Under the moonlight, Su Qingcai led Su Xiaoning to the moat.
The moat flows through the outskirts of the city and is usually deserted, but today it was bustling with people. Several stalls selling river lanterns were set up along the banks, and almost every tourist had one, writing their wishes on it before releasing it into the river.
The candlelight flickered, bathing the entire moat in warm yellow light, a sight that warmed the heart.
Su Xiaoning glanced at the tourists releasing river lanterns and asked curiously, "What day is it today? Why is everyone releasing river lanterns?"
"It's not a festival, everyone's here to pray for blessings," Su Qingcai said, as she bought two river lanterns from the nearest stall.
He handed the river lantern and calligraphy brush to Su Xiaoning, his voice low: "Back then, the Yunjiang Village case shocked the whole city. People were releasing river lanterns outside, spontaneously praying for the innocent villagers who died, hoping that the river lanterns could bring their souls back to paradise. Now that a similar case has occurred again, everyone has spontaneously organized themselves again."
"I see." Su Xiaoning nodded thoughtfully. Since it was for praying for blessings, she would release a river lantern as well.
She turned her back, took out a note from the river lantern and began to write, deliberately covering it with her shoulder to prevent Su Qingcai from peeking.
Su Qingcai smiled silently. He was half a head taller than Su Xiaoning and had excellent eyesight, so he could easily see over her head what she had written on the note.
After seeing the contents of the note, his eyes softened considerably, and his anxious heart finally calmed down.
After writing down her wish, Su Xiaoning put the note back into the river lantern. She placed the lantern on the river and watched it float away before turning around and asking curiously, "What did you wish for?"
Although she didn't want others to see her wishes, she was so curious about Su Qingcai that she couldn't help but ask.
Su Xiaoning hadn't really expected Su Qingcai to say anything, but to her surprise, he took the note out of the river lantern and handed it to her.
Upon opening the note, one finds only seven simple words.
"One life, one love, one partner."
Su Xiaoning was speechless, feeling as if her hand holding the note was on fire.
Su Qing stared at her intently, her expression very serious.
"Su Xiaoning, this is my wish. I want to be with you for life. I don't want to marry any powerful or wealthy woman. All I want in this life is you. Please don't push me away, okay?"
He wanted Su Xiaoning to care about him as much as he did, instead of agreeing to the emperor's offer to give him to another woman. He couldn't accept this, and was therefore furious and heartbroken.
He brought Su Xiaoning to see the river lanterns for two reasons: first, to help her relax, and second, to take advantage of the atmosphere to open up about everything.
Su Xiaoning knew what Su Qingcai was thinking, but she had her own unspeakable secret, so she could only say something contrary to her true feelings: "You don't need to do this at all. Why are you hanging yourself on me? To be honest, I no longer have the koi fish mark. I'm not good enough for you anymore. Let go."
She lowered her head, concealing a hint of loneliness in her eyes, and turned to leave.
"Ha, let go? Never." A fierce glint suddenly appeared in Su Qingcai's eyes. He approached Su Xiaoning, grabbed her as she turned to leave, and forcefully turned her around by her shoulders, staring intently into her evasive eyes.
Tell me, are you really willing to do that?
A feeling of suffocation washed over Su Xiaoning. She felt extremely suppressed. She wanted to say that she couldn't bear to part with it, but when she thought of the shackles imposed on her, she could only say "Yes" against her will.
Su Qingcai remained silent.
After a moment of silence, he suddenly let out a cold laugh.
"Su Xiaoning, you're lying."
Before Su Xiaoning could speak, he took off his outer robe and jumped into the water!
This sudden development completely terrified Su Xiaoning. She thought Su Qingcai was going to commit suicide because he couldn't take it anymore. She stood anxiously on the shore, calling Su Qingcai's name, but he didn't respond at all and swam in a certain direction.
Among the hundreds of river lanterns, Su Qingcai's figure stood out. He pushed aside the crowded lanterns around him and swam further and further away, finally stopping where there were only a few lanterns left.
He examined each of the river lanterns one by one, and finally picked one up and swam back to the shore, dragging it along the way.
He carefully held the river lantern in his hand, and the note inside was not wet at all.
Su Xiaoning suddenly thought of something, her breath hitched, and she stared nervously at the river lantern in Su Qingcai's hand.
Su Qingcai glanced at her quietly, wiped the river water off his face, took out the note from the river lantern, and read it aloud.
"I want to be with Su Qingcai forever."
"—This is what you wrote. You clearly care about me."
This is what Su Qingcai saw. He knew he shouldn't have misunderstood her; Su Xiaoning still held a place for him in her heart.
Su Xiaoning opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a word of explanation.
She truly loved Su Qingcai and didn't want to leave him, but due to unavoidable circumstances, she could only say things against her will to anger him. She didn't want to think about these things, but she couldn't bring herself to tell him the real reason, so she could only write down her secret wishes in the river lanterns.
Who would have thought that Su Qingcai would actually retrieve the river lantern?
Her insincerity was completely exposed to Su Qingcai, leaving her speechless for a moment.
Su Qingcai's gaze softened. He was soaking wet, and the icy river water made him feel cold all over, but his heart felt warm and comforted.
"You clearly care about me, so why did you say those hurtful things?" Su Qingcai wanted to hug Su Xiaoning, but because he was soaking wet and afraid of catching a chill, he held her hand tightly instead.
"I know there must be a reason why you said those things. If you don't want to tell me, then it's something you can't say. It's okay, I won't force you. Just tell me when you're ready to talk. Even if you don't want to talk, please don't force me to leave, okay? No matter what you're hiding from me, I just want to be good to you."
His gaze was intense, and his sincere eyes touched Su Xiaoning's heart.
Su Xiaoning sobbed and couldn't help but shed two lines of clear tears.
Ignoring Su Qingcai, who was covered in sweat, she hugged him tightly and choked out a "Mmm".
People are selfish, and she is no exception. Since Su Qingcai has already said so, why should she continue to be conflicted?
Life is short, and it's already a great privilege to be able to accompany each other and happily walk this path together.
Su Xiaoning understood, and used this hug to express her feelings.
Su Qingcai felt relieved and breathed a sigh of relief. He cupped Su Xiaoning's face in his hands and gently kissed her.
The handsome face before her suddenly magnified, and Su Xiaoning felt as if fireworks had exploded in her heart. She closed her eyes trembling, feeling the tenderness and affection emanating from Su Qingcai.
Thousands of river lanterns drifted away, their warm candlelight reflecting on the lovers embracing and kissing, a beautiful and heartwarming sight.
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