luckykoi [Trantor]   14-17 minutes


    The night was deep and strewn with looming dense clouds.


    On Dumont Highway, a mboyant hot-red hovercar led the way while an understated matte ck hovercar followed behind. The headlights spilled light that silently rippled past like water.wI6MWx


    Yan Suizhi remembered Fitz had once mentioned:No matter what Gu Yan thinks, even if unterally, I consider him a friend.


    He had always wanted to tell herIts not unteral. Gu Yan feels the same.


    Chrysanthemum Garden.


    At certain moments, friends always had an unspoken understanding hanging between them.


    When he followed Gu Yan to the ground floor, Fitz didnt directly say anything.7edDL4


    She stared hard and long into their eyes for a while, then suddenly smileda relieved smile, as though setting down a weight. Then, she took out the virtual key to her space hovercar, waving it around. The office is a bit stuffy; I feel like going out for a joyride. Wannae?


    Gu Yans face instantly wentdoubt. He looked at her, then headed up to retrieve his coat. Lets go.


    Yan Suizhi saw no reason for that look until they got onto the hover road.


    Thisdy, who imed to be going for a joyride, had chugged across Dumont Highway at thelowestpossible speed limit. Anything on four wheels could have overtaken her.


    o6fxK2


    That being the case, she still had the audacity to direct the hovercar to the fastne, then continued to test the minimum bound of the legal speed limit.


    Eventually, Lawyer Gu was unable to resist turning on the inter-carmunication to connect with Fitz ahead, coolly asking, Miss, do you know what it means to go on a joyride? I suspect I might have misheard youdid you mean taking a stroll?


    Fitzsughter carried across thems channel. Dont be mean. Even your intern isnt afraid of you, so why would I be? To tell you the truth, I dont usually ever drive on hovernes alone. This is already lightning speed for me. If youve any objection, feel free to voice it. Im not going to speed up anyway.


    Gu Yan was momentarily silent. Then what made you decide to choose a space hovercar when buying cars.QAd3zY


    Because its chic.


    Gu Yan shut the inter-carms.


    Yan Suizhi understood Lawyer Gus temper too well. He simply had a tongue that could give people frostbite, but it was more biting the closer the rtionship was. Look there; despite his sharp words, after hanging up, he still followed behind Fitzs car to their destination without fuss.L6rAxy


    After an hour on hover roads, they were long out of Fa Wang District, now cruising along a mountain pass at the outskirts.


    There was even a time difference between their present location and the heart of Fa Wang District. When they started on the scenic road up the mountain, it was 12 midnight local time.


    This mountain had the highest elevation in the area, with a windcatcher at its peak that was open all day. If there ever was the inclination, no matter what hour it was, one could head up to the viewing tform overlooking the entire forestry.


    The windcatcher was always crowded in the spring and summer, but was unpopr in the cooler seasons.8Zhbco


    They had picked the perfect time. The viewing tform at its highest floor was empty.


    Fitz opened the skylight with ease, and the shaded roof withdrew to the side, leaving only colossal ss without supports or seams, the starry sky expanse caging down on them unobstructed.


    Please visit chrysanthemumgarden (dot)


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    He met Miss Fitzs eyes and nodded with a faint smile. Then, he turned his head over, tickling Gu Yans ears, mouthing a question to him, Did she point to the north or to the south? Which is that?


    Gu Yan moved his lips. To the west. The brightest western star on a winter night sky is Skybridge.


    It was one of the wonders of all habitables in the alliance. The sky was perpetually dyed copper-gold like fire due to its unique atmosphericposition. On top of that, the nearest to it, half-obscured by its own moon, was a silver-bright inverted crescent stitched across this sky like a bridge in the clouds.


    Thus its name.dPweRX


    It was rumoured that all inhabitants of Skybridge were pure in heart; passionate and romantic like their ever-constant skies.


    Yan Suizhi wasnt acquainted with that many people hailing from there, but from the few that he did, especially considering Miss Fitz, this belief did seem rather reasonable.


    He asked Fitz, Do you oftene herete at night?


