Because when he thinks of Ban Lan, all he wants to see is Ban Lan.
After a long pause, Cen Ji said calmly, "She lied to me, that's not important. What's important is that I can't lie to myself." If he keeps deceiving himself, there will eventually be no one left who can make him raise his eyebrows and smile when he looks at them.
Wen Moyin slowly clenched her hands, her nails digging into her palms little by little.
"Seventh Brother, don't forget, I am your only wife."
Just one word made Cen Ji shake so hard he almost lost his balance. It seemed as if only now he remembered that he had married a wife, Wen Moyin.
He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the chaotic and gloomy sorrow from before was gone.
He coughed, but his stomach was still churning, and his breath was full of bitterness.
He glanced one last time at the spot where Ban Lan had disappeared, then slowly turned to the side, his gaze finally settling on Wen Moyin's beautiful features. After a long while, he said, "Let's go back."
In the instant he turned around, he suddenly felt that there were too many things in the world that could not be undone, such as the passing of time, the withered fallen petals, and the past that he and Banlan shared.
two,
After passing the front hall and the east wing, Cen Ji habitually turned left.
He had walked this monotonous route for over a decade, a route he had always assumed he would repeat for the rest of his life. So when he walked once again on his most familiar path, he completely forgot that there was another person beside him.
As soon as he turned left, Cen Ji suddenly felt his left wrist tighten and be firmly held. He instinctively reached for the dagger at his waist.
"Seventh Brother, what are you thinking about?" Wen Moyin's voice rang out from beside my ear.
Cen Ji was startled and pulled his right hand away from the dagger, saying, "I thought..."
"You thought they were assassins?" Wen Moyin still held Cen Ji's left wrist and said, "Seventh Brother, should I say you're too vigilant, or too absent-minded?"
Cen Ji did not answer. He felt Wen Moyin's hand, which was holding his wrist, slowly sliding down until it enveloped his slightly rough palm.
Cen Ji was stunned. For some reason, his left palm, which was wrapped up, did not get warmer; instead, it grew colder and colder.
Wen Moyin frowned slightly, then smiled and said, "Seventh Brother, have you forgotten that you're no longer alone? How could your old place possibly fit both of us?"
Before Cen Ji could react, Wen Moyin pulled him and walked in the opposite direction.
Before long, Cen Ji was led to the door of the largest wing room in the west courtyard. Wen Moyin stepped forward, pushed open the door, and pulled Cen Ji inside.
The sky had darkened, and the furnishings inside the house were shrouded in shadow.
Wen Moyin slowly lit the candles and turned to look at Cen Ji.
Cen Ji stared in astonishment at what lay before him: flickering red candles and high-hanging red curtains. The overwhelming festive atmosphere in the room made Cen Ji unconsciously squint.
“You…” Cen Ji’s throat tightened.
“You’ve forgotten, we’re husband and wife.” Wen Moyin said slowly, “Shouldn’t husband and wife live together and sleep in the same bed?” As she spoke, she turned around and loosened her clothes very naturally.
"I lifted the veil myself, I was the one who stayed by my side in the bridal chamber that night, and now I have to take off my own clothes. Seventh Brother, what else do you want me to do?"
Cen Ji wanted to explain, but found that he had nothing else to say except for a simple "I'm sorry".
While she was hesitating, Wen Moyin had already taken off most of her clothes, leaving only a light gauze-made close-fitting underwear.
She turned around, revealing her perfect body to Cen Ji.
If a stunningly beautiful woman undresses in front of another person and the other person doesn't react at all, then that person, if not blind, must be a woman.
But Cen Ji was neither blind nor a woman; he was a man through and through.
So when Wen Moyin turned around, he felt his body temperature rising uncontrollably.
Wen Moyin stepped forward, stood on tiptoe, and gently hooked her arm around his neck, saying, "Seventh Brother, I am your wife."
She spoke very seriously. Because she truly wanted to be his wife.
She loves this man. She's willing to do anything for him.
The subtle fragrance emanating from Wen Moyin gradually enveloped the only clarity in Cen Ji's mind.
He suddenly reached out and pulled her into his arms, his slightly rough hands stroking her cool back, causing her to tremble spasmodically. Like a slippery fish, she clung tightly to his body, occasionally wriggling her soft, fragrant body in his embrace.
He felt his breath being scorched and ignited by her, and the heat within him surged wave after wave.
He gradually tightened his arms around her and, in a moment of confusion, kissed her cheek.
Wen Moyin gasped softly as his iron arms gripped her tightly, and the red candles flickered with a passionate light.
He began to feel dizzy, a kind of tipsy dizziness. It was like... like that hazy feeling he had after being forced to drink a whole jar of wine on some unknown night by an unnamed lake.
That night felt so distant... so distant that he had forgotten who he had drunkenly collapsed at, who had kicked him into the lake, and who had tilted their head and put their hands on their hips, asking: "Still dizzy, Cen Qi?"
Are you still dizzy, Cen Qi?
Suddenly, Cen Ji jolted awake, abruptly shoved Wen Moyin away, and then looked around in a panic.
Wen Moyin's expression changed drastically, but she managed to maintain her composure and asked softly, "What's wrong?"
Cen Ji seemed not to hear him. He stumbled to the window, then wandered unsteadily around the room again and again.
No, there's nothing at all. It was an illusion, that mention of "Cen Qi" was an illusion!
