Hey, take it slow! How long have you not eaten? Geez! You're embarrassing me."
Tu Mu Zheyuan hissed, trying to shield his face as a few heads turned in their direction inside the cozy, modern Chinese restaurant
near the hospital.
Across from him, Daiyu devoured her food like a starving beast, ignoring his discomfort
entirely. She sneered at the flush creeping up his face.
"I don't know. A thousand years, maybe." She smirked. "If you're so embarrassed, why
didn't you book a private room?"
Tu Mu Zheyuan opened his mouth to explain, but Daiyu cut him off.
"Don't tell me you've turned stingy just because my spell didn't work!"
He rolled his eyes. The table between them was a banquet. Peking duck with pancakes,
Xiao Long Bao, mapo tofu, sweet and sour
pork, hand-pulled noodles, steamed fish with ginger and scallions, and chicken soup. For
dessert, mango pomelo sago, black sesame rice balls, and tofu pudding with brown sugar syrup. Daiyu, unfazed, picked up her chopsticks
and dug in without hesitation.
"FYI, I'm not stingy. And secondly, I couldn't book a private room last minute—it was fully booked," Zheyuan muttered.
Daiyu rolled her eyes and kept eating.
"I still don't understand why that old fox messed
with my spell," she muttered.
"Or… maybe she didn't. Maybe I was the one who messed up."
She stared at the braised fish for a moment, her expression growing darker. Zheyuan didn't know what to say either. He was just
as confused about how Daiyu ended
up in Baiyu's body.
________________________
— One Week Earlier —
"Where… am I?"
Daiyu's eyes fluttered open…
"Where… am I?"
Daiyu's eyes fluttered open. The ceiling above her was unfamiliar, white, and blinding. The faint scent of antiseptic filled the air. She blinked, trying to process her surroundings. A sterile room. Strange devices. Cold linens.
The door burst open, and a middle-aged woman rushed in. Her eyes were red from crying, but they widened when she saw Daiyu awake.
"Oh, thank heavens! You're awake!"
She didn't wait she rushed back out. "I'll get the doctor!"
But Daiyu's attention shifted to the figure
lingering behind her Tu Mu Zheyuan,
dressed in a patient gown, frozen in the doorway.
His eyes locked onto hers. His whole body stiffened.
"Baiyu…?"
Her brows twitched. She didn't respond.
His breath hitched. "Daiyu?!"
She groaned. "Can you say it louder? Let the whole people know."
Zheyuan stumbled toward the bed and sat beside her.
"This isn't how you're supposed to fulfill my wish."
"No," she said bluntly. "I don't know why I got pulled into your sister's body. Something
feels off."
His eyes narrowed. "I asked
for Baiyu to come back with her soul."
"Yes, and I heard you," she snapped. "Can you calm down now and tell me how you even found my temple?"
She fixed him with a sharp stare that made him squirm.
"Uhh… I followed some sort of light beam like a glowing path."
Her eyes sharpened. "You could see that?"
"See what?"
Daiyu closed her eyes briefly. Be patient… just be patient…
"A woman in white told me to follow it," he added, unsure.
Her face darkened. "That old fox. I knew she messed with it."
"Erm… Miss Daiyu, what are you going to do now?" Zheyuan asked hesitantly.
"We stick to the contract. Wait—"
She suddenly placed both hands on his chest.
Zheyuan flinched. "W-What are
you doing?!"
Her brows pulled together. "Your soul isn't tied to mine. The contract… it wasn't sealed."
She sat back, shocked. "If it didn't seal, how did I enter Baiyu's body at all? That's not supposed to be possible."
She rubbed between her brows, exhausted already.
"I was supposed to finally rest in peace. Instead, I'm stuck with humans. Again. Just my luck."
"So… what about the price?" he asked quietly.
"You don't have to pay. Not yet. The contract didn't bind. I'll try to fix it."
The door opened again. The middle-aged woman returned Madam Xia this time
accompanied by a doctor and a nurse. They approached the bed quickly.
The doctor examined Daiyu carefully. Meanwhile, Madam Xia watched her "daughter" with a complicated expression.
"Doctor Lu, how's Baiyu?" Madam Xia asked anxiously.
Doctor Lu turned to her with a smile. "She's fine. She just needs rest. If all goes well, she can be discharged in two days."
"Thank you, Doctor," Madam Xia
said, clearly relieved.
Doctor Lu nodded. "And your son is also stable. He can leave the same day." Madam Xia blinked, then chuckled. "Oh my, I almost forgot he's a patient too. He's been so energetic fussing over Baiyu."
The doctor smiled and excused himself. Once he and the nurse left, Madam Xia sat by Daiyu's side and pulled out a thermos.
"I made your favorite chicken soup. Here, have some."
She handed Daiyu a pair of chopsticks, but Daiyu simply stared at them. Madam Xia's smile faltered.
Zheyuan quickly stepped in.
"Erm… sis Baiyu, come on. Eat a little. You need
strength."
He gently placed the chopsticks in her hand.
Daiyu nodded slightly. Before she ate, she closed her eyes, placed her hands together in front of her lips, and bowed her head.
"Thank you for the meal."
Madam Xia froze, stunned. That gesture formal, reverent was nothing like her daughter.
She looked at Zheyuan in confusion. He had no answer either. He just closed his eyes and sighed.