    But this young missy actually shook her head, saying, No, its too deep into the woods. I dare note alone, lest the next thing you know youll be seeing me on the headline news.A59pSM


    She winked at the twowyers, saying unblushingly, I was waiting for the chance to catch a person or two who makes me feel safe, and cajole them to apany me on a trip out. The view here at night is one of a kind. Ive wanted to see it for a long time, yet was never able to dupe anyone overuntil today.


    Yan Suizhi admired the distant band of stars with his hands propped on the railing, and he shook his head, smiling when he heard this. Miss, it isnt that easy to get onto the headline news.


    Yeah, but you know. After working at some ces, you start to have misconceptions of the world, like there always being perverts every hundred metres or so. Fitz counted on her fingers. Like at police stations, courthouses, the prosecutors office, hospitals,w firms. That sort.


    She paused before adding, Although I dont fightwsuits and am only responsible for the admin side of things, I am still exposed to all types of criminal cases every day. Also, due to my family Im sometimes quite prone to extremes, especially in my first two years at Southcross. It was to the point where I almost became delusional that someone was out to get me. Then I found a good method to save myself from falling into paranoia.MD 1IH


    Yan Suizhi casually asked, What is it?


    On the weekends off, head to the various zas around De Carma, or even somece in the alliance. A welfare institution would do too. Order a coffee or something sweet, and find a serene corner to sit for an afternoon.


    Yan Suizhi started minutely.


    It was a method he used to tell his students a long, long time ago to relieve stress. Only it was in private settings, such as at his birthday parties, and only his direct students would have heard him.io9Das


    Though Fitz wasnt one of them, she still did something simr, which could also be a type of chemistry friends had.


    Youd always see a lot of passing moments, sitting in those ces. Fitzs eyes were hooded in her recollection.


    Chrysanthemum Garden.


    Many would gather around a travelling musician, quietly listening to a whole song before paying theirpliments. There were some who shared a bench to rest their feet and would strike up merry conversation. Someone would pick up a child who took a tumble to the ground, and someone would smile adoringly at another persons pet as it pranced by.


    And every time I catch those moments, it counteracts the many negative thoughts I have. Like there arent that many perverts out there and the majority of people are kind and gentle. Fitz shrugged. Of course, thats just what I personally believe. But there was an incident that amused me for a long time.ja PWi


    At that, she slid a look in Gu Yans direction.


    Anything rted to Gu Yan piqued Yan Suizhis interest. Oh? Do share.


    There are always some among the new arrivals at the firm every yearpletely enamoured by our Lawyer Gus handsome face. Men and women both, but its like hes got a signal blocker on, you know? The sort ofany human or animal within an eight kilometre radius of him are all uniformly ssified as living creatures, regardless of gender do genders even exist in his world? Fitz spiritedly roasted Gu Yan.


    You know the like. Anyway, when I first joined thepany, he didnt even spare me a nce. I suspect that he didnt even register whether the new HR was male or female.392FAG


    Miss Fitz was taking the opportunity to air herints.


    Yan Suizhis eyes were curved with a smile.


    Gu Yan really wanted to retort, It wasnt that bad, Im notblind, but he didnt like to interrupt others and so he grudgingly allowed her to carry on with her nonsense.


    Then time passed and, coincidentally, there was once that I went to sit at a welfare institution and watch children y, the donors and volunteers interacting with the childrenand Gu saw me. I dont know if my behaviour reminded him of someone or something, but in any case, after that, his attitude had softened towards me. For a while I even thought that he had a crush on me, but Iter realised that I was wrong.dTCm2W


    Gu Yan mutely pinched the bridge of his nose, exasperated.


    Did you drink before getting into the car? Gu Yan asked.


    Nope, Fitz said, Why do you ask?YwNST9


    Nothing much, it just seems as though youre a little excited tonight, said Gu Yan.


    Fitz nodded. Not seems; Iamexcited. Its really nice to know that you guys are doing the same things as me.


    You didnt know before? This came as a bit of a surprise to them.


