I'm Actually Panicking Because My Heart Doesn't Beat (GL) - Chapter 82

“Her unit?” Guan Xiaoxuan was surprised by Xing Tianqing’s words. Pulling her coat tighter around her, she asked, “Didn’t you say your mom doesn’t live with you?”

“She didn’t before,” Xing Tianqing replied, glancing back. “Maybe her work isn’t that urgent this time. She called this morning saying she wants to move in with me for a while and asked me to pick her up at the hotel.”

Guan Xiaoxuan felt puzzled. From what she knew, Xing Wenjun was a workaholic—the kind of person who wouldn’t even stop by home if she was passing by. Why would she suddenly want to move in with her daughter?

But thinking about it another way, Xing Wenjun was still a mother. Maybe she just wanted to spend some time with her daughter while managing work. That wasn’t unreasonable.

Still, something about it didn’t sit right with Guan Xiaoxuan.

Whether it was the things Xing Wenjun had said to her before, or the warnings Jin Cheng had given her through his dream message, everything hinted that this situation wasn’t so simple.

It felt like there was a dangerous undercurrent hidden beneath calm waters—one wrong step, and she’d be smashed to pieces.

Just as Guan Xiaoxuan was lost in thought, Xing Tianqing had already set the breakfast out. Seeing her still spacing out, she said, “Go wash up, or the food will get cold.”

“Huh? Oh.” Snapping out of it, Guan Xiaoxuan quickly headed to the bathroom to wash up.

After breakfast, Xing Tianqing still didn’t look like she was about to leave. She just sat there staring at Guan Xiaoxuan, looking hesitant, like she had something on her mind.

Guan Xiaoxuan was still eating, her cheeks puffed out with food. She glanced at Xing Tianqing and mumbled, “You need something?”

Xing Tianqing hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. “No, nothing.”

But the truth was—there was something.

Looking at Guan Xiaoxuan now, calm and at ease, Xing Tianqing remembered how not long ago she was being hunted by that red-dressed ghost, living in fear every day.

That was when Xing Tianqing realized she’d started to feel something different for her.

Something she couldn’t quite explain.

She figured… it must be that she liked Guan Xiaoxuan.

And now, watching her eat the breakfast she’d brought, Xing Tianqing suddenly had the urge to ask if she’d be willing to date her.

…Would that be too reckless?

Xing Tianqing stared at her, conflicted and torn.

Guan Xiaoxuan couldn’t take being stared at anymore. She took a sip of soup and turned to ask, “Captain Xing, if you have something to say, just say it. You staring at me like that is making me nervous.”

Caught off guard, Xing Tianqing scratched her nose and asked, “Guan Xiaoxuan, what do you think of me?”

“Huh?”

Where did that come from?

Guan Xiaoxuan looked at her for a long moment before cautiously asking, “Is this a performance review? Or are you conducting a team survey?”

Xing Tianqing froze, then gave a wry smile. “No, nothing like that. I’m just asking what kind of person you think I am.”

“You’re a good person,” Guan Xiaoxuan replied plainly.

“That’s it?” Xing Tianqing leaned closer. “Besides being a good person, do you think I have any strengths?”

“You mean just the good parts?”

“…You can mention the bad too.”

Guan Xiaoxuan thought for a moment. “You’re brave, capable, and having you around makes people feel safe. You’re like a shield for the team, the backbone we rely on. The only downside is you work too hard—you should take better care of yourself.”

“…Are you trying to flatter me?” Xing Tianqing frowned.

Guan Xiaoxuan laughed around her chopsticks. “You caught that?”

With a helpless sigh, Xing Tianqing looked at her and asked, “I mean… do you think I’d be okay in a relationship?”

“Why wouldn’t you be?” Guan Xiaoxuan said. “Captain Xing, you’ve got to have some confidence. You’re good-looking, your job’s impressive, and you’re a great person. Everyone has the right to fall in love. If you meet someone you like, you should go for it.”

As Guan Xiaoxuan rambled on, Xing Tianqing’s smile kept growing. When she finally finished, Xing Tianqing looked at her and asked softly, “What about you?”

Guan Xiaoxuan froze.

“If I said I liked you,” Xing Tianqing said, “would you be willing to date me?”

The question caught Guan Xiaoxuan completely off guard. No one had ever confessed to her like this before. She stared at Xing Tianqing in shock and stammered, “Are you joking?”

“I never joke about this,” Xing Tianqing said calmly. “I really like you. Honestly, I think I’ve liked you from the very beginning. Why do you think I never stopped the gossip about us? Because they weren’t wrong.”

Guan Xiaoxuan was stunned. She’d always thought Xing Tianqing was a serious and upright person. When their coworkers gossiped about them, and Xing Tianqing didn’t stop it, she assumed it was because she didn’t care—that she had a clear conscience.

