most people feel a bit resistant to sharing their private matters with too many people.

"Manager, originally I wanted to slowly solve the problems with my two children on my own, but unfortunately, after two years of trying, it seems I have failed."

"Ms. Dujuan, you're speaking a bit faster than before. No need to rush, take your time."

"Sorry, I suppose I am indeed too agitated. After I left last time, I tried to find your shop again, but in the same place, the entrance had vanished. I even thought it might have been a dream. Two years later, today, as I was passing by this street, I finally discovered this gap again."

Chen Miemie took this matter seriously: "Today, did you do anything different from usual?"

Dujuan fell silent for a moment: "In terms of daily life, everything was as usual. If I had to say something different, something happened at home. I was restless, at a loss, feeling especially lost."

"It seems you need a listener. I am happy to be that audience."

"Thank you. To be honest, I really don't know who to talk to or who to ask for help.

Last night, my husband passed away. Now it's just me and my three children at home.

Da Zhuang boards at school; he hasn't received the news yet. Xiaoqin's autism is getting worse; she is indifferent to it all. My newborn child still needs care.

I haven't even managed to sort out the relationship between Da Zhuang and Xiaoqin, and now the pillar of the family has fallen. With no source of income from now on, I don't know if I can keep this family together."

"Let me interrupt for a moment, Ms. Dujuan. I recall you mentioned before that your husband came from a minor family and had some savings, right?"

"That was true. His family had a bit of inherited wealth, and he was also a Mystic, so we were relatively well-off.

But starting three years ago, when Hua Nian and I encountered the Abnormality together, our savings gradually drained away. The enormous cost of treatment meant we couldn't make ends meet.

Now, apart from the house, we have no assets left. No, more likely, he still owes some debts outside, but the creditors haven't come knocking yet."

"How did Mr. Yi die?"

Dujuan was slightly taken aback: "You knew my husband?"

The King in Yellow waved a hand: "Since you came last time, I naturally looked into it a bit."

Dujuan nodded, not finding it strange, and continued: "Officially, it's said my husband died from overwork. That's not wrong, but it's not entirely accurate either.

His Mystic ability is called 'Injury Sharing.' It can't be used in combat, but in non-combat situations, he can apply it to injured people, sharing the harm caused by Mystic abilities among several people.

In my view, it's not a good ability.

Because 'Injury Sharing' isn't without a price. He himself is inevitably one of the recipients of the shared injuries. Under normal circumstances, it consumes his stamina—several times the usual amount. Every time he used the ability, he'd be drenched in sweat, as if pulled out of the water.

More dangerously, for injuries beyond his capacity, if he forced the sharing, besides consuming more stamina, some of the harm would remain permanently in his body.

Three years ago, to treat Hua Nian, Xiaoqin, and me, his hair had already turned from black to white. This past year, to pay for Xiaoqin's follow-up treatment and resources, he took on many jobs he shouldn't have accepted."

The King in Yellow sighed softly: "Your husband truly had a sense of responsibility for the family, but he was a bit too hasty, putting more in than he got out."

"I tried to advise him before, but it was useless. I knew this day would come eventually. I just didn't expect it to come so soon."

"Ms. Dujuan, I have a question. Three years ago, Mr. Yi wasn't yet your husband, was he? It makes sense that he would go to great lengths to save his wife, Ms. Hua Nian, and Xiaoqin; but why did he spare no expense to save you?"

Dujuan downed her tea in one gulp, as if to calm herself. "Actually, the neighbors and even Da Zhuang at home all had the same question. They thought I was already involved with Mr. Yi and that I was saved because of a romantic relationship.

To be sure, given the severity of my injuries at the time and my financial situation, without Mr. Yi's help, I probably wouldn't have made it.

But the truth is, there was nothing between him and me back then.

He saved me because he felt his family owed me.

The Abnormality we encountered back then wasn't due to bad luck; it was because we tried to save someone.

That day, I went to visit Hua Nian and was a guest at her home.

At dusk, Xiaoqin hadn't come home yet, and Hua Nian was very worried.

Unfortunately, the more she feared something, the more it happened.

We heard strange noises outside the door, followed by Xiaoqin's cries for help.

Without thinking, we opened the door and rushed out.

Luckily, that Abnormality didn't seem focused on us. We only suffered some passive damage from it and managed to survive.

In Mr. Yi's eyes, I suppose, because I was injured saving his daughter, he felt he should save me."

Xu Huan poured Dujuan another cup of tea.

"Does Ms. Hua Nian happen to be skilled in cooking?"

This out-of-the-blue question made Dujuan, who had been in a somber mood, couldn't help but laugh. "Her? She wouldn't even know how much salt to put in a pot."

"But I heard she designed her own recipes."

"People who can't cook love doing that sort of thing. She often gets sudden inspirations and comes up with some wild ideas. But ideas are just ideas; they can't be taken seriously."

"Not even one successful attempt?"

"Almost none. Wait, maybe there was one, just about."

Before they knew it, nearly an hour had passed.

"Manager, my child is waiting for me at home. I can't stay out too long."

"Alright, I have a general understanding of the situation. So, Ms. Dujuan, what is your request this time?"

"Manager, after these two years, my mindset has changed too.

Before, out of my promise to Hua Nian and my sense of responsibility as a 'mother,' I always wanted to improve the relationship between Da Zhuang and Xiaoqin.

I made a lot of effort, but in the end, it yielded no results. I'm only human. Over time, having my warmth constantly met with coldness, I find it hard to persist.

Now I have my own child. I want to raise him well."

"Your meaning is, you want your biological child to have a good future?"

Xu Huan saw Dujuan out the door.

The King in Yellow quickly got up.

The various weird creatures climbed onto his clothes one after another, ready to go out with him.

"Let's hope our speculation is wrong. Come on, let's go see a different world."

The King in Yellow stepped out of the shop.

He squeezed through the narrow Door-Crevice.

In the sky, the Eternal Moon hung high.

What appeared before him was a version of Fairy Tale Road that was eighty percent similar, yet not quite the same.

Old Man Yu looked considerably younger and was chatting with someone in the shop.

Taking a few steps forward, the familiar [Four Seasons Café] at No. 16 Fairy Tale Road had disappeared, along with its manager, Qiu Tian. In its place stood a tea stall called [Four Seasons Tea Shop], run by a middle-aged uncle.

"It seems we've gone back a few years," said [The King in Yellow].

His mutter received no response.

Only then did he realize that all the various "little trinkets" on him had vanished completely—the blue-and-white porcelain pendant, the snail brooch, the floating water droplet, the origami pieces, all gone.

[The King in Yellow] turned to look back at the [Door Crack] he had just squeezed through.

"Looks like you all can't come along," he said.