Thud.
The door to the hospital room flew open, slamming into the wall with a loud crash. The hinge gave a pitiful creak, protesting the violent force used to open it. Whoever had pushed it clearly couldn't care less about the door's fate.
Leaning on the handle, panting as if she'd run all the way there, the girl at the doorway slowly lifted her head. Her gaze immediately locked onto Yu Xian.
Fu Xuan.
Yu Xian recognized her at once, and then froze in disbelief.
What on earth happened to her?
Her usually neat hair was now messy and tangled, her clothes wrinkled and unkempt—as though she'd been awake for days, holed up somewhere without rest.
Was this really the same Fu Xuan he remembered? The dignified, always-elegant Tai Bu who never allowed herself a moment of disorder?
Right now, she didn't look much different from Qingque at her laziest.
Yu Xian couldn't help thinking: why was Fu Xuan in such a state? It wasn't like they had that close a relationship outside of work. This wasn't one of those simulation runs where her emotions were directly tied to his survival.
This was reality. Even if he had been hospitalized, there was no reason for her to look this anxious.
And judging from what he'd heard earlier through the intercom, Fu Xuan had been staying by the line all this time—waiting, perhaps even worrying—for updates about him.
Before Yu Xian could process it, Fu Xuan moved.
The young prodigy who, despite being around the same age and height as Qingque, held the title of Master diviner—this very same woman was now rushing toward him, all composure forgotten.
She crossed the room with urgent, unsteady strides, like someone who had just seen the man she cared for deeply awaken from the grave.
Yet perhaps out of sudden self-awareness—or maybe noticing Qingque's wary glance—Fu Xuan stopped abruptly a step or two from the bed. She stood frozen for a moment, visibly struggling to suppress some complicated emotion rising within her.
Lifting a hand to her lips, she coughed softly twice.
"Ahem."
Her long eyelashes trembled faintly with her breath, and a light blush crept up her cheeks.
"Yu Xian… you're finally awake," she said, her voice quieter than usual.
She avoided looking directly at him—or at Qingque beside the bed—and definitely didn't turn toward Bailu, who was watching with a knowing smirk.
Fu Xuan straightened her posture, forcing herself to sound calm.
"As for work… you have quite a backlog piling up, waiting for you to finish once you're back. This Lord merely came to remind you of your duties, nothing more."
That was clearly a lie.
Fu Xuan hadn't come here because of work, and her heart was nowhere near as calm as she tried to make it seem.
The truth stretched back several days earlier.
After running a divination that revealed the optimal outcome, Fu Xuan had decided to bring Yu Xian back to her office for overnight training in divination techniques. Her reasoning was simple: he wouldn't have time to go out with Qingque, and under her personal guidance, his skills would surely improve.
Besides, if he was under her direct supervision—inside her own office—nothing could possibly go wrong.
Or so she thought.
Confident in her conclusion, Fu Xuan hadn't bothered to perform another divination to check for hidden risks. She simply brought Yu Xian along.
When he grew drowsy halfway through their intense study session and fell asleep at the desk, Fu Xuan saw nothing strange about it. She assumed that, as a short-life species, his stamina just couldn't compare to a Xianzhou native's.
Smiling faintly, she even draped her own blanket over him, wanting him to sleep comfortably. Despite her usual strict demeanor, Fu Xuan wasn't heartless—she genuinely cared for her subordinates.
And Yu Xian was no ordinary subordinate. He was the most promising talent she'd found in years, someone she admired deeply, though she'd never admit it aloud.
Seeing him asleep, Fu Xuan felt a quiet sense of relief. At least he might finally realize the limits of his mortal constitution and learn not to exhaust himself—or spend every spare moment clinging to Qingque.
As she watched his sleeping face, stray thoughts filled her mind. Then, unexpectedly, a wave of drowsiness washed over her.
"Wait… why am I getting sleepy too?" she murmured, stifling a yawn.
Her eyelids grew heavy. A tear shimmered in the corner of her eye as she covered her mouth with a delicate hand.
It was strange—she, a Xianzhou native who could stay awake for days on end, had never once felt such sudden fatigue. But before she could dwell on it, her thoughts blurred.
She told herself it was nothing—that perhaps, after decades without real rest, simply watching Yu Xian sleep so peacefully had triggered something in her.
Her knees wobbled. She stumbled forward, catching herself against the desk, and finally gave in to the pull of exhaustion.
"Mmm… my forehead doesn't hurt anymore…" she murmured dreamily. "This feels… nice…"
"Tomorrow… I'll deal with that guy, Yu Xian… tomorrow…"
And just like that, Fu Xuan fell into the deepest sleep she'd had in years.
That night, she dreamed—a long, vivid dream that felt more real than anything she'd ever experienced.
In the dream, the Luofu Starskiff was engulfed in crisis. Hidden plots and shifting alliances threatened its stability. Fu Xuan ran herself ragged trying to hold everything together, solving one disaster after another.
Meanwhile, that infuriating man, Yu Xian, was off somewhere being romantic with Qingque.
Fu Xuan wanted to scold them both, but she barely had time to breathe between the chaos consuming the Luofu.
Eventually, she could only sigh to herself: if heaven wants to rain, let it rain; if two fools want to be together, let them be.
Even she, usually so controlling, had no energy left to meddle.
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A/n: Hey over on my patreon there are currently two for the time being exclusive books which are
Life Simulator: Starting in Genshin Impact!
Zenless Zone Zero: Loving Daily Life Starting in New Eridu
patreon.com/deadlygoober