Chapter 91: A Formal Confession and a Happy Beginning
For some inexplicable reason, the premonition in Ming Fei’s heart grew stronger on the way to One Raccoon Hill.
Arriving at her destination, she held a pre-ordered bouquet of flowers and, guided by the robot cat, followed the path through the woods towards the villa deeper within.
It was already seven o’clock, and having departed from the main urban area, night had fallen, enveloping the entire mountain forest. Pear blossoms covered the ground, and the path leading to the villa was filled with their fragrance.
The diligent robot cat completed its mission, and Ming Fei soon arrived at the pine-colored villa in the forest.
“Meow~”
Ming Fei bent down and patted the kitten’s head. The kitten meowed again, then darted into the bushes and disappeared.
Facial recognition was quickly completed, and the sensor door slowly opened. Ming Fei saw the person who had invited her here in the sunken courtyard surrounded by plants, trees, and a stream. She quickly approached, handing the bouquet, a daily ritual now, to the person in front of her, her almond eyes curving into crescents.
“For the ever-victorious Chief Judge Zhu.”
Zhu Yiqiao had also just arrived a short while ago, still in her Trial Court uniform. She glanced at today’s bouquet—blue hyacinths, purple roses, snow orchids, and orchids—with a card tucked on the side as usual.
“Thank you,” she said. “I like it very much.”
She turned slightly, revealing the area behind her: “I also prepared flowers for Associate Professor Xiao Fei, who achieved such a high position at such a young age.”
Ming Fei looked behind Zhu Yiqiao and saw a beautifully wrapped bouquet of Carillo roses on the long pine table. This was a new variety cultivated in the Independent State two years ago, its meaning—”Meeting you was a miracle.”
It was a flower commonly used for confessions, proposals, and weddings.
Ming Fei’s heart skipped a beat.
She looked at Zhu Yiqiao, speechless, her mind racing, only managing to stammer out a “Thank you, Jiejie.”
Everything that followed was natural. They had dinner together on the villa’s terrace. The meal consisted mostly of Ming Fei’s favorite dishes, each one beautifully presented. Ming Fei picked up food for Zhu Yiqiao with the serving chopsticks, a smile always in her eyes.
“Jiejie, when will the results of the on-site poll be released?”
“Monday.”
According to the regulations of the public opinion poll, both the online and on-site surveys only lasted for one day. Before dinner, Ming Fei had glanced at the online page of the poll and saw that Zhu Yiqiao’s satisfaction rating had risen from 99.5% to 99.6%, and based on the real-time monitoring, it would probably continue to rise in the remaining few hours.
Ming Fei smiled: “Then when will your annual leave start?”
Zhu Yiqiao wasn’t quite sure: “The official notice is January 4th, but the Trial Court might be a day or two later.”
Ming Fei understood and teased her deliberately, “Our winter break starts on the 30th.”
“Teacher Xiao Fei, working hard to educate the future pillars of the country, what are your plans for the holidays besides going to Taoqiu Village?”
Ming Fei replied, “I want to travel.”
She added, “That was my plan two months ago, it has changed now.”
Zhu Yiqiao put down her glass: “Changed to what?”
The fireplace in the distance was burning, making Ming Fei’s ears feel hot. After some thought, she said frankly,
“I’m still in the pursuit stage. Jiejie is usually very busy with work, and I think most of the pursuit tips in the books would cause some trouble for Jiejie’s work, so I plan to focus on pursuing you during the new year holiday.”
Her face also felt a little hot: “I will work very hard.”
This sounded like a canine expressing its loyalty. Zhu Yiqiao felt that Ming Fei had made a lot of progress, at least she wasn’t blushing so obviously. However, her serious demeanor as she tried to remain calm was truly cute.
Zhu Yiqiao liked it very much.
Zhu Yiqiao couldn’t take her eyes off her.
Zhu Yiqiao… didn’t answer. Only when Ming Fei asked if they should go back, almost at 8:30 pm after dinner, did she give her premeditated reply.
“Ah Fei, we’re not going back tonight.”
Ming Fei didn’t ask why: “Mm, then I’ll video call Zaozao.”
“Okay.”
As the video call connected, Ming Fei noticed that Zhu Yiqiao was gone. Ming Zaozao on the display screen was playing with building blocks with Xu Zhou. She was wearing a little panda outfit today, so cute that Ming Fei had taken many pictures of her before leaving.
Hearing Ming Fei say that she would be staying out for the night, Ming Zaozao nodded repeatedly, then holding a warm pink building block, said in a childish voice,
“Mommy, have fun outside.”
“Be careful, don’t catch a cold.”
Like a little adult, she gave many instructions, then blew a kiss to Ming Fei and waved goodbye before hanging up.
The room gradually became quiet.
Just as Ming Fei started looking for Zhu Yiqiao, the entire villa suddenly went dark. The moment Ming Fei’s vision was obstructed, petal candles, which had appeared at some point, were lit, forming a winding path from the sofa where she was sitting to the staircase.
Eh?!
What was this?
Ming Fei was a little confused. Holding her phone, she originally wanted to call Zhu Yiqiao, but realizing that the petal candles seemed to be some kind of guide, she followed the candlelit path, from the first floor to the function hall on the second floor.
Candlelight flickered, and through the French window, Ming Fei saw the moon hanging in the sky.
