CH 22

After staying with the Bai family for a short while, YouYou began to clamor to go out and play.

With Bai Qu absent, YouYou yearned to spread her wings and fly freely wherever she pleased.

However, when faced with their own child/sibling and those sparkling eyes, the parents and older brother of the Bai family, despite their inner reluctance, eventually gave in. They repeatedly reminded YouYou to make a daily phone call to let the family know she was safe and insisted on having a bodyguard accompany her to prevent any unforeseen circumstances.

Upon hearing this, YouYou happily nodded and gave each of them a big hug. Experiencing the genuine care of the Bai family, YouYou gradually let go of her inhibitions and opened up.

YouYou, accompanied by Mu Qingxue, felt excitement every day. They left their footprints in many places—undulating mountain ranges, vast seashores, quaint small towns, and enchanting deserts.

Throughout the journey, even Mu Qingxue, who usually maintained a calm and indifferent demeanor, couldn’t help but be moved. The magnificent scenes crafted by nature highlighted the greatness of the Creator and made her feel insignificant in comparison.

Their journey came to an end with the release of the college entrance examination results.

Reluctantly, YouYou put an end to their adventure, feeling deeply attached to it.

During the return flight, YouYou savored the photos taken by the bodyguard, smiling radiantly. Mu Qingxue, resting her head on YouYou’s shoulder, idly looked at various pictures.

However, Mu Qingxue’s gaze was fixated on a particular photo—a captivating image of a girl brimming with pure happiness.

She was pure, pristine, and her laughter was contagious.

Mu Qingxue couldn’t fathom how this person could be so easily contented.

As Mu Qingxue’s eyelids grew heavy, she suddenly realized that if this person continued to be so obedient and caring towards her, it would actually be quite enjoyable.

Carefully tucking the photos away and returning them to her bag, YouYou blinked her eyes and covered her mouth, giggling secretly.

Ah, when they returned to their original world, she definitely had to tell Bai Qu about all the places she had been to and how she developed feelings for a cold and brilliant academic genius.

The thought of Bai Qu’s expression at that time brought a mischievous smirk to her face.

“Achoo!”

Rubbing his itchy nose, Ji Lin sat at the computer desk, moving the mouse and clicking the search button. After a few seconds, he curled his lips into a slight smile.

His scores were decent; at least he didn’t disappoint himself.

Upon learning the news that Mu Qingxue achieved nearly a perfect score and became the top scorer in the science stream in the province, the Bai family parents and older brother were truly amazed for a while. However, when faced with their own child/sibling’s abysmal college entrance examination results, the Bai family couldn’t hide their lack of surprise. After all, considering YouYou’s poor academic performance…

They were all well aware of it.

Deep down, they no longer had any objections to YouYou’s attachment to Mu Qingxue.

The Bai family joyfully started preparing various things that would be needed for both of them in college, which made Mu Qingxue feel a bit embarrassed.

Being an orphan, Mu Qingxue had rarely experienced warmth throughout her life. As she watched the Bai family members busy themselves for her sake, even though Mu Qingxue knew their actions were primarily for Youyou’s sake, she couldn’t help but be deeply moved.

In her heart, Mu Qingxue silently made a vow to double her efforts in repaying the Bai family in the future. She tightly held Youyou’s hand, her expression inscrutable.

Youyou belonged to her, so Mu Qingxue was determined to support her with her own abilities, rather than relying on the power of the Bai family or anyone else.

With this goal in mind, Mu Qingxue worked diligently from the moment she entered university. As a result, she progressed faster and farther than the Mu Qingxue in the original storyline.

Youyou, who was carefully cared for by everyone, lived a contented life. Mu Qingxue, Wei Yang, and Ji Lin were all very accommodating and doted on her. They would always accompany her in playing and other activities.

Each time, Youyou would unintentionally knock down the almost-completed dominoes set by Wei Yang. Seeing Wei Yang’s frustrated yet helpless expression, Youyou couldn’t help but find it amusing.

They were in a state of pure bliss.

As time passed, Mu Qingxue became increasingly outstanding. Her brows and eyes exuded a cool and powerful aura. Only in the presence of Youyou did she soften her radiant presence, showing a gentle and considerate side that made others envious.

In fact, Ji Lin and Wei Yang had no understanding of Mu Qingxue’s feelings towards Youyou at the beginning. By the time they realized it, it was already too late.

With a fierce grip, Ji Lin pinched Youyou’s face, displaying his anger. He pointed to a slightly faded strawberry mark on Youyou’s neck, feeling extremely frustrated inside.

He was on the verge of losing control and feeling a murderous rage.

“You silly girl, how could you be so easily fooled?!”

In that moment, Youyou looked at Ji Lin with a bewildered and innocent expression. This only fueled Ji Lin’s anger further, and he directed a cold and piercing gaze towards Mu Qingxue.

The atmosphere became tense and awkward for a while.

…

After accumulating enough resources and capital, Mu Qingxue expressed her feelings to the Bai family.

As they looked at Mu Qingxue, who had a serious and determined expression, and Youyou, who clung to Mu Qingxue with a sweet and unwilling-to-move look, the parents and elder brother of the Bai family exchanged glances and suddenly realized what was truly going on.

Indeed, they were also puzzled as to why someone as exceptional as Mu Qingxue would be so good to their Youyou. It turns out that she had been the mastermind behind it all!

