An Incomplete Date Itinerary

During the day, Lin Lan arrived.

Early in the morning, Luo Xiaoxi was roused from her slumber by a frantic, heavy pounding on the door. Swinger the door open, she was greeted by a thoroughly handsome young man she had never seen before in her life…

“You are… who exactly?” Xiaoxi eyed the figure before her suspiciously; he felt a sliver familiar, yet he was overwhelmingly a stranger.

“It is me, Lin Lan…”

The youth stood there looking exceptionally frantic, his words somewhat incoherent as he blurted out a massive string of explanations that made absolutely no sense to Xiaoxi. This made her even more hesitant to let him step inside. At a single glance, he simply didn’t look entirely stable.

“Xiaoxi, let him in.”

Hua Qianluo’s voice echoed from right behind Xiaoxi, prompting her to instinctively look back. What greeted her eyes was Qianluo, who looked as though she hadn’t slept a single wink the entire night.

“Wow, Mama Qianluo, you’re practically about to turn into a panda.” Xiaoxi ruthlessly pointed out Qianluo’s dense, heavy dark circles.

“Wretched brat, nobody asked for your commentary!” Qianluo marched over and rapped Xiaoxi lightly on her small head. Xiaoxi clutched her head and promptly scurried out of the way to clear the path.

Standing right behind Qianluo was Zi Qingyan, who now possessed a completely solid, physical form. Xiaoxi was thoroughly astonished; just last night, this entity had been nothing more than a semi-translucent specter. Yet, after the passage of a solitary night, such a radical transformation had occurred.

“It has been quite a while since I last constructed a physical body for someone. My skills are a bit rusty,” Qianluo remarked casually, letting out a heavy yawn.

Even Zi Qingyan standing behind her flushed slightly at the comment. It certainly appeared that some rather indescribable events had transpired within the back courtyard last night.

Xiaoxi was on the absolute verge of viewing Qianluo in a whole new light. It turned out her Mama Qianluo wasn’t merely an over-the-hill single woman who knew nothing but how to play video games all day.

“Sister Zi…” Lin Lan froze for a long moment, before fiercely pinching his own arm. “I am not dreaming, am I…?”

“Idiot!” Zi Qingyan smiled beautifully, her expression shimmering with a trace of glistening tears.

Xiaoxi’s nose twitched slightly. She detected the distinct, sour stench of romance radiating between the couple. Turning her gaze toward Qianluo beside her, she saw the older woman settling into a comfortable stance, fully prepared to enjoy the unfolding drama.

“Mama Qianluo, look at those panda eyes of yours. You’re clearly exhausted, so hurry up and go get some rest.” Driven by the noble virtue of fostering love between others, Xiaoxi immediately began pushing Qianluo back toward her bedroom. She didn’t forget to offer a bright smile to the somewhat awkward couple. “It’s no trouble at all, please continue!”

This only served to make the pair feel infinitely more embarrassed.

Suddenly, Zi Qingyan tugged gently on Lin Lan’s sleeve, casting a meaningful look toward Qianluo. Lin Lan caught her drift instantly. The two strode directly to the front of Qianluo and… dropped squarely onto their knees before her.

“We thank the Celestial Master for the grace of recreation.”

Xiaoxi froze in shock, letting out a sharp gasp as she hastily leaped away. A grand gesture of this magnitude was absolutely not something she could casually receive. From a young age, Qianluo had drilled the lesson into her mind: Every existence within this world is bound by karma, and when it comes to karma, it is invariably best to entangle oneself as little as possible.

“My, how could I possibly accept this?” Qianluo said with a half-smile, stepping forward to assist the couple back to their feet.

“The Celestial Master’s profound benevolence is something we as a couple shall never forget for the rest of our days. We truly have no inkling how we can possibly repay you…” Just as Lin Lan was agonizing over the matter, Qianluo smoothly cut in.

“If you don’t know, you can simply ask me.”

“Huh???”

“I’ve been rather short on funds lately. As you well know, the materials required to sculpt a physical form for your wife are all exceptionally rare and costly…” Qianluo stated, her face beaming with a radiant smile.

