Transmigrating into the world of Jade Dynasty, I was targeted by the female lead in a reverse romanc

Xiao Bai finished laughing, wiped her eyes where they were a little wet, took a deep breath, and resumed her lazy demeanor, asking, "Would you like some tea?"

"Okay." Lu Xueqi nodded.

Xiao Bai came out from behind the counter and led Lu Xueqi upstairs to a private room by the window. The bamboo curtain was half-rolled up, and they could see the street below, with people coming and going.

Xiao Bai brewed the tea herself with skillful technique. Hot water was poured into the white porcelain teapot, the tea leaves unfurled, and a delicate fragrance wafted out. She poured two cups and pushed one towards Lu Xueqi.

Lu Xueqi picked up the cup, took a sip, and found it to be a fine tea with a sweet aftertaste.

The two sat facing each other in silence for a moment, the faint sounds of the bustling street below only making the small space seem even quieter.

Finally, Xiaobai spoke first: "When are you getting married?"

"Three months later," Lu Xueqi said.

"Where?"

"Tongtian Peak, Yuqing Hall."

Xiao Bai gave an "oh," her fingertips tracing the rim of the cup, and slowly said, "That's quite a show."

Lu Xueqi looked at her: "Are you coming?"

Xiao Bai paused, then looked up: "What am I supposed to do? Watch you get married? Drink your wedding wine?"

"If you want to come, I'll invite you," Lu Xueqi said, "to Qingyun Mountain, to stay for a while."

Xiao Bai laughed, a somewhat desolate laugh: "Lu Xueqi, are you really stupid or just pretending? You invited me to Qingyun Mountain? You invited me to watch you two being so affectionate? You invited me to stab myself in the heart?"

"You don't have to come to the ceremony," Lu Xueqi said. "Just come and stay. Qingyun Mountain has beautiful scenery, and Xiaozhu Peak is very quiet."

"And then?" Xiaobai stared at her. "Watching you two go out together every day, watching you hold his hand, watching him smile at you? Lu Xueqi, how despicable do you think I am to debase myself like this?"

Lu Xueqi was silent for a moment, then said, "That's not what I meant."

"So what do you mean?" Xiaobai's voice rose slightly, then fell back down, trembling. "Charity? Pity? Or do you think that since he's already yours, I can't cause any trouble just by watching from the sidelines?"

Lu Xueqi shook her head and said very seriously, "I just feel that it's not good for you to be here alone."

"What's wrong with that?" Xiaobai smirked. "I'll open my teahouse and wait for the person I want to wait for. If he doesn't come, I'll keep waiting, even for a lifetime."

"He's not coming," Lu Xueqi said.

Xiao Bai's face turned pale.

Lu Xueqi looked at her, her eyes calm, yet with an undeniable certainty: "He will marry me in three months, in the Jade Purity Palace, in front of the whole world, with the Dao Xuan Sect Leader officiating, and the Seven Sects offering their congratulations. He will wear wedding clothes, and we will bow to heaven and earth, to our parents, and to each other as husband and wife. After the ceremony, he will be my husband. We will live together, cultivate together, eat and sleep together. He will call me 'wife,' and I will call him 'husband.' We will live together for a long time, hundreds of years, thousands of years, until we die."

With each word she spoke, Xiaobai's face paled a little more. By the end, the knuckles of Xiaobai's fingers holding the teacup had turned blue.

"So," Lu Xueqi paused, her voice softening but still clear, "don't wait anymore, let go."

Xiao Bai stared at her, her eyes reddening, but she didn't shed a tear. She smiled, her shoulders shaking with laughter.

"Let go?" She repeated the two words as if chewing on something bitter. "Lu Xueqi, you make it sound so easy."

She leaned forward, staring into Lu Xueqi's eyes, and asked, word by word, "If it were you, could you let go?"

Lu Xueqi met her gaze, and after a long while, said, "I won't let myself fall to the point where I have to give up."

Xiao Bai was taken aback.

"If I like someone," Lu Xueqi continued, her voice calm yet heavy like a stone thrown into water, "I will chase after him, fight for him, and keep him by my side. I won't wait, I won't give him a chance to like someone else, and I won't give myself the option of 'letting go'."

She looked at Xiaobai, her eyes clear: "So, I don't understand why you want to wait, but I respect your choice. Just don't wait anymore, you won't be able to wait any longer."

Xiao Bai looked at her as if she were meeting her for the first time. After a long while, she leaned back in her chair, looked up at the ceiling, and let out a long breath.

"Lu Xueqi, you're really ruthless," she said.

