Queen of Ten Thousand Demons Insists on Marrying Me - Chapter 82

“Ding-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling~”

The urgent ringing of a mobile phone suddenly echoed in the empty room. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, scattering spots of light onto the double bed in the bedroom.

A fair arm slowly reached out from under the blanket, fingers fumbling around the bedside table, searching for the source of the dream-interrupting noise.

The ringing continued, each sound like a drumbeat of urgency tapping on her heart. Finally, thirty seconds after the ringing started, the arm finally grasped the phone and quickly retreated back under the blanket.

“Hello…” a hoarse voice emerged from under the covers.

“Hello what? Lu Xiaoxiao, why are you still not at work? What time is it? The product manager couldn’t find you during the morning meeting! This is about to escalate to the boss!”

Lu Xiaoxiao mumbled a response from under the blanket, her voice thick with sleep: “Huh? I… I’ll be right there.” She struggled to open her eyes and checked the time on her phone screen, instantly shocked out of her drowsiness.

It was almost noon.

Now fully awake, Lu Xiaoxiao swiftly threw off the blanket and sat up, scrambling out of bed and rushing into the bathroom in her slippers. Looking at her brown, curly hair in the mirror, Lu Xiaoxiao was confused. She was just moments ago guarding Tantai Jing and fighting Yan Gengshen in the Dead Spirit Abyss. When did she get her hair permed?

Also, she had traveled to that game-like world two years ago. In that place, she owned ancient divine artifacts, was the young sect master of a dilapidated sect, and could see everyone’s attribute values… How did she wake up back in her modern home?

Was it a dream?

Lu Xiaoxiao stood in front of the bathroom mirror, mechanically brushing her teeth, her mind a mess. She pulled back the fabric at her shoulder and saw her skin was smooth as before, without any scars. Last night in the Dead Spirit Abyss, the blow from the Hàoyue Bracelet was so painful it nearly knocked her unconscious—no, she should have died instantly—yet now, there wasn’t even a trace of injury.

“Could it… really be a dream?” she muttered to herself, spitting out the foam in her mouth, quickly rinsing it out. She didn’t even bother to wipe the water droplets that dripped down her chin onto her collar.

Leaving the bathroom, she frantically grabbed her phone from the nightstand. Her fingers rapidly typed the name “Tantai Jing” into the search bar. The search results that popped up were full of irrelevant information: ancient books, historical figures, novel characters—but none of the Tantai Jing she knew.

“Impossible…” She bit her lip, deleted the words in the search box, and re-entered “Yáoxiá Palace.” This time, the results were even more ridiculous, all travel guides and online novels, and even a few mobile game advertisements.

Her fingers trembled slightly. She deleted “Yáoxiá Palace” and entered “Lu Wanbai.” But the search results remained a blank slate. Unwilling to give up, she scrolled down page after page until her eyes ached, but she still found nothing.

Lu Xiaoxiao collapsed onto the chair, looking up at the ceiling, her mind blank. Sunlight slanted in from the window, falling on her face, but she felt no warmth.

“Could it… really have been a dream? But how could a dream be so real… Am I going crazy?” She closed her eyes, but Tantai Jing’s face floated into her mind. Those eyes, which always carried a hint of coldness, would only soften slightly when looking at her.

“No, I can’t just be back like this!” She abruptly sat upright, her fingers tightly gripping the armrest of the chair. If she really died, what would Tantai Jing do when she emerged from the Demon Locking Tower and found her missing? Would a person like her blame herself? Would she be sad?

At the thought, her heart felt fiercely gripped by something. The pain made it almost impossible for her to breathe.

“I have to go back… I must go back…” she whispered, a sob catching in her voice. But how could she go back? After all, she didn’t even know how she came back in the first place.

“Ding-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling~”

Lu Xiaoxiao picked up her phone. The screen displayed the name “Manager Zhang.” Her finger hovered over the answer button for a few seconds before she finally pressed it.

“Hello, Manager Zhang…” Before she could finish speaking, a torrent of sharp reprimands poured from the other end of the line.

“Lu Xiaoxiao! Do you want to work or not? If you don’t want to, just quit directly! Don’t waste everyone’s time here!” Manager Zhang’s voice was both urgent and angry. “Such a big project is about to launch, and instead of being on call, you pull a disappearing act? Do you know how many people were looking for you this morning? The client side is about to explode!”

Lu Xiaoxiao opened her mouth, wanting to explain, but Manager Zhang didn’t give her a chance.

“I’m telling you, if this project has any complications because of you, forget about your year-end bonus! Also, get to the office immediately! If I don’t see you in half an hour, you don’t need to come back at all!”

Lu Xiaoxiao finally found a chance to interrupt the ceaseless scolding on the other end, her tone calm but with a hint of finality: “Then I quit. You can find someone else.” With that, she hung up the phone before the other party could react and immediately turned off her phone.

“Hoo—” She let out a long breath, as if shedding a massive burden. Then, she tossed her phone onto the bed and sprawled out on the mattress, staring blankly at the ceiling.

“Last time, I suddenly went over after sleeping. Maybe… I’ll try sleeping again?” she muttered to herself, holding onto a sliver of hope. Perhaps, if she closed her eyes again, she could return to that world, back to Tantai Jing’s side.

Thinking this, she immediately burrowed under the blanket, adjusted to a comfortable position, and tightly closed her eyes. However, half an hour passed, and her consciousness became even clearer. Maybe she had slept too long before; now, no matter what she did, she couldn’t fall asleep.

