Luzhou Moon - Chapter 120
She sat motionless in the darkness like a clay statue, not even noticing when Jun Chu left. It wasn't until the wooden door was blown against the wall by a strong wind, making a "bang" and bouncing back, that she was startled from her daze.
The place was empty; Lian Junchu was no longer there.
Yue Ruzheng was startled, then suddenly jumped up like a madwoman, flung open the wooden door, and rushed into the courtyard. She looked around frantically and immediately spotted Lian Junchu walking into the peach grove. She ran after him like the wind, grabbing his clothes tightly.
Lian Junchu struggled to turn to the side, gritting his teeth as he asked, "What exactly do you want?"
"I won't let you leave!" Yue Ruzheng cried as she hugged his waist and nestled against his shoulder.
"Will this work?! Yue Ruzheng!" Lian Junchu's breathing was a little unsteady. He suddenly used his shoulder to ram her fiercely, trying to force her back. But Yue Ruzheng refused to let go, and even when she was hit by the sharp thorns under his clothes, she seemed to feel no pain.
Lian Junchu struggled a few times, staggering as he went. He buried his head in dejection, breathing heavily.
Yue Ruzheng leaned against him, sobbing, "Why do you always have to leave? Is it because I was always the one who left you before, and now you just want to make me sad and leave me alone forever?!"
Lian Junchu kept his head down and remained silent.
"Now that you're gone, I'll never find you again, will I?" she cried to herself. "Can't you believe me? Have you forgotten all the happy times we shared?"
"What's the point of remembering? What's the point of forgetting?" Lian Jun Chu never looked up, making his expression unreadable, but Yue Ru Zheng felt his body trembling slightly. He seemed to be breathing heavily, continuing cruelly, "I just always remember that every time you were with me, you cried! Yue Ru Zheng, let go... I can't take care of you, it was like that before, and it's still like that now!"
"I never need anyone to take care of me! Did you hear something from someone else again?! Why do you always take other people's words to heart?!" Yue Ruzheng gripped his clothes, fiercely pulled him back, and hissed at him.
His eyes reddened, and he suddenly burst into a desperate shout: "I don't want to watch you get hurt because of me anymore! This has nothing to do with other people's gossip, it's just that I don't want to! Do you understand? Do you understand?!"
Yue Ruzheng was stunned by his roar, standing frozen in place for a moment. Lian Junchu struggled, trying to use the momentum to leave, but in that instant, Yue Ruzheng suddenly snapped out of her daze, hysterically kicking him, then clinging tightly to his shoulders, trembling as she cried out, "You won't leave! You won't leave!"
"Let go!" Lian Junchu lost his composure and charged forward with all his might, but he did not expect that Yue Ruzheng's hands were tightly gripping the weapons on his arms. With this force, the two sharp swords were actually thrust out, gleaming coldly at the cuffs of his sleeves.
Upon seeing the pair of short swords, Yue Ruzheng's hands involuntarily began to slide down Lian Junchu's shoulders. Seeing that she was already acting like a madwoman, Lian Junchu panicked and, unable to retract the swords in time, could only struggle to break free from her.
But the more he acted this way, the more Yue Ruzheng felt that he was about to leave her forever. She felt utterly hopeless and desperately grabbed the two swords on his arm, intending to stab herself with them.
"Are you crazy!" Lian Junchu exclaimed, hastily hooking his leg around her ankle. Taking advantage of Yue Ruzheng's stagger, he leaned back and sheathed his twin swords. But this caused them both to fall to the ground almost simultaneously. Lian Junchu knelt down and saw Yue Ruzheng lying on the ground, her hands covering her face, her body trembling. He staggered to his feet, lifted his sleeve, and saw that her right hand was covered in snow.
"Get up!" Lian Junchu knelt on the ground, using his knee to push her down. "Yue Ruzheng! Do you want me to die here?!"
Yue Ruzheng suddenly rolled over and kicked him hard with both feet. Lian Junchu lost his balance and fell on top of her. He frowned, biting the clothes on Yue Ruzheng's shoulder, knowing it was futile, but still trying his best to pull them up.
Yue Ruzheng curled up on the ground, watching him so close yet only able to vent his anger in this way. Her heart ached as if it were being torn apart. She hugged his shoulder, turned to the side, and fell face to face with him under the peach tree.
"I don't want you to die, I just want to be with you!" She reached out her bloodstained hand and hugged his cheek tightly.
