Hearing this question, laced with curiosity and trepidation, Yu Bai instinctively wanted to shake his head.
They weren’t gods, of course. They were just ordinary people who had been tossed here by a mysterious blue orb with strange powers.
Moreover, this wasn’t one of those loop times when he could rely on restarts to accurately predict the future. He couldn’t childishly tell the little girl that he was a god.
As Yu Bai opened his mouth to deny it, he caught a clear glimpse of his own reflection in those wide, innocent eyes.
…Where had he gotten that small ball that could store time and space?
And why could he enter a looping time-space that constantly restarted for everyone else, allowing him to spend a one-of-a-kind summer vacation?
Yu Bai thought about these questions in a daze.
These were things that never should have happened.
Not for a completely ordinary person like him.
If there really was a god among them…
Yu Bai reflexively glanced back over his shoulder.
The man with slightly wavy black hair stood there, gazing at him quietly with gray-blue eyes the color of a serene lake.
Yu Bai still didn’t know this non-human neighbor’s origins. He didn’t even know what race he belonged to or how to define his existence.
But in that moment, Yu Bai suddenly felt that “god” was the most apt description.
With what seemed like a casual gift, he could utterly transform someone’s life.
And so, struck by the thought, Yu Bai didn’t immediately refute He Xi’s guess.
In the brief silence that followed, the little girl gazed with clear eyes at the big brother crouched before her, as if she could read his taciturn hesitation.
She took it as confirmation.
Adults were all like that.
“…Thank you,” the little girl said solemnly. Then, with equal sincerity, she added, “Gods are really good-looking.”
Far more handsome than anyone she’d ever seen.
No wonder they were gods.
As her words hung in the air, she watched the big brother in front of her blink in surprise. Then a faint blush crept across his exceptionally fair cheeks.
Eh? Was he blushing?
He Xi blinked to mimic him, trying to confirm she wasn’t seeing things. The next second, the god-like big brother spoke softly.
“I’m not,” he said, his ears turning faintly pink as well. “I’m just an ordinary person, like you.”
But he didn’t say that none of them were.
The little boy in the patient gown, still slumped on the floor, rubbed his forehead. He was too busy sighing in woe to pay attention to their conversation.
“That hit was brutal! Oof, I feel like my old bones are about to fall apart. How about calling an ambulance? Oh, right—my Quick-Acting Heart-Saving Pills aren’t in the pocket of this shirt—”
This boy, who looked about her age, didn’t seem like a god at all.
He was more like one of those frail but kind-hearted grandpas you’d bump into on the street.
The big brother who had felled her father with a single punch heard him and quickly bent down to help. “Uncle Yuan, try to get up. Can you stand? I don’t think your bones are broken. Or I could help reset them…”
“Hiss—slow down, slow down! My old back!”
This big brother was incredibly strong and capable, yet he called a boy much younger than himself “Uncle.”
…He didn’t seem much like a god either.
He Xi’s gaze cautiously slipped past them, landing on the last stranger in the room.
He was the only big brother who hadn’t spoken a word.
His blue eyes were as beautiful as gems—and as cold. They evoked the image of an endless winter.
He stood there, coldly and silently observing the humans around him with their varied expressions, yet he never strayed from the spot.
Just like the gods from distant legends—near to humanity yet impossibly far.
If she looked closely, she would notice that those inhumanly beautiful eyes held no true reflections of the others. They merely swept indifferently past them.
From start to finish, he had eyes only for one person.
He Xi suddenly understood.
The gods hadn’t come for her.
She had simply been lucky.
She, who had known little luck since childhood, had finally been touched by fortune’s favor.
A god had passed through her life.
And so the little girl’s clear gaze returned to the brown-haired big brother before her.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
Yu Bai, who had been feeling a touch embarrassed and was desperately trying to distract himself to cool his burning ears, froze. “You already thanked us,” he replied, a bit startled.
But He Xi whispered, “That’s different.”
How was it different?
Thank you all, and thank you.
They were both thanks.
Yu Bai couldn’t follow the child’s train of thought, so with his face still flushed, he gently ruffled her hair. “You’re welcome,” he said warmly.
Yan Jing, now free after helping the “old kid” to his feet, glanced over at them in bewilderment. “Little Bai, why are you blushing again? Is it that hot in here?”
It had been the same yesterday at the funeral parlor.
But this room had the air conditioning on—it was cooler than standing next to the crematorium furnace. He even felt a little chilly!
“…” Yu Bai promptly turned away, presenting the back of his head to his friend. “Never mind you.”
He had never feared heaven or earth growing up—not even death. Yet a little girl’s sincere thanks and praise from a chance encounter could make him blush. And when the non-human, who never lied, told him he didn’t dislike white, he would flusteredly change the subject.
To him, those light, gentle kindnesses somehow weighed more than the death that was sure to come.
Yu Bai couldn’t help thinking that he was a strange person himself.
“…All right.” Yan Jing shot a glance at Xie Wufang, who hadn’t spoken, and didn’t dare tease Little Bai as he usually would. Instead, he asked, “What do we do next?”
The middle-aged man who had been about to strike his daughter now lay groggily on the floor, his senses dulled. He hadn’t yet recovered from that vicious punch.
But he would wake up eventually.
Yan Jing hadn’t killed him—merely rendered him temporarily unable to move.
Once this volatile, terrifying father came to, what would become of the little girl, who was already his outlet for rage?
