Chapter 68: Like a Dream - The Grand Finale

ls"Although it was a question, Qi Lin could tell that this official had high rank—his decision would be final. Thus, all the officials bowed in agreement: "Your Excellency is wise; we also think so."F...Chapter 68: As if a Dream, Grand Finale

The pinnacle of the Phoenix Kingdom has a Phoenix Pond that resembles the shape of a phoenix. It is said that every nine years on the ninth day of the ninth month, the water in it turns red, reflecting a red moon and connecting to another world.

This is just a legend; merely a legend.

"Look clearly, this is the Phoenix Pond."

Qi Lin was pushed to the ground and landed right at the edge of the Phoenix Pond. It was only then that Qi Lin saw clearly what it looked like – a perfectly round pond with a radius of about twenty meters. Although so large, its surface had not even a single ripple on it. Even more peculiarly, hell flowers were blooming around it, making it seem as if this place were the banks of the River of Forgetfulness.

"An anomaly appears here every nine years on the ninth day of the ninth month; people who cross this pond will go to another world. But this year is special – the country changed hands, constellations shifted, and the celestial calendar retreated by ten days. Today just happens to be a full moon night." The Empress Dowager looked at the sun setting down and said, "Everyone thinks that this place connects to the Paradise World, but in fact it isn’t; it’s the entrance to hell."

Qi Lin stared blankly at the Empress Dowager. She gave a strange smile and took off a hairpin to throw into the pond.

To her surprise, the moment the hairpin touched the water surface, it caught fire and sank without leaving any trace behind.

"What is this..." Qi Lin was astounded as she watched the pond. Indeed, the scorching air came from within the pond; Qi Lin scrutinized more carefully to see that there were many yellow powders on the walls of the pond.

Could it be that this place was a volcano crater But then again, even such an explosion had not caused a volcanic eruption. That would have been too strange.

No, now wasn’t the time to think about weird things; was she going to suffer the same fate as that hairpin

"In order to save you, Ah Ye disregarded his own safety and replenished your internal energy again and again. Every time he does so, three months of his life are reduced from him. Now his body is getting worse day by day; he coughs up blood all the time night and day. Yet you still don’t know what’s good for you and continue to hurt him," The Empress Dowager closed her eyes in pain before suddenly opening them wide, filled with fury as she continued, "Now that his life is hanging on a thread, how can I possibly let you hurt him again"

"What did you say" Qi Lin was now completely blank. She didn’t know how much hatred she still harbored for Bai Qianye, but at this moment all she wanted to do was see Bai Qianye. "I can die, but I want to see Bai Qianye."

"See him Have you come to kill him yourself" The Empress Dowager glared fiercely at Qi Lin before waving her hand and saying, "What are you standing there for Push her down."

"No!" Qi Lin struggled against it but could not withstand the strength of several men. She was about to be pushed in when she bit hard into one person’s body, taking advantage of his distraction to kick another man away; her feet were already at the edge of the Phoenix Pond. Qi Lin steadied herself and said, "If Empress Dowager really wants Qi Lin to die, then fine, but I want to ask something."

Seeing that the Empress Dowager stopped others from approaching, Qi Lin continued, "If Qi Lin dies here today, Bai Qianye would surely hate Empress Dowager once he knows. Matters might become uncontrollable."

Saying this, she took out a handkerchief from her bosom. She had always thought that keeping the handkerchief was meant to remind herself not to forget her hatred for Bai Qianye; but today in such a rush, she only managed to take away one single handkerchief.

She still had feelings for him after all.

"Please have Empress Dowager deliver this to him," Qi Lin handed the handkerchief to someone beside her while facing the Phoenix Pond and gazing at its surface.

"I wish for one true heart, by my side till old age."

That day she had made such an absurd wish; he replied with "I’ll grant you a life without worries.

She ultimately accepted Bai Qianye's affections but couldn't bear his ruthless heart, and in the end, she also disappointed Feng Changqing's sincere devotion.

Came here for a turn, betrayed someone, and was betrayed by someone else.

In the end, she even lacked the backbone to think of Bai Qianye.

"Goodbye~"

Qi Lin spread her arms and jumped into Phoenix Pool. At last, it seemed as if she heard someone anxiously calling out to her, and she also vaguely saw that night on White Tiger Mountain.

In the end, what she remembered was still him.

"Qi Lin!"

Qi Lin suddenly opened her eyes and just caught a glimpse of her mother's anxious look. Seeing Qi Lin awake, she was both surprised and delighted, tightly hugging Qi Lin. Rainwater drenched her hair, sliding down her face, finally dripping onto her cheeks. Thunder still echoed in her ears. Qi Lin looked around; it was still the suburb.

Had she come back

Or had she never left at all

This question she kept pondering over. Sometimes, she felt as if she had died and returned to where she was before death. But everything she experienced now felt so real, even the sensation of blood flowing from her fingertips was incredibly vivid.

"Oh my, Manager, how did you hurt your hand"

Qi Lin finally snapped out of it, putting her finger in her mouth to suck on it while casually smiling to indicate she was fine. Now she noticed that her assistant Lin Yue looked quite similar to Green Bamboo.

Mentioning Green Bamboo, Qi Lin shook her head and stopped thinking about it because she didn't know if Green Bamboo had ever existed. She rubbed her temples and said, "Little Lin, prepare the materials; for this upcoming case, we must secure a contract... Wait a moment, who is our competitor this time"

Qi Lin felt her heart pounding in her throat, staring at Lin Yue intently without letting up. But when Lin Yue was about to speak, Qi Lin nervously stopped her and picked up her clothes saying, "Let's go."

Sitting in the car as another round of thunderstorm started outside, lightning flashed across the sky followed by a loud clap of thunder. Qi Lin instinctively clenched her hands, her thoughts returning to that night.

