Then let the witch offer her loyalty

In an instant, all sound seemed to be drawn away.

As the skin's perception of the surrounding temperature receded like the tide, her heartbeat and breathing also disappeared. Chen Moxin tried to blink, only to find that her eyelids had lost their weight.

All the material components in his body disappeared, leaving only a final, silent, and invisible "existence" floating quietly.

The scenery before him also changed. The whole world seemed to be covered by a thin layer of ice. Looking around, there were only countless gray and hazy shadows. Everything became semi-transparent, as if the whole world would shatter like a bubble if he exerted the slightest force.

There was no wind, no sound, and no temperature; he had completely detached himself from the material world and become a ghost.

He doesn't even need to move; with just a thought, he can drift forward like mist, gliding across the ground, through walls, and through steel and concrete. All the laws of physics fail before him; nothing can stop him.

And so, Chen Moxin passed through the door and walls without any hesitation and entered the house.

Upon entering Gu Qiaoqiao's room, Chen Moxin deactivated "Refractive Spirit," reverting to physical form and quietly landing.

The room was as clean as ever, and although Gu Qiaoqiao hadn't stayed at home for several days, it still had a faint sweet fragrance.

Chen Moxin opened the "Phase Space" and, using the perception ability that comes with her psionic energy, quickly discovered a hidden compartment under the drawer containing a small booklet.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a diary, and judging from the slightly yellowed pages, it must have been quite old.

A diary is a wonderful thing; it records the deepest secrets in a person's heart.

We might find some clues inside.

only...

Who in their right mind would peek into someone else's diary?

Chen Moxin held the booklet in silence for a moment.

"Luckily, I'm not a decent person."

He flipped open Gu Qiaoqiao's diary.

[August 31, 53rd year of the Long Night]

Tomorrow is my first day of high school! What will high school life be like? I'm nervous but also a little excited!

I'm going to start writing a diary today, recording every day of high school, so I can look back on it slowly when I'm older~

...

[August 1, 53rd year of the Long Night]

The welcome party was so lively! The performances were fantastic and unforgettable!

I also met many classmates today, and everyone was super enthusiastic!

[Especially my deskmate Chen Moxin, he seems very refined and polite, I hope we can get along well~]

...

[August 22, 54rd year of the Long Night]

Half a semester has passed, and winter break is here before we know it.

Looking back on the past six months, I've gained a lot. Not only have I become good friends with my classmates, but I also got into the top ten in the grade in the final exams. Hehe~ I'm so proud of myself!

Speaking of which, Xiao Chen gave me a gift before school ended. I just opened it and it was full of little stars! They're so pretty! I love them!

[There was also his greeting card inside, which read: "Hearing you say 'See you tomorrow' after every evening self-study session is my shortest yet longest happiness."]

Hmm, what does this mean?

...

[August 20, 54rd year of the Long Night]

The new semester has started, and I'm feeling a little down today.

[Xiao Chen asked me to go for a walk on the playground in the evening, and then suddenly took out chocolates and confessed his feelings to me... I was really startled by him.]

I only wanted to study hard in high school and didn't want to date, otherwise it would affect my grades and delay my college entrance exams, so I rejected him.

What should I do with the chocolates he gave me? It doesn't feel right to just return them.

[How about this, I'll invite him to have hot pot on the third floor of the cafeteria tomorrow.]

...

[August 1, 54rd year of the Long Night]

Summer vacation is over, and the second year of high school is about to begin. After the division into arts and sciences tracks, many classmates have gone their separate ways. I miss them so much, sob sob.

Fortunately, there were still some first-year high school students in the class, including Xiao Chen, who was even my deskmate! We're really lucky to have met like this.

[But I remember Xiao Chen's strength was in science, so why is he in our humanities class?]

...

[August 24, 54rd year of the Long Night]

Today is Christmas Eve, and Xiao Chen gave me a "peace apple" and also wrote me a love letter.

He's actually a really good guy, very persistent and kind, but I really didn't want to date in high school.

Moreover, I personally prefer the tough, masculine type, like Brother Jing who played the role in "War of the Dragons".

[What Xiao Chen said, well, it's a bit too delicate.]

[Shh, diary, diary, these are things only we know, don't let Xiao Chen hear us, or he'll be sad.]

...

[August 30, 55rd year of the Long Night]

Summer vacation starts tomorrow, and soon it will be time to be a senior in high school. Time really flies!

I also met Xiao Chen's father at the end-of-term parent-teacher meeting today. Uncle Chen is a very funny and humorous person.

Uncle Chen told me that Xiao Chen's mother passed away when he was very young. I hope God will be kind to this kind boy and spare him further suffering.

...

[August 28, 56rd year of the Long Night]

[The rally was electrifying!]

[Let's make this final 100-day sprint so that our youth will be without regrets!]

[And... you idiot Chen, stop writing me love letters!]

You're always getting distracted; you didn't do well on the last mock exam and even got criticized by the teacher.

You must prioritize your studies. Once you get into your dream university, there will be a girl more suitable for you than me.

Let's cheer each other on, my comrades of three years!

...

[August 8, 56rd year of the Long Night]

The college entrance exam is over. When I walked out of the exam hall after finishing the last exam, I felt a little dazed. It felt like I entered high school just yesterday, and the memories of my three years of high school were so vivid.

