#never changing

Play piano and be below average at it,

Write a poem and reach nobody,

Express yourself only to blend in,

Designer’s Reflection: Thousand Wishes

Obtained: first Chinese New Year hell event

Rarity: UR

Attribute: Green/Fresh

Awakened Suit: Thousand Memories

Story - transcripts from Design’s Reflections

Chapter 1 - Blossoms Fall

Chapter 2 - Blooming Flowers

Chapter 3 - Winter Arrives

Chapter 4 - Spring Returns

Chapter 5 - Blooming Again

Story - summarized

Everyone ages, but not Yexiao. Ten years could pass by, and not a single part of her will change. She used to live with a family of three and spend time painting with the little girl. Unfortunately, the other villagers were scared of her unique trait and formed a mob to try to run her out of town,

The little girl rushed to defend Yexiao, leaving the child with a scar on her arm. Tearfully, the two of them said goodbye. So, Yexiao drifted from town to town, never staying longer than a few years at a time. And every time she left, her memories would fade. It was like starting over with the seasons, but it still hurt to let go of something so precious.

During one of her moves, she comes to Cloudcrest, to the home she currently stays in. An elderly lady lives there, too, and Yexiao finds contentment caring for her and painting the blossoms in the yard. Just as she is getting comfortable, a young man finds her and asks about her paintings. He mentions a legendary designer of old who would make similar paintings to Yexiao’s.

She worries that this man has figured out her secret. After he leaves, she packs her belongings and tries to leave. But the old lady falls ill, and while her last living child lives in town, she still needed attention. Yexiao decides to wait until the lady is better before leaving Cloudcrest.

Seasons change, but the old lady is still sick. When spring comes, the young man comes to call again. This time, he shows a painting that came from the same yard that Yexiao and the old lady live in. It’s not Yexiao’s painting, so that means it has to be the old lady’s.

But something in the painting is familiar. Memories resurface, and Yexiao asks to check the old lady’s arm. Sure enough, there is a scar there - the same scar the little girl had when she defended Yexiao from the angry mob.

This is that little girl! A hundred years have passed, and she is still here.

The young man knows, but he never had any attention of tattling on her. His name is Qin Yi, and he only wants her help in finding the Puzzle Solver. Otherwise, he leaves her alone.

Yexiao enjoys the rest of the season painting with the old lady in the yard.

Connections

-Qin Yi asks if Yexiao is the Puzzle Solver. In Vol. 1, you help Nikki find the Puzzle Solver to unlock the secret of Leonid’s Manuscript.

-This is not the first time Yexiao has had to deal with her immortality. In Mind Maze Ch. 5, she used to live in Banyan Town, which was a perfect village that lasted forever - until waters from the Ocean of Memories seeped through and slowly destroyed everything, except Yexiao.

-While the Yexiao we know was “born” on the Ark (and therefore can’t age or die by natural causes), we time travel to the past in the Dunhuang hell event and see Yexiao working for Queen Joyeux. This may very well be Yexiao’s “original self,” who could still age and change.

Fun Facts

-During the hell event, when Nikki and Momo collect wishes in Luming’s place, they find Yexiao’s wish. All she wants is to live a content life, to enjoy her life, and that nothing changes again.

-In Chinese symbology, peaches are tied to immortality.