Chapter 57: The Moon in the Water (5) Broken.
That night, after Meng Xuanli went to bed, Lu Guanque received news from Uncle De, who said that there was a master of medicine in Qiantang who specialized in treating women's diseases.
Lu Guanque walked into the study and wrote a letter: "Uncle De, tomorrow morning, take my letter and go to Qiantang in person."
Uncle De nodded and took the letter. "It's strange to say, Madam, you seem to have had this illness before, but you didn't pay much attention to it. Now it seems to be more serious."
Lu Guanque admitted that during that time, he hadn't lived with her and hadn't paid attention to her diet and daily life, but that wouldn't happen again. He would protect her and accompany her, and wouldn't let her get hurt again.
Lu Guanque stood up and replied, "I'm just afraid... that's all. I'll wait for someone to come and take a look."
The sky grew paler and paler, like cold incense ash. When the wind blew, the sun came out.
Lu Guanque rarely felt this way. Everything was moving in a positive direction, yet he felt an inexplicable sense of oppression. It wasn't that he didn't believe it, but he felt the danger was still all around him.
As for what the danger was, he guessed that it was probably related to the enemy his father had mentioned before he died.
He watched the gradually emerging light and shadow, but he had no idea who the hidden person was or what his purpose was.
After a long while, Meng Xuanli washed up and opened the door: "Why are you here?"
Lu Guanque nodded and put his arm around her shoulders: "Aren't you going to the He Mansion today? I'll give you a ride."
Meng Xuanli raised her head slightly and smiled, "I can go by myself. You're not fully recovered yet." She added, "I'll be back before sunset."
"One day without seeing you feels like three years." Lu Guanque said as they walked, "Ali is gone like this, will you miss me?"
Meng Xuanli stopped and looked around. Seeing that there was no one around, he said mysteriously, "If you lower it a little, I'll tell you."
Lu Guanque lowered his head as he followed the voice. Meng Xuanli stood on tiptoe, cupped his face, and kissed his lips gently before letting go. "Do you understand?"
Her eyes were bright, her eyebrows were picturesque, and her expression was much better than last night. Lu Guanque paused, pulled her closer, and deepened the kiss.
Uncle De had been planning to go to Qiantang, but before he could leave, something happened. After finally finding Lu Guanque and witnessing such an intimate scene, he had no choice but to hide awkwardly behind the bamboo grove. For a long moment, his expression was filled with worry. After struggling, he threw a stone.
When the two heard the sound, Meng Xuanli immediately distanced himself. Lu Guanque was stunned, completely frozen in place. Meng Xuanli stretched out his hand, waved it in front of him, and smiled: "I'll go by myself, you go back first."
Without waiting for Lu Guanque's reply, Meng Xuanli lifted her skirt and left the courtyard. After a pause, Uncle De walked up to Lu Guanque and said hesitantly, "Duke, someone wants to see you."
Lu Guanque's throat was rolling, and he was obviously still in shock from the kiss. He was stunned for a moment and asked casually, "Who is it?"
Uncle De shook his head: "It's...Su He."
"What?!" Lu Guanque suddenly turned his head, obviously unconvinced, "He's still alive?"
"...Yes. But the person who came claimed to be Su He, and said that he had something to talk to the Duke about." Uncle De was also shocked when he heard it. After all, he saw Su He fall down with his own eyes at that time.
Lu Guanque's eyes suddenly turned cold, he suppressed his doubts and said calmly: "He didn't show up earlier or later, I think he has been planning this for a long time."
"Send him here. I'll be waiting for him in the study."
Uncle De took the order and left.
Not long after, the study door was pushed open. Uncle De was surprised and confused, and a man followed him.
The man was wearing a green cloth robe and a wide bamboo hat. He was tall and thin, and exuded an air of vicissitudes of life.
Lu Guanque gave a look, and Uncle De nodded, dismissed the people around him, closed the door and left.
Su He took off his bamboo hat and threw it on the ground, revealing his slightly withered black hair. He looked at Lu Guanque with a cold gaze, like stagnant water in late autumn, with a calmness that bordered on madness.
