Chapter 78

Yun Zhan chose a sunny day to go out.

As soon as I stepped outside, the sun shower came without warning.

The golden sunlight still hung high overhead, but fine rain was already falling all over the sky. Yun Zhan stood on the edge of the sidewalk, looked up at the sky, squinted his eyes, and let the raindrops break into tiny sparkles on his eyelashes.

The traffic light across the street changed, and pedestrians hurried by.

A lone figure seemed to be illuminated by the rain alone.

Wen Sixue wore a light gray pleated skirt, her long legs were fair, her long hair fell to her waist, and a red pendant slid down her collarbone into her neckline.

She held a transparent umbrella, its surface bathed in sunlight, raindrops rolling down its ribs, as if coating her with a layer of flowing glass.

Actions precede consciousness.

The moment Wen Sixue saw Yun Zhan, her shoulders slumped forward, her fingers almost slipping from the umbrella handle. The urge to embrace him exploded in her chest, but she was restrained by reason.

"No... Yun Zhan is already with Shi Mingyue."

Wen Sixue quickly stopped, her shoes lightly scraping against the wet pavement, splashing up a small circle of water.

The hand that had been suspended in mid-air slowly fell, quietly clenching the side of the skirt, the knuckles turning a pale pink.

In fact, she knew that Yun Zhan had already woken up. She knew that the dream was over as soon as the illusion ended.

In the instant the illusion shattered, she doubted, she broke down, she thought Yun Zhan had chosen the wrong path. But then, a phone call pulled her out of despair.

It was Shi Mingyue calling. Shi Mingyue told her, "Yun Zhan is out, but she's with me now. Thank you..."

Wen Sixue only remembered that she heard "Yun Zhan came out" and "He's with me" clearly. She held her phone, but her mind was blank. She couldn't hear anything Shi Mingyue said after that.

Yun Zhan came out, but he was with someone else.

This news should have brought her mixed feelings of joy and sorrow at the time.

But she still loved Yun Zhan, loved him very much, so... she sat on the sofa all night and finally figured out one thing—it was best that Yun Zhan was alive, at least he could see her.

Returning to the present, Wen Sixue raised her eyes and took one last, lingering look at the person she loved.

Yun Zhan also saw her.

The raindrops wove a thin mist between the two of them, like frosted glass, isolating the world into a space where only their gazes met.

Yun Zhan's eyelashes were wet with rain, but his eyes were clear, carrying a hint of apology and a gentle inquiry.

Wen Sixue tilted her head slightly, surrounded by a noisy crowd, but her heart was already pounding wildly.

The eye contact lasted no more than three seconds, yet it felt like an entire rainy season had passed.

Wen Sixue smiled politely and cleanly, her eyes crinkling as she spoke, her voice softened by the sound of rain: "It's raining. Shall we go to a coffee shop to take shelter? It's not far, just around the corner."

She stepped aside to lead the way, tilting the umbrella slightly towards Yun Zhan, raindrops falling along the edge of the umbrella like a string of transparent wind chimes.

Yun Zhan nodded and stepped into the transparent barrier that was tilted for her. The two stood side by side, their shadows overlapping for a moment on the wet ground before being quickly pulled apart again by the sunlight.

The store was well-heated. Yun Zhan explained the whole story clearly. Wen Sixue didn't interrupt, only nodding occasionally, her fingertips tracing the handle of the cup, as if she wanted to crush all her emotions into the glaze.

Finally, Yun Zhan took a breath and said, "That's about it... I plan to stay."

Wen Sixue then looked up, her eyes slightly red from the steam of the coffee, like flower petals wet by rain, with a fragile gleam at the edges.

She smiled and said in a voice so soft it was almost inaudible, "I know all of this. Miss Shi told me."

She put down the cup, the white porcelain bottom striking the wooden tabletop with a very soft "tap".

The next second, she got up and walked backstage. When she came out again, she was holding a dark blue velvet gift box with extremely fine gold thread embroidered on the corners, which shone with a low-key yet expensive light under the lamp.

"I bought this yesterday, thinking... I'd like to give it to you sometime."

