One Pet Gets Married

Chapter 3

Perhaps due to averting disaster for Song Xici upon waking, Tang You'an felt a wave of dizziness after Song Xici's question.

Her eyelashes fluttered as she nearly collapsed, fortunately steadied by Song Xici.

Tang You'an then briefly reintroduced herself: "I hail from the Wu Kingdom, named Tang You'an. I resided deep in the peach groves of Tianhen Mountain, born with some knowledge of mystical arts. Scholars from various regions often sought my guidance. Unexpectedly, the Xiao King desired my services. Upon my refusal, he harbored murderous intent, dispatching elite cavalry and martial artists to surround me. Outnumbered, I perished, thrown from a cliff on South Mountain. Then, I arrived here."

In her previous life, after her sword-teaching master passed away, she led a leisurely existence practicing swordsmanship, playing the zither, reading books, savoring tea, and divining fortunes for others. She rarely left the mountain, living in seclusion. Yet, she found herself entangled in worldly absurdities nonetheless.

Song Xici looked at her, words caught in her throat.

Initially, Song Xici had planned to take her to the hospital, but considering their identities and fearing Tang You'an might spout nonsense there, causing a mess, she ultimately brought Tang You'an back to her room, where they now sat facing each other.

While supernatural occurrences weren't unheard of, Song Xici never imagined she'd encounter such a "paranormal event." Her unwavering belief in science was suddenly challenged, reshaping her worldview.

After extensive discussion and clarification, Song Xici finally accepted this scenario, while Tang You'an, with Song Xici's help and knowledge of time-travel novels, pieced together the sequence of events.

First, Tang You'an had indeed been a fortune teller in her previous life, and her death was real.

However, while her physical body perished, her soul survived, traversing time and space to inhabit the body of the original Tang You'an, who had died under unknown circumstances, thus allowing her rebirth.

For some reason, unlike in novels, Tang You'an hadn't inherited the original body's memories, leaving her clueless about modern life.

After processing this, Tang You'an furrowed her brow: "Does this mean I've usurped someone else's body?"

"Well, I don't know what exactly happened to the original, but generally speaking, it was probably an accident. But she might not have survived even if you hadn't come. And who knows, maybe she's living your life in your era." What else could be done? Song Xici couldn't change any of this.

"You might as well accept it. If you hadn't come, this body would have just decayed. Your arrival allows for resource recycling," Song Xici sprawled on the bed, messaging Xiao He on another phone to buy a new one, while saying, "This must be fate."

"Indeed. I shall strive to live well," Tang You'an said.

Song Xici smiled, then opened a small notebook and began writing: "Also, you'll need to change how you speak. You probably can't correct everything at once, but for starters, stop referring to yourself as 'this one.' Few modern people speak that way. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Use 'I' instead of 'this one' from now on."

"Understood," Tang You'an nodded.

"Moreover, stop calling people 'Miss Song' or 'Miss Li' or 'Miss Zhang.' While 'miss' isn't wrong, constantly using it sounds odd. Replace 'miss' with 'Ms.' For older women, use 'madam,'" Song Xici continued writing and speaking, then turned to face her, tapping the notebook with her pen.

Tang You'an flexed her fingers and nodded: "Oh..."

"I've written down all the modern terms I explained earlier that differ from ancient ones. Memorize them quickly. Otherwise, if people discover you're from ancient times when you go out, you might be taken for dissection experiments-"

"Dissection! It's bloody. They'll strip you and cut open your brain, your stomach-" Song Xici twisted her wrist, raising the pen tip to Tang You'an's pointed chin, deliberately trying to scare her.

Tang You'an's eyes flickered as she smiled softly: "I understand."

Inexplicably, Song Xici felt her heart flutter at that gaze. She paused, pursed her lips, and withdrew the pen from Tang You'an's chin.

"Oh right, these are things I've just compiled. You need to review them and memorize every single point without fail!" Song Xici pulled her laptop in front of Tang You'an, "This is my computer, a modern technological device. Don't touch anything else, just look at what I'm showing you."

Inside was a folder where Song Xici had extracted and compiled Tang You'an's important life experiences, thoughtfully converting them to traditional characters. She had also included numerous photos of people related to Tang You'an.

"After you've memorized these, I'll prepare more for you," Song Xici said.

"Alright," Tang You'an nodded, taking the laptop to study.

She learned that in this world, her birthday was January 28, 1990. Her father, Tang Bingguo, and mother, Pei Qiuyue, were both merchants.

She herself was an actress, or "star," who had debuted five years ago, pursuing both film and music careers, primarily focusing on acting, though excelling in neither.

