Chapter 10: Girlfriend or Not?
“So, it’s settled then~”
As they walked downstairs, Jiang Xue was still listening to Xie Xitong’s detailed plans. “Our rehearsals are during lunch break. It’ll only take twenty minutes, but I know you usually fall asleep the moment the bell rings…”
“It’s fine. I’ll just go to bed earlier,” Jiang Xue said. “Besides, we won’t rehearse every lunch break. You and Yuan Yuan usually do practice problems then, right?”
“Well… it is our last year. Rather than practice problems, I’d like to shine on stage one last time.” Xie Xitong laughed. “I’ll send you the original video when I get home. Your sister is back, so she can help you adjust the moves.”
Jiang Xue was about to agree when she remembered the Third Princess’s words, “I enjoy watching them.” She quickly added, “Whether or not we pass the audition, please remember to ask Teacher Ai for a video of our performance!”
Teacher Ai was in charge of the arts and always filmed school events, big or small.
Xie Xitong blinked. “You want to show it to your pen pal?”
Jiang Xue: …
She hadn’t even said anything directly, and her friend had already seen through her!
Amidst her friend’s laughter, they reached the school gate.
On Fridays, they usually went home together, riding with Sister Cheng and chatting on the way.
But today, instead of Sister Cheng’s silver car, a bright red sports car was parked outside.
—Her older sister had come to pick them up!
Remembering her evasiveness these past few days, her heart skipped a beat. Then, she heard Xie Xitong ask cheerfully, “Did you give Sister Cheng the day off?”
“…I had no idea!”
Xie Xitong pulled her towards the bright red sports car, even “thoughtfully” opening the front passenger door for her, knowing she got carsick. She herself sat in the back.
Feeling her sister’s gaze, Jiang Xue busied herself with fastening her seatbelt.
Fortunately, Xie Xitong was unusually chatty with her sister today, talking non-stop about the talent show and their planned performance, even asking for advice on adjusting the sword dance moves. Her sister listened attentively, as always.
Jiang Xue was silently grateful for the distraction.
But Xie Xitong would eventually have to get out of the car. When they reached the Xie residence and after watching her walk away, Jiang Xue finally heard her sister speak: “Explain.”
Her voice was calm and measured, but cold, like a frozen lake.
Jiang Mei was nine years older than Jiang Xue and had practically watched her grow up, acting as both an older sister and a half-mother. Whenever their parents were busy with work and something happened to Jiang Xue, Jiang Mei would be there.
She wasn’t worried about her younger sister making bad friends, only puzzled by her secrecy. Jiang Xue, spoiled and affectionate, had always been close to her. They’d shared almost every secret since childhood, Jiang Xue always telling her everything first.
What was so unspeakable about this friend?
Even if it were a girlfriend, there was no need to hide it, right?
Thinking this, and seeing her sister’s continued hesitation, she casually asked, “Is it a girlfriend? As long as it doesn’t affect your studies, I don’t care who you date.”
“No!!” Jiang Xue almost choked, coughing before she could recover and hurriedly explain, “Not a girlfriend! It’s… uh… more of a supernatural encounter?”
“How supernatural?”
“Trans-temporal, does that count?”
She felt the car slow down, then stop completely. Something cool touched her forehead.
“…No fever. Why are you talking nonsense?” Jiang Mei withdrew her hand and started driving again.
“It’s true! I swear!” Knowing her sister wouldn’t believe her without proof, Jiang Xue continued, “A-Xi has seen it! I’ll show you the evidence when we get home!”
The Xie residence wasn’t far from theirs, so Jiang Mei didn’t press the issue, simply accelerating to the speed limit.
It was still early, and their mothers weren’t home yet. Before Jiang Xue could speak, Jiang Mei went straight upstairs to her room.
After closing and locking the door, Jiang Xue took out the diary, flipped to the first page of their conversation, and handed it to her sister. Then, she opened her safe and carefully retrieved the jade bookmark the Third Princess had given her.
“It’s not a prank. The brushstrokes appeared during self-study.”
She emphasized this softly and, seeing her sister frowning as she read the diary, sat down to wait, feeling slightly nervous.
She wasn’t afraid of her family seeing her dramatic pronouncements in the diary. She was used to venting and sharing her anxieties with her sister. She was more worried that her sister would think she was getting too invested and neglecting her studies.
But…
But after learning about the Third Princess’s situation, she couldn’t just ignore it.
They were separated by time and space. Even if she could offer some advice based on modern knowledge, she couldn’t fundamentally change the Third Princess’s fate.
A sickly young woman, trapped in a patriarchal society, sent away for a political marriage, and immediately relegated to the cold palace… even if she could instigate a palace revolt and escape, where could she possibly go in a foreign land?
All she could do was try to make the Third Princess’s life a little better, ensuring she had decent food and some emotional support. If she could help improve her health, even better.
