"Let her go," Yi Chunjun said, his deep, indifferent tone devoid of any inflection, yet filled with obvious tyranny and anger.
Pei Junwu was taken aback by his tone, paused for a moment, then laughed, "I won't let go!"
Yi Chunjun stepped forward, and both he and she saw his expression.
Xiao Yuan's heart skipped a beat. He was so angry with her? He had shown this expression when he attacked Murong Xiao, violent yet captivating.
Yi Chunjun stared coldly at them, the chill emanating from his internal energy growing stronger. Pei Junwu also slowly stood up, a half-smile playing on his lips.
"No." Xiao Yuan grabbed Pei Junwu's arm. Pei Junwu looked down at her. She smiled gently, the moonlight shining warmly on her face. Her smile made his heart flutter, and his expression softened.
She looked at Pei Junwu and said, "I have something to say to him, Junwu, wait for me."
Although Pei Junwu frowned deeply, he finally nodded.
Yi Chunjun snorted and turned to leave first.
Xiao Yuan glanced at his annoyed back and couldn't help but laugh. Pei Junwu looked at her laughter and at the way she looked at Yi Chunjun, and his fist slowly clenched.
She was injured and couldn't walk fast at all. It was a bit hard for her to keep up with him. Her chest felt tight and she had some difficulty breathing, but she was very happy.
He stopped under a secluded tree, his back to her, refusing to turn around.
"You and him... things are progressing quite quickly." He sneered sarcastically, furious at the thought of her softly calling "Junwu."
“Yes,” she said, lowering her eyes with feigned sorrow, her expression helpless and weak, “I plan to marry him.”
The tree shook violently with a loud crash, and Yi Chunjun's punch to the tree triggered a shower of leaves. He steadied his breathing, then gave a cold laugh.
"Xiao Juyuan agreed?"
Xiao Yuan still kept her eyes downcast. "She lost her memory and doesn't recognize anyone. Junwu plans to take care of her like a younger sister for the rest of her life."
“Amnesia?” He repeated with a sneer, disdainful yet approving. He looked at her mockingly, “Now the obstacle between you and him is indeed gone. Xiao Juyuan can no longer ‘remember’ the engagement and will jump out to oppose it.”
She nodded.
His heart suddenly ached. Under the moonlight, a crystal tear clung to her long eyelashes, and the sight of her silently weeping with her eyes downcast softened his heart.
"Has something happened these past few days?" He took a deep breath.
Xiao Yuan couldn't help but secretly purse his lips. She was really good at pretending! How could he not know what had happened? She deliberately closed her eyes, and the tear finally fell. Then his hand reached out, gently, with utmost tenderness, wiping away her tear. His long, slender fingers brushed against her eyelashes, causing a slight tickle.
She gently raised her eyes, admiring herself for how easily she could master this expression. Perhaps it was the fun of making him angry that had unleashed her potential.
She felt a pang of heartache and looked deeply into his inscrutable expression. "Don't ask me what happened." Tears streamed down her face. "I never want to remember this again..." She paused, bit her lip, and looked into a dark shadow.
Sure enough, his breathing quickened again. Interesting, interesting.
“Xiao Yuan…” He lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him. She was somewhat stunned. He lowered his head, his beautiful, cold eyes slightly narrowed. His lips were about to touch hers. He said softly, yet domineeringly, “No matter what happens, I don’t care, I will…”
She quickly raised her hand to cover his mouth. He wanted to ignore it and go with the flow, but she didn't!
"No..." She looked at him "in agony," and he must have felt a tingling sensation all over his body from her gaze.
She cupped his cheeks in her hands, tears streaming down her face. She remembered how her father had been completely defeated when her mother used this tactic. "Yi Chunjun... you're so beautiful. I... I'm not good enough for you."
A flash of annoyance crossed his face. Just as he was about to say something, she decisively stood on tiptoe. He was so tall that she had to hang on his neck to kiss him.
He shuddered violently. She winked triumphantly. Yes, she'd learned it all from him. Her little tongue darted between his lips and teeth. He whimpered, pulling her close as if to cut her in two. His Adam's apple bobbed. In her daze, she passionately licked his upper palate. She knew the effect of his licking her before… Yi Chunjun, he had indeed taught her a lot.
His body heat seemed to be baking her dry. After that night, she knew exactly what was wrong with him. Just as his tongue began to retaliate, she pushed him away forcefully. He was startled, and she was thrown back two steps by the force.
She took a deep breath, almost falling for him again. Oh no, she couldn't cry anymore, so she could only look at him with even more sorrow.
"Consider this my way of repaying you. It's impossible for us to be together anymore!" She turned to run away, but he silently took a step forward and hugged her tightly.
"Nothing is impossible! I'm not done with you yet!" He started acting tough again.
"No..." she sobbed, "I can never love anyone again in my life. Rather than that, I'd rather marry Pei Junwu and take revenge on Xiao Juyuan. That's the cruelest and most effective way."
He refused to let go, saying, "There are plenty of ways to get revenge on her! If you want, I'll tear her to shreds and do it for you."
She was slightly taken aback, and after a long pause, she said, "Let me go."
Her calm tone startled Yi Chunjun, who finally slowly released his arm.
She was still facing away from him, her shoulders trembling slightly. "Pei Junwu, he..." Suddenly she turned around, her eyes tearing his heart apart. She threw the golden whistle, which she had been holding in her hand, at his chest with resentment.
"Why...why...when I needed your help, when I blew it, it wasn't you who came!" She cried, turning away resolutely. "It's too late, Yi Chunjun!"
She ran with increasing joy, her tears long since dried in the cool summer night breeze. He didn't chase after her; he was probably there, filled with anger, resentment, and helplessness. So this is what being powerful really means—just knowing one more secret!
With a loud crash, she was startled. When she turned around, she saw a tree in the distance had collapsed, startling the birds that were perched nearby, which cried out in alarm.
For the first time in ten years, she felt like laughing out loud.
Chapter 53 of "The Smiling Flower": A Tale of Love and Hate
When Xiao Yuan returned to the mourning hall, Pei Junwu was silently lighting candles, very slowly, clearly... he was thinking about something.
He turned to look at her, and Xiaoyuan suddenly felt that her happy heart and uncontrollable laughter were cruel to him; she shouldn't be so happy alone at this time.
She stopped smiling, walked slowly to his side, picked up a candle, and lit it for him.
“Xiao Yuan…” He stopped and couldn’t help but sigh. “Can you tell me what happened between you and Yi Chunjun?” He could see that there was something different between her and him, and Xiao Yuan’s change seemed to be related to this.