Chapter 118 Tombstone

Springtime on the border is always precious. During this period, there is neither the glaring sun of summer nor the blizzard of winter. Even when it rains, it is a gentle and nourishing drizzle that won't soak you to the bone. It is the perfect time to travel and the perfect time to plant seeds.

This is the best time to hold all kinds of events!

The day before, they attended a flower viewing party, and the next day, a dessert competition followed immediately. The people of the border region were so engrossed in their work that they forgot all the troubles of the hot summer and cold winter and threw away all the worries of this short spring day.

Something big seems to have happened a while ago, and thinking about it now makes my heart ache. But since I can't remember what happened, it probably doesn't matter.

The carefree border dwellers quickly forgot about it and immersed themselves in unbridled fun.

Away from the bustling villa, Lu Xuejin slowly walked down from the second floor, her steps as light as a cat's, making almost no sound on the dark wooden floor.

Shen Yuncheng sat at the oak table in the living room, with a thick stack of academic materials spread out in front of him. His pen moved rapidly across the paper, writing down dense annotations and questions.

He was so focused that it seemed as if the whole world had shrunk to just the page in front of him, and no one could disturb him.

Lu Xuejin passed by him, her soft sleeve brushing against his bare arm. Shen Yuncheng didn't look up at all, his eyes fixed on the contents of the paper, his brows slightly furrowed, immersed in the world of academia.

Lu Xuejin smiled slightly, deliberately scratched his cheek with her fingertip, and walked gracefully to the door. The door closed softly, and Shen Yuncheng suddenly stopped writing.

The pen tip hovers over the paper, and a drop of ink slowly seeps out, spreading into a small black dot on the paper.

He frowned in confusion, raised his hand, and his fingers paused on his cheek.

Is it the wind?

What a strange feeling.

Suddenly, I felt a strange, inexplicable pain in my chest, for no apparent reason.

Shen Yuncheng couldn't help but look around.

The villa was eerily empty, with bright light streaming in through the tall French windows, illuminating the dust particles dancing in the air.

The furniture was neat and arranged meticulously. Apart from the slightly messy desk, the entire space was so clean that it lacked any human warmth.

It's empty and too quiet.

It was so quiet that you could almost hear your own heartbeat and the sound of the wind in the distant forest.

The strangest thing was that he always felt there should be another person living in this villa, with him. There should be another person going up and down these stairs, another person sitting across from him at the dining table, and someone by his bedside at night, watching over him as he fell asleep.

He could even picture the person sitting on the sofa, even though it was just a blurry shadow.

But this idea made no sense. He was an only child, his mother had passed away early, and his father had also passed away a few years ago, leaving him with distant relationships with his extended family.

He wouldn't have returned to the border if it weren't for his academic setbacks.

Here he had no relatives, no friends, and no lover.

Perhaps it's just a temporary affectation.

Shen Yuncheng took a deep breath, suppressing the inexplicable loneliness in his heart. He looked down at the documents on the table again, forcing himself back into the world of academia.

It says: The monarchs hold the rules, occupy the past, present and future. They give birth to offspring who are born rulers, and all things bow down and dare not disobey. We call them "the invisible children".

...

Lu Xuejin sat on the gray tombstone, his posture casual, his hands supporting the tombstone, his legs hanging down naturally, and his heels tapping the stone occasionally.

A cool spring breeze, carrying the scent of earth and new grass, ruffled the stray hairs on his forehead. The cemetery was quiet, save for the rustling of a few newly green trees in the distance.

Lu Xuejin gazed lazily at the distant, rolling mountain ridges and asked:

"Aren't you leaving yet?"

A few seconds of silence followed, then Dongyao's voice rang in his mind, a cold and rigid mechanical tone:

You dare let me go? Aren't you afraid I'll report your existence to the Empire?

Lu Xuejin laughed, her eyes narrowing into two curved lines, as if she had heard a particularly funny joke.

“That’s perfect,” he said with a grin. “You can call the Empire to hunt us down. It would be best if they sent a whole army with the latest weapons, making a big splash. How exciting.”

"We..." Dong Yao murmured the word, then suddenly smiled, her tone becoming light and cheerful. "I won't leave, baby. I want to keep an eye on you. Either you let me stay, or you destroy me. I know baby can definitely do it QAQ"

That familiar tone and expression instantly transported them back to when they first became a couple.

Lu Xuejin laughed heartily.

"Clingy person."

He spoke in a tone that was both teasing and affectionate, yet also seemed to express a sense of disgust.

Then they both fell silent.

The clouds drifted by slowly, their shapes constantly changing. Lu Xuejin watched as the cloud above her head transformed from a heart into a rabbit, and then into a pony.

He reached out and gently patted the monument, as if patting someone's back, calling to wake a sleeping person:

"Aren't you coming out yet?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the ground beneath his feet trembled slightly, and several cracks appeared on the surface of the soil.

A hand emerged from the soil.

It was a young man's hand, with distinct knuckles, rough calluses on the palm, strong veins on the back of the hand, and fresh dirt still clinging to the nails.

It stretched upwards, its five fingers slightly bent, and after a moment of groping, it grasped the tip of Lu Xuejin's shoe.

Author's Note:

That's all for now, I'm done! [starry-eyed]

I'm so grateful for everyone's support. Hope we'll meet again in the next book! [Let me see...]