I looked at the child again. He put down his flute and stared intently at the river. His face was slightly turned to the side, and his features were exquisite. It was actually—Ziyu!
My heart leaped with joy; it really was goodbye—we met again! Just as I was wondering if I should smile at him, he suddenly spoke, saying in a very strange and sinister tone, "You actually came."
"Huh?" What did he mean by that? And why does he look so strange?
I was stunned for a moment before I realized that Ziyu wasn't looking at me at all, but at the person behind me.
Behind me?
Behind me!
My gaze moved down from the child's face to the ground—the moonlight shone from behind me, but I couldn't see my own shadow—because it was covered by another figure.
I felt dizzy for a moment, and slowly, slowly, I turned around and finally saw the face of the person behind me—it was like a bolt from the blue!
The vast dust of the mundane world, the clear sky above, the boundless void of this life—all vanish in an instant.
I felt like I had borrowed a body to experience certain things. When I regained consciousness, I saw that the world was completely silent, and only I and the person in front of me remained.
He suddenly took a step, as if to leave. I felt a surge of anxiety and, I don't know where I got the courage, I stepped forward and grabbed his sleeve.
He turned to look at me, his eyes deep and unfathomable.
No, don't... don't look at me like that...
My heart skipped a beat, and I instinctively let go of his sleeve. It fell to the ground, longer than my skirt. How could it be so long? How could it be so long? I crouched down, trying to pick it up from the ground, but it only grew longer and heavier in my hands, almost too heavy to hold.
A soft sigh swept over me. I looked up and saw a look of compassion on his usually serene face. His gaze was full of pity and tenderness.
I was moved in an instant.
I was so easily moved; I bit my lip, my vision blurring.
“Wind Maiden…” he said, each word blossoming in the wind, exceptionally clear, “Are you happy?”
"I..." My lips moved a few times, then I lowered my eyes and said, "Why not?"
Yes, why not be happy? All those reasons to be happy unfold in my mind, grand and justified.
“Wind Maiden…” he said again, his voice as deep and slightly hoarse as when I first heard it, with a heart-pounding rhythm, like a temptation from hell, “I like you.”
I know.
Tears suddenly welled up in my eyes. I stared at his face, framed by his black clothes, and thought over and over again: Yes, I know, I know, I know you like me, I know you like me…
But do you know that I like you too?
But—so what? So what…?
I let go, and this time his sleeve fell completely to the ground. The endless blackness almost swallowed him up, leaving only a pale face with a thousand subtle expressions, yet it concealed his wrinkles and scars deeply, leaving behind a faint trace of weariness, as if he were calm and serene.
"I'm sorry," I replied, betting my twenty-one years of life on suppressing the debt of a thousand-year-old love affair and the turmoil and thunder in my heart.
The father said, "Be patient and unmoved like the earth; be deep and silent like a hidden treasure."
Feng Xiansu, have you ever done that?
I can do it! I can do it!
I stared at him and repeated the words again: "I'm sorry."
I know you like me, but that doesn't change anything, it doesn't change anything at all.
His eyes finally dimmed again, and he smiled and said, "Alright, I'm leaving now."
Go? Where to? I was just wondering when I saw him change completely, like paint being diluted by water, from dark to light.
"Bai Li Chen Feng!" I exclaimed in surprise, "What are you doing? Where are you going? What's wrong with you?"
I desperately reached out to grab his clothes, but my hand just passed right through his body. How could this be? I stared at this scene in disbelief, my heart pounding with fear!
"Chenfeng! Chenfeng!" I called his name, the first time I uttered such an intimate tone, it came out so naturally. Suddenly I burst into tears, "No, no... no! Don't go!"
His figure grew fainter and fainter, farther and farther away. I chased after him, like chasing a kite that had broken free of its string. The long string cut across my hand, and in an instant, blood gushed out.
I can't catch up! I just can't catch up! Why can't I catch up? Why!
"No, please, don't go, don't—"
After a long scream, I vaguely heard someone shaking my arm, and a voice echoing in my ears. After a while, I realized it was Yu Cui calling me: "Grand Steward! Grand Steward!"
I opened my eyes and saw the first rays of morning sunlight gently falling on the edge of the bed. Yu Cui stood at the head of the bed with a terrified look on her face: "Grand Steward, did you have a nightmare?"
Nightmare?
I stared at her, slightly dazed, feeling as if I were still immersed in the dream I had just had. Yu Cui handed me a wet wipe and said, "Chief Steward, your face is covered in sweat."
I took it blankly, and the moment the cold towel touched my skin, I flinched and instantly snapped back to reality. I reached up to wipe my forehead, and sure enough, it was covered in sweat.
Nightmare, how terrifying! I had such a nightmare!
And the dream was about Baili Chenfeng... Suddenly, I felt a piercing pain.
I took a deep breath, barely managing to suppress my emotions, and asked, "What time is it now?"
"It's just past 5 a.m."
"Hmm." I nodded casually, threw off the covers, got out of bed, and when I came downstairs after washing up, only Gong Feicui was sitting there eating breakfast. Strange, haven't Xiao Zuo and Baili Chenfeng gotten up yet?