Even if she could not see Bai Shuanglian’s image through the communication, Bai’s Mother felt as if she could see the girl’s current expression through her words.
She must be smiling right now, her eyes glowing with a different kind of brilliance.
Thinking of this, Bai’s Mother seemed to understand something.
She interrupted Bai Shuanglian, who was rambling on about Ling Xiaoyou’s good points, and asked, “Then I have one last question for you.”
“Please ask.”
Bai Shuanglian seemed to realize only then that her reaction had been a bit excessive.
However, she did not intend to explain herself.
Instead, she prepared to listen to her mother’s final question.
“…Then, do you like her?”
When her mother’s words reached her ears, Bai Shuanglian froze.
Subconsciously, she looked toward the shimmering veil, wishing she could see her mother’s current expression.
But only her mother’s voice came through that veil; there was no image transmission at all.
Bai Shuanglian had no way to observe her mother’s expression, and thus no way to know her mother’s intent behind asking such a thing.
Feeling that her silence had lasted a bit too long, Bai Shuanglian thought it over repeatedly.
Finally, she let out a long breath.
She looked at the veil as if she were looking into her mother’s eyes and said, “Yes, Mother, I do indeed like her.”
“Even if she is also a girl, even if she isn’t human but a spirit, and even if she has many imperfections, I still cannot stop myself from liking her.”
“I like her smile, her beauty… I like everything about her.”
After saying this, Bai Shuanglian panted heavily as if she had just gone through an incredibly difficult battle.
Yet, her heart felt exceptionally light.
The feeling of speaking her true thoughts was liberating.
But after that sense of liberation gradually faded, tension took its place.
The fact that Bai’s Mother remained silent after hearing those words only intensified Bai Shuanglian’s anxiety.
This was the first time she had ever felt so nervous.
She could not even explain why she felt this way.
She only vaguely understood that she might be worried her mother would dislike Ling Xiaoyou and try to force them apart.
‘But would I really be willing to leave?’
Bai Shuanglian asked herself.
Without needing to think of an answer, she shook her head decisively.
Even if her mother hated Ling Xiaoyou, and even if the Clan wanted to separate them, she would not agree.
Even if that meant going against the Clan…
As she thought of this, Bai Shuanglian suddenly heard that gentle female voice coming from the veil again, but the words were quite unexpected.
“You like her? That is quite good.”
Then, a burst of gentle laughter reached Bai Shuanglian’s ears.
It was not mixed with any hypocrisy; it seemed her mother was truly happy about this matter.
“You… don’t object to me being with her?”
Such a result naturally made Bai Shuanglian very happy, but she could not help but wonder why her mother did not object.
“If I did object, would you be willing to leave her?”
Bai’s Mother did not answer Bai Shuanglian’s inquiry but instead asked a question of her own.
Hearing this, Bai Shuanglian was naturally unwilling.
However, she could not bring herself to talk back to her mother, so she could only remain silent.
Bai’s Mother seemed to hear the answer within that silence, for she said with a light chuckle, “See, even if I said that, you wouldn’t be willing, would you?”
“Moreover, if you can feel happy and like someone, that is the best thing. We elders shouldn’t be meddling in your life.”
As she spoke, her mother’s voice became a bit softer, as if they had returned to the days of her childhood.
Back then, her mother had always stayed by Bai Shuanglian’s side, telling her ancient legends before she went to sleep.
‘Mother is just as gentle now as she was then,’ Bai Shuanglian could not help but think.
“When you were a child, Lian, we were too harsh on you,” Bai’s Mother sighed.
“Under such a high-pressure environment, you began to subconsciously suppress your emotions, even believing that you were someone without feelings.”
“At first, your father and I thought it was a sign that you had grown up and become sensible. But by the time we realized you were merely suppressing your emotions, you had already truly grown up and formed your own ideas.”
“By then, it was already too late for us to make any changes.”
“Your father and I were indeed not competent parents.”
Hearing this and the dejection in her mother’s voice, Bai Shuanglian opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to say something.
But the thousands of words gathered at the tip of her tongue felt stuck, and she could not speak them.
Bai’s Mother seemed to be only momentarily sentimental.
After finishing those words, she suddenly laughed with relief and said, “So, I am very happy that you have someone you like. It means you are finally no longer closing off your heart and are willing to connect with others.”
‘Mother…’
‘Is that what she really thinks?’
Bai Shuanglian listened blankly to her mother’s words, hearing the concern and joy within them.
She wondered if she had overlooked too much of their care in the past.
“Alright, I’ll hang up now. When you have time, bring that child home for a visit. Your father and I also really want to meet her.”
While Bai Shuanglian was still in a daze, Bai’s Mother finished speaking and disconnected the communication.
By the time Bai Shuanglian snapped out of it and wanted to explain further, it was already too late.
The other end of the Jade Talisman had lost the support of Spirit Power, and even the shimmering veil had dissipated.
Bai Shuanglian stared blankly as the Jade Talisman fell back into her palm.
Her mother’s final words before hanging up seemed to still echo in her ears.
After a long while, she let out a long breath and said with some helplessness, “Can’t these elders listen until a person finishes speaking?”
“Senior Hong is like that, and you are too, Mother…”
Bai Shuanglian sighed lightly, but the corners of her mouth were turned up in a slight smile.
Clearly, her mood was not as helpless as her words suggested.
She put away the Jade Talisman and prepared to walk back toward Ling Xiaoyou.
Suddenly, she heard Ling Xiaoyou’s call coming from ahead.
“Bai Shuanglian, Bai Shuanglian, look! This thing I have is amazing!”
Bai Shuanglian looked toward the voice and saw Ling Xiaoyou waving her small hand at her, hopping and jumping like a joyful little rabbit.
Looking at that petite figure—which seemed to constantly improve her mood and bring her joy just by watching it—Bai Shuanglian’s smile became even more brilliant and soft.
She waved back at Ling Xiaoyou, who was looking her way expectantly, and shouted, “I’m coming to see right now!”
With that, Bai Shuanglian chuckled and shook her head, walking toward Ling Xiaoyou.