Xiaoxi slapped her own forehead in absolute speechlessness. This couldn’t even be classified as a subtle hint anymore; it was an outright, blatant demand for cash. The mystical, transcendent aura of a legendary master that had been so meticulously established just moments ago was completely shattered into oblivion.

“Understood, fully understood.” Lin Lan nodded frantically. The financial situation of his family lineage in this lifetime was remarkably affluent, and he possessed a considerable amount of personal allowance. He could easily afford a substantial remuneration fee.

“Wonderful.” Qianluo beamed happily as she turned toward her bedchambers. Before stepping inside, she didn’t forget to cast a final glance back at them. “Then you two may continue. I shall not disrupt you any further.”

“So the old witch actually rescued that minor demon after all?”

Long Miaoming remarked, shaking her head with a clicking sound as she listened to Xiaoxi’s narration of the morning’s events. She gently spun the steering wheel. “I truly never expected that old witch to actually be a good person.”

“A good person…” Xiaoxi felt a sudden pang of deep shame. “Mama Qianluo ended up demanding three hundred thousand as a fee for her hard work. It was a bit excessive.”

“Three hundred thousand is not expensive at all,” Miaoming stated with complete indifference.

“Wow, Sister Long, that is three hundred thousand we are talking about!” Xiaoxi countered, her voice laced with a sliver of envy. “I haven’t even seen that much money in my entire life.”

Miaoming burst into a sudden laugh, casting a quick glance at Xiaoxi. “Xiaoxi, the object your backside is currently resting upon costs significantly more than three hundred thousand.” She paused, her voice softening. “If you desire it, I can gift it to you at any absolute moment.”

“Ah, this…” Xiaoxi was left completely speechless. Was Sister Long subtly flexing her boundless wealth right now?

“Let’s drop the subject. What exactly are we going to watch today?” Xiaoxi smoothly pivoted the conversation.

Miaoming casually handed the movie tickets over to her. Xiaoxi didn’t even catch the title text at first; instead, what immediately assaulted her vision was an incredibly prominent, glaring image of a massive human skull.

“Today, we are going to watch a horror movie.” A triumphant, scheming smile surfaced on Miaoming’s face.

Xiaoxi froze. Supernatural entities and ghosts were the absolute pinnacle of what she feared most in this world.

“Ah ah! Let me out of the car! I am not going!” Xiaoxi instantly shrieked in absolute panic.

“Heh, I have already purchased the tickets and you claim you are not going? Do you not think it is a bit too late for that?” Miaoming let out a cold chuckle, slamming the accelerator straight to the floorboards.

In the end, Miaoming still failed to coax Xiaoxi into the cinema.

Miaoming expressed a profound sense of regret regarding this outcome. It wasn’t that she lamented the financial loss of the two tickets; rather, she lamented losing the magnificent opportunity to have a trembling, terrified Xiaoxi seek refuge within her embrace.

Alas, Xiaoxi had practically fused herself to her car seat, stubbornly refusing to budge no matter what, leaving Miaoming entirely powerless.

Consequently, the itinerary for the seven-thirty movie had to be forcefully converted into a stroll through the local night market. Naturally, Miaoming expressed nothing but absolute disdain for this alternative. It is a mere night market; what possible allure could it hold?

However, witnessing how thoroughly blissful Xiaoxi appeared, she simply lacked the heart to voice her thoughts aloud.

“I hooked it!” Xiaoxi shouted in sheer excitement.

The stall owner, looking entirely helpless, retrieved the massive plush doll sitting at the very back of the display and handed it over to her. The absolute first thing Xiaoxi did upon securing her trophy was to sprint over and flaunt it before Miaoming.

“Sister Long, look!” Xiaoxi waved the massive doll before Miaoming’s face with pure delight, her smile completely resembling that of a joyful child.

Almost instinctively, Miaoming reached out her hand, gently patting Xiaoxi’s small head.

In that singular instant, both of them froze. A wave of awkwardness hung thick in the air.

Miaoming instinctively scanned their surroundings to break the tension. Suddenly, a remarkably familiar silhouette caught her attention.

Was that not… her old man?

“Xiaoxi, wait for me right here for a brief moment. I shall return shortly,” Miaoming instructed.