Luzhou Moon - Chapter 148
Even Lian Junxin was intimidated by his unusual silence. She muttered about it a few times behind his back, but then simply stopped caring.
He resumed his daily routine of sitting by the sea in a daze. Sunrise and sunset, tides rising and falling. The clouds on the horizon seemed so heavy they wouldn't dissipate, and he would gaze at them day after day, as if he could find some answer in them.
Chongming had proposed marriage to Danfeng before, but Danfeng had been hesitant. Now, seeing the young master's state, she was even more disheartened. Lian Junxin cursed her, "You're still thinking about Lian Junchu?"
Danfeng had never told anyone her thoughts, and when the Second Miss said that, she was so frightened that she waved her hands repeatedly, afraid that she had overstepped the rules.
"That's good." Lian Junxin sighed and said softly, "You should find someone you like and marry as soon as possible. Even if Yue Ruzheng and he are not destined for each other, he won't fall in love with anyone else."
Danfeng's mood also dropped. After returning to her room and thinking it over, she made a promise with Chongming that she would only be willing to get married once the young master had recovered his senses.
"Why is this?!" Chongming was somewhat surprised, but still felt uneasy.
"He's so depressed right now, wouldn't it make him even more miserable if I got married at this time? You really have no brains..." Danfeng said, glancing at Chongming with dissatisfaction as she embroidered.
Chongming sighed, "Then I can only hope that the young master will come to his senses soon!"
Although this was merely an agreement between them, many people on the island knew that Chongming had feelings for Danfeng. Seeing that their relationship was growing closer, yet they never mentioned marriage, they couldn't help but secretly inquire. Thus, Danfeng's words quietly spread, eventually reaching the ears of Lian Junxin.
Since leaving Huangshan, she had never seen Wei Heng again, and even hardened her heart to stop inquiring about the Wei family. Now, with Danfeng and Chongming's engagement on the island, she couldn't help but feel a pang of bitterness. Her prime years were about to pass, and everyone else was in pairs, so why was she destined to be alone? Was the dignified Second Miss Lian destined to grow old alone? But the men in this world were either mediocre or womanizers, and few could meet her standards.
She had finally come to believe that Wei Heng was a worthy match for her, only to find out that he was a heartless and uninterested person.
Lian Junxin became increasingly angry as she thought about it, so she packed her things and decided to go off the island to clear her head.
...
Before boarding the ship, she saw Lian Junchu on the beach.
It was afternoon, and the sunlight, like gold dust, sprinkled across the sea, shimmering and sparkling endlessly. Lian Junchu sat beneath that high cliff, her blue robes fluttering slightly, her eyes remaining as calm and still as a deep pool.
"Hey, I'm going out for a bit. Keep an eye on things on the island!" Lian Junxin didn't really want to talk to him, but as she approached the boat, she still gave him a few words of advice as if she was worried.
Lian Junchu glanced at her slowly, "You want to go see Wei Heng again?"
Lian Junxin's face paled slightly, but she forced a smile and retorted, "What's it to you?"
For some reason, Lian Junchu felt a pang of sympathy for her. He turned his head and said, "I think you shouldn't waste your energy anymore."
She had always been aloof and superior, but now, after his words, she seemed quite pitiful, which made her resentful. "Lian Junchu, you don't even know what I want to do, so why do you say I'm wasting my energy?"
"You know it's impossible, yet you still insist on doing it. Isn't that a waste of energy?" He really didn't want to see her clinging to him like a madwoman anymore, so he wanted to take this opportunity to completely dispel her idea and give Wei Heng some peace and quiet.
Lian Junxin proudly raised her face, leaped onto the rocks by the sea, and raised her arms, saying, "Are you envious of me? I have plenty of energy and time; I can do whatever I want without considering the consequences. Unlike you, always hesitant and fearful. First, you and Yue Ruzheng wasted three years of your lives, saying you'd never see each other again, yet you ended up clinging to each other. Now you've come back alone, dejected. You don't want to say, but I can guess you've run into some trouble. You two almost wanted to cry your hearts out and commit suicide, but you clearly couldn't let go, so you're still hung up on each other. You think you're deeply in love, but to me, you're just creating trouble for yourselves!"
