Chapter 30
Jiang Liu sat on a bench in the garden, the pleasant afternoon sun shining on her. She couldn’t help but stretch her legs slightly and gently close her eyes.
To be honest, the garden was indeed a good place to relax. A gentle breeze carried waves of floral scents, and her tense body, which had not yet recovered from a night of frantic running, finally relaxed.
Jiang Liu took a deep breath, savoring the long-awaited tranquility in the instance.
Her vision was a sea of darkness, tinged with the warm red of sunlight shining directly on her eyelids. In that moment, her hearing was infinitely magnified. The chatter of residents by the flowerbeds on either side constantly reached her ears, and in front of her was Xiao Si’s voice.
She could sense Xiao Si thanking someone and then walking towards her. Her footsteps were light, like dancing piano keys—bouncy and cheerful.
The sunlight before her eyes seemed to be blocked by a shadow. Jiang Liu’s eyelashes trembled, but she did not open her eyes, just quietly waiting for the person in front of her to answer.
Time seemed to freeze and stretch on indefinitely. A gaze fell upon her face, and for a long time, there was no movement.
Yang Caisi stood before her, her eyes filled with a hint of pain as they rested on Jiang Liu’s calf. It was as if her gaze were a miraculous medicine; the longer it lingered, the faster Jiang Liu’s wound would heal.
Looking at Jiang Liu’s resting form, she couldn’t help but feel a little dazed.
Neither of them spoke, both pleasantly enjoying this rare moment of peace, until—
A butterfly fluttered over and landed precisely on the end of Jiang Liu’s hair. Its yellow and white wings trembled for a moment before finally coming to rest.
Yang Caisi’s eyes lit up. A playful impulse seized her, and she subconsciously bent down, leaning towards Jiang Liu. Her right hand rose slowly, afraid that too large a movement would startle this little friend.
As her fingers drew closer and closer, she couldn’t help but hold her breath—
Jiang Liu suddenly opened her eyes, her tone cool. “What are you do—”
Before the sentence could be finished, she came face to face with Yang Caisi’s jade-like countenance. The rest of the words hesitated in her throat for a long time before finally being swallowed.
Too close.
Her throat moved slightly, and the fingers resting on the bench curled unconsciously. She stared, somewhat lost, at the suddenly close Yang Caisi.
“Oh no, it flew away!”
As Yang Caisi spoke, the butterfly on her hair seemed to sense something. It flapped its wings and quietly slipped away, disappearing in an instant.
Xiao Si’s tone was tinged with regret. She looked around for a long time before coming back to her senses, straightening up and pulling away as she spoke. “Sister Liu, have some water.”
The chilled can of Coke was still damp, and the red can contrasted sharply with her pale, luminous fingers, making her hands look exceptionally beautiful.
Jiang Liu was still dazed by her earlier proximity. She stared at those hands, speechless, and a strange thought suddenly welled up in her heart.
Holding these hands must feel very nice.
Seeing her not responding, Xiao Si shook her hand, her tone a little worried. “Sister Liu?”
Jiang Liu came back to her senses, feeling inexplicably guilty as she looked at her. She cleared her throat and took the Coke. “Thanks.”
Xiao Si smiled shyly and walked a few steps to sit beside her, finally answering her earlier question. “That pot of camellia was planted when I first moved in. It’s grown well, hasn’t it?”
Her voice held a hint of pride, and her sparkling eyes were filled with anticipation, as if she were hoping for a definite word of praise from Jiang Liu.
Jiang Liu was not stingy with her praise.
She coolly opened the can with one hand, tilted her head back, and took two large gulps. The bubbles, mixed with the cool taste, rushed into her mouth. She squinted in comfort and tilted her head, giving a thumbs-up.
“You’ve raised it very well.”
Having received praise, Xiao Si smiled even more sweetly. She glanced secretly at Jiang Liu, her voice soft. “Warm Sun Town has a custom. Anyone who settles here will personally plant a pot of flowers.”
“If you tell your wish to the flower, it will help you realize it.”
A gentle breeze blew past, and the ponytail behind her head swayed gently, her face serene.
A wish.
Catching this keyword, Jiang Liu subconsciously blinked, unable to help but think of Cheng Da and the bellflower.
Cheng Da was likely jealous of his brother, which was why the bellflower sensed his feelings and came to him in the middle of the night to make a deal to make Cheng Ji disappear forever.
She subconsciously looked down at her arm. Under the sleeve, a large patch of white camellias was in full bloom.
The flower language of the white camellia is: pure and innocent, an ideal love.
Jiang Liu’s lips moved. She turned to look at Xiao Si, and a sentence rushed out before she could think. “Are you…” in love with me?
Before the last three words could be spoken, they were interrupted by Xu Meng’s excited voice. “Sister Jiang! So you’re here!”
The sound of footsteps pattered from behind. The conversation between the two on the bench was interrupted, and they both turned to look. They saw Xu Meng, her face flushed from the heat, rushing towards them.
Almost at the instant she saw Xu Meng, a flicker of regret crossed Xiao Si’s eyes. When she looked up again, her expression had changed. The faint smile on her lips had faded, and even her posture had become more proper and reserved.
Jiang Liu sighed inwardly. The question remained unasked. She just gestured for Xu Meng to come and sit.
“The garden is so crowded. I’ve been looking for you for a long time,” Xu Meng chattered, then smiled at Xiao Si.
