I'm Actually Panicking Because My Heart Doesn't Beat (GL) - Chapter 86

The mood in the car was a bit awkward, but luckily the ride wasn’t long. After about twenty minutes, Xing Tianqing parked the car at the bottom of the apartment building.

She didn’t get out right away but turned to look at Guan Xiaoxuan.

At the same time, Guan Xiaoxuan was staring back at her, motionless.

“I… I’m not trying to force you to say yes today, and I’m not trying to do anything to you,” Xing Tianqing quickly explained. “I just simply want to pick you up after school and take you home. Can you understand that?”

Guan Xiaoxuan blushed and felt her heart race at those words.

To be honest, Xing Tianqing was indeed outstanding and good-looking. Most importantly, she had saved Guan Xiaoxuan many times before, so Guan Xiaoxuan was truly grateful to her.

But when it came to dating Xing Tianqing, Guan Xiaoxuan needed to think carefully.

She wasn’t the type to say yes just because someone confessed to her. Guan Xiaoxuan wasn’t really from this world; her only goal was to live well. As for love, she hadn’t given it much thought yet.

Still, seeing Xing Tianqing’s troubled expression made her heart flutter.

Who wouldn’t want to be liked by someone like Xing Tianqing?

Besides, Guan Xiaoxuan didn’t dislike her at all. She often thought about how Xing Tianqing took care of her when Song Yi was chasing her.

“I honestly don’t know if I like you or not,” Guan Xiaoxuan said after a long pause. “I’ve never dated anyone, so I don’t know what liking someone really feels like. But I do have feelings for you.”

She looked at Xing Tianqing calmly and said, “My feelings for you are admiration, respect, and gratitude. As for liking you… I don’t have a clear answer yet.”

Hearing this, Xing Tianqing’s earlier excitement quickly faded.

She looked at Guan Xiaoxuan and said softly, “I understand.”

Guan Xiaoxuan was a bit surprised and quickly grabbed Xing Tianqing’s hand. “I’m not rejecting you. I just haven’t figured it out yet. I want you to know I’m not stalling—I really don’t know.”

“I know,” Xing Tianqing said, continuing to look at her. She reached out, gently touched Guan Xiaoxuan’s cheek, and leaned closer. “Actually, there’s a way to help you find the answer. Want to try it?”

Guan Xiaoxuan: “…”

Though her body was young, her mind wasn’t. Xing Tianqing’s thoughts were obvious to her.

But to be honest, Guan Xiaoxuan was curious to see what Xing Tianqing would do—maybe even a little excited.

“What way?” Guan Xiaoxuan whispered in the cramped space of the car, looking up at Xing Tianqing, who was so close.

Her words felt like a gentle spring breeze on Xing Tianqing’s heart, making her hands and feet warm. Holding Guan Xiaoxuan’s cheeks, Xing Tianqing leaned in softly.

Just as she was about to do something, a sudden thud hit the roof of the car, startling both of them.

Guan Xiaoxuan quickly pushed Xing Tianqing away. Just as she sensed something was off, they saw a person in a black trench coat walking toward them—it was Xing Tianqing’s mother.

The culprit who hit the car jumped down—a little tabby wildcat.

The cat glanced at the people in the car, then quickly slipped into the bushes and disappeared.

Xing Tianqing noticed her mother and looked back at Guan Xiaoxuan, her cheeks slightly flushed. “My mom’s here. We… I’ll come find you later tonight.”

Guan Xiaoxuan didn’t know whether to agree or not, but she had a strange feeling something was off.

What a coincidence.

Just as Xing Tianqing was about to kiss her, a cat jumped on the car roof—and then Xing Tianqing’s mom showed up?

The feeling was very strange, like the time with the glass bead seller.

But Guan Xiaoxuan had already put all her weird tools at Bai Zhiqi’s place. Could this glass bead still affect her even when it wasn’t on her?

Before she could think more, Xing Tianqing got out and greeted her mom. Guan Xiaoxuan couldn’t stay in the car any longer, so she got out too.

“Guan Xiaoxuan?” Xing Wenjun looked surprised to see her, then glanced at her daughter. “What are you two doing together?”

Xing Tianqing glanced at her and said, “I had something to do at school, so I came to pick her up and bring her home.”

“Oh, I see,” Xing Wenjun said kindly to Guan Xiaoxuan. “Xiaoxuan, do you want to come to our house for dinner? I’m planning to steam some buns for Tianqing tonight. You can come along.”

Steam buns?

Guan Xiaoxuan curiously looked at the bag Xing Wenjun was holding and smiled. “Sure.”

In Xing Tianqing’s dining room, Guan Xiaoxuan and Xing Tianqing were in charge of making the buns, while Xing Wenjun rolled out the dough.

Neither of them was very skilled. Xing Tianqing was a little better—the buns she made at least looked like buns. Guan Xiaoxuan’s were a mess. The folds were all over the place, some wrappers even broke, and the filling spilled out. They looked terrible.

Xing Tianqing kept laughing and tried to teach her, but the more she taught, the worse it got.

Watching the two of them goofing around, Xing Wenjun smiled warmly, handing the rolling pin to Xing Tianqing. She picked up a dough wrapper, scooped some filling, and gently said to Guan Xiaoxuan, “Watch how I do it. Just like this. Understand?”

