My Ghostly Darling Cuddles Me Every Day - Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Jinjiang Literature City

 

Xie Yinwan did not look up. She sat upon the petals, leaning against the tree roots, her head turned aside as she masked her porcelain face with a wide, translucent gauze sleeve. Her weeping was desolate.

 

Bo Yu squatted beside her and lightly touched Xie Yinwan’s frail shoulder. Anxious yet afraid to be too loud, she asked in a soft, tense whisper, “Xie Yinwan? What’s wrong?”

 

Xie Yinwan shook her head, unable to answer. Her crying intensified into sorrowful sobs, leaving Bo Yu’s heart in a state of frantic confusion.

 

“Xie Yinwan, don’t cry. It’s me, Bo Yu. Tell me what’s wrong first, okay? What happened?”

 

Xie Yinwan’s sobs continued unabated, as if something grave and terrible had occurred. At that moment, even the sky began to add to the chaos. A chilly rain started to fall, droplets piercing through the branches and landing on Bo Yu and Xie Yinwan. The drops were large, soaking through Xie Yinwan’s thin gauze garment one by one.

 

Panicking, Bo Yu stood up to shield Xie Yinwan with her body. But the rain grew heavier, and she couldn’t block it all; water began to drench Xie Yinwan’s hair. Bo Yu looked around desperately. The rain fell at an angle, driven by a slanting wind that sent pink petals swirling through the air. There was nowhere to hide in the peach forest.

 

Seeing Xie Yinwan getting wetter and wetter, Bo Yu didn’t care that she was only wearing underwear beneath her shirt, nor did she care that her own hair and body were soaked. She took off her shirt to hold over Xie Yinwan’s head and pulled her into her arms.

 

“Xie Yinwan, if you feel unwell, tell me. Don’t fall asleep; if you sleep, you’ll catch a fever,” Bo Yu shouted over the howling wind and rain as she held her.

 

Xie Yinwan continued to cry, asking between gasps, “But what about you, Bo Yu? What if you get a fever and fall ill?”

 

Bo Yu shook her head, using her body and shirt to shield the ghost. “I’m fine. I have a stronger constitution than you. As long as you’re okay, it’s fine.”

 

Xie Yinwan wailed, “But you’re shaking, Bo Yu. You’re shaking.”

 

Bo Yu’s body was indeed trembling uncontrollably. She was freezing, her teeth chattering, and her lips soon turned pale. “I’m fine… it’s almost over. It’ll be fine once the rain stops. Let’s just endure a bit longer. Xie Yinwan, don’t sleep.”

 

Xie Yinwan snuggled into Bo Yu’s embrace with peace of mind, and a smile gradually touched the corners of her lips.

 

Suddenly, the wind ceased, the rain stopped, the clouds dispersed, and the sun rose, bathing the earth in golden light. Feeling the warm sunshine, Bo Yu released Xie Yinwan in surprise and turned to look around. The ground wasn’t damp at all; there wasn’t a drop of rain on the petals, and neither she nor Xie Yinwan showed any sign of having been caught in a downpour. It was as if everything that just happened was a hallucination. There had been no rain, no wind.

 

Bo Yu stared blankly at Xie Yinwan. She saw that she was still crying, two lines of pearly tears hanging on her pale, exquisite cheeks—a sight so pitiable it made one’s heart ache. Bo Yu put her shirt back on, hurriedly fastening two buttons, and gently smoothed Xie Yinwan’s messy hair.

 

“What just happened?” Bo Yu asked softly.

 

When she was in a dream, she was never quite lucid. Sometimes she knew she was dreaming; other times she thought it was reality. Sometimes she forgot that the real Xie Yinwan was a ghost and treated the woman before her as a living person who feared the cold and might fall ill.

 

Xie Yinwan looked up at Bo Yu through her tears, still sobbing. “Baby, did you miss Sister?”

 

Bo Yu was a bit dazed, but she didn’t dare shake her head for fear Xie Yinwan would cry louder. She nodded gently. “I did.”

 

“Who did you miss?”

 

“…I missed Sister.”