She placed the box at Yun Zhan's feet with such care, as if she were carefully placing some fragile piece of old time, then sat back down in her chair, her hands resting neatly on her knees, her knuckles turning white from the force.

"I'm sorry, Yun Zhan. You've been arguing with me for so long, and I haven't given you any decent gifts."

Wen Sixue tried her best to maintain a polite smile, but her voice began to tremble slightly, "I saved up to buy this, you must accept it. I saw that Senior Pei and Miss Shi both gave you gifts before, and I wanted to buy you a gift then..."

As she spoke the last few words, her breathing became erratic, and the redness in her eyes could no longer be concealed, as if she were being stung by the steam of coffee or wounded by a scene from her memory.

She lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes concealing the dampness, her shoulders trembling slightly, yet she stubbornly refused to let the tears fall.

Yun Zhan bent down to pick up the gift box, his fingertips touching the softness of the velvet, and felt a slight pang in his heart.

She was about to speak when Wen Sixue preemptively smiled, her voice as soft as raindrops: "Don't refuse, I've really been saving this for a long time..."

The air seemed to freeze for a few seconds. Outside the window, the sun shower was still falling, and the light pierced through the rain, landing on the table between the two of them, like a transparent river that could never be crossed.

Yun Zhan's fingertips paused at the edge of the gift box, the words of refusal stuck in his throat, unable to be uttered.

She looked up and gazed at the back of the coffee shop, wondering why Wen Sixue had taken it from there.

Was it stored in advance?

Wen Sixue followed her gaze, her eyes crinkling slightly, her voice carrying a hint of smugness, but also a deeper sense of heartache in her explanation.

"This shop... was bought for me by Miss Shi."

Wen Sixue paused, as if to make sure she wouldn't choke up.

"The location and foot traffic are both excellent. I'm the store manager now."

Yun Zhan froze, his palms unconsciously clenching.

Wen Sixue smiled, but tears rolled down her cheeks first. She hurriedly looked up, quickly wiped them away with her fingertips, and continued, "Miss Shi said... she doesn't want you to be in a difficult position, and she also hopes that I am doing well."

“She also found the ring that was stolen from me before, the one you gave me.”

She looked down, took a small velvet ring pouch from her pocket, and placed it next to the gift box.

The ring shimmered with tiny sparkles under the light, like a piece of old time that had been brought back to life.

Wen Sixue raised her hand to cover her eyes, but tears still spilled out from between her fingers. Her voice trembled, but she tried her best to remain calm.

"We rode Ferris wheels together, watched the most dazzling fireworks together; you gave me the Illusion Stone, and in the illusion, we went to the supermarket together and cooked together..."

With each word she spoke, her tears fell even harder, yet she stubbornly tilted her face upward, refusing to let the tear tracks linger: "These are all precious memories, and I got the ring back... Thank you."

She took a deep breath, finally lowered her hand, her eyes red-rimmed, yet she managed a tearful smile:

"I am no longer alone."

Yun Zhan looked at her, his throat felt like it was blocked by something, his fingertips gently stroking the gift box, but he could no longer say the words "no".

Wen Sixue lowered her eyes, her fingertips unconsciously tracing circles on the rim of the cup, her voice so soft it was as if she were afraid of disturbing the dust.

"Yun Zhan, do you think... what if we were really together in some parallel world, or some timeline? And you... chose me there?"

The air seemed to be paused.

Yun Zhan opened his lips, but no sound came out.

After a long pause, she could only manage to say with difficulty, "I don't know... but right now, I'm with Shi Mingyue."

The simple phrase "I don't know" was like a dull knife cutting through the last thin membrane between the two people.

Wen Sixue paused for a moment, then her eyes curved into a smile, tears still clinging to her lips, like a white flower barely opening after the rain: "I know."

She took a deep breath, her voice soft yet firm: "I feel very reassured entrusting you to Miss Shi. She is gentle, generous, and kind; she would be a wonderful partner."

Wen Sixue paused, trying to raise the corners of her mouth even higher, but tears rolled down her cheeks first, "Yun Zhan, I am truly happy for you."

That smile carried a sharp, cutting pain, yet also a gentle, relieved feeling.

She reached out and gently placed her hand on the back of Yun Zhan's hand, their palms mingling in warmth, like a silent farewell.