"I'm just telling the truth," Lu Xueqi said.

"The truth hurts the most." Xiaobai twitched the corner of his mouth, sat up straight again, and looked at Lu Xueqi with a sharp, reckless look in his eyes.

"Aren't you afraid that I might actually go to Qingyun Mountain and cause some trouble? Or perhaps I'll just kidnap him on your wedding day?"

"You won't," Lu Xueqi said.

"So certain?"

"Xiao Chuan said you're very good." Lu Xueqi looked at her, her eyes calm.

Xiao Bai was stunned.

"He said you're a good person," Lu Xueqi repeated, "so I believe you're a good person."

Xiao Bai opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but no sound came out. She looked at Lu Xueqi, at this woman as aloof as snow, at the pure, almost innocent trust in her eyes, and suddenly felt a lump in her throat.

She lowered her head, staring at the tea leaves floating in the cup, and after a long while, she said in a hoarse voice, "Did he really say that?"

"Yes." Lu Xueqi nodded. "When we were in the Southern Frontier, he often mentioned you, saying that you saved him, that you were good to him, that you... are a very good person."

Xiaobai smiled, and as she smiled, a tear slid down her cheek, which she quickly wiped away.

"Idiot," she muttered under her breath, unsure whether she was cursing Jiang Xiaochuan or herself.

The two fell silent again.

Outside the window, there were shouts of vendors selling candied hawthorns, children's laughter, and the rumble of wheels rolling over bluestone slabs. The worldly hustle and bustle seeped in through the bamboo curtain, making the quiet in this elegant room seem even more oppressive.

After a while, Xiaobai raised her head, her eyes still red, but a faint smile appeared on her face, a smile that was both bitter and poignant.

"Lu Xueqi, tell me, if... if I had met him first, would I be the one standing next to him now?"

Lu Xueqi looked at her for a long time, then gently shook her head.

"There are no 'ifs'," she said. "There are never any 'ifs' in this world."

Xiao Bai stared at her blankly, then suddenly laughed again, this time laughing until tears streamed down her face.

"Yes... there are no 'what ifs'." She wiped away her tears, her shoulders trembling. "How could I ask you such a stupid question... really, I'm getting more and more like a child."

Lu Xueqi didn't say anything, she just watched her cry, watched her laugh, watched her bury her face in her palms, her shoulders shaking violently.

After a long while, Xiaobai calmed down, raised her head, her face still wet with tears, but she was no longer crying. She looked at Lu Xueqi with empty and quiet eyes.

"Lu Xueqi, I hate you," she said, her voice soft yet clear, "but I envy you even more."

Lu Xueqi remained silent.

"You got him," Xiaobai continued, each word seemingly squeezed out from between her teeth, "You got what I wanted most, but could never have."

"So," she forced a smile that was more like a grimace, "I can't bring myself to wish you happiness. I can't bring myself to wish you happiness, because your happiness is a knife to my heart."

She paused, took a deep breath, looked into Lu Xueqi's eyes, and slowly said, "But I can promise you, I won't cause trouble, I won't try to take it, and I won't make things difficult for him."

Lu Xueqi looked at her and nodded gently: "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Xiaobai turned her face away and looked out the window. "I didn't do this for you, I did it for him. Since he chose you, I accept it."

Lu Xueqi stood up, picked up the wedding candies from the ground, and looked at Xiaobai: "I'm leaving."

Xiao Bai didn't turn around, he just waved his hand, as if shooing away flies.

Lu Xueqi walked to the top of the stairs, then stopped, turned around and said, "Qingyun Mountain, Xiaozhu Peak, you can come anytime you want."

Xiaobai didn't respond.

Lu Xueqi stood there for a while, then turned and went downstairs. Her footsteps gradually faded into the distance, disappearing into the sounds of the street outside the teahouse.

Xiaobai continued to look out the window, watching the bustling crowds on the street, watching the figure in blue disappear around the corner. She stared for a long time until her eyes stung, then she looked away, lowered her head, and gazed at the tea in her cup that had long since gone cold.

The tea reflected her face; she was pale, haggard, and her eyes were red-rimmed.

She stared at her reflection in the water for a long time, then picked up her teacup and drank it all in one gulp.

The tea is very bitter.

She frowned from the bitterness, but then burst out laughing.

"There are no ifs..." she murmured, her fingertips tracing the rim of the cup, where a little warmth still lingered, but it quickly cooled down.

"Yes, there are no 'what ifs'."

She put down her teacup, leaned back in her chair, and closed her eyes.

Outside the window, the sun is shining brightly.