Chapter 29: Did the Third Princess Really Come Through?!
That evening, as soon as Jiang Xue returned to her rented apartment, she slurped her noodles while video calling her older sister.
No matter how scared she was, she couldn’t put all the pressure of persuasion on Xie Xitong!
“Our New Year’s Eve gala performance is short of people,” she said straight to the point. “We need another person for the group dance, or a solo dancer.”
“Did the person who kept making mistakes leave?” Jiang Mei asked.
“No, well, it’s a long story.” Jiang Xue sighed. “She seems to be ‘unable to learn,’ but in reality, she’s just not taking it seriously! Plus, we’re all losing our lunch break, so we decided to replace her before the preliminary audition.”
“Today, A-Xi and I talked to her frankly. She said that as long as we can find someone to replace her, she’s willing to give up her spot. If not, then everything will continue as usual.”
“If she was truly a slow learner, we could understand, but her attitude of not caring is the most troublesome… I really don’t understand why someone who was so eager to sign up is now just going through the motions and saying ‘it’s the taking part that counts.’”
Jiang Mei hesitated, then decided not to speculate and continued, “Well, for these kinds of group activities, it depends on the individual’s needs and attitude. If you were all just ‘participating for fun,’ then just showing up on the preliminary audition stage and having a video as a souvenir would be enough.”
“Since there’s a difference in opinions now, and the other person’s attitude might drag the group down, then you need to make adjustments quickly.”
“Right, our goal is to perform on the New Year’s Eve gala stage, so the quality of the performance has to pass the preliminary audition.” Jiang Xue nodded. “You know that A-Xi and Yuanyuan are used to doing practice problems during lunch break. They’ve given up that time for this.”
She paused. “But that classmate has been practicing with us for a while. I don’t know if this adjustment will affect her mood…”
“Don’t feel too guilty about removing someone who isn’t suitable,” Jiang Mei said seriously. “When she chose to slack off, she didn’t consider your time and feelings either.”
“Moreover, your rehearsal time hasn’t been short. The preliminary audition is next week, and she’s still like this. Who knows what other problems might arise closer to the performance?”
Seeing her sister lost in thought, Jiang Mei took the initiative: “Do you want me to join the group dance or perform a solo?”
Jiang Xue was thinking about what to say next and didn’t react immediately, her noodle-slurping pausing.
She had originally planned to use the Third Princess’s “help” as a last resort if she couldn’t persuade her older sister, but she had skipped that step entirely?
“Your preliminary audition happens to be during my annual leave.” Jiang Mei explained calmly. “I also have time off on the day of the New Year’s Eve gala. I was planning to come and watch the performance, take some photos and videos of you for Mom and Mom.”
After finishing her last bite of noodles, Jiang Xue couldn’t help but ask, “Did A-Xi already talk to you about something?”
Otherwise, how could she have agreed so quickly? Her older sister’s vacation time was precious!
“Can’t it be my own idea?” Jiang Mei countered.
It was even better if it was her own idea!
Jiang Xue knew very well that compared to a reluctant agreement after much pleading, her older sister was most efficient and proactive when she took the initiative.
“Then it’s settled!” Afraid her older sister would change her mind, she quickly agreed. “If you join, I’ll fill in for the group dance. I really wanted to keep those large, sweeping movements in the original video, but my body can’t handle it. You’re perfect for it!”
As for the group dance movements, she had already learned them by observing during rehearsals. She just needed to practice to improve her proficiency.
Since the Third Princess also wanted to see her older sister’s sword dance, she would give her the best performance!
After hanging up the video call, Jiang Xue put away her dishes, sent messages to Xie Xitong and Dan Yuanyuan to report the progress, and then opened the diary.
【I’ve talked to my older sister! She agreed to perform the solo dance. I’ll show you the video later!】
The Third Princess always went to bed early and woke up early, so Jiang Xue left the message and placed the open diary on her nightstand. This way, she would see the Third Princess’s reply as soon as she woke up tomorrow morning.
When Xiao Luohan went out this morning, she felt it was even colder.
But she still wrapped herself tightly in her cloak, applied a heat patch, put on a woolen hat and scarf with pom-poms, and went to the courtyard to practice Tai Chi Sword, fully armed against the cold.
Her elder sister had often said that going out for a walk and exercising was good for her health, even in the depths of winter. If she felt cold, she could go back inside. By repeatedly trying this, her body would gradually adapt to the environment.
And she also wanted to adapt to the environment. If she could move freely in the cold wind, then when spring and summer arrived, she might be able to devise a plan with the Jiang sisters to escape the palace with Shizhu.
There used to be servants moving about in the courtyard, but since the “ghost or spirit manifestation,” all the servants assigned to Wangmei Pavilion, except for Shizhu, had kept their distance from her.
This was fine; she enjoyed the peace and quiet.
It was a sunny day today. As she wielded the telescopic sword, she habitually looked up at the plum tree.
A few early plum blossoms had bloomed, but very few, and their fragrance was also very faint. They were all on high branches, otherwise, she could have picked a few for Jiang Xue to smell.
After practicing for a while, she saw Shizhu passing by and, remembering that Shizhu had once brought her a plum blossom branch, stood on tiptoe to reach for the nearest bud.
It would be nice to have a plum blossom branch. It would bloom eventually, filling the room with fragrance.
“What are you doing, Your Highness?!”