But now, hearing that Xing Tianqing actually liked her from the start, that she let the gossip go because it was true… it completely threw her off.

“I… I…” Guan Xiaoxuan didn’t know how to respond. It was all too sudden.

At that moment, she felt something strange from her shadow—it was acting up. She immediately remembered that Song Yi was still hiding in it. The ghost girl was madly in love with her and had just overheard Xing Tianqing’s confession. She was probably furious.

And sure enough, Song Yi started struggling, trying to crawl out of the shadow. Panicked, Guan Xiaoxuan quickly stomped on it to push her back down.

“Captain Xing, I can’t give you an answer right now!” Guan Xiaoxuan jumped up and started pushing her toward the door. “Give me a few days to think about it, I promise I’ll come talk to you!”

As she was being shoved out the door, Xing Tianqing tried to resist, saying, “Take your time, but even if you say no, I hope we can still be good coworkers.”

“No problem!” Guan Xiaoxuan said firmly—and then slam, the door shut.

At that moment, Song Yi could no longer hold back. She emerged from the shadow, her voice cold and chilling: “You’re mine…”

From outside, Xing Tianqing called out, “Don’t rush your decision. I’m heading out to pick up my mom. Take your time and think it through!”

“I—I got it!” Guan Xiaoxuan leaned against the door, then turned to look at Song Yi. “I will think it through!”

After hearing the footsteps fade away, Guan Xiaoxuan saw Song Yi’s wet black hair floating around her, her bl00d-red eyes fixed on the door—like she wanted to chase after Xing Tianqing and tear her to pieces.

“Don’t do anything rash,” Guan Xiaoxuan quickly said. “If she finds out about you, it’ll be a huge problem—for both of us. You get that, right?”

Song Yi didn’t answer, but she was clearly angry. Her hair flew wildly in the air, showing how much she hated her romantic rival.

Guan Xiaoxuan had no choice but to spend over half an hour calming her down. Her mouth was dry by the time Song Yi finally settled.

Now sitting on the couch, Guan Xiaoxuan looked down at Song Yi curled up at her feet, resting her head on her knees. Her wet hair had soaked her pajama pants, but she could only sigh and gently pat Song Yi’s head, stroking her hair to comfort her.

Watching Song Yi like this—like a big black dog curled up in her lap—Guan Xiaoxuan finally said, “Song Yi, you can’t be so impulsive. Just a second later, and Captain Xing would’ve seen you. She’s the leader of the Investigation Unit. If she finds out about us, it’ll be bad for both of us.”

Song Yi trembled and looked up at her. “I’m sorry…”

“I’m not mad,” Guan Xiaoxuan said softly. “I just want you to think things through a bit more. After all, we’re going to be together for a long time.”

“Mm…” Song Yi snuggled against her knee and said quietly, “Together… for a long time…”

Guan Xiaoxuan gave her a gentle smile, then looked at the door, thinking about what Xing Tianqing had just said.

Xing Tianqing liked her?

That was just… too much.

With a sigh, Guan Xiaoxuan looked back at Song Yi and decided—for now—not to think about it anymore.

Although Xing Tianqing had left early in the morning, by the time she returned with Xing Wenjun, it was already around six or seven in the evening. Hearing the noise at the door, Guan Xiaoxuan came out to greet them and saw Xing Wenjun along with her suitcase.

The next day was Monday. Guan Xiaoxuan got up on time, washed up, and got ready for school.

But just as she reached the door and was about to change her shoes, she suddenly felt something strange.

The feeling came out of nowhere, and it made her instinctively turn her gaze toward her bedroom. Following that gut feeling, she walked back in.

When she opened the drawer next to her bed, she saw the glass bead inside—it was glowing softly.

Waves of light pulsed from it, making Guan Xiaoxuan frown in confusion.

What’s going on?

Why would the glass bead suddenly start glowing for no reason?

At that moment, Song Yi emerged from the shadows. She looked calmly at the glowing bead and said, “Take it…”

Guan Xiaoxuan turned to look at her. “You mean… take it with me to school?”

Song Yi nodded, then shook her head. “Take… all of them…”

All of them?

Did she mean Guan Xiaoxuan should bring all her special items?

Guan Xiaoxuan frowned and looked at the nightstand full of strange tools. In the end, she decided to bring them all—just for peace of mind.

She carried the items to school, and the whole day passed without anything unusual happening. Just when she started thinking that strange feeling in the morning might have been nothing, something odd happened when she got home.

At 5:30 p.m., Guan Xiaoxuan opened her front door. Everything in the apartment looked exactly the same—but somehow, she had a strong feeling.

Someone had been in her home today.