Chapter 53: Love Disappears, Doesn’t It?

Ji Xuanyuan’s lips twitched as she watched her Junior Brother give a gift to another girl right in front of her.

Recalling her past life, so many women had tried to flirt with him, yet he had only ever given gifts to her.

But why…

Why had he changed now?

‘So, love really can disappear, can’t it?’

No!

Ji Xuanyuan suddenly sensed something was off.

Looking back at her experiences in Xuanji City over the past few days, she could easily deduce the truth.

In their past life, her Junior Brother probably never saw Fairy Gu again after that day they broke up.

Afterward, he was recognized by the Taixu Sacred Domain and became the Holy Son. It was only on his way to join the Heavenly Sword Sect that he met “Li Shixue.”

‘But Junior Brother never mentioned his childhood friend after becoming a disciple.’

If their feelings were this deep, why hadn’t he said anything?

No!

‘Junior Brother actually did mention it,’ Ji Xuanyuan remembered.

During those years in her past life, she was exactly as Chu Yuan had described:

Due to suspicion of a power struggle, her true self had been confined to Chentang Guan by her mother, Empress Wu Yue, and she was forbidden from leaving.

In reality, Empress Wu Yue had instructed Ji Xuanyuan to disguise herself as “Li Shixue” and sneak out to join the Heavenly Sword Sect.

After becoming a disciple of the Extinction Sword Venerable, she officially began practicing the Ruthless Path.

One day, the Heavenly Sword Sect assigned a mission, and she went out with her Junior Brother.

It was a long journey that lasted seven days.

On the way, seeing how much she enjoyed pastries, her Junior Brother asked curiously, “Does Senior Sister like osmanthus cakes?”

Tasting the cake, she was slightly taken aback.

It wasn’t a lie that she liked them, but it was only because her mother often used cakes to reward her when she was a child.

The memories stirred her emotions, causing her—who was already practicing the Ruthless Path—to become resistant. She spoke against her heart.

“I don’t have anything I particularly like to eat.”

Her Junior Brother clearly saw through her lie. He laughed and teased, “Oh? Really? I don’t believe you.”

Hearing this, she frowned and glanced at him.

She saw her Junior Brother crouching by the fire. He had actually pulled out a piece of osmanthus cake, toasted it until it was golden brown, and was eating it with great relish.

Noticing her gaze, he looked up with a wide grin.

“Senior Sister, I made this osmanthus cake myself. If you like it, how about I cook it for you every day?”

She was stunned. “You know how to cook?”

In the Immortal Dynasty, it was common for men to work in the kitchen.

The snacks she had eaten since childhood were all made by male imperial chefs.

But her Junior Brother was from the Taixu Sacred Domain, which was a patriarchal society.

Their values were the exact opposite of the Immortal Dynasty’s; men there were the ones being served.

Furthermore, he was a Holy Son. Setting aside cooking, she doubted he even had to pour his own tea.

How could he have learned to make pastries?

As if reading the confusion on her face, he patted the crumbs off his hands. His dark eyes shone brightly in the firelight.

“Of course! My childhood friend taught me a type of ‘Golden Osmanthus Soul-Nourishing Cake.’ It’s the absolute best among osmanthus cakes! When we get back, how about I make some for you to try? Only my childhood friend and I know how to make it in this whole world!”

Regrettably, she had declined out of pride.

Even so, her Junior Brother had often made or bought different kinds of osmanthus cakes for her afterward.

However, she hadn’t eaten a single one.

Thinking about it now, those osmanthus cakes were things his childhood friend had taught him to make.

The thing he had always wanted her to taste was the cake his childhood friend taught him…

Realizing this, Ji Xuanyuan’s figure in the present world seemed lonely.

‘Perhaps Fairy Gu was already dead back then…’

‘Is that why Junior Brother transferred his feelings to me?’

‘Love didn’t disappear; it was just transferred!’

‘Could it be… that I was just a substitute?’

Was it just like how she had looked after him simply because he reminded her of her younger sister?

The more Ji Xuanyuan thought about it, the more ironic it felt.

The whole world was just one massive “Wanwan Resembles You” scenario.

