Chapter 74 (First Update) [VIP]

"The moon?" This sensitive word caught Yin Chu Jiu off guard, preventing her from reacting immediately.

Yue Ling lowered her eyes slightly, "Hmm, how about we go to the mountaintop to see the moon?"

He thought, but… Yin Chu Jiu looked at the boy in front of her and asked, “Why did you suggest going to the mountaintop to see the moon?”

The moon was beautiful, and he wanted to see it too. However, the person who wanted to take him to the mountaintop to see the moon was the previous Yue Ling, not this Yue Ling. And the person he envisioned for seeing the moon was still the previous Yue Ling.

He also lowered his eyes, waiting for the boy's answer.

However, Yue Ling did not answer for a long time. Yin Chu Jiu blinked, looked up at him and smiled politely, "If you feel bad about my farewell before and want to make it up to me, no need, I don't need it."

After thinking it over and over, Yin Chu Jiu could only come up with this reason.

No, he didn't want to make amends. Yue Ling wanted to deny it, but he couldn't say it. His mind was a complete mess.

Before he could come up with an excuse, Yin Chu Jiu closed the door and went back inside. Back in his room, Yin Chu Jiu lost all interest in writing in his diary. He couldn't bring himself to write anything, especially as the contents of the notebook inevitably reminded him of Yue Ling outside.

He doesn't need it.

It's really not necessary.

All he needed was the original Yue Ling; he didn't need the current one. These past few days had been enough for him to realize that this Yue Ling wasn't the Yue Ling he wanted, so he didn't need to go see the moon with him.

He wasn't unsettled at not being able to see the moon, but all the more painful things were in the past, so this wasn't a big deal.

Moreover, he didn't want a third party to interfere with the agreement that belonged only to him and Yue Ling. To him, Yue Ling was the third party.

With only one day left, he just wanted to preserve those beautiful memories.

Sitting in the chair at the table, Yin Chu Jiu was lost in thought. He had been in a daze for a long time, and his stomach was starting to rumble with hunger. He didn't really want to go out to eat, but remembering that this was the last day, and possibly the last time he would eat food from this world, he got up and went out.

He convinced himself of this, but in a corner of his heart, unnoticed, he wanted to see if Yue Ling was still standing outside the door.

So when he saw Yue Ling still standing outside the door, a secret joy welled up inside him.

"You haven't left yet?" he asked.

Yue Ling, who hadn't thought of an excuse yet, shook his head. He wanted to invite Yin Chu Jiu to go see the moon again, but Yin Chu Jiu had already bypassed him to go eat. Without thinking, he immediately followed her.

When they arrived at the dining area, the meat had already been grilled. He saw Yin Chu Jiu take a piece of meat and turn to leave. Without pausing, he turned around and followed Yin Chu Jiu back.

He didn't find a chance to say a word to Yin Chu Jiu along the way, but Yin Chu Jiu didn't reject him either. He gazed greedily at the boy's retreating figure, his heart almost overflowing with longing.

Physically, he could see Yin Chu Jiu every day, but mentally, he hadn't seen her for over ten days.

They had never been apart for so long since they met.

While feeling guilty and remorseful for Yin Chu Jiu, he also felt a longing that was almost drowning him.

He misses him so much.

But his hidden emotions had nowhere to be poured out after he reached the door of the wooden house once again. Yin Chu Jiu stopped him at the door again, her expression distant, "Palace Master Yue, you should go back."

Yue Ling was stunned, "I..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yin Chu Jiu interrupted him, "The illusion will shatter tomorrow. On the last day, I want to be alone. If you hate me and don't want to see me, then don't come looking for me again. If I still owe you anything, please tell me clearly."

Yue Ling felt a sharp pain in his heart. Yin Chu Jiu's distant attitude left him speechless, unable to utter even a single excuse. He clearly remembered how Yin Chu Jiu had tried to get close to him a few days ago, until he lost all hope time and time again, until she said they were even, and only then did the light in his eyes completely disappear.

He pushed him away.

He was the one who threw him away.

He hated himself terribly. If he had recovered sooner and regained those emotions sooner, he wouldn't have lost his childhood.

He hated his own indifference, and he resented the way he had told Yin Chu Jiu that they were even.

However, it was too late.

He desperately wanted to tell him the truth, but whenever he thought of it, he couldn't bring himself to say it. How ridiculous it was to hurt someone and then only say, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I didn't mean to forget you."