    Not really. Fitz said, You guys arent at thew firm often, so how would I know what youre up to? But I did have specte a bitWaQdkU


    She looked at Yan Suizhi and said, It started when you first came in with your registration document. Because its truly not often that I receive someone with a te as nk as yours. I didnt know which side you were on at the time, if either. But I wanted to stir up a bit of trouble for Southcross, take in a vtile element or two. So I epted your registration document without a question. As it turns out, I have a pretty good eye.


    Why? Gu Yan trained his eyes on her.


    Why are you siding with us? Why are you working at Southcross? That was what they had wanted to ask back at thew firm.


    Fitz said, Because of my parents, I guess.ET9Kp0


    Your parents?


    Fitz nodded. She gazed at the faraway star in the west, seemingly taking a walk down memoryne. Yeah my mom, mainly. Our family was well-to-do in my childhood, pockets so deep that we couldnt spend it all. She was eventually inspired by her mother and grandfather to dabble widely in investments. She got involved in many industries. Medical, shipping, raw materials, and even military, to name a few. Later on, she invested in two medicinal mines on Hn. But it was those two medicinal mines that destroyed my family.


    She was imprisoned and passed away there. Because of this, dad kept falling sick for three whole years, wearing down his immune system so badly that even being moved to a sterile room didnt help. He eventually sumbed to sickness.


    Medicinal mines?cQUsd7


    Imprisoned?


    Yan Suizhi and Gu Yan exchanged a look; the more they listened, the more familiar it seemed. Frowning, they contemted it for a moment before tentatively asking, What are their names?


    Fitz said, My dad is Gregory Fitz, a teacher. My mom is Marge Lucy.


    Lucy?gpKW9


    Yeah, what about it?


    Both of them simultaneously recalled the things that Joe had shown them from his sisters video diary, in which a garden party was being held at the Manson Manor.


    A young and aplisheddy, bearing the surname Lucy


    Who likewise owned two medicinal mines, also married a teacher, and was simrly incarcerated shortly afterwards, taking her own life in prison.8jhkG2


    Her story had made both Yan Suizhi and Gu Yan emotional when they first heard it.


    But never had they imagined that she would actually turn out to be Fitzs mother.


    Fitz said softly, Sometimes it made me sad, and I would wonder why couldnt my parents be saved with the present state of healthcare and medical tech in the alliance? I was so convinced that there must have been some kind of conspiracy underfoot. But then I realised that maybe the conspiracy wasnt here, but elsewhere.


    I learned something when I was almost out of universitythe two medicinal mines my parents left behind were taken over by a shell corporation that was, in fact, owned by the partners in Southcross. So I applied to thew firm.g yoKt


    Over the years, she had been hiding within Southcross admin systems, slowly building herself as the firms information hub. But the many distractions made it difficult for her to see beyond Southcross, to reach the bottom of it, and to find out who else was involved. Naturally then, she was also unable to tell who stood on the same side as her.


    For a long time, I felt alone. It was stark. Not knowing who I could help, or who could help me. Fitz gazed into the distance, a few points of starlight pooling in her pretty eyes. But strangely enough, I wasnt afraid. I had this inexplicable confidence that what Im doing must be working, that someone is actually standing with me. I just have to be patient.


    Story tranted by Chrysanthemum Garden.


    So you know why Im so excited tonight? Because I read the run logs and Iknew. That I finally, finally no longer have to guess and wait.


    Fitz smiled as she turned her head to regard them. Atst, Im no longer alone; can there be any happier asion?XkfmSa


    Yan Suizhi mused and said gently, There is truly none.


    The wilderness was quiet through the window, sweeping verdure in rise and fall.


    The inky night was infinite, immense, seemingly dormant with the great unknown.


    And yet overhead, the sky was waxed in starshine. Ofs light-years yonder vaulting the horizon, a vast river of twinkling light whereon stars consteted.femBo7


    Just as how there were always some roads in this cosmosonce set foot upon, youd be safe in the knowledge that youre never alone.


    Edited by snokesun