Against the Light - Chapter 185
Chapter 185: Extra - Auntie Lin X Xiao Ye
At the birthday banquet.
Xiao Ye stood by the window, holding a glass of cocktail and gazing outside.
The sun was setting in the west, and the sky was gradually growing dark.
Lin Yuqing still hadn't come.
All her friends and family, the elders who had watched her grow up, were present. Only Lin Yuqing was absent from her coming-of-age ceremony.
"What's going on with Xiao Qing?" Bai Yilan stood at the door, watching Xiao Ye. The little one hadn't moved for a long time, just staring blankly out the window. It was painful for her to watch.
"I don't know either. Whenever I ask her about it, she just changes the subject." Gu Xinran frowned, her expression a little displeased.
"Xiao Ye, everyone is waiting for you to cut the cake," Bai Yilan said, walking to Xiao Ye's side and gently patting her shoulder.
Xiao Ye turned to look at her. Her bright eyes were filled with deep disappointment, but she still nodded cooperatively and forced a smile.
The three of them went to the living room. Xiao Ye raised her glass and thanked the guests one by one for coming to celebrate her birthday.
"Xiao Ye, make a wish!"
"Okay." Xiao Ye nodded, walked to the cake, looked at the little princess standing in the middle of it, clasped her hands, and closed her eyes.
【I hope Grandma and Grandmother, and my two mothers are healthy, safe, and well; I hope everyone who cares for and loves me has all their wishes come true; I hope… I hope Auntie Lin can be happy every day.】
A moment later, Xiao Ye opened her eyes, blew out the candles on the cake, and beamed at everyone.
That night, Bai Yilan was lying in bed, still feeling upset. "Did you ask Xiao Qing why she didn't come today?"
"I did. She just said she was busy." Gu Xinran was wide awake too, pillowing her arm and staring at the ceiling.
"What do you think she's really thinking?"
Gu Xinran was silent for a moment. Based on her understanding of Lin Yuqing, everything she did would put Xiao Ye first. There was really no reason for her to treat Xiao Ye this way.
After all, it was her eighteenth birthday, her coming-of-age ceremony. She should have at least shown her face, or even just sent a birthday message.
As the two were talking, they suddenly heard a scream, followed by the clattering sound of things falling to the floor. They both froze and looked at each other.
"Xiao Ye!"
Gu Xinran cried out, practically leaping out of bed. Without even putting on her shoes, she rushed straight to Xiao Ye's bedroom. Pushing the door open, she immediately saw Xiao Ye sitting on the floor, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath.
"Xiao Ye? What's wrong?" Gu Xinran hurried over and carried the little one back to the bed.
Bai Yilan went to the bathroom to get a towel and helped wipe the sweat from her face. "Xiao Ye? What happened?"
Gu Xinran looked closely at the little one's state. Her eyes were vacant; she was clearly frightened. "Did you have a nightmare?"
Xiao Ye took a few deep breaths to calm herself down a little, then looked up at the two of them and shook her head. "I'm fine."
The two exchanged a look, worried sick.
"Mommy, stay with me for a while." Xiao Ye lay on her side, tugging at the corner of Bai Yilan's clothes.
"Okay, I'll stay with you. Mommy will sleep with you tonight." Bai Yilan massaged Xiao Ye's temples, while Gu Xinran gently patted the little one, as if coaxing a young child. "Go to sleep. Mama will pat you. When you were little, you always liked Mama patting you to sleep."
"I'm not a kid anymore…" Xiao Ye muttered under her breath.
"Not a kid anymore, but still scared to sleep alone?"
"You're annoying~"
"Alright, you. Don't bully our daughter," Bai Yilan warned.
"Hmph~"
It was Monday. Gu Xinran got up early to take Xiao Ye to school. Only after watching her enter the school gates did she head to the film studio. She had thought that once her child grew up, she'd have less to worry about. Who knew it would be even more worrying.
When she was little, she would take the initiative to share everything with her mothers. Gu Xinran could tell what was on her mind with just a glance. Now that she was older, she knew how to hide her thoughts. She didn't share her little secrets, nor her worries. She kept everything bottled up inside.
Ever since the nightmare two nights ago, the little one's state was clearly off. She had been spacing out for the past two days, and Gu Xinran had no idea what she was thinking. But there was one thing Gu Xinran was certain of: this definitely had something to do with Lin Yuqing!
