After Transmigrating, I Died of Depression Without My Phone - Chapter 96.1

Long Xiang had thought that her connection to the world she had traveled to had been completely severed.

She never imagined that after stepping out in the middle of the night, she would be able to sense spiritual energy outside the temple.

Was it something to do with the magnetic field of this place?

Long Xiang walked across the street, distancing herself from the temple. She tried rubbing her hands together again. Good, it was gone.

To make sure, she rubbed her hands furiously, like a fly. Still nothing.

So, it really was due to the magnetic field.

After crossing over to the other world, Long Xiang had gained a special bloodline that gave her unique abilities related to spatial formations. Returning home hadn’t required much of her power—it had been mostly Beiting Xue’s doing. Now, an intriguing thought crept into her mind.

If her spiritual energy was still here, and she could sense places where the magnetic field resonated with the other world, maybe this place could serve as a gateway between worlds.

She hadn’t used much of her own strength to come back. So… perhaps she could use it again to return?

But why would she want to go back?

Even if she could return, what would she do there?

The most she could do was see him one more time.

But if she couldn’t come back afterward, wouldn’t it all be for nothing? All their efforts would have been wasted.

She wondered how Beiting Xue was doing now.

At least regaining her spiritual energy proved that their story had really happened.

With mixed emotions, Long Xiang crossed the street, wanting to get closer to the temple to test it again. Suddenly, the blinding headlights of an oncoming car startled her. She instinctively tried to use her powers to teleport, but with too little spiritual energy, she missed the critical moment to escape.

The car was closing in fast. Even though the driver slammed on the brakes, the impact would still hurt if she got hit.

In that split second, someone grabbed her and pulled her to safety. Long Xiang turned her head sharply and saw her father’s exasperated expression.

“I’m sorry, sir!” her father apologized to the driver. His quick apology disarmed the driver, who had no choice but to nod and drive away after glancing at Long Xiang, who was still in shock.

Long Xiang steadied herself by holding onto her father’s arm, feeling a wave of guilt. “Dad, I’m sorry.”

She expected to hear him scold her. After all, going out in the middle of the night was already pretty reckless, and then standing in the street, nearly getting hit by a car? What normal person does that?

But there was no scolding.

Not a single word of blame.

Her father simply put his arm around her shoulders and asked, puzzled, “Why did you want to come here so late?”

His voice was gentle as he continued, “You haven’t seemed right since you came back yesterday. You’ve been weighed down with something. I don’t know what it is, but you need to understand that nothing is more important than your safety and well-being.”

Long Xiang was stunned, tears welling up in her eyes. Her father awkwardly pulled out a tissue for her.

“Ah, why are you crying? I knew I shouldn’t have said too much! My daughter’s grown up and has her own worries. Talk to your mom when you get home. I’m not good with words, I didn’t mean to make you sadder.”

He had meant to stop her tears, but instead, she cried even harder.

Thankfully, it was late, and there weren’t many people around. Otherwise, Long Xiang would have been embarrassed by her uncontrollable sobbing.

After crying for what seemed like forever, Long Xiang finally calmed down. She wiped her face with the tissue and mumbled, “It’s nothing. I’m just tired, really tired, and I want to rest for a while.”

Seeing his daughter’s heart-wrenching sobs, her father couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Alright, alright. We’ll rest. You don’t have to go back to school. I’ll take care of everything tomorrow. Whenever you feel ready, we’ll go back.”

“No need for that. I’ll just take a few days off. I don’t want to fall behind on my studies.”

“You’re going through all this, and you’re still worried about school? You’re already doing better than me as a father!”

Long Xiang’s father was a great man in many ways, but his one shortcoming was his lack of formal education.

That’s why he was especially proud of his highly educated wife and children. He would boast to anyone that his wife had helped improve his “dumb” genes, producing two exceptional students.

He wouldn’t even mind if his kids took their mother’s surname—he’d be willing to take it himself!

Her mother, however, would always remind him that education wasn’t the only measure of a person’s ability. Every profession had its champions, and everyone had their own strengths. Some people excelled at academics, while others were better with their hands.

After all the commotion, it was almost dawn by the time the father and daughter returned home.

The house was quiet. Long Xiang tiptoed carefully, not wanting to wake her mother.

She slipped off her shoes and turned around, only to see the light on in the kitchen. Curiously, she walked over and found her mother yawning as she stirred a pot of soup.

Long Xiang glanced at her phone. It was just after five in the morning.

If they were to have the hearty soup her mother made by eight, then she must have started cooking around this time.

The glow from the phone screen caught her mother’s attention. Her mother peeked out of the kitchen and whispered, “What are you two up to? Is it cold? Come inside and drink some warm water. It’s still early—warm up and go back to sleep.”

Her father, ever dutiful, headed into the kitchen and took over the cooking. Her mother, taking the opportunity, led Long Xiang to wash her hands and have some water.

“Mom, why are you making soup? It’s such a hassle. I didn’t even ask for it.”

“Have you looked at yourself lately? You’ve lost so much weight. When we napped yesterday, I could feel your bones.”

With just one sentence, her mother rendered all of Long Xiang’s protests useless. She glanced down at herself. It was true—she had gotten much thinner.

Even though the moment of her return was supposed to match the time just before her sudden death, it seemed her body hadn’t changed. It had come straight back from the other world.

“Your nails need redoing, don’t they? Since you don’t have to go to school today, we can go to that new nail salon that just opened. I’ll take you there,” her mother offered.

Long Xiang’s mother had retired and now filled her days by indulging in various hobbies. Not only was she skilled at doing nails, but she was also a master of knitting and crochet.

All the designer handbags that Long Xiang liked—her mother could crochet them, and they looked even better than the real thing.

The sweaters and knitted tops that Long Xiang wore in the fall and winter were all handmade by her mother too.

This was the home she had missed. These were the family members she cherished. She couldn’t give this up.

Long Xiang returned to bed, napping alongside her mother. This time, she slept deeply.

In the darkness of her mind, the faint traces of a dream began to form.

“Long Xiang.”