"Are you surprised to see me, Duke?" Su He said in a hoarse voice, his tone drawn out. "The one who died was just a scapegoat."
"If you've forgotten, my Lord, I'll remember that. You let me go that day just to test her feelings for you. But I'm not that stupid. Now that I'm out, I won't die in vain."
"So, I found a handsome young man, gave him a teardrop mole, and told him everything about me and her. I asked him to act out a play, and if the play was successful, I would naturally pay him. However, before I even paid him, you killed him."
Lu Guanque stared at him intently, his hands clenched into fists. He didn't want to ask how he had evaded detection or how he had changed his appearance, because none of that mattered. What he wanted to ask was why he was still here.
"What are you doing here?" Lu Guanque's voice was low, filled with disgust and wariness.
Su He smiled and walked over slowly. His eyes swept across the bookshelf with interest, finally landing on Lu Guanque's face.
His smile deepened. "Of course I came here to see the Duke." He paused, then bared his teeth. "By the way... I'll tell you another secret."
Lu Guanque's eyes were deep, as if he had some guesses, so he followed his words and asked, "What secret?"
Su He clapped his hands, his tone playful, each word clear: "Don't worry, it's not a big deal. It's Meng Xuanli."
Lu Guanque suddenly raised his eyes, his breathing became rapid, his expression became solemn, his fingers tightly gripping the edge of the table, his knuckles turning white.
Su He seemed very satisfied with his reaction and continued slowly, "Is her body getting colder and colder? Especially at night, it's almost impossible to sleep, right?"
Lu Guanque's breathing stagnated and he almost suffocated.
Su He looked mockingly, shook his head, and sneered, "Oh, by the way, didn't the imperial physician also say that she was like this because she took contraceptive pills?"
"But think about it, how could those ordinary cold medicines have such powerful effects?"
He took a step forward, approached Lu Guanque, and whispered, "Let me help you recall it again."
"Back then, before she married you, she had an eye disease. I approached her on purpose so I could add something to her medicine. That something was colorless and odorless, and couldn't be detected by a silver needle."
"In the beginning, she'll be just like a normal person. But over time, the drug's properties will seep into her bones, slowly wearing her down from the inside. She'll grow colder, her breathing weaker, until one day...she'll die quietly in her sleep."
Su He tilted his head slightly and looked at Lu Guanque, whose eyes were bloodshot, as if he wanted to kill him. He didn't get angry, but smiled and said, "Don't worry, no one can find out. In the end, she died of natural causes."
"I'm here to remind you that she...will not survive this year."
"As for you, just wait to collect her body."
Veins bulged on Lu Guanque's forehead, and he felt as if every organ in his body was being torn apart. With murderous intent in his eyes, he suddenly stepped forward, grabbed Su He by the collar, and almost lifted him off the ground: "If you want revenge on me, come at me!"
"Why do you treat her like this? She used to treat you as a friend."
Su He was strangled to the point of being unable to breathe, but he didn't struggle. Instead, he smiled twistedly and said, "Friends? I don't care about friends. Does she think that her little charity will make me grateful to her?"
"Bah!"
"I want you to watch her slowly leave you! I also want to watch the Duke's Mansion completely collapse! Just like my mother's death!"
Lu Guanque stared at him intently, as if he understood something. He gritted his teeth and said firmly, "Mother? Do you still think all this belongs to you?"
Su He's eyes suddenly became sharp, and his voice was filled with hatred: "Isn't it?!"
"Idiot!" Lu Guanque suddenly threw him to the ground, and a muffled sound was heard.
He walked quickly to the bookshelf, took out a yellowed envelope from the secret compartment, and threw it heavily at Su He.
"Look for yourself. Look at what my father said before he died. Look at what a joke your life story, which you've been obsessed with all your life, is."
Su He's head was shaking, but he didn't care about the pain. With trembling hands, he grabbed the letter and pulled it out anxiously.
