A Familiar Stranger

Even though Miss Bai was still unwell, Tang Xingwan felt a pang of guilt for thinking it, yet, in all honesty, she found herself preferring the current Bai Muxue.

Perhaps it was because her own pajamas draped so loosely on Bai Muxue, their neckline gaping wide, fully exposing delicate collarbones.

The garment seemed to hang from Bai Muxue’s slender frame, accentuating her graceful, delicate figure.

Her gaze drifted down the unbuttoned neckline, where large expanses of fair skin were revealed, leading to calves as pristine and tender as lotus roots.

Below these, delicate jade feet subtly emerged from beneath the quilt.

It felt as though she was wildly probing the edges of a forbidden zone, making it utterly impossible to tear her gaze away.

“Um…”

Bai Muxue’s voice, suddenly emanating from the bed, startled Tang Xingwan.

She hastily composed her features, smoothing away the slightly dazed expression brought on by her wandering thoughts, and offered a practiced smile.

“Oh, yes? Is something the matter?”

Bai Muxue idly traced the rim of the cup in her hands with her fingertips, then turned her face to meet Tang Xingwan’s gaze, a flicker of hesitation crossing her lovely features.

“Um, would it be alright if I… called you Xingwan?”

The moment the words left her lips, Bai Muxue felt her breath catch, her heart beginning to pound with a frantic, irregular rhythm.

She had said it.

She had actually said it.

Bai Muxue knew, of course, that for the girl’s safety, she shouldn’t seek excessive interaction with her.

And yet…

Sevyar’s dream had not been without purpose; it had undeniably stirred a cherished, indelible memory within Bai Muxue’s heart.

Especially now, in the girl’s very room, witnessing her charming, radiant smile, the emotions stirring within Bai Muxue intensified with every passing moment.

‘Even if I can’t tell her the truth, even if I can’t return to our past life, at least let me call her by her old name…’ Bai Muxue mused to herself.

“Huh?”

Tang Xingwan froze for a moment at the request.

Call her Xingwan directly?

Wouldn’t that be a little too intimate?

Was Miss Bai, despite her outwardly cool demeanor, actually the type whose favor shot up exponentially?

And the last person to call her ‘Xingwan’ had been her own…

‘Well, Miss Bai is so adorable, I certainly wouldn’t be at a disadvantage, heheh…’ Tang Xingwan mused, her eyes fixed on Bai Muxue’s slender, fair fingers, noting the perfectly manicured, rounded nails adorned with dark red polish, as she subconsciously nodded.

“Oh, of course, that’s absolutely fine! Then what should I call you, Miss Bai?”

‘If only you’d call me Dad… Just kidding.’

Upon hearing Tang Xingwan’s affirmative reply, the tension in Bai Muxue’s chest finally eased.

She gently placed the cup on the bedside table, her gaze softening as she looked at the girl.

“Then you can just call me Xiaoxue, Xingwan.

Thank you for saving me today.”

“Oh, don’t mention it,” Tang Xingwan replied, a blush creeping up her neck as she averted her gaze from the girl’s earnest gratitude.

“It was truly just a small favor!”

She cleared her throat delicately, then raised an index finger, a serious expression gracing her lips.

“My dad always said there are two things a girl should never do: stand idly by when others are in trouble, and waste food!”

‘Hey, hey, when did I ever say such a thing? Don’t just put words in my mouth, alright?’ Bai Muxue stifled a laugh, yet a sudden sense of disorientation washed over her.

‘Is this a dream? I truly believed I would never cross paths with this little girl again, but now…’

‘Wait, speaking of dreams…’ The faint smile on Bai Muxue’s lovely face subtly stiffened, and her tone grew slightly more serious.

“Speaking of which, Xingwan, may I ask you a question?”

“Huh?”

Seeing Bai Muxue unexpectedly drop her smile, Tang Xingwan felt an inexplicable surge of nervousness.

“Ah, Xiaoxue, please do ask.”

