My Girlfriend is a Cold and Aloof Sickly Beauty 110

Chapter 110: Don’t Look Back

With another person joining them, Jiang Xue, driven by curiosity, couldn’t help but look back at Cang Ling frequently.

Cang Ling was quiet, only becoming animated and talkative when she saw the tour boats earlier.

Jiang Xue had never heard of this person… no, this soul, before. She had only heard a brief explanation from her older sister about Cang Ling’s identity in the ancient world and her relationship with Princess Zhemei.

But A-Xi seemed to know something, which was why she had urged them to return.

Normally, Jiang Xue would have rushed back to the Xie family’s home with the soul, but today, both Xiao Luohan and Cang Ling wanted to continue exploring the streets, so she could only apologize to A-Xi.

As she was thinking this, the hand she was holding with Xiao Luohan was gently scratched, making her almost moan.

Xiao Luohan didn’t say anything, just using this method to bring her girlfriend’s attention back.

When Jiang Xue looked over, Xiao Luohan showed her a small, cute, mini Maneki-neko (beckoning cat) keychain with an inscription. “I want this.”

Cang Ling’s wording earlier had reminded Xiao Luohan that when shopping with her girlfriend, she should also be more direct, saying “I want” instead of “I would like.”

Jiang Xue saw that the keychain was a type of accessory that had been popular when she was in elementary school. She hadn’t expected them to still be sold in the ancient town.

“Just one character?” she asked, looking at the character “Xue” (Snow).

Xiao Luohan thought for a moment, then picked another character, “Yu” (Jade), and asked the owner to string them together.

“Do you want ‘Yu Xue’ or ‘Xue Yu’?” the owner asked.

“Xue Yu,” Xiao Luohan replied without hesitation.

Since she was the one wearing it, she naturally put Jiang Xue first.

She didn’t know that Jiang Xue’s eyes widened behind her upon hearing this.

Jiang Mei, who knew what the order of characters in a couple’s name meant, suppressed a smile and didn’t say anything.

“Falling snow covers bright jade,” Cang Ling said thoughtfully after the owner finished stringing the keychain.

Jiang Xue: …

Even if you know the meaning, don’t say it out loud!

And, it wasn’t like that! She wasn’t the “bright jade”! If anything, she preferred being… ahem!

Even though she was a little frustrated, the order was chosen by Xiao Luo, so she didn’t say anything, watching as Xiao Luo carefully attached the keychain to her phone case.

“Is this okay?”

After walking a few steps, Xiao Luohan suddenly held up the keychain and whispered into Jiang Xue’s ear.

She hadn’t understood the deeper meaning of “Xue Yu” at first, but thanks to Cang Ling’s hint, she had to tease Jiang Xue.

Jiang Xue gave an awkward but polite smile, afraid that Xiao Luo would ask more directly. She quickly put an arm around Xiao Luohan, indicating her agreement.

However, a promise was a promise, and fulfilling it would have to wait—school was about to reopen, and they should focus on their studies, not fooling around like the past few days.

The ancient town was full of handicraft shops and local specialty stores, but since it was a tourist area, the prices were high. The inscribed keychain they had just bought was actually the cheapest item.

Jiang Xue had prepared the money, waiting for Xiao Luohan to choose something, but she saw that Xiao Luohan seemed to like everything, yet left each shop empty-handed.

After visiting the third shop like this, she finally couldn’t help but whisper, “Don’t worry about the money, just buy whatever you like.”

“I don’t like anything enough to buy it,” Xiao Luohan shook her head, showing her the keychain. “I won’t stand on ceremony with you.”

Handicrafts were only for display, nothing more. And she remembered seeing similar items online. Compared to the exorbitant prices in these shops, it was better to buy them online.

Not being able to buy anything for her girlfriend made Jiang Xue feel a little guilty.

Before leaving this shop, she bought a bamboo pen holder, a bamboo bookmark carved with a water town landscape, and even a DIY miniature house of the ancient town, packaged in an exquisite gift box.

These were all things she liked and planned to give to Xiao Luo when they got back, as a small token of her affection.

The sounds from the main stage faded, replaced by the sounds of firecrackers. Looking up, they could see fireworks blooming in the distant sky, like colorful lanterns hanging high above.

“…Are there ‘sky lanterns’ here?” Xiao Luohan asked, looking at the sky.

“Yes, but you have to go to a designated area, and they’re only allowed after 8:00 PM,” Jiang Xue explained. “It’s still early. We can go there later, there’s still time.”

“Then should we take the boat first?” Xiao Luohan suggested. “It’s already past 7:00 PM.”

The crowds on the street were indeed starting to thin out. Jiang Xue looked towards the pier through a narrow alley and nodded. “We can queue up now. We can take the boat tour around the town and then go release sky lanterns.”

Her plan was good, but as they passed by a roasted pork knuckle shop on their way to the pier, Cang Ling stopped.

“It smells so good, it must be delicious!” she said, tugging on Jiang Mei’s clothes and looking at her longingly, her gaze actually directed at the other soul in her body. “Your Highness, I want…”

“Buy it. I’ll help you with your work for half an hour tomorrow, doing the reports,” Xiao Linghan immediately said to Jiang Mei.

Reports were Jiang Mei’s least favorite but unavoidable task, just recording and organizing information, tedious and time-consuming.

“That’s not necessary,” Jiang Mei said with a wry smile, buying a roasted pork knuckle for Cang Ling, its skin crispy and the meat tender, and asked her two younger sisters if they wanted any.