They were father and daughter by blood and by law. She had no connection to any of them.
For the moment, none of those present had a good solution.
He Xi spoke up first.
“Will Daddy die?” she asked. “Should we call 120?”
Yan Jing hurried to reassure her. “No, I just knocked him out, that’s all.”
“Knocked out?” The little girl repeated the words, then murmured, “Then he’ll wake up soon.”
Yu Bai nearly blurted out, How do you know that?
He caught himself just in time, realizing the reason, and swallowed his words.
It was the kind of experience no child her age should have.
He Xi seemed to sense the awkward tension in the air and pressed on. “I’ll wait here until Daddy wakes up. Thank you for helping me.”
She thanked them again, asking nothing more of these strangers. Instead, she offered a small smile, as if to comfort them. “Once Daddy wakes up, he’ll know how much it hurts to get hit. Maybe he won’t hit me anymore. Don’t worry.”
Impossible. A scumbag like that, who only bullied those at home, would just get worse.
The thought flashed through all three adults’ minds at once.
But…
Yuan Yuxing and Yan Jing exchanged a glance. Then they turned to Yu Bai, their faces full of reluctance and unspoken words. “Little Bai…”
“…” Why me?
Suddenly thrust into the role of leader, Yu Bai let out a wistful sigh.
In a tangle like this, he wanted someone to turn to as well!
He had come here this time just to explain the time travel to He Xi—to reassure her she didn’t need to be afraid.
But there were things far more frightening to her than some sudden shift through time-space.
Gazing into those pure yet resilient eyes, Yu Bai couldn’t simply walk away.
Instinctively, he turned to the black-haired man with blue eyes standing behind him. “Little Xie,” he said softly.
Xie Wufang responded at once. “Mm.”
Yet having called his name, Yu Bai had no idea what to say next.
He wasn’t asking Xie Wufang for help.
He knew full well that this man was the only one in the room who wouldn’t be swayed by the little girl’s plight.
Moreover, Xie Wufang couldn’t wield any special powers right now. He couldn’t effortlessly resolve the thorny human problems, nor was he versed in the messy emotions and laws that governed humanity. He had no advice to offer.
Yu Bai knew all this. And yet “Little Xie” had slipped out anyway.
He just…
In the wake of that abrupt summons and the silence that followed, Xie Wufang paused. Then he asked, “What do you want to do?”
He could see the thick entanglement and struggle in Yu Bai’s eyes.
At those words, Yu Bai blinked in realization and asked in return, “Can I?”
The man looked at him and said, “You can do whatever you want.”
The calm tone and familiar phrasing.
Yu Bai’s eyes suddenly curved into a smile.
In those endless looping timelines, there were times when even he felt his wild ideas were too outlandish. He would politely seek his companion’s opinion first.
“Little Xie, do you want to go to the North Pole? No private jet—just using whatever public transport we can find. Let’s see if we can make it there in twenty-two hours.”
“Sure.” Little Xie always agreed before asking questions. “Why twenty-two hours?”
Yu Bai would brush it off smoothly, then extend a new invitation in the next loop.
“Little Xie, did you know this world, bound by laws, has a hidden dark side? There’s another set of rules there—dangerous, but a truly unique experience. I want to try it.”
“You can do whatever you want.”
In a looping world destined to reset, Yu Bai really did all sorts of things without worrying about consequences or the future.
But this time was no loop. Not only he retained his memories, and no one knew where the future would lead.
Yet it wasn’t that real world he’d once ignored, avoiding all human connections.
So Yu Bai hesitated more than ever.
In this seemingly endless summer, he stood on the boundary between light and shadow, under the long black eaves that sheltered from rain and wind but also blocked the sun, wavering whether to step forward.
At this moment, someone told him he could do whatever he wanted.
That person always answered him that way, no matter the timeline.
…Oh, not a person.
He Xi listened to their cryptic exchange in a daze.
Then she saw the brown-haired big brother suddenly smile.
The warm yellow light in the room flowed into his pale eyes.
He extended his hand to her and asked softly, “Do you want to come with us?”
He Xi almost doubted her ears. “Wh-what?”
His fair palm hovered within easy reach. The big brother’s voice was gentle. “Before your father wakes up, come with us. At least for today, you’ll be safe. We’ll protect you.”
He didn’t know what tomorrow would bring yet, so he could only guarantee that the little girl wouldn’t live in constant fear today.
He hadn’t thought of a permanent solution to the little girl’s plight either, but this wasn’t the time to run away from it.
Take a step forward first.
After patiently explaining, Yu Bai asked her again. “Do you want to leave here?”
The little girl answered without hesitation. “I do!”
She understood Yu Bai’s words, and a rare spark of delight lit up her young face.
But her fingers twitched at her side, and she didn’t take the helping hand right in front of her.
The little girl asked nervously, “Can I ask one question first?”
“Of course.” Yu Bai was a little surprised and softened his tone even more. “You can ask anything.”
He saw the little girl take a quiet deep breath, mustering her courage while looking a bit shy, afraid he might get mad.
She asked, “Can I decide for myself when to leave… leave you guys?”
Yu Bai paused for a moment before realizing what she meant.
With her father, who held absolute power, the young girl had never been able to decide that.
So Yu Bai smiled, closing his open palm but leaving his pinky extended.
“At least with us, you’re free.”
“I promise you.” He made the vow solemnly. “Let’s pinky swear.”
