Peach-Orange! – Chapter 203 – Goals Before Revival

By the time Su Tao found her way back with Chi Xiaocheng in tow, the birthday banquet was already halfway through. She was sitting alone beside an ornamental boulder along a garden path.

Leaning slightly to one side, her legs neatly together, one hand resting on her lap, she quietly gazed up at the brightest star in the sky.

The moonlight cast its glow, causing the subtle starlight patterns on her purple evening gown to shimmer faintly. Her lonely, self-reflective demeanor, tinged with melancholy, made it hard for anyone who saw her to look away.

However.

No matter how beautiful that profile was, it only held meaning for others.

Si Chen would never love Tao.

“Why are you here alone? I’ve been looking for you everywhere. I couldn’t find you in the main hall at all.”

Su Tao’s slightly unfocused eyes gradually regained clarity. Her stunning face turned toward Si Chen, and she smiled faintly. “I guess I’m just not used to such lively occasions. I tried looking for Miracle Doctor Chu but couldn’t find him, so I decided to stay outside for a while.”

“That guy seems to be injured. He didn’t even attend the banquet. Honestly, you don’t need to bother with him. I think his reputation as a ‘Miracle Doctor’ is highly exaggerated.”

After all, Chi Xiaocheng was only pretending to be dead. When the time came, she’d return on her own.

But he couldn’t tell Su Tao that.

The girl merely shook her head lightly. “Even if the chance is slim, isn’t it worth trying? It’s a shame I couldn’t get his contact information.”

What if he actually had real skills and could wake Xiaocheng up?

Otherwise, based on what Dongfang Yang had implied, Xiaocheng might wake up in the future, but no one knew how long that would take.

Ten years, twenty years, or even thirty.

Were all these possibilities?

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Or was it just her body reacting abnormally, with no chance of ever waking up?

After all, her heart had already stopped beating.

And the appearance of this so-called Miracle Doctor became the last straw for a drowning person to clutch at.

Everyone understood these words were about Chi Xiaocheng, spoken for her sake.

But once someone held a bias, they’d view everything through a negative lens.

Playing the role of a lifeless doll, Chi Xiaocheng remained motionless in Si Chen’s grip.

Su Tao’s words were meant well.

But after what had happened in the ballroom earlier, all Chi Xiaocheng heard was that Su Tao wanted to find that Miracle Doctor, Chu Lingfeng.

To get his contact information.

And then, to do something with him.

While she, as a mere doll, couldn’t interfere in certain matters.

There were still over ten days left before her revival. It felt agonizingly long.

Chi Xiaocheng couldn’t help but ask in her mind, “System, if my consciousness leaves this scarecrow and returns to my original body, would these ten-plus days pass instantly for me?”

[No, they would not.]

“But it should be like sleeping, right? For someone awake, eight hours feels like an eternity, but once you close your eyes and fall asleep, it’s morning in the blink of an eye.”

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The system patiently explained.

[As the host’s body repairs itself, if the host’s consciousness returns to the body, you will be in a state of awareness, unable to open your eyes or move, only able to perceive your surroundings through senses.]

That would be even more unbearable than now.

The system didn’t voice the latter part, but it could roughly understand its host’s emotions.

Even in her scarecrow form, whenever she watched her beloved Su Tao in the room, she’d smile despite sitting completely still.

Yet it was precisely this attachment and affection, coupled with the uncertainty of the future, that made her feel a lack of security.

And it weighed heavier on her than before her death.

Those who have died once fear loss even more.

And she had “died” twice.

While her mind wandered, Si Chen had already reached out and handed her over to Su Tao. “Next time, take better care of your doll. Since it’s a keepsake she left behind, losing it so carelessly isn’t the way to show you care about her.”

Though, in truth, it was the doll itself that had run away.

But Si Chen still played the role of wingman.

Su Tao took the scarecrow into her hands, a sense of relief washing over her. She nodded firmly. “I won’t lose her again. Thank you, Si Chen.”

“You’re welcome. The banquet’s about to end, let’s head back.”

“Okay.”

The two walked side by side under the moonlight, one a handsome young man, the other a beautiful girl.

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To outsiders, they should have been a perfect match. Yet Si Chen always kept a slight distance from Su Tao.

As they chatted casually along the way, they encountered several bodyguards still busy searching for the assassin.

Just as they were about to return to the main banquet hall, Chu Lingfeng, now bandaged, limped over with several people in tow.

When Su Tao saw Chu Lingfeng, her face lit up with joy. “Miracle Doctor Chu! I’ve been looking for you everywhere, but I couldn’t—”

Her voice trailed off as she noticed the bandages covering nearly half of his face and the distinct fist mark on his right cheek. Her delight turned to concern. “Are you alright?”

Seeing Su Tao’s shift from excitement to worry, Chu Lingfeng inwardly sighed in relief.

His gaze lingered on the scarecrow at her waist.

It seemed this girl wasn’t the mastermind. She’d likely been used by someone behind the scenes.

He forced a smile, though it pained him. “Miss Su, thank you for your concern. The reason I came here is to ask if you’d be willing to part with that doll at your waist and let me have it.”

The moment these words left his mouth, Su Tao instinctively clutched Chi Xiaocheng.

She shook her head without hesitation. “I’m sorry, but this is something important a friend gave me. I can’t give it to you.”

Unintentional words cut the deepest.

Already in a foul mood, Chi Xiaocheng took the word “friend” to heart.

Su Tao might not have noticed the nuance in her phrasing, but to Chi Xiaocheng, it became a question.

‘I thought I was someone you loved. Why am I just a friend now?’

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The smallest mistake, magnified by bias, grew infinitely larger.

Tao-Tao was misbehaving.

And this Chu Lingfeng refused to let her go!

Worse, he might keep bothering Tao-Tao in the future, using this doll as an excuse!

Emotions needed an outlet and a target.

Chi Xiaocheng wouldn’t pressure Tao-Tao the way she had before. But as for the target of her venting….

Just moments ago, she’d been lost on how to endure the next ten-plus days. Now, she had a clear goal.

Save up 3,000 emotional points, buy the Poisoned Apple, and find a way to eliminate Chu Lingfeng!

‘No one can take my Tao-Tao away from me!’

‘Not even in thought!’

As her mind raced, Chu Lingfeng pressed further.

“Miss Su Tao, I just want to know who made this doll or which manufacturer produced it. I really like it and would like to get one myself. You wanted something from me earlier, didn’t you? Can’t you even do me this small favor?”

He was fixated on this doll that had nearly gotten him killed.

Even now, just looking at it sent chills down his spine.

He intended to win Su Tao over, yes, but the mastermind behind this doll had to be eliminated!