"Don't hug me! They're all thorns!" he cried out sadly.
"I don't care!" Yue Ruzheng said, hugging him with all her might and burying her face in his chest.
Lian Junchu's heart was pounding. He wanted to hold his breath and stop the rapid heartbeat for a moment, but he had no choice in the matter.
He suppressed a sob and turned away from them, saying, "Yue Ruzheng, I don't need anyone's sympathy, understand?"
Yue Ruzheng looked directly into his eyes and said seriously, "I knew that three years ago."
"Then why do you keep chasing me?!" His voice trembled and was hoarse. "I'm not running away, I've just figured things out, and I'm going to give you a way out! Don't think I'm pathetic, and I don't want to be someone who only cares about themselves!"
Yue Ruzheng pursed her lips, gazing at him for a long time, then suddenly couldn't help but say in a sorrowful voice, "Who said I pity you? I just feel sorry for you! I feel sorry for you, Xiao Tang!"
Lian Junchu's body trembled, then he tightly closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and refused to utter another word.
"Little Tang, Little Tang!" Yue Ruzheng shook him desperately, but he still refused to open his eyes. His body was trembling uncontrollably, and Yue Ruzheng's tears fell onto his thin face and slowly slid down.
At the same time, Yue Ruzheng lowered her head and pressed her cool lips close to his.
Lian Junchu opened his eyes in shock, tears still lingering in them. She, however, kept her eyes tightly shut, her breath warm and rapid as it brushed against his cheek.
Tears streaming down her face, Yue Ruzheng kissed the man who seemed no longer familiar to her. She dared not open her eyes, for she was afraid—afraid to see his cold gaze and aloof expression. But he remained unresponsive, as if even such a tender kiss could no longer rouse him.
Even so, she refused to give up. He didn't respond, so she kept kissing him. Salty tears dripped from Yue Ruzheng's eyes, flowing down her cheeks and onto Lian Junchu's lips.
This feeling suddenly reminded him of that night three years ago, when he sat dejectedly in the darkness, cursing himself almost self-destructively, all for that seemingly outrageous visit. Then, Yue Ruzheng embraced him in the same way, calming him for the first time with gentle lips. Her tears rolled down to his lips, the slightly salty taste lingering between them…
He vividly remembered Yue Ruzheng's later look of loss and unease, and then how she hugged him tightly, repeatedly saying, "Xiao Tang, Xiao Tang. I like you, I like you..." It was also the first time he had said, "I like you, Ruzheng." He smiled happily; it was the first time someone had spoken to him like that, the first time someone had held him so tenderly...
Lian Junchu's heart felt as if it had been struck by something, and it suddenly contracted. This feeling had been far, far away from him for far too long.
The north wind was biting, and snow was falling in a flurry.
Yue Ruzheng's hands were already frozen, but she still held him tightly. Her lips were also icy cold and she could hardly feel them, but she still kissed him persistently.
With her last shred of hope, she bit him fiercely. Although her eyes were closed, she could feel that he seemed to be trying to turn his face away to avoid her attack.
Yue Ruzheng, filled with despair, opened her eyes trembling, only to find herself facing his deep, clear eyes. He glanced at her, then suddenly tilted his head back and bit her lip.
She shuddered, her arms, which had been supporting her on the ground, lost their strength, and she fell onto him. Lian Junchu braced himself against the peach tree trunk, propped himself up, lifted his leg to press her feet down, and pressed her tightly against his heart.
Yue Ruzheng finally mustered her courage, reached out and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, repeatedly murmuring between breaths, "Little Tang, Little Tang, Little Tang..."
Lian Junchu stared at her, his breath catching in his throat, before he bit her lip hard again.
In the cold wind and light snow, the two did not share a passionate kiss, but instead engaged in a battle of lip and teeth, both wincing in pain, yet neither willing to let go.
Chapter Seventy-Six
Exhausted, neither of them knew who stopped biting first. Both of them collapsed on the cold, wet ground, panting heavily.
Yue Ruzheng remained nestled against his chest, tightly embracing his waist and clutching his clothes, refusing to yield an inch. Lian Junchu was utterly exhausted. He closed his eyes and lay down for a while. Fine snowflakes drifted down onto his cheeks. Yue Ruzheng reached out her uninjured hand and gently wiped away the water droplets left by the melting snowflakes.
He opened his eyes and tried to lift his legs to sit up, but Yue Ruzheng wouldn't budge, pressing him down so he couldn't get up.