Chapter Text
The previous night, Xiao, while laying on his bed, took out his phone and opened the email Yanfei had sent. Upon closer inspection, Yanfei had used her personal email.
Dear Xiao,
Yanfei here! I am happy to assist you personally with your current situation. I am very honoured to work together with you!
With regards to representation in the police station, I can ensure that the police will read your rights to you before starting an interrogation. Though, it is quite odd that they have you as a suspect. I haven’t heard of any pending criminals due for any arrest from my acquaintances in several police stations. Let’s just hope that the officers you met made a mistake!
Don’t worry, Xiao, everything will be over soon. Take a good rest and we will meet tomorrow morning at 7am to discuss our game plan in my office!
Yanfei
The mess Xiao was involved in does not give a clue on why he was a suspect. Though, it could be due to not having a job. Xiao scratched his head, thinking of how in the world he is supposed to get a job, and who would hire him.
After giving a reply, Xiao changed into his old clothes: white sleeveless shirt, a necklace, gloves and long pants. His Yaksha mask was attached to his hip. Then, he set out to the nearest mountain.
There, the view was spectacular. The city lights were like tiny sparkles from a distance. Cars zooming through the highway were like ants scurrying home. Most of the housing areas had already dimmed their lights. Xiao could occasionally hear ambulances speeding through traffic, honking at slow cars to make way.
Usually, Xiao doesn’t interfere with rescue workers in emergencies. He would come to people’s aid, though he would leave when he heard sirens. Just like what he did when he encountered the car accident in the evening.
Xiao sat at the very edge of the top of the mountain, then took out a flute to play. This tune was different from the usual tune he would play. This specific tune saved him. The calm, peaceful hum of the flute originated from the Anemo archon saved him from giving in to his karmic debt. He wanted to make sure he remembered the Anemo archon’s deed. Wherever the archon may be, Xiao wanted to someday see him again.
This tune also served as a remedy for his stress. Today was awfully difficult. Luckily, his karmic debt did not spiral out of control just because Aether managed to visit him at the right time.
The sight of seeing the baby, and his possible future without his mother deeply upset Xiao. It was until a few hours after recovering the baby from the wreckage that Xiao felt empathy for the baby. The baby’s mother had suffered from severe distress from her parents, who had nothing better to contribute than spit awful words in her face. As parents, shouldn’t they have supported their daughter through such a difficult time, even when the baby’s father is absent?
If not for spending time with Aether and Lumine, Xiao may have probably lost control.
Xiao shook his head, seemingly wanting to get rid of the bad thoughts. He did not want his mind to wander to the woman who resembled Indarias, nor the mysterious group who attacked him. He continued playing the flute, thinking about Aether and the Anemo archon.
The next morning, Xiao had reached Yanfei’s office at the designated time. Yanfei had Xiao sit down and pour a cup of tea for him.
“You somehow committed something that seemed out of order to the extent that the police officers are on a hunt for you,” Yanfei began. “Let’s run through your typical day.”
As Xiao briefly ran through his routine at 1am, Yanfei immediately knew that was similar to a noise complaint made not long ago. An eerie bird whistle - some sort of calling, would ring through everyone’s ears while they were trying to sleep. She quickly pointed this out, and Xiao seemed to be shocked internally, though he remained composed.
“So that perpetrator was you,” the connections snapped in Yanfei’s mind. “Usually, you’ll be let off with a warning. But why would they have a warrant to search you? Is there retained information we don’t know about?”
“The police may be concerned about the people’s safety,” Xiao discussed. “My spear, for an instance.”
“Why do you have your spear out? Can’t you magically summon it at will?”
“Summoning the spear at will can take a few seconds for it to fully materialise,” Xiao explained. “Taking note of the dangers at night, I may require it during emergencies.”
“Seems like at most,” Yanfei wrote down her last sentence in her notes, “you’ll get a warning or a fine. No jail time, thankfully.”
