December 24, Monday, Christmas Eve, noon.

In the Mysterious Country, traditional Western holidays were not observed; classes and work proceeded as usual. Although it was considered a holiday, it was really just an excuse for people to hang out—on ordinary days, asking someone out felt like an outright confession of "Yes, I really like you," whereas on holidays, it tended to carry a proud tone of "Hey, I just don't want to spend the holiday alone."

"...Hmm, okay, then you go get busy."

Ren Xingmei saw her older brother put down his phone and hang his head. Her heart suddenly skipped a beat. The last time I saw him this disheartened and devoid of passion for life was when I utterly thrashed him in King of Fighters, using a single character to defeat three of his with a perfect, full-health victory, making him scream, 'Change the game, change the game!'

Has Dong Chengling become so important in my brother's eyes? Has she become as significant, or even more fun, than video games?

"What happened?" Ren Xingmei asked tentatively.

"Cheng Ling has an extra class tonight," Ren Suo said, propping his cheeks and pushing around his eggplant and beef rice dish, his tone mournful, like a wife who hears her husband has to work overtime after they've booked a "fun" hotel.

"It must be Class Five," Ren Xingmei said. "They originally had a cultivation class tomorrow night, but since it's Christmas, the class president and students jointly requested to have the class earlier. But I heard the academy didn't approve it, and their teacher isn't Teacher Dong either—it's Teacher Liao…"

"Teacher Liao found out yesterday that his wife's due date was moved up, so he took leave to go home and await the birth," Ren Suo explained. "The academy had no choice but to find a substitute teacher, but no one was available, so they had to reschedule the class. However, to make things worse, Teacher Liao has three classes tomorrow, and they all need substitutes. Cheng Ling has a full schedule during the day, so she can only take the evening class. But she already had plans with me for tomorrow night, so she moved tomorrow's class to tonight…

"So tonight, Cheng Ling is too busy to cook, and naturally, our dinner gathering is canceled."

Ren Xingmei blinked and asked, "Are you saying you feel uncomfortable if you don't eat Teacher Dong's cooking for a day, Bro?"

"Not really," Ren Suo waved it off. "I just wanted to invite people over tonight, and now it's not like I can ask them to come to the cafeteria…"

Ren Xingmei breathed a sigh of relief and casually said, "Then you could cook yourself."

"I'd rather we go to the cafeteria."

After they finished eating, Ren Xingmei went to the guest room to lie down for a nap. These past few days, whenever Dong Chengling had morning classes, Ren Xingmei would go to the cafeteria to pack two meals and join Ren Suo, who had been cultivating until noon, for lunch. Ren Xingmei wasn't really up to much; in fact, it seemed more like she was just taking a midday nap at Ren Suo's House after eating, then heading to her afternoon classes.

She was Ren Suo's family, so it was perfectly natural for her to be so open. Plus, she could tease Ren Suo into giving her money or hugs. Since it was only she who teased Ren Suo, of course, she had to have fun playing with him!

While Ren Xingmei was sitting on the bed, playing with her phone to help her digest, there were three knocks on the guest room door. "Can I come in? Can I come in? Can I?"

"Come in, I'm changing!" Ren Xingmei said casually.

Ren Suo entered without hesitation and chuckled, "Changing?"

Ren Xingmei stretched out her feet toward him, saying, "Socks are clothes too, aren't they? Can't I take off my socks? I said I was changing, and you still barged in—tell me, are you harboring immoral thoughts toward your sister?"

"Yes, exactly! I want to tie your hands with tape and stuff a Gag in your mouth, and then…" Ren Suo sat on the bed, his voice filled with mischievous laughter, saying things that would warrant skipping a trial and going straight to the execution list.

"Then what do you want to do to me?" Ren Xingmei wrapped her arms around Ren Suo's and looked up at him. "Challenge me to a game of King of Fighters using my feet?"

Ren Suo was startled. "How did you know?"

Ren Xingmei smirked. I've known my brother for over a decade—how could I not know that he can't even tell a risqué joke properly? She kicked Ren Suo's rear end with her smooth foot. "Get going, don't disturb my beauty sleep."

"Okay." Ren Suo handed her a kraft paper bag. "Here, this is for you."

