Someone patted Bai Shuanglian on the shoulder from behind. After leaving the queue, Ling Xiaoyou had snuck up behind her.
Bai Shuanglian paused slightly, appearing to understand the situation. A hint of a smile touched her eyes as she turned around, acting as if she were following a script designed by Ling Xiaoyou.
However, the moment Bai Shuanglian turned, Ling Xiaoyou had already quietly circled around to her front. As Bai Shuanglian looked back, she stood on her tiptoes, spun around, smiled slightly, and said, “Hi~ did you miss me?”
Seeing Ling Xiaoyou’s enthusiastic demeanor and the cuteness radiating from her smile, Bai Shuanglian chuckled and ruffled her hair.
“We’ve only been apart for half a day, so I’m not sure ‘miss’ is the right word to use, is it?”
“Eh?” Ling Xiaoyou thought for a moment, then provided a blunt answer.
“In that case… I suppose it’s fine if I miss you?”
“Yes, yes, of course.” Bai Shuanglian laughed, pinching her soft, delicate cheeks.
“I’m very happy that you missed me.”
Nearby, Bai Shuanglian’s younger cousin watched their interaction with her mouth agape. Her gaze drifted between the two, her large eyes sparkling with curiosity and gossip.
This was the first time she had ever seen her cousin treat someone so intimately, especially such a cute girl.
But now that she thought about it, hadn’t she seen this girl somewhere before?
The cousin pondered for a moment, and her memory quickly surfaced from her recent mental archives.
Right, she’s Ling Xiaoyou! The girl who easily crushed the competition on the arena stage! And the one Grandma Qiuyin said “might become our sister-in-law in the future.”
Thinking of this, the cousin couldn’t help but feel excited. Could the “sister-in-law” Grandma Qiuyin mentioned refer to an unusual relationship between Ling Xiaoyou and her cousin, Bai Shuanglian?
As these thoughts swirled, her face broke into a gossipy expression. She curiously leaned in toward the two and asked, “Cousin, is this perhaps…”
Before she could finish her sentence, her eyes darted between them again, first looking at Ling Xiaoyou, then at Bai Shuanglian, as if she were trying to uncover some hidden secret between them.
However, before she could continue, Bai Shuanglian cut her off, clearly sensing what she was about to ask. She introduced her calmly, “This is my close friend, Ling Xiaoyou. You can call her Sister You.”
Ling Xiaoyou looked at the cousin with some stiffness, her eyes filled with a hint of embarrassment. She had completely forgotten that there were others around Bai Shuanglian and had instinctively interacted with her in their usual, private way.
‘I hope she doesn’t take what just happened to heart.’
Ling Xiaoyou prayed silently in her heart and offered a polite smile to the cousin. With an outsider present, she no longer displayed the whimsical, coquettish charm from before; she simply looked like a cute girl with a gentle temperament.
“Oh? A friend?”
The cousin looked at them suspiciously, wondering if this “close friend” meant something different than what she understood. Were those intimate gestures really things only friends would do?
Maybe… should she just ask to be sure?
A smile suddenly spread across her face. But just as the thought crossed her mind, she met Bai Shuanglian’s gaze—the look held no hint of a smile, only a clear warning.
The cousin shivered, the memory of being “dominated” by Bai Shuanglian in her childhood resurfacing.
Therefore, she quickly spoke to Ling Xiaoyou, who was still bewildered and wondering if her cousin had caught a cold.
“Nice to meet you, Sister You! I’m Bai Xiqing, Bai Shuanglian’s cousin!”
Ling Xiaoyou was startled by the sudden shout, thinking something was wrong, only to realize it was just an introduction.
But wait…
Bai Xiqing…
Bai Xiqing?
Why did that name sound a bit ominous?
Even though she couldn’t help but complain internally, Ling Xiaoyou didn’t make any comments about her name, as that would be too impolite.
She looked at Miss Bai Xiqing, smiled slightly, and nodded.
“Hello there.”
To be honest, she quite liked being called “Sister You.” At least it made her feel like she wasn’t just a petite girl, but a powerful, capable cultivator.
“By the way, what are you two up to?” Ling Xiaoyou looked at the cousins, remembering why she had come over.
“It’s like this, Sister You.”
Bai Xiqing glanced at Bai Shuanglian, who gave a slight nod, and then she explained, “After this break, I’m going to enroll at Imperial Capital University. So, since we’re already in the Imperial Capital, I thought I’d have my cousin take me to see the school.”
Ling Xiaoyou blinked, feeling incredulous.
“Un… University?!”
“Wait, isn’t your Bai family a famous family of Exorcists? Why do you still need to go to school? Are Exorcists so progressive these days?”
“Yes,” Bai Xiqing nodded.
“Even as a cultivator, you still have to go to school.”
As she spoke, she looked at Bai Shuanglian and added, “Didn’t you know, Sister You? My cousin is a graduate of Imperial Capital University, too.”
“Huh? Even you?”
Ling Xiaoyou stared at Bai Shuanglian in shock, unable to imagine this person was actually a high-achieving graduate from a prestigious school.
Bai Shuanglian nodded silently.
“I graduated a while ago, though. Xiqing wants to get familiar with the campus environment ahead of time, so I’m accompanying her.”
Ling Xiaoyou looked between Bai Xiqing and Bai Shuanglian several times.
So…
I’m the only one here without a degree!
After all, she was an outworlder. Even though she was about to start university in her past life, she had been a little spirit at the start of this life and had never gone to school.
In front of these two “high-achievers,” she really was just an uneducated “illiterate.”
At that thought, Ling Xiaoyou’s cheeks puffed out in a mix of minor frustration.
‘Damn it… why does it feel like I’m being left out?’
‘Are they not going to invite me to their next hangout? Is this some kind of American-style bullying?’
Watching Ling Xiaoyou’s pouty, cute expression, Bai Shuanglian immediately understood what was going through her head. She reached out and ruffled her soft hair, comforting her with a chuckle.
“Xiaoyou, you’re only at a disadvantage because of your current situation.”
“If you wanted to go to school, you could choose any university you like.”