Chapter 330 Extra Story – The Clinging Future in the Country of Mu Xia
S City—

The doorbell was ringing outside. After finding that it was a courier delivering a parcel, Gu Yuxuan answered the door and signed for the delivery.

After closing the door, Gu Yuxuan leaned against the door, overwhelmed by sadness. The express delivery belonged to Yun Muxi, which should be her admission letter according to the mailing address. However, Yun Muxi had disappeared for almost a month.

Gu Yuxuan stood with her back against the door and slowly slid down on the ground as her tears kept falling down. Gu Yuxuan held the parcel and put one hand on her knees, covering her eyes with the other. Her tears streamed down through her fingers, and she cried silently. In fact, she had cried countless times this month.

Father Yun had gone to Africa and kept working after arriving there, so that they were out of touch. Neither could she convey the news of Xiao Xi’s disappearance to Father Yun, nor did she know how to tell others that Yun Muxi had disappeared in the room all of a sudden or explain how it happened. She, therefore, only had to bear all the pain alone, which drove her to the brink of collapse.

After crying for a long time, Gu Yuxuan slowly stood up, feeling numbness in her legs. She walked slowly to the bedroom and put the delivery on the desk after entering.

Suddenly, Gu Yuxuan felt something strange and was surprised to find there was a person lying on the bed. As she quickly turned and looked at the bed, she was so amazed that she thought she was dreaming. After rubbing her eyes several times and even pinching her arm severely, she realized that she was not dreaming on account of the pain. Yun Muxi really came back! She was sleeping in bed now.

Gu Yuxuan suddenly dived onto the bed with happiness and hugged Yun Muxi. It was that distinct touch that assured Gu Yuxuan that Yun Muxi indeed came back. Gu Yuxuan pushed Yun Muxi a few times with excitement, but Yun Muxi frowned and turned over, continuing to sleep with a bear in her arms. Gu Yuxuan felt puzzled, then a strong smell of wine lingering around Yun Muxi came into her nose as she approached her. Moreover, Yun Muxi’s face was blushed because she was drunk, which made Gu Yuxuan be at a loss. Was Yun Muxi drunk again? Or hadn’t she sobered up from her last drunkenness?

The smell of the strong spirits, as well as the strange clothes that Yun Muxi wore, made Gu Yuxuan confirm that she had dispelled her last drunkenness, for what Yun Muxi had drunk last time had been a cocktail with a light peach flavor. Gu Yuxuan, however, did not want to try to make out what had happened since Yun Muxi’s return did excite her greatly.

Gu Yuxuan gently helped Yun Muxi take off her clothes and put light pajamas on her, then she covered her with a blanket and lay beside Yun Muxi, quietly looking at her and waiting for her to wake up.

Gu Yuxuan stared at Yun Muxi carefully and found that she did not change a lot. Her hair grew a little longer, her bangs somewhat blocked her eyes, her cheeks seemed to be thinner, and her chin became more pointed. At that moment, she smiled slightly. Gu Yuxuan thought that she should have led a fulfilling life these days since she at least could smile when she fell asleep.

Finally, the delicate jade bracelet around Yun Muxi’s left arm attracted Gu Yuxuan’s attention, for it was so beautiful and special, whose lines in the inner side were like a landscape painting. Gu Yuxuan held Yun Muxi’s hand tightly and felt a little moved, then whispered, “It’s really good having you back, Xiao Xi!”

Gu Yuxuan has been watching Yun Muxi the whole time, as if she would disappear again. She held her hand tightly and fixed her eyes on her for a long time… Regardless of her sore eyes, she still kept staring at her.

As the sun went down, the sky was getting darker. Gu Yuxuan did not turn on the light in the room, and the dim light from outside streamed in through the room. Yun Muxi woke up with an awful headache, feeling dizzy and painful. Her eyelids were heavy, and she wanted to raise her hand to rub her temples, only to find that her hand was tightly held by another person. Therefore, she said without any hesitation, “Gong Yu, let me go. My head hurts.”

Seeing Yun Muxi waking up, Gu Yuxuan did not give a response to her words, but said excitedly, “Xiao Xi, you’ve finally woken up!”

After hearing the familiar sound of Xuanxuan, Yun Muxi was totally dumbfounded. She quickly opened her eyes and turned her head. Sure enough, the person beside her was not Duanmu Gongyu but her bosom friend, Xuanxuan.

Yun Muxi sat up very fast and rubbed her eyes, then opened them again. Although the room was dim, she could still clearly recognize that the person beside her was Xuanxuan, who she was familiar with. The next moment, she glanced around at her surroundings, amazed to find that she was in her familiar room.

Yun Muxi said numbly, “Am I back?”

Looking at Yun Muxi, Gu Yuxuan was so extraordinarily excited that she threw herself into Yun Muxi’s arms. “Yes! Xiao Xi! You finally came back. I would be completely at a loss if you didn’t return this time! Where have you been during this time?”

