Cen Ji said calmly, "If the heart isn't blind, then it can't be considered blind."
"Well said." He Bi lifted his robe and sat down.
"I've heard the rumors."
"What?"
Everyone on Kongshan Ridge is saying that Master Cen is very lonely.
I am not lonely.
He raised an eyebrow. He had originally intended to mock Cen Ji if he admitted it. But to his surprise, Cen Ji calmly denied it.
Actually, he just didn't understand at the time. Many years later, when he occasionally recalled Cen Ji's answer, he realized that true loneliness was simply saying, "I am not lonely."
He Bi thought for a moment and said, "Yes, you are now Master Kongshan's son-in-law and Miss's husband, how could you be lonely?"
“I am a bodyguard,” Cen Ji said.
"I know." He Bi tapped the table lightly with his slender fingers.
Upon hearing this, Cen Ji simply smiled faintly, his dark eyes becoming misty.
Why stare so intently at Cen Ji? He found it strange, but he couldn't figure out what was wrong with him.
Seeing that He Bi remained silent for a while, Cen Ji asked, "What's wrong?"
Why say, "You don't seem to mind at all that you can't see"?
Cen Ji said, "Who said I can't see anything?"
Why hesitate?
"I can see everything I want to see, but I can't see what I don't want to see." A faint tenderness spread across Cen Ji's face, as if he had truly seen something that warmed his heart.
Suddenly, He Bi realized that what had been bothering him all along was the faint smile that always lingered on Cen Ji's lips.
Cen Ji didn't smile often, but that didn't mean he never smiled. To He Bi, the only expressions on Cen Ji's face that remained unchanged year after year were "silence" and "focus." He couldn't remember Cen Ji's smiles because Cen Ji's smiles always carried a strange desolation, fleeting and short-lived. But at this moment, the peace and tranquility emanating from Cen Ji softened even his smile.
That smile must have blossomed from the depths of his heart, and that blossom, I suppose, must have been crimson? Thinking this, he couldn't help but sigh. He began to understand that Cen Ji's loneliness stemmed from living entirely in his own world.
He knew perfectly well that Cen Ji could only see blurry light and shadow, but he still followed Cen Ji's gaze for a long time before finally shaking his head with a self-deprecating smile and saying, "Seeing the heart and seeing the nature. What you want to see in your heart, you will naturally see in your eyes."
"And you?"
What's wrong with me?
What did you see?
Why laugh and say, "I can see everything"? But in reality, he can see nothing at all.
He touched his forehead with one hand. He was beginning to envy Cen Ji. The more he saw, the less he knew what he was seeing.
He cleared his jumbled thoughts and let out a long breath. He glanced sideways at the smile on Cen Ji's lips and sighed, "So this is what it means to be happy when a misunderstanding is cleared up."
"What misunderstanding?" Cen Ji asked casually.
"The misunderstanding between you and Miss Ban."
The moment those words were spoken, He Bi clearly saw a trace of pain in Cen Ji's eyes, a pain so clear it couldn't be concealed.
Cen Ji's eyes darkened for a moment, then cleared again. He said, "I think the biggest misunderstanding is that I believed she was sincere from beginning to end."
He frowned and asked, "Could she have lied to you?"
Silent and still.
Why keep asking, "What did she lie to you about?"
"Heart."
"What did you say?" Why assume he misheard?
Cen Ji didn't give He Bi a chance to understand. He simply turned his head slightly and said to He Bi, "Do you know what 'redundant' means?"
Why not answer? Because he knew that Cen Ji already knew the answer.
“The only thing that’s superfluous is that sincere heart that’s been deceived.” After saying this, Cen Ji felt somewhat relieved. He realized that humans really are creatures prone to self-deception. There were some things he would never have said before he went blind. But now that he could no longer see everything around him, he found it easier to say things that were difficult to say.
In an instant, why should one be half-understanding and half-doubtful?
"If you say that Miss Ban is lying to you, then I really want to say that you deserve to be blind."
Cen Ji paused for a moment, then remained silent.
"When I went to Fish Eye Valley to find Miss Ban, she heard that your life was in danger and rushed to Empty Mountain Ridge with me without saying a word. Putting all that aside, she risked her life to save you multiple times. Would a liar do that?"
"I don't know why Miss Ban fell in love with you, but I have to say, if you doubt her feelings, you don't deserve her feelings!" He Bi realized that he was getting more and more agitated as he spoke, so he took a deep breath and barely managed to suppress the anger in his heart.
