“Because the Su family has a rule: for any matter without evidence, if you want to force someone of equal status to prove it, you must stake your own rights in a wager.”
“This prevents baseless rumors and endless gossip.”
“Originally, I was at a disadvantage—at least, I couldn’t take any advantage.”
“But he was brainless, willingly becoming a pawn for others. Without evidence, he jumped out early to accuse me, as if he’d lose credit if he said nothing. Little did he know, he was the only one who didn’t see the situation clearly.”
I stared at a small stone on the ground, rubbing my aching head, “No need to tell me such complicated things.”
“I don’t want to think.”
“Thinking about complicated things is a form of mental torment.”
Su Liumeng kissed my face intimately, “It’s okay. My baby just doesn’t want to think, but that doesn’t mean your brain is dumb… Besides, with me by your side, you don’t have to think.”
“Also, you already have a wife. If you had to rack your brain every day, wouldn’t that just prove how useless I am?”
I nodded blankly, watching her radiance, when the little hand beside me suddenly clenched tightly.
Su Liumeng hadn’t withdrawn her mark, proudly displaying to everyone that she had a Dao Companion.
I touched my now-normal brow and lowered my gaze slightly, an indescribable loneliness hidden within.
Su Liumeng seemed unaware of my mood and kept chatting excitedly.
Her chirpy voice only deepened my melancholy.
When we reached a quiet place, my tears suddenly burst forth.
Looking at the person I liked, I wiped my tears relentlessly, overwhelmed by emotions beyond words.
“Su Liumeng, if I told you I didn’t choose you… would you hate me?”
“Compared to your sunshine and cheerfulness, I strangely feel like a rat in a gutter.”
“Every time I hear your laughter, every time you happily tell me you’d be willing to die for me as my other half, I only feel my own baseness in front of you.”
I watched Su Liumeng’s smile slowly fade and suddenly hugged her tightly.
“Sorry, sorry. I’m not saying your laughter is harsh. I’m… just blaming my own baseness.”
“In the face of your bold, open, and passionate love, I feel like a thief stealing your affection.”
“Because my love and yours have never been equal, I can only feel once again that I don’t deserve you.”
I sobbed uncontrollably, my eyes swelling on the spot.
Su Liumeng helplessly adjusted me, facing me amid my gasping hiccups.
I suddenly sniffed, cutting off what she was about to say.
Not wanting her to see my crying, which surely looked ugly, I buried my face in her chest.
“I know what you want to say… I also know I shouldn’t have these thoughts. It’s not really about whether I deserve you.”
“But when I hear your laughter, see your joy when you hold my hand, the darkness inside me feels ashamed under your sunshine.”
I wiped away the last tears and muttered, more like a pout, “Baby, I didn’t choose you in the last trial of the Heavenly Dao test. Will you hate me…?”
“I already like you very much.”
“But my nature really can’t die for you.”
“I still have my own baby.”
“I… can’t die.”
Su Liumeng patiently listened as I vented all my inner gloom.
She moved to a nearby chair, sat me on her lap, and tidied my hair, which had been messed up by crying.
“Why cry? I’m not blaming you.”
“In the face of life and death, everyone has their own answer.”
“You said you like me very much.”
“If that’s the case, what do I have to blame you for?”
“When it comes to life and death, everyone’s will to survive differs, and that can’t be used to prove whether one loves another.”
“Because life is priceless.”
“I believe it should never be compared with anything else.”
“Likewise, love is sacred.”
“Comparing it to anything will only taint love’s pure soil.”
Su Liumeng coaxed me, “Alright, no more crying. I don’t care about these things. Being with you every day, sleeping under the same blanket, that’s already enough.”
Hearing “sleeping under the same blanket,” my face flushed subtly, and I murmured like a mosquito, “Are you really not angry? I kept worrying you would be mad…”
“Or that you’d ignore me.”
That’s why I confessed everything like a penitent, pouring out all my misdeeds.
Su Liumeng had never been this happy before.
Her baby worried she’d be ignored—wasn’t that deep love?
If so, as the other half, why bother with trivialities?
Su Liumeng truly hadn’t chosen the wrong person.
“I won’t. Listen to my heartbeat; can you hear any fluctuation like when I’m lying?”
I reached out my hand, and through the softness, I could hear her heartbeat’s rhythm.
“No.” I bit my lip, still a little choked, “I don’t even know how I passed the last stage. I just heard the Heavenly Dao say sincerity is the answer.”
“The answer is always simple.”
“Sincere liking is enough.”
Servants bustled nearby.
I nestled in her embrace, too embarrassed to raise my head.
So shameful.
Clearly, I did wrong, yet it was Su Liumeng comforting me again.
Although she always called me baby this and baby that, I wasn’t a fragile soul needing constant coaxing.
It felt oddly humiliating.
Su Liumeng pressed her fingertip against my cheek, the touch warm.
