Chapter 64: Always, Forever and Ever

“Then from now on, Linlin has to listen obediently, okay~”

Xiran’s voice was soft, carrying a hint of amusement and something else Linlin couldn’t quite place.  

It sounded like anticipation, or perhaps a little coquettish.

Linlin looked at her. The messy tangle of feelings in her heart kept churning.

No reaction from the quest, she grumbled silently. 

She had gone this far, offered herself up willingly, and was even ready to be “eaten.” Why wasn’t the system responding at all?  

Had she guessed wrong?  

Was it not “together forever”?  

Then what was it?

Her mind spun at top speed, but right now Xiran was smiling brightly at her, waiting for an answer.

Whatever.

Linlin sighed inwardly.  

She would treat it as compensation for her guilt.  

At least Xiran seemed happy right now.  

At the very least… the guilt after she left might be a little less.

She gave another soft hum.  

Her voice was even quieter than before, but still clear enough.

Xiran’s smile deepened. 

She reached out and took Linlin’s hand, lacing their fingers together.

“Then let’s go, Linlin.”  

She said.  

“And this time, no skipping out.”

Skipping out?

Linlin blinked.  

What did that mean?

Before she could react, that familiar dizzying sensation washed over her again.  

Her vision blurred.  

The space around them began to twist, as if someone had crumpled the entire world into a ball and was slowly unfolding it once more.

Linlin instinctively gripped Xiran’s hand tighter.

Then.

The scene came into focus.

Linlin blinked and took in the sight before her.  

She froze.

Wasn’t this the park with the octopus slide? 

The rundown slide, the rusty swing set, the overgrown empty lot.  

It was exactly the place she and Ruan Yuan had visited during the day.

But…

She looked up at the sky. Hadn’t they just been at Xiran’s house? 

It was pitch black with the moon still hanging overhead.  

How had it become…

Xiran pulled her forward by the hand, walking up to the octopus slide.

Linlin stared at the rusted, dilapidated slide, her mind still spinning.

Then she saw Xiran raise her hand.  

Black light poured from her fingertips like something alive, wrapping around the entire slide.

The light flashed.

Linlin blinked.

The slide had changed.  

It was no longer rusted and broken.  

The paint was fresh—vibrant red, yellow, and blue. The octopus’s eyes sparkled, and its tentacles looked smooth as if freshly painted.

But Linlin noticed the carvings were still there.  

All those “XX was here,” “XXX I like you,” and the messy scribbles.  

And in the corner, the faint line: “Linlin and Xiran forever together.”  

They had all been left intact.

Xiran had kept them.

“Want to try?”  

Xiran turned to look at her, paused, then her lips curved up and her eyes sparkled.  

“Even though we’re not kids anymore, I still want to play with Linlin.”

Linlin stared at her.  

She was stunned.

It wasn’t because the slide looked new.  

It was Xiran’s expression. 

Her tone. Her whole vibe.  

This was absolutely not the Xiran etched in her mind—the gloomy, dark, terrifying Xiran.

The one standing before her now had bright, sparkling eyes and a gentle curve to her lips.  

What did she look like?  

She looked like the eleven-year-old girl from the diary.

Linlin’s mind buzzed.  

What was going on?

Before she could figure it out, she suddenly felt the space around them change.  

Something like a transparent membrane enveloped the entire park.

Then she looked at Xiran.  

Xiran’s clothes were transforming. 

Her comfortable home outfit slowly turned into a little girl’s dress.  

Her hair was still black but shorter, tied into two small braids.  

Her face was the same but smaller, more youthful.  

She looked exactly like the eleven-year-old Xiran in the photos.

Linlin’s eyes widened.  

She instinctively looked down at herself.  

Her light pink long dress was still there.  

The white shawl was still there.  

The over-the-knee socks were still there.

The white round-toe leather shoes were still there.  

Had nothing changed?

She held out her hand to check.  

It was small and pale, with pinkish nails.  

It didn’t seem to have changed either?

But Xiran had clearly become smaller.  

Why did she feel like she hadn’t?

Linlin was a little dazed.

What she didn’t know was that, in places she couldn’t see, she had changed too.  

Although her dress was the same style, it was now smaller in size.

Her shoes were the same pair but fit smaller feet. 

Her face was the same but more youthful and rounded, just like the eleven-year-old Linlin in the photos.

She simply hadn’t noticed.  

It was as if her perception had been deliberately erased.  

It was as if they really were back in that year when they were eleven.

“Linlin.”

Xiran’s voice pulled her back.

Linlin looked up.  

Xiran was watching her, head tilted, eyes sparkling.  

“What are you spacing out for? Let’s play!”

She grabbed Linlin’s hand and ran toward the slide.

Linlin was pulled along for a couple of steps.  

Her feet stepped on the grass, soft and ticklish.

She glanced down at her feet.  

The shoes looked fine. 

The socks looked fine.  

Seemed like no problem?

Whatever.

She stopped trying to think about it.

Xiran pulled her up the steps of the slide.  

There were only five or six steps. 

When they reached the top, Xiran sat down.

“Linlin, sit here.” 

She patted the spot beside her.

Linlin sat down.  

The top of the slide was just wide enough for the two of them to sit side by side. 

It was a tight squeeze, their thighs pressing together.

Xiran turned her head to look at her.  

Moonlight fell on her face, making her eyes shine astonishingly bright.  

“Ready?”

She asked.

Before Linlin could answer, Xiran grabbed her hand and slid forward.

Yaa—

Xiran’s laughter floated ahead.

Linlin was pulled along, sliding down with her.  

The wind rushed past her ears, a little cool.  

Her skirt fluttered up in the breeze.

The slide was short. 

In just a few seconds they reached the bottom.  

The two of them tumbled into the soft grass, rolling into a heap.

Xiran lay beside her, laughing so hard she couldn’t catch her breath.

Linlin looked at her.  

That laugh was exactly the same as the one described in the diary.

“Linlin, let’s do it again!”

Xiran got up and pulled her along once more.

Linlin was dragged to her feet and pulled back toward the slide.  

Once, twice…  

She didn’t know how long they played.

They also rode the swings.  

Xiran transformed every one of the park’s rundown facilities into new ones, and they played on each in turn.

In the end, the two of them sat on the swings, swaying gently.

Linlin panted, a little tired but not really tired.

She looked up at the sky.  

And froze.

The setting sun.  

Golden-red, hanging on the horizon, bathing the entire park in a warm, cozy glow.

When had that happened?  

Hadn’t it been nighttime just a moment ago? 

She clearly remembered leaving Xiran’s house in the middle of the night.  

How had the sky turned bright after playing for a while?

No

.  

It wasn’t bright.

It was… sunset? 

The sun was setting?

Linlin stared at the golden-red light, her mind unable to process it.  

So strange.  

But she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was strange.

“Linlin.”

Xiran’s voice came from beside her.

Linlin turned her head. 

Xiran sat on the swing, head tilted as she looked at her.  

The light of the setting sun fell perfectly on her face, softening and warming her silhouette.  

Her eyes sparkled, reflecting Linlin’s own image within them.

“Linlin.”

She called again.  

Her voice was soft, as if afraid of startling something.

“Will you stay here with me… always, forever and ever?”