Xiao Si nodded lightly and was already getting up. “Then you two chat. I’ll go and help.”
She pointed to a flowerbed not far away and stretched her arms slightly, a look of fatigue on her small face.
Xu Meng was puzzled and just widened her eyes slightly. “Aren’t you going to rest for a bit?”
Xiao Si shook her head and waved casually as she prepared to leave. After walking a few steps, she seemed to remember something and stopped, but she didn’t turn back.
With her back to Jiang Liu, she paused for a moment and threw out a vague sentence, “If you like it, you can take the pot of gardenia from An’an’s room. I heard it was left by the previous tenant.”
Xu Meng was stunned. She suddenly remembered the totem on her arm and hurriedly asked, “What’s her name?”
Xiao Si hesitated for a moment before saying softly, “I don’t know her name, only that she was a girl with short hair and a butterfly earring on her left ear.”
The last few words fell lightly, almost a murmur, but they struck Xu Meng’s heart like a heavy hammer, word by word, causing her to burst into tears instantly.
Xiao Si, seemingly oblivious to the commotion behind her, jogged away and disappeared.
Jiang Liu stared at her retreating back, and a strange sense of incongruity rose again.
Was she helping her, and that’s why she deliberately revealed this information?
The previous tenant was clearly also a player. If she had left that pot of gardenia and made a wish when she planted it—
Xu Meng covered her face and wept, her fingers repeatedly stroking the tattoo on her left arm as she murmured to herself, “I knew it, I saw her.”
She sniffled, her eyes red as she grabbed Jiang Liu’s sleeve. “Sister Jiang, I remember now. That night, when I was trapped under the sofa, I smelled the scent of gardenias.”
Crying and crying, she then started to laugh foolishly. “I thought I was hallucinating at the time, but who knew it was real? Just like your white camellia, she protected me!”
Her emotions fluctuated wildly, crying one moment and laughing the next, as if she couldn’t control herself. Her tone was tinged with worry. “She’s in the game too, so she…”
Xu Meng’s eyes suddenly widened, and she gripped Jiang Liu’s wrist nervously. “She should be okay, right?”
Jiang Liu hadn’t spoken, just sat quietly by her side, comforting her. Only now did she understand from her fragmented words the reason for her dejection over the past few days.
Reaching out to wipe her tears, she suddenly asked, “Is she your lover?”
Xu Meng nodded forcefully. When she thought of her partner, her gaze softened considerably. “Yes. I have to introduce you to her when we have the chance.”
Jiang Liu patted her shoulder. “Since she would leave a flower to protect you, it means she’s also safe. Don’t worry, I’ll help you look for her after we get out.”
Her words always had a certain power. Though her voice was soft, it always gave people a sense of conviction. Xu Meng’s anxious heart immediately calmed down, and she smiled through her tears. “Yes, I believe you, Sister Jiang.”
Having released her long-suppressed emotions, Xu Meng’s state was much better than before. She apologetically wiped the tears from her face and finally had the leisure to gossip.
“What exactly is the relationship between you and that NPC?”
Xu Meng poked Jiang Liu’s arm, her tone probing.
She had listened in when Zhao Ziming and Zhang Xiaochen were gossiping earlier, but at the time, her mind was heavy with worries. She wasn’t even sure if she could make it out alive, so she naturally had no interest in prying.
Jiang Liu laughed and pretended to pat her on the head. “You silly girl, what are you thinking about all day?”
Not to mention she had no interest in romance right now, even if she did, she wouldn’t choose an NPC whose identity as a human or a ghost was still unclear, right?
Xu Meng stood up to dodge, a smile finally on her face. “It’s not that I’m overthinking it, you two are just so ambiguous!”
She had secretly seen it. The way Xiao Si spoke to Jiang Liu just now was completely different, and her face was all flushed. That was the look of someone looking at their lover!
At her age, being stared at with such a probing gaze by a young girl, Jiang Liu also felt her face burn. Her thoughts inexplicably drifted to when Xiao Si had gotten close just now—
She had closed her eyes and waited for a long time, but Xiao Si had made no move. She could only feel that figure getting closer and closer. At that moment, Jiang Liu really thought… that Xiao Si was going to kiss her.
The thought of this possibility made Jiang Liu’s heart pound uncontrollably, as if it were no longer under her command. A tingling numbness spread through her limbs.
Her heart was in turmoil, but her face remained impassive. She rolled her eyes with a straight face. “Get lost. Clearing the level is what’s important.”
Even if she were to fall in love, it should be…
A face suddenly popped into her mind. Jiang Liu quickly took a sip of Coke to calm herself down, trying hard to drive the chaotic thoughts out of her head.
Xu Meng’s teasing didn’t go too far. Seeing this, she also nodded eagerly. “Sister Jiang is right! We need to find Li An’an quickly!”
Jiang Liu snapped her fingers and gave her a look that said, “You’re teachable.”
“Alright, go back and get some good rest this afternoon. We’ll have to work hard again tonight.”
Xu Meng gave a salute and followed behind her, bouncing back.
That evening, as the sun was about to set, the smell of dinner wafted from every household. Zhao Ziming followed behind Jiang Liu, carrying dozens of flower pots with a head full of question marks. “Are you sure this isn’t just suicide?”
Jiang Liu walked at the very front with her hands in her pockets. Hearing him, she gave a mysterious smile. “I have my own clever use for them.”
After getting the hint from Xiao Si—she had a brand new plan.