 

Xie Yinwan pursed her lips and lowered her head, struggling to suppress the smile that wanted to turn upward. Being called “Sister” sounded truly wonderful—so wonderful her whole body felt a pleasant thrill.

 

“It rained just now,” Xie Yinwan said with her head down, her voice low and soft as she gave a light sigh. “Because my heart was filled with sorrow.”

 

Bo Yu frowned. Why sorrow? “Did something happen?”

 

Bo Yu squatted in front of Xie Yinwan, but feeling tired, she rested one knee on the ground. She used her thumb to gently wipe away the cool tears on Xie Yinwan’s face. She didn’t know how long she had been crying, but Xie Yinwan’s eyes were now red and swollen. In her bright, brilliant eyes, the sorrow deepened.

 

“Don’t you remember?” Xie Yinwan cried, grasping Bo Yu’s wrist and looking up with a wronged expression. As she asked, two more tears rolled down.

 

Bo Yu was dazed and confused, having no idea what Xie Yinwan was referring to. She was only focused on wiping the tears away. They were outdoors. Crying outdoors could easily damage the skin. As the tears wet Bo Yu’s fingers, she used her shirt sleeve to gently dry Xie Yinwan’s face. Xie Yinwan’s skin was so delicate that Bo Yu feared the sleeve might irritate it, so she pressed the fabric with extreme gentleness to absorb the moisture.

 

“I… I’m sorry. Please don’t cry,” Bo Yu apologized. “I probably haven’t seen you in a long time, and I don’t remember what happened. Can you tell me?”

 

Xie Yinwan was furious—so furious she wanted to cry again just to scare this bratty Bo Yu. She had been anxious for so long, and yet Bo Yu remembered absolutely nothing. She whimpered and sobbed, looking utterly aggrieved.

 

The more Bo Yu heard her cry, the more anxious she became. Though the sobs were soft, they felt like heavy drumbeats against her eardrums. Suddenly, a flash of imagery flickered across Bo Yu’s mind. She desperately tried to catch it, recalling with all her might.

 

At that moment, the memory flashed back. She remembered. The last time they had parted, it was because she hadn’t “finished serving” Xie Yinwan in the dream…

 

Was Xie Yinwan crying over this? Feeling sorrowful over this?

 

Bo Yu: “…”

 

She didn’t know how this dream could still connect after such a long time. With a flushed face, she coaxed her softly, “Don’t cry anymore. I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened that night; we were just suddenly separated. I apologize. Please don’t feel bad anymore, okay?”

 

Xie Yinwan stopped crying. She pursed her lips and looked up at her with a pitiful, expectant, and coquettish gaze. “You say ‘sorry’ and ‘apologies,’ but I waited for you for so long. I was so sad—so sad my heart actually hurt.”

 

As she spoke, Xie Yinwan clutched the fabric over her heart tightly, as if the pain were making it hard to breathe. As the other party involved, Bo Yu’s feelings and expression were complicated. Someone watching would think she had committed a monstrous crime. But in reality, she had just suddenly pulled her hand away…

 

“Then what can I do to make you feel better?”

 

Even as Bo Yu asked, she already had the answer in her heart. Sure enough, a second later, her right wrist was seized. Xie Yinwan pouted her lips and looked at her coyly, appearing aggrieved, expectant, and flirtatious all at once.

 

Bo Yu: “…”

 

How could she never escape this matter?

 

“Are you unwilling?” Xie Yinwan’s lip trembled again, as if she were about to burst into tears the next second.

 

“No, no, don’t cry.” Bo Yu was truly terrified of Xie Yinwan’s tears. In real life, she could never imagine that proud ghost crying to her with such vulnerability.

 

“I… I’m willing.” Bo Yu tried hard to convince herself: this is just a dream, just a dream. The proud ghost in real life would never know what happened in her dreams.

 

Bo Yu lowered her head, her face and ears burning. Then, she saw the translucent, thin gauze garment fall before her eyes, spreading across the thick carpet of peach petals.

 

“Look at me first,” Xie Yinwan’s voice sounded above Bo Yu’s head; she was acting wronged again. “Look, my Xiang Luo (fragrant network/anatomy) is swollen. It’s so swollen, and it’s been this way for so long, all because you suddenly left.”

