Honkai: You're telling me this difficulty is from Honkai Impact 3?!

"Another, better path?" Shu was confused and couldn't help but shake his head, trying to clear his thoughts.

Strange, it started as a relationship talk, how did it suddenly turn into discussing the philosophy of life?

Thinking of this, Shu felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

Relationship problems were manageable, just some encouragement and the "there are better fish in the sea" tactic. But philosophy was completely different. It was a situation where both sides could argue their points, and neither stubborn mule would budge.

"Can't we walk both paths?" Shu tried to exploit a loophole.

"No." Yun Mengxi rested her chin on her knees again, sullenly closing the gap.

"Sigh…" Shu sat back down beside Yun Mengxi, sighing like an old sage. "You're making things difficult for me…"

"Is it difficult?" Yun Mengxi asked softly, a hint of disappointment in her voice. "Then… never mind…"

It was just wishful thinking… How could such a problem be resolved so suddenly?

Oh well… like he said, even if I didn't get an answer, saying it out loud is better than keeping it bottled up.

Maybe I won't have another chance to vent like this… Maybe… I should start a diary?

Yun Mengxi was silent for a moment, a sense of relief washing over her. She wanted to thank Shu, but when she turned her head, she saw Shu's face close to hers, looking serious.

Yun Mengxi instinctively leaned back. "Wh-what's wrong?"

"…" Shu narrowed his eyes, carefully examining Yun Mengxi. Then, he let out a sigh of relief, or perhaps disappointment. "Nothing, I must have mistaken you for someone else."

She got the meme, I thought she was one of us…

"Although I can't give you a definite answer, if I had two paths in front of me, I'd probably choose the better one."

Shu sat up straight, supporting himself with his hands on the ground, looking up, a carefree expression on his face.

"Why?" Yun Mengxi asked instinctively.

"Because… that path is better, and I like it more, isn't that right?" Shu took a deep breath, his eyes starting to glaze over.

"Listening to you, I understand that both paths are long, so long that you might not even finish one of them in your lifetime, even if you choose the shorter one.

"There's only one chance, only one choice to make, no… second chances…" Shu paused, then chuckled bitterly.

"I'm not good at making these multiple-choice questions, because I can't bear the consequences of choosing wrong. That's why I'm scared… scared that my choices will affect others…

"But even so, I'd still choose the path I like, the better one, without hesitation."

Shu stared blankly ahead, not knowing what he was thinking when he said those words.

Would he really choose the better path at a crossroads?

He seemed to have had countless chances to choose again, but every time, he hadn't taken a completely new path, just trying to walk the current one better.

Perhaps the question he should be asking wasn't which path to choose, but whether he had any other paths to take.

"Sigh~~" Shu sighed deeply, as if all the air had been let out of him, almost suffocating himself.

Beside him, Yun Mengxi was also lost in thought.

After a long moment, Yun Mengxi asked softly, "What if… that path isn't so good?"

"The path you choose, no matter how absurd, you have to finish it!" Shu suddenly became serious, even reaching up to stroke an imaginary beard, looking at Yun Mengxi with narrowed eyes.

A faint sense of pressure emanated from him. Yun Mengxi blankly nodded and turned her head away again.

Even if it's absurd, you have to bite the bullet and finish it…

Yun Mengxi's heart sank, repeatedly chewing on those words. After a long while, Yun Mengxi buried her face, her expression downcast.

Shu didn't see the thin layer of tears in Yun Mengxi's eyes, nor her expression.

He just inexplicably felt a small pang of grievance in his heart, so small that he didn't even notice it, just feeling his chest start to hurt again.

If only… I could really bite the bullet and finish it…

But do you know?

Not a single step I've taken was one I wanted to take…

The night sky was silent. Here, no sounds or noise disturbed its balance, only people sitting in quiet contemplation.

Long ago, people believed the starry sky would guide the lost. Now, the starry sky was dim and invisible, but the "star" guiding the lost was still here.

Shu stared blankly at the beam of moonlight, while Yun Mengxi kept her head down, lost in her thoughts.

…Until…

"Huh?" Shu's confused voice broke Yun Mengxi's train of thought.

Yun Mengxi looked up, her eyes a little red, her eyelashes dotted with tiny water droplets, reflecting the faint light in the darkness.

Unfortunately, Shu didn't notice any of this. Instead, he was squinting, carefully observing—several figures carrying bags, sneaking towards the entrance they had come through.

"Do people here worry about waking others when they go out?" Shu asked, but he was already standing up.

"Go out?" Yun Mengxi was surprised. She quickly rubbed her eyes and followed Shu's gaze.

Then, her expression changed. "Brother clearly said he didn't authorize anyone to leave!"

Shu was taken aback. The laziness and ease he had just displayed vanished instantly. "Are you sure?"

"Of course! Brother even told me that Brother Shicheng wanted to leave with some people!" Yun Mengxi scrambled to her feet anxiously. She could see clearly now, the person leading the group in the darkness was Chen Shicheng!

Running away? Leaving without permission? Reporting information? Concealing their departure?

In an instant, many different possibilities flashed through Shu's mind, none of them good!

Immediately, Shu reached for his waist, but his hand grasped only air.

Damn it! Mei and the others must have taken my gun!

Shu now regretted not telling Mei that he didn't move around much in his sleep and that she didn't need to worry about him getting poked by his own gun…

Without a gun, he felt a little weak-kneed.

But Yun Mengxi wasn't intimidated. On the contrary, this cute girl was actually quite fierce!

"Brother Shicheng!" A shout as loud as a thunderclap in a calm lake startled both Shu and the figures sneaking towards the entrance.

"Mengxi?" In the darkness, Chen Shicheng immediately recognized the voice. With no time to think, Chen Shicheng pushed the people beside him away. "Go, quickly!"

"But, Miss, she…" The people being pushed away were surprised.

"Don't worry, you go first, I'll be out soon." Chen Shicheng frowned. He had already seen Yun Mengxi running towards him… with someone else. Hopefully it's not Yun Feng.

"If there's any danger, scatter immediately, don't wait for me."