The next day, Freya stretched languidly in bed, only to realize something was amiss midway through and bolt upright.
A strange room, a soft, large bed. Yesterday, she remembered waiting for Bai Cha outside the white tea shop to play chess, right?
"Awake? There's breakfast downstairs," a clear voice with a hint of laughter came from beside the bed. Seeing the handsome woman putting on a trench coat, Freya rubbed her eyes and suddenly held out her hands.
"I want Cha Cha to carry me," Freya tilted and fell back onto the bed, hugging the soft quilt and looking at Bai Cha expectantly, "Or a kiss of love."
Bai Cha: "..."
What the heck was a kiss of love.
"Stop messing around, I have to leave soon." Bai Cha, exasperated, leaned over the bed and gently hugged Freya. "You don't have to stay in the guest room, you can stay in mine, but I might have to go on a mission."
"Hmph, leaving again," Freya grumbled, rolling on the bed in protest. "How can you leave your little wife alone in the bedroom to guard an empty room?"
Bai Cha: "..."
What the heck was a little wife.
"Then, my dear Miss Freya, would you like to get up and see off your domineering CEO?" Bai Cha smiled strangely, dragging out her words, and indulgently played along with Freya's teasing. "It's already half-past eleven in the morning. You've slept for almost twelve hours."
"I want a hug," Freya said coyly.
"I just gave you one." Bai Cha wasn't falling for it. "I've already postponed my schedule by three hours. Virgo just called and told me to go meet up with their world competition team."
The relationship between the balance beam and the Bai family was a bit delicate. Of course, Astrea, at the head, had a strained relationship with the Bai family. However, the Twelve Divine Seats were all kings in their own right, and half of them had good personal relationships with Bai Cha. They occasionally communicated privately to maintain their superficial friendships, which Bai Cha didn't mind.
After Freya fussed for a while longer, she finally got out of bed. However, Bai Cha's schedule could no longer be delayed. She didn't even have lunch with Freya and hurriedly set off with Cangliu and a few others.
As Bai Cha and her entourage ventured further, Meng Qinghuan, being told by Bai Cha to reflect, decided to take a break and laze around at home.
Although this was Bai Cha's villa, well, what belonged to Bai Cha belonged to everyone! They lived there without any psychological pressure.
However, Mo Ziye also tagged along. It wasn't that Bai Cha intentionally brought him, but Cangliu's remark, "You'll be a liability if you go," angered Mo Ziye, who insisted on following, claiming he would not only avoid being a burden but also protect Bai Cha.
It was just a 'ghost wall,' not a dangerous mission.
This mission had been around for decades, and no one had ever died. The strangest thing about it was a maple forest that was fiery red all year round. This forest, perpetually red like burning flames, would return anyone who entered it to the exact same spot, no matter which direction they walked.
Logically, this should have been a good scenic spot, as it neither caused people to get lost nor resulted in fatalities. This had even spawned many legends, attracting numerous visitors who came specifically to experience the so-called 'ghost wall.'
However, a newly transferred secretary in the area insisted on resolving this matter, intending to promote scientific thought and dispel superstition, and of course, to earn merit. But several Dragon Knights and a special investigative team had been dispatched without success.
What to do when they couldn't solve it? Of course, it had to be handed over to Bai Cha.
Bai Cha didn't particularly reject it either; occasionally doing such low-difficulty investigative tasks was just a form of relaxation.
Even their backs were captivating, with a group of handsome men and beautiful women, but the exceptionally tall and slender figure in the middle particularly caught Freya's eye. Freya stood by the window, gently placing her hand over her chest, gazing dazed at the beautiful figure below.
That was the person she loved most.
She remembered their first meeting. At that time, Astrea and Ye Feng were close, both being brilliant prodigies full of youthful spirit. Ye Feng, moreover, had won Grand Slams with his wife Bai Qingyuan in various ability competitions.
Ye Feng became a top prodigy at a young age, yet Bai Qingyuan, a proud daughter of heaven, was no less than him. They were evenly matched, and the excellent individuals attracted each other, giving birth to Bai Cha.
When Bai Cha was three years old, Ye Feng and Bai Qingyuan visited Astrea at the balance beam. Freya was also three at the time.
Compared to the cluelessness of other children, the intelligent and precocious Freya always kept to herself. However, the moment she saw Bai Cha, she knew. At that time, Freya was learning to make small cakes. Ye Feng led Bai Qingyuan in through the main entrance.
"Dad, walk slower," the three-year-old Bai Cha's voice was milky and childish. She spoke with a solemn expression, "Mom doesn't like rushing."
This was clearly because she couldn't keep up, and she was pulling her mother along.
At that time, Bai Cha still had baby fat. Her little cheeks were plump, white, and beautiful, like a porcelain doll. Even with a cold expression, she was undeniably cute. Her large, black grape-like eyes possessed a clarity different from other children.
"Then, do you want Mom to carry you?" Bai Qingyuan, greatly amused, squatted down and opened her arms.
Not to mention Junyao, she was one of the top beauties in the entire Y continent. Her beauty was as gentle as water, but she possessed a firm inner strength. Even without Ye Feng, she had the capability to lead the Shadow faction with great deterrence, keeping the Light faction silent. She was also a famously smiling tiger in external rumors.
Three-year-old Bai Cha, a tiny figure, saw Bai Qingyuan and her little face showed a hint of hesitation before she walked over and hugged Bai Qingyuan. She said earnestly, "You are going to talk to Uncle, I'll hug you later."
