La ciudad solitaria cerró

Capítulo 17

“I’ve fallen in love with her,” Ouyang Tianyun said, his eyes softening. He did indeed have that feeling for her, but it was much stronger than his second brother had described.

"Her?" Who is that? Ouyang Tianji looked at him strangely. "Could it be my sister-in-law?"

“Yes, it’s Yin’er. I’ve fallen in love with her. Only now do I realize that what I felt for Mei’er wasn’t love, but a ridiculous obsession.” Ouyang Tianyun chuckled self-deprecatingly. “Do you remember when Mei’er was eight years old, she stayed at our house for a while?”

"I remember!" Tianji nodded. He and his older brother were the same age, only a few months apart.

“Back then, we were childhood sweethearts, and I even jokingly said I would marry her. Later, Mei’er left, and I never took it to heart. Twelve years later, she reappeared in front of me, now a graceful young woman. I didn’t expect her to still remember my joke and ask me to keep my promise and marry her. Plus, I was infatuated with her at the time, so I took the childhood joke as love and held on to it. It wasn’t until I got to know Yin’er that I realized that what I felt for Yin’er was true love.” Ouyang Tianyun looked up at the sky and recounted his emotional journey.

"Brother, what are you planning to do?" That's the key question.

"Although I don't love Mei'er, she's carrying my child, and I won't kick her out of the Ouyang family. As for Yin'er, I will love her for the rest of my life." With my life! Ouyang Tianyun secretly swore in his heart.

"Does Brother mean to maintain the status quo and keep both of them by his side?" Ouyang Tianji asked.

"Is there anything wrong with that?" It's perfectly natural for a man to have multiple wives and concubines.

“Brother, I just want to tell you that love is a matter between two people. If there’s another person involved, then that kind of love changes.” Ouyang Tianji said earnestly, showing his absolute loyalty to Yue’er.

Ouyang Tianyun didn't say anything more, but just stared into the distance with a thoughtful expression.

Ouyang Tianji quietly left, knowing his elder brother needed to think things through carefully…

When Su Yuyin came out of the shower, she found Ouyang Tianyun leaning against a pillar in the porch waiting for her. What was wrong with this man? Why did he keep appearing in front of her these past few days?

"Are you done washing? Let's go." When Ouyang Tianyun saw her come out, he immediately stepped forward, took her hand, and walked towards the stable.

"Where are we going?" Su Yuyin stopped and couldn't help but ask.

"Trust me, you'll like it there." Ouyang Tianyun turned to look at her pouting little face, reached out to brush the hair from her face, and said gently.

The two arrived at the stables, where servants had already led out the horses and were waiting. Ouyang Tianyun leaped onto the horse with ease, smiling as he extended his hand to Su Yuyin; "Come, give me your hand!"

Su Yuyin hesitated, but finally decided to give him her hand. Originally, she wanted to ride the horse herself, but after thinking about it, she felt that he probably wouldn't agree, so she had to give up.

Ouyang Tianyun grasped her small hand and pulled her onto the horse's back with a strong pull. "Hold on tight." He spurred his legs, and the horse galloped away.

"We've arrived." Ouyang Tianyun jumped off his horse and then reached out to help Su Yuyin down.

"Ah! So beautiful!" With just one glance, Su Yuyin fell in love with this place. The mountains and rivers were beautiful, truly a paradise on earth. For her, living in the 21st century, such a place was something she had never seen before.

"Do you like it here?" he asked, knowing the answer already, wanting her to say it herself.

"I love it, I love it so much." Su Yuyin was already captivated by it and couldn't help but answer, "If only I could build a wooden cabin here and come here for a vacation after work, how wonderful that would be." She murmured to herself, this place can wash away people's fatigue, relax people's minds, and most importantly, everything here is completely natural.

Hearing her affirmative answer, Ouyang Tianyun felt his heart was filled to the brim, with no room for anything more. He finally understood what it felt like to love someone: to pluck a sky full of stars just to bring a smile to her face.

"I stumbled upon this private haven two years ago. Whenever I encounter something unpleasant, I come here and only leave after I've thought everything through. This is the first time I've brought someone here." He wanted to share this beautiful place with her, and not only that, he also wanted to share his innermost thoughts with her. However, he wasn't sure if she loved him, and he didn't dare ask, fearing the answer would be unbearable.

"Really? Not even your beloved Mei'er?" Such a wonderful place, is he keeping it all to himself?

“I don’t love her,” Ouyang Tianyun said earnestly.

"You don't love her? Or do you love me?" Su Yuyin looked up at him and said jokingly, her eyes clearly showing disbelief.

"Yes, I love you!" Ouyang Tianyun thought to himself. Before he could speak, he heard her say:

"Hey! You can love anyone, just don't fall in love with me."

"Why?"

"Because...because I don't love you." Su Yuyin said coldly. Rejecting you might cause you pain for a while; loving me, perhaps you will suffer for a lifetime.

Hearing her undisguised rejection, he was heartbroken beyond words. Even though he already knew she didn't love him, his heart still ached. How could he face loving someone who didn't love him back?

Soon after, they began their journey home, and neither of them spoke a word the entire way until they arrived home.

Chapter Eight

After returning from that beautiful paradise, Su Yuyin moved back to the place she lived before her injury. Life was still so boring. Every day she either ate or slept, or chatted with people. She didn't know what the point of living like this was.

Ouyang Tianyun seems to be quite busy; he hasn't appeared in front of her for several days. She... misses him a little, but she knows that it's impossible for them to be together. He has a wife, and she can't guarantee how long she can stay here. If one day she really goes back, loving too deeply will only lead to their mutual destruction. She doesn't want to take that risk!

Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore. I'd better go for a walk!

She opened the door and was startled to find Ouyang Tianyun standing right there.

"What are you doing standing here? Trying to scare people?" They were still training her skills. If it were her reaction just now, she would have been killed by the enemy long ago.

His heart skipped a beat when the door suddenly opened. He'd actually been standing there for almost half an hour, hesitating whether to knock, wondering about her reaction when she saw him. He was afraid of her cold gaze.

These past few days, he has been restraining himself from seeing her, working frantically every day in an attempt to numb his feelings for her. However, his love for her has not diminished as a result; on the contrary, it has grown stronger day by day.

"I'm sorry!" he apologized, his eyes unable to look away from her stunning beauty.

"Come in and sit down!" She couldn't just stand at the door, so Su Yuyin glanced at him and turned to walk into the house.

Ouyang Tianyun followed her into the house. Although this wasn't his first time here, he had been in a fit of rage the last two times and hadn't paid much attention to anything else. Now, as he returned to her house, a deep sense of guilt filled his heart. The house was incredibly simple; she was the eldest daughter-in-law of the Ouyang family! Even the concubines' rooms were much more grand than this.

"What? You think this place is too shabby? Does it diminish your noble air as a young master?" Su Yuyin said sarcastically when she saw him frowning as he looked at the decorations in the room.

"It's my fault for letting you stay in a place like this." Ouyang Tianyun looked at her with reluctance. He... he was sorry to her.