"A-Li?" Bai Qian walked around the edges of the hut, brushing away the petals that landed on her shoulders, and Zhe Yan's voice laughed from above, "Finally, Xiao Wu. I was starting to think you didn't want your son anymore." "Why would I?" Bai Qian raised her eyebrows as Zhe Yan emerged from the trees with A-Li, who was running towards her with widespread arms, and even as A-Li leapt up into Bai Qian's arms, Zhe Yan gave a laugh, "A-Li, be careful. Don't kill your sibling." "Zhe Yan!" Bai Qian was alarmed, and the elder deity merely just laughed harder, "Kidding, Xiao Wu. But did you think I wouldn't know you and Ye Hua were kissing?"
"...How did you know?!" Bai Qian exclaimed, and Zhe Yan snickered, "It was a suspicion. You just confirmed it. But anyway, your cheeks are flushed with colour, and your lips are too red to be normal. Oh, and by the way, your dress is crumpled at the back, which should not be the case if it was new, since your drenched hair suggests you only just came out from a bath." "..." Bai Qian stared at Zhe Yan, at a loss for words, and he just shrugged, "Or just blame it on my intuition." "Well...Goddess Le Xu and First Prince Yang Cuo are here too, as well as Su Jin, so..." Bai Qian left her sentence unfinished, waiting for Zhe Yan's reaction, and he snorted as he began walking towards the Fox Den, "Fine, fine, I'll come with you. Might as well visit Zhen Zhen as well, anyway."
…
"A-Li!" Su Jin beamed as Bai Qian entered the room, holding A-Li's hand in hers, and Bai Qian gripped A-Li's hand tighter than before, unsure if she was to let go and watch her son being forced to go with Su Jin. "A-Li, greet your elders first." Ye Hua came to the rescue, and Su Jin sat back on her chair in disappointment, while Bai Qian released A-Li's hand with a secret exhale of relief.
"A-Li greets Grandfather, Grandmother, Father, Mother, Uncle Bai Zhen and Cousin Feng Jiu." A-Li obediently bent into a bow, and Le Xu frowned at him, "A-Li, you forgot about Su Jin." "A-Li greets Su Jin." A-Li bowed again, though with much reluctance, and Bai Qian quickly pulled him from Su Jin's reach and onto her lap, shooting a glance to Ye Hua, who caught her hint, and he smiled at Le Xu, "Mother, would you like a tour of the Fox Den?"
"Oh, yes. But I also came to check on the wedding preparations." Le Xu agreed, and Su Jin instantly gave a simper, "May I follow? I have always wanted to know more about the Fox Den." 'No you do not, you just want to constantly smooch up to Goddess Le Xu so that you can gain favour and use it to make me back off from Ye Hua.' Bai Qian gritted her teeth, glaring at Su Jin beneath her smiling face, and Zhe Yan understood the anger radiating off Bai Qian, "Zhen Zhen, shall we bring A-Li to the lake for some boating?"
"Yes, yes. Xiao Jiu, have Mi Gu help you prepare for lunch." Bai Zhen shot Feng Jiu a pointed look, and she nodded at once, "Yes, of course. Then Gugu and Crown Prince-" "I will follow with Goddess Le Xu and First Prince Yang Cuo." "I will help in the kitchen." Bai Qian and Ye Hua spoke simultaneously, and Le Xu rose with a smile, "Then let's go; we will return after checking on the wedding preparations."
And Ye Hua gave a final look at Bai Qian, who gave him a nervous but reassuring smile, and he turned to join Feng Jiu in the kitchen.
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"Ah, I see you have used the silk we sent?"
The tone in Le Xu's voice implied that she had thought they would insist on something else, and the Fox Empress replied rather surprisedly, "It is good silk after all, and since Qian Qian is to be married to the Nine Heavens, it would be nicer if she wore materials that she would have to wear up there, as a way of familiarizing herself...?"
"We thought she'd perhaps be more comfortable in more lightweight materials." Le Xu smiled, brushing the embroidered silk with the tips of her fingers, and Bai Qian smiled a little too forcedly, "What more is a little weight, if it is for my wedding?" "Of course, of course." Le Xu bowed her head slightly, before she too put on a forced smile, "High Goddess, I have always meant to ask you, how did you and Ye Hua fall in love this quickly?"
Bai Qian struggled to keep her anger suppressed, and even as her palms balled up into fists, shaking as she tried to hide her fury, and the Fox Empress quickly intervened for her daughter, "Qian Qian was caught by Ye Hua's handsome features, no doubt. A fine man, Ye Hua is. You have brought him up well."
"Oh? Not because...he has a face like Mo Yuan's, and is easier to win over as well?" Le Xu smiled, her voice ringing clearly, amplified by the stone walls of the room, and Bai Qian's already fair hands went a notch lighter as her knuckles turned white, and the Fox Empress was truly appalled by Le Xu's words, "Now, now, Qian Qian has never ever thought of her Shifu in any romantic way, Le Xu, so please-"
"Goddess Le Xu, Ye Hua and I...perhaps we are just meant to be." Bai Qian finally replied quietly, her doe eyes no longer containing that sliver of calm and elegant beauty, instead replaced by roaring flames of rage, and Le Xu didn't catch the tremble of anger as she placed the gown down, folding her hands before herself in an image of what was supposed to be curiosity, "Then pray tell me, High Goddess, how did you and Ye Hua meet?"
"We met in a hut in the mortal realm when he was a snake", Bai Qian very much wanted to snap at Le Xu, but she instead spoke of their reunion, "We met at the East Sea, and I wore a veil back then. Little A-Li saw my face without the veil, however, and back then I wore a blindfold. Ye Hua heard A-Li call me Mother, and brought A-Li forth to apologise, but from then on we developed a liking for each other I guess." It sounded rather lame to Bai Qian, because it was only true in part, but yet Le Xu chose to ignore the last bit, "Oh? You wore a blindfold?"
"Xiao Wu's eyes have never been well since young; they can't bear strong light." The Fox Empress explained in Bai Qian's stead again and Le Xu wore a sympathetic expression, "That's rather sad to hear. But I suppose...the blindfold was what made A-Li mistake you as his mother." "It's alright. I do not mind him calling me Mother." Bai Qian wore a tight-lipped smile, and Le Xu took a final glance around the room, before she smiled, "Well then, I believe lunch should be ready."
And even as she and Su Jin strode out of the room, Bai Qian seethed silently, her mother whispering something about controlling her anger by her ear, but all Bai Qian knew was that if they provoked her again, she would not be as polite anymore.
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A/N: Ooopssssss sorry for the short chapter hahaha...I'll try and update soon I guess...exams are near 😔
Love y'all, and look out for the next chapter :D
(and if you're in the mood for laughter, go search up 'corn' on YouTube 😂😂😂)
Z, out :)
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What If...I Remember?
FanfictionThis story is a TMOPB Adapted plot Fanfic, as well as a mainly YH/BQ story, and it begins about when Ye Hua and Bai Qian meet at the East Sea though with a bit of tweaks, and excludes their brief meeting at Zhe Yan's peach grove, meaning that later...
