Лучшая актриса - Глава 87
"Father!" Lian Junqiu couldn't help but call out.
"Get out!" Lian Haichao suddenly uttered this word, his sleeves fluttering as he pointed directly at Lian Junqiu.
Lian Junqiu stumbled back a few steps, looking at Lian Haichao, who was clutching his chest and slightly bent over, and then at Lian Junchu, whose expression was cold and who was panting heavily.
"Please stop pressuring my brother!" She was drenched in cold sweat, stumbled to Lian Haichao, and knelt on the ground. "Haven't he suffered enough over the years?!"
Lian Haichao frowned, his face darkening. "I don't need you to say anything more; you've gone mad! I asked you to take care of him, not for you to harbor any improper thoughts about him! Such things are not allowed on Seven Star Island!"
Lian Junqiu's face was ashen. She turned around blankly and looked at Lian Junchu sitting under the starlight. He also looked sad, but his eyes were even more blank.
Lian Junqiu gave a bitter smile, swaying as she stood up: "If you feel that my staying would tarnish Junchu's reputation, I can leave."
Lian Haichao grunted but did not reply.
Lian Junchu looked up in shock, staring at her dejected appearance. She slowly walked to Lian Junchu, bent down and hugged him, whispering in his ear, "Junchu, goodbye."
"Big sister!" Lian Junchu called out as if waking from a dream, watching her walk alone towards the shore.
But she didn't turn around.
Lian Junchu collapsed onto the cold, wet sand. His right leg was too painful to bear weight, and he couldn't use his hands to prop himself up. He could only watch in despair as Lian Junqiu walked to the usual spot off the island, untied the mooring rope of the boat, and boarded the small boat.
"Don't go, don't go!" He struggled for a long time before he could barely stand up and staggered toward that direction.
Under the dark night sky, the waves reflected the faint starlight.
On the small boat, Lian Junqiu's figure was indistinct and soon disappeared into the vast sea.
Chapter Fifty-Nine: Alas, Old Friends Become Enemies
"Junchu, have you stayed on the island for the past three years?" Inside the cabin, Lian Junqiu snapped out of her reverie, covered his clothes, and helped him sit on the edge of the bed.
Lian Junchu nodded silently.
"What did you do? Tell me, okay?" She smiled, but the smile seemed forced.
He lowered his head, seemingly lost in thought, before finally saying in a low voice, "Nothing, just practicing swordsmanship every day."
"Were the children your father brought back before also the ones who accompanied you in your martial arts training?"
"Yes." Lian Junchu suddenly remembered Ying Long and the others, and looked up at her. "They've been searching for you. Lian Junxin's subordinates had already received news that you might be near Chaohu. They were originally going to come and find you, but I sent them back to the city first."
Lian Junqiu's expression changed: "You know I don't want to see anyone from Seven Star Island again."
Lian Junchu said in a hoarse voice, "I know."
"If I hadn't seen the markings carved along the way, I wouldn't have come out..." Lian Junqiu gave a bitter smile. "Junchu, I just wanted to see you again."
Lian Junchu's eyes narrowed slightly, and she remained silent.
He slowly turned his head to look at Yue Ruzheng on the bed. Lian Junqiu also looked at her pale face and said with lowered eyes, "She seems different from before."
Lian Junchu didn't speak, but just gave a bitter smile.
Lian Junqiu hesitated for a long time, then said in a low voice, "I'll go look for some medicinal herbs. You stay here for now."
Lian Junchu paused for a moment, then turned around, opened the door, and went out.
The wooden door was closed again.
Even in her unconscious state, Yue Ruzheng's brows remained furrowed, as if she were still unable to escape the onslaught of nightmares. Faint traces of blood lingered at the corners of her lips, and her long hair lay scattered on the pillow.
Lian Junchu stared at her for a while, then looked away, only to see a familiar yet unfamiliar necklace peeking out from between the clothes Lian Junqiu had taken off for her on the wooden table in front of the bed.
The azure pearls were quiet and serene, half hidden under the turquoise dress, half hanging down, swaying gently.
He turned around, raised his right arm, and gently parted his clothes with the tip of the iron weapon hidden in his sleeve. The necklace was now fully revealed before him, and he was astonished to find that a small seashell was attached to the pendant, which originally contained only three strings of pearls.
It has a pure white background with a touch of pale gold pattern, as if drawn by a masterful brush, running diagonally through the middle.
However, the fan-shaped surface of this seashell is broken and incomplete, with one part even missing a piece.
Staring at the seashell, Lian Junchu was somewhat dazed and lost in thought.
At this moment, Yue Ruzheng, who was lying on the bed, seemed to move. He got up and came to the bedside. He saw that she had slightly opened her eyes, but her eyes were dazed and she had no energy.
Lian Junchu lowered her eyes and looked at her with a faint expression.
Yue Ruzheng's eyes were dark and misty, a sour feeling piercing her heart. She didn't know where she was or what had happened. She only saw him not far away, within reach of her, but she had no strength at all and couldn't even lift her arm.
Tears welled up in my eyes, which I thought were almost dry, and slowly trickled down my cheeks onto the pillow.
Lian Junchu simply watched her silently.
Yue Ruzheng suddenly remembered that early spring three years ago, after he rescued her from the hillside, she was also lying in bed, and for the first time, she shed tears in front of him because she realized that she had taken the wrong path.
--Was it because that one wrong turn, that accidental entry into the deep mountains of Nan Yandang, that destined so many loves and so many entanglements for what followed?
Even he, not long ago, asked her if she thought that meeting was a mistake.
But in that instant, the peach blossoms falling in profusion at the end of the mountain valley, the fish swimming in the deep pool, and the orchids blooming in the wind on the cliffs—all these things, carrying a profound and enduring aura, rushed into my heart in a chaotic rush.
"It's not a mistake..." Yue Ruzheng murmured repeatedly, tears streaming down her face.
Lian Junchu, who was as still as ice and stone, paused for a moment, then habitually raised his eyebrows to look at her. Yue Ruzheng choked back tears as she met his gaze. She had always wanted to be close to him, yet she was also afraid to see him. Now, with nowhere to hide, she only wanted to freeze time at this moment and make him never leave.
She endured the pain and tried her best to reach her hand out from under the covers, but her whole body felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave. She was so cold that she was almost numb. She barely moved her right arm and managed to stick out her fingers before she started trembling.