How perfunctory, how ridiculous.

When Zi Zhuo and the other two arrived, Yin Chu Jiu had already closed the door, and Yue Ling had been standing at the door the whole time. Upon seeing Zi Zhuo and the others, Yue Ling closed his eyes briefly before turning and leaving.

Back in his room, knowing what Zizhuo and the others wanted to ask, he didn't wait for them to speak before saying, "I'm scared."

Zi Zhuo and the other two were both surprised and unsurprised. They were surprised that Yue Ling could also feel fear, but they were not surprised that he could indeed feel fear, since the more you care about something, the more afraid you are of losing it.

If he can't explain it clearly, then the outcome will be that Yin Chu Jiu won't forgive him.

Zizhuo and the others fell silent, unsure of what to say.

After a while, Yue Ling spoke again, "Bring me ten jars of strong liquor."

Zi Zhuo and the other two realized something and silently went out to fetch ten jars of strong liquor. Since ancient times, liquor has emboldened even the timid.

As soon as the strong liquor arrived, Yue Ling hugged the jar and chugged it down. Soon, the room was filled with the rich aroma of the liquor, and soon, the person who had been drinking so heavily was also drunk and collapsed on the ground.

Yue Ling drank all ten jars of strong liquor. He didn't force the alcohol out of his body; he just let it circulate freely, turning his mind into a mess and giving his timid heart a bit more courage.

"Clean up these wine jars, and then..." Yue Ling stood up from the ground, pointed to the wine jars lying scattered on the ground, and said, "Then, you can go down."

Zi Zhuo and the other two nodded, "Okay."

Then, they saw Yue Ling walk out with a steady gait, but reeking of alcohol.

At this moment, Yin Chu Jiu was staring blankly at his notebook. The notes had already recorded his capture by the Scorpion Palace, his rescue by Yue Ling, and the day they became engaged, but holding the pen, he couldn't write anything more.

He was very flustered, he didn't know why, he was so flustered that his thoughts were in chaos and his emotions were unstable.

Suddenly, there was a knock on his door.

He stood up but didn't open the door. The person outside seemed extremely patient; they wouldn't stop until he opened it. Standing there, Yin Chu Jiu stared at the wooden door, and for some reason, he felt that the person knocking was Yue Ling.

But he didn't know why Yue Ling was knocking on the door, just as he hadn't understood why Yue Ling had invited him to see the moon not long ago.

So he didn't know whether he should open the door. They had already said goodbye, hadn't they? Why would Yue Ling suddenly come looking for him?

Yin Chu Jiu hesitated, but the knocking outside grew more urgent. Finally, he had no choice but to open the door. He had made up his mind; no matter the reason, he was determined to explain things clearly to Yue Ling this time.

As soon as he opened the door, before he could say a word, a man reeking of alcohol grabbed him and held him tightly in his arms. When he tried to struggle, the man's strength increased, his iron arms locking him in his embrace.

Not only that, he buried his head in the crook of his neck.

The familiar movements made Yin Chu Jiu's thoughts seem to travel through time, but the patrolling guards around him quickly brought him back to his senses. After regaining his senses, he continued to struggle, but the man's strength only increased.

"Please..." let me go.

"Chu Jiu, it's me..." Yue Ling's voice was low and hoarse, his breath, heavy with the smell of alcohol, hitting his sensitive neck. His voice became even more hoarse, as if it were filled with bone-deep pain. "It's me, Chu Jiu, Yue Ling, it's me, Yue Ling. Your Yue Ling is back, I'm back."

Yue Ling… Yin Chu Jiu’s pushing hand suddenly stopped, and her fingertips began to tremble.

Yue Ling? He knew it was Yue Ling. But what did it mean that he was back? What did it mean that his Yue Ling was back? Hadn't he always been there?

"What...are you saying?" Yin Chu Jiu's voice also began to tremble slightly.

Yue Ling hugged him even tighter, as if trying to melt him into her own body. "It's me, it's me, it's Yue Ling." Once she said the first sentence, the rest came out naturally. "I'm sorry, I forgot you, I forgot I liked you, I'm sorry, I forgot I did so many terrible things to you, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

Yin Chu Jiu was stunned, his mind completely blank. He understood everything Yue Ling said, but he didn't understand what it meant. What did it mean that he had forgotten him? What did it mean that he still liked him? What did it mean to say sorry? Why was he apologizing to him?

What exactly happened?

