Chapter 66 The Mystery Behind the Gifts and Blessings.
Shen Mi blushed and ran to open the door.
Jingyuan was left alone in the chair, trying to calm himself down, his hands clenching and unclenching helplessly on the table...
Her hands were softer than he had imagined, tiny in his palm, as if he could crush them with the slightest force.
Jing Yuan covered his face and let out a sigh of regret. He had been too rash just now. It wouldn't be good if Shen Mi got angry with him afterwards.
Finally, forcing myself to remain calm, I picked up the bowl of pudding that was still half full, hoping to eat it to distract myself.
As a result, I scooped up too much and stuffed it all into my mouth.
"Well--"
A chill rushed up my head from my mouth, as if someone had slashed my consciousness with an ice scalpel, making me shiver.
The coolness of the pudding temporarily suppressed his burning emotions, but he sat there motionless, swallowing stiffly after a few seconds, as if he were being punished.
He sighed, rubbed his forehead, and gave a self-deprecating laugh.
"What a spineless person."
But even as he said that, his fingers were still unconsciously rubbing the lingering warmth of his palm, as if he was holding onto something and wouldn't let go.
Shen Mi hadn't returned yet, so he simply propped his chin up and stared blankly at the two spoons on the table, his gaze as gentle as the moon's reflection on the water at night, swaying slowly.
Chen Mi stood in front of the door, composing himself. The tingling sensation in his palms from the previous touch still lingered. His ears felt like they were on fire, and he felt as if he were soaking in a cup of freshly heated, bubbly goat milk, so sweet it was almost bubbly.
She asked tentatively in a low voice, "Who is it?"
The person outside the door said, "It's me, Bai Qi."
Bai Qi? Shen Mi wondered why she would come so late.
She opened the door and saw Bai Qi standing there, carrying large and small bags, her face covered in sweat, clearly having rushed over: "Sorry to bother you so late."
"It's nothing... these things?" Shen Mi subconsciously turned to let her in.
Bai Qi walked in, dumped everything on the shoe-changing stool in the entryway, patted her wrist as if completing a routine task: "My mentor said you passed the exam, and he had a bunch of gifts prepared beforehand, intending to give them to you as soon as possible, but he had something to do tonight and couldn't get away, so he used me as a deliveryman."
"Gifts?" Shen Mi looked at the seven or eight bags wrapped in different ways on the stool and exclaimed in surprise, "So many!"
“They were all chosen by the master; I’m just responsible for delivering them.” Seeing the troubled look on Shen Mi’s face, Bai Qi continued, “Every ’graduated’ student has one, so don’t feel pressured.”
"Oh, right, there's one more thing. My mentor asked me to ask you, the day after tomorrow is the Spring Bathing Festival, and the school is planning a field trip for everyone. Are you going?" At this point, Bai Qi turned her face away shyly. "Everyone says your cooking is delicious and hopes you can participate..."
Before she could finish speaking, Bai Qi's voice abruptly stopped. Shen Mi followed her gaze and saw that Jing Yuan had appeared behind him at some point.
He stood at the end of the entrance hall, wearing the loose, casual home clothes that Chen Mi was used to seeing. The hem of his clothes swayed slightly, making him look gentle and approachable. But all of this came to an abrupt end when he saw Bai Qi.
This was a side of him that Bai Qi had never seen before; the relaxed expression on his face was a stark contrast to his usual solemn and dignified demeanor. The warm yellow light inside the room conveyed a sense of coziness.
Bai Qi keenly sensed the unusual atmosphere between the two people in front of him, who looked like they had done something wrong, and a bad feeling immediately arose in his mind.
"Do you two live together?" Bai Qi asked in a questioning tone, which was initially quite unpleasant to hear.
Before Shen Mi could explain, Jing Yuan answered first: "We don't count as living together."
Just as Bai Qi was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she heard Jing Yuan continue, "Roommates in different rooms under the same roof."
Shen Mi saw Bai Qi's eyes instantly lose their luster and focus, and he could almost hear the sound of a heart breaking.
"Oh... I see." Bai Qi said softly, her tone devoid of emotion, but her hands gripped her trouser leg tightly.
Shen Mi noticed Bai Qi's current mood and was about to explain something when Jing Yuan added in a half-joking tone, "Shen Mi has just arrived at Xianzhou and is unfamiliar with the place. I was asked to take care of him temporarily. Bai Qi, I hope you can keep it a secret that Shen Mi is staying with me."
Bai Qi forced a smile: "Since the general has said so, I will naturally listen to you."
Her tone sounded calm and proper, even with a hint of respect, but Shen Mi vaguely sensed that the smile on her face was like a newly painted mask that would crumble at the slightest touch.
The eerie atmosphere, the tense tone—Chen Mi thought to herself: "It's all over, it's all over, it's all over. If I had Na Ying's memes, I would definitely send out a bunch of pictures of Na Ying clutching her head in despair."
Jing Yuan smiled slightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Before turning around, Bai Qi glanced at Shen Mi, her eyes carrying an unspoken meaning, as if she knew some of her secrets, and her gaze was filled with complex emotions.
Shen Mi felt inexplicably nervous, and his fingers clenched at his sides.
Bai Qi's lips parted slightly, and Shen Mi's heart jumped into his throat.
But Bai Qi didn't seem to intend to reveal it, and changed her attitude from before.
She smiled, as if suddenly realizing the awkward atmosphere, and resumed her normal tone, proactively changing the subject: "Alright, the items have been delivered successfully, so I won't bother you any longer. As for the Spring Bathing Festival, Chen Mi, just think it through and send it to your master. I have something to attend to, so I'll be going now."
