Against the Light - Chapter 106
Chapter 106: My Little Princess
"Want to go out and have some fun?" Gu Xinran asked softly, gently stroking her back.
"I'm a little tired. Maybe later."
"Then I'll give you another massage."
"Mmm~"
Bai Yilan obediently lay prone on the bed, enjoying the special treatment reserved just for her.
"How is it? Feel good?"
"Mmm, ah~" Bai Yilan's eyes curved into smiling crescents. It felt amazing!!
Gu Xinran was very satisfied, but then she suddenly raised an eyebrow.
"Yilan?"
"Hm?"
"Say 'Mmm, ah~' again."
"What?" Bai Yilan froze, her mind instantly flashing with all sorts of strange things.
"Just let me hear you hum softly again."
"I refuse."
"Why? Hey, why are you blushing? Wait, what are you thinking about?" Gu Xinran tilted her head and saw a faint blush on the other woman's cheeks, looking exceptionally cute.
"I'm not." Bai Yilan turned her face away, not letting her see.
Gu Xinran couldn't help but chuckle.
"Now I know why Xiao Ye was so soft and adorable."
"What?"
"Look at me." Gu Xinran patted her pert bottom, signaling for her to look over.
Bai Yilan hesitated for a moment before turning to meet her gaze.
Gu Xinran's eyes curved, her beautiful, large eyes brimming with a deep smile.
"She inherited it from you."
"???"
"I…" Bai Yilan was speechless. "Where am I soft!"
"Hm?" Gu Xinran's gaze drifted downwards, sweeping over her entire body. "You're soft everywhere~"
"…You old rogue!"
Gu Xinran burst out laughing, only to be kicked off the bed by Yilan the next second.
The two of them joked and roughhoused in the tent, having a wonderful time.
Jin Shuang hadn't left with the main group; she was waiting here for the two of them. After waiting all morning without them emerging, she started to get a little anxious. Just as she walked up to Yilan's tent to call them, she heard their laughter from inside. The hand she had raised fell back to her side.
This? Just this? It looked like they wouldn't be going out today :)
Finally, Jin Shuang couldn't take it anymore. She called out a quick goodbye and slipped away on her own.
It was only after lunch that the two leisurely got themselves ready and left the tent. Outside, the sun was bright and the air was very dry. Gu Xinran had prepared plenty of water and food, and set off with Yilan.
Although they hadn't gone with the main group, they had thankfully asked Jin Shuang beforehand to leave a car for them.
They got in the car. Bai Yilan sat in the passenger seat and dutifully fastened her seatbelt. When she turned her head, she saw Xinran looking at her with a slightly disappointed expression. "What's wrong?"
"You should have given me a chance to perform."
"Huh??"
Bai Yilan paused, glanced down at her seatbelt buckle, and after a moment of silence, unfastened it.
Gu Xinran was very pleased. She leaned over and carefully fastened the seatbelt for her.
Seeing Xinran's satisfied smile, Bai Yilan could only facepalm. What a lovable dork…
Gu Xinran turned on the navigation and identified the route.
There was a tourist spot nearby called the Star Gazing Platform, which was also a filming location for many historical dramas.
Because film crews often came here, it had also boosted local tourism. Even though it was the off-season, there were still some tourists around.
After a drive of nearly two hours, they arrived at the Star Gazing Platform scenic area.
The sunlight had softened considerably, and the sky was slowly darkening. A gentle breeze brought a hint of coolness; the temperature was just right and exceptionally comfortable.
"Is that an ancient building?" Gu Xinran parked the car and saw a high platform made of stone bricks in the distance, with many tourists taking pictures beside it.
"It's a replica. There is a real ancient building like this, but it's not open to the public because it's too old, to prevent tourists from climbing on it and damaging the artifact."
Gu Xinran nodded. The two of them put on their masks and walked over, holding hands.
Gu Xinran looked up and estimated the Star Gazing Platform was about three or four stories high.
"It's beautiful to stand there and watch the stars at night," Bai Yilan said, also looking up at the sky.
They walked hand in hand, strolling across the sand.
As they moved away from the other tourists, their surroundings grew quiet. Apart from the sound of the wind, there were only their soft footsteps.
They came to a small sand dune and stood at the top, looking around. All they could see was an endless expanse of yellow sand, stretching to the horizon.
Gu Xinran clicked her tongue, marveling at the wonders of nature.
The sky darkened quickly. After the sun set, countless stars dotted the sky. The tourists in the distance grew excited; many of them had come early in the morning and waited all day just to see the stars at night.
Seeing the dense crowd of people on the Star Gazing Platform, the two of them gave up on the idea of joining the fun. But lying on the sand dune like this was quite pleasant, too.
Gu Xinran raised her hand and reached for the sky, as if trying to grasp the stars.
The corners of Bai Yilan's lips curved up as she watched her with a smile. She watched her grab at the stars for a moment, then trace their paths with her finger. Suddenly, Bai Yilan's expression froze, and she stared blankly at the starry sky.
"Yilan, look. Do those few stars connected together look like a person's profile?"