"Is it a new game?" Ren Xingmei took it calmly. "You want me to get a platinum trophy again?"

"It's not a game," Ren Suo stood up and said. "Also, I need to go out for a bit now. I'll probably be back in the afternoon. Set an alarm for your class; don't oversleep."

"I'm not you."

After Ren Suo closed the door, Ren Xingmei finally opened the kraft paper bag. Is it the newly released hardcore Soul Series Game, 'Only Dog,' or the exhilarating action game, 'God Cry 5'?

However, what she pulled out from the bag was a black scarf. The scarf was made of black cashmere, adorned with numerous golden Starlight patterns—some were pentagrams, some were hexagrams, and some were crosses.

Ren Xingmei stared blankly at the scarf for several seconds before pulling out her phone, opening Taobao, and typing "scarf," "black," and "stars" into the search bar.

However, she ultimately didn't press the search button. Instead, she wrapped the scarf around herself, stepped out, and loudly began searching for her brother. She looked everywhere, even flipping the toilet lid, but he was nowhere to be seen. Only then did she remember Ren Suo had mentioned he was going out and wouldn't be back until the evening.

Bewildered, she returned to the guest room and flopped onto the bed. After spacing out for a while, she took out her phone again. Hesitating a bit, she decided to search for "black scarf with stars."

There were similar items, but none matched the one she held in her hands.

"No~ way!" Ren Xingmei cried out, lying on her side, curling her legs up, and wrapping the scarf around her mouth and nose. She took a deep breath, as if smelling her brother's scent. "Why aren't you playing games instead of knitting scarves! You could just buy one! Why waste time knitting one yourself? So stupid!"

She covered her almost burning cheeks with the scarf, feeling her heart thumping rapidly. She bit her lip and murmured softly, "How could you become like this... Weren't you the fool who didn't even know how to be nice to people... How could you turn into such a flirt…"

"...Alright, I forgive you."

She pulled the blanket over herself and went to sleep wearing the scarf, a smile on her face like a Yellow Weasel that had stolen a chicken. She even forgot to set her phone alarm and slept peacefully and comfortably.

But she would definitely get up; she wanted to wear it to class later.

In the office of the Deputy Director of the Tactical Bureau, Li Dan picked up a gray scarf lying in front of him. It was adorned with various snoring patterns, such as 'ZZZZZZ' and '(:3[___]]'. "Actually, I don't really need this."

He then looked at Ren Suo, who was also wearing a scarf, and said, "You don't really need this thing either, right?"

"It's quite windy today; it's really uncomfortable when the wind hits my neck."

Ren Suo said earnestly, "Wearing it might make it easier to sleep, so you keep it. Just don't forget my kindness."

Li Dan thought about it, nodded, and said, "Alright then, I'll accept it. Thanks."

He saw Ren Suo holding another kraft paper bag and asked, "Are you giving that to the Deputy Director?"

"How could I? If he wants a scarf, he can ask his girlfriend," Ren Suo snapped. "Why would I give him a scarf? I'm not a pervert."

He's right, Li Dan thought, and didn't plan to ask whom else Ren Suo intended to give a scarf to. But Ren Suo did ask, "Feeling sleepy?"

Seeing that Ren Suo rarely visited, Li Dan didn't refuse and let himself be hypnotized while sitting in his chair.

However, as Ren Suo began the Hypnosis by wiggling his fingers, he suddenly asked, "Is Qiao Muyi around?"

"She went out with Yao Fei this morning for a mission. They should be back soon..." The drowsy Li Dan unintentionally spilled everything he knew.

"Thanks."

Wait a minute! A flash of realization struck the sleep-heavy Li Dan. Why did he ask about Qiao Muyi? Damn! Let me get up! I don't want to sleep! I can't forget this Gossip! And I need to tell Ren Suo: you're not a pervert; you really are a Brave man!

Humming the game BGM "Undead Prelude," Ren Suo left the Tactical Bureau as he took his hands off the sleeping Li Dan.

Li Dan had advanced to the third turn, and I never had the time (or rather, I couldn't be bothered to find the time) to put him to sleep. This trip to the Tactical Bureau to deliver scarves was a good chance to collect this three-star Key. I can never have too many Keys; four three-star Keys can be combined into a Four-Star Key. It was just a hassle making such a long trip. If Dong Chengling hadn't needed to make up classes today, causing our dinner plans to be canceled, I wouldn't have bothered running around and would have just gathered everyone together to give out scarves.