As she spoke, she walked towards the door.
She took a step, paused, as if going through some internal struggle, glanced back at Chen Mi, then turned to Jing Yuan and firmly instructed him:
"You'd better open it and check if anything is broken."
When Bai Qi mentioned "open," she emphasized the word, as if it contained some important information.
Seeing Bai Qi leave, Shen Mi closed the door and breathed a sigh of relief, but her heart was pounding with panic. She didn't know why she was so panicked. The way Bai Qi had looked at her just now was as if she knew everything about her.
The room fell silent for a moment.
Shen Mi turned to look at Jing Yuan: "Aren't we being too..."
"Too what?" Jing Yuan asked gently, as if he couldn't understand what Shen Mi was trying to say.
He smiled slightly and explained his reasoning: "Do you remember what I said when I picked you up from the driving school that day in the pouring rain?"
Shen Mi nodded: "I remember."
"Now I'll add something. I called you more than once and hung up too many times. I was worried something might happen to you, so I rushed over..." Jing Yuan paused, recalling the scene at the time, "and then it was just as you saw."
Shen Mi didn't speak, but listened silently.
"I am not very familiar with Bai Qi. I have only met her a handful of times. My only impression of her is from a hundred years ago when Master Bai Xuan announced at a banquet that he would officially adopt her as his goddaughter."
He spoke calmly, without deliberately showing emotion: "I haven't had any contact with her since then. I don't know what kind of person she is. But my master is a reasonable person. Since he was willing to take her in as his goddaughter, he must have seen some admirable qualities in her."
At this point, Jing Yuan paused, his eyes lowered slightly, and his tone became more serious: "I'm sorry that because of me, you've been dragged into emotions and speculations that you shouldn't have to face."
Shen Mi opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say "It's okay," but was interrupted by what he said next.
Jing Yuan looked down at her, his tone softening, tinged with self-reproach: "Chen Mi, there are some things you can just listen to your own heart about. Don't always think about backing down just because it involves me. Don't worry that what you say will cause me trouble."
Shen Mi was slightly taken aback and looked up at him.
Jing Yuan met her gaze, his tone as gentle as ever, but his eyes were incredibly serious: "I hope you can always be free and at ease in the Immortal Boat, without having to suppress yourself for my sake, and without having to compromise yourself to accommodate any position."
He spoke slowly, but every word was steady and considerate, landing heavily in Shen Mi's heart.
"If anyone is truly unhappy because of you, then it is I who should deal with it."
As Shen Mi looked at him, the worries and anxieties that had accumulated in her chest seemed to dissipate little by little as the evening breeze blew them away.
"Thank you, Jingyuan." Shen Mi smiled and looked up at him.
She could feel the power behind his words; it wasn't just superficial, polite comfort, but a heartfelt, silent support and trust.
Shen Mi took a deep breath, as if he had gained some hidden, stored power. His chest was filled with energy. If there were a 200-pound fat man in front of him right now, Shen Mi would be confident that he could take him down.
Seeing Shen Mi regain his spirits, Jing Yuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't want to speculate about others, especially those related to his master, but Bai Qi's sudden change in expression and reaction tonight was really unnatural, which made Jing Yuan sense something unusual.
He didn't want Shen Mi to be dragged into some inexplicable vortex.
*
Bai Qi walked out of Jing Yuan's house dejectedly, unable to hide her disappointment the whole way.
Marrying someone of equal social standing is the cornerstone of harmony, isn't it?
Bai Qi avoided the crowd and walked alone down a dark alley. She came to a starship, knocked on the window, and with a click, the passenger door of the starship opened.
Bai Xuan, holding his pipe, abandoned his usual amiable demeanor. He took a drag and exhaled it carelessly onto Bai Qi's face, coldly questioning, "Why did you say anything unnecessary?"
"Do you know that saying this might ruin our plans?"
Bai Xuan's tone carried a long-suppressed dissatisfaction. His eyes, peering through the smoke, were fixed on Bai Qi, as if he could see into her heart.
Bai Qi coughed twice, trying to turn her head away from the smoke, but dared not move under Bai Xuan's staring gaze. Her lips were tightly pressed together, and she lowered her head, not daring to refute: "I'm sorry, I just lost control of my emotions. I'm sorry, Uncle, it won't happen again next time."
"Emotions?" Bai Xuan sneered, tapping the dust off her pipe. "Bai Qi, don't forget why I chose you as my goddaughter out of so many people back then—it's because you're obedient."
Bai Qi lowered her head, her fingertips clenching the hem of her clothes, gritting her teeth and remaining silent.
Silence fell over the Star Chariot. Bai Xuan stared at her for a long time before finally lowering her voice, as if to comfort her, or perhaps to warn herself: "This is a one-time thing. Don't let it happen again. Bai Qi, remember what you should do, remember how your cousin died, and never forget it for a moment."
Bai Qi was stunned, as if Bai Xuan's words had shattered her last shred of illusion.
She understood the implication in Bai Xuan's words and realized why she had been asked to deliver the gift tonight—from beginning to end, adopting her had only one purpose. Knowing full well the close relationship between Jing Yuan and Shen Mi, not only did she remain silent, but she also deliberately let her witness it firsthand. Emotional breakdown, shattered illusions, utter loss of dignity—wasn't this exactly the scene you expected?
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Author's Note: We're about to get into the main storyline. [doge][doge][doge][doge]
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