Volume 1 Chapter 53: She Doesn’t Eat Carrots at All
“Eh...?”
Tang Xingwan’s expression became stiff for a moment, but soon she showed that gentle smile again.
“Father, what are you talking about?”
But Bai Muxue had no intention of answering her at all.
She slowly stood up and walked to the window. Through the leaves outside, she quietly felt the sunlight shining through.
The sunlight was soft, not harsh at all. It fell on Bai Muxue’s body and gave her skin a gentle glow. Her eyes were calm, her voice distant, but a faint sadness appeared on her pretty face.
“I really miss this place. Ever since I became the young lady of the Bai family... I thought I would never come back here for the rest of my life.”
Yes... it was just like this, one ordinary afternoon after another.
She would cook, place the dishes on the table, and then father and daughter would eat while arguing playfully...
And many years passed like that.
Looking at Tang Xingwan, who was still sitting properly in her chair, though her face had clearly become unnatural, Bai Muxue softly sighed.
“But no matter what, a dream is only a dream. Some things, once lost, can never be found again. I really do miss my old life... but Xingwan is living well now, so I think this is enough.”
Tang Xingwan opened her mouth after hearing that. The smile on her face became more and more forced.
“Father, what are you saying? What dream? I really... don’t understand. This is the real world! Haven’t Father and I always lived here together?”
“So why would I have this kind of dream? I only remember my fever had not gone down... then I met little Xingwan... after that, I can’t remember clearly.”
Completely ignoring Tang Xingwan’s excuse, Bai Muxue leaned by the window, played with a strand of hair near her ear, and continued speaking to herself.
“So who exactly are you? Is that jellyfish still not dead? Or are you the hidden person who has been targeting me?”
“...When did you notice?”
After a long silence, “Tang Xingwan” finally asked slowly.
The smile on her face had completely disappeared. She bit her lower lip hard, and her pretty face turned pale. No matter how much she thought about it, she could not understand how Bai Muxue had noticed the problem.
Looking at the changing expression of the girl before her, Bai Muxue curled her lips slightly and laughed casually.
“From the moment I started cooking in the kitchen... that stove was a little too high for the current me.”
In that tiny kitchen, Bai Muxue had cooked for nearly twenty years.
She knew every pot, bowl, and tool there better than anyone. So the moment she walked to the stove and noticed the height felt wrong, she immediately realized something was off.
Heh... though I do wonder why this person didn’t turn me back into Tang Mu’s appearance. If that had happened, I might not have noticed so quickly...
Was it because their power was limited? Or some other reason?
“Just... just because of that? Only because of the stove’s height?”
Hearing this, shock appeared on the girl’s face. She lowered her eyes slightly and muttered,
“I didn’t expect the mistake would be there... If I had known earlier...”
“Heh, of course it wasn’t only that.”
Bai Muxue interrupted her muttering. Resting her chin on one pale finger, she slowly smiled.
“The stove’s height only made me suspicious...”
“The real reason I became certain this was only a dream... was you.”
“...Me?”
The girl could not hide her surprise.
“Yes.” Bai Muxue smiled and nodded. “Maybe you know a little about my past experiences, but I have to say... you are definitely not a qualified actor.”
“...Please explain.”
The girl frowned in confusion. Then she straightened her back slightly, looked seriously at Bai Muxue, and wore the expression of a good student listening carefully in class.
“It’s very simple.”
Looking at the other person’s serious expression, Bai Muxue could not help laughing softly. The tension and caution in her heart also eased a little.
“First of all, that little girl Xingwan would never sit obediently at the table, doing homework while waiting for dinner.”
Even Bai Muxue laughed helplessly as she said it.
“You should be hiding in your room, secretly playing on your phone. Then after hearing my voice, you would quickly hide the phone.”
The girl froze for a moment. She turned to look at the stack of papers she had neatly folded, and a complicated look flashed in her eyes.
“And also, Xingwan would never keep calling me ‘Father’ over and over. She definitely wouldn’t seriously judge my cooking like some food expert.”
Haha, if it were the real Xingwan, after hearing me say something like “I could become a five-star chef,” she would probably only roll her eyes at me.
“The last point, and the most important one...”
Bai Muxue still wore a faint smile. She sat back down at the table, picked up some noodles that were still warm, added some carrots, and placed them into the girl’s bowl.
“Xingwan doesn’t eat carrots.”
“......”
The girl stared blankly at the carrots in her bowl.
After a very long silence, she slowly let out a deep sigh. Her gentle voice carried a trace of emotion.
“As expected... I could not hide it from your eyes. Truly worthy of you.”
“Heh, what did you think I cut so many carrots for?”
Bai Muxue shrugged, a helpless look appearing on her pretty face.
“So now that things have come this far, there is no meaning in pretending anymore, right?”
It had to be said, no one knew a daughter better than her father.
Tang Xingwan had lived with her for more than ten years. Bai Muxue knew that little girl’s personality and habits far too well. The poor acting of the girl before her could never fool her.
And that overly peaceful way of getting along...
It was simply too strange, carrying a feeling of distance that was both unnatural and uncomfortable.
But before Bai Muxue could continue asking questions, the scene around her suddenly changed.
The small apartment, which had been filled with warm sunlight, quickly broke apart and collapsed before her eyes. Everywhere she looked was covered in thick white fog.
“This is...?”
When Bai Muxue opened her eyes again, she found herself standing on a barren plain.
Low thunder sounded from time to time. All around her were dead tree trunks, and the dark sky stretched endlessly into the distance.
The feeling of lifeless silence made her frown.
She subconsciously raised her head, only to discover a black tower standing before her.
Stairs spiraled upward from beside her feet. The howling wind kept rushing into her ears, as if trying to tell her something.
Was this... inviting her to go up?
Interesting.
Although the music box she had always carried close to her was nowhere to be seen, Bai Muxue showed no hesitation. A faint smile still remained on her face.
Without pause, she stepped onto the stairs.
The moment Bai Muxue took a step forward, her vision suddenly blurred.
When she came back to her senses, she found herself already standing at the top of the tower that reached into the clouds.
What surprised Bai Muxue was that the scene here was completely different from the dead wasteland outside.
Fine carved railings surrounded the area. Beside them were several fresh potted plants full of life.
The elegant and luxurious decoration made it look less like the top of a strange black tower, and more like the courtyard of some noble family having afternoon tea.
At the very center of the tower top, beside a beautifully carved square table, sat a lovely young girl.
She wore a black dress decorated with delicate lace patterns, perfectly showing her small figure. Her smooth silver hair moved gently in the wind, and a bright silver necklace rested on her slender white neck.
That face was not unfamiliar to Bai Muxue at all...
Rather, it was far too familiar.
—The silver-haired girl.
The mysterious girl who had made a contract with her, turned her into the young lady of the Bai family, and gave her power to become a magical girl.
“Heh... as expected, it’s you.”