The years passed in a blur, time slipping by like a snap of the fingers.
Flowers bloomed and withered, withered and bloomed again, spring gave way to winter, and eight years went by in the blink of an eye, slipping through her fingers if she didn’t pay attention.
The once petite and adorable Bai Ling had now grown into a graceful young woman.
Her already perfect figure had become even more curvy, giving off an impression that was striking from afar and captivating up close.
Now, as time passed, her cute face had gained a touch of girlish innocence, her whole body radiating a feminine glow.
Over the years, Bai Ling’s skills in dressing up and doing her makeup, though not quite on par with the masters, had improved a lot thanks to the maids’ guidance at home.
At the moment, Bai Ling was wearing a black short-sleeved shirt, the collar outlining her seemingly delicate shoulders and showing off the smooth, fair skin of her neck, making people want to see what was beneath that snowy neck.
A pink bow in front of her belly button matched perfectly with her slender waist and figure, letting her youthful and adorable aura shine through without reservation.
Below that, a black pleated skirt that reached her knees and black over-the-knee socks combined to spark the imagination, making people wonder what kind of scenery was hidden under her skirt.
Looking at herself in the mirror, Bai Ling thought of her previous life.
Back then, she’d been single for years, never had a girlfriend, and barely interacted with women—her only real contact was with her own little sister.
But she never saw her sister as a woman; they were more like brothers than siblings, always together, and she never had any bad thoughts.
Still, she’d always had a mysterious longing for women.
Now that she was a girl herself, she was more than familiar with this body—after all, it was hers now.
She struck all kinds of poses in front of the mirror, and no matter what she did, she looked cute and charming, enough to steal anyone’s soul.
If there were a normal guy nearby, he’d probably be completely bewitched by her moves.
Just as Bai Ling was reminiscing about her past life and admiring herself, a maid’s voice came from outside.
“Miss, Master and Madam are waiting for you downstairs!”
“Okay, got it!” Bai Ling replied, shaking her head to clear away those memories, then spent a little longer admiring herself in the mirror before reluctantly opening the door and heading downstairs.
Today was an important day.
She’d received an invitation from the Magic Academy, and it was time for her to awaken her magic.
On the Gaia Continent, every child who turned sixteen could awaken their magic attribute.
To do that, they needed a magic array called the Awakening Array, which was the only array that any mage, regardless of rank, could draw.
Because of this, the array was common—every family with magic had one.
For a hereditary magic family like the Bai family, of course they had the array.
But Bai Ling didn’t choose to awaken at home, because her sister Bai Ting hadn’t awakened at home either—she’d done it at the Magic Academy.
So Bai Ling wanted to go to the academy too.
Today was the day she’d set off for the Magic Academy.
She’d been looking forward to this day for a long time—she could finally see Bai Ting again.
Even though Bai Ting came home for a few days every year, it was never enough time together.
Bai Mo didn’t object to Bai Ling’s decision.
In his words, “You have to awaken somewhere, and there’s not much difference between awakening early or late.
The magic element you awaken won’t change just because you’re in a different place.”
When Bai Ling got downstairs, she greeted Bai Mo and Yue Xin, who were standing by the carriage.
“Father, Mother!”
“Mm.
Are you ready?” Bai Mo’s voice carried a hint of authority.
“Everything’s ready!” Bai Ling replied with a smile, then stuck out her tongue at Bai Mo.
She’d gotten really good at acting cute over the years, ever since she’d accidentally discovered that her father couldn’t resist it.
So whenever she wanted something, she’d use this trick to “negotiate” with Bai Mo.
At first, she’d resisted, but after doing it so many times, she’d gotten used to it.
Sure enough, Bai Mo was charmed by her cuteness and almost couldn’t help but rush over to hug her.
But for the sake of his dignity, he held back, though his expression gave him away.
Bai Ling knew exactly what that look meant and couldn’t help but silently call him “fake serious” in her heart.
Yue Xin was already used to this kind of thing.
At that moment, Yue Xin broke the awkward silence.
“Since you’re ready, let’s get going!”
“Okay!” Bai Ling answered, then climbed into the carriage.
Before going in, she looked back at the villa.
Her feelings were complicated—she wanted to protect the people she cared about, so she had to leave, but she was reluctant to part with the “home” that had raised her for sixteen years.
Here, she’d found a sense of family she’d never experienced in her past life.
Back then, she’d had her sister, but no parents, so it wasn’t a complete home.
Here, she’d found that feeling—a perfect home.
The only thing missing was her sister Bai Ting, whom she still thought of as a little sister.
When she turned around again, her expression became determined.
She’d once sworn to protect the people she cared about, and now was the time to start that journey.
She was going to the Magic Academy where Bai Ting was, to protect her, to watch over her.