Lian Junchu stared at her in astonishment.
A sea breeze blew by, and Lian Junxin's face carried a mocking expression, her eyes bright and spirited, just as she herself had said, possessing inexhaustible energy.
But he didn't want to argue with her, much less tell her the truth. Just as he was about to turn and leave, Lian Junxin couldn't help but shout, "I hate your silent nature the most! It's one thing for you to waste time, but are you going to drag others down with you too?"
Lian Junchu stopped in her tracks, suppressing her anger, and said, "I had no intention of dragging anyone down. I already told Ruzheng that I would see her again after some time!"
"I see..." Lian Junxin feigned sudden realization, then suddenly smiled and said, "But do you know that I wasn't actually talking about Yue Ruzheng?"
Lian Junchu paused, then leaped down from the rock and said, "Danfeng was already planning to marry Chongming, but seeing you so downcast, she was afraid you'd be reminded of your troubles, so she's been waiting. If I hadn't said anything, would you have ruined her life and made her an old maid?"
Lian Junchu was very disappointed. These days, he had been thinking about Yue Ruzheng and was indifferent to the people around him. He was unaware of this important matter.
"I think you should hurry up and talk to Danfeng, and tell her not to do anything foolish." After saying this, Lian Junxin ordered her subordinates to set off immediately.
With the sails billowing high, Lian Junxin stood at the bow, heading towards the unknown future.
Lian Junchu found Danfeng and Chongming, who initially refused to admit it, but later stammered out their thoughts. Looking at their embarrassed expressions, Lian Junchu felt deeply ashamed.
"Don't worry about that, I'm not that upset." He deliberately softened his expression and tried to comfort them instead.
Danfeng blushed and said, "Young Master, I've always wanted to ask, but I haven't dared to..."
"Yes, after so much has happened, we thought you two could finally be together." Chongming took this opportunity to express his feelings.
Lian Junchu paused for a moment, unsure how to explain, and could only manage a forced smile.
As he turned to leave, Danfeng mustered her courage and asked from behind, "Won't Miss Yue come back?"
His steps halted, for that name was indeed deeply etched in his heart, lingering endlessly, impossible to let go of.
More than a month has passed since he returned to Seven Star Island. He still remembers Yue Ruzheng's appearance when he left Chicheng Mountain. Her expression was unusually calm. The girl who used to cry easily seemed to have become a different person overnight.
He promised her he would go back to her.
Although he didn't know what would happen to her during their temporary separation, nor what decision he would make, he couldn't just walk away, so he made that seemingly useless promise.
After returning, he also asked himself these questions.
--Lian Junchu, what should you do? You can't kill her, and you can't let her go. How do you plan to face Mingyu, and how should you face Ruzheng?
He knew that Ru Zheng wouldn't abandon the already insane Ming Yu to go with him. Even without Ming Yu, given Ru Zheng's personality, she couldn't possibly pretend nothing had happened and return with him as before.
What else can we do...?
Lian Junchu didn't know the answer, but he felt he couldn't waste any more time like this, at least not delay others any longer. Chongming and the others were taking care of the affairs on the island. He told them that this was the last time he would leave for personal matters, and no matter the outcome, he would give them an explanation after everything was resolved.
Yinglong sailed away from Seven Star Island with him. After setting foot on land, he headed directly towards Mount Chicheng. Traveling day and night without stopping, he returned to that ancient and tranquil land in just a few days.
He left Yinglong at the foot of the mountain and set off alone on the road to Qiongtan.
When he went up the mountain, Lian Junchu didn't think about anything. He just felt that he should come and see the girl who was alone on Chicheng Mountain. Whether she was willing to go back with him or not, he had to see her one last time.