Cen Ji felt a sudden, inexplicable despair.
He wanted to wail, but his throat was dry; he wanted to run, but he was too weak to take a step; he reached out to try to grasp something, but each time he only grasped emptiness.
"Seventh Brother, Seventh Brother, what's wrong?" Wen Moyin walked over and tried to cup Cen Ji's face in her hands.
In a daze, Cen Ji felt a fragrance like orchids growing stronger and stronger, forcing him to retreat.
His eyes were wide open, and everything in front of him blurred into a blur. The crimson light in the room swayed back and forth, gradually weaving into a crimson figure.
He suddenly smiled. That smile was like a flower blooming from a crack in the rock, blossoming with a tenderness that was hard to bear amidst the coldness.
Suddenly, everything went black before his eyes, and he fell straight backward. The smile on his lips vanished like a shooting star.
Provocation
Ban Lan said that the hot pot with two broths at the restaurant on New Year's Eve is the most delicious.
Ban Lan said this for eight years, or rather, Ban Lan said this to Fang Huo for eight years.
Fang Huo asked Ban Lan how she knew that mixed hot pot was the best.
Ban Lan said that once when she was being chased all over the street by some thugs, she passed by the New Year's Eve Restaurant and smelled the aroma coming from inside.
Fang Huo then asked, "How did you know that the aroma was from a mixed hot pot?"
Ban Lan said it was because she happened to hear the waiter call out, "Sir, your hot pot with two broths is ready, please enjoy," as she ran over.
Fang Huo suddenly realized and said "Oh," and then said, "When you have time, you can treat us to some fresh food."
Ban Lan put his arm around Fang Huo's shoulder without hesitation and said that it was no problem. Once I found the carved bamboo fan that my second senior brother had hidden and sold it, I would treat you to a feast at the New Year's Eve Restaurant!
Ban Lan ultimately couldn't treat everyone to the meal, because Fang Huo paid for it.
Fang Huo poked at the food on his plate and said, "Hey, I'm here to treat my senior sister to a meal, not to treat my sullen face to a meal."
Ban Lan paused slightly as she was picking up food with her chopsticks, then changed direction, picked up a piece of fatty, juicy braised pork, and with a flick of her wrist, the white slice of meat fell straight into Fang Huo's bowl.
"You!" Fang Huo dodged to the side, avoiding the splashing oil, and shouted angrily, "What are you doing?"
Ban Lan said, "I'll shut you up."
Fang Huo was very dissatisfied and said, "If you weren't in a bad mood, I wouldn't have invited you to a restaurant!"
Ban Lan slammed her chopsticks on the table with a "bang," glared at Fang Huo, and said, "Who's in a bad mood? What's wrong with me?"
Fang Huo coughed incessantly, and a lot of the water he had just drunk came out of his nose.
He pointed at Ban Lan with a provocative look, coughing as he said, "You... cough cough... this look... how does it seem like you're in a good mood?"
"Moreover," Fang Huo said, catching his breath and pointing to the tempting mixed hot pot on the table, "From the moment this dish was served, I said, 'The bamboo shoots are delicious, you should try them,' and you kept absentmindedly picking up bamboo shoots. When I said, 'The red peppers are too spicy, don't eat them,' you started absentmindedly picking up only the red peppers!"
Ban Lan frowned and muttered, "Damn it, no wonder it's so spicy."
Fang Huo rolled his eyes at her and said, "This meal was really awful!"
Just as Ban Lan was about to reply, three people suddenly entered the restaurant.
There was nothing unusual about the three people who came in; the restaurant saw countless customers every day, and no one remembered who came and went. However, the three who entered spoke very loudly, as if they were afraid no one would know they were there.
They ordered food and drinks as soon as they came in, and started talking loudly as soon as they sat down.
Ban Lan looked at the three people, but they didn't notice her at all. From the moment they came in until they sat down, they hadn't even glanced at anyone else.
Ban Lan glanced at the three of them indifferently.
She had seen these three people before, and not long ago at that.
The old man with white beard and sparse eyebrows in the middle is the sect leader Qi who questioned her the day before yesterday at Kongshan Ridge. The burly man with a bushy beard on the left and the yellow-faced boy on the right are his disciples.
Ban Lan intentionally or unintentionally stirred the food in the dish, turning what was originally a refreshing and pleasant plate of stir-fried water bamboo into a mess with her chopsticks.
"Waaah..." Fang Huo let out a mournful cry, unable to eat anymore.
"Master, do you think what Ban Lan said is true?" The burly man with a thick beard spoke in an unusually loud voice, which almost made Fang Huo jump up.
"Are you talking about me?" Fang Huo asked in a low voice.
Ban Lan did not answer, but continued to listen attentively.
"In my opinion, those are all just excuses," Sect Leader Qi sneered. "I never thought that the arrogant Wen Moyin would be betrayed by her own husband. Haha!"
The sallow-faced boy chuckled twice in agreement, then said, "How could Master tell that Ban Lan had already taken a liking to that boy surnamed Cen?"
Sect Leader Qi turned his head and glanced at the sallow-faced youth, saying, "You'll understand when you find someone you like in the future."
The sallow-faced youth raised an eyebrow, about to speak, when the burly man with a thick beard interrupted, "Junior Brother Zhou, don't marry a wild girl like Ban Lan in the future, otherwise people in the martial arts world will say you can't manage your wife well, and you'll lose face!"