Yin Chu Jiu was stunned and unable to react, but Yue Ling couldn't wait any longer. He released Yin Chu Jiu, grabbed his chin, and kissed his lips. The familiar taste almost brought tears to Yue Ling's eyes. He took and savored it until the person in his arms couldn't breathe because of his violent movements and was almost fainting. Only then did he stop.

However, he did not let go of Yin Chu Jiu. Instead, he picked him up horizontally and soared into the air, flying towards the mountaintop.

In the darkness, two people flew through the night sky, accompanied by flowers and grass, and sang to them, all the way to the highest point of the mountain, where they were accompanied by the moon.

When Yin Chu Jiu came to his senses, this was what he saw. He was still dazed in Yue Ling's arms, his thoughts already sluggish. Yue Ling saw it, but he wasn't in a hurry. He just gently kissed Yin Chu Jiu's lips, waiting with unprecedented patience for Yin Chu Jiu to regain his senses.

After an unknown amount of time, when the moon was completely overhead, Yin Chu Jiu finally reacted again.

He remained dazed, only his slightly dull eyes indicating that he was trying hard to think and understand the situation before him.

"Yue Ling?" he asked blankly.

"Yes, it's me."

"Are you Yue Ling?"

"I am."

"Are you Yue Ling, the one who likes me?"

"It's me, it's me."

"You said you were back, you said you liked me."

"I like you, I'm sorry, I like you."

"Impossible!" These three words seemed to be taboo. When Yue Ling uttered these three words, Yin Chu Jiu's stunned expression suddenly disappeared. He pushed the person in front of him away and took three big steps back. His face was full of vigilance and disbelief. He frowned and said, "Yue Ling, if you still hate me, you can say it directly. Don't beat around the bush. I can accept any revenge you may take against me, but I will never accept you pretending to be Yue Ling in the illusion to trample on my feelings."

“I admit I wronged you before, but that doesn’t mean I can tolerate everything.”

Yue Ling was stunned; he hadn't expected Yin Chu Jiu to react this way. No, he shouldn't have been stunned, because what other reaction could Yin Chu Jiu possibly have?

So, that's the real reason he didn't dare to speak up before.

“No,” Yue Ling said. “I’m not lying to you, and I’m not pretending. I am the Yue Ling from the illusion.”

Yin Chu Jiu pursed her lips and didn't reply.

Yue Ling twitched the corners of his mouth and gave a bitter laugh. He wanted to hug Yin Chu Jiu, but for every two steps he took forward, Yin Chu Jiu took two steps back. He had no choice but to stop. The distance of a few steps between them felt like a huge chasm.

"I'm sorry, I know you don't believe me, but I am Yue Ling, the Yue Ling who loves you."

As if he had made a desperate decision, Yue Ling sat down directly on the ground, his eyes fixed intently on Yin Chu Jiu, unmoving. Then he opened his lips and slowly said, "The time I regained my memories, the Scorpion Palace people's interference caused my emotions to be disrupted. I remember everything, but my emotions were completely suppressed, so I can't feel any affection for you, only disgust..."

...

Under the moonlight, at the summit of the Moon Forest, two boys stood, one sitting. The standing one remained silent, while the sitting one spoke. As the sitting boy finished speaking, the expression on the face of the boy before him finally changed.

Yin Chu Jiu stared at the boy in front of her, her mind a mix of confusion and clarity.

Yue Ling said it was like a dream, but for him, it was also like a dream. In that dream, the person he liked hated him and loathed him. After he finally accepted the fact and had given up, the person he liked told him that he liked him.

I had my doubts—whether he was lying or if the dramatic events were real—but the emotion in his eyes was genuine. The boy who disliked him had cold, arrogant eyes; nothing existed in them. But the boy who liked him had light in his eyes, other emotions, and that of him.

Reason found it unbelievable, but emotion told him whether he should believe it.

He woke up from his nightmare. The person he loved still loved him, but... Yin Chu Jiu looked at the white horizon appearing in the distance, but he no longer knew how to answer him.

Author's Note:

I'll be updating less today, but I'll resume double updates tomorrow. I need to sort out the plot and the main characters' emotions, so please bear with me, my little angels.

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution!

Thank you to the little angel who threw the [grenade]: Cha Han 1;

Thank you to the little angel who watered the [nutrient solution]:

Zhiyouxi is such a cute little thing, 10 bottles;

Thank you so much for your support, I will continue to work hard!