He read ten lines at a glance, his face becoming paler and paler, and finally, only despair and collapse remained.
The letter clearly stated that Su He was not the eldest princess's son. His biological mother was a peasant woman with ulterior motives who deliberately saved the eldest princess in order to kill Lu Guanque and replace him with the crown prince. However, she had no idea that a strange combination of circumstances would cost her her life.
After the old Duke and the eldest princess learned of this, they sent someone to send Su He to the Su family in Xuzhou, as he was still an infant. As for the jade hairpin, it was accidentally dropped by the eldest princess when she was holding him.
"No... this is impossible. The jade hairpin was clearly given to that peasant woman by my mother!" Su He tore up the letter, slumped to the ground, and put his hands in his hair, looking like a madman.
Lu Guanque looked down at him coldly, "My father once told me to be careful of Dongdu's enemies. After returning from Chang'an, I've been wondering who my enemy could be. I didn't expect it to be you."
Lu Guanque squatted down and grabbed Su He's hair. He ordered in a calm tone, "Hand over the antidote, otherwise, I will kill you now."
Su He's body trembled as he regained consciousness from his collapse. He stared at Lu Guanque, the man he had hated his entire life, and taunted him, "Antidote?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he laughed loudly, his laughter was shrill and uncertain: "There is no antidote! When I poisoned you, I never thought of finding an antidote!"
"I originally wanted to see you deserted by everyone and everything you care about destroyed, but now, I've suddenly changed my mind."
"I want to watch you suffer, watch you despair, watch her die in your arms... That scene must be extremely beautiful."
"You're looking for death!" Lu Guanque grabbed his throat.
Su He's breathing was labored, but his eyes showed no fear. He struggled, squeezing out a few words from between his teeth: "Kill me... Kill me... Then she will be beyond saving..."
"Do you dare?"
Lu Guanque's arms stiffened, and he took a moment to react. He recalled the past, when Meng Xuanli had threatened him, and he hadn't been afraid at all, because he knew he was willing to die in her arms.
But now, when the person he faced was Su He, and when the person being threatened was Meng Xuanli, he felt unprecedented fear.
Besides, killing Su He was as easy as pie. But after killing Su He, what should she do? Should she let him watch her die in front of her?
This couldn't be happening. He couldn't let this happen.
Lu Guanque stared at him with turbulent eyes: "You really want to see me despair, watch me suffer, watch me die...right? Then I'll give you this chance." After saying that, he suddenly let go.
"Leave the antidote."
Su He clutched his neck and coughed furiously. After an unknown amount of time, he struggled to get up from the ground and scoffed, "That won't do. What if she gets better and you refuse to die? Wouldn't that be a huge loss for me?"
"I've been dying for a long time." Lu Guanque knew this very well. "In two months, I will die in front of you. As for her, if you dare to touch her again in the future, I will turn into a ghost and make you restless day and night, and die of madness."
"In that case, the Duke should enjoy the rest of his life..." After saying that, he threw down the medicine bottle, left, and disappeared in the light and shadow.
After Lu Guanque picked up the medicine bottle, he froze in place, motionless. Meng Xuanli's feelings for him, previously hidden in the undercurrents of the sea, now finally revealed by light and shadow, surfacing, only to be forced back into place by him.
In order to let her live, he had to make her dislike him, hate him, and even forget him. Just like before, he was willing to lose everything for her, including his life.
The vision suddenly became very dark, Lu Guanque felt a lump in his throat, and went to Zheng's house.
#
When Meng Xuanli returned from the He family, the sun had not yet set. She walked into the study, but saw no one there. She asked the guard nearby, "Where did the Duke go?"
The guard rubbed his head and recalled, "I'm not quite sure, but Uncle De said the Duke is out."
Meng Xuanli frowned. Why would he go out when he wasn't fully recovered yet? Was there something wrong in the palace? Or was someone specifically looking for him?
Just as she was thinking, Meng Xuanli heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw Lu Guanque with a gloomy expression, as if he didn't see her.
