Jiangnan Gaiden - Kapitel 79
Where should I go? To Prince Ning? To Su Sanshou? Or to Old Man Huo? Or should I leave Jiangzhou, this place of sorrow, so that they will never, ever find me again?
As I was pondering this, Yun Yiyang suddenly rushed in, panting, "Sister Bai—Ye—Ye Zhi Qiu!"
I was startled and looked up, saying, "Ye Zhi Qiu?"
Yun Yiyang gasped for breath and nodded, saying, "Ye Zhi Qiu has come all the way from Jiangnan to propose marriage to you!"
Chapter Thirty-Seven: When Love Reaches its Peak, It Turns Thin
I was practically dragged out of the house by Yun Yiyang, and mechanically ran after him. So much had happened today that was enough to suffocate me! Xiao Lü, Yun Yiyang… and now Ye Zhi Qiu had appeared!
How did that mysterious man in white end up at Guiyun Manor?
Is he Chu Guanfeng, the white-clad assassin with superb martial arts skills, or the white-clad merchant who has always been behind Bai Wei, coldly observing the ways of the world?
Why would he actually propose marriage?!
One question after another suddenly flooded my mind, and I didn't even have time to think about how to solve these mysteries! In the blink of an eye, I had run with Yun Yiyang to the reception room. Yun Yiyang pushed me into the room, and I was caught off guard, almost falling to the ground. I heard a soft "click," and it turned out that he had locked the door from the outside.
I stumbled a few steps before regaining my balance. Hearing Yun Yiyang lock the door from the inside, I was taken aback. Looking up, I saw a man in white standing in the flower hall, his back to me. His long, exceptionally black hair was neatly draped over his shoulders, his hands casually behind his back, and his snow-white robes accentuated his slender and otherworldly figure—he seemed to coldly shut everything out from him, yet strangely exuded a unique aura that drew almost everyone's attention to him.
I stared at the man in white, and before I knew it, I had forgotten to speak.
There was something familiar about him, so familiar it brought tears to my eyes—he exuded a warmth that I felt, a feeling that Shang Shaochang had long ago… But what is the relationship between Ye Zhi Qiu and Shang Shaochang? Shang Shaochang is an assassin. I have never seen what he looks like from behind. Even though he loves and pampers me, he has never let me walk behind him—an assassin always walks behind others.
I opened my mouth, and even I couldn't believe that such a faint sound was coming from myself. I said in a trembling voice:
"You...you are Ye Zhi Qiu?"
The man in white turned around, and as he moved, his face gradually came into view, revealing a pair of eyes as deep as the night. These eyes lacked the gentle ease I had first seen, the indifference he displayed when facing the gray-clad assassin, and the calm composure he showed when being pursued. For the first time, these eyes held a burning passion and desire.
This is a face I know all too well, a face that often wakes me up crying from my dreams—
My body trembled uncontrollably, and a warm, moist liquid was about to burst from my eyes! It was you, it was you! -- How could you just disappear into the cliff like that? How could you leave me all alone in this world! God knows, without you, how am I supposed to live!
I opened my mouth repeatedly, but no words came out. Only a sorrowful sob escaped my throat—I watched helplessly as this white-clad figure, both familiar and strange, strode towards me, calling my name, and extending strong arms to embrace me—
He didn't hold my trembling body.
I shifted my feet and dodged his arm.
In his astonished and disbelieving gaze, my bewildered eyes shone with an unprecedented determination.
I said, word by word, "Are you... Young Master Shang, or Ye Zhi Qiu?"
My eyes were fixed on the man, watching as an expression of extreme pain slowly spread across his handsome face, as if my question had pierced his heart like a steel knife. A fleeting hesitation crossed his eyes as he slowly said:
“I am Ye Zhi Qiu…” He paused, then finally said, “But I… am also Young Master Shang…”
"You..." I swayed a few times, finally slamming my back against the wooden door. The scenery before me seemed to shatter into pieces, while an endless flood of memories rushed into my mind. When I opened my eyes again, they were lifeless. I murmured, "So that's how it is... so that's how... so this is how you came to know me..."