“I wish your diary could transport her here.”
Her sister’s unexpected words snapped Jiang Xue out of her thoughts. Her eyes widened in disbelief. “Huh?”
“Let me see the bookmark,” Jiang Mei said, changing the subject, closing the diary, and extending her hand.
Jiang Xue obediently handed over the jade bookmark, adding, “I wrote in the diary that I’m just keeping it safe for her, and I’ll return it eventually. This jade looks really expensive. I’ve only given the Third Princess a few small gifts. I can’t accept something like this…”
“Don’t I know you?” Jiang Mei interrupted, amused.
Jiang Xue fell silent, clutching the diary her sister had returned. For some reason, her sister’s earlier words lingered in her mind.
Her diary wasn’t large, but… it could probably hold an adult, right?
Should she… should she ask the Third Princess to try? If she could come through, Jiang Xue could take care of her.
Seeing her sister still staring at the jade bookmark, Jiang Xue bit her lip and went to find a pen.
But before writing, she thought carefully. She didn’t dare to suggest the idea outright.
If it didn’t work, she would be giving the Third Princess false hope, only to crush it.
So, she simply mentioned her sister:
【My older sister is back from her business trip today. I told her about you and showed her our conversation.】
She paused, observing her sister’s expression before adding, taking some liberties:
【She likes you very much and feels sorry for you. She told me to take good care of you.】
“A-Xue.”
Jiang Mei called her. “You haven’t asked about her situation in detail, have you?”
Jiang Xue paused, recalling their conversations, then nodded. “We just met, and people in ancient times are usually quite reserved. I was afraid she wouldn’t tell me if I asked too soon.”
She had indeed been cautious in her inquiries, careful not to overstep any boundaries or make the Third Princess uncomfortable.
“A marriage alliance… it could be a genuine union, or it could be a tribute from a defeated nation to the victor.” Jiang Mei’s brow remained furrowed. “If it’s the latter…”
She didn’t elaborate, simply rubbing the jade bookmark in her hand and shaking her head. “Such a valuable piece of jade… someone wouldn’t give this away, even to a stranger, in exchange for better treatment. It means she not only trusts you but also that this object holds great significance for her. She doesn’t want it to fall into the wrong hands if something happens to her.”
“Ask her about it next time, if you have the chance. Whether it was her own jade or a gift from a family member.”
Jiang Xue hadn’t considered this before. She put away the jade bookmark even more carefully now.
In Wangmei Pavilion.
As Xiao Luohan read Jiang Xue’s new message, the song playing through her earbuds reached a particular line:
【If we must forget the pain of youthful folly, from now on, we shall part ways, east and west.】
…So, Jiang Xue’s older sister had returned.
She stared at the words, listening to the music, recalling a conversation she’d had with her own elder sister long ago.
—“Elder Sister, why do you go to war? Isn’t it better to stay in the palace?”
—“I don’t trust those foolish men. Since my maternal family supports me, I might as well make a name for myself.”
—“But… people die on the battlefield…”
—“Silly Xiao Luo, everyone dies eventually. If I die doing what I believe in, then I’ll have lived a worthwhile life!”
And she had indeed died on the blood-soaked battlefield.
Her father had even lamented, with genuine regret, that he shouldn’t have given her the title “Zhemei” (Broken Plum Blossom). Wasn’t it an ill omen?
Now, they were separated by life and death. She, by some cruel twist of fate, was in Daying, the land that had killed her sister, continuing to live a life of uncertainty. Would her sister… blame her?
Xiao Luohan took a deep breath, paused the music, and considered how to reply to Jiang Xue.
But her thoughts were still a tangled mess. She didn’t know what to say. For a moment, the only word in her mind was “sister.”
Finally, she wrote, also about her “sister”: 【It’s a shame no one else can see this book. I would have shown it to my elder sister.】
It was a lie. She would never see her elder sister again.
But she couldn’t cry. She had cried all her tears on the day she heard the news of her sister’s death. That night, her sister had appeared in her dreams, covered in blood, yet gently stroking her face, sighing, “Don’t cry.”
So, she hadn’t cried since then. But now, remembering the past, her heart ached.
Her vision suddenly blurred. Xiao Luohan blinked, focusing her gaze. A pair of white jade bracelets had appeared in the book!
Confused, she was about to write and ask when a line of text appeared.
It wasn’t in Jiang Xue’s handwriting. It was… bold and unrestrained, like her elder sister’s, two concise sentences:
【These are some spare jewelry. Do with them as you please. Take care of yourself.】
【My younger sister is young and easily flustered. She can’t accept such a precious gift. I am returning it on her behalf.】
Xiao Luohan stared at the jade bracelets in disbelief.
Was Jiang Xue’s sister… suggesting she use them to bribe the servants?
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