May you be safe and sound every year from now on; may we... meet again in another timeline.

"Can I hug you one more time?" Wen Sixue looked up, tears trembling at the tips of her eyelashes.

Just a light touch.

Yun Zhan nodded, and the two of them stood up at the same time.

The embrace was like a slowed-down sunset. Wen Sixue took a half step forward first, wrapping her arm around Yun Zhan's shoulder, her movements as gentle as if she were afraid of shattering fragile glass.

She pressed her forehead against the man's collarbone, took one last deep breath, and the faint scent of fir mixed with the bittersweet taste of coffee filled her nostrils, locking it firmly into the depths of her memory.

Two seconds later, she let go first, and as she stepped back, she wiped the water from the corner of her eyes and smiled like the sun after a rain.

As they parted, she slipped a pink envelope into Yun Zhan's palm: "I wrote this after I found out you and Miss Shi were together. Don't worry, it's all my blessings."

"goodbye."

Wen Sixue spoke softly, her voice broken by the wind and scattered in the rain.

She turned around, her back as slender as a folded paper umbrella, and stepped into the gray-blue rain.

Raindrops slanted down, landing on her shoulders and sliding down her hair. Wen Sixue bit her lip, knowing she couldn't turn back.

Yun Zhan is already with Miss Shi, she can't... disturb them anymore.

She never looked back, not even once.

Only the sound of heels tapping on the slippery tiles, splashing tiny droplets of water, resembled a string of heartbeats that dared not utter a loud farewell, hurried yet resolute.

Rainwater slid down her eyelashes and into the corners of her eyes, stinging with cold, but she bit her lower lip tightly, not letting the tears have a chance to roll down.

That's enough.

Wen Sixue said to herself, "I've already given her enough blessings and hugged her enough. It would be undignified to be greedy any further."

But my chest still felt hollow, as if a piece of it had been hollowed out, and the wind rushed in, making it painfully empty.

She remembered the supermarket lights in the illusion, Yun Zhan's profile when the Ferris wheel reached its highest point, the moment that person put the necklace around her neck, the warmth of that person's fingertips—those images were like glass beads, hitting her heart one by one, hurting her so much that she almost bent over.

Yun Zhan watched her retreating figure, feeling a mix of emotions. She wanted to speak, but didn't know what to say...

The transparent umbrella was blown slightly backward by the wind, and raindrops rolled down the ribs, forming a shimmering line that slowly separated her figure from the coffee shop, the bench, and Yun Zhan.

The streetlights came on, their light filtering through the rain and casting a long shadow over her.

21: "Oh, this... it's all your fault, Yun Zhan, for making Wen Sixue so sad."

Yun Zhan stood there, the warmth of the pink envelope still lingering on her fingertips, raindrops dripping from her eyelashes.

Indeed, it's her fault.

Until that figure turned the corner at the street corner, the umbrella flashed and disappeared completely.

Only tiny ripples remained in the puddle, a testament to someone having just turned and left with all their might.

Yun Zhan walked to a bench on the street corner and sat down. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the sun shower and fell on the envelope. She opened it, and the pale pink letter emitted a very faint scent of cherry blossoms.

Yun Zhan:

The moment I learned that you had walked out of the darkness alive, I suddenly understood that love is not a rope, but wings.

I love you, so I wish you to soar high, to be treated gently, to be blessed by the moonlight, and to be embraced by all the kindness in the world.

If I cannot spend the rest of my life with you, then let my blessings be your shadow, sheltering you from the sun on sunny days and holding an umbrella for you on rainy days.

Please cherish life for me, cherish every sunrise and evening breeze.

May you be as bright as the moon in spring, with a hundred flowers in spring, a bright moon in autumn, a cool breeze in summer, and snow in winter; may you have peace year after year and endless joy.

—Wen Sixue

Yun Zhan closed the letter and looked up at the sky.

The sun shower was still falling, but a very faint rainbow hung at the end of the street, as if someone was quietly waving to her.

She pressed the letter close to her heart and whispered, "I will."

The wind swept by, carrying away the last trace of bitterness, leaving behind a heart full of tenderness and relief.