Essence "The End" 017. (The Mugu Family Arc) My name is Dugu Xiaoxuan

"Huff..."
Qingyan sat quietly on the bed, breathing out a heavy, foul breath, her face somewhat pale, looking as if she were sick, her breathing labored.
Looking at the lit candelabra on the hall's platform, Qingyan's heart began to feel restless.
The full moon on the fifteenth, damn it! Why, in each of the twelve months of the year, do I have to endure the same torment?
After dinner, it was now ten o'clock at night, still two hours away from midnight.
"Clap... clap clap..."
Strange footsteps came from somewhere. Qingyan's ears twitched. Suddenly, she leapt out the door and vaulted onto the eaves, and a figure appeared before her.
It was that mysterious girl.
At this moment, she had changed into a standard female outfit. A dark red long dress fluttered gently in the night wind. Her slender waist and slightly protruding chest were as gentle as water, stirring the heart.
Her shoulder-length crimson hair reflected the moonlight, carrying a subtle playful sparkle. Her delicate features were lightly furrowed, with a soft smile.
Blushing, Qingyan slightly turned her face away. Looking at the girl like this, even anger could not hold. She let out a soft sigh and asked, "Can't sleep in the new bed? What brings you here?"
"Hmm, so I came to see you," the girl said with a light laugh, sitting down with bent knees on the rooftop, facing the moon that had just risen.
Qingyan, slightly surprised, sat down beside the girl as well, looking at her profile, and asked, "Why me?"
"Because you're special," the girl suddenly tilted her face towards Qingyan, speaking softly, a small curve forming on her lips, conveying sincerity.
"Special?"
"Hmm, special." Seeing Qingyan shyly turn her head away, the girl smiled lightly, a truly beautiful smile. Turning her head back, she continued:
"I don't know in what way you're special, but I just feel that you're different. The first time I saw you in the Shou Ri Forest, I had a very familiar feeling. This feeling is not the familiarity from meeting or knowing someone. Rather, I always feel that you and I, between us, seem to be connected by some very similar things, a kind of very intimate feeling."This feeling is so wonderful, there's just a little bit of it that feels very much like the feeling between my father and me.”\ \ “Father? Do I look that old?”\ \ “Not at all, I just meant there's a slight similarity. The feeling you give me is solid, something I can… can rely on. It seems that being by your side, my heart can calm down a lot, and everything doesn't feel so scary. This part is very similar to the feeling my father gave me. But, at the same time, it's not the same. It completely lacks the feeling of being connected by blood with my father, yet it seems to have an extra, very special, and hard-to-express feeling.”\ \ The girl's cheeks turned slightly pink, but as she spoke, she relaxed.\ \ “This feeling… is inexplicable trust?”\ \ Qingyan didn't turn his head, quietly thinking for a while, and suddenly said.\ \ “Mm… yes. How did you know?”\ \ “I don't know. My feeling isn't as strong as yours. But I also feel that you're special. Because, since today, it seems that in my heart there's a voice telling me that I can trust you.”\ \ Qingyan lay down facing the moonlit night, speaking quietly. Strangely, while listening to Dugu Xiaoxuan say these words, normally shy as he was, he spoke quite fluently.\ \ “Such a strange feeling.”\ \ “Such a strange feeling.”\ \ Suddenly, after pausing for a moment, neither of them fully understanding it, Qingyan and the mysterious girl said this sentence at the same time, a little startled. They slightly turned their heads to look at each other, and both of them laughed openly.\ \ The girl's laugh was very sweet and clear, like the flowing water of spring, making one feel relaxed and happy inside. Qingyan looked at her smile and seemed a bit dazed; he felt his heart beat a little faster.\ \ “Hello, my name is Dugu Xiaoxuan.”\ \ Suddenly, the girl extended her hand, offering the formal hand gesture of the Huaxia Empire, smiling brightly as she said.\ \ “I… I'm Qingyan.”\ \ Qingyan was a little flustered and, when he reached out, only shook her hand lightly before quickly withdrawing it.\ \ Talking to this girl really seemed to be very enjoyable. Even so, these were just ordinary words.\ \ Qingyan smiled in his heart, not noticing that his previous gloom and agitation had long since disappeared.\ ……\ "It seems that there is no 'Dugu' family in Jingdong City. Where is your home?"\ "My home is very, very far away."\ "Very, very far, exactly where?"\ "On the opposite side of the moon, where the sun sets. My home is right where the sun sets. Tell me, isn't that very, very far?"\ "The place where the sun sets must be very special. Someday, I will definitely visit. Then, we can also sit on your rooftop and chat."\ ……\ Qingyan did not mind; he felt that places like where the sun sets were just Dugu Xiaoxuan joking. However, since she was unwilling to tell, Qingyan would not press.\ But Qingyan would never have imagined that his future would have many, many things happen in this very place……\ Night was deepening. In the sky, a full moon cast a cool light, bright and white, spreading over the entire land. The moon was so bright that the stars disappeared; the whole sky was deep blue, endless.\ Qingyan lay on the rooftop, smiling, speaking. It seemed that he and Dugu Xiaoxuan had merged into this moonlight, so gentle and harmonious. Yet, Qingyan seemed to have forgotten something.\ "Tick-tock," the clock in the room turned to midnight.