Although the uneasy feeling had been growing lately, Su Wei had always chalked it up to how girls express friendship. After all, Zhou Xi was a girl too—how could she possibly be at a disadvantage… right?

"Xiao Xi! Where are you touching?!"

"Hehehe… I’m just helping you apply sunscreen!"

"I can reach the front myself."

"No worries, I’ll do all of it!"

"Scram!"

After a bout of playful tussling, the two floated side by side on inflatable rafts, drifting with the gentle sway of the waves. How long could this blissful moment last?

"Once we graduate, moments like this will be hard to come by," Zhou Xi murmured, her voice tinged with quiet melancholy.

"Yeah…"

Su Wei sighed inwardly too. So many believed certain people would never leave their side. Yet time taught everyone: in this world, few walk with you for a lifetime.

Zhou Xi turned toward Su Wei. "Weiwei, after graduation—will you return to Grand Zhou, or stay in Zhaoge?"

"Return to Grand Zhou…" Su Wei replied slowly. "After all, that’s where my roots are."

"Mm…"

Zhou Xi’s expression dimmed slightly, then brightened with a forced smile. "But you’ll be a multinational entrepreneur! You won’t stay in just one country."

"True…"

Su Wei wanted to say the future was uncertain, but didn’t want to hurt Zhou Xi—so she gave a vague nod of agreement.

"Weiwei… if I can’t travel freely someday… would you visit me once a month?"

As she spoke, Zhou Xi’s face softened into the look of an abandoned kitten—pitiful, utterly endearing. Smiling, Su Wei pulled Zhou Xi’s raft closer and gently patted her head.

"Sure~ I’ll drop by whenever I can. Just don’t get tired of me."

"I knew it! Weiwei, you’re the best!"

Relieved, Zhou Xi beamed—then, forgetting she was on a raft, lunged toward Su Wei. The fragile raft tipped instantly. *Splash!* Both tumbled into the sea. Alarmed, the maids on shore dove in and swam desperately toward them.

Zhou Xi, an expert swimmer, could’ve surfaced from a helicopter crash. But Su Wei? Mediocre at best. Seawater flooded her nose and mouth; eyes squeezed shut, legs kicking wildly in panic.

Zhou Xi swiftly wrapped an arm around her and surged upward. Just before breaking the surface—she paused, pulled Su Wei close, and pressed a cool, fleeting kiss to her lips. Then vanished, as if fleeing.

Su Wei hadn’t lost consciousness. She knew not to struggle during rescue—so she stayed perfectly still. But that chill touch… brief, unmistakable.

Back on the surface, Su Wei spat out seawater, rubbed her stinging eyes, and stared wide-eyed at Zhou Xi.

Zhou Xi blinked innocently. "Why’re you looking at me like that?"

Su Wei stayed silent.

"Ugh, fine! I forgot we were on the raft, okay?" Zhou Xi fidgeted under her gaze.

"It’s not that."

"Then what?" Zhou Xi looked genuinely bewildered—as if she hadn’t just blatantly kissed her.

"Nothing." Su Wei’s reply was flat.

Just then, the maids surrounded them.

"Your Highness Di Ji! Are you unharmed?!"

"I’m fine!" Zhou Xi grinned, flashing bright teeth, utterly carefree.

"You nearly gave us heart attacks! If anything happened to you, we’d have no choice but to follow you…"

"Tsk tsk! Don’t say that!"

"Miss Su, are you alright?"

"I’m fine," Su Wei forced a smile, waving weakly.

The maid sighed in relief, shooting Zhou Xi a helpless look. "Your Highness! You’re a strong swimmer, but Miss Su isn’t! What if something happened?"

"Okay, okay, I’m sorry!" Zhou Xi raised her hands in surrender. Only then did the tension ease.

The mood was broken. Zhou Xi had planned beach volleyball with her maids and Su Wei—but Su Wei’s mind was in chaos. She declined with a wave and retreated to her room. Rinsed the sand from her feet, turned on the faucet, leaned against the tiles, and let the water pour over her.

All along, Su Wei believed Zhou Xi saw her only as a close friend. Today shattered that.

Su Wei wasn’t one to overthink. She’d always planned to walk life alone. If Zhou Xi wanted to join… she wouldn’t refuse. But was Zhou Xi ever just an ordinary girl?

Could she choose her own love? Her own path?

Was this all just a game?

Somewhere along the way, Su Wei had grown sentimental too.

*Di Ji.*

The first time she heard it, she didn’t understand. But after the maids slipped up so many times… how could she not?

In ancient Zhou Dynasty China, the king’s daughters were called *Wang Ji*. By the late Warring States era, a branch of the Ji clan fled east—through hardship, across impossible seas with primitive ships—and founded a nation. They adopted "Emperor" from Qin Shi Huang, yet elevated the princess’s title: from *Wang Ji* to *Di Ji*.

Reading that Wikipedia entry, everything clicked.

Why Zhou Xi crossed military zones freely. Why military helicopters circled Grand Zhou at her whim. Why only her dorm building in Zhaoge had security and medics stationed right beside her room.

She was slumming it. Playing at mortal life.

And Su Wei? Just another piece in the game?

Ah… the cruelest trap is believing you matter more than you do.

*You are the dream I cling to with anxious hope. I am but a fleeting presence in your world.*