 

Bo Yu didn’t dare look up. She hoped all of this was also a hallucination. “I… I’m sorry. You should sit down first.”

 

Xie Yinwan sat down, and then Bo Yu wished she were standing again. She finally understood why that proud ghost was always taking off her clothes. It was likely because Xie Yinwan herself had absolutely no sense of shame regarding this matter.

 

“You… you should put it back on. And keep your legs together. Be careful not to catch cold; the wind is so strong.” Bo Yu spoke stammeringly, shaking out the gauze garment to drape it over Xie Yinwan.

 

Xie Yinwan obediently let her drape it, then leaned into Bo Yu’s embrace, kissing her chin repeatedly. “Baby.”

 

Bo Yu’s heart felt completely soft from the kisses. She looked down at Xie Yinwan. Xie Yinwan called her again: “Baby.” It was an exceptionally beautiful voice.

 

Xie Yinwan grasped Bo Yu’s wrist once more. “Baby, Sister’s Xiang Luo is still swollen. Feel it.”

 

Bo Yu: “…” Help.

 

Bo Yu couldn’t understand why she was having such an erotic dream. Was this really what she felt deep down?

 

“I,” Bo Yu’s mind raced, and she finally thought of something to distract her. She asked in a cheerful, expectant tone, “Sister, do you want to go play at an amusement park?”

 

Xie Yinwan: “?”

 

“What is an amusement park?” she asked. Then, she guessed unhappily, “Is it a place of ill repute?”

 

Bo Yu suddenly realized the words “amusement park” might sound like a red-light district to someone from the past, but the meaning was entirely different. She earnestly explained what was in an amusement park—things to play with, eat, and drink—and that it would be very fun and romantic. She felt that since this was her dream, she should be able to control the scene to make an amusement park appear.

 

Xie Yinwan wasn’t very interested; she was only interested in Bo Yu’s hand. So Bo Yu enticed her: “There, we can also… um, we can kiss and hug and things like that.” Saying the words “kiss and hug” made Bo Yu’s face turn red to the roots of her ears.

 

Xie Yinwan thought about it. Fine, since Bo Yu wanted to go, she would accompany her. Bo Yu had shielded her from the rain; she would accompany her to the amusement park. It was fair. Besides, she liked seeing Bo Yu’s face turn red; it was even cuter than the doll Xiexie.

 

The setting was an old-fashioned children’s amusement park Bo Yu had loved when she was little. She had been a bit rebellious as a child; Bo Qin didn’t like her going to such small places, but she loved them. She could buy an ice cream and sit on a colorful sculpture, daydreaming for half an hour.

 

“Do you want some ice cream?” Bo Yu pointed to a stall and asked Xie Yinwan.

 

Xie Yinwan had changed her clothes, wearing the first white French-style deep-V dress Bo Yu had sent her. The first time she wore it, she thought it was scandalous—how could the neckline be so low that her chest was almost exposed? This time, however, she loved it. In front of the “baby” she liked, the collar should be exactly this wide. In fact, she felt it would be even better not to wear clothes at all. Her figure was so graceful—slender where it should be, and full where it should be. She admired herself immensely and hoped Bo Yu would admire her even more, perhaps even become obsessed. She would take off her clothes for Bo Yu every day; she wasn’t as stingy as Bo Yu, who was always covering up.

 

Wearing her favorite dress and a sweet smile, Xie Yinwan hooked her arm through Bo Yu’s. She imitated Bo Yu’s walk, floating five centimeters above the ground, swinging her left and right legs forward alternately. It was a bit strange, but no one around looked at her.

 

Just then, a pretty child bought an ice cream and was eating it happily. Xie Yinwan said, “I want one.”

 

Bo Yu went to buy ice cream, getting two. She handed one to Xie Yinwan. “I don’t know if you can taste it, but give it a try.”

 

Xie Yinwan tilted her head to look at the thing but didn’t take it. “You take a bite first, then feed me.”

 

Bo Yu laughed and took a bite, tasting a rich milky flavor. “I can taste it. It’s delicious. Try it.” She held the ice cream to Xie Yinwan’s lips.

