Genshin Impact, it's you who rejected me, why are you all in such a hurry if I just give up?

Page 84

The situation for the resistance forces on Haiji Island has actually improved considerably.

But...

Coral Palace Xin Hai pressed her hand to her chest, biting her lower lip slightly, her beautiful face filled with pain.

Fear? Panic? Guilt?

Or perhaps it's simply because of the immense stress I've been under lately, having nightmares every day, and not getting enough rest, which has led to some angina.

After resting for a while and letting the wind blow on her, Coral Palace closed the window and was about to go back to read some military books to distract herself when she turned around and saw...

There was a man standing behind me?!

Coral Palace Heart Sea subconsciously wanted to take action and cried out.

However, upon seeing who it was, she immediately covered her mouth, silencing the sounds she had already made.

But the fear on her beautiful face was clearly more intense.

That was a very handsome young man with black hair and black eyes.

—That face, Coral Palace Heart Sea will never forget it in her lifetime.

Lin Jiu'an.

All the words I had thought of beforehand, along with my terrified screams, were stuck in my throat.

"I'm sorry, brother."

In the throat of Coral Palace Heart Sea, whose mind was blank due to extreme terror, the only words that could be uttered were those that she had wanted to say to him for a very, very long time.

She was sorry to her.

The other person stood in front of her like a gentle older brother.

He took meticulous care of her.

The entire island of Haiqi regarded her as an omnipotent leader, but only this man treated her as a younger sister who needed to be taken care of.

He always stood by my side when I needed him, sheltering me from the wind and rain.

But when he needed me most, I wasn't there.

She also had a lot to explain.

Phrases like, "Because I fully supported the 'merging into Inazuma' reforms, I was sidelined," "After being merged into the magistrate, she had very little power left," "She vehemently resisted the plan to send troops to hunt him down, but no one listened to her anymore," and "For the sake of the people of Umijima, we cannot offend the three magistrates and openly defy the 'arrest warrant'," etc.

But after thinking it over, the words of explanation were on the tip of her tongue.

But looking at the man in front of her, who seemed no different from her previous life yet was completely different, Coral Palace Heart Sea suddenly realized that those powerless explanations were so pale and utterly inadequate.

In the end, all that can be said is "I'm sorry".

Haiji Island has wronged him.

He helped the Haiji Island rebels fight against the Heavenly Commander, saving Haiji Island and greatly reducing casualties among the rebels and civilians on Haiji Island.

He was a hero of the war.

They also helped them fight against the Fools, destroying the "Evil Eye's" processing plant and the Fools' evil plans.

He also helped develop the economy and build towns on Umijima, whose future was uncertain. Despite the infamy, he promoted the plan to "incorporate" Fukuzawa Umijima and Sangokyu into Inazuma and "become the Fourth Magistrate" for countless generations afterward. This allowed the people of Umijima to quickly get rid of the pressure and poverty brought about by the long war and greatly improve their living standards.

But how did Haiji Island repay him?

They chased him away amidst a chorus of curses.

When he became a wanted criminal and was retaliated against by the Three Dukes and the Fools, they even sent generals and soldiers to assist the Three Dukes and the Fools in hunting him down.

She had even heard of it.

Lin Jiu'an wanted to come to the Coral Palace to ask her for help.

—He probably wanted to find her and ask why Ayaka Kamisato, with whom she had corresponded, treated him this way.

But they hadn't reached the Coral Palace yet, and hadn't found her.

He was "exposed" by the residents of Haizhi Island, and everyone hated him, forcing him into dangerous situations. In the end, he had no choice but to leave this place where he was filled with malice from some unknown point in time.

"Brother?"

Lin Jiu'an chuckled and muttered to himself.

"A very old name."

Coral Palace Heart Sea was completely panicked.

"Are you here to kill me?"

Seeing the sorrowful expression on Coral Palace Xin Hai's face, Lin Jiu'an smiled.

"how could be?"

"You know, I've never liked killing people."

“I always give them a choice, allowing them the right to choose between ‘life’ and ‘death’.”

"My dear sister, go and make your brother a pot of tea."

Coral Palace Heart Sea pursed her cherry lips slightly, and finally walked out of the room with her head down.

Lin Jiu'an found a hard couch, leaned against it, picked up a book, glanced at it for a while, then got bored and put it on his face to pretend to sleep.

The sound of the door opening and closing could be heard frequently.

The preparation work, such as bringing out the tea set, took a long time because Coral Palace Xin Hai hadn't drunk tea for a long time.

When Coral Palace Xin Hai finally entered the room, she was carrying a kettle of freshly boiled water.

He glanced at Lin Jiu'an, who was lying on the couch seemingly unguarded, then knelt before the tea table, bowing his head to look at the prepared tea set and tea leaves, but was momentarily lost in thought.