She walked forward, stopped him, and asked worriedly, "Where have you been?"
"I didn't go anywhere, just went out for a walk." Lu Guanque's voice was cold, not at all as gentle as it was in the morning.
Meng Xuanli thought he was feeling down from being home recuperating, so she didn't take it seriously. She smiled and said, "I went to see Ming Tan today. She's recovering well and said she's going to hold a full-moon banquet for her child next month."
"Then shall we go together?"
"Yeah." Lu Guanque never looked at her. "You can go back. I'm a little tired."
Meng Xuanli watched him leave, feeling strangely strange. She pursed her lips and instructed Uncle De, "He doesn't look well today. I think it's the summer heat. Make him some medicinal food to cool him down."
Uncle De lowered his eyes, paused, and replied, "Yes."
Meng Xuanli sighed and returned to Chengju. After dinner, she lay in bed, her mind inexplicably reminiscent of that evening scene. She could distinguish between the feelings of closeness and distance, but she pondered Lu Guanque's sudden indifference for a long time, but she still couldn't understand it.
She wrapped her robe tightly around her, quietly got out of bed, and pushed open the door. The courtyard was quiet, steam rising and falling. Wherever Meng Xuanli looked, there was only a silent gloom.
She plucked up her courage and walked quietly to the main courtyard. She saw that it was dark outside, but a candle was lit inside.
Lu Guanque lay on his side on the bed, his brow furrowed, as if he had had a nightmare. She slowly approached, squatted down, and touched his forehead.
As soon as they met, Lu Guanque opened his eyes, grabbed her hand, and stared at her like a thief: "What are you doing here?"
"I..." Meng Xuanli opened his mouth, his nose a little sore, "I noticed that you were in a bad mood in the evening, and since you didn't come to see me at night, I thought your illness had relapsed."
"I was worried about you, so I came to see you." She was telling the truth.
Lu Guanque frowned slightly, Meng Xuanli's breath on his face. He let go of her hand, turned around, and said coldly: "There's nothing to worry about, go back."
He understood that pushing her away when they loved each other the most would be heartbreaking for both him and her. But when he realized that she would die, he preferred to use this method to protect her, allowing her to gradually leave him and forget him.
Meng Xuanli's eyes were filled with disappointment: "You want me to go back again." She emphasized: "I'm not going back."
After saying this, Meng Xuanli straightened up, sat on the edge of the bed, and began to undress. Lu Guanque heard the sound and suddenly grabbed her hand: "What are you doing?"
Meng Xuanli blinked: "It's too cold, I can't sleep by myself."
When Lu Guanque heard the word "cold", he was stunned for a moment, then let go of her and said lightly: "Go back to sleep, there is nothing here, it is much colder than Chengju."
Meng Xuanli was inexplicably angry. It was impossible for him not to understand what she meant, just as she could sense his abnormality.
"Just go back and let me freeze to death."
Meng Xuanli glanced at him and turned to leave. She thought that when Lu Guanque heard this, he would grab her wrist, hug her in his arms, and apologize, saying, "Ali, I was wrong. I won't do this again."
Unexpectedly, he didn't react at all. He closed his eyes, lay on the bed, and fell asleep peacefully. She walked to the candlestick, took a deep breath, and blew out the candle: "Lu Guanque, don't go to Chengju anymore."
It was obvious that this was just a rant, but Lu Guanque still didn't react. Meng Xuanli walked to the bed again, lowered the curtains, and used some skill to lie down beside him.
The bed sank, and just as Lu Guanque was about to turn over, Meng Xuanli hid in his arms. She raised her eyes to his and said softly, "Don't let me sleep alone."
After that, she lifted his arm and placed it on her waist: "This is the way to go."
Lu Guanque was about to push her away, but when he felt her coldness, his hand stopped. Her body was still so cold, and in such a situation, she still ran towards him.
Bitterness surged into his heart. Lu Guanque suppressed his emotions and closed his eyes helplessly: "Then go to sleep."