Knitting scarves was just a whim. Back in university, I heard that people exchanged gifts for Christmas, but in our dorm—or rather, our entire major, which was all guys—we didn't really do that. Besides, what would a bunch of guys give each other? Torrent files? Now, I met all my bonding partners this year and haven't spent Christmas with them before, so I don't know if they'll give gifts under the influence of the Bond. Anyway, I decided to just give first. It's not a birthday; I don't need to worry whether the recipient likes it. A hand-knitted scarf should be fine—it might at least increase their affinity a bit, right? I even specially designed a pattern for each scarf! It was a laborious task that took several nights!

Although the party was canceled, the gifts still had to be given. However, Ren Suo was fully booked from midnight to midnight on Christmas Day, leaving him no time to deliver gifts. Thus, he planned to give out all the scarves on Christmas Eve. It was easy enough to handle those within the academy, but for those outside, Ren Suo had to make a trip himself. Unexpectedly, Qiao Muyi was not at the Tactical Bureau.

As he stepped out of the Tactical Bureau, Ren Suo wondered, Should I call Qiao Muyi, or perhaps wait and give it to her when we meet tomorrow?

"Came to see me?"

A slender hand hooked around Ren Suo's neck. He turned his head to see Qiao Muyi standing beside him, smiling at him playfully.

During work hours, Qiao Muyi naturally wore her black Tactical Bureau vest, her long hair bundled up, seemingly with light makeup. Her slightly upturned lips bore a smile, and her narrowed, fox-like eyes always seemed full of mischief, giving her a crisp and neat appearance overall. She was wearing a low-cut undershirt today, and when Ren Suo looked down, he could see her neck, as white as jade, and her captivating clavicle. Noticing Ren Suo's gaze, Qiao Muyi giggled, touched the scarf around Ren Suo's neck, and feigned a sigh. "It must be nice. Some people don't even have to leave their front door to have a scarf to wear, while some poor little girls have to run about in the wind and rain with nothing at all…"

"Well, it just so happens…"

Ren Suo took out a scarf from the kraft paper bag and wrapped it around Qiao Muyi, saying, "The wind is quite piercing today, right? I also wore a scarf when I went out, not just for warmth, but mainly to block the wind... I didn't realize that Lianjiang's winter could be so windy. I'll need to buy a mask too. Actually, the mask you gave me was pretty good, but having 'Young Master Mu is the best' written in big letters on it is just too embarrassing to wear in public…"

Ren Suo prattled on and finally got the scarf snugly around Qiao Muyi. He nodded with satisfaction. "Hmm, not bad. It suits Young Master Mu well."

Qiao Muyi looked down at her scarf. It was pure white with no pattern, very ordinary, the kind you could buy anywhere on the street.

But Qiao Muyi possessed the "Detective's Eye"; she could tell at a glance that this was a hand-knitted scarf.

She suddenly turned to another beautiful Tactical Cultivator who was watching the interaction and said, "Fei Fei, you go on ahead."

Then she pulled a bewildered Ren Suo away, walking a good distance before stopping. She turned to face him and asked, "Tell me, why did you knit a scarf for me?"

Ren Suo scratched his head. "No reason really…"

"But this isn't like you. First, you don't seem like the type to give others gifts, and second, you don't seem like you would make gifts by hand." Qiao Muyi stared at Ren Suo. "You... remembered something?"

"What?"

"Never mind, it's nothing…" Qiao Muyi looked slightly saddened but then quickly smiled again. "Knitting the scarf must have taken a lot of time, right? Tell me, why are you trying to please me? State your request; I might just grant it out of Compassion."

"No requests," Ren Suo shook his head.

"You must have a reason then," Qiao Muyi said calmly. "Did you already know you wouldn't be able to write your thesis this month? The Deputy Director does indeed have the authority to make some exceptions…"

Ren Suo waved his hands. "No, it's not about that or any other reason... I just suddenly thought that I should give you a gift on Christmas."

Qiao Muyi blinked. "No reason?"

"No reason."