They didn’t respond to Mu Qingxue immediately.

After keeping Youyou in the study and questioning them for several hours, the Bai family finally gave their consent.

Placing the sparkling ring on Youyou’s hand, Mu Qingxue took her from the Bai family to the house she had secretly bought and renovated. With a settled heart, she finally felt at ease.

【Congratulations, task completed.】

Youyou stared at Mu Qingxue, her eyes widening in surprise, as the sound of the excited voice from the system filled the air. It seemed like she had suddenly realized something important.

“One lifetime in Chang’an.”

When Youyou departed from this world and her soul returned to the realm of the system, in another world, two souls were just about to awaken from their bodies.

“Damn bastard.”

As soon as his consciousness returned, Bai Qu entered Youyou’s room.

When Bai Qu saw the girl lying on the bed, showing no signs of awakening, his face turned pale, and an immense storm seemed to gather on his refined and handsome countenance.

“System, what on earth is going on?”

Being an advanced task performer, Bai Qu had some understanding of the system under the Main God’s command. Cases like these, where one traverses multiple or countless task worlds without the ability to return to the original source world, were considered nothing but rubbish.

【Host, it was the little white lotus heroine system that took Miss Youyou captive.】

“White Lotus Heroine System?”

Having spent some points, Bai Qu acquired the information about the White Lotus Heroine System from the trading hall. His face turned grim, and he wished he could grab Youyou and give her a good beating.

According to the information provided, the White Lotus Heroine System under the Main God’s domain is now left with just one nearly scrapped/about-to-be-destroyed seedling. And just a moment ago, that system, which had failed numerous times, unexpectedly completed a mission.

Bai Qu took another look at Xixi’s system attributes.

Bai Qu gritted his teeth and cast an annoyed glare at Youyou.

Ever since he discovered something was amiss with her, he used the system to gather information about her and even secretly infiltrated that world, intending to bring her back. But to his dismay, he inexplicably lost his memory and helplessly watched as she was devoured by that damned woman, Mu Qingxue.

He felt frustrated, heartbroken, and filled with the desire to kill.

“You silly girl, just wait until you come back. Watch how I deal with you.”

Sitting at the edge of the bed, Bai Qu gently tapped his finger on Youyou’s forehead and spoke softly.

“Lock onto that White Lotus Heroine System for me. I’m going to eliminate all those women who claim to be the main character’s love interests before they can even get close to Youyou,” Bai Qu declared with determination.

With a chilling tone, Bai Qu’s eyes revealed a strong murderous intent.

The mere thought of the possibility of his beloved sister getting hurt, feeling uneasy, or being bullied was enough to make him unable to resist the urge to eliminate all those individuals.

【Host, please wait a moment.】

【I apologize, but I couldn’t trace Xixi. I’m currently contacting other systems.】

Bai Qu: …

A silence fell inside the room until another man entered.

The newcomer had handsome features, distinct from the refined and handsome Bai Qu. He possessed a tall and muscular physique, exuding a strong sense of power and explosiveness with every step he took.

Bai Qu glanced at him briefly, as if suddenly remembering something, and asked.

“Did you used to bully Youyou often and knock down the dominoes she painstakingly stacked?” Bai Qu asked, his voice filled with accusation.

If it weren’t for that, Youyou wouldn’t have treated him that way in the task world either.

His footsteps faltered slightly, and Su Ling cleared his throat, a hint of embarrassment crossing his face. “Uh, no, not at all. I was actually helping her with setting up those troublesome things.”

“Is that so?” Bai Qu responded, his tone tinged with skepticism.

For the time being, Bai Qu didn’t have the time to settle the score with Su Ling. He gently squeezed the blanket for Youyou, his expression filled with worry. He knew better than anyone the dangers and perils of the Main God’s domain. With the inability to track down the White Lotus System, he truly dreaded the thought of what Youyou might face all alone.

After all, considering Youyou’s temperament and the incompetence of that system with limited abilities…

He simply couldn’t find a way to put his mind at ease.

…

【Qu Lanqin】:

It appeared that Qu Lanqin’s misfortune surpassed even that of her previous life.

Prior to her rebirth, she had been able to gather occasional snippets of information about Mu Qingxue through her high school classmates. However, after her rebirth, she found herself without any channels to gain further insights into Mu Qingxue’s true situation.

Despite successfully entering the prestigious Imperial University once again and repairing her relationship with her best friend from her previous life, the encounters with Mu Qingxue became infrequent. Qu Lanqin could only catch glimpses of her through snippets in newspapers or on the internet.

Mu Qingxue and Bai Youyou.

It seemed as if they had disappeared from the face of the earth, losing contact with all their classmates.

A yearning grew within Qu Lanqin, festering in the depths of her heart, leaving her feeling empty and consumed by madness. She had never fathomed that the distance between people could be so vast.

The despair that ensues when you can never catch up to someone’s fading figure no matter how hard you chase…

Perhaps that was the greatest punishment for her.

TL Note: Aand.. that’s a wrap for the first arc. Youyou will lose her memories of this arc when she goes to the next one btw. Also, the next arc is pretty sad and has some violence at the end, so if that’s not your kind of thing, you can skip it (it’s not that long) and wait for the third arc.

If you’re interested in more chapters, please consider buying me a coffee below