Chapter 52: Heart to Heart

Descending during non-Raider time really burns through Points.

But after arriving at Fengshou Village, Wu Xiaomi realized that, unexpectedly, there were a lot of familiar faces here.

There were people from Firekindle, and some from Jifeng as well.

As soon as they saw Wu Xiaomi and Bai Xiaozhi, everyone waved and greeted them.

“You two are here for vacation too~”

Vacation?

Wu Xiaomi wasn’t sure if this counted as a vacation.

Just now, Xiaozhi said there was something important, so she hurriedly got dressed and followed along.

“So many familiar faces.”

Fengshou Village was undoubtedly an excellent vacation spot: fresh air, wide open views, beautiful scenery—so long as you ignored the mess left in the wheat fields last night.

Despite a few flaws, it was still the perfect place to fulfill the countryside fantasies of modern city dwellers.

After clearing the Mirror Night raid, every Raider in the Manggu Mountains received a base Point Reward of 4000 Points—an unprecedented fortune.

Only then could they afford the expensive “vacation” costs.

Compared to turning the White Space into a tourist spot, directly descending into one was actually much cheaper, like the difference between buying and renting a house.

In this Strategy Era where every day is uncertain, most people still felt renting was more cost-effective.

“Let’s go, to Xilin City.”

Bai Xiaozhi took Wu Xiaomi’s hand.

She held on tightly, which made Wu Xiaomi a little confused.

“Do we still have to… pretend?” the girl whispered.

“Yes, keep up the act. As long as there are outsiders, we can’t let our guard down,” Bai Xiaozhi replied.

Ah… alright then.

To maintain Bai Xiaozhi’s image as the “infamous boss” in others’ eyes, and her own “already taken” status, Wu Xiaomi had no choice but to keep playing the role of “the pitiful girl imprisoned by a crazy yuri maniac.”

“Xilin City? That’s pretty far…”

“We’ll take the Hot Air Balloon.”

The Hot Air Balloon was still parked in the nearby field, but its flame had long gone out, and the envelope had collapsed, lying limp on the ground.

It would take some time to fire it up again.

While Xiaozhi fiddled with the Hot Air Balloon, Wu Xiaomi lay down between the field ridges.

From here, you could see the main road of Fengshou Village, which led straight to the Shrine.

For once, smoke was rising from the Shrine’s chimney.

Nanalia never used to cook; all her meals were delivered by the village chief.

Looks like the person who can cook is back, and now the Shrine is filled with the warmth of home.

Wu Xiaomi could already imagine—

Starting today, the Shrine would be bathed in the aroma of meals morning, noon, and night. When villagers knocked on the Shrine’s door, it would no longer be Nanalia herself who answered.

The Manggu Mountains now had one less regret.

Next year’s moon would surely be full.

“Phu-hu-hu—”

The Hot Air Balloon began to inflate. Wu Xiaomi guessed it would take at least another half hour to fill up.

With nothing to do, she squatted by the irrigation channel and watched tadpoles for a while.

Then she watched some ants moving house.

By the time her neck was sore, Bai Xiaozhi finally had the Hot Air Balloon fully inflated.

“Get in.”

Seated in the basket, they gently lifted off the ground, ascending into the sky.

At different altitudes, the wind’s direction and speed varied, so to control the Hot Air Balloon’s movement, you had to rise to different heights.

But it was so cold up high.

Hmm… what a miscalculation!

Wu Xiaomi shivered, pressing her thighs together and hugging her shoulders tightly.

No matter how beautiful the scenery below, the chill sapped any desire to enjoy it.

But suddenly, warmth enveloped her body.

Bai Xiaozhi spread her cloak wide, wrapping Wu Xiaomi in both her cloak and her arms.

A pleasant warmth spread through her whole body.

“Is it beautiful?”

The two girls snuggled together, gazing down at the earth.

“Beautiful,” Wu Xiaomi said sincerely.

In her seventeen years so far, poverty had kept her from traveling or visiting scenic spots, and she’d never stood somewhere high to appreciate the beauty of mountains and rivers.