"Just because you wanted to give it to me?"

"Just because I wanted to give it to you."

"Really?"

"Really."

"You're not lying to me?"

"If I lie to you, I'm a puppy."

Qiao Muyi bowed her head, looked left and right, and quietly lifted the scarf, covering her face. She suddenly felt her tongue tie itself in knots. Her usual witty remarks and sharp tongue lost all their power; she didn't know how to continue talking to Ren Suo, nor did she know what to say to him.

What was this? I was prepared for a long-term struggle, and he just surrendered after 20 minutes? So this pig finally learned how to go after the cabbage?

A wave of embarrassment filled her body, and she didn't even dare to look at Ren Suo's face. Compared to Ren Suo regaining his former memories, him suddenly being so consciously good to her now felt even more overwhelming.

"...However, if this could exempt me from the two essays this month, that would be great," Ren Suo said seriously.

PFFT.

Although she still felt her face burning with shame, Qiao Muyi was no longer nervous, feeling both amused and moved. She didn't lower her scarf, just looked at Ren Suo and laughed, "Dream on! If you haven't finished by the end of the month, I'll lock you in the Tactical Bureau's little black room in the basement until you're done!"

Ren Suo shuddered. "Does the Tactical Bureau really have such a dark place?"

"Of course, it does!" Qiao Muyi hummed. "Don't think a scarf can bribe me! Unless you knit one for me every year!"

Ren Suo scratched his head. "Every year…? But maybe you don't like scarves. If you don't like them…"

"Whether I like it or not, you gave it to me, so it's mine!" Qiao Muyi glared at Ren Suo and said fiercely, "If you dare take it back, I'll chop off your pig trotters!"

Ren Suo shrugged. "I'm glad you're willing to accept it."

At that moment, Qiao Muyi suddenly thought of something and looked at Ren Suo suspiciously, asking, "Besides this scarf, have you knitted any others?"

Ren Suo was very honest. "Yes."

Qiao Muyi ground her teeth but still asked in a pleasant tone, "Who have you given them to?"

"Given them to...?" Ren Suo blinked. "I've given them to my dad, my mom, and my sister…"

Only to his family members and me?

Qiao Muyi blinked, facing Ren Suo's gaze. She instinctively wanted to Dodge but eventually forced herself to look back and bravely met his eyes.

Seriously? I'm supposed to be the Demon King, so how did it turn out that he's the Demon King, and I'm the Brave one now?

Qiao Muyi silently berated herself for being much more timid than before. Previously, she flirted with Ren Suo with the mindset of 'one more day of romance is one more day gained,' but now she had the cautious attitude of 'we have a lifetime to be together,' so naturally, she wasn't as wild and fierce as before.

She tried to make conversation, asking, "Why is it white?"

"I don't know…" Ren Suo tilted his head, thought for a moment, and then said, "But I felt you would like snow white, so I didn't make any pattern, just knitted a plain scarf."

Snow white, Qiao Muyi smiled warmly. She did indeed like snow white because Ren Suo liked to play in the snow, and she loved watching him play; it always looked so funny and joyful.

"So, are you busy this afternoon?" Qiao Muyi took a deep breath. By the time she spoke these words, she had already prepared to dump all her work on Yao Fei.

"Yeah, I am." Ren Suo spread his hands. "I need to rush back to the academy."

Qiao Muyi paused momentarily, uttered an "Oh," then waved her hand and said, "Then… goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Watching Ren Suo walk away like that, even casually tossing the kraft paper bag into a trash can, Qiao Muyi felt a bit bewildered for a moment. She touched the snow-white scarf and suddenly decided to leave work early today to pay a visit to Ren Suo's place in the evening.

Qiao Muyi's main purpose, naturally, was to tease Ren Suo to replenish her Energy, as chatting through her phone no longer satisfied her today. Her secondary purpose was to see if she could find Dong Chengling and show off the hand-knitted scarf to her.

Oh, if only Ren Suo could be sweeter, warmer, and have a frothy topping, like a fancy drink. His current flavor isn't bad, but it could definitely be improved...

As she pondered her strategy for tonight, she walked back to the Tactical Bureau with a light step.

If sweet romance isn't in the cards for me, I guess plain flavor will do too.