Thinking of this, Gu Xinran immediately called Lin Yuqing.
"Hello? Sister Ran, what's wrong?"
"You have the nerve to ask me? Xiao Ye's birthday banquet two days ago, why didn't you come? Don't tell me you didn't know, and don't tell me you were busy. Xiao Ye hasn't been sleeping well these past few days, wondering why you've suddenly started giving her the cold shoulder. I want a reasonable explanation."
The other end went silent.
"Talk to me! Or do you want me to come find you and sort this out face-to-face?"
"Lin…"
"I'm a full sixteen years older than her," Lin Yuqing finally said.
Gu Xinran frowned.
"In our past life, although we had a sweet time together, after I passed away, she was alone…"
Gu Xinran closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "So you're running away now, is that it?"
"She can have better options."
Gu Xinran was furious and hung up the phone directly. She had always believed that as long as two people loved each other, nothing could stand in their way. Parting through life and death was something everyone had to experience. It was precisely because of this that the beautiful times spent protecting each other seemed especially precious, making one cherish them immensely!
But this Lin Yuqing, she was now willing to give up the happy times they were supposed to have, all because she was afraid of parting!
How could that not be infuriating!
In the evening, Gu Xinran returned home, still fuming.
"What's wrong? You look terrible. Who made you angry?" Ye Nan asked.
"No, it's nothing." Gu Xinran's expression softened slightly.
Just as they were about to have dinner, Gu Xinran's phone suddenly rang.
Gu Xinran glanced at the caller ID, frowned, and quickly answered. Halfway through the call, she glanced at the others, then got up and went back to her bedroom.
"What's going on?" Ye Nan was puzzled.
"Mom, you guys eat first. I'll go see what's happening." Yilan put down her chopsticks and went back to the bedroom. She had just glimpsed the caller ID and saw it was Xiao Ye's advisor.
"Okay, I understand. I'll call some friends to ask around. Please, Director Liu, could you also help look for her at the school?"
Bai Yilan walked in just in time to hear this sentence.
"What happened?"
Gu Xinran hastily hung up the phone. "Her advisor just did a room check and found that Xiao Ye wasn't there. And she didn't attend any of her classes today! But I was the one who took her to school this morning. I watched her go in with my own eyes!"
Gu Xinran started to panic. She quickly scrolled through her contacts, calling Qu Qi, Fang Yi, Su Yu, and others one by one to ask.
Bai Yilan called Xiao Ye, but the call went unanswered. She then sent her many messages on WeChat, but there was no reply at all.
Bai Yilan clutched her phone, her legs feeling weak. Her mind instantly flooded with many terrible scenarios, and she nearly fainted.
"Hey, Yilan, don't panic yet. Call Lin Yuqing and ask if Xiao Ye went to find her."
"Okay." Bai Yilan's hands trembled as she dialed Lin Yuqing's number.
"Hello, Xiao Qing, did Xiao Ye go to find you?"
"What? No, she didn't. What's wrong with Xiao Ye?"
Bai Yilan took a deep breath. "If she goes to you, you have to tell me immediately!"
"What on earth happened? Xiao Ye… is missing?"
Bai Yilan briefly explained, and the other end fell silent.
"Xiao Qing?"
"I'm coming back right now."
Gu Xinran rubbed her forehead, trying to think where Xiao Ye might have gone. "Don't worry yet. Xiao Ye isn't a child anymore, and Fang Yi has been teaching her Taekwondo since she was little. She knows how to protect herself. I guess she just ran off to have some fun and was too scared to tell us," Gu Xinran said, trying to soothe Yilan.
"I'll go check around the school. You stay home, keep calling, and wait for my news."
"I'm going with you." Without waiting for a response, Bai Yilan immediately went to change her clothes. "Hurry up!"
Gu Xinran didn't dawdle either. The two of them changed and left.
They searched the road to the school several times, but there wasn't a soul in sight. "It's pitch black out here. Xiao Ye is so afraid of the dark, where could she have gone by herself?" Bai Yilan was on the verge of tears.
Gu Xinran remained silent, pulling the car over to the side. She massaged her temples, carefully recalling Xiao Ye's state when she dropped her off that morning.
"The credit card!" Bai Yilan said suddenly.
"What?"
"Check the credit card for any transaction records!"
It dawned on Gu Xinran, and she quickly checked the transaction history.
