Two bowls of noodles

"Okay, thank you." Jin Xilu wasn't used to it either, but she still managed to say a stiff thank you. Before he could react, she quickly continued, "I'm a little hungry. Could you go buy me a bowl of noodles?"

“Okay.” Jiang Yilin agreed readily, as if he would agree to anything Jin Xilu said without hesitation. He patted Jin Xilu’s hand hidden under the blanket, got up and left. “I’m hungry too. Why don’t you eat some noodles from outside? I’ll cook some noodles and it’ll be ready soon.”

Kim Hee-ro lay on the bed and bit her tongue, trying to dispel the layers of sour and helpless palpitations in her heart.

She didn't really care whether he cooked the noodles himself or bought a bowl from outside, or whether they tasted good or not. It didn't really matter. It was just that when Jin Xilu saw Jiang Yilin's urgent and eager behavior, her suspicions gradually cooled down and seeped into her heart.

She thought that Jiang Yilin would still feel regret and guilt for what she had done.

Aside from the initial nausea, Jin Xilu didn't actually feel unwell anywhere. Now that Jiang Yilin had left, she immediately sat up straight against the soft cushions on his bed, her fingers frantically and urgently searching for her bag.

The diary was indeed still there. The moment Kim Hee-ro saw the diary again, it felt like she had been stung by static electricity. She smashed open the small, yellowed diary with no lock and randomly flipped to this page.

Jiang Yilin's first lie was exposed. This was indeed not a nightmare. He lied to her that she was bitten by a snake, but it should have been him who bit her.

Kim Hee-ro raised her hand and looked at the bite mark on her arm. She was certain that Jiang Yi-lin had made a secret deal with her unknown, mysterious power.

She no longer wanted to seek his gaze.

Kim Hee-ro touched the yellowed leather cover of the diary. She suppressed her fear and refused to look at the diary any longer, as if she would be sucked into the diary in the next second. As she read the words in the diary, all her memories and heart palpitations would be scattered and pieced together. She would no longer be living for herself, but would become a puppet controlled by the emotions of the diary's owner.

So she immediately closed the diary. The pages of the diary, which had been soaked in water, were swollen, and the cover of the diary was a little too heavy to hold down when she closed it.

It wasn't that she didn't want to read the diary; she had too many doubts and concerns. But at least for now, she was lying on Jiang Yilin's bed, waiting for him to cook noodles for her.

At least for now, she couldn't open the diary, Kim Hee-ro kept convincing herself.

Rather than a diary whose authenticity is unknown, she would rather hear Jiang Yilin's truth; the worst-case scenario would be for them to get to know each other again.

Conflicts and misunderstandings always need to be resolved. Jin Xilu once again chose to believe Jiang Yilin, thinking that perhaps he also had his own difficulties, and that they should talk about it.

After hiding the diary back in her bag, Kim Hee-ro lay back in bed. Jiang Yi-lin was a man who knew how to enjoy life; his bed was much more comfortable than hers. The blanket looked light and flimsy, but it warmed up quickly. The room was filled with the cool fragrance of plum blossoms emanating from Jiang Yi-lin.

Kim Hee-ro lay on her side for a while, and then drifted off to sleep again.

She fell asleep, but her sleep was not sound. In her hazy state, she heard a male voice calling her name. Was it calling her name?

Just as Kim Hee-ro was trying to hear clearly who the person in front was calling, the person suddenly turned around.

"Jiang Yilin, is that you?"

The man did not answer.

Unfortunately, it was only for a moment. Before she could see anything clearly, he had already pulled her hand and they were running forward together. As they ran, she found that she was not exerting herself at all. Until she felt her soul floating up, she was like a kite hanging on the head of a running person. She stumbled and bumped around without seeing anything clearly, and several tree branches scraped her face, but it didn't hurt.

The person leading the race was backlit, but his upright posture was still faintly visible. He seemed to be in a good mood as he ran, but no matter how much she wanted to run ahead and catch up with him, she was always just a little short.

The string that was holding her up finally snapped, and Kim Hee-ro was freed from the woman's grasp. When she opened her eyes, the scene around her had changed. The woman behind her had disappeared, and she was being strangled by a willow branch with empty leaves in the distance. Her struggles were in vain.

The tall willow tree in front of her looked very similar to the one she had seen next to Jiang Yilin that afternoon.

Suddenly, the willow tree came to life. It gradually moved in front of her, and dozens of willow branches frantically drew air from the air, cutting and pulling out a strong fishy smell. It was very strange.