“Sigh…” She reluctantly opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling, worried. Just as she was wondering what to do, her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten in a long time.

“Forget it, let’s fill my stomach first.” She flipped out of bed, shuffled into the kitchen in her slippers, and rummaged through the cabinets until she found a pack of instant noodles. Boiling water, cooking the noodles, adding seasoning—her movements were practiced but somewhat absent-minded.

If I can’t go back to that world, what should I do? Do I really have to start a modern life all over again?

“Ding—” The water boiled, and steam escaped from the edge of the pot lid, interrupting her thoughts. She lifted the lid, and the heat rushed into her face, blurring her vision.

“Forget it. I’ll take things one step at a time.”

The steaming noodles gave off a familiar aroma, but her heart felt hollow, as if something important was missing.

The time stretched into the evening, and Lu Xiaoxiao was still at a loss for how to return to that world. She constantly searched the internet for all kinds of information: parallel universes, transmigration, spiritual communication… Her mouse scrolled over increasingly ridiculous websites, but she came up empty-handed.

The last sliver of daylight slipped away from the corner of Lu Xiaoxiao’s eye, bringing with it the frustration and anxiety that had swelled within her all afternoon.

“Thump-thump-thump~”

Hearing a knock on the door, Lu Xiaoxiao went to the door and peered through the peephole—it was her colleague, Zhang Yuqing, who had called her this morning.

Thinking of her previously good relationship with this colleague, she opened the door.

Seeing Lu Xiaoxiao at home, Zhang Yuqing rolled her eyes. She walked straight to the sofa, tossed her bag down, and sat, speaking without reservation: “What is wrong with you? Saying you quit just like that, without even telling your lunch buddy?”

Seeing Lu Xiaoxiao sitting silently in the corner of the sofa, Zhang Yuqing asked again, “What’s wrong? Did you find a better place? Introduce me! Now that you’ve left, I don’t want to work there either. Alas~”

“Something happened. You wouldn’t believe it if I told you,” Lu Xiaoxiao sighed, too.

Zhang Yuqing: “How do you know I won’t believe it if you don’t tell me? We’ve known each other for so long. Tell me, and I can share the burden. Even if I can’t help, I can listen to you vent.”

Lu Xiaoxiao opened her mouth, a thousand thoughts tangling in her mind. Forget it. If she believes me, at least someone will share the burden. If she doesn’t, I’ll just be thought of as crazy. So, she fully recounted how she got to the cultivation world, how she met Lu Wanbai and Tantai Jing, and finally, how she returned.

Seeing Zhang Yuqing’s mouth agape, as if she were about to drool, Lu Xiaoxiao’s expression remained calm: “See? I knew you wouldn’t believe me.”

Zhang Yuqing’s gaze slowly became strange. After a long pause, she mumbled to herself, “I never noticed you had this kind of problem before.”

“What are you muttering about?” Lu Xiaoxiao asked, seeing her mumbling at the floor.

Zhang Yuqing quickly waved her hands: “N-Nothing… I have a relative who is a psychological counselor. Tomorrow is Saturday. I’ll come pick you up, and we can go see them. You’re probably stressed out from work and having some psychological issues.”

Lu Xiaoxiao slumped back into the sofa: “I knew you wouldn’t believe me.”

“Seriously! You were eating lunch with me in the cafeteria yesterday, then today you suddenly quit, and then you tell me a completely illogical short story? Who would believe that?” The still-shocked Zhang Yuqing seemed not to have fully processed the dream Lu Xiaoxiao described. She took a sip of water and added, “So you’re a lesbian?”

Lu Xiaoxiao: “What part of it is illogical? I guess so, anyway. I fell in love with Tantai Jing.”

“First of all! The fact that this Tantai Jing would fall in love with you—don’t you think that’s outrageous? Is there no one else alive in that world besides you? Why else would such an amazing person fall for you? That’s even more unbelievable than a Prince Charming and Cinderella story!”

Lu Xiaoxiao pointed at herself with her index finger: “Am I that bad?”

Zhang Yuqing looked her over and said, “While you’re not bad-looking, you’re definitely a long way from this Tantai Jing. Plus, that surname sounds like something out of a novel. Have you been watching too many TV shows and reading too many novels?”

Lu Xiaoxiao stood up and pulled her to her feet, pushing her toward the door while saying, “Go, go, go. You’ve worked all day. Hurry home and rest, okay? You might have to work overtime tomorrow. You can inherit all my succulents at my workstation. If I disappear one day, don’t worry about me. I might have gone to the other side to find my wife, okay?”

Zhang Yuqing, squeezed in the doorway, didn’t forget to admonish her: “Hey, hey, hey! I don’t want your junk. I’ll pick you up at nine tomorrow to see the doctor. Maybe you really are sick. We can’t avoid seeking medical help. If you’re sick, you need to treat it early. My relative gives me a discount, so don’t worry about the money.”

“Clang~”

Lu Xiaoxiao leaned against the door and slowly raised her eyes, surveying her surroundings. Succulents, a gaming console, merchandise… every corner was a trace of her life. Even the latest timestamp in her phone’s memo was yesterday, and everything within sight reinforced the vivid sense of reality. Taking a deep breath, the scent of her home air freshener filled her lungs.

It was not the sandalwood scent she had grown familiar with for two years.

“Did I really go crazy from work? But I don’t usually watch much TV or read novels…”