"Got it! There's a transaction from this afternoon. A train ticket was booked online!" Gu Xinran immediately sent the order number to Fang Yi and asked her to check it right away.
A moment later, a message came back from Fang Yi.
When Gu Xinran saw the three words, her heart, which had just begun to relax, tensed up again.
"Kema Mountain? Xiao Ye went there? That place is a gathering area for ethnic minorities, it's a mixed bag of people. For a girl to go there alone… what was she thinking!" Bai Yilan almost fainted.
"I don't know. Let's just get there first," Gu Xinran said, starting the car immediately.
By the time they arrived at Kema Mountain, the sky was already brightening at dawn. The two of them looked exhausted and were not in good shape.
They went to the farmhouse inn they had stayed at last time. The owner's wife still remembered them, so they immediately asked her about Xiao Ye's whereabouts, showing her a photo.
"Eh? I've seen this girl. She stayed here for a night yesterday and just went up the mountain this morning."
"Really?!" Yilan's eyes lit up, and the exhaustion on her face instantly vanished by half.
"Yes, that's her. She just left. If you go after her now, you'll catch up in no time."
The two exchanged a look, not daring to relax. They thanked the owner's wife and prepared to head up the mountain.
The screech of brakes sounded. The two of them looked back, and Gu Xinran's expression darkened.
Lin Yuqing got out of the car and rushed toward them. "Did you find her?"
"Why is she here?"
"I don't know either, but the owner's wife said she definitely saw her. She just went up the mountain." Yilan glanced at Xinran and quickened her pace to catch up. She was puzzled that Xinran hadn't even looked at Lin Yuqing and had just turned to walk up the mountain.
Hearing this, Lin Yuqing also followed closely behind them.
The three of them walked quickly up the mountain. Fortunately, Gu Xinran was quite familiar with the path. Before long, they saw the small wooden cabin in the distance. All three of them stopped in their tracks. Seeing the figure standing in front of the cabin, they finally let out a long sigh of relief.
Gu Xinran's legs gave out, and she leaned against a tree trunk, slumping to the ground. Lin Yuqing came over to help her up but was shrugged off.
Bai Yilan clutched her chest, calming herself for a long moment before walking over.
She stood behind Xiao Ye, looking at her back. The little one was staring intently at the wooden cabin, lost in thought, though it was unclear what she was looking at.
"Xiao Ye? What are you doing running all the way out here by yourself? Do you have any idea how worried Mommy was?" Bai Yilan's tone was stern.
Xiao Ye didn't respond at all.
"Xiao Ye?" Bai Yilan frowned and glanced back at Xinran. "Xiao Ye?"
"Xiao Ye? What's wrong?"
"Xiao Ye, it's me. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have given you the cold shoulder."
"So it was real…" Xiao Ye murmured.
"What?" The three of them looked at each other, completely baffled.
Xiao Ye slowly turned around. She didn't look at Lin Yuqing, but at Bai Yilan. Her eyes were brimming with tears, her expression incredibly complex, which left Bai Yilan feeling just as bewildered.
"Xiao Ye?"
"Mo-Mommy?" Xiao Ye called out softly, as if in disbelief.
"It's me, I'm here, baby? What's wrong with you?"
"Mommy, I missed you so much." Xiao Ye hugged Bai Yilan's neck tightly, burying her face in her neck and pouring out how much she had missed her.
"Missed me? You missed me, so you ran away from home? Is this how you miss me? Gu Baiye?"
"No, that's not it, I was wrong…" Xiao Ye shook her head, rubbing against her affectionately.
To say Bai Yilan wasn't angry would be a lie, but she couldn't bring herself to stay truly angry. Xiao Ye's affectionate nuzzling disarmed her completely. "I'll deal with you when we get home!" she could only say, trying to sound tough.
In the car, Xiao Ye held onto Yilan's arm tightly, unwilling to let go for even a second.
Yilan glanced sideways at the little one, unable to figure out why she had suddenly become so clingy.
"Xiao Ye, why did you come to this place?"
"I saw it in a dream. I wanted to see if a place like this really existed," Xiao Ye explained softly, her eyes closed.
Gu Xinran frowned. She felt something was off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what was strange.
When they got home, as soon as they walked in the door, they saw Ye Nan and Shi Qing dressed and ready to go out.
"Mom, where are you going?"
"To look for you! Hey, you're back? Where did you run off to all night?" Ye Nan demanded, displeased.