‘Could it be… Miss Bai — no, Xiaoxue — didn’t want me to call an ambulance because she’s actually being hunted?

And now that she’s sharing this secret with me, I’ll have to bid farewell to my peaceful life and embark on an adventurous journey!’

‘And it’s not like I’m completely defenseless!’ The girl’s thoughts, for a moment, scattered wildly.

“Well… it’s about…”

Bai Muxue fixed her gaze on Tang Xingwan’s eyes, enunciating each word carefully.

“Do you… like carrots?”

‘…Huh? Carrots?’

Their gazes met, creating an intensely awkward silence.

For a brief moment, the air grew thick with an unexpected quiet.

“Um,” Tang Xingwan mumbled, utterly bewildered by Bai Muxue’s sudden, peculiar question.

She twirled a strand of hair around her finger, then offered a hesitant reply.

“No, not really… Why do you ask?”

‘She doesn’t like them.

So this really is the real world, not a dream?

Heh, not that the question had any real significance anyway.’

Bai Muxue nodded imperceptibly to herself, her face betraying no hint of embarrassment, retaining her delicate smile.

“I see.

I was just asking casually, Xingwan, don’t give it too much thought.”

‘Just… just asking casually?’ Tang Xingwan froze, utterly unsure how to continue the conversation.

She could only hastily avert her gaze from Bai Muxue’s smiling eyes, then bolted from the room in a flurry.

“I, I remember we should have some fever reducers and cold medicine at home.

I’ll go look for them!”

“Xiaoxue, just stay in bed!

I’ll be right back!”

Bai Muxue watched the girl’s pretty, hurrying figure, shaking her head with an amused smile.

‘This girl is still so clumsy… When will she finally mature and become a little more steady?’

“Huh… I remember the cold medicine was in that cabinet.

How can I not find it?”

“Is this it?

Hmm, this is rubbing alcohol… That’s strange.

I don’t usually move them…”

Before long, the girl’s slightly anxious voice carried in from just beyond the door, reaching Bai Muxue’s ears.

“Did you check if it’s in that hidden compartment?

It’s usually kept with the stomach medicine, isn’t it?”

‘Ah, still putting things away haphazardly as always…’ Bai Muxue sighed inwardly, not giving it much thought.

She leaned forward slightly and called out toward the door.

The rummaging sounds from outside the door gradually ceased, replaced by the sight of a girl.

She stood leaning against the doorframe, a medicine box clutched in her hand, her lovely face etched with utter confusion.

“Xiaoxue, how on earth did you know where my family keeps the fever reducers?”

Bai Muxue paused for a moment at the question, then a playful smirk touched her lips as she winked at Tang Xingwan.

“Oh, nothing, just a lucky guess.”

‘A casual guess… That can’t be right!

How could a casual guess be so accurate!

This is *my* family’s cabinet!

Besides my dad and me, no one else could possibly know what’s inside, could they?’

Bai Muxue’s sly smile left Tang Xingwan momentarily bewildered.

For some inexplicable reason, she detected a faint sense of familiarity emanating from this girl she had only met yesterday.

“Ah… alright, then.

In any case, you should take the medicine first.”

Tang Xingwan swallowed, deciding not to press the issue further, and gently placed a few pills into Bai Muxue’s open palm.

The warmth of that palm radiated through Bai Muxue’s fair, tender fingertips, spreading a subtly indescribable tingle deep within Tang Xingwan’s heart.

She instinctively bit her lip, a strange and unfamiliar emotion stirring within her.

‘I felt this way when we first met… Why does Xiaoxue always give me such a strong sense of familiarity?

Like my own dad… Oh!’

As this thought crossed her mind, Tang Xingwan felt a jolt of alarm, and a startling possibility suddenly materialized in her head.

‘Could it be… Xiaoxue is actually my dad’s… illegitimate child?’

‘No way?’

‘Damn it, what am I even thinking!?’ Tang Xingwan inwardly clicked her tongue, growing more horrified with each passing thought, and desperately tried to dismiss the possibility from her mind.