Половины жизни, посвященной музыке и макияжу

Глава 126

It's still early, and I haven't fully detached myself from this article yet, so I can't make an objective and rational judgment about it.

But I did benefit from it, both in all aspects of writing and in the transformation of my personal mindset and emotions.

I have many stories and plans in my heart that I want to put into writing, but I'm not sure if I can stick to them all the way.

When I finished this story, I didn't immediately feel the same sense of relief, joy, and reluctance I felt when I finished the previous one.

Because I felt disappointed, sad, and doubtful about it.

But tonight, when I calmed down and thought about the plots I had written before, I really felt that it was hard to let go of them.

At the beginning of this story, I only loved Xiao Duan, but by the end, I realized that even Zhou Yufei had his endearing qualities.

And because of this gradually emerging reluctance, I felt even more guilty, deeply feeling that I had not written well enough and had failed the characters I had created.

Lately, I often feel powerless and sometimes feel lost. Perhaps it's because my period is approaching, but I always feel down for no reason.

I began to question myself and several of my articles, unsure whether I was truly suited to continue writing.

But I can assure you that I will be responsible to my readers; I won't abandon the story or leave it with a bad ending.

Once an article is started, I will diligently write it to the end. I believe that is enough for the readers.

Finally, thank you all for keeping me company this far.

2010-12-06 22:58

110

Side Story 1: Looking Back Suddenly...

In March in Jiangnan, a riot of flowers blooms on the trees, and the warbling of orioles fills the air.

Holding a wine cup, he walked slowly, concealing his unsteady steps. Looking around, the entire manor was shrouded in a festive red hue. Not far away, two scarlet gauze lanterns swayed gently in the night breeze. Under the window adorned with large red paper-cut decorations, a group of people, led by Xiao Changqing and Zhan Huan, chuckled, but then gasped in unison.

Zhou Yufei strode forward and saw Zhan Huan about to kick the door shut. He quickly turned around and blocked him, instantly sobering up a bit: "Brother Zhan, what are you doing?" It's the newlyweds' wedding night. It's fine for a group of people to have some fun and peek through the window, but there's no reason to kick down their door.

Zhan Huan chuckled and pushed Zhou Yufei aside, then raised an eyebrow at him and said, "You'll see clearly later."

Zhou Yufei frowned, turned around, and blocked the doorway again: "Brother Zhan, you can't do this kind of thing recklessly!"

Zhan Huan wasn't angry; he just smiled at him. Xiao Changqing, however, couldn't contain himself and grabbed Zhou Yufei's shoulder, shoving him aside. "Hey, what are you doing, making things worse! What's the matter if she's gone? Let's go in and see what's going on!" He wrinkled his nose and muttered under his breath, "That girl, I wonder if she left a message. She just slipped away without a word. That brat has corrupted her..."

Before Zhou Yufei could react, the men beside him had already kicked the door open. A faint scent of sandalwood wafted through the air, several gauze lamps and red candles flickered, peanuts and red dates were scattered on the bed, and two bright red suits lay neatly to one side, topped with a pale yellow envelope. Zhan Huan chuckled softly, hands behind his back, "Just as I thought! This brat, he's really got his guard up in his own backyard!"

As she spoke, she opened the letter, but her brows furrowed more and more. By the end, her expression had changed drastically. Just as she lifted her foot to leave, she heard a familiar voice outside the door: "With the door wide open like this, I might get the wrong idea. Did that boy call off the engagement at the last minute, leaving you alone in your room, Luo'er?"

Everyone in the room twitched at the corner of their mouths. Qingzi rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, "Master was right when he said this person always misuses words. He hasn't improved at all in all these years!"

As they were talking, Li Linke had already rushed into the room, fiddling with something in one hand. He glanced at the bed, clicked his tongue, and sighed, "I'm a step too late! This kid has really learned his lesson..." His words were filled with regret, and his usually unruly face was tinged with sadness.

Zhan Huan, clutching his folding fan, gave a slight bow and asked politely, "Are you surnamed Li?"

Li Lingge narrowed his eyes and said slowly, "I am."

Zhan Huan smiled slightly: "Then that's right. My younger brother left a letter instructing me that if a young master surnamed Li comes, he must be treated well, which can be considered as doing my part for the court."

As they spoke, Li Lingke's expression changed three times in a row. Finally, he burst out laughing and waved his hand. A piece of purplish-red jade flew towards Zhou Yufei, who quickly reached out and grabbed it tightly: "This was originally meant to be a wedding gift for Luo'er. Since she's not here, it's the same as giving it to you."

As he spoke, he took out a flat wooden box from his pocket, walked to the table and put it down. Without saying a word of farewell, he strode out.