“Xinyan… why is your face so red?”
I’d recovered much but still refused to lift my head.
“It’s all your fault. You insisted on holding me on your lap outside, and so many maids looked our way. I almost wanted to hide my face.”
Su Liumeng laughed lightly, “You must be mistaken. Those weren’t teasing looks, but envy that you have such a loving wife.”
“You should be happy instead.”
I had to admit, Su Liumeng’s way of thinking was quite different.
Though logically true, it depended on the person.
First, my skin didn’t allow me to be so open.
Su Liumeng had no choice but to carry me straight back to our room.
Chunqiao stood at the bridal chamber door, her eyes shining pink, “Miss and the young lady are really affectionate. The young lady must care a lot, not even wanting her to suffer walking on the ground.”
She had just heard from other maids.
Su Liumeng and our young lady had completed the Dao Companion test that no one had passed in nearly a century.
It was a Heavenly Dao certified couple identity—the most romantic and impossible trial.
Who could love someone and let the whole world know?
In the bridal chamber.
I curled up under the covers, bare feet peeking out, staring at Su Liumeng busy nearby.
My large eyes flickered with curiosity about what she was doing.
“Why are you staring at me?” Su Liumeng laughed.
“Looking at how you gave me the vein lord’s token…” I mumbled, “If others in the Su family find out you used the family’s proof of power to coax your wife, they’d be furious.”
Su Liumeng put down her brush, “That would be a problem? Then I’ll also let you play with the Thirteenth Ancestor’s token. If they find out, they’ll drop dead on the spot.”
She pulled out another token, making me quickly shove it back, “No, no! That’s way too precious.”
“The Thirteenth Ancestor trusts you to hold it.”
“Giving it to you to play with is a bit disrespectful.”
Su Liumeng looked helpless, “You always have the reasoning, and I can never argue with you.”
“We’re Dao Companions; what’s mine is yours. Why can’t I give you things?”
My voice grew smaller, “Your logic is yours; mine is mine. Anyway, it’s a no.”
With a little bossiness no one could oppose.
Su Liumeng smiled even more helplessly, a trace of inexplicable indulgence, “Fine, so your logic is the real logic, right?”
I bit my lip, embarrassed to nod.
After a long moment, I raised my chin slightly, humming, “Exactly.”
Su Liumeng surrendered, “Our young lady has her own thoughts. What can this old servant do but agree?”
As our chat wound down, Su Liumeng put down her brush and crouched by the bed.
She looked at me, only my black eyes visible beneath the covers.
She reached her hand under the edge, intending to hold my mischievous little hands, but instead grasped a large, soft, slippery mass that left us both stunned.
Su Liumeng couldn’t help but squeeze it.
My whole face flushed visibly.
Through my clothes, I grabbed the restless claw, “N-no moving.”
“Why are you reaching in?”
“It’s… strange.” I added shyly in a tiny voice.
“What do you mean strange?” Su Liumeng didn’t withdraw her hand immediately.
It was warm, making her reluctant to let go—completely unlike Si Xinyan’s other body parts.
I bit my lip, dreading to say it aloud.
Trying to suppress the shame about to explode, I glared at Su Liumeng, “What else? It’s exactly like your reaction.”
Su Liumeng didn’t pester the girl further; the timing was off.
If things got out of hand, the rice might get cooked prematurely—not good.
Feeling the pressure on my chest ease suddenly, I breathed a sigh of relief.
Looking at the girl’s face outside, I suddenly remembered my long-standing worry and asked, “Su Liumeng, you…”
“You probably don’t know what my past life was, right?”
Who would want the person they liked to know they were a messy, strange stone in their past life?
It was embarrassing enough to be called wood.
For me, it was an even more ridiculous stone.
“I don’t know,” Su Liumeng answered quickly, with a childlike innocence, “How could I know my baby was a stone in the past?”
“…”
I was genuinely silent.
A grotesque thing—that was me.
Su Liumeng’s thinking was always ahead, “Stone or not, I don’t think it matters. Past life is past life, and this life is this life. It matters and doesn’t matter at the same time.”
Now I understood.
Su Liumeng could also see scenes from my past life.
“I even smashed a hole in the sky.” I pinched my hand, secretly complaining, “Fortunately, no one held it against me. Otherwise, this life would be doomed.”
Su Liumeng laughed even more joyfully, “Doesn’t that prove how excellent my baby is?”
I secretly rolled my eyes.
I had realized something.
No matter how many bad things I said about myself, Su Liumeng always found a way to praise me.
The corner of the dragon-phoenix embroidered quilt had a cute little foot peeking out.
Without hesitation, Su Liumeng grabbed the smooth part of the foot and tucked it back under the blanket.
Her heart stirred.
