Chapter 200: Still Remembering Tonight
For the next two or three days, Lu Xiaofeng didn't mention the matter again, and returned to his cheerful self. He never told anyone about his conversation with Xie Huailing; it was permanently buried in his heart. Hua Manlou might have known, but he also chose to remain silent, pretending not to know.
After Xie Huailing spent two leisurely days with them, she truly became incredibly busy, just as she had said, leaving only Qu Wurong to lead the others. Even if you looked carefully, you couldn't find her anywhere; it was as if a curtain had been lowered from the sky, and she had naturally hidden behind it, fully immersed in the opportunity she had created, a time when she absolutely could not afford to miss it.
And the Golden Wind and Drizzle Pavilion seemed to grow more and more silent each day.
Silence is for the ending; silence is merely the beginning.
.
Shadows flickered across the snow-white screen, their faint colors barely visible in the night, only the lingering black edges of the figures making the screen seem to slumber. Outside the window, the night stretched on, the stars had lost all their brilliance, and the bright moon hung high in the sky, aloof and solitary, gazing down upon the world.
Heaven and earth are clothed in the moonlight, and the silvery light flows like a long river, surging peacefully. Looking out from the glass window, buildings and palaces face each other, all flowing in this long river, where indescribable things are passed around.
Su Mengzhen sat before the stained-glass window, a small table beside him and another chair, identical to the one he was sitting on, both bathed in the moonlight. He held nothing in his hands, resting them on the table, occasionally tapping the handle of the wine pot, as if silently counting something.
Clearly, he was waiting for someone, unsure when that person would return. But he didn't appear anxious; he remained calm, which was unusual for a restless night.
Not long after, the bedroom door opened. The person, who had become more familiar with this place than with her own bedroom over the past three years, yawned and strolled over slowly, bringing with her a faint fragrance that drifted onto the empty chair.
"There was a slight delay on the way," Xie Huailing said.
Su Mengzhen didn't respond to her immediately; his gaze remained fixed on the city of Bianjing outside the window. He had seen Bianjing from here many times, but never before had he felt such a surge of heroic passion within him, burning intensely and without pause.
He himself couldn't say how long he had been looking forward to this scene. Years ago, he never imagined that such a day would actually come. All his "one day" had become a reality, just as he never expected that there would be someone by his side when this day arrived.
"What happened?" Su Mengzhen finally asked her.
Xie Huailing slowly recounted the story; it wasn't a big deal. With her eyelashes lowered, the two small shadows cast by the moonlight were its reflection. She was actually more suited to being seen under the moonlight than under lamplight. She said, "I've dealt with Wang Xiaoshi's matter, so the personnel problem is solved. However, we still need to arrange a meeting between him and Wuqing. They're both from the Zizai Sect, so it's better if the Divine Marquis's Mansion gives him hints and suggestions. Even then, it's not certain he'll agree..."
But Xie Huailing only spoke briefly and quickly ended the conversation, as tonight was not the time to discuss such matters.
Even if everything were to come in a raging storm, the two of them had such a night, and they had to have such a night. Everything was quiet. Su Mengzhen lifted the lid of the wine jug, and the clear, rich fruity aroma, after the strong wine, wafted into the room. In the past, it had stood between them, connecting them to stories from hundreds of years ago, connecting them to storms, thunder, and unspeakable ambitions. Now, it only concerned them, to each other.
The aroma of the wine lingered, carrying a slight sourness and a refreshing, lingering fragrance. The wine was also clear, so clear that it reflected the moon.
Su Mengzhen poured two glasses of plum wine, one for Xie Huailing and one for himself. Since recovering from his illness, he had been drinking quite a bit, and this wasn't the first time he had shared a drink with Xie Huailing under the moon.
But tonight is different.
Xie Huailing accepted the wine glass with both hands, cradling it in her palms and letting out a breath. The full moon hung high, perfectly round. She knew what day it was—it was Mid-Autumn Festival again. Without any apparent reason, she asked, "Do you think anyone else will fall into the Heavenly Spring Pool this year?"
"No." Su Mengzhen answered quickly, and recalled the past with some emotion, "Where in this world could there be another like this?"
It sounds like he's using flowery language. He really is the kind of person who can say nice things, but his nice things are always mixed with the truth. It takes a lot of effort to force them to come out, and when he actually says them, they have a different flavor.
Xie Huailing wanted to laugh at him, but felt that what he said was absolutely right: "Yes, where else in the world could there be a second one like him?"
She took a sip of the wine. She didn't particularly like the taste of plum wine; she preferred stronger liquors. But she still savored it carefully, swallowing it slowly.
