Chapter 139 Fated to Meet but Not to Be Together
Lu Zhaoxing raised his hand and gently patted the back of his sister's hand.
Her fingertips tightened slightly, and a complex mix of emotions flashed across her eyes—perhaps a sense of loss, or perhaps a sense of relief.
There was even a trace of attachment that Lu Zhaoxing himself was unaware of, but in the end, it all settled into calm.
Lu Zhaoxing slowly raised her eyes, gazing at the deep twilight outside the hall. The flickering light and shadow made her eyes appear even more profound.
Lu Zhaoxing said softly, "Let him in."
“Zhaoxing!” Lu Zhaoxue looked puzzled.
He then said urgently, "Pei Yuanzheng's visit is clearly for ulterior motives, so why do you need to see him?"
"Some things are better left unsaid in person." Lu Zhaoxing said calmly, his eyelashes trembling slightly.
"There are too many past events between Pei Yuanzheng and me. They should be completely resolved so that we can both let go and live in peace from now on."
Seeing her sister's resolute attitude, Lu Zhaoxue didn't say anything more. She simply sat calmly to the side, coldly watching the person about to enter the hall.
Lu Zhaoxue exuded an aura of "Don't expect to get away with messing with my sister," clearly indicating that she was going to support Lu Zhaoxing.
A moment later, Pei Yuanzheng appeared at the entrance of the hall.
Pei Yuanzheng was dressed in a dark brocade robe, a color he rarely wore.
His posture remained as upright as a pine tree, but his face was very pale, and his eyes were filled with undisguised fatigue and bloodshot veins.
Her once gentle and kind eyes now only held a heavy pain, as if weighed down by a thousand-pound boulder.
Pei Yuanzheng's gaze swept past the furnishings in the hall and landed directly on Lu Zhaoxing.
His eyes held too many unspeakable emotions: a deep reluctance to part, a piercing pain, and a glimmer of hope that, though known to be futile, had not yet been extinguished.
Upon seeing this, Lu Zhaoxue let out a cold snort, the sound breaking the silence in the hall.
Lu Zhaoxing winked at her older sister, signaling her to go out first. Although Lu Zhaoxue was worried, she could only respect her younger sister's decision.
Lu Zhaoxue got up and slowly left.
After Lu Zhaoxue's figure had disappeared into the distance, Lu Zhaoxing walked to the table and raised his hand to signal the palace maid to leave.
Only she and Pei Yuanzheng remained in the hall. A silent stillness filled the air, and even the crackling of the burning candlelight seemed exceptionally clear.
It strikes a heavy blow to the heart.
Pei Yuanzheng paused slightly, his throat felt like it was stuck with hot sand, and his hoarse voice broke the silence first.
"Zhaoxing, do you...do you really have to marry Shen Minghe?"
Pei Yuanzheng stared intently at Lu Zhaoxing, his fingertips unconsciously clenching his sleeves, his knuckles turning slightly white.
His voice trembled noticeably, as if Lu Zhaoxing's answer was the final straw that would determine the joys and sorrows of the rest of his life.
Success means survival, failure means utter ruin.
Lu Zhaoxing met Pei Yuanzheng's gaze, his eyes calm and unwavering.
Without the slightest hesitation, she nodded gently, her voice soft yet firm: "Yes."
That single word struck Pei Yuanzheng's heart like a heavy hammer.
The instantaneous, shattering pain spread through Pei Yuanzheng's veins to every part of his body, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.
Pei Yuanzheng felt dizzy and his vision blurred. He struggled to steady himself by holding onto the edge of the table.
He took a deep breath, suppressing the pain in his heart, and asked a couple more questions.
Pei Yuanzheng's voice carried an almost humble plea, as if he wanted to grasp at the last glimmer of hope.
"Then...do you love him?"
Do you love Shen Minghe?
Lu Zhaoxing lowered her eyes and gently stroked the edge of the teacup on the table. The coolness of the porcelain cup passed through her fingertips, calming her chaotic thoughts slightly.
After a moment of silence, Lu Zhaoxing looked up at Pei Yuanzheng, his tone calm but earnest.
"I like him, I like Shen Minghe."
"He has been sincere to me and has never let me suffer any grievances. I should be able to live a peaceful and happy life with him in the future."
Liking someone, perhaps not yet a passionate love, is the stability that Lu Zhaoxing desires most after weathering the storms of life.
And who can say that liking is inferior to loving?
She liked Shen Minghe; she liked his courage, his sincerity, his openness, and especially the look of joy in his eyes when he looked at her.
Pei Yuanzheng stared intently at Lu Zhaoxing, the hope in his eyes gradually fading.
Like a candle flame that has burned out, he eventually turned into a silent, dark gray, and even the aura around him seemed to grow colder.
He nodded slowly, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, as if mocking himself.
He then whispered, "I understand."
Silence spread through the hall once more, so quiet that one could hear each other's breathing, so heavy that it was hard to breathe.
Looking at Pei Yuanzheng's dejected appearance, Lu Zhaoxing couldn't help but sigh inwardly, a hint of pity flashing in his eyes.
After a long silence, Pei Yuanzheng finally spoke, each word tinged with bitterness: "Zhaoxing, do you... still hate me?"
She resented his lack of control over his own destiny, resented his inability to protect her, and resented that they ultimately missed their chance.
I hate how unpredictable life is, how fate plays tricks on us.
Lu Zhaoxing slowly shook his head, a faint trace of melancholy flashing in his eyes, but without a trace of hatred.
"I don't hate you."
She paused, her gaze falling on Pei Yuanzheng's pale and haggard face, her tone softening slightly.
“I know that you carry the honor and disgrace and expectations of the entire Pei family on your shoulders. You have too many unavoidable difficulties. Perhaps I am not the only one who has no choice in the matter.”
Lu Zhaoxing is no longer the lively, bright, and decisive woman she once was. After experiencing the decline of her family and a life of wandering, she has come to understand the impermanence of life and the complexities of human nature.
Those past entanglements, those sleepless nights, may have already been gradually let go with the passage of time.
Only a tiny, insignificant regret remains, hidden deep within my heart.
"Between you and me, it's just that we were destined to meet but not to be together."
Lu Zhaoxing spoke softly, his tone as calm as if he were telling someone else's story.
"Pei Yuanzheng, let it go too. From now on, you live your life well, and I will live my peaceful life well."
"The best choice is for us all to be well."
Are we destined to meet but not to be together...?
Pei Yuanzheng repeated these words in a low voice, his smile growing increasingly bitter.
Suddenly, a resolute glint flashed in his eyes, a glint of desperate courage.
He silently added in his heart: If we are destined to be apart, then I will make up for the missed opportunity with my own hands!
No matter the cost, no matter the criticism and suffering, even if it means being shattered to pieces and suffering eternal damnation, he would not hesitate.
He would do anything to get back to Lu Zhaoxing's side.
However, he could not say these words out loud. He could only bury all his emotions deep in his heart and bear them alone.
A long silence fell over the hall once again, the air seemed to freeze, making one's chest feel heavy.
Lu Zhaoxing sighed softly and turned her head away from Pei Yuanzheng.
After a long silence, Pei Yuanzheng spoke again, his voice hoarse but unusually firm: "I have always kept your parents' matter in my heart and have never forgotten it. Pei Yuanzheng will definitely help you find out the truth of what happened back then."
This is perhaps the only thing Pei Yuanzheng can do for Lu Zhaoxing, and it is also the obsession and debt he has always felt in his heart.
He needed to fulfill this wish to give her and to the past an explanation.
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