"Uh…"
"Grandma?" Xiao Ye suddenly walked up to Shi Qing and looked at her closely.
"?" Shi Qing was taken aback and reached out to feel Xiao Ye's forehead.
"Grandma!" Xiao Ye threw her arms around Shi Qing's neck and gave her a big bear hug.
Although Shi Qing was confused, being hugged by her granddaughter felt quite nice. "What's with you, little one? Why are you being so clingy all of a sudden?"
Xiao Ye shook her head. "I just feel so happy~"
Shi Qing chuckled lightly.
In the courtyard, Lin Yuqing stood alone, staring blankly at the rockery.
"Auntie Lin?" Xiao Ye came up behind her and called out.
Lin Yuqing glanced at her sideways but didn't respond.
"When we were on the mountain, didn't you say you shouldn't give me the cold shoulder? Why have you started again as soon as we got back?"
"Xiao Ye, I don't want to give you the cold shoulder, but…"
"But, you're a full sixteen years older than me, right?"
Lin Yuqing turned to look at her. "Yes," she said, her gaze firm.
Xiao Ye looked into her eyes and slowly walked up to her. "What if I say I don't mind?"
"I mind." After saying this, Lin Yuqing turned to leave without a second thought, very decisively.
Xiao Ye stared at her back for a moment, then slowly said, "Lin Baiyin."
Lin Yuqing's steps came to an abrupt halt. She spun around to look at her. "You… what did you say?"
Lin Baiyin was their daughter!
A corner of Xiao Ye's mouth lifted. She crossed her arms and sauntered up to her with a swagger. "You think you can still get rid of me?"
She snorted defiantly. "This life, the next life, for all of eternity, I'm going to stick to you."
The two looked at each other for a long time.
Lin Yuqing let out a soft laugh, tears shimmering in her eyes. She opened her arms and pulled the little one into a tight embrace.
Today saw the first snow of winter. Early in the morning, the little one pestered Gu Xinran to take her to visit the film set. Gu Xinran couldn't refuse her and immediately agreed. The mother and daughter had a simple breakfast and set off.
Along the way, the little one practically had the word "happy" stamped on her forehead. She looked around everywhere, wanting to see everything.
Seeing her like this, Gu Xinran also wore the fond smile of a proud mother.
Before long, the two arrived at the set. When Xiao Ye saw Lin Yuqing filming outdoors in minus seven or eight-degree weather wearing only a thin shirt, she couldn't help but feel her heart ache.
As the director yelled "Cut!", before Fang Yi could even move, Xiao Ye was the first to rush over, wrapping Lin Yuqing tightly in her own down jacket to warm her up.
"What are you doing here?" The moment Lin Yuqing saw Xiao Ye, her eyes filled with a soft light, stunning the nearby crew members.
"To visit the set." Xiao Ye took a cup of hot milk tea from a paper bag and pressed it against Lin Yuqing's cheek.
Lin Yuqing smiled.
The little one then pulled off her own scarf and wrapped it around both of their necks.
"Is it warm?"
"Mhm." Lin Yuqing nodded and took a sip of the milk tea. "Very warm, and very sweet."
"But if your Auntie Fang sees this, she's going to scold me again," Lin Yuqing said, glancing behind Xiao Ye.
Xiao Ye beamed. "Don't be scared, Mama is here. Have a few more sips?"
"Okay~"
"Sister Ran? This… aren't you going to do something about it?" Fang Yi pointed at the two of them. In broad daylight, they were being way too obvious!!
"Oh, it's fine. They're just sharing a milk tea. No need to make a big deal out of it," Gu Xinran said.
"???" Fang Yi was dumbfounded. Was that what I was talking about?
"It's really sweet."
Xiao Ye's big eyes darted around. She pulled the scarf up, covering their faces from the nose down.
"Is it sweeter, or am I sweeter?" she asked with a smile.
Lin Yuqing's eyes crinkled with a smile. She glanced at Xinran, then secretly lowered her head and gently nibbled on Xiao Ye's soft lips.
"You're a little sweeter."
"Pfft~ You're annoying~"
Lin Yuqing smiled, pulling the little one's ice-cold hands from behind her back into her own embrace. She rubbed them to warm them up, then pressed them against her chest.
She looked at Xiao Ye's reddened fingertips and gently blew warm air into her palms.
Little one, in this life, let it be my turn to take care of you.
The End
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