She never expected that one day, she, the dignified future Empress, would become someone else’s backup.

In contrast, Gu Qingwan had never felt such joy.

After leaving the jade shop earlier, she had been suffocated by the presence of the Crown Princess.

Inside the private room of the auction house, that red-haired beauty had sat in the middle like an insurmountable wall, separating her from A-Yuan.

She could only look at her lover from a distance through the woman’s shadow, unable to even strike up a conversation.

Watching Ji Xuanyuan and Chu Yuan silently exchange looks, Gu Qingwan had suffered.

At that time, she thought she had truly lost.

It wasn’t until this moment, as Chu Yuan handed over the jade box, that Gu Qingwan finally understood why he had risked taking the City Lord’s task.

It turned out Chu Yuan had noticed everything that night; he just hadn’t said anything.

She had resented him in her heart then, not knowing that he had committed the matter to memory.

Through a dangerous investigation, he had traded the more than 1,000,000 spirit stones he earned with his life for this single stalk of Spirit Reishi.

Gu Qingwan’s gratitude was beyond words. She suddenly remembered many years ago—

The jade hairpin he gave her during her coming-of-age ceremony.

Back then, he had stood at her front door holding that jade hairpin, drenched in sweat.

His patched clothes were wrinkled, but his eyes shone with the light of the morning sun.

Seeing the scabs on his hands, she couldn’t help but scold him. “Why did you work so hard?”

The young boy only scratched his head and gave a foolish laugh. “As long as Wan’er likes it.”

Time flew by.

Gu Qingwan once thought that things had changed and people had moved on.

However, that same boy still kept her needs in his heart and risked his life to fulfill them.

Now she finally understood that her childhood friend had never changed.

He was still that same boy, without a single bit of change.

Chu Yuan felt a bit self-conscious under her gaze and teased, “What’s wrong? Wan’er, are you moved? Have you fallen in love with me?”

“No!”

Gu Qingwan’s eyes were red as she quickly turned away.

She clutched the jade box, fighting back her tears.

But feeling the weight of the box, she couldn’t help but think about it.

Inside was the result of her childhood friend risking his life outside the city yesterday, perhaps even nearly dying.

He took such a risk just so she would feel better when her illness flared up.

At the thought of this, her tears became uncontrollable.

Her vision as she looked at the box began to blur, turning into a warm halo.

A moment later, crystal-clear tears hit the jade box with a soft sound.

Her voice was as soft as a hum. “A-Yuan… thank you…”

Seeing this, Chu Yuan continued to tease her. “What? What did you say? I couldn’t hear you!”

Having said that, he even leaned forward, wanting to see if this little crybaby was actually crying.

Gu Qingwan quickly turned her back to him and snapped softly, “Get lost!”

As she spoke, she didn’t forget to wipe her tears with her jade-like hand, secretly gritting her teeth.

‘This damn A-Yuan… It’s not that he hasn’t changed; he’s clearly become worse!’

Watching the two of them flirt, Ji Xuanyuan’s gaze grew deep and dark.

She remembered what Chu Yuan had said during the auction: “I couldn’t save her in my past life, so I want to try in this one.”

Looking at Fairy Gu clutching the jade box and crying tears of joy…

Ji Xuanyuan unconsciously clenched her teeth.

‘So Junior Brother really doesn’t like me…’

“…Highness?”

Seeing the Crown Princess dazed, Fang Henian asked worriedly, “Are you all right?”

Ji Xuanyuan shook her head slightly. “I’m fine!”

Despite her words, her legs felt weak, and she was even trembling as she stood.

Even though the purpose of her rebirth was to rekindle her relationship with her Junior Brother, she had discovered that he already had someone else in his heart.

The Crown Princess felt increasingly bitter.

‘Should I just let it go?’

‘But this is what Junior Brother wants; I should support him!’

‘Yes! As long as Junior Brother is alive, that’s enough!’

‘If he wants to save his childhood friend, then let him!’

Ji Xuanyuan wanted to let go of these feelings in her heart.

But as she watched her Junior Brother being affectionate with another woman in the distance, her expression began to twist.