My whole body stiffened, struggling fiercely several times but unable to break free from her warm grip, “Su Liumeng! Don’t, don’t grab my foot…”
Su Liumeng looked confused and shifted her gaze, noticing my eyes drop and my increasingly awkward voice, “No, it’s dirty, very dirty…”
She directly contradicted, “Nonsense! It’s white and tender. How could it be dirty?”
She even wanted to secretly pinch it.
Having finally found a legitimate opportunity, she naturally didn’t want to miss it.
What… was she saying?
I was utterly embarrassed, shrinking my foot back so no trace was visible outside.
“You…”
“Next time just tuck it under the blanket.”
“It’s really not clean.”
Seeing my serious tone, Su Liumeng understood when enough is enough.
This girl was perfect in every way except a bit too traditional.
In her eyes, these jade-like feet with rosy nails and perfectly arched insteps were rare treasures. How could they be dirty?
“Baby, what do you usually do surfing the internet?”
Su Liumeng asked casually.
“Surf the internet?” I blinked, puzzled by the sudden question, “Before sixteen, mostly reading romance novels; after sixteen, mostly playing games.”
Su Liumeng paused, “Have you joined any circles?”
“No.” I shook my head in cooperation. “I rarely talk to others. Recently, I joined some group chats, mostly for expectant mothers.”
“That explains it.” Su Liumeng pondered.
I was silent for a second, “Do you think my personality is too old-fashioned?”
“No, no.” Hearing my disappointed tone, Su Liumeng instantly denied sharply, “I just think… you don’t seem like a young person. No offense.”
My eyes darkened slightly, “You’re right. I’m more like a person from the feudal era.”
I stretched my hand out from under the blanket and grabbed Su Liumeng’s palm, “You probably prefer lively young people. I can learn, though…”
Su Liumeng was stunned, then suddenly happy and asked instinctively, “Okay, then tell me—is your already washed little foot dirty or not?”
I was silent for two seconds, then slowly uttered, “Dirty.”
“…….”
“It’s okay.” Su Liumeng comforted herself, “I didn’t say anything just now.”
It seemed she still had a long way to go before completing her plan.
Knowing Si Xinyan’s personality, showing her feet and legs in white silk was probably impossible now.
I looked at Su Liumeng’s sudden silence and poked my head out more from under the blanket, giving her a strange look, “What’s wrong? Did I say something wrong?”
“No.”
“Good.” I ducked back under the blanket.
“Baby, what’s your shoe size?” Su Liumeng asked.
“You’ve always known, haven’t you?” I bit my finger, “It’s always been thirty-three, but my feet are a bit swollen now. You should get me size thirty-four shoes—they might be more comfortable.”
Su Liumeng wrote a note, “Of course I know your shoe size, just recording your body’s changes during pregnancy.”
I glanced at the paper and noticed my weight before and after.
My expression blanked momentarily, then instantly flushed with shame.
I climbed out from under the blanket, trying to snatch the paper, “Ah—who told you to record my weight?”
“Give it to me.”
“Quick, forget it!!”
“I’m going to tear it up.”
Su Liumeng obediently handed over the paper.
I hesitated, looking at my latest weight, feeling deflated, but didn’t tear it, “Forget it, keep recording. Though I don’t want to face it, it’s meaningful. After all, it’s my baby… The whole process of life’s birth. Later, looking back at this time will be nice.”
I smiled lightly and handed the paper back, “Little Mengmeng, you’re doing great. This is very meaningful.”
“I never thought of recording this way.”
“It makes up for me not recording my pregnancy changes.”
Dragons also have tails.
Hearing my baby’s praise, Su Liumeng felt as if her tail had already grown and was wagging happily behind her.
After a brief pause, she spoke of her thoughts during the Heavenly Dao trial, “Xinyan, I finally understand why I had to have you.”
“Do you know about affection growing over time?”
“You are the spirit I’ve spent the longest with in the void.”
“So after you reincarnated, I didn’t hesitate to jump down after you.”
“Otherwise, how could we be the same age, born just about ten days apart?”
Deep in the sea of consciousness—
Si Zhiruo writhed painfully on the ground.
Since seeing her mother’s past life, she dreamed of a scene that tormented her.
It made her body tremble uncontrollably.
An eternally dark, deep cave.
As she looked at the scene in her mind, the little round doll’s eyes gradually turned bloodshot.
Endless murderous intent finally burst forth.
A powerful storm suddenly erupted in her sea of consciousness.
The tree about to bear the Dao fruit swayed violently in the wind.
“KILL—”
Accompanied by her fierce rebuke, a clear location appeared in her memory, words dripping with blood seeming to seep from between her teeth.
Outside.
I heard my daughter’s eerie voice, terror flashing briefly in my eyes, quickly replaced by deep worry.
I had no mood to chat with Su Liumeng anymore.
Pulling the blanket over my head, I planned to try communicating with Zhizhi.
“Baby.”
“What happened just now?”
“Don’t be afraid. Mommy will always be with you.”
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