Achieving A Happy Ending With The Tragic Female Lead [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 49

After blacklisting the person in one smooth motion, Su Mi put her phone back into her pocket. From where she stood, she could see the crowds of people continuously ascending the stone steps.

It was the weekend, and this mountain wasn’t far from the urban area of Lincheng. Among those climbing were many young people traveling in groups. People treated this area as a landing for rest, pausing briefly before continuing their climb.

The surroundings were bustling and a bit noisy. Lin Nanyue stayed on her phone, moving around until she found a relatively quiet corner to wait.

Although Su Mi didn’t follow her over, she kept a close eye on her. Only when she saw Lin Nanyue end the call did she start walking toward her.

Having hung up, Lin Nanyue was quietly looking at her phone screen. Her lowered head revealed the beautiful curve of her neck, a small stray lock of long hair had escaped her loose tie, now curling slightly against her fair nape.

Su Mi reached out and hooked that stray lock of hair, her cool fingertips grazing the back of Lin Nanyue’s neck seemingly by accident.

This sudden touch startled Lin Nanyue. When she turned around, her eyes were filled with surprise.

Su Mi’s finger was still entwined with the strand of hair. “Your hair came loose.”

Only then did Lin Nanyue realize that she and Yan Han had left in such a rush that she had tied her hair haphazardly, after climbing the mountain, it was likely even messier. She reached back to touch the hair tie, finding it indeed loose and sagging. Her face flushed slightly as she prepared to put her phone away to redo it.

Seeing it was inconvenient for her, Su Mi took the phone from her hand, gesturing for her to go ahead.

Lin Nanyue took off the black hair tie, held it between her lips, and gathered her thick black hair with both hands. The tips of her ears turned a shade of crimson.

Not far away, Yan Han, carrying supplies, reached the top of the steps. After scanning the area, she spotted a familiar figure and quickened her pace.

“Nanyue! Why didn’t you reply to my messages? I brought you a bottle of water.” Yan Han spoke as she handed over the water. As she passed Su Mi, she stole a curious glance, thinking the person looked familiar.

The more Yan Han looked, the more puzzled she became. She leaned in and whispered into Lin Nanyue’s ear, “Why do I feel like the person next to you looks exactly like that Professor Su from next door?”

Lin Nanyue had already tied her hair. Under Yan Han’s wide-eyed gaze, she took her phone back from Su Mi. “She is Professor Su.”

It was likely because Su Mi wasn’t wearing glasses today that people found her hard to recognize.

Following Lin Nanyue’s lead, Su Mi greeted the classmate. “Hello.”

Hearing this, Yan Han became visibly excited, her response a bit stumbling.

“Professor Su?! Hello, Professor Su! Are you here for a hike too?”

“Yes, I happened to be free today, so I came,” Su Mi said. “Since I’m alone anyway, would you mind if I joined you?”

Before Lin Nanyue could speak, Yan Han blurted out, “We don’t mind! Of course not!”

Su Mi then looked at Lin Nanyue and asked again, “Do you mind?”

Being stared at made Lin Nanyue feel a bit shy. She mumbled softly, “I don’t mind.”

The steps weren’t wide enough for three people to walk abreast, so Su Mi took the lead.

Behind her, Yan Han pulled Lin Nanyue aside and whispered, “What’s going on? I get the feeling you two know each other?”

Lin Nanyue used the excuse of their brief conversation after the lecture to deflect. Upon hearing this, Yan Han was full of envy, lamenting that she shouldn’t have left early for that interview.

Yan Han was a talkative girl. At first, she held back due to Su Mi’s presence, but later she relaxed and chatted about all sorts of things along the way.

“I had to nag Nanyue for so long to get her to come out today. She doesn’t have to go to her internship these few days, so she’s just been holed up in the dorm.”

Hearing this, Su Mi gave a soft hum of agreement, her gaze landing on Lin Nanyue. “Oh, is that so?”