Yun Muxi hugged Xuanxuan in her arms with mixed feelings because she did neither know how to tell Xuanxuan what she had experienced during this period of time, nor how to tell her that she had time-traveled. What had happened to her was so ridiculous that even she felt it incredible. She quietly hugged Gu Yuxuan and did not know how to speak after a long silence.

Gu Yuxuan found that Yun Muxi was somewhat strange. After catching sight of Yun Muxi’s perplexed expression, she touched her head slightly. However, her behavior reminded her of Duanmu Gongyu all of a sudden, who always liked to fondle her head in this way.

What would he do now that she was back?

She had had to stay there even though she had been eager to get back. But just as she was about to accept the truth of time-traveling and planned to start a new life there, she returned.

At that time, Yun Muxi did not know how to face all of that, so she just held Gu Yuxuan tightly in her arms without saying anything. As for Gu Yuxuan, she stopped asking her and also hugged Yun Muxi tightly. The two girls embraced to comfort each other, which was worth a thousand words.

The time ticked away in silence. After a long time, both the sky and the room were in complete darkness, and only faint moonlight came into the room. With Gu Yuxuan in her arms, Yun Muxi slowly said in a miserable tone, “Xuanxuan, I’m so upset…”

Gu Yuxuan appeased her in a soft voice. “Xiao Xi, no matter what will happen, I will stay with you forever. It’s not a big deal…”

Although Gu Yuxuan did not know what Yun Muxi had experienced this month, she could feel that Yun Muxi was in low spirits. As her tacit bosom friend, she profoundly knew that it would be better for her to accompany her quietly and wait for Yun Muxi to tell her the details.

After a long time, Yun Muxi slowly let Gu Yuxuan go, leaning on the bed and reaching out her hand to turn on the bedside lamp. The sudden light made Yun Muxi feel somewhat uncomfortable, and she covered her eyes with her hands, as if her head hurt more. Yun Muxi frowned tightly, closing her eyes and gently rubbing her temples.

Gu Yuxuan was considerate, so she got out of bed and went to the living room to make honey water, then she handed it to Yun Muxi and said softly, “You’ll feel more comfortable if you drink some.”

Yun Muxi opened her eyes and took the cup, saying in a low voice, “Thank you, Xuanxuan! Thank you for everything you have done for me. I am not comfortable today. Let’s take a break early and we can talk tomorrow.”

Yun Muxi was aware that Gu Yuxuan had a lot of questions and was waiting for her to tell her what had happened instead of asking her because she made allowance for her. However, she was now having a headache due to being upset, thus she needed to have a sound sleep to calm herself down.

Gu Yuxuan nodded with a smile. “Okay! Drink some water and go to sleep.”

After Yun Muxi drank up the honey water, Gu Yuxuan took the cup and put it on the bedside table. Seeing Yun Muxi lying on the bed, she covered her with the quilt, then got up and drew the curtains. She turned off the lights and lay beside Yun Muxi.

Gu Yuxuan took care of Yun Muxi thoughtfully, including her emotions. She understood that what Yun Muxi was most in need of now were understanding and support, and that was all she could do for her now. Since Yun Muxi was back, she felt at ease and fell asleep with a smile.

…

Accompanied by Yun Muxi, Gu Yuxuan had a good sleep for the first time in a month. Actually, she was always scared and nervous these days, suffering mentally and almost collapsing. She woke up and found Yun Muxi just staring at the ceiling the instant she opened her eyes.

Gu Yuxuan was in a good mood and said hello to Yun Muxi with a smile. “Good morning, Xiao Xi, what are you thinking of?”

After hearing Gu Yuxuan’s voice, Yun MuXi turned to look at her with a smile, getting up and leaning on the bedside. She then smoothed her dark black hair with slender white fingers and hold the white bear doll in the arm. There were couples of minutes silence before Yun Muxi gazed at the window with a profound look and said slowly…

“I was drunk that day, but somehow I time-traveled to another world…”

Yun Muxi spoke very slowly and her voice was probably as illusory as the clouds floating in the sky, or as if covered by fog. She seemed to look at everything in that world and speak without any emotions, exactly like telling someone else’s story. Gu Yuxuan did not interject, but leaned on Yun Muxi’s shoulder, listening quietly.

At the beginning when she opened her eyes, Yun Muxi was really scared and at loss. Then, she encountered Duanmu Gongyu, who suffered a painful growth experience. Later, Huangfu Yuqing was hostile to Duanmu Gongjing, while First Prince Duanmu Gongcheng wanted to hurt, play tricks on, and murder Duanmu Gongyu. Nevertheless, he buried the hatchet with him and competed with Gongsun Weiwei, who was arrogant, in public. Moreover, Du Xiuxiu devoted herself in a strange way. As for herself, she suffered a lot in the Hua Yun Pavilion of Jiayu City where Duanmu Gongyu saved her, and in the end, she returned to Jin Lin City and got acquainted with the four friends of Duanmu Gongyu, then time-traveled to the real world after drinking some spirits.