Xiao Luohan had wanted to do it quietly by herself, but Shizhu, sharp-eyed, saw her and hurriedly dropped what she was doing to rush over.
Hearing that she wanted to send plum blossoms to the ghost or spirit, Shizhu immediately rolled up her sleeves. “I’ll pull down the branch!”
Xiao Luohan was surprised by her attentiveness. Shizhu seemed to understand that she wanted to pick the branch herself. She only pulled the branch down to a height where Xiao Luohan could easily reach it.
She thanked Shizhu sincerely, carefully picked three branches of plum buds, returned to her room, sprayed them lightly with water using the Scream bottle, wrapped them in a clean white handkerchief, and opened the booklet.
It was then that she saw Jiang Xue’s message.
Xiao Luohan had actually already seen the video of Jiang Xue’s older sister’s sword dance solo, after accidentally opening the photo album.
But she still wrote an “Okay” in reply, placed the plum blossom branches on the booklet, and watched them disappear.
Jiang Xue, still in bed, was awakened by a familiar, faint fragrance. She murmured “Your Highness,” rubbing her eyes and following the scent.
Three unopened plum blossom branches lay quietly on the open diary on her nightstand.
Surprised and delighted, she struggled out of bed, threw on a jacket, and went to find a vase for them.
But she couldn’t find any empty vases. In the end, she quickly brushed her teeth, rinsed her glass, and placed the plum blossom branches inside.
“Remember to buy a small vase today! Thank you!” she specifically instructed Sister Cheng before leaving.
Sister Cheng didn’t ask why she suddenly needed a vase, but after dropping her off at school, she bought one and brought it home.
While washing the new vase, she noticed the flower buds in the glass and transferred them to the new vase, placing it on the table in Jiang Xue’s bedroom where the sunlight was best.
Jiang Xue arrived at the dance studio ten minutes early today.
As soon as she entered, she saw her older sister sitting alone in the empty room.
Jiang Mei was looking down at her phone, a telescopic sword resting on the stool beside her. Noticing Jiang Xue enter, she handed over the sword without looking up.
“Why are you here so early?” Jiang Xue took the sword, sat down next to her, and took out a bag of freshly bought sandwiches from her pocket. “Have you had lunch yet? Have some.”
“I’ve already eaten something. Keep it for your afternoon snack.” Jiang Mei said.
Jiang Xue knew she hadn’t eaten and insisted on putting the sandwich in her hand, her face serious. “Our training is very intense!”
Jiang Mei smiled helplessly, took the sandwich, tore it open in front of her, and started eating.
While waiting for the other students to arrive, Jiang Xue went to the bathroom.
When she returned, she saw a familiar figure standing by the door of the dance studio.
Hearing footsteps, Xiao Luohan instinctively looked up.
Jiang Xue couldn’t believe her eyes. She rubbed them with her wet hands and even pinched herself hard.
It hurt! This couldn’t be a dream!
But if she was awake, why was she seeing the Third Princess here?
“Jiang Xue,” she heard Xiao Luohan call her name. “We’re in a dream.”
Jiang Xue: …
Those were the words she had told the Third Princess, to remind her if she found herself in a dreamlike state during an interactive dream.
So, what was going on?
“I’m not dreaming,” she first refuted firmly. “But you might be dreaming and have come here, just like when I went to your side.”
Without waiting for Xiao Luohan’s response, she pulled her towards the classroom, wanting to see if her older sister could see the Third Princess.
…She couldn’t move her.
Jiang Xue turned around in surprise and saw Xiao Luohan frowning, looking down at her feet.
It must be the same problem she had encountered before—when she tried to move in the dream, her feet felt as heavy as lead.
She thought for a moment, using Xie Xitong’s suggestion: “If you can’t walk, then float.”
Xiao Luohan paused, then closed her eyes, as if trying to imagine floating.
It was almost time for lunch break, and the students for rehearsal arrived one after another.
Jiang Xue deliberately moved to the side. As she expected, no one looked at Xiao Luohan, even though she was so conspicuously dressed in ancient clothing…
She secretly glanced at Xiao Luohan—yes, her feet were off the ground. No one mentioned such an obvious supernatural occurrence. The Third Princess must be in the same state she had been in before.
“Let’s go, it’s warmer inside.” She was about to pull Xiao Luohan inside when a gasp came from behind.
“Did the Third Princess really come through?!” Xie Xitong covered her mouth, trying to suppress her exclamation. “I was just saying that casually yesterday…”
“You can see her?!” Jiang Xue was also shocked.
The two stared at each other for a few seconds. Xie Xitong looked towards the classroom and, seeing that no one else reacted, suddenly understood.
“Didn’t I tell you when we were little? I can see ‘dirty things.’”
“…I don’t remember that.”
“Because you wouldn’t have believed me!” Xie Xitong shrugged, her eyes scanning Xiao Luohan with interest. “And ‘dirty things’ are almost extinct now. Even if there are any, they’re not threatening. There’s no point in telling anyone except the elders in my family who understand metaphysics.”
“The Third Princess isn’t a ‘dirty thing’!” Jiang Xue protectively stood in front of Xiao Luohan. “She just came here in a dream, just like when I saved her.”
Seeing her friend’s gaze shift to Xiao Luohan’s floating feet, she said confidently, “Isn’t this what you taught me? If you can’t walk, then float!”
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