 

Xie Yinwan brushed back her hair and lowered her eyes. Her cherry-pink lips parted slightly as she took a small bite.

 

“How is it?” Bo Yu asked expectantly.

 

Xie Yinwan smiled and took the ice cream from her hand. “It’s very good. If you can taste it, I can taste what you feel. It’s very sweet.” Her eyes curved into crescents as if she had discovered something wondrous. She ate it with a smile.

 

Bo Yu’s heart also felt very sweet. The two of them were like a couple on a date.

 

“Use a napkin to hold it,” Bo Yu said, wrapping a napkin around the cone. “It’s hot out, it melts fast and gets all over your hands.”

 

Xie Yinwan: “It doesn’t matter. Sister has magic.”

 

Bo Yu laughed. “Yes, you’re the most powerful.”

 

As she ate, Xie Yinwan carefully observed the amusement park from Bo Yu’s childhood memories. There were little sika deer here, vendors calling out there, children skipping while holding their parents’ hands, and colorful lights glowing on the rides. Everything was simple and beautiful.

 

“What do you like to play most?” Xie Yinwan asked.

 

Bo Yu looked up and pointed at the Ferris wheel high in the sky. “That.”

 

She had loved riding the Ferris wheel since she was a child. Even though it wasn’t as tall as the Bo Corporation’s office building, she loved the private little space where she could look out and think. It felt like the whole world belonged to her.

 

They chatted casually as they walked toward the Ferris wheel. Xie Yinwan was still working hard to swing her legs forward. She couldn’t quite feel gravity and had forgotten how to walk properly. Bo Yu let out a soft laugh.

 

“Are you laughing at me?” Xie Yinwan pouted.

 

Bo Yu said she wasn’t, though her laughter became clearer. Xie Yinwan wouldn’t allow her to laugh, so she leaned in and kissed Bo Yu. Without any warning, the kiss happened; Bo Yu didn’t push her away, her arms wrapping around Xie Yinwan’s waist. Their mouths were both very sweet—a cloying, lingering sweetness that moved between them.

 

At the Ferris wheel, an older female attendant opened the cabin door for them. Bo Yu entered first, then helped Xie Yinwan in. Before letting Xie Yinwan sit, Bo Yu pulled out napkins and disinfectant wipes from somewhere and leaned over to wipe the seats.

 

“What are you doing?” Xie Yinwan asked, puzzled.

 

Bo Yu wiped carefully. “I’m a bit of a germaphobe. If I sit on or touch something I’m not sure is clean, I feel uncomfortable.”

 

Xie Yinwan made a note of this. She was a ghost and wouldn’t actually touch anything, so she didn’t have such a habit. If she had to say, she perhaps had a “scent obsession”—she couldn’t stand foul smells and only liked Bo Yu’s fragrance.

 

“Do you have any other habits?” Xie Yinwan asked.

 

Bo Yu thought for a moment. “Maybe a bit of OCD. Things have to be arranged very neatly. If they’re messed up or disrupted, I feel unsettled. I get a bit ‘crazy’—which means a bit irritable.”

 

Xie Yinwan suddenly remembered she had thrown many of Bo Yu’s things around. She had swept everything off the desk and rummaged through her drawers. So, Bo Yu didn’t like things being messed up; it made her feel bad. She noted this too.

 

After wiping, Bo Yu helped Xie Yinwan sit and then sat opposite her. In Bo Yu’s memory, two people should sit across from each other rather than on the same side, ostensibly to keep the center of gravity balanced. But Xie Yinwan didn’t care about that. As soon as Bo Yu sat down, she straddled Bo Yu’s lap, hugging her neck and asking softly with excitement, “Baby, do we kiss and hug here?”

 

Bo Yu had actually forgotten about that, otherwise she wouldn’t have suggested the Ferris wheel. “Don’t you want to look at the scenery?” she asked, looking up while holding Xie Yinwan’s waist to keep her from falling.

 

Xie Yinwan nodded. “I am looking.”

 

Bo Yu: “…”

 

Xie Yinwan’s soft, slender finger tapped the tip of Bo Yu’s nose. “You are the scenery in my eyes. You are the only scenery in my world.”