Lin Nanyue, who had previously claimed to be too busy to get away, felt like she was sitting on pins and needles under Su Mi’s gaze. She stiffly tried to change the subject, hoping Yan Han wouldn’t expose her further.

The two talked until their throats were dry, and their water was mostly gone. Before long, Yan Han cried out that she was tired and wanted to stop for a rest.

Su Mi suspected she wasn’t tired from climbing, but from talking incessantly. However, since she said she was tired, they naturally stopped.

Coincidentally, they had stopped just above the mountainside, where a small bluestone path led upward. Looking at the signpost, they realized there was a small temple nearby. From the railing, they could see the eaves of the roof peeking through the green branches in the distance.

Lincheng was mountainous, and this temple was built against the slope, opening to the public only on specific days. Yan Han asked a passerby and found out that today happened to be the monthly Zen Day, open from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

Hearing this, Yan Han initially wanted to check it out, but when she saw the long flight of stairs, she was frightened off. She blurted out, “No, no, those stairs look longer than my lifespan.”

A passerby reminded her, “Little girl, watch your words.”

The life-preserving Yan Han immediately pressed her hands together and bowed toward the stairs: “Children’s talk carries no weight, children’s talk carries no weight.”

“Want to go take a look?” Su Mi noticed Lin Nanyue staring at the top of the long staircase.

Lin Nanyue didn’t deny it. “A little bit.”

Yan Han immediately stated that if they wanted to go, they should, she would wait for them there and treat it as a break.

Thus, Su Mi and Lin Nanyue stepped onto the stone stairs leading to the temple together.

The long staircase slanted upward, its end meeting the sky, making it a bit dazzling to look up. The steps here were steeper than the ones on the main mountain trail and required more effort to climb.

Halfway up, Su Mi’s breathing was still steady, but thin beads of sweat had formed on Lin Nanyue’s forehead, and her face was flushed.

The previously cloudy sky now revealed a sliver of sunlight, casting a pale golden glow over the long stairs. Su Mi turned to look at Lin Nanyue, who was trailing slightly behind, and reached out her hand.

Lin Nanyue looked at the dry, slender hand before her. Following the palm upward, she squinted slightly against the piercing sunlight, seeing only the silhouette of the other woman.

The scene felt like mist and clouds, and the occasional crisp bird song echoed in her ears. She felt as though she had seen this scene somewhere before.

By the time Lin Nanyue snapped out of it, she found she had already placed her hand in Su Mi’s.

Su Mi gripped her hand and led her up the steps. Following slightly behind, Lin Nanyue’s gaze fell on their joined hands, her heart fluttering slightly.

It’s normal for friends to hold hands, right?

Thinking this, she slowly gripped back.

Sensing the change in her grip, a ripple of emotion appeared in Su Mi’s usually calm and distant eyes.

“Why did you want to come up and see?”

It took a moment for Lin Nanyue to realize she was being asked. She pondered for a while before saying, “I wanted to pray for my mother.”

Su Mi gave a soft “Mm” in response.

She had previously looked into Lin Nanyue’s background and knew she grew up in a family that favored boys over girls, a gambling alcoholic father, a weak mother, and a younger brother spoiled beyond reason. Much of the family’s burden had been forced onto Lin Nanyue.

Clearly, in such a family, Lin Nanyue couldn’t possibly be happy. It would always be a broken piece of her life, occasionally surfacing to cause trouble. Su Mi wanted to help her resolve it, but she hadn’t found the right opportunity yet.

“And you, Professor Su? Are you here to pray for someone too?”

Su Mi smiled at this, her gaze resting on Lin Nanyue’s face as she softly replied, “Yes.”

Lin Nanyue thought she would continue and name the person, but Su Mi said no more. Because of that look, Lin Nanyue almost had the illusion that the other woman had said it specifically while looking at her.

After some time, the peeling vermilion gates of the temple finally appeared, accompanied by the curling blue smoke rising from the incense burners inside.