She vaguely remembered jumping into Phoenix Pool and feeling like she was on fire with pain, but when she opened her eyes, she found herself back in this era, which should have made her happy since it was what she had always wished for.

The next day, Qi Lin fulfilled her dream of becoming a legitimate sales manager. However, this didn't seem to be what she truly wanted, but she couldn't afford to give up because she still needed to survive. Even if she wasn't happy, she had to hide it.

Closing and opening her eyes seemed like an instant, yet so much had happened, although others might just view it as a dream.

When waiting at the traffic light, Qi Lin opened the window; the rain had eased significantly. The damp air permeated her nostrils. She sniffed the air, wondering if Bai Qianye was doing well and whether that last voice was his.

Looking at the bustling crowd, Qi Lin smiled helplessly; her life hadn't changed.

Suddenly, two figures flashed through the crowd. Qi Lin excitedly grabbed the seatbelt.

In the midst of the crowd, a beautiful girl and an attractive man were carrying bags of various sizes while making silly faces to please her, drawing even more attention from other girls around them. This made the girl beside him even angrier; she kicked him hard on his foot, causing him to grimace in pain but still happily kissed the woman.

Qi Lin closed the car window. It was an unexpected ending.

Upon arriving at the Splendid Hotel, she found that the other party had been there for an hour and was currently negotiating a contract with their opponent. Qi Lin stood outside, tidied up her clothes, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Upon entering the room, a wave of tea fragrance greeted her. Qi Lin frowned slightly, thinking to herself if anyone still used this kind of perfume in this era

But after taking a few steps, she realized it wasn’t perfume but incense.

Was she being too suspicious

"Mr. Bai, I believe you have already understood our cooperation proposal by now."

Qi Lin walked in just as a young and beautiful woman was organizing the contract with a look of satisfaction on her face; it seemed that this time, Qi Lin might not be able to secure the deal.

"Oh, isn’t this Miss Sales Manager from Dongfang Group A pleasure."

Qi Lin smiled professionally, as if telling her she was late.

"Hello," Qi Lin turned towards the partner but froze when she saw him.

The smile remained on his handsome face. His neat short hair and long fingers holding a highball glass made him look like an elegant guest rather than someone there to negotiate business, just taking a break after feeling tired.

"Bai Qianye~" Qi Lin couldn’t help but call out his name while clearly seeing those familiar eyes deep and unfathomable. She took a deep breath before boldly walked over, snatched his highball glass, drank all the wine inside, only to find it was an 82 Lafite.

"What do you like better, tea or alcohol"

"What"

"Less talking. Which one do you prefer" Qi Lin grabbed his collar and stood by the side with Lin Yue in shock, unable to utter a word. Qi Lin raised her chin and said firmly, "Tell me."

"Tea."

“Haha, that’s too bad for you. I hate tea.” Releasing him, Qi Lin turned around quickly.

The man stood up before the other three could react to what had just happened.

"Mr. Bai, the contract..."

"I've found the contract I was looking for." He then flashed a bright smile and left in quick steps.

Qilin's departure wasn't because she felt guilty but rather she didn't know how to face him. As she moved through the crowd, she recalled her impulse to see Bai Qianye back then. She thought it would be a regret, yet now that they've met again, she doesn’t even know if he’s still the same person and has no idea how to proceed.

"Little Lin, from this moment on, you take my place; I'm resigning." After saying this, without waiting for a reaction from the other side, Qilin lifted her jade-like hand and tossed her phone under the bridge. She then spread out her arms and shouted loudly, "Ah!!! Bai Qianye, you bastard!"

But when she turned around, that familiar smile was facing her, with a hint of innocence in his eyes. Qilin twitched her eyebrows, mechanically turning around and silently telling herself, "He didn't hear me, he didn't hear me, he didn't hear me."

Good, he didn't hear me. With this thought, she felt much better and turned around.

But as soon as she did so, she was pulled into a hug by someone behind her, seeing blackness before her eyes as something moist covered her lips, bringing along the faint scent of tea. Qilin's body softened, giving up on struggling.

"You're sweet."

"Of course, when I was little, I loved candies the most." Qilin smiled and asked, "What’s your name"

“Guess.”

“Bai Qianye."

“Hahaha, correct answer. Here's a reward for you.” Bai Qianye laughed heartily and handed her an embroidered box.

"This hairpin..." Looking at the white jade hairpin in her hand, Qilin felt warmth in her heart and asked again, "Why are you giving it to me"

“Don’t know why, but I just feel like it suits you.” Bai Qianye smiled and lifted Qilin’s chin up saying, “No woman has ever asked me if I prefer wine or tea in front of me. After I answered her question, she said she hates what I love. Hey, are we enemies"

Bai Qianye suddenly leaned closer; Qilin's face flushed but still lifted her chin up stubbornly and shook her head, saying, "No, it’s just that the taste of tea reminds me of someone I dislike."

Hmm Bai Qianye looked at Qilin in confusion and asked, “If you hate it so much, why did you come close to me”

“Which fool would argue with a person from their dream” Qilin gave an impish smile and continued, "I didn’t want to get closer to you; it was you who approached me."

Bai Qianye frowned slightly but then felt that Qilin's laughter made him very comfortable.

"It was actually you looking for me. Perhaps we could have been partners in the previous second, yet I quit my job right at the next moment." With her hands behind her back, Qilin leaped to Bai Qianye’s side and said, "Goodbye, Bai Qianye."

At last, she still wanted to say it this way, wishing for a proper farewell.Zi Lin's waist, lifted a foot lightly, and they flew to the highest main beam. Only then did Zi Lin realize there was a skylight above. For someone skilled in lightness kung fu, it was no problem at a...