Chapter 185 Chapter 185 Sweet Sweet Sweet Sweet Sweet
Chapter 185 Sweet Sweet Sweet Sweet Sweet
Unlike the bitter winter with its swirling snow, the morning sun shone with incredible brightness. Lush trees and towering buildings in the distance were tinged with an orange-gold hue.
It was as if signifying the untangling of her heart's knot.
Winter departed, spring arrived.
Sunlight filtered through the dense leaves, dappling the stone steps with scattered flecks of light, suffusing the entire path with a gentle warmth. Simultaneously, it fell upon the bright orange hooded jacket of the girl before her.
An orange hairpin, incredibly familiar from memory and still treasured in a drawer, clipped one side of her brown hair, perfectly complementing the color of her outfit.
Her delicate, lovely face held a familiar smile—the very same smile from her memories.
A stark contrast to the cold figure on the hospital bed.
While Su Tao was still in a daze, Miss Breeze, ever so considerate, gently lifted a wisp of Chi Xiaocheng’s hair, breathed a puff of air, and like a ribbon dancing in the morning breeze, carried a faint fragrance to Su Tao's face.
The tip of the hair brushed her nose again—a clear, ticklish, yet pleasant sensation that finally brought Su Tao back to her senses.
Xiao Cheng was alive.
She truly stood before her.
The scene before her, the words she heard, and her very scent—none of it was an illusion!
Seeming to notice Su Tao’s prolonged lack of reaction, Chi Xiaocheng pouted in feigned annoyance, "Tao Tao, really, you're on a date with me and still distracted? What in the world are you thinking abou—"
Before she could finish, the girl before her suddenly lunged forward.
Before Chi Xiaocheng could react, Su Tao had already pulled her into a tight embrace, choked sobs escaping her lips. "This is wonderful… it's wonderful, Xiao Cheng, you're alive, you're alive, I… I…"
Emotions suppressed for so long within her heart surged forth at this moment, released with her tears.
Chi Xiaocheng offered a helpless smile and gently embraced Su Tao.
Her small hand patted Su Tao's back softly.
"There, there, I've always been by Tao Tao's side."
Death is not the end, but a new beginning for you and me.
By my reckoning, I'll be back in less than a month.
As if coaxing a child, Chi Xiaocheng reached out and stroked Su Tao's head. "There, there, didn't I tell you? I'll never leave. If you keep crying, your clothes will get all wet, you know."
However, her comfort not only failed to work but made the girl cry even harder.
The continuous high pressure, her guilt and regret towards Xiao Cheng, and the confusion she had temporarily pushed past after her final realization—all were unleashed at this moment.
She needed this embrace so badly.
And she had missed it so much.
It was like her usual self: after a long day's work, she could rush into Xiao Cheng's arms to vent her frustrations, to seek and revel in her tenderness and affection.
In Chi Xiaocheng's mind, the System's voice resonated, touched.
"See, Host? You put so much pressure on her, the child couldn't hold it in anymore."
"I do have faults, and I'll correct them, but System, you know my goal hasn't changed. I want Tao Tao to fall in love with me, to possess me."
"So she must also change. Only then can we possibly be together in the future."
Since two straight lines can never intersect, then find a way to bend them.
Eventually, they will intersect again.
"But not right now, is it?" Holding Su Tao, enjoying the girl's softness and cries, Chi Xiaocheng smiled. "Reality is already exhausting. After so many cuts, a little sweetness is surely needed."
"No matter how eager I am to change her, I have to wait until I awaken, don't I?"
A strange glint flickered in Chi Xiaocheng's eyes, then quickly reverted to tenderness.
It was a while before Su Tao finally stopped crying.
She raised her wrist to wipe her tears, then sniffled, "I… I'm so sorry, Xiao Cheng, for making a spectacle of myself. I shouldn't cry in front of you."
However, upon hearing this, Chi Xiaocheng became displeased.
The wrist wiping the tears was quickly caught.
Looking up, Su Tao saw the little girl pouting as she said, "Tao Tao, that's not right of you. Am I not the one you can rely on the most?"
"No, Xiao Cheng, I…"
"Shh!" Chi Xiaocheng extended her index finger and pressed it against Su Tao's lips. "If you feel wronged, if something makes you sad, or if someone bullies you, you can tell me, alright? No matter what, I'll listen."
"When you cry in front of me, I'll be happy. When you vent your frustrations to me, I'll also be happy. Because then I'll know that you, Tao Tao, see me as your one and only, as the person you love and are closest to, willing to reveal your most vulnerable self to me."
"Because I like Tao Tao, so no matter what, I'll never dislike you."
Having said this, the tip of her index finger lightly tapped Su Tao's lips, and she turned around with a smile.
"Alright, since Tao Tao doesn't want me to see your vulnerable side, then I won't look. But you need to tidy yourself up quickly, okay? I've been waiting for you for quite a while now."
Su Tao watched blankly as Chi Xiaocheng turned away, her hands clasped behind her back.
She smiled, happy and content.
"Mm!"
After a firm nod, Su Tao quickly wiped her eyes with her hands, eager to compose herself quickly and not keep Chi Xiaocheng waiting.
However, no sooner had she looked up than a small hand holding a handkerchief was offered to her.
She hadn't turned around.
Yet, a handkerchief embroidered with little oranges was already before her.
Su Tao took the handkerchief. "I'm sorry… Xiao Cheng, for making you worry and trouble yourself."
"And also about before, I…"
She began to speak, wanting to apologize for all the pain she had caused by avoiding Xiao Cheng in the past.
But the words caught in her throat; she couldn't utter them.
Chi Xiaocheng's helpless sigh reached her. "Next time, I don't want to hear 'I'm sorry.' I want to hear 'thank you' from Tao Tao, understood?"
"You shouldn't say 'I'm sorry, I was wrong,' but rather 'Thank you, Xiao Cheng, for not blaming me,' and then strive to do better in the future."
Chi Xiaocheng turned back again, huffily poking Su Tao's still tear-streaked face. "Today is a date! It's a happy day! You're not allowed to talk about those things. You have to have fun with me, alright?"
A familiar and warm feeling enveloped her. Su Tao used the handkerchief to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Okay!"
She extended a hand and took Chi Xiaocheng's small one.
"A date. Where to next?"
She didn't avoid it like last time, calling "date" "shopping."
To actively love meant she shouldn't be like before.
Pain, regret, confusion, guilt—let them all be cast aside.
In front of Xiao Cheng, she only needed to appear happy.
And in that process, she would try to love her.
Chi Xiaocheng turned and loudly called out to the small cat on a distant wall, "Great King! If you don't come down now, we'll leave without you!"
"Meow!"
With a meow in response, the beautiful and regal tabby cat quickly ran back.
She held her hand, walking along a path bathed in morning light, a small cat by their side, wagging its tail and looking content.
Warmth nestled in her palm, and a gentle spring breeze brushed her pretty face.
Su Tao tilted her head, her eyes fixed on Chi Xiaocheng's joyfully smiling face.
If this wasn't a dream.
How wonderful that would be.
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