After dinner, the classmates and teachers went to a karaoke bar. Everyone was happy at first, but later fewer and fewer people were laughing, and the atmosphere became increasingly sad.

When the song switched to "Ten Years," I don't know who started crying first, but everyone started crying, and I couldn't help but cry too.

I also saw Xiao Chen; he was sitting alone in a corner, watching me, silently shedding tears.

Thank you for your three years of high school, Xiao Chen.

[Sorry, Xiao Chen, for my three years of high school]

...

[August 6, 56rd year of the Long Night]

[A month has passed since the college entrance exam ended. At first, I felt sad about parting, but I've gradually gotten used to the fact that I'm now separated from everyone else by a great distance.]

[Soon you'll be a college student. What's college life like?]

[Hoping to find a sweet and romantic love!]

Speaking of which, I had a dream last night...

...

...

...

Gu Qiaoqiao woke up from her dream, opened her eyes and looked out at the bright sunshine. The bright light carried a hint of languor. She recalled the sweet and romantic dream she had last night, thinking of the boy who appeared in the dream, and her heart was filled with happiness.

After getting up and washing up, Gu Qiaoqiao started tidying up her room, packing all her personal belongings into a suitcase, and then cleaning the room where she had lived for a month until it was spotless.

"Knock knock knock." Just then, a knocking sound rang out on the door.

A young girl peeked in from outside the door and blinked: "Qiaoqiao, are you leaving today?"

Gu Qiaoqiao smiled and said, "Yes, it was approved yesterday. Starting today, I'm being transferred from 'general detention' to 'free detention,' and I can go home."

The girl pouted sadly and said, "Waaah... no one will play with me anymore."

Gu Qiaoqiao went up and gave the girl a hug: "Don't worry, I'm just going home to stay. I can come back anytime I want. I'll come to visit you often."

The girl smiled broadly and said, "Yeah, I'll try my best to behave well so that if I get the chance to be transferred to free containment in the future, I can go out and play with you."

The girl chatted with Gu Qiaoqiao while helping her pack her luggage and clean the house.

While wiping the table, the girl noticed an exquisite gift box on the bedside table and couldn't help but wonder, "What's this?"

Gu Qiaoqiao looked over, her face flushing slightly for some reason. She hurriedly took the item and stuffed it into her bag, saying, "You can't look at this..."

The girl looked enlightened and said with a mischievous smile, "Little cabbage, this is obviously for someone. He's celebrating your birthday today, you must be so happy, right?"

Gu Qiaoqiao gave the girl a reproachful look, but blushed and remained silent.

"Haha, look how red you are! Okay, I'll stop teasing you. I've also prepared a gift for you. Come on, happy birthday!"

"Waaaah, thank you, baby!"

After packing all her belongings and saying goodbye to her friends, Gu Qiaoqiao left the general detention area with her luggage.

As she just told the girl, starting today, her containment level will be lowered to the lowest level, "free containment".

For most witches, this is something they dream of.

The conditions for transferring a witch to free containment are very strict. Witches must have no prior criminal record, abide by the rules and regulations of the containment area, have good interpersonal relationships, actively assist witch hunters, and so on.

Gu Qiaoqiao met all these conditions, and after a month of general detention, she successfully obtained the status of free detention.

From now on, apart from needing to apply in advance when going to other places and reporting back to the management bureau regularly every month, she will be no different from ordinary people.

They say good things come in pairs.

Today is not only the day she is transferred to free custody, but also her birthday.

Chen Moxin had made an appointment with her yesterday to go home with her today for dinner and celebrate her birthday with her parents.

The house had been tidying up and saying goodbye to friends, which took a lot of time. It was already evening, and Chen Moxin should have finished get off work by now.

The setting sun slanted down from the horizon, casting Gu Qiaoqiao's shadow long and thin. She dragged her suitcase and carried her bag as she walked towards the place she had agreed to meet Chen Moxin.

They've been classmates for seven years, and they should have met countless times.

But this time when they met, Gu Qiaoqiao was a little nervous. Her heart was pounding, her breathing was a little tight, and the tips of her ears were tinged with a light blush.

As she walked, she would occasionally stop to turn on her phone's front-facing camera and check for any flaws in her makeup.

It was supposed to be a natural everyday makeup look that she was good at, and theoretically there shouldn't have been any problems. But she kept feeling that her eyebrows weren't done properly, and that her eyeliner was too thick. The more she looked at it, the more uncomfortable and nervous she became.

Later, she felt she was becoming a little obsessed, but fortunately she took a deep breath to calm herself down and stopped finding fault.

After putting her phone away, she subconsciously glanced at the exquisite gift box in her bag, took it out, opened it, and inspected it.

On the right side of the gift box were packaged chocolates. She usually enjoys researching baking desserts, and these chocolates were handmade by her. She had tasted one herself and found that the slight bitterness was accompanied by a rich sweetness, with a subtle and lingering aftertaste, which she found very satisfying.

On the left was a tie, a low-key navy blue, with subtle patterns running through the fabric upon closer inspection. She had spent a long time choosing this one, as it was neither too flashy nor too understated, yet perfectly complemented Chen Moxin's usual calm and clean demeanor, making it the perfect match for him.

At the very bottom of the gift box, there was also a letter.

This letter is the same in nature as the dozen or so letters Chen Moxin wrote to her over the years.

Sometimes, fate just plays tricks on us.

Back then, she rejected Chen Moxin's letters time and time again.