Bai Tang's hand, holding the spoon, froze for a second before she calmly continued to bring the food to her mouth. After eating slowly and deliberately, she finally met Bai Wu's gentle, curious gaze.
"Xiao Wu has become more gossipy than before," Bai Tang said with a light laugh, her expression calm and composed, as if that brief pause had been nothing but an illusion.
Bai Wu's smile faded, a hint of apology in his voice. "I overstepped."
Bai Tang chuckled. "I know what you're worried about..."
"I'm sorry, Miss," Bai Wu apologized.
Bai Tang looked at him, a sly, devilish grin curling her lips. "It's not really a hard question to answer. If you want to know, I can tell you!"
Bai Wu was taken aback, clearly still a bit stunned. He had assumed Bai Tang would dodge the question.
"Xiao Wu, what do you think of Sheng Qi?" Bai Tang asked him instead.
Bai Wu thought seriously for a moment before giving the most neutral answer: "Wise, cold... and very good to you, Miss."
Bai Tang couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Adding that last part—are you afraid I'll hit you?"
Bai Wu: "..."
"It's the truth."
Seeing his earnest expression, Bai Tang's smile grew even wider.
She set down the spoon, leaned back lazily in her chair, her gaze drifting out the car window. A faint smile played on her lips as she spoke, her voice light with amusement: "Xiao Wu, I actually feel pretty lucky I didn't die this time, getting to live here as Bai Tang for a while."
"Sure, this body's family drama is a bit much, but I'm fortunate to have met Sheng Qi and the others through her."
"For ten years, I never stopped thinking about getting out of that place. I spent a decade constantly strengthening myself, and the belief that kept me going was revenge."
"I used to think that once I got out, I'd uncover the truth about what happened back then, find those people, and make them pay."
"I planned all of that every single day for ten years. I pushed myself to become stronger and stronger, strong enough that no one would dare mess with me."
"That place was cold and lifeless, year after year. I felt myself growing cold, even my blood turning icy."
"Finally, the ten years were up, and I got out..."
"I was almost desperate to go back, to find those people and take my revenge."
Bai Tang's gaze grew distant, unfocused, as if she were seeing her past self.
Bai Wu watched her, a pang of sympathy in his heart. He wanted to comfort her, but then he heard her indifferent voice continue: "The day I saw the light again, the sun was so blinding I could barely open my eyes... That blazing heat, yet I felt no warmth at all—just cold, cold to the bone."
"When the car plunged off the cliff, guess what I was thinking?"
Bai Wu pressed his lips together, watching the sly smile on her face, feeling as if a fist had slammed into his chest.
"Miss..."
"I actually felt a sense of relief!" Bai Tang cut him off, her smile tinged with irony. "Besides the regret of not getting my revenge, in that moment, I felt relieved."
Bai Wu's lips tightened, and he reached out to tousle Bai Tang's hair, but the gesture felt too heavy.
Bai Tang let out a soft laugh. "But it seems the heavens sensed my regret and gave me a chance to live on as Bai Tang."
"And maybe they thought I'd been too lonely all these years, so they let me meet Zhang Xiaochu, that silly chuunibyou, and Sheng Qi, that quiet but incredibly kind man, along with that group of interesting friends—a way to make up for my solitude."
"These days, they've been enough!" Bai Tang said with a smile, her voice filled with contentment and joy.