Jiang Xue felt hungry just from the smell, and after hesitating for a few seconds, Xiao Luohan also nodded.

Dr. Qi had only said to eat less greasy food. She could have a few bites to try it.

Jiang Xue and Xiao Luohan started eating their pork knuckles as soon as they received them, but Cang Ling couldn’t eat hers immediately.

“I know the ritual for offering food to souls, but I need talisman paper, cinnabar, and special incense,” Cang Ling said, staring at the pork knuckle and swallowing hard. “Do you have any?”

“Even if we did, you can’t just perform rituals anywhere in the ancient town,” Xiao Linghan reminded her helplessly. “Just take it home and heat it up later. Can you wait?”

Cang Ling closed her eyes in agony.

Jiang Xue and Xiao Luohan couldn’t hear Xiao Linghan, but judging by Cang Ling’s expression, they knew that the request had been denied.

But Cang Ling was optimistic and, after a moment of sadness, said, “Don’t worry about me, let’s go. I just… haven’t eaten anything in a long time, and I wasn’t a foodie before.”

“Then let’s buy everything you want to eat while we walk to the pier,” Jiang Xue suggested. “We won’t be out for too long, and it’s not heavy to carry.”

So by the time they queued up for the boat tour, everyone was carrying at least one bag of food.

Some were snacks that Cang Ling had chosen, and some were for Jiang Xue and the others to eat as dinner. They had left early and had been walking for so long, so they were indeed hungry.

The queue wasn’t too long, but there was a small incident when it was their turn.

Jiang Mei instinctively paid for four people.

The young woman operating the boat returned the extra money, joking, “Sis, even if you want to support my work, you don’t have to pay extra!”

Cang Ling, the “fare evader,” sat at the bow of the boat, where a lantern was placed, her silver Office of Astronomy “uniform” spread around her, like a night-blooming cereus.

She looked up, admiring the colorful lanterns passing by, humming an ancient and sacred melody.

There was a commentary throughout the boat tour, but Jiang Mei, using the excuse of “having heard it every year,” asked the boat operator to rest her voice, actually not wanting to disturb Cang Ling’s enjoyment.

Accompanied by the melody, Jiang Xue and Xiao Luohan leaned against each other, occasionally admiring the scenery and the people along the river, and the brilliant fireworks.

Under the night sky, the line between dream and reality seemed to blur, and for a moment, Xiao Luohan felt like she was in a dream.

—Everything now was a dream, and she was actually… still trapped in the palace of a foreign land.

“There’s no need for that,” Cang Ling’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “You’ve already come here, and the passage is sealed. There’s no way to go back, so why worry?”

Xiao Luohan came back to her senses, startled, and lowered her gaze, meeting the young woman’s calm eyes.

She instinctively looked at Jiang Xue, then heard Cang Ling say, “I’m only telling you this, this much is still easy for me to do.”

“I just don’t understand why you would think that way,” the young woman blinked. “Do you not trust my and Princess Zhemei’s abilities?”

Xiao Luohan composed herself, shook her head slightly while Jiang Xue was captivated by the night view, and explained in a low voice, “Everything here is too beautiful.”

So beautiful that it felt like a dream… no, in the past, limited by her environment and experiences, she couldn’t even imagine such a beautiful dream.

“Since it’s ‘beautiful,’ you should ‘enjoy’ it, shouldn’t you?” Cang Ling countered, then added, “Although I don’t quite understand what ‘beautiful’ and ‘enjoy’ truly mean, since everyone says so, there must be some profound reason, right?”

“Xiao Luo,” just then, her lover’s soft voice reached her ears. “Let’s come again next year?”

There was no “if”—if you’re free, if my studies aren’t too busy…

Jiang Xue made a definite promise, just like when she had promised to take her to the fireworks display next year.

“Not just next year,” Xiao Luohan said, “I want to come here with you every year.”

Her elder sister had come over, and even the behind-the-scenes helper she didn’t know had also come here. The only one still stuck in the past, treating it as a nightmare, was probably herself, right?

She should also move on, let go of all the things that scared her, and never look back.

Even when they got off the boat and released the sky lanterns, the wish she wrote was a yearning for the future:

【Wishing both A-Xue and I get admitted to N University.】

After writing her wish, she carefully tucked the note into the sky lantern, not knowing that Jiang Xue had also written the same wish.

【I hope I can meet Xiao Luo at N University!】

Although the three of them had come to this area together, only Jiang Mei didn’t release a sky lantern.

“Don’t you have any wishes to make to the gods?” Cang Ling asked.

“I believe in myself,” Jiang Mei said.

It wasn’t that she didn’t respect ghosts and spirits, but she felt that these supernatural powers were beyond human control. It was better to focus on her own efforts and let things take their natural course.

On their way home, Jiang Xue and Xiao Luohan were still in the back seat, while Cang Ling sat in the passenger seat, Xie Xitong’s usual spot, looking out the window.

Sometimes, she would suddenly sit up straight, and Jiang Mei, who was driving, would instinctively say, “A-Xi, sit properly.”

“A-Xi is the me of this world, right?” Cang Ling obediently sat back down. “Are you taking me to her home? Can I still come back to see Your Highness?”

“If you want to live with us, it’s not…” Jiang Xue instinctively blurted out, but remembering that Cang Ling was a soul and could pass through walls, immediately changed her words. “No! A-Xi has been urging me all night, wanting to see you. She really wants to keep you!”