Wen Ziyao seeks her help?
Looking at her like this, she indeed seems to genuinely regret her past actions.
Chu Jin slightly raised an eyebrow, "Let’s talk inside." With that, she turned and walked toward the villa’s front gate.
Wen Ziyao followed her steps.
Today was Aunt Zhang’s day off, so there was no one inside the villa. The door was equipped with facial recognition, and all the appliances were smart devices. As soon as the front door opened, the crystal chandelier in the living room lit up, the blinding white light prompting Wen Ziyao to subconsciously shield her eyes.
"Have a seat." As the host, Chu Jin poured her a glass of water.
Wen Ziyao took the glass, sipped it lightly, and said, "Thank you, Master Chu."
Under the bright light, Wen Ziyao’s already pale complexion looked even more deathly white, almost blending in with the white flower on her head.
Haggard, frail.
Her face extremely grayish, her eyes filled with melancholy.
Not at all like the Wen family’s prestigious young mistress.
"Master Chu," Wen Ziyao set down the glass. "I want to see Little Man again."
"You want to see her?" Chu Jin was slightly surprised.
"Yes," Wen Ziyao nodded, her eyes moistening, "Master Chu, please let me see her. I’m about to go abroad, and if I don’t see her now, I might never get the chance."
"Master Chu, I beg you, there are some things I want to say to her in person." Wen Ziyao knelt before Chu Jin with a ’plop’.
Chu Jin sighed softly, reached out to help Wen Ziyao stand up, "Asking me won’t do any good, I need to ask Lin Xiaoman’s opinion on this."
Lin Xiaoman’s soul had been damaged, and the remaining part was harbored within Chu Jin’s Life Umbrella. By now, she should have mostly recovered and would be able to leave the Life Umbrella in a few more days.
And after all, Wen Ziyao owed Lin Xiaoman an apology. Even though she was now merely a wispy soul, Chu Jin didn’t feel it was appropriate to make such a decision for her without her consent.
"Thank you, Master Chu."
"Wait here for a while; I’ll be right back," said Chu Jin as she turned to go upstairs.
Wen Ziyao nodded, "Alright, thank you for the trouble, Master Chu."
In the upstairs room, Chu Jin took out the Life Umbrella from the Zilei space, opened it, and as the plum blossoms on the umbrella’s surface bloomed, a streak of golden light flashed through the air. Gradually, a figure began to take shape.
She was dressed in a red gauzy dress that fluttered gracefully, her face as fair as a peach blossom, adorned with a plum blossom on her forehead, and a faint smile played upon her lips. Wisps of white mist rose from her feet, not resembling a soul at all. There was no trace of Ghost Qi, rather she appeared like a plum fairy stepping through snow in search of blossoms.
"You are... Lin Xiaoman?" Chu Jin raised an eyebrow.
Lin Xiaoman spoke softly, "Yes, it’s me, Master Chu. Do you need me for something?"
"Wen Ziyao wants to see you; she’s downstairs," Chu Jin said succinctly.
Lin Xiaoman’s smile froze, her eyes reddening slightly.
Chu Jin continued, "If you don’t want to see her, I’ll go down and decline for you."
Lin Xiaoman didn’t say anything, her thoughts drifting off.
After a while, just when Chu Jin thought Lin Xiaoman would refuse, she spoke, "Let her come up."
"Okay," Chu Jin nodded.
Downstairs, upon learning that Lin Xiaoman was willing to meet her, Wen Ziyao was extremely joyful.
Chu Jin didn’t intrude on their conversation but instead went into the next room, turned on the computer, and started revising her writing while responding to book reviews.
In fact, this book was already a refined edition and didn’t need much alteration, but having lived through her experiences again, her mood and insights had changed, prompting her to make some minor edits.
The book was now nearing its end.
Some readers’ comments expressed their reluctance to let it go.
[I really want to see the author herself. The book is about to end, and I really can’t bear it. As the book says: We are all on our own journeys. I look forward to meeting you, where an ending is also a new beginning.]
[I heard that Sister Guiren’s book is going to be published? Congratulations! Will there be a readers’ meet-and-greet at the bookstore?]
[With a stroke of the pen, she writes of vast rivers and mountains, of meetings and partings, and the myriad forms of life. Not striving for flamboyance but enjoying the beauty of simplicity, a tranquil existence. —— To "The Return of the Past."]
[Writing of the mortal world with Zen, and preaching life with Buddhist philosophy.]
[During the days when I was blind, it was my sister who read Sister Guiren’s book to me every night, helping me get through those tough times. As I listened, my heart became calm, just like that line in the book: Life is like a chess game filled with marvels and oddities, and amidst the confusion, a day will come when everything becomes clear.]
[As the mountains are high and rivers long, meeting is no trouble. I admire your literary grace, your multifaceted elegance.]
[My favorite line is: Life is like a cup of midnight coffee, so clear are fatigue, weariness, exhaustion, and sleepiness until it’s finished, and then you’re left awake, unable to sleep.]
[Simple tea and plain rice are all one needs for life. I envy your free and easy nature, but dwelling on it reveals a hint of sadness. It’s indescribable and indefinable. Sister, may you be well all your life.]
Chu Jin is here responding to these readers’ comments.
Meanwhile, Lu Yan had also found some manuscripts left by Qin Jie at the Shen family villa over the past few days.
"Ling Tian, come here quick!" Seeing the manuscript saved on the notebook, Lu Yan was beaming with excitement.