RWWAI 17

Chapter 17: However You Want It, Just Do It Your Way

"Even if Qin Miaomiao doesn't think I love her, Qi Lu's regret was just about having a legitimate heir anyway, so what does it matter?"

Luo Fan said with a hint of self-abandonment.

The logic made sense in theory, but that was only because Qin Miaomiao hadn't thought that way in the previous life!

I hurriedly sat up straight and argued:

"No, wait! If she keeps up this misunderstanding, the moment she pops out the baby, she's genuinely going to run off and become a nun! Are you certain Qi Lu won't crawl straight out of his coffin for your head?!"

Luo Fan sat up as well, saying helplessly:

"But the one who actually loves Qin Miaomiao is Qi Lu, not me!"

Lowering his head, Luo Fan added with a touch of uncharacteristic guilt:

"Besides, I don't even think Qi Lu liked her all that much."

I: "Huh?"

He lifted his gaze back to me and said:

"Just stop worrying about me and focus on clearing your own mission!"

I offered a bitter laugh and replied:

"I'd love to..."

But I had zero clue how to clear it!

Back at the very beginning when Luo Fan hadn't arrived yet, I hadn't truly dared to go through with a divorce either.

Besides, I couldn't even be certain whether getting a divorce was actually the result Liang Jingjing wanted.

Noticing my inner conflict, Luo Fan asked:

"You seriously... have no idea how to complete your mission at all, do you?"

I answered with rising irritation:

"Am I to blame? You tell me yourself—how on earth are we supposed to define 'living for oneself'? If I couldn't care less who Qi Lu loves and just live it up eating and drinking like royalty in the commandant's estate for the rest of my life, would that count?"

Luo Fan paused for a second and said:

"Living for oneself—isn't it just doing whatever makes you happiest?"

I rolled my eyes and shot back:

"Easier said than done! Then I want Doctor Zhou to hand-feed me grapes while half-naked every single day, can we make that happen?"

"The man has a wife and kids, don't be like that!"

Luo Fan intervened.

"Just imagine it yourself—if it were you in the real world, and you suddenly achieved financial freedom one day, what would you actually want to do?"

"I'd want to go traveling!"

I answered without a moment's hesitation.

Luo Fan: "Huh?"

Lowering my voice, I mumbled:

"For as long as I've lived, I've never gone anywhere for fun; I didn't even make it to my graduation trip. Forget airplanes, I've never even ridden in a tour bus."

Luo Fan paused yet again and said:

"You... you aren't actually just a kid, are you?"

I snapped indignantly:

"I'm twenty-five!"

"An... adult?"

Luo Fan double-checked.

More furious than ever, I retorted:

"Can't you do basic math? Besides, if I weren't an adult, how would I get a job? How would I rent an apartment?"

"Fine, fine! Go if you want!"

Luo Fan said dismissively.

"Between the commandant's salary and your own dowry, isn't that enough for you to go travel?"

I narrowed my eyes defensively:

"You're being way too nice? You'll actually let me go?"

"Go, go, go!"

I pressed further:

"Then what about your official documents?"

"I've been transmigrated for so long now, I can probably read about seventy or eighty percent of them. Whatever I don't get, I'll just guess, it'll be fine."

I kept going:

"Aren't you worried Qin Miaomiao is going to come cling to you at night?"

Luo Fan smiled helplessly:

"Judging by how things stand now, I genuinely doubt she'll be coming to cling to me anymore."

Since he had already taken things this far, if I didn't spend his money now, it would be downright ungrateful of me.

And so, I immediately set about preparing my "light-luxury mini-vacation" (ancient edition) that I had been dreaming of for half my lifetime.

Yet I still had a shred of a conscience left—I calculated Qin Miaomiao's expected due date, planning to hustle back right around when she was ready to pop so I could "painlessly inherit motherhood."

Little did I know, I had planned it all far too perfectly!!

Under this historical setting, a married "pregnant woman" had nowhere she could possibly go aside from visiting her maiden family or praying at a temple!

After toiling away for an entire day, I couldn't even manage to secure a simple travel pass to leave the city gates!

While I was lying sprawled out on the bed in deep frustration, completely ready to rot away, Luo Fan let out a sigh and said:

"Where do you actually want to go? Let's put our heads together and figure something out!"

Kicking my legs in a temper tantrum, I hollered:

"I want to ride a roller coaster! I want to go scuba diving! I want to go bungee jumping!"

"Can't you pick an activity that actually exists in this century?"

Luo Fan couldn't help roasting me.

His remark, however, conveniently triggered another prior-context playback.

In the previous life, Qi Lu had actually taken Qin Miaomiao out for a boat ride on the lake!

I bolted upright, my eyes shining with excitement:

"I want to go boating on the lake! I want to eat seafood hotpot on a painted cruise barge! And I want to spend the night out on the water gazing at the starry night sky!!"

Hearing that, Luo Fan seemed to catch the enthusiasm as well, a smile spreading across his face as he asked:

"If I'm the one taking you, does that mean you can go?"

I squinted my eyes and asked:

"Don't you have to go to work?"

Luo Fan grinned broadly and said:

"Can't I take a day off? Besides, after such a huge incident blew up at the farewell banquet, me taking my wife out to relax and clear her head is completely reasonable and justified, right?"

I thought it over for a second, then voiced my concern:

"But... Qin Miaomiao is so far along... traveling far doesn't really suit her condition, right?"

"We're not bringing her, it'll just be you and me! We'll leave Doctor Zhou behind at the estate to watch over her!"

I grew even more worried:

"Won't that practically cement the fact that you're deeply in love with me then? You'll never be able to clear your name anymore!"

Luo Fan brushed it off with utter indifference:

"Didn't I say so already? Qi Lu's regret was having a legitimate heir; for this lifetime, let's just let Qi Lu stop loving Qin Miaomiao."

Just as I was about to say something else, Luo Fan chimed in again:

"If the mission fails, so be it, I've done my best."

He slowly averted his gaze to look out the window, continuing:

"Just let me help you this once! If all you're missing is a single vacation, then I'll concede defeat with zero regrets."

I blinked in confusion.

Because at that moment, I had absolutely zero idea what he was talking about.

But my confusion lasted for barely half a second before my mind drifted entirely back to the shimmering, wave-rippled surface of the lakeside.

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