Chapter 38 Main Story End

“And last time, at your club gathering, didn’t they get you drunk? I was originally going to pick you up, but in the end, wasn’t it Little Qiu who went?”

“Weren’t you the one who told her to come?”

Bai Shuangshuang shakes her head. “Little Qiu went on her own. Now that I think about it, Little Qiu has indeed liked you for quite a while. You’re really oblivious—even as the person involved, you didn’t notice at all?”

Jiang Chan feels a bit aggrieved. “How could I possibly notice? You’ve had a little sister since you were young, but I don’t know how sisters normally get along, so I thought she was just being nice to me because I’m older than her. Wait—no, thinking about it carefully, your sister isn’t normal either.”

“…”

“This isn’t about me right now. Since Little Qiu has been so straightforward, what about you? How are you going to respond?”

Jiang Chan irritably scratches her hair and suddenly flops onto the table. “I don’t know! This is so annoying!”

Bai Shuangshuang comfortingly pats her head. “Yeah, it’s indeed pretty tricky. I don’t want to push you into making any decisions—it has to be up to you. If you have feelings for her too, why not give it a try? But if you truly have no interest, tell her sooner rather than later. Dragging it out won’t be good for either of you. I’ll go find A-Sheng first then. Take some time to calm down and think it through, and let me know once you have an answer.”

“Um.”

…

Bai Tongsheng isn’t surprised at all about Wen Yuqiu liking Jiang Chan.

“She’s made it so obvious—only Jiang Chan and you didn’t notice.”

Bai Shuangshuang asks curiously, “You knew about it ages ago? Then why didn’t you tell me?”

She looks at her. “Do I seem like someone who’d tell you about something like that?”

Bai Shuangshuang chooses to stay quiet.

“So, do you think Jiang Chan likes Little Qiu?”

A dark glint flickers in Bai Tongsheng’s eyes. “Who knows.”

…

Jiang Chan likes Wen Yuqiu.

When Bai Shuangshuang receives the news that Jiang Chan and Wen Yuqiu are together, she can’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Both of them are her good friends. If one of them developed different feelings and made things awkward between them, she really wouldn’t know how to interact with them going forward.

Now that they like each other, it’s the best outcome she could have hoped for.

Still, Bai Shuangshuang has some lingering worries.

“If you’re together, will your families approve?”

Jiang Chan sends over a photo—black words written on a sheet of white paper.

She’s seen the handwriting before; it’s Wen Yuqiu’s.

[If it’s you, I think I have enough courage to face the storms together with you.]

“I’ll be right there with her.”

…

“I caught her.”

“Got it. What do you want?”

“I haven’t figured it out yet. I’ll tell you when I do.”

“Sure.”

…

One year later, on Wen Yuqiu’s birthday.

In the glow of the candlelight, she clasps her hands together, closes her eyes, and begins making a wish.

This year, she only has one wish.

—She hopes Jiang Chan never finds out about that bet.

…

“Bai Tongsheng, do you still remember the bet we made back then?”

“I do. Have you decided what you want?”

“Yeah. I want you to forget all about this bet. There was never any bet between us, okay?”

“You’ve fallen for her?”

“Yeah, I like her a lot. So… I regret it.”

“Does it really change anything?”

She knows exactly what she’s referring to and smiles faintly.

“It does.”

—This way, she can tell herself that she pursued her out of genuine liking, not for any other reason.

…

Bai Shuangshuang jolts awake from the dream and sits bolt upright.

She doesn’t want to dwell on those vivid yet distant scenes from the dream.

Bai Tongsheng wakes up too, pulls her into a hug, and gently asks, “Did you have a nightmare?”

Bai Shuangshuang hugs her tightly in return. “A-Sheng, I’m scared. I’m so scared.”

Her heart aches as she whispers tenderly by her ear, “Everything in the dream was fake. Don’t be afraid—I’m here. I’m right here…”

Bai Shuangshuang stays buried in her embrace for a long while before finally lifting her head. Her voice is hoarse as she asks, “What day is it today?”

“The third. Why?”

She shakes her head, slowly pushes her away, and lies back down. “It’s nothing. Let’s sleep.”

The third—that’s the day.

—The day Yu Xichi and Bai Bingyang died unexpectedly in their previous life.

Bai Tongsheng doesn’t press further. She lies down too, draws her into her arms, and gently pats her back again and again.

But Bai Shuangshuang can’t fall back asleep.