Bathed in the clear moonlight, the panoramic French window suddenly turned into a floating screen, and a video started playing. Ming Fei didn’t understand Zhu Yiqiao’s intention. Seeing her thirteen-year-old self in the video, she froze.
Because it wasn’t just the thirteen-year-old “Tree of Mystical Jade,” but also the seventeen-year-old “One Raccoon Hill.”
It was them, when they first met online, but had never seen each other in person.
In the video, everything took a different turn. The twenty-eight-year-old Zhu Yiqiao gave a completely different answer. On the day they were supposed to disappear from each other’s worlds, One Raccoon Hill didn’t delete her account, but after learning that Tree of Mystical Jade was going back to the orphanage, asked her if she could wait for her somewhere, she wanted to meet her.
The thirteen-year-old Tree of Mystical Jade said, “Okay, I’ll wait for you.”
They met sooner than expected, and at the moment they met, they exchanged gifts. Tree of Mystical Jade was very happy, because even though she had been repeatedly abandoned, a good friend had never left her.
Even more, just as they were about to part, Tree of Mystical Jade heard One Raccoon Hill ask,
“I don’t have a home either, and I’m also going to the South. If you don’t want to go back to the orphanage, do you want to live with me?”
One Raccoon Hill, about to come of age: “I’ll be an adult soon, you don’t have to worry about the paperwork, I’ll have someone take care of it. If… you’re not willing…”
Ming Fei heard Tree of Mystical Jade say, “Really? Is that okay?”
There was a hint of timidity in her voice, her small face filled with anticipation.
Hearing this, One Raccoon Hill took out all the prepared documents, proving to Tree of Mystical Jade that she had the ability and would never abandon her. As if not needing too many reasons, or perhaps the temptation was too great, after a snowfall, Ming Fei saw Tree of Mystical Jade nod.
She said, “Okay.”
Ming Fei’s lips curved into a smile, her heart soft as water.
Then, the two little girls boarded the hover train to the South. But on the first night after arriving in the South and staying in a hotel, they woke up and found themselves in the Independent State of Yi Meng.
Because they had each other, fear and unfamiliarity didn’t overwhelm them.
Their subsequent life trajectories still highly overlapped with reality, just like their original experiences. One Raccoon Hill entered the military academy, became the top student, went to the battlefield after graduation, made countless military achievements, then retired and was transferred to the Trial Court. And Tree of Mystical Jade also entered the best university, won many awards during her studies, graduated early with excellent grades, and stayed at the university as a lecturer, becoming the youngest associate professor.
Every day after transmigrating, they took care of each other, supported each other, and accompanied each other. For them, this life was happy and beautiful.
The video ended on a spring evening.
The sunset glow was like a brilliant fireworks display. The twenty-five-year-old Ming Fei pushed open the door and turned to see Zhu Yiqiao walking towards her, holding a bouquet of green roses.
As the video ended, a spectacular fireworks display ignited on the hill.
Ming Fei, looking through the window, saw the brilliant fireworks form two sentences.
—Rose Star exists, and so do I.
—Ah Fei, look behind you.
Her heart racing beyond a certain threshold, Ming Fei turned around and clearly saw Zhu Yiqiao holding a bouquet of green roses. This scene perfectly overlapped with the video. Zhu Yiqiao was still wearing her uniform, just like their first meeting in Hui Fu Garden, but now, there was no longer any frost or indifference in her eyes.
Her smile was more gentle than a thousand words.
“Ah Fei, I’ve been thinking about how to confess to you.”
“From the day I realized my feelings, I thought about many things. I wanted you to like me too, to feel the same way I did, the same liking. I wanted to take the lead, to be in control.”
“But gradually, I understood that from the moment I fell in love, I could only passively wait for your choice.”
Ming Fei’s reflection appeared in her eyes: “Fortunately, you walked towards me.”
“Last week, in the hallway, you asked me what you were like in my heart. I didn’t answer at the time, but now I think you already know the answer.”
She said clearly, “In my heart, you are irreplaceable.”
Ming Fei was speechless.
Although her premonition had been strong, she hadn’t expected this.
Zhu Yiqiao said, “Fortunately, you walked towards me.” But Ming Fei felt that it was the same for her. Their encounter, their fate, their bond, were already a great fortune in her life.
She walked towards Zhu Yiqiao, her chaotic thoughts and racing heart gradually calming down as rationality returned, amidst the overwhelming joy and happiness.
“…Jiejie.”
“I like—”
Zhu Yiqiao covered her lips, trapping all her words in her palm.
“Ah Fei, I’ve missed a lot, so I hope that through that video, through our time together, you can sense my resolve and allow me to formally express myself to you.”
Then, every word hit Ming Fei’s heart like a hammer.
“I want to tell you—”
“I like you, very much.”
“You asked me if I could give you a chance to pursue me, and I accepted your perfect answer. So, will you let me be a part of your future?”
This was the first time Ming Fei heard Zhu Yiqiao’s heartbeat.
This sound overshadowed everything. Her eyelashes fluttered, and she kissed Zhu Yiqiao’s palm, telling her in this way—her feelings were mutual, she liked her too, the same heart-fluttering, the same liking.
Zhu Yiqiao’s eyes overflowed with a smile. Finally, as she let go of Ming Fei’s hand, she heard Ming Fei’s firm reply.
“—I do.”
Followed by her unreserved sincerity.
“Jiejie, I like you too.”
“I want to be like that Tree of Mystical Jade, taking root in your world from now on.”