Her only praised television drama was "Summer Tale," where her portrayal of the vibrant female lead "Little Bell Han Yuling" captivated audiences, catapulting her to fame.

How famous? At the time, Little Bell's style and mannerisms became the template for all teenage girls to emulate, right down to her speech patterns.

However, after that, due to her limited range and inability to surpass the Little Bell archetype, she failed to produce any more quality work. Consequently, public interest waned, and fewer directors sought her for roles.

Headlines no longer featured her. Eventually, her company even reassigned her dedicated manager, forcing her to share one with others.

Her parents constantly urged her to leave the entertainment industry, but she stubbornly refused, attending numerous auditions. However, only subpar productions were willing to cast her.

Afterwards, whether due to the immense psychological gap or some other reason, she began a reckless lifestyle from two years ago, disregarding media attention entirely.

Unexpectedly, this behavior thrust her back into the public eye, albeit in a negative light.

Recently, after a period of inactivity, Tang You'an finally secured a decent role during an audition. It was for the character Gu Moyan in "The Subject," directed by Chen Feng, known for his period dramas. Gu Moyan was a talented singer and dancer, deeply in love with a female general, willing to sacrifice her life for her - a somewhat tragic supporting role.

Just as the opening ceremony approached, today's incident occurred, creating quite an uproar.

Furthermore, Song Xici had originally been invited to a reality show next year. The company wanted them to showcase their affection publicly, using the opportunity to boost each other's popularity while clearing away negative impressions - a win-win situation.

However, Tang You'an hadn't cooperated. During Song Xici's last birthday, not only did she fail to post well-wishes on Weibo, but she was spotted partying at a nightclub with friends that evening.

People mocked and speculated whether they fought and brawled nightly.

Additionally, she had a group of friends: Shi Xiaobao, an X-music internet celebrity; Tomato Potato, an X-hand network celebrity; Tang Hongya, a D-list artist; and Li Man, an unmotivated second-generation rich kid.

...

After reviewing all this information, Tang You'an rubbed her forehead.

"So, it seems I'm currently in a state of..."

"In short, you're now seen as a complete idiot by the general public," Song Xici summarized bluntly.

Hearing this, Tang You'an frowned.

"Well, you look through this yourself. I'm going to shower," Song Xici said, grabbing her pajamas and heading to the bathroom.

Tang You'an nodded. However, when she opened the notebook, she couldn't help but pause in bewilderment.

After her shower, Song Xici emerged wearing a robe, patting lotion onto her face. Glancing at the time, she blurted out, "Oh crap!"

It was already 4:30 AM... She had to be on set by 6 AM, leaving no time for sleep. Damn, how was she supposed to function like this?!

Song Xici picked up her water glass and continued speaking before leaving:

"Also, we're already married, we're wives. Yes, same-sex marriage is legal here now..."

"Wives? As in husband and wife?" Tang You'an curiously interrupted.

This place was indeed extraordinary, for women to be able to marry each other.

"That's right!" Song Xici nodded.

"Then, I have a question," Tang You'an gently brushed her hair aside, turning to face her.

"Go ahead, ask," Song Xici said, sipping her water while looking at her.

"Since Ms. Song and I are wives, have we... consummated our marriage?" Tang You'an inquired.

"Pffft-" Song Xici sprayed water all over Tang You'an's face.

Water dripped from Tang You'an's porcelain-like face down to her elegant collarbones, yet her expression remained impassive.

"I'm sorry for spraying you..." Song Xici froze, quickly setting down her glass and grabbing a tissue box. She pulled out several sheets and gently dabbed at Tang You'an's cheeks. "But why would you ask something like that right away..."

Up close, Song Xici realized just how striking Tang You'an's features were. High nose, deep-set eyes, smoky brows, and drowsy gaze - the more she looked, the more captivating she found her.

Composing herself, Song Xici wiped the water from Tang You'an's face, then moved to dry her neck.

As she gazed at Tang You'an's graceful neck, Song Xici's movements unconsciously became gentler.

"Though I've never experienced it, the books I've read all mention consummating the marriage on the wedding night," Tang You'an smiled. "So, have we done so?"

"We, of course, haven't..." Song Xici stammered, flustered by the question.

"Then... might you tell me how I should proceed?" As Tang You'an spoke, she gently grasped Song Xici's hand holding the tissues and leaned in closer.

Caught off guard, Song Xici lost her balance and fell back onto the bed. Tang You'an braced herself with her hands on either side of Song Xici's body, their faces mere inches apart.

Inhaling Tang You'an's close scent, observing her beautiful collarbones peeking from her loosened collar and her long, narrow eyes, Song Xici swallowed hard.

"Hmm?" Tang You'an lightly cupped Song Xici's chin, gazing into her eyes.