There was a stall nearby with free incense. Su Mi pulled her over to take two sets and scanned a QR code to donate some “merit money.”

Because they had to light the incense, Su Mi had to let go of her hand. She handed the lit incense to Lin Nanyue. Together, they followed the people ahead in bowing and praying.

Lin Nanyue finished first and quietly looked at Su Mi beside her. At this moment, Su Mi’s eyes were lowered, her long lashes casting shadows beneath them. Her whole body exuded an aura of silence and calm, as if she were merging with the surrounding scent of sandalwood.

Looking closely, without the concealment of glasses, Su Mi’s features were actually somewhat aggressive defined brows, light eyes, a high nose, and thin lips. Her cold countenance easily gave off a sense of distant silence, making people hesitate to approach.

Yet Lin Nanyue couldn’t help but keep watching, as if trying to engrave this face into her mind.

Su Mi sensed something and looked up, only to see Lin Nanyue hurriedly turning her face away, so flustered that she didn’t even notice incense ash falling onto her hand.

“Careful of the ash.”

Only then did Lin Nanyue notice the ash on the back of her hand. She puffed out her cheeks to blow it off, looking quite adorable, the kind of look that made one want to reach out and poke her face.

After placing the incense in the burner, they walked around to the hall where Zen lectures were held. The lecture hadn’t started yet, the small hall was filled with prayer mats. It was silent, save for the rhythmic sound of a wooden fish being struck. They didn’t go in, only taking a quick look before quietly leaving.

Lin Nanyue took out her phone to check the time. “Hanhan is still waiting for us down there. We should head back soon.”

Su Mi nodded. “Alright.”

More people were coming in as they left, so they chose another path through the temple grounds. On the way, they saw an inconspicuous stall on closer inspection, it was for drawing fortune sticks.

Out of curiosity, Lin Nanyue took a second look, and the monk guarding the stall gave her a bamboo stick. On it was written a single word, “Fate.”

The monk added a phrase: “As Buddhism says, all things arise and pass away due to fate, cause and effect are all fate.”

Lin Nanyue walked away holding the stick, confused. “What does this mean?”

Su Mi glanced at the stick in her hand and remarked casually, “Perhaps it’s talking about the matter of destiny.”

Lin Nanyue nodded, thinking that made sense.

However, they soon learned exactly what that “Fate” was all about.

While passing a section hung with red prayer plaques, Lin Nanyue was suddenly called out to. A person spoke to them about “coming for fate, leaving for fate,” with a look of pointed amazement in their eyes. The person claimed Lin Nanyue looked like someone blessed with great fortune and that this blessing shouldn’t be wasted, then immediately began showing off a row of prayer plaques for sale.

Having received over ten years of higher education, Lin Nanyue finally caught on. This was just a sales pitch.

Lin Nanyue immediately turned the person down. When she turned around, she saw Su Mi holding back a laugh.

The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she got. She took out the wooden stick and saw that the ink was slightly smudged, and her fingers were stained with black ink. It seemed even this “Fate” had been written on the spot.

She was a bit unhappy, her brows furrowing slightly. “Why did he only come after me?”

Professor Su was standing right next to her, after all.

Su Mi happened to have a pack of wet wipes. She pulled one out and handed it to her, her voice containing a trace of hidden amusement. “Well, perhaps you look easier to deceive.”

Lin Nanyue felt a bit indignant. She leaned in slightly to scrutinize the person in front of her. “Professor Su, are you very hard to deceive?”

Su Mi raised her eyes to meet hers. “Haven’t you already succeeded in deceiving me once?”

Lin Nanyue froze for a moment before realizing what she was referring to. It took her a while to stammer out, “I… I didn’t do it on purpose…”

Su Mi gave a low chuckle. Her warm breath brushed against Lin Nanyue’s cheek as she laughed, feeling almost like a kiss.

She paused, her eyes darkening slightly. “It’s okay. You’re allowed to deceive me.”