Dijiang's cafeteria.
Bai Ling carried his tray alone and found a seat by the window. Eldera had gone off to handle other matters and hadn't come with him.
Today's lunch looked… normal enough: a serving of stew, rice, and a small side dish of sliced meat.
He'd barely picked up his chopsticks when he heard a set of light, quick footsteps behind him.
"Mr. Bai Ling! Here, here!"
He looked up to see Angelina tugging Jelperta along by the hand, practically skipping over. Angelina held her own tray—stacked high as if she intended to sample everything the cafeteria could offer.
Jelperta followed a step behind, her meal far more reasonable: stew, rice—almost identical to Bai Ling's.
"Can we sit here?" Angelina asked, though she'd already dropped into the seat opposite him.
Bai Ling glanced at her, then at the Jelperta behind her who looked like she wanted to speak but couldn't find the words. He nodded. "Go ahead."
Angelina immediately set her tray down, seized her chopsticks, and shoveled a big bite into her mouth.
"Mmm—delicious!" Her eyes lit up. "This tastes way better than what I ate on the road!"
Jelperta sat beside her and murmured, "No matter what… cafeteria food should still beat instant rations…"
Bai Ling lowered his head and continued eating, not responding, but the corner of his eye kept tracking the two little foxes across from him.
The cafeteria was quiet. Every so often an operator passed by—and the moment they noticed two identical, beautiful figures at the same table, they would freeze for half a second, then hastily walk away like their brain refused to process it.
Angelina didn't care at all and ate with gusto. Jelperta kept her head down, taking small bites, the tips of her ears faintly flushed.
Halfway through the meal, Angelina suddenly raised her head and looked at Bai Ling.
"Mr. Bai Ling."
"Mm?"
"Can I ask you something?"
Bai Ling put his utensils down and looked up properly.
Angelina tilted her head, amber eyes full of curiosity. "It's like you already knew Jelperta and I would get along."
"Just now," she continued. "You left those sodas on the bench and walked away. You didn't even come say hi."
Jelperta lifted her head too, looking at him.
Bai Ling stayed quiet for two seconds, then lifted his cup and took a sip, theatrically examining the two of them as if weighing a conclusion.
"Aren't you already getting along great?"
"That's the result," Angelina pressed, not letting go. "I'm asking how you knew we'd get that result."
Bai Ling set the cup down and looked out the window. The deep blue planet hung in space, its surface streaked with colorful patterns like someone had painted it carelessly.
"Because you're couriers," he said.
Angelina blinked. "Couriers?"
"A courier's job is to take something from one person's hands and deliver it into another's," Bai Ling said evenly. "Every day you touch different people, different situations, different emotions. Over time, you develop a habit—"
He paused, then turned his head to look directly at Angelina.
"Trust first. Judge after."
Angelina froze.
"You instinctively assume goodwill," Bai Ling continued. "Because if you don't have even that much trust, you can't survive in circumstances like yours. So—"
He picked up his chopsticks again and returned to eating.
"The two of you getting along isn't 'sooner or later.' It's inevitable."
The cafeteria fell silent for a few seconds.
Then Angelina smiled.
It was bright—like sunlight spilling in through the viewport.
"Mr. Bai Ling… you really know how to talk."
"I don't." Bai Ling didn't even look up. "I'm just telling the truth."
Watching this, Jelperta felt something in her chest stir—softly, like a fingertip brushing a bell.
She remembered the words Angelina had said while holding her in front of the viewport… and the two bottles Bai Ling had left on the bench.
These two—she'd only known them for a short time, and yet…
No. It wasn't "as if."
They really did seem to understand her better than she understood herself.
"Jelperta?"
Angelina's voice pulled her back. Jelperta looked up and realized Angelina was staring at her.
"What is it? Spacing out again?"
"N-no… nothing." Jelperta lowered her head and kept eating.
Angelina watched her for a moment, then suddenly turned to Bai Ling.
"Mr. Bai Ling, are you busy this afternoon?"
Bai Ling looked up. "Why?"
"I want to go see Valley No. 4." Angelina said. "Jelperta told me it just went through a major battle, and there's that… what was it… a Transdomain rift? I want to see it with my own eyes."
Bai Ling was silent for two seconds, then looked at Jelperta.
Jelperta squirmed under his gaze and said quietly, "I only… mentioned it casually…"
"It's fine." Bai Ling withdrew his eyes. "If you want to go, then go. But they're rebuilding over there—if you're looking for scenery, it probably won't be much."
"That's okay." Angelina smiled. "I just want to see how people in another world live."
Bai Ling nodded and didn't add anything else.
After they finished eating, the three of them returned their trays and left the cafeteria.
The corridor was quiet. Angelina walked in front, steps light as if she were dancing. She looked around at everything, curious about it all.
"What's over there?"
"Supplies warehouse."
"And that way?"
"Training ground."
"That one, that one?"
"…That's the restroom."
"Oh."
Jelperta followed behind, answering every question. Bai Ling walked last, unhurried.
At a fork in the corridor, Angelina suddenly stopped.
"Oh, right." She turned and looked at Bai Ling. "Mr. Bai Ling, can I ask you one more thing?"
"Earlier you said a courier's way is 'trust first, judge after.'" Angelina stared at him seriously. "Then what about you? What are you?"
Bai Ling blinked.
"What… am I?"
"Yes." Angelina nodded. "You're not a courier, not a warrior, and not a commander. But everyone seems willing to listen to you. Miss Eldera is willing to stay by your side, the Administrator is willing to talk with you, and Jelperta…" She glanced at the Jelperta beside her. "…is willing to trust you too."
Jelperta's ears went red again.
Angelina looked back to Bai Ling. "So I want to know—what are you?"
The corridor went quiet for a few seconds.
Bai Ling didn't answer immediately. He just stood there, gaze fixed somewhere distant and unnamed.
After a long time, he finally spoke.
"I'm just…," he paused as if choosing his words carefully, "someone who remembers some things."
"Remembers things?"
"Mm." Bai Ling nodded. "Things other people might have already forgotten… or things that haven't happened yet."
Angelina tilted her head, thinking. Then she smiled.
"Then you must be really tired."
Bai Ling froze.
"Remembering that many things must be exhausting." Angelina spoke earnestly. "Sometimes just remembering my own life makes it hard to breathe. If you remember so many people's lives… that must be heavy."
Bai Ling didn't speak.
He just looked at the girl in front of him—looked into those clear, wine-red eyes without a trace of impurity.
Then he suddenly smiled.
It was light, faint—like a ripple stirred by wind on water.
"No… it's not heavy. Not at all."
Angelina studied him for a moment, then nodded and turned around, continuing forward as if nothing significant had happened.
"That's good."
Her voice drifted back from ahead, light and cheerful.
Jelperta remained where she was, watching the scene in a daze.
She remembered what Angelina had said—"You must be really tired."
She looked at Bai Ling's back.
It was ordinary: neither tall nor short, neither fat nor thin. If you didn't see his face, he was the kind of person you could pass in a crowd without looking twice.
And yet, in that ordinary silhouette, she felt she was seeing something—familiar, and unfamiliar at once—
just like those memories she carried.
"Jelperta?"
Angelina's voice came from ahead. Jelperta snapped back and realized Angelina was already far down the corridor, waving at her.
"What are you spacing out for? Hurry up!"
Jelperta blinked—then hurried after her.
....
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