Last night was too dark to see the ground. Today, with the sun shining, the Manggu Mountains’ overlapping layers were lit up one by one. Looking down from the Hot Air Balloon… it was breathtakingly beautiful.

“Yeah, it really is,” Bai Xiaozhi agreed. But she kept her head down, her gaze never once leaving Wu Xiaomi’s face.

Wu Xiaomi didn’t notice at all. Her small hands, hidden under the cloak, gripped the edge of the basket as she gazed in awe at the Manggu Mountains.

Fengshou Village quickly shrank away, leaving only a wisp of smoke from the Shrine to mark its place.

Her mood was calmer than ever before.

“What’s this all about?” Wu Xiaomi tilted her head back, the back of her head resting against Bai Xiaozhi’s neck as she looked up at Bai Xiaozhi’s jade-like chin.

Why did she have to come all the way here to talk?

“Do you remember… what you said yesterday?” Bai Xiaozhi asked instead.

Huh?

Yesterday?

What did I say yesterday?

Bai Xiaozhi seemed a little anxious. She clenched her pale fist, reminding, “Before you went to sleep.”

Before bed?

She was so exhausted yesterday. All she remembered after returning was her mind going blank. As for what she said… who could remember?

“I forgot~” Wu Xiaomi giggled foolishly.

“……”

Bai Xiaozhi held her cloak with one hand, wrapping it—and her arm—around the girl’s neck, shielding her. Her other hand quietly circled the girl’s waist.

“?

What a weird pose.

Besides, there’s no one else here, so why keep pretending?

Xiaozhi… why are you acting so strange today?

“Yesterday, you said…” Bai Xiaozhi finally reminded her, “You said, ‘How could I possibly like men.’”

Oh…

I guess I did say that.

“So.”

Bai Xiaozhi summoned her courage and asked:

“You like girls, don’t you?”

Not necessarily, maybe I just like Gundam… Wu Xiaomi muttered to herself.

Wait, why is Xiaozhi asking this?

Oh no, does she think I’m actually into her for real?

After all, we’re just acting, but I said I don’t like men, which means… in her eyes, I must like girls.

Doesn’t that mean I’m faking it for real? From Xiaozhi’s perspective, I’ve been taking advantage of her all along!

Heaven knows, I really didn’t mean it that way!

“No! That’s not it…” Wu Xiaomi hurriedly explained, flustered. “W-what I said last night was just nonsense!”

“…Nonsense?” Bai Xiaozhi was thrown off by Wu Xiaomi’s denial. “So you… like men?”

“Absolutely not.” Wu Xiaomi refused to lie about that.

Bai Xiaozhi breathed a sigh of relief. “So you do like girls.”

“……”

Wu Xiaomi was bombarded by her rapid-fire questions, her mind going blank.

Honestly, she’d never really thought about whether she liked girls or not.

She didn’t even know herself.

She just knew she could never like men. She’d already secretly decided that she’d rather stay single her whole life than ever marry a man.

As for liking girls, she couldn’t say for sure—ever since the disaster, she hadn’t felt attracted to anyone.

Especially after witnessing Ah Fu’s behavior, Wu Xiaomi now had a deep-seated fear of “intimate relationships.”

That’s what happens when you trust the wrong person…

For the rest of her life, she’d never trust anyone but Xiaozhi!

“You don’t have to hide it from me.”

Wu Xiaomi was tongue-tied, and Bai Xiaozhi thought she was being guarded, looking a little disappointed.

“No, it’s just…” Wu Xiaomi’s mind was overloaded, and she didn’t know how to respond.

“I won’t laugh at you,” Bai Xiaozhi said, looking at the girl in her arms. “Besides, the world’s already ended. There’s no need to stick to old social ideas. You can be yourself, go after whatever you want, and live true to your heart.”

Eh?

Xiaozhi’s… encouraging me?

Encouraging me to open the door to a new world?

She’s not interrogating me or blaming me for taking advantage?