Please Do Not Disturb, On a Date

Luo Xiaoxi hurriedly pressed for more answers, but Hua Qianluo suddenly went silent.

“Kids shouldn’t worry about all this random stuff. Focus on learning something useful,” Qianluo said, brushing the topic aside as she always did at critical moments. Although Xiaoxi was dissatisfied, she was used to it. Even last time, when she asked how Qianluo knew she was in trouble on the bridge, the older woman hadn’t given her a straight answer.

“Fine, see if I care,” Xiaoxi muttered, pouting as she picked up the tray of blue roses from outside and returned to the shop.

Hua Qianluo smiled silently, patting her pocket. Inside was a half-carved piece of blood jade.

That brat is still three months away from her eighteenth birthday.

The scent of dragon blood is already starting to manifest. I really hope nothing goes wrong during these next three months…

Long Miaoming returned home to find someone waiting for her.

An old, hunched butler handed her a folder. It contained a clear, detailed record of everything concerning Luo Xiaoxi over the past seventeen years. Miaoming entered the house and sat on the sofa, scanning the documents.

Suddenly, she looked up at the old butler. “Old man, how is… he doing?” Her tone was hesitant, as if she wasn’t sure whether she should even ask.

“To answer the Princess, the King’s health is quite stable,” the butler replied, though he looked like he wanted to say more.

“What? Speak!” Miaoming caught his expression instantly. Even though she knew he was showing it on purpose to get a reaction, she still wanted to know. After all, despite resenting Long Heng for eight hundred years, he was still her father.

“The old King misses the Princess dearly. He hopes the Princess can find some time to return for a visit.”

Miaoming froze for a moment. As expected, it’s about that again.

A sarcastic look crossed her face. “Fine. When you go back, tell him this…” She paused. “The next time I return, I’ll definitely bring him back a daughter-in-law.”

The old butler opened his mouth but said nothing. He saw the impatience written all over Miaoming’s face.

“Alright, you can leave now.”

“This old servant takes his leave.”

Once the butler departed, the house fell into silence once more. Miaoming looked around the empty space. To be honest, she felt a bit hollow. Yesterday, Luo Xiaoxi was here, and this big house actually felt lived-in. Today, it felt like an abandoned building again.

“Soon, soon,” Miaoming suddenly smiled. She pulled out a tablet and began meticulously planning something. “Tomorrow, I’ll launch my offensive. I’ll aim to have Luo Xiaoxi move into this house within two weeks.”

A confident smile appeared on her lips as her finger slid down the screen.

Couples’ Restaurant -> White River Water Park -> Cinema -> Autumn Fall Park.

The perfect route. Intimate glances at the restaurant, heart-pounding excitement at the water park, the “damsel in distress” act at the cinema, and a deep, soulful confession at Autumn Fall Park.

Tsk. Just thinking about it is exciting.

Miaoming had a plan; she was going to make Xiaoxi sink into the depths of her romantic offensive. If Xiaoxi’s life had remained peaceful, Miaoming felt she might have been able to endure watching over her silently from the shadows. But now? Silence was for fools. She, Long Miaoming, was going to win her over in this life.

Nighttime, Autumn Fall Park.

The park was closed to the public at this hour, but someone had evaded the security patrols and stayed behind. It was the man who had tried to buy flowers at Hua Qianluo’s shop. The hunched figure moved stealthily, weaving through the park with extreme caution. Since it was the hour when security usually napped, no one noticed him.

After running for a while, he finally stopped in front of an ordinary-looking flower bed. He bent over as far as he could, searching for something with desperate intensity. The thorns of the Chinese roses scratched his skin, but he didn’t care.

Finally, in a corner, he spotted a tiny blue flower. In a sea of red and yellow roses, a blue flower should have been conspicuous, but this one was so small it was hidden beneath the other blooms, completely unremarkable.

The figure was overcome with emotion, his voice trembling. “I found you. I finally found you.”

The little blue flower swayed gently, as if responding to the man’s “flower language.”

“Right, right… look at me, being so stupid. You must be hungry.”

The figure seemed to remember something. He turned his hand over and, with a shaky motion, slit his wrist. The flower swayed even more violently, as if trying to stop him. But alas, it was just a flower. Even if it snapped its own stem, it couldn’t stop his actions.

He waited for a while, but only a small amount of blood trickled from the wound. He had already sacrificed too much blood; there wasn’t much left in his body.

As the blood dripped onto the flower, it suddenly looked healthier, losing its previous wilted appearance. The man smiled. He curled up carefully beside the flower, using his body as a shield between the roses and the tiny blue blossom.

“Goodnight, Xiao Zi…” he whispered, closing his eyes with a smile.

The park was quiet. The pale streetlights cast a glow over the bushes, looking like a layer of white frost. A breeze blew, and the blue flower swayed gently next to the figure guarding it.

The Lycoris blooms for three lifetimes, yet forgets the present hour. It feels like this life, yet seems like a world away.

In the morning, Luo Xiaoxi was woken up by a barrage of message notifications. She rubbed her eyes drowsily. Last night, she had wanted to get a good night’s sleep, but the tilt-proof Hua Qianluo—who had been on a losing streak for two days—couldn’t help herself and dragged Xiaoxi into an all-nighter to boost her rank.

After a series of disastrous plays from Qianluo, and after Xiaoxi had secured her fourth “MVP of the Losing Side” title, Xiaoxi finally snapped and turned on her mic. That session had permanently altered Hua Qianluo’s understanding of Xiaoxi’s gaming persona. It also made Qianluo realize one thing: In the world of gaming, only the strong have the right to protect their parents.

Xiaoxi sat up, unplugged her charger, and opened her phone. It was a message from Miaoming.

Rich Dragon Sister (Xiaoxi’s nickname for Miaoming): (Nudge) You there? You there?

Your Auntie Next Door (Xiaoxi’s nickname): What’s up, Sister Long? Something wrong?

Rich Dragon Sister: Are you busy today?

Your Auntie Next Door: Nope. Why?

Rich Dragon Sister: Let’s go out and have some fun then.

Xiaoxi paused. At this point, shouldn’t I act a bit more reserved?

She was just about to send a polite refusal when Miaoming’s next message popped up:

Rich Dragon Sister: Buy whatever you want. I’m paying.

Xiaoxi gritted her teeth. That’s it? She thinks she can buy me with her wicked Banknote Power? Who does she think I am? I, Luo Xiaoxi, treat money like dirt!

Your Auntie Next Door: No problem! See you there!

…My hand moved on its own! Don’t blame me!