Xiao only nodded in response. Getting the money to pay for the fine won’t be an issue.
After this whole incident, Xiao realised he needed to get a job as a disguise. Though, that would mean his leisure time would be cut short. He won’t have much time for himself.
“Here’s the fine,” a police officer handed Xiao a piece of paper. “Sign and bank in the fine.”
A fine for being the culprit of a noise complaint. Xiao suddenly found it ridiculous, though he should lay low just in case someone does too much digging…
“钟雪峰 (Zhong Xue Fung), that’s you, right?” the officer asked. Xiao nodded. “You’re young, you should have a career by now.”
Who asked?
“Yes…” Xiao responded awkwardly.
“You are a handsome young man,” the officer spoke as she stamped some documents for Xiao. “I have a granddaughter-
“不好意思，女士 (My apologies, miss), I am rushing for a job interview,” Xiao interrupted. He has seen how older relatives treat the younger generation. If the youth is single, they will start introducing people for the youth to date.
“Oh, you are getting a job!” the officer smiled. “What job?”
Can she not-
“Security guard in a shopping mall,” Xiao simply blurted out.
“Oh…” the officer seemed disappointed. “Bank in the outstanding amount by the deadline given to avoid extra late charges.”
Xiao kept the invoice in his satchel and went to find Yanfei, who was waiting at the entrance with a cheeky smile on her face. His ears seemed to be red with embarrassment.
“However much time has passed, older figures asking the young to get married is still very much part of our culture,” Yanfei laughed.
Xiao only sighed, then walked out of the police station with Yanfei. He offered to take her to lunch, to which she agreed. After lunch, Yanfei went back to her office, while Xiao made his way to the library.
On the way there, Xiao heard a sharp cry for help. The source was from the mountains, where he would usually walk around in peace and quiet. He quickly ran into an alleyway where no one was around, and pulled out his spear before teleporting.
Xiao arrived at the mountains where the cries grew louder. He ran up the hill, before finding Lumine there with a sword in hand, fending off a group of hilichurls. Afraid that she may get hurt, Xiao jumped in and wiped off the monsters within a single dash attack of Anemo energy. When he got up, he found Aether treating the wounds of a little girl. The girl laid there unconscious with a bandaged leg.
“Xiao!” Aether exclaimed. “Hope you don’t mind us lending a hand.”
Aether gently patted the little girl’s head. He had the girl in his arms, making sure she was not exposed to any more danger. Meanwhile, Lumine wiped her blade clean.
“Hilichurls are still a thing, huh,” Lumine sighed. “And they got infected.”
“This was something I can handle. I should not have inconvenienced any of you,” Xiao spoke, almost like he was berating himself. Aether gently placed his hand on Xiao’s shoulder with a concerned look.
“Xiao… it’s okay. We’re best buds and we should always help each other out,” Aether reminded.
“However-”
“Xiao, you do know how much you mean to us, right?” Aether asked. “You know, not just me and Lumine… Zhongli, Yanfei, and other people you’ve met too. I heard from the news about the horrible car crash. You mean a lot to the baby. Without you, he wouldn’t have been rescued fast enough.”
Xiao went silent. Aether may be right, but Xiao’s only purpose was to be weaponized. He cannot be treated as an actual soul with feelings.
Aether knew Xiao was thinking about how puny his significance is. In reality, Aether would have long given up on his journey to find his sister if Xiao didn’t come to his aid. Mentally, traveling around Teyvat without his sister was draining. Every Lantern Rite, Aether would receive a letter from Zhongli, asking him to return to Liyue. He always did, and Xiao would be there. Spending time with the Yaksha, even when he had to push Xiao into joining activities, healed Aether mentally. Xiao’s persistence to continue protecting Liyue inspired him to never give up on finding his sister.
“It’s been a long day,” Aether spoke. “Let’s bring this girl home and we’ll talk over tea?”