Cen Ji's face was dazed, as if he was recalling something or wondering about something.
"you……"
“She said it herself,” Cen Ji interrupted He Bi calmly.
"What did she say?" He Bi asked, barely able to hide his surprise.
Cen Ji repeated Ban Lan's words from that day. He spoke slowly, as if he might forget what he was going to say next at any moment. But to He Bi, every word he spoke sounded like it had been forged in painful agony.
Why listen to the whole thing? He remained silent for a long time. The courtyard was quiet as if no one was there.
"That day I brought Miss Ban to Kongshan Ridge to find you, and we ran into Miss on the way." After a long silence, He Bi said in a low voice.
Cen Ji suddenly felt that these words sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had heard them before.
"The young lady dismissed me and then left with Miss Ban." After saying this, He Bi looked at Cen Ji. He saw Cen Ji's hand, which was still on the table, trembling slightly involuntarily, and then slowly curling up as if trying to grasp something, but unable to.
He thought Cen Ji would ask something, but after a long time, he didn't say anything.
Why let out a soft sigh? He didn't actually want Cen Ji to press the matter, because he was only guessing himself. But he also didn't want Cen Ji to continue misunderstanding Ban Lan, so he pursed his lips and fell silent.
“Alright.” After a long silence, Cen Ji suddenly spoke.
"Fine?" He Bi hadn't expected his first words after a long silence to be like this, which made him quite annoyed.
The calm expression on Cen Ji's face gradually returned.
"I am married."
Those four simple words left He Bi speechless.
"She is still young, young enough to have plenty of time to meet someone better."
"Ah, I said that to her."
"when?"
"When I first met you all," He Bi's voice suddenly turned cold.
Cen Ji's expression gradually became dazed, making him impossible to fathom.
He glanced at him and continued, "Don't you want to know how she answered?"
Cen Ji lowered his eyes.
She said that what she likes is the best.
The setting sun was still warm, and the evening breeze was still gentle.
When Cen Ji looked up again, He Bi was already gone. So no one knew how long this man who had suddenly gone blind had sat quietly in this small courtyard.
Why did he leave? As he left, he felt he shouldn't have come.
When he arrived, he was thinking that when he saw Cen Ji, he would say, "You're such a pretentious fellow, how could you be lonely?"
But when he left, he suddenly realized that loneliness was nothing at all.
What's truly terrifying is unrequited love.
two,
Why feel so heavy-hearted when leaving the quiet courtyard?
He walked along the stone path with his hands behind his back. The pebbles, which he would never normally feel hurt by, were now causing him great annoyance.
But even the most troubling things can be dispelled by a sudden surprise.
He had only turned the corner when he saw Wen Moyin standing quietly by a hexagonal latticed window not far from the corner, his expression clearly indicating that he had been waiting for him for a long time.
"Sixth Brother."
"Yes." Why bother answering?
“Kongshanling recently received information from its spies that the owners of the three major brothels in Yizhou are planning to join forces with the twelve gangs in the southwest to overthrow Kongshanling’s influence in Yizhou,” Wen Moyin said.
He Bi heard this and said, "The twelve gangs in the southwest are not a threat. It's just that Old Xu, a shareholder of the three major brothels in Yizhou, only controls a part of the business in Yizhou, but his influence is quite extensive. If we forcefully eliminate him, I'm afraid it will affect the whole situation."
"So, what do you think we should do?" Wen Moyin asked, pacing back and forth slowly along the stone path with his hands behind his back.
He Bi pondered for a moment and said, "In my opinion, the reason why Elder Xu wants to eliminate Kongshanling's influence in Yizhou is mostly because Kongshanling and Elder Xu have conflicting interests. Why not send someone to investigate first, spread rumors of concessions, and sound him out?"
"And then?" Wen Moyin continued to pace back and forth slowly.
Why say, "If Elder Xu is determined to fight, then we will strike first"?
“Then tell me,” Wen Moyin suddenly stopped and turned to look at He Bi, “who should I send?”
He was about to speak when he suddenly caught sight of Wen Moyin's gaze.
He gave a wry smile, realizing that he had unwittingly pushed himself out, which was exactly what Wen Moyin wanted.
It seems that Wen Moyin had overheard his conversation with Cen Ji perfectly.
Why not take a deep breath, look up at the distant, crimson clouds, and slowly say:
"Your Highness, perhaps I should go instead."