Gu Xinran was excited, but when she turned her head, she saw Yilan lost in thought, clearly with something on her mind.
"Yilan?"
"Hm."
"What are you thinking about?"
"Xinran, do you think… if we have another child, will she still be Xiao Ye?"
Bai Yilan looked at the starry sky, Xiao Ye's tiny body flashing through her mind.
Her Xiao Ye had also loved looking at the stars. She would, just like Xinran, point at the stars and ask, 'Mommy, doesn't this look like a big tiger?' or 'Mommy, look, doesn't this one look like Mama?'
Gu Xinran's heart trembled. She pressed her lips together as the image of their once-happy family of three flashed through her mind.
After a long silence, she said firmly, "Yes."
Bai Yilan turned to look at her. "Why?"
"As long as it's our child, it will be Xiao Ye. She will have both of our excellent genes. A personality like yours, and looks like mine. Mischievous and cute, clever and quirky."
"Will she like eating the cream off the cake?" Bai Yilan asked.
"She will," Gu Xinran nodded.
"Will she hate wearing pants and always run around the house with her little butt bare?" Recalling what Xiao Ye was like as a child, Bai Yilan couldn't help but chuckle, her mind filled with that exquisitely cute, pink-and-white little munchkin.
"She will!"
"Will she look for you to take the blame when she does something wrong?"
"Of course." Gu Xinran nodded, looking rather proud, as if being her daughter's designated scapegoat was something to be especially proud of.
"Will you be harsh with her?"
"No. I want to be her best friend. Scolding is a job for you."
Bai Yilan pouted.
"Will she pick all my flowers?"
"Hmm… I'll tell her that Mommy's flowers can only be cared for gently, not destroyed."
"And if she doesn't listen?"
"Then… a light tap on her bottom as a warning."
Bai Yilan chuckled. "Weren't you going to be best friends?"
"Because in our family, Mommy is the sky. We can't make Mommy angry."
The two looked at each other and smiled.
"Then will you team up with her to lie to me?"
"Of course I…"
"Hm?"
"Of course not!"
Gu Xinran abruptly changed her tune. "I'll tell her that she can't lie. Absolutely, definitely not to Mommy. Because her Mommy is the person who loves her most in the world. More than her Auntie Lin, and more than her Mama."
The tip of Bai Yilan's nose tingled, and she couldn't hold back her tears as they fell.
"If I really loved her that much, how could I have chosen such an extreme method back then, leaving her all alone and helpless…"
Gu Xinran raised a hand and placed it over her lips.
"Let the past be the past. We agreed not to dwell on it."
"This life's Xiao Ye will have an incredibly happy childhood. She will grow up happy and joyful. She will be spoiled by her two mothers into the happiest little princess in the world."
Bai Yilan sniffled. "Then what about me?"
"Hey, don't get jealous of a child."
"No, this is a matter of status in the family," Bai Yilan said seriously, wiping away a tear.
Gu Xinran thought about it with a serious expression. "Then we'll just spoil her for show when she's little. When she grows up, we'll marry her off early and let her partner spoil her."
"What kind of mother are you?"
"Then… from a young age, I'll teach her that there's only one little princess in our family, and that's Mommy. She has to join me in spoiling this little princess. Doesn't that make the family hierarchy very clear?"
Bai Yilan smiled through her tears and nuzzled her head against Gu Xinran's neck.
"Are you trying to be cute? My little princess." Gu Xinran turned her head and pressed her lips to Bai Yilan's forehead.
"At my age, still a little princess," Bai Yilan said with a pouting smile.
"You'll always be my little princess, no matter how old you are. After all, you haven't complained that I'm old."
"Oh, I do complain about that, Auntie Gu."
"Hiss!" Gu Xinran pretended to roll up her sleeves, feigning violence. Bai Yilan laughed and pressed her hands down, easily subduing her.
They looked at each other, and at the same moment, they both pressed a light kiss to the other's lips and smiled.
Seeing Yilan smile, Gu Xinran secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She had been genuinely afraid that Yilan would get too hung up on the Xiao Ye of that lifetime and develop some kind of psychological burden.
They chatted for a while longer when they suddenly heard a commotion in the distance. Gu Xinran frowned, thinking something had happened. She quickly stood up and looked over. It was the tourists on the Star Gazing Platform, who had suddenly started shouting for some reason.
Some people were pointing at the sky and yelling something. Gu Xinran listened carefully, but before she could figure it out, her sleeve was suddenly tugged.
"Xinran, shooting stars!"
Gu Xinran snapped her head up to look at the sky. Streaks of light with long tails were cutting across the heavens. These weren't just shooting stars—this was a meteor shower!!
Gu Xinran's heart pounded. She was so stunned by the magnificent sight before her that she was speechless!
The dark night sky was almost completely lit up by the meteors!
"Meteors, let our family of three be reunited in this world!" Gu Xinran suddenly came to her senses and immediately shouted her wish at the meteors! Her eyes reflected the light, full of hope that the meteors would hear her plea.
Bai Yilan was also incredibly excited. She took a deep breath to calm herself, then couldn't help but clasp her hands together and make a silent wish in her heart.
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