Freya, who was sitting on the palm of the Cupid statue, could only think of one thing as she watched this scene.
This little girl is so beautiful.
What did she do then? Freya leaned by the window, watching Bai Cha's departing group, and earnestly recalled.
Ah, she remembered. She directly tackled her little girl.
"Get up." Three-year-old Bai Cha landed by the feet of a goddess statue with a cold expression. Unfortunately, being only three years old, she lacked the strength to push away the pink little girl nestled against her chest, so she could only repeat her words, "Get up."
Ye Feng and Bai Qingyuan were also startled, not expecting their daughter to be suddenly tackled. They regretted not bringing Bai Ze along, so he could keep an eye on her.
"Aiya~ Don't be so cold. My name is Freya, what's yours?" This little girl looked cold, but she felt soft when hugged, which made Freya even more reluctant to let go. "This is my first time seeing you. Shall we play together? I like you very much."
"I don't like playing," Bai Cha still had a cold expression and was unappreciative.
"Then I made some sweet pastries, would you like to try them?" Freya hung around Bai Cha's neck, not giving up. "I can also shoot arrows, sing and dance, and do many, many other amazing things. I'll show you everything, just keep me company~"
"Get up," Bai Cha said with a cold face.
One was enthusiastic, the other cold, but Ye Feng and his wife could tell that despite Bai Cha's cold demeanor, she wasn't impatient.
Given Bai Cha's proud and tsundere temper, if they weren't familiar, she would have slapped him directly when impatient. Although Bai Cha's little hands were quite strong, a slap could leave an adult's skin red for a long time.
But now, Bai Cha simply propped herself up with her hands, wearing a "don't touch me" expression, but ultimately didn't resort to hitting. Seeing this, Ye Feng and his wife exchanged a smile and went to find Astrea.
"I heard you'll be taking over the balance beam soon?" Ye Feng said, settling into Astrea's office, smiling. "Libra, it suits you quite well."
"You're mocking me again. It's because you ran off! If you hadn't been blinded by a beauty, this position would have been yours." Astrea looked up from his mountain of files and ran his hand through his hair irritably. "Do you two have any conscience? Come and help me."
"Alright, alright, I didn't say I wouldn't help you, Lord Libra~" Bai Qingyuan sat over with a smile and teased.
"Sister! You're mocking me too!" Astrea immediately bristled.
Fortunately, there were no surveillance cameras or recorders. If Astrea's words had leaked, the world would have been thrown into turmoil.
Astrea's original name was Bai Shu, and he was Bai Qingyuan's cousin.
The Shadow faction made their choice at twelve years old. Bai Shu chose to leave the Shadows and forge his own path, changing his name and severing ties with his family. With his talent and ability, he naturally carved out a niche for himself and became a top bounty hunter, successfully becoming a luminary of the balance beam.
This matter was known only to Ye Feng's couple and Bai Shu.
"Oh, right, speaking of which, who is that little girl?" Ye Feng remembered this matter and pointed to the hall outside the door. "We saw a little girl in pink when we first came in. When were you born?"
Bai Shu: "..."
Are you trying to kill me! Who gave birth! I'm male!
"You gave birth! I picked her up." Bai Shu glared at his good friend with a headache, utterly annoyed. "Six months ago, I was competing in a ring for an heir position. This little girl kept watching from the side, and then she followed me to the balance beam and secretly activated the Cupid statue."
Receiving recognition from the statue was an unshakeable rule to enter the balance beam. However, as long as a person's character and disposition didn't deviate drastically from the norm, the chances of receiving recognition from the statue were quite high.
The rest was decided by the victor, who then held the authority.
However, even so, there was no precedent for children under ten years old to resonate with a statue. Firstly, children's temperaments and personalities were too young and immature, making it difficult for statues to choose them. Secondly, such young children couldn't possibly compete in rings; wouldn't that be bullying the weak?
As a result, when a group of people arrived in the hall, they hadn't even reacted. The little girl had silently climbed onto the Cupid statue, and under everyone's gaze, the statue glowed pink, resonating with her.
The previous Cupid resonance-bearer was completely bewildered, not expecting that there would be such a thing as "snatching" a statue. He was inexplicably abandoned by his statue and watched as it resonated with a three-year-old toddler.
Everyone: "..."
What kind of operation is this?
For this matter, Bai Shu was bothered by a group of old guys for a long time. On his first day as an heir, he caused such a farce. If Bai Shu hadn't sworn to properly teach Freya, this matter would have never been resolved.
Initially, the opposition was overwhelming. Everyone worried about the future of the balance beam. After all, theoretically, Cupid's authority was very significant. A three-year-old child holding authority, wasn't that madness? However, later, the opposition gradually subsided.
Although Freya was only three years old, her displayed intellect and rationality already matched that of a teenage girl, and she was still growing.
Moreover, Freya was truly worthy of the name Cupid.
No matter who she was asked about her feelings towards, her answer was always two words: "Like." She was willing to share everything with everyone and harbored no animosity towards anyone.
Enthusiastic and cheerful, selfless in her love and sharing, she was full of love for everyone but not saintly, clear-headed yet adorable.
However, mature children couldn't play with their peers, and there was also a generation gap with adults. Freya could only sit on Cupid's palm and daydream all day.
When Ye Feng and the other two came out of the office after handling the documents, the two children were sitting on the head of the Goddess of Hope, chewing on chocolate cake.
The three of them were dumbfounded, staring at each other in the silent hall.