'How should tea be brewed?'

After I met Lin Jiu'an, he took care of all these tasks.

And after he left.

She never drank tea again...

After thinking for a while, Coral Palace Heart Sea stumbled through the tea and brewed it. When it was almost ready, she came to the couch and whispered, "Brother, the tea is ready."

There was no response.

Lin Jiu'an on the bed seemed to be asleep.

Coral Palace Heart Sea did not make any more noise to disturb him, but simply lowered her head and looked at him quietly.

One minute? Five minutes? Or half an hour or longer?

Coral Palace Heart Sea didn't know how long she had been standing. She just felt her legs getting sore and trembling, and she had an urgent desire to switch to kneeling.

A while passed.

Lin Jiu'an looked like he had just woken up, his eyes still sleepy.

"All right?"

"Alright, elder brother."

Seeing that Lin Jiu'an ignored her and went straight to the tea table.

Coral Palace Heart Sea felt a little wronged, but she still managed to get to the tea table despite her legs being so weak from standing.

fortunately.

Lin Jiu'an didn't continue to torment her.

Seeing Lin Jiu'an point to the person opposite him, Coral Palace Xin Hai breathed a slight sigh of relief and knelt down opposite him.

Lin Jiu'an held the teapot and poured a cup of tea for himself and Coral Palace Xin Hai.

then.

Coral Palace Xin Hai saw the other person take out a medicine bottle from his pocket, uncork it, pour the white medicine into his cup, and then place the cup of tea with the medicine in front of her, next to her cup of tea.

"This was specially prepared for you by the doctor at 'Bu Bu Lu' (a shrine for fortune tellers)."

"After drinking it, one will die within five minutes, bleeding from all seven orifices."

Hearing all this, Coral Palace Xin Hai looked at the cup of tea in front of her, her eyes filled with not fear, but an almost overflowing sadness.

She raised her head and looked at Lin Jiu'an, who was still smiling, across from her, and two lines of clear tears streamed down her beautiful eyes.

"Brother, do you really hate me so much that you want me dead?"

Lin Jiu'an still wore a smile, seemingly unaffected by the sadness emanating from the beautiful young woman opposite him.

"You see, I've been explaining this kind of thing to other people all along."

"I never hate anyone."

"and."

"The right to decide someone's life or death does not actually belong to me, but to them."

“I gave them a way to live, but if they insist on choosing to die, then there’s nothing I can do.”

"And now I'm giving you two cups of tea."

"It's your choice."

Lin Jiu'an pointed to the cup of tea in Coral Palace Xin Hai's hand.

"It means becoming my good sister again."

Lin Jiu'an then pointed to the cup of tea that had been laced with medicine.

"I'd rather be a dead man."

Coral Palace Cocoon smiled sadly and forced a smile, saying, "I did everything in my past life. Whether it was betraying you or ordering the Coral Palace soldiers to cooperate with the other three commissioners to hunt you down, it was all my orders."

"It was my betrayal that made me the one to blame."

"If I were to die, would you, elder brother, spare Haiqi Island?"

Lin Jiu'an smiled noncommittally.

"What do you think?"

The sadness on Coral Palace Xin Hai's face deepened.

Looking at the tea laced with medicine, her miserable smile deepened, but she suddenly looked up at Lin Jiu'an and said something completely unrelated.

"Brother, could you please make me a cup of tea yourself?"

Looking at Lin Jiu'an, who still responded with a faint smile but made no move.

Coral Palace's smile became even more sorrowful.

He lowered his head and shakily picked up the cup of tea laced with medicine. The cup was filled to the brim, and some tea spilled out as he lifted it.

Coral Palace Heart Sea cried even harder.

Tears fell, one after another, onto her dress and into her teacup.

Coral Palace Xin Hai looked up at Lin Jiu'an, whose face was already bruised and tearful like a kitten, and forced a smile as he looked at her like a puppet.

"Brother, I am sorry for what happened in the past life."

"Actually, after you left..."

Coral Palace Xin Hai suddenly stopped talking, revealing a helpless smile.

She drank the cup of tea in one gulp.

Then, she gently put down her teacup, still kneeling, and looked at Lin Jiu'an with a tearful smile.

"No matter what, I am sorry for you. I sacrificed you for the Coral Palace and Haiqi Island. All the blame lies with me."

rotten

“But you may not believe it, but I really do regard you as my own brother.”

"I was in a lot of pain after that incident. Although nothing I said could change anything—I ultimately let you down—I really, really..."

Coral Palace Heart Sea felt a heat rising in her chest, probably because the medicine was starting to take effect.

She covered her nose, laughing and crying at the same time, but her beautiful eyes seemed to be staring at Lin Jiu'an as if she wanted to remember him one last time.