Chapter 203: Acquaintance?

Inside the small courtyard.

Bai Hang was still reeling from Sai Fei Er's "teleport" and hadn't fully recovered.

The golden coin that had been flicked up just reached its apex and began to fall, and a figure with a lingering afterimage seemed to tumble out of the coin, stumbling a step into the courtyard and raising a hand just in time to catch the descending coin.

It was Sai Fei Er.

But her appearance at that moment was a bit disheveled.

Her normally silver hair and fluffy cat ears were suddenly coated with a fine layer of white frost, her exhaled breath tinged with white mist, her body trembling slightly, and her lips turning a bit purple.

"Eeyoo! Cold cold cold—! So cold!"

Sai Fei Er stamped her foot in place, arms crossed, her golden cat pupils filled with dread, "What the heck! I almost turned into a frozen cat!"

Bai Hang stared dumbfounded, completely at a loss: "Sai Fei Er? What is this... falling into an ice hole?"

Xianzhou Luofu is spring-like all year; where does such intense cold come from?

Before Sai Fei Er could answer—

"Tap, tap."

The unhurried footsteps came from the open courtyard gate.

Bai Hang felt a jolt throughout her body, an alarm rang wildly in her mind!

She whirled her head and saw the figure that had been haunting her for two days, cradling an erhu, standing quietly on the inner side of the courtyard gate.

The morning light outlined her tall, aloof silhouette; the black Eye Mask seemed able to pierce any disguise, precisely locking onto the people in the courtyard—especially the cat‑ear girl still shivering, her body still bearing unmelted white frost.

Jing Liu's gaze was as icy as a sword, first sweeping swiftly over the entire courtyard, confirming Xi Tong's presence, then fixing firmly on Sai Fei Er.

That look was full of scrutiny.

And Sai Fei Er, the moment she felt that cold stare, stopped shouting about the cold, lifted her head, and her blue cat pupils met Jing Liu's.

"Ah! Is that you?!"

The voice was crisp, standing out especially clear in the suddenly silent courtyard.

Bai Hang felt a "thud" in her heart, silently thinking something was wrong.

Jing Liu indeed came to investigate, and judging by the looks, Sai Fei Er's sudden freezing was probably related to him!

Sai Fei Er's reaction now...

Hearing Sai Fei Er's startled exclamation, Jing Liu's voice was calm and unruffled, yet carried an unquestionable interrogation:

"Do you know me?"

The air inside the small courtyard seemed to solidify completely at that moment.

Lazy afternoon sunlight filtered through the floor‑to‑ceiling windows, casting dappled shadows on the sleek tabletop.

The air was filled with the roasted aroma of ground coffee beans and the scent of pastries, soft jazz played in the background, a few patrons whispered, and everything seemed calm and ordinary.

Except for the low pressure emanating from the table by the window corner.

Du Ya wore a dark, mobility‑friendly outfit, a hood pulled over her head, most of her face hidden in shadow.

In front of her sat a cup of black coffee long gone cold, only a sip taken, her hands folded on the table, fingers unconsciously tapping lightly, betraying the owner's suppressed impatience.

Her gaze was locked tightly on the opposite "star."

A Xing sat upright, golden eyes beneath gray hair lacking any sparkle, calmly staring at some void outside the window, and in front of her was a cup of... Bubble Noodles.

A deluxe version with two ham sausages and a marinated egg.

She had been leisurely eating for almost an hour, the broth nearly finished.

"How much longer... do we need to wait?"

Du Ya finally spoke again, her voice pressed low, each word sounding as if forced through her teeth, clearly irritated.

A Xing finished the last sip of broth, set down her fork, wiped her mouth corner with a napkin, then turned to Du Ya, her tone flat: "In a while."

Du Ya inhaled deeply, feeling the veins on her forehead throb.

She leaned back into the chair, raised a hand to rub her throbbing temples, her voice full of fatigue and helplessness: "'In a while'? Sister, your 'in a while' has already lasted three hours! From noon to afternoon! My time may not be billed by the second, but it's not meant to be wasted like this, okay?"

A Xing gave no reply, simply pushed the empty Bubble Noodles container aside, continuing her signature silent stare into the void, as if on standby.

Du Ya watched her unresponsive demeanor, a deep sense of powerlessness welling up inside her.

She couldn't help recalling the recent "Li Su Shang kidnapping operation."

That "Simulated End" move... still makes her scalp tingle and heart race when she thinks of it.

That was far from a normal fight; afterwards she probed indirectly, even asked directly several times, but A Xing either remained silent or gave a vague "don't ask too much," never providing an explanation she could understand.

(Which kind of immortal is this? The star in Honkai Star Rail abbreviation is a bit dim, but not this... this silent, and I've never heard she's an ultimate Bubble Noodles enthusiast!)

Du Ya mentally vented furiously.

She could only attribute all this to "differences of World Isotopes"—after all, even the entire Past World Paradise can be moved to a strange place, so having another "star" with a vastly different personality doesn't seem unacceptable?

For this new Task, A Xing only said "there's another participant," then brought her to this café to wait idly.

Waiting turned into three hours, without even seeing a silhouette.

(I'm done with this!)

Du Ya thought fiercely inside, beginning to plot what excuse would let her slip away most naturally.

The World Snake's salary isn't high enough to make her endure this meaningless idle sitting and facing a riddle‑master plus a Bubble Noodles fanatic.

Just as she resolved to stand up, say "I'll go to the restroom," and slip out the window—

"Tap, tap, tap..."

A uniquely paced, unhurried series of footsteps came from afar, drawing clearly toward their corner.

Du Ya subconsciously turned toward the sound.

Then her movement, along with her thoughts, froze.

Into the café's light stepped a slender young woman.

She wears a uniquely designed black‑red dress, its style Fusion of some classical elegance and modern sleekness, the hem like a night flower blooming.

Her short hair is a rare gradient, the roots a deep red that gradually transitions to the tips.

The most striking is her face—so delicate it borders on illusion, skin fair, lips a vivid red.

And those eyes… crimson pupils, like solidified blood amber.

A faint smile curves at her mouth, and she toys with a closed, sharply‑pointed black long umbrella; the tip occasionally taps the ground, producing a crisp "thud, thud" sound.

She walks straight toward Du Ya and A Xing's table, steps light and steady, as if she already knew they were here.

Du Ya's breath halted for a moment.

She widened her eyes, pupils contracting from extreme shock.

Chang Ye Yue?!

No! No way!

This must be an illusion!

Isn't this the one from Weng Fa Luo Si Plot? How could… how could she appear here?! Appear in the world of Honkai 3?!

Du Ya feels the steel nerves and worldview forged by years of mercenary life, at this moment emit an overloaded groan.

Information overload, brain blank.

Chang Ye Yue walks to the table edge, first slightly nodding to A Xing, a flash of understanding in her crimson eyes, voice gentle with a strange rhythm: "Hello."

Consider it a greeting.

A Xing also nods at her, says nothing, but clearly knows her.

Then Chang Ye Yue turns her gaze toward the stunned Du Ya.

The smile on her face deepens a bit, she proactively extends that hand without an umbrella, white and slender:

"Hello, Miss Du Ya, right?" voice warm and polite.

Du Ya, purely a reflex, brain still in crash mode, body already instinctively extends a hand, lightly shaking the other's.

At the instant their palms meet—very brief, less than a second—Du Ya feels a slippery sensation, like cold silk brushing the skin surface, also like a fine electric current darting across fingertips, quickly vanishing.

Immediately after, she feels her mind "buzz" as if someone quickly erased the edge of Memory with an eraser, a blank and daze of zero‑something seconds.