They've had many heart-to-heart talks, and as they've gotten to know each other better, neither of them is the same person they were when they first met. The awkwardness and wariness have disappeared in the river of time, and sometimes when they think about it, they find it a little funny. Time and people are such magical things.
Perhaps because the moonlight was so beautiful, Xie Huailing brought up the old story again, saying, "When I first came here, I really never imagined that I would be where I am today. I told you before, I really thought you were pretentious back then."
Su Mengzhen thought for a moment. He wasn't someone with a bad memory, and asserted, "You didn't tell me—you were faking it?"
Xie Huailing replied with the second half of her sentence, laughing at him, "Master Su is so grand. As soon as he came in, no one in the room dared to move. He was quiet and cold. I'm not wrong in saying that, am I? At most, the meaning is a little off." She then replied with the first half of her sentence, "I did tell you this, but you definitely don't remember. If I were lying about this, every storybook I read would have an unfinished ending."
She was bullying him. The reason she dared to make such a vicious oath was because he was asleep when she said it. Su Mengzhen couldn't recall anything at all. Just as he was about to ponder, Xie Huailing urged him on.
He then brought up old stories: "I didn't trust you at the time. You caused such a commotion when we first met, and I just wanted to calm you down. Speaking of which, you did give me quite a few 'surprises'."
Xie Huailing knew perfectly well: "You can just say you were frightened."
Even at the very beginning, she gave Su Mengzhen a lot of attitude and caused him a lot of trouble. Thinking about it now, it's really a good thing he could tolerate her. Or rather, it's a good thing he really wanted to recruit her after seeing her talent.
How could we have imagined this day? How could we have imagined that people who were wary of each other would share a quiet night, weathering the storm together?
"What's your impression of me?" Xie Huailing asked.
She was very curious, at least on this issue. Su Mengzhen recalled the Tianquan Pool as she wished, remembering the pool water and the person who sank in the west along with the bright moon.
The bright moon was hanging properly in the sky, and she was sitting next to him, listening to him speak. She honestly admitted, "My first impression... you are very beautiful, with excellent looks."
He was a man of many thoughts, and his worries were as numerous as willow catkins in spring. But when it came to the first impression, those eight words truly sufficeed. Infatuation is human nature, and he was no exception, especially since it was the first impression. Although he didn't lack the subsequent probing and vigilance, the first impression was remarkably clear.
He knew Xie Huailing would be smug when he said it, and sure enough, he heard her snort. This is how people are when they're feeling smug; they overlook her age because of her abilities, only remembering now that he's several years older than her.
After Xie Huailing finished gloating, Su Mengzhen finished speaking: "My first impression of him was that he was strange."
Anyone who sees someone who refuses to take their medicine and threatens to jump out of a window would find it strange and hard to understand.
Xie Huailing wasn't ashamed and said, "Is it still strange now?"
Su Mengzhen looked over. Objectively speaking, she was still a very strange person. It was difficult to understand her behavior, and even more difficult to keep up with her thought process. But it was impossible for Su Mengzhen to use that word to describe her now.
“No,” he said, “this is fine.”
People are complex, and their personalities are not one-dimensional. He had experienced all aspects of her, and he was the least likely to call her "strange." Occasionally, when his filter shifted too much, and he recalled the time he held her in his arms on a rainy night, he would still feel that she had her own tenderness and was quite gentle.
Of course, he knew he was being filtered, and not lightly.
The moonlight continued to flow, the palace as clear as if it were right before her eyes. Xie Huailing finished a glass of wine and watched Su Mengzhen pour a second one. The lights of thousands of homes lit up, an old chapter in history. She knew all the past events and was about to etch new names into history. Looking at them, she suddenly understood what it meant to be overwhelmed with emotion.
Su Mengzhen also refilled her glass. The moon, which had shone for thousands of years, was shining brightly outside the glass window. The next time she wanted to appreciate it, she would be in a completely new world.
"I have a secret to tell you."
When the wine flask was almost empty, Xie Huailing suddenly said this.
The two turned to look at each other at the same time. Xie Huailing stretched out her hand and handed the wine glass to Su Mengzhen. She poured a glass of moonlight into the wine and whispered to him, "Today is my birthday."
Su Mengzhen's hand holding the wine glass froze, caught off guard by her words. He had already thought of how to help her make up for it, and there might still be enough time tonight... Before the result was in, before he could even say anything, Xie Huailing spoke first again.
“But I don’t celebrate my birthday, I’m just telling you.” She swirled her wine glass in front of Su Mengzhen, her meaning clear: “If you want to congratulate me, wait until after you’ve achieved success.”
With the bright moon before them and heaven and earth gazing at each other, they each raised their hands and clinked their glasses.
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The subsequent storylines and timelines will all take place over the past two years. In the main storyline, this can be considered as the couple already being together.
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