Immediately afterward, a sharp shout rang out in the courtyard, followed by the sounds of fighting. Everyone recognized Xiao Yiyi's voice and rushed out to stop them. Zhou Yufei walked at the back, examining the long, rectangular jade stone in his palm by the dim lamplight. It was a deep purple color, shaped like a sheng (a type of reed pipe), and although incomplete, it was clearly another token of the Seven Sheng Sect. He wondered where this person had gotten it from, bringing it to see Duan Chen with such a thing; it was clearly an attempt to disrupt their wedding night. If the two hadn't left by now, Duan Chen might have been led astray!

Zhou Yufei smiled and raised the corners of his lips. Xingzhi, that kid, is quite the schemer!

Rushing out of the room, they saw Xiao Yiyi, dressed in red, standing in a corner of the courtyard with a slightly cold expression. The other two, both dressed in blue, one in dark and one in light, were fighting fiercely. They were Li Linke and Liu Yichen. Zhan Ye and Zhao Ting had also followed, standing at the entrance of the courtyard, their expressions inscrutable.

Zhou Yufei smiled, tucked the jade into his pocket, and turned to walk in another direction. Reaching the moon gate, he glanced back at the still-lit bridal chamber, his eyes revealing a faint desolation, like peach blossoms falling in the wind. Though still beautiful, she possessed a newfound composure, as if she had experienced the vicissitudes of life. Turning around, he saw a woman in light green standing calmly before him. The scars on her face were much lighter than before, and her features were even more beautiful. It was none other than Lü Miao, whom they had encountered in Bitter Water Town earlier.

The two met eyes for a moment, then Green Mist nodded slightly and greeted, "Lord Zhou."

Zhou Yufei returned a slight smile: "You've come too."

Green Mist smiled politely and explained softly, "I was at Mulian Mountain with Master Xiao, looking after the children. Now that Duan Chen and Young Master Zhan are getting married, I brought them all here." She then glanced at the courtyard where the fight was raging: "What's going on?"

Zhou Yufei also turned to look back inside, a smile on his lips: "Xingzhi and Duan Chen have already slipped away. These people couldn't make a scene in the bridal chamber, and with all that old stuff going on, they started fighting."

Zhou Yufei's words were brief, and Lü Miao, not one to join in the fun, nodded in understanding and turned to leave. Zhou Yufei glanced at the empty wine cup in his hand. In the hazy night, he felt a strange sense of familiarity with the figure, as if many years ago, on a certain night, he had stood by the window, quietly watching the graceful figure disappear into the distance. In a moment of reverie, the name he had never uttered before slipped from his hand like the white porcelain wine cup, and came out without hesitation: "Chen'er."

Lu Miao hadn't gone far, and being a martial artist, she heard the soft call clearly as porcelain shards shattered behind her. Her body stiffened, and her steps faltered. Zhou Yufei, however, had already regained his senses, smiling as he stepped forward and invited loudly, "Would you like to go to the front hall for a few more drinks?"

Green Mist looked at the person's smiling profile, frowned, but remained silent.

The two figures walked away one after the other, yet they seemed remarkably harmonious.

...

In the darkness, Zhou Yufei suddenly opened his eyes, his breathing becoming somewhat rapid. Someone reached out to him, their voice softening to comfort him: "It's alright, it was just a dream."

Zhou Yufei closed his eyes, raised his hand to grasp that soft warmth, and replied in a hoarse voice, "Yes, it was just a dream."

In his dream, he caught that pink figure just in time, holding her tightly in his arms. He babbled incoherently, whispering sweet nothings, while pressing her down on the bed, tenderly caressing her. With each uncontrollable, intense thrust, a glistening tear welled in the other's eye, slowly sliding down the alluring vermilion dot. Her pale pink lips parted slightly, but her phoenix eyes remained cold and indifferent, watching him with a detached expression…

It was just a dream.

The person next to me was breathing calmly, as if asleep. After a while, they suddenly asked softly, "Did you dream about her?"

Zhou Yufei kept his eyes closed, his lips always slightly curved, his thick eyelashes concealing a desolate and barren landscape that even he himself could not see: "No."

He let out a soft breath, his body gradually warming up, before continuing, "It's someone else."

The person beside him smiled slightly, gently moving the hand he had been holding, and patted his cheek, saying, "Who did you dream about this time, the first woman you ever liked?"

His heart, which had just resumed its normal beating, suddenly paused, followed by a dense, throbbing pain, like countless tiny teeth gently gnawing at him. After a while, a warm liquid slid down his cheek, wiping his fingers and slowly falling onto the pillow: "Mmm."

The woman seemed completely oblivious, her tone still carrying a smile: "I just dreamt about him too."