She told Xuanxuan what she had experienced in another world in detail without concealing anything from her, including the thoughtful care of Duanmu Gongyu and the changes in her emotions. In fact, she was at loss, startled, and confused at the very beginning, but she resigned herself to fate and decided to start a new life afterward.

She spoke for a long time and still kept staring out of the window silently after finishing speaking, as if her soul had floated to that world and stayed there, just remaining silent…

Xuanxuan listened quietly to what she said, but all kinds of emotions overwhelmed her mind, which unsettled her for a long time. Although she could hardly believe what had happened to Yun Muxi, she firmly believed everything she told her.

After finishing telling the story, Yun Muxi kept silent, for she needed a long time to calm down her current mixed feelings. As for Gu Yuxuan, she also kept quiet after listening because she needed a long time to digest her words.

“Xiao Xi, I didn’t know that there had been so many things happening to you this month. When it comes to time-traveling, such a bizarre thing, I know that I can’t be sympathetic to you, but I understand that you have mixed feelings now.

I’m so glad that you are back, indeed. I led an extremely difficult life when you were not around, since I lost track of Father Yun and did not dare to tell others what happened. How bizarre your disappearance was that I had no idea how to explain it to others. I bore it all alone, almost collapsing mentally. Fortunately, you are back. I moved into your house since you disappeared, expecting you to come back every day. I waited every day, but was disappointed every day…”

The more Xuanxuan spoke, the more severely she choked, and finally, she was so aggrieved that she burst into tears. The psychological torture these days had eventually broken out.

Yun Muxi finally retracted her gaze and turned to hug Gu Yuxuan, stroking her back with a layer of mist in her big black eyes like a clear spring. The mouth of the spring continued to overflow. As the pool got full in the end, the spring water flowed out.

She appeased the person in her arms in a gentle voice, “Xuanxuan, you have suffered a lot these days.”

Gu Yuxuan smiled through tears, then raised her head and said with a smile while shedding tears, “Now, you are back! We can still lead the same life as before, going to college together, realizing our dreams together.”

Yun Muxi smiled and then a hint of bitterness arose in her heart. She asked herself in a really low voice, “Can it really be the same as before?”

Because of the close distance, her soft voice was still heard by Gu Yuxuan. She looked up at Yun Muxi in worry and stared at her big eyes filled with sorrow. “Did you fall in love with him?”

Gu Yuxuan’s question seemed to shock Yun Muxi, as if a sharp object fell into a canyon, passing through the deep abyss and hitting the bottom of the valley. When it fell to the ground, it made a dull but sharp metallic sound, which echoed in the valley for a long time.

Yun Muxi was stunned and wanted to deny it, but she actually found out that her words were caught in her throat and failed to be spat out. Did she really fall in love with him?

Seeing Yun Muxi hesitating, Gu Yuxuan was more determined to her own idea in her mind. Since she and Yun Muxi grew up together, she knew her more than Father Yun and Mother Yun. However, this thought made Gu Yuxuan worry very much and feel pity for her. She finally met her true love, but had to be separated in two worlds.

Yun Muxi did not answer Gu Yuxuan’s question in the end, but smiled with a pretend lightness. “Let’s get up and have breakfast. I’m starving!”

Gu Yuxuan laughed and asked Yun Muxi to get up and wash. The two girls, with bright smiles on their faces, brushed their teeth, washed their faces, and had breakfast together, going over the long-lost life. Everything seemed to be so natural and harmonious, and no one mentioned those annoyances anymore…

After breakfast, Gu Yuxuan washed the dishes in the kitchen, while Yun Muxi wiped the dishes with a dry cloth. Suddenly, the doorbell rang, so Yun Muxi put down the cloth and ran to open the door.

“Xuanxuan, it’s your express! It seems to be your admission notice.” Yun Muxi shut the door and shouted into the kitchen.

Gu Yuxuan had finished washing the last bowl and walked out of the kitchen. At that moment, she suddenly remembered something, so she said with excitement while running to the bedroom, “By the way, Xiao Xi, your admission notice arrived yesterday.”

After a while, Gu Yuxuan ran out of the bedroom with an envelope. Then the two exchanged envelopes and opened their own admission notices…

After reading their acceptance letters, they looked at each other and gave a tacit smile at the same time…

“University Z in A City!”

“University Z in A City!”

The two of them spoke out the name of their university in one voice, then laughed heartily hand in hand. The laughter was full of the innocence and sunshine belonging to girls. After going through the complicated experience this month, the two girls smiled so brightly for the first time.

…

However, the happiness did not last long, and Yun Muxi was filled with endless thoughts. She eventually found that she could not give up loving Duanmu Gongyu, and it was this love that overwhelmed her heart, almost breaking her chest.

She even had no idea how her disappearance would affect Duanmu Gongyu and worried if Duanmu Gongyu had recovered since he had gotten injured last time.

Cherishing such yearning and sorrow, Yun Muxi did the most impulsive thing in her life. She actually went back to that world without any hesitation, back to accompany Duanmu Gongyu! Perhaps on account of this impulse, they badgered with each other afterward. The two clinging worlds, the clinging future…