I felt my heart had never ached like this before, an pain that felt like it was tearing me in two! From afar, I heard a startled cry, I couldn't tell if it was Shang Shaochang or Ye Zhiqiu: "Yiyi! What's wrong? Why are you crying?!" I clenched my teeth, tears streaming from my wide-open eyes, flowing down my cheeks and soaking my clothes—this was the truth I had always wanted to discover! The truth I had always wanted to understand! But… when I finally discovered the truth, it was so painful… so painful that I wanted to faint and never wake up again!
No wonder, after Ye Zhi Qiu first met me at He Yue Manor, Shang Shao Chang appeared soon after and so easily discovered my female identity.
No wonder Ye Zhi Qiu didn't kick me when I was down after discovering my true identity as a woman; instead, he offered more help to Guiyun Manor.
No wonder the poem I recited in my dream was set to music and sung by Ye Zhi Qiu. It's because Shang Shao Chang's martial arts skills are amazing, and he has countless ways of appearing in my residence without my knowledge.
No wonder Ye Zhi Qiu gave me a pearl hairpin and traveled with me to Qinhuai... It's because he knew who I was and, by taking advantage of Shang Shao Chang's identity, knew what I was thinking.
No wonder, when one of them appears, the other never does!
Ye Zhi Qiu and Shang Shao Chang were both equally outstanding and extraordinary in my heart. One was a paragon of businessmen, the other a refined gentleman in a turbid world. One was as cold and ruthless as moonlight, the other as bright and warm as the sun. Yet, they were equally unforgettable and impossible to look away from… Who could believe that such two completely different people were actually the same person?!
My lips trembled slightly as I whispered, "So that's how it is... That night, when Qin Louyue was chasing me... the 'Ye Zhi Qiu' who appeared in the sedan chair was just your double, wasn't he?"
A hint of pain flashed in Shang Shaochang's eyes—no, Ye Zhiqiu's—but he still nodded slightly under my tearful gaze and said, "Yes."
My eyes were filled with shock, disbelief, and heart-wrenching pain. I stared at him, and with great difficulty, managed to utter a single sentence:
"So...you've been lying to me all year...haven't you?..."
I stared intently at him, afraid to miss a single subtle expression. ...In that instant, how I wished he would deny what I had said. I wished he would deny everything I had said! Even if he only said three words: "You're wrong."
Ye Zhi Qiu finally spoke, uttering only one word:
"yes……"
I felt a metallic taste of blood rising in my throat and shooting up my nose. The word he uttered felt like a knife ripping my heart out! I suddenly realized that I had never felt so vulnerable and fragile in my entire life. I simply couldn't bear this reality calmly!
And then, I finally fainted.
...You actually lied to me! You actually lied to me like this! Why? Why?!
...
...You'd rather weave a thousand lies than tell me the truth, wouldn't you? You'd rather jump off a cliff than be with me, wouldn't you?! Do you know that at that moment, if it weren't for Yun Yiyang, I would have jumped off the cliff with you long ago, becoming the most foolish and ignorant person in the world! You—you have no heart! Your heart is the coldest stone!
...Yiyi, forgive me, I...
Shut up! I never want to see you again! You are the most cowardly coward in the world!
“…Go away…go away…” I closed my eyes tightly, my head swaying from side to side, large beads of sweat streaming down my forehead, soaking the embroidered pillow. The scene before I fainted flashed before my eyes again and again, but in the end, Ye Zhi Qiu looked at me with dark, melancholy eyes, and said softly:
Yes... I lied to you...
How could this happen! Why did this happen! Ye Zhi Qiu! Shang Shao Chang! Tell me, tell me! Lan Ye used me as her pawn, Qian Da Kuan used me as his pawn, I can be used as a pawn by everyone! But—why you, you! You also used me as a pawn!
...No...no...this isn't true...