 

She could see the colors through Bo Yu’s eyes and taste the flavors in Bo Yu’s memory. All her sensations came from Bo Yu. Naturally, Bo Yu was her entire world—the only scenery in it. But Bo Yu didn’t know her thoughts; she only thought Xie Yinwan was being sweet-talked again so she could kiss and hug.

 

“Look at the other scenery. In a while, the Ferris wheel will reach the highest point. You’ll feel like the world is at your feet. It’s very interesting,” Bo Yu coaxed.

 

Xie Yinwan curled her lip; she didn’t find it interesting. But she yielded to the suggestion again. This was Bo Yu’s memory, so she would try to keep her company.

 

The Ferris wheel climbed slowly. Leaning on Bo Yu’s shoulder, Xie Yinwan watched the amusement park recede and occasionally asked questions—like if Bo Yu used to come often, who she came with, or what the round building on the ground was for. Bo Yu said she came occasionally—at first with her mother, and later alone. The bodyguards her father arranged followed far behind. The round building was the carousel.

 

They whispered together, and occasionally Xie Yinwan turned her head to kiss Bo Yu’s neck and earlobe. Time slipped away quietly in the silence. One rotation of this Ferris wheel took about half an hour.

 

Bo Yu looked back; they were almost at the peak. She pointed to a clover-shaped lake below. “Xie…”

 

She only said one word; the following “Yinwan, look” was swallowed back. Horrified, Bo Yu grabbed her clothes to put them on Xie Yinwan. Xie Yinwan refused. “There’s no one else here.”

 

Bo Yu looked down at the ground and at the cabins on either side—they were full of people!

 

“This is your dream. They aren’t people; they can’t see,” Xie Yinwan said with a laugh. She climbed further up Bo Yu’s lap, straddling her with her knees on the seat, and cupped Bo Yu’s cheeks. “Baby, Sister wants a kiss.”

 

Bo Yu turned her head and closed her eyes, never having been this panicked in her life. She was now certain: Xie Yinwan truly didn’t think taking off clothes was a big deal, which was why she tore off Bo Yu’s clothes again and again. No, wait—this was her dream. Xie Yinwan’s thoughts came from her own subconscious. So, was it actually her who wanted Xie Yinwan to take off all her clothes?

 

“Put them on, put them on first. It’s broad daylight…” Bo Yu hurriedly picked up the French dress to drape over her. “The wind is strong outside; it’s better to stay covered.”

 

Otherwise, it was simply too dazzling—dazzlingly white, dazzlingly slender, and dazzlingly full. The dress had a zipper, and she couldn’t pull it over Xie Yinwan’s head, so she could only drape it across her, barely concealing her perfect body. Xie Yinwan was truly too perfect; she had never seen such a flawless form. Compared to her, Bo Yu felt far inferior.

 

Xie Yinwan gave a light hmph, ignored the dress, and held out her upturned palms. “Where’s the hand, Baby? Give Sister your hand.”

 

Bo Yu held her waist with both hands, making an excuse: “This thing shakes easily. I’m afraid you’ll fall, so I’m holding you.”

 

“Sister won’t fall.” Xie Yinwan spoke softly as she pressed her wrists together.

 

The next second, a hair ribbon appeared out of thin air. It wound around Xie Yinwan’s wrists several times, binding them tightly. She raised her hands over Bo Yu’s head, looping them around Bo Yu’s neck. She arched a brow and said charmingly, “There. No matter how much this thing shakes, Sister is holding you and won’t fall. So where is your hand, Baby? Sister’s Xiang Luo hurts so much. Reduce the swelling for me, okay?”

 

Bo Yu slowly closed her eyes. Why had her subconscious designed Xie Yinwan to be this enchanting, clingy person? Wake up, hurry. She tried to force herself out of the dream.

 

Suddenly, Xie Yinwan’s crying sounded in her ear—a sorrowful, piteous wailing. Bo Yu opened her eyes; she was still in the Ferris wheel, and Xie Yinwan was still on her lap. Two tears slid down her white, smooth cheeks, appearing so desolate and sad.

