"Brother Qu," I said, choking back tears, "when I grow up, I want to marry you. Isn't that what I said on Mount Huang?"
Qu Ling's body trembled slightly, and after a long while, she let out a long sigh, "You finally remembered. I think you must have forgotten that you made a joke when you were a child. How could you take it seriously?"
"How could I not take it seriously? I, Su Yuanyuan, always keep my word." I pouted and whispered in his ear, "If we had never met again, if we had just missed each other in this vast sea of people, then these words might have truly been forgotten. But hasn't fate brought us together again? Brother Qu, I've grown up now, have you been waiting for me all this time?"
Qu Ling didn't answer, but slowly turned her head. I felt a warmth on her slightly pouting lips as Qu Ling kissed me deeply.
The last kiss was so passive and helpless; this time, with tears in our eyes, we kissed deeply across the vow we made eleven years ago.
In the darkness, only the sound of two people's hearts pounding could be heard.
In the midst of worldly hustle and bustle, I once distanced myself from him, yet in the darkness and danger, I recklessly drew closer to him.
Simply because I truly only love his heart.
Whether he is Dean Qu or not is unimportant, whether he is Qu Ling, whose future is bleak and whose family is in decline is also unimportant.
He is my brother Qu, and always will be.
The exquisite beauty of the Cloud and Mist Valley in Beihai, Huangshan, is perhaps the very vow you cannot forget that has mysteriously drawn us together.
＊＊＊＊
Qu Ling and I were probably exhausted, and after an extremely hot and passionate kiss, we both fell asleep.
When I woke up, a few rays of light were already seeping through the crack in the door.
Qu Ling's face was still pressed against mine. At first, I thought he was still asleep, so I slowly moved our heads apart. But as soon as I moved, he opened his eyes. His dark eyes didn't have the usual sharp glint; they were misty and watery, making him look as innocent as a child.
"Yuanyuan..." Qu Ling's frowning movement aggravated the wound on the side of his head, causing his lips to twitch slightly in pain.
"Don't move!" I quickly reached out to protect his wound. "You're badly injured, you can't move around."
Qu Ling forced a smile, "I won't move. With you by my side, no injury hurts anymore."
How could it not hurt? I'm not a painkiller. Even though I knew he was lying, I couldn't suppress the sweetness in my heart.
The two of them lay there nestled together, neither wanting to move. They didn't know how much time had passed, but gradually felt the sun beginning to set again. The rumbling in my stomach broke the quiet, beautiful moment.
"Yuanyuan, are you hungry?"
"Uh... I'm alright... I'm not too hungry..." I was actually starving enough to eat a whole cow, but even if I said I was hungry now, there would be nothing to eat, so there was no need to add to Qu Ling's worries.
"Hehe, does your stomach rumble like thunder when you're not hungry?" Qu Ling gently rubbed my stomach.
"Ouch! It's so itchy!" I giggled and curled up into a ball.
"Yuanyuan, if no one finds us and we're stuck here forever, aren't you scared?" Qu Ling suddenly asked.
I stopped laughing and looked at him quietly. "Don't be afraid, at least you're with me."
Qu Ling cupped my face and murmured, "Look how thin you've become! Your round face has turned into a pointy one. It's all my fault!"
"I do! My long-held wish has finally come true, isn't that wonderful?"
"No." Qu Ling pinched my chin tenderly and said, "I like your round face, round eyes, round mouth, round thoughts, and round happiness. That's the Su Yuanyuan in my heart."
"Really?" I was overjoyed that someone actually liked me when I was chubby.
"Really. I'm going to raise you back to be my Yuanyuan."
"Dean..." I was so moved I almost cried again, "Then you'll give me braised pork and big meat buns, right?"
I actually want to eat it right now!
"I'll buy you whatever you want to eat." Qu Ling solemnly made his vow to me, a vow he would remember for the rest of his life.
"Hehe, okay, if we go out, I'll buy ten big meat buns to eat first!" My mouth waters just thinking about meat buns. To be honest, I, Su Yuanyuan, love to eat, but I don't love fancy things. A small meat bun can satisfy all my desires.
"When we get old, let's open a steamed bun shop and steam lots and lots of meat buns every day. You can eat as many as you want, okay?"
"Really!" I exclaimed excitedly, almost jumping for joy. "A meat bun shop! My ultimate dream!"
Although Qu Ling was pale from blood loss, she smiled happily and brightly.
"How about we call it Yuanyuan Steamed Bun Shop? We can keep two little dogs in the shop, as cute as Xizi, and they can perform the 'meat buns thrown at the dogs never to return' act every day." Qu Ling seemed to be immersed in the fantasy of that steamed bun shop.
I swallowed hard, staring at the cold ceiling, and said, "If we can get out..."
Qu Ling gently pulled my head into her arms and sighed, "Don't worry, even if I go to the underworld and drink the Meng Po soup, I will never forget that I still owe you a steamed bun shop."
"Dean..." I pressed my finger against the spot where his heart beat. A sense of peace and tranquility washed over me. Even if the world were to end in this little house, I would be happy.
Happiness, once captured in a single moment, is already eternal.
We held each other tightly, warming each other with our body heat, waiting desperately yet sweetly for the night to fall again.
Just as I was drifting off to sleep, the door was suddenly flung open, and a familiar voice rang out from the doorway.
"Su Yuanyuan!"
With my last bit of strength, I lifted my head, glared at the person at the door, and called out, "Su Tiantian?"
Author's Note: A belated update...
Today, a certain fish has grown another year older.
I ate chicken noodle soup made by my mother-in-law and a cake bought by someone; it was a warm and happy winter day.
Time may take away youth, but it leaves behind unshakable emotions and happiness.