Kim Hee-ro couldn't understand why there was a bloody smell when it was all grass.

It wasn't surprising when she saw a human face growing out of the willow tree trunk, and it was Jiang Lianyin in front of her.

"Haha, Xiao Xilu, you're still so funny, but you didn't expect this, did you? Turn around!" Jiang Lianyin, who was floating on the tree trunk, turned his face around. His sallow face disintegrated little by little in front of her, like expired cream melting. In the last instant, he controlled the willow branches and made her turn over. She was hanging upside down on the willow branches, listening to Jiang Lianyin's voice.

"I brought you a gift."

Kim Hee-ro was slapped on the face by a willow branch, and only then did she realize that there was another willow tree next to her, and a human face also emerged from the back of this slender willow tree.

That was Jiang Yilin with her eyes closed. A branch of the willow twig that was entangled with Jin Xilu broke off, and the willow branch grew wildly, reaching out to tickle Jiang Yilin's nose twice.

Jin Xilu was speechless the moment she saw Jiang Yilin; her whole body was in so much pain that she couldn't utter a sound.

Jiang Yilin frowned slightly, his delicate, pale face, as tender as the tip of a lotus leaf, swayed from side to side, his eyelashes fluttering. Just as he was about to open his eyes and meet his gaze,

"Jin Xilu!"

Jin Xilu woke up with a start, still immersed in that strange dream. She subconsciously wanted to get away from him, but when she saw Jiang Yilin's anxious and worried eyes, she only felt disgust. Her hand was already out of her reach.

"Snap!" It was a very crisp sound. She didn't know how much force she had used, but she could feel her fingertips trembling and going numb after she flicked them out.

Jiang Yilin did not dodge the slap, but took it straight in. He glanced down from her reddened fingertips to her trembling hand, then grabbed her wrist and felt her heartbeat.

He pulled her cold wrist to his palm, making their heartbeats return. Then, maintaining this position, he leaned down, ignoring the danger, his nose brushing against the middle of her wrist, sliding down her arm, and then looking up, dominating her gaze, leaving her nowhere to escape, leaving her only able to see himself.

"Jin Xilu, look carefully, who am I?"

"Jiang Yilin." Jin Xilu felt a pang of sadness, and involuntarily sniffed. Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision of him. His white hair was glaring, and she felt even more lost.

"Yes, it's me." Jiang Yilin held her hand the whole time. Looking at their hands now clenched tightly, he tightened his grip and tried to make her feel his presence. "I'm here, so don't be afraid."

"Everything else is fake, only I am real. Believe me, Xilu."

Kim Hee-ro silently watched his gaze. She thought distractedly that sadness might really be like a strong, waterproof, blue paint. If someone poured it on, everyone around them, whether they came near or went far, would inevitably step on his sad blue footprints.

Otherwise, why would she, looking into his eyes, still involuntarily answer "Okay, I believe you" even though she clearly had doubts about the man in front of her?

Love struggles and burns in pity, until the fire rages so fiercely that it buries itself, and one begins to await a heartbreaking end.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left you behind and driven away today. I didn't know you would chase me all the way up the mountain, Xilu." Jiang Yilin wanted to say something more, but Jin Xilu hugged him.

"I still believe in you. Besides this, is there anything else you want to say to me?" Kim Hee-ro hugged him on her own initiative, but it was because she couldn't stand his affectionate and manipulative eyes. This wasn't what she wanted to hear.

As intelligent as Jiang Yilin was, how could he not notice Jin Xilu's unusual behavior? He was embraced by her, and his tone was more solemn and sincere than before: "I'm sorry, I lied to you, but I won't hurt you. This was an accident."

"I know you must want to know the reason, but I'm sorry I can't say right now. Wait a minute, it will all be over soon." As Jiang Yilin said this, he could feel Jin Xilu's hand on his arm stiffen for a moment. He felt bitter as he listened to what he had said, and he also felt that his words were not convincing at all.

Just when he thought Kim Hee-ro was about to let go of him, she unexpectedly pushed his shoulder away and then kissed him—or rather, bit him.

"Why do you think I suddenly came back?" Kim Hee-ro leaned closer and bit his lip with a hint of anger.

"For Grandma?" Jiang Yilin felt uneasy, as if a match, whose position was not quite right, was being struck again and again in his heart.

"Fool, I did it all for you!"