“…To keep this life of ours going, just as it is.”
The moment she heard Meng Wange say that, Su Wanli’s heartbeat suddenly skipped a beat.
It was just an ordinary sentence, but…
Really?
The wish Meng Wange wanted to make was exactly the same as hers?
Could it be that she, too, was just as satisfied with their current life?
Although a surge of indescribable happiness flooded Su Wanli’s mind in an instant, making her want to nod immediately, rush over to Meng Wange, and shout, “I do,” her pride as the villainous eldest young lady still forced her to suppress that inner excitement at the last moment.
Right.
At the very least, she ought to maintain a bit of surface dignity.
Otherwise, her own Villainess System would judge her as slacking off.
“W-Well, about that…”
Su Wanli quietly placed her palm over her lips and cleared her throat twice toward the tent beside her.
“Ahem, ahem. Honestly, I finally felt like making a wish, and all you can think of is some ridiculous thing like that? You’re just wasting the opportunity!”
“…I apologize, Miss Su.”
Meng Wange gently shook her head at Su Wanli, then placed her palm on the Fate Tree behind her, closed her eyes, and silently felt the texture of the bark.
“To you, that might seem like a strange wish, but to me, it’s truly what I want most right now.”
“Before I came to the Su family, before I came to your side, I drifted through every day without knowing where my life was headed or what I truly wanted.”
“But now, things are different.”
Meng Wange took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and smiled as she met Su Wanli’s gaze.
“Now, whenever I wake up in bed, I naturally start thinking about what breakfast I should make for you, how to match your tastes.”
“When I open a book, I also wonder whether this knowledge could be useful to you. If you needed it, how could I explain it to you in a simple and clear way?”
“When I come to a new place and see a brand-new view, my mind starts imagining what kind of journey we’ll share together. Which sights will pique your curiosity, and what new things will you drag me along to experience that I’ve never encountered before?”
“Miss Su, like I just said, I truly, deeply cherish every day I spend with you, and I hope this life can go on forever.”
“So, even though asking you the same question might be a bit presumptuous, I still want to ask you again.”
Meng Wange pressed the red wooden tablet gently against her chest, and with a tender look in her eyes, gazed at Su Wanli.
“Would you be willing to sign your name on this wooden tablet with me?”
That brown-haired girl with the gentle gaze seemed, for the first time, to have shed all her disguises in front of her, laying bare her complete heart.
Perhaps, according to the System, this was still some kind of act by the Main Heroine?
But no matter what it said, the way Meng Wange looked at her right now definitely contained something sincere.
“…Tch, that’s why I said you’re like a country bumpkin. It’s not like I’ve taken you to experience anything particularly wonderful. This is just my usual daily life.”
Faced with Meng Wange like this, Su Wanli could only sigh softly and spread her palm toward her.
“But since you’re begging me this much, I’ll graciously accompany you this once.”
“Let me be clear: I can’t guarantee that Su Heng will change his mind. If this tree gets torn down in the end, don’t blame me.”
Even though Su Wanli’s words were awkward and evasive, once she got the affirmative answer, the smile on Meng Wange’s face brightened even more.
She walked lightly over to Su Wanli and pressed the wooden tablet against her left chest—right over her heart.
“…It’s fine, Miss Su.”
Meng Wange held the tablet steady with her left hand, and with her right hand, gently lifted Su Wanli’s palm, guiding the tip of the pen she held straight toward her own heart.
“As long as you’re willing to be with me, I believe we can achieve anything that seems impossible.”
“Of course, including preserving the Fate Tree behind us.”
“…”
Feeling inexplicably nervous because of Meng Wange’s words, Su Wanli still wrote her name on the tablet that carried both their wishes, stroke by stroke, carefully and earnestly.
“…There, is that enough? Done?”
“Mm, thank you for your cooperation.”
Meng Wange bowed gracefully to Su Wanli, then, mimicking Li Yunsheng’s earlier actions, stepped onto the wooden crate beside the tree and solemnly hung the wooden tablet on the branch of the Fate Tree.
It seemed it was getting quite late.
The bonfire the driver and the others had built was beginning to die down, and the sea breeze turned biting.
“Well then, today’s trip to Yunsheng County for the fireworks show ends here.”
After stepping down from the box, Meng Wange lightly pressed her lips together, swung the wooden sword at her waist like a conductor’s baton, and performed an ancient-style bow toward Su Wanli.
“Now, please enter the tent and rest, Princess. I will stand guard outside, ever vigilant against assassins, and carefully protect your safety.”
“…Where the hell would assassins come from, you idiot. If you stand guard outside, all you’ll catch are nine seagulls.”
Su Wanli snatched the wooden sword from Meng Wange’s hand and casually stuck it into the sand beside them.
“Alright, I, the princess, command you to come inside the tent with me and guard me closely!”
“Oh? Princess, this is absolutely inadvisable. After all, we have a difference in status. If outsiders were to see—”
“Meng Wange, take off that ancient costume and speak normally.”
“…Sorry.”
And so, Su Wanli and Meng Wange entered the tent one after the other, changed into light pajamas, and crawled into their respective sleeping bags.
Su Wanli had specially chosen a tent with a transparent top.
As soon as she looked up, she could see the vast, deep night sky studded with stars.
She had originally planned to enjoy the night sky with Meng Wange.
But Meng Wange had her usual impeccable sleep quality.
Before a few minutes had even passed, Su Wanli heard steady breathing from beside her.
“…Honestly, couldn’t you appreciate it a little longer? You’re wasting my little idea…”
Well, that was fair enough.
The fireworks show earlier had been enough.
The time she and Meng Wange had spent gazing at the night sky over Yunsheng County had been long enough.
Looking at the Main Heroine curled up in her sleeping bag like a soft, fluffy caterpillar, Su Wanli’s lips curled slightly.
Alright.
Thanks for taking me through a fairly fulfilling day in Yunsheng County.
Now, get some good rest.
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