 

“No, no, don’t cry.” Bo Yu realized she truly couldn’t stand it when Xie Yinwan cried. She would much rather see the ghost being arrogant and throwing a temper at her.

 

Flustered and with no other choice, Bo Yu touched Xie Yinwan’s Xiang Luo.

 

Xie Yinwan let out a whimper and buried her head in Bo Yu’s neck. It was impossible to tell where the crying ended and something else began; the whimpering rose and fell in a melodic, constant rhythm. Her breaths, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, brushed against Bo Yu’s neck and ear. Bo Yu’s own breathing began to falter in rhythm with her.

 

The Ferris wheel was indeed unstable; it seemed Bo Yu’s single-handed effort made the whole structure shake and tremble. Unfortunately, all too soon, the Ferris wheel returned to the platform, and the attendant opened the door.

 

Bo Yu froze and instinctively withdrew her hand, using the clothes to wrap Xie Yinwan tightly, hiding her face from the attendant. And just like their previous experience, Xie Yinwan, who was on the edge and about to cross over, was left stunned: “???”

 

It stopped? It stopped again?!!

 

Xie Yinwan was about to faint from fury. Bo Yu grabbed a blanket from nowhere, covered her completely, and half-carried her out of the cabin. Xie Yinwan took deep breaths, restraining herself from throwing a fit so that Bo Yu wouldn’t realize this Xie Yinwan and the one outside were the same ghost.

 

At this thought, Xie Yinwan looked up from Bo Yu’s arms and asked pitifully, “Baby, do you hate the real Xie Yinwan very much?”

 

Bo Yu’s heart tightened. “Why do you ask?”

 

“The real Xie Yinwan is icy and fierce, and she’s always bullying you. Is it because you hate her that you never let this Xie Yinwan feel comfortable?” She looked like she was about to cry again.

 

“…”

 

The scene shifted to the summit of a mountain covered in peach blossoms. Below, a clear river flowed. They sat on the steps in front of a wooden hut. There was a small yard out front, also covered in petals.

 

“Why are we here?” Bo Yu asked. “Because I like it here. I don’t like the sound of cars where you are; it’s so noisy.”

 

Here, there was only the singing of birds, the fragrance of flowers, and silence. Bo Yu couldn’t help but smile; her mother often said cars were noisy too. In the evening, the clouds were vibrant and misty, like a fairyland.

 

Bo Yu asked softly, “Do you know she is a ghost?”

 

Xie Yinwan thought to herself that Bo Yu indeed only called her an immortal to her face. “Perhaps I know,” she said with a sob, acting obedient. She had changed back into the translucent gauze. She hooked her arm through Bo Yu’s and rested her head on her shoulder, looking at the mountains and rivers through Bo Yu’s eyes.

 

Bo Yu said softly, “She is a very powerful ghost. Many ghosts bow to her. Jin Xuan said she might be an official in the Great Hall.”

 

Xie Yinwan didn’t interrupt.

 

Unconsciously, a sense of heartache and understanding seeped into Bo Yu’s voice. “In such a terrifying underworld, she’s just a girl, yet she became an official—a ghost feared by those evil spirits. What has she gone through?”

 

“She must have gone through so much.”

 

“She has seen the worst malice in this world—perhaps not just once, but hundreds or thousands of times. Those evil ghosts probably all tried to hurt her.”

 

“She must have experienced many battles.” Bo Yu imagined Xie Yinwan fighting evil ghosts, her lips trembling slightly.

 

“Not only did she go through those terrifying things after death, she likely suffered much while she was alive, too.”

 

“She has long forgotten kindness, or perhaps no one ever showed her any.”

 

“So, her being icy and fierce might just be a disguise. Even if it isn’t, and that’s just her personality, she must have had a very hard time.”

 

“No girl should have to experience such malice.”

 

“So, that kind of Xie Yinwan… no matter what her personality is, I don’t hate her.”

 

Xie Yinwan listened silently. The slight irony at the corners of her lips vanished, then her mouth tightened, and finally, it began to tremble. She closed her eyes. In truth, she no longer remembered her past life. She didn’t even remember how many ghosts she had killed. But she remembered that she had been bored for many, many years. It was only after meeting the Bo Yu before her that she found things interesting, joyful, and happy.