…

“Then we’ll head out! We’ll bring back some wedding candies for you tonight!”

After saying this to Bai Shuangshuang, Yu Xichi turns to leave.

She suddenly threw her arms around her, hugging her so tightly it was as if the other woman might vanish forever.

Yu Xichi patted her head. “What’s gotten into you today, Shuangshuang? It’s been ages since you last hugged Auntie like this, but I’m about to be late. How about Auntie gives you a big hug when she gets back tonight?”

With that, she shot Bai Tongsheng a smug glance, as if to say, See? Shuangshuang hugged me first.

Bai Tongsheng pulled the girl back into her own arms, her face cold as she shooed Yu Xichi away. “Didn’t you say you were out of time? Then go already.”

“Fine, fine, I’m going. Such a spoilsport. Shuangshuang, Auntie’s off!”

Bai Shuangshuang bit her lip hard, forcing a smile onto her face. “Auntie, I’ll wait for you to come back.”

There was nothing she could do. Years ago, she hadn’t been able to stop Bai Binghan from leaving, and she knew all too well that this time would be no different.

All she could do was wait.

Wait and see if fate’s course could be altered.

“Okay, Auntie will hurry back.”

Bai Tongsheng loosened her hold on the girl in her arms and gently wiped away the tears streaming silently down her cheeks with her fingertip. “What kind of nightmare was it that you still haven’t shaken it off?”

Bai Shuangshuang shook her head and buried her face in Bai Tongsheng’s embrace once more. “A-Sheng, hold me.”

It was rare to see her so fragile, so Bai Tongsheng held her tongue, waiting patiently for her to open up.

~~~

Three fifty-six.

Bai Shuangshuang would never forget that exact moment.

She stared fixedly at the numbers glowing on her phone’s lock screen.

It was about to change.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

Beep—

It came anyway.

Her expression went blank, her hands shaking as she answered the call. The voice on the other end delivered the exact same words she remembered from her previous life.

“Is this Miss Bai Shuangshuang? This is Weimin Hospital. There’s been a car accident at Hongxiang Road Intersection. Ms. Yu Xichi and Mr. Bai Bingyang were in one of the vehicles. Their injuries aren’t severe—just some leg trauma. If you’re able, could you come down now?”

She froze. What had she just heard?

Before she could pull herself from the depths of her grief, the voice on the line changed.

“Shuangshuang! It’s Auntie. Sorry about this—we had a little mishap on the road. Don’t worry, Auntie and Uncle are both fine. If you’re tied up, you can swing by later when it suits you—”

“I’m not busy! I-I’m coming right now!”

She scrubbed the tears from her face and shot up from the sofa, her voice frantic. “Auntie, you’re both really okay? You’re really okay, right?”

Yu Xichi was startled by the raw intensity in her voice and quickly pieced it together. “Silly girl, Auntie and Uncle are tougher than nails. The heavens aren’t ready to take us yet. No more tears—it’s just a bit of leg trouble. Rest up a few days and we’ll be good as new. Hand the phone to Shengsheng; I want a word with her.”

Sobbing and laughing all at once, she thrust the phone at Bai Tongsheng, who was approaching with a fruit platter. Bai Tongsheng’s face shifted the instant she saw her, but before she could speak, Bai Shuangshuang flung herself into her arms.

“A-Sheng, it’s wonderful. They’re okay. They’re really okay.”

Bai Tongsheng held the trembling girl close, noting the ongoing call on the screen, and took the phone.

By the time she hung up, Bai Shuangshuang had steadied herself.

“Now will you tell me what you dreamed about?”

Bai Shuangshuang sniffled. “I dreamed Auntie and Uncle were in a car crash. They… they didn’t make it.”

Bai Tongsheng pinched her reddened nose. “Is that why you’ve been so out of it all day? Dreams are the opposite of reality, you know that, right?”

Bai Shuangshuang nodded. “Mm.”

“Even so, you’ve got me.”

“No matter what happens, I’ll always be here.”

~~~

“Bai Shuangshuang, for the rest of this life, you belong to me alone.”

With those words, Bai Tongsheng slipped the matching ring onto her finger, took her hand, and pressed a tender kiss to it.

Bai Shuangshuang looked down, her gaze meeting Bai Tongsheng’s as the other woman lifted her head. A soft smile curved her lips. She leaned in close and sealed a kiss—hers alone—upon her eyelids.

“Bai Tongsheng, for the rest of this life, you belong to me alone.”