Guan Xiaoxuan watched carefully, looking serious and studious. But only she knew her eyes kept sneaking glances at Xing Wenjun’s expression.

She thought, if it weren’t for her invisibility and knowing the weird bureau was investigating her, she might really believe Xing Wenjun was a kind aunt.

Though this was probably part of the job, Guan Xiaoxuan still felt uneasy. She really hated the feeling of being watched.

After two hours of hard work, the first batch of steamed buns was finally ready.

The round, plump, and snowy-white ones were made by Xing Wenjun.

The messy, misshapen ones were made by Xing Tianqing.

The crooked, lopsided buns that even spilled their filling were Guan Xiaoxuan’s handiwork.

Though the buns didn’t look very good, at least they were edible. Guan Xiaoxuan took a bite of her own bun and was delighted by the fragrant taste. When she left, she even took a dozen buns with her to have as breakfast and late-night snacks.

Before leaving, Xing Tianqing used the excuse of walking her out, carrying the buns and accompanying Guan Xiaoxuan to the apartment across the street.

As soon as they closed the door behind them, Xing Tianqing reached out and grabbed Guan Xiaoxuan, her gaze heavy and full of cautious hope.

Alright, alright, it’s just a kiss. No big deal.

Guan Xiaoxuan set the buns on the dining table and felt Xing Tianqing press against her from behind. She glanced back at her, then felt a tight grip around her waist. Before she knew it, Xing Tianqing had lifted her onto the table.

Then their lips met, warm and tender, the scent of freshly steamed buns filling the air, making even breathing feel sweet.

Guan Xiaoxuan’s body trembled strongly but eventually settled.

Being held like that didn’t feel bad at all. Her head was dizzy from the kiss. She loosened her grip on Xing Tianqing’s shoulders, breathing softly as she looked at her, her eyes growing gentle.

“I tried it,” Guan Xiaoxuan said lightly, her hands resting on Xing Tianqing’s shoulders. “I really like it.”

Xing Tianqing smiled, her eyes curved happily as she held her close.

In the days that followed, Guan Xiaoxuan’s life went on as usual, but beneath the calm surface, a little had changed.

Her relationship with Xing Tianqing was obvious—now she had a car to pick her up and take her home every day, and she didn’t have to worry about dinner. Sometimes they ate out; other times, they just made something simple at home.

The security cameras in Guan Xiaoxuan’s home were still there, moved to different spots every couple of days, proving that someone kept coming to her place regularly. What they did there, she didn’t know.

But Guan Xiaoxuan was certain that Xing Wenjun had seen the footage of her kissing Xing Tianqing at home.

Because in the following days, Guan Xiaoxuan secretly checked Xing Wenjun’s computer. If she wasn’t blind, she would definitely see her daughter dating the person being monitored—Guan Xiaoxuan herself. Yet, in front of Guan Xiaoxuan, Xing Wenjun still acted completely unaware, playing the role of the kind and friendly neighbor.

Luckily, Guan Xiaoxuan’s training at the Paranormal Bureau was almost over.

This weekend was the last class for shooting and item exchange.

Guan Xiaoxuan’s shooting had improved dramatically—from a total mess to hitting seven or eight rings steadily. It wasn’t perfect, but Teacher Zhang Tong was quite satisfied.

In the item exchange class, Lin Weiwei had no issues at all. Guan Xiaoxuan performed excellently, using almost every item appropriately. Especially the seven-star crabapple she exchanged—under her hands, it became much more powerful.

For theory lessons, Teacher Fang Gu gave high praise, and everyone looked forward to Guan Xiaoxuan’s future at the Bureau.

So on this Sunday night, the Paranormal Bureau team gathered to hold a special graduation party for Guan Xiaoxuan!

She sat at a barbecue stall, watching everyone happily eating grilled meat and drinking beer. The cold wind at night made her shiver.

“Xiaoxuan, why aren’t you drinking?” Qiu Nan handed her a bottle of beer and a skewer, stuffing them into her arms. “Come on, eat and drink. This is all for you. You better not skip it—Captain Xing grilled all this meat herself.”

“I know, I know,” Guan Xiaoxuan said, looking at the quiet lake nearby. “But do we really have to come out here in the middle of the night for barbecue?”

It was past midnight. More than a dozen people from the Paranormal Bureau had carried a grill, charcoal, tables, chairs, and beer all the way to a remote lakeside spot. It all seemed a bit strange.

A proper team-building event would usually be at a fancy mall buffet, a countryside farm stay, or a KTV for karaoke. Why come all the way out here at midnight?

And the creepy cold wind didn’t help.

“Oh, we just got a case transferred from the police,” Xing Tianqing said, holding freshly grilled leeks and corn. She pointed to a wooded area not far behind Guan Xiaoxuan. “There have been several missing persons from a nearby town, and bodies were found by the river here. The bodies found this morning are in the woods behind you. So besides celebrating you, we’re also investigating the case.”

Guan Xiaoxuan frowned and shot Xing Tianqing a sharp look that clearly said: “Are you trying to break up with me?”