 

“Then do you like her?”

 

“…I can’t really say.”

 

“?” Neither hate nor like?

 

Xie Yinwan, who had been moved the previous second, was angry again the next.

 

“Bo Yu.”

 

“Mhm?”

 

“Let’s get married.”

 

“??”

 

Xie Yinwan shook her arm and acted spoiled. “Just play with Sister, okay?”

 

Bo Yu’s heart softened at her enchanting, coquettish manner. Thinking it was just a little childhood game like “playing house,” she nodded gently. “Okay.”

 

“Okay?” “Mhm, okay.” “Wonderful!” Xie Yinwan pounced on her, kissing her chin several times. “From now on, I’ll call you Hao Hao.”

 

“What?”

 

“I’m called Xie Xie, you’re called Hao Hao. We’re a match made in heaven.”

 

Bo Yu laughed, unable to look away from Xie Yinwan’s bright eyes. Her mother had indeed wanted to name her Bo Hao, hoping everything would go smoothly and she would always be well.

 

Hao Hao. Xie Xie.

 

They did sound like a good pair.

 

“Alright,” Bo Yu said. Perhaps influenced by the natural scenery, her mood was very pleasant, and her chin felt comfortable where it had been kissed. She chuckled. “Xie Xie.”

 

Xie Yinwan’s smile grew wider. “That sounds good.”

 

Bo Yu couldn’t help but raise her hand to stroke Xie Yinwan’s soft hair, feeling the slight itch as the strands brushed her palm.

 

“When I’m not here,” Bo Yu asked curiously, “are you sleeping, or are you waiting for me with your eyes open?”

 

“Waiting for you with my eyes open, of course. Always waiting for you.”

 

Bo Yu’s heart melted. She wondered again why her subconscious would imagine a Xie Yinwan who was so pure, cute, enchanting, and devotedly waiting for her. Before she could dwell on it, in the blink of an eye, she and Xie Yinwan were standing in what looked like an ancestral hall.

 

The hall was solemn and majestic. It felt both familiar and unfamiliar—like the Bo family ancestral hall, yet not. She looked around; there were many bronze vessels and white incense candles. White candles?

 

Bo Yu looked down and saw herself wearing a white, wide-sleeved long robe. Xie Yinwan was the same, but hers looked like the set Bo Yu had burned for her. Bo Yu’s set was similar but slightly different.

 

Xie Yinwan waved her sleeve, and the white candles lit up.

 

“Baby,” she said with a smile, “I don’t know who my ancestors are, so I won’t ask for their blessing. Let’s pay our respects to the Great Emperor instead. Let’s bow together.”

 

Bo Yu didn’t know who the “Great Emperor” was, so she just looked at her blankly. She simply accompanied Xie Yinwan in her “playing house” game and bowed toward the Great Emperor. Xie Yinwan muttered something under her breath that Bo Yu couldn’t hear.

 

Afterward, they went from the hall to the master bedroom. Xie Yinwan had a white gauze veil over her head. They each held half of a gourd-like wine vessel, connected by a red string. Only then did Bo Yu realize what they were doing. She remembered reading that during the Wei and Jin dynasties, metaphysics was highly revered, and white was the favored color for wedding garments.

 

Were they wearing wedding clothes? But she also remembered the “Green Hut Ceremony” in books, meaning the ceremony was held in a green tent outdoors, not indoors. They were in a grand bedroom. It seemed Xie Yinwan really was an official; nobility typically held weddings indoors.

 

Then, the dazed Bo Yu was led by Xie Yinwan to pay respects to Heaven and Earth. The veil was lifted, and they were about to drink the nuptial wine.

 

The two halves become one, never to part until their hair is white. This phrase came to Bo Yu’s mind. Fortunately, the marriage was just a dream, not real. But no—even for a dream, this was too strange.

 

Bo Yu’s hand loosened. The red string slipped, and the gourd hit the floor and shattered. The ceremony was incomplete. She suddenly startled awake from her dream.