Meng Xuanli was still dissatisfied with his attitude. She carefully nudged him and kissed his chin: "What's wrong with you today? You weren't like this before..."
Lu Guanque held down her restless body, his expression cold and indifferent as he said calmly, "Not really, I was like this before."
The tent was dim, with only their breathing, one hot and one cold, like two bridges that could only run parallel and not cross.
Meng Xuanli raised her head slightly, tears welling in her eyes. "You don't want me to sleep next to you, do you?"
Lu Guanque avoided her fiery gaze and said coldly, "There's no need to sleep together every day."
"I understand." Meng Xuanli put on his clothes and stood up to leave. Lu Guanque had a splitting headache, but he couldn't help but tell him, "Go back and cover yourself with the quilt."
Meng Xuanli sneezed and replied to him in his own words: "There's nothing to worry about, just go to sleep."
The door was shut heavily. Lu Guanque closed his eyes, and tears flowed slowly back from the corners of his eyes like the Xiangjiang River, passed through the bridge of his nose, merged with the Xiaoshui River, and flowed into the land of sadness.
Since that day, Meng Xuanli often saw Lu Guanque leaving early in the morning and returning late at night. She asked the servants, but the answers she received were all unclear. Of course, she was just worried about his health, nothing more.
It was a beautiful day, and the He family was holding a full-moon banquet. Meng Xuanli got up early, stopped Lu Guanque, and handed him the invitation: "You promised me that you would come with me."
Lu Guanque was silent for a moment, then said, "There's something important going on in the palace today, I can't leave."
After saying that, he turned and left. Meng Xuanli stepped forward and grabbed his sleeve: "You've been so indifferent to me this past month. What on earth have I done to make you so..."
disgust.
She didn't say the rest of the words, fearing that she might have misunderstood him, and also fearing that he really meant it.
"Nothing." Lu Guanque avoided her gaze and asked casually, "Have you been feeling cold lately?"
"Well……"
Meng Xuanli obviously hadn't noticed. After a moment's thought, he replied, "I'm not cold anymore. Imperial Physician Yu's prescription is very effective. I take it regularly every day, and I'm fine now."
Lu Guanque seemed to be relieved and said, "Hmm," "That's good." Then he shook off her hand.
Meng Xuanli looked at his back and felt that she was getting farther and farther away from him, just like flying a kite. At the beginning, the string and the kite were in her hands, but after the kite was lifted up by the wind, the string quietly slipped away from her control.
Meng Xuanli lowered his eyes to look at his palm and found that nothing was left.
She didn't know how long she stood there, but her legs felt numb, so she went back to Chengju to change her clothes and went to He's house for the banquet.
Across the crowd, Xie Mingtan noticed Meng Xuanli was feeling down, so he dragged her to the attic of the He Mansion. The attic was cool and airy, with paintings and calligraphy by famous artists hanging on the walls. Several men and women were also there admiring the paintings.
Meng Xuanli sat in a chair, gazing out at the pond in the distance. Xie Mingtan was commenting on poetry and painting, and when she saw she was silent, he quietly interrupted, asking, "What's going on in your house lately? I see the Duke isn't here today either."
"He's busy."
Meng Xuanli was a little absent-minded: "I don't know why, but he rarely talks to me recently. Every time I see him, he's very cold, as if he never knew me."
Xie Mingtan pouted and thought for a moment: "So... are you still living together recently?"
"We've only lived together for the past two days. We didn't live together before." Meng Xuanli looked at her. "Tell me, why is that?"
"I guess he's being cold to you because of your illness and he's afraid of hurting you." Xie Mingtan supported his chin with his hand and handed Meng Xuanli a cup of tea. "Don't think too much. Come with me to see my girl."
Meng Xuanli nodded: "Indeed, I no longer feel cold these days, so he came to see me."
Just as she was about to get up, the sound of discussion coming from beside the screen drifted faintly into her ears.
"Have you heard? The Duke went to the palace today to speak to His Majesty."
"What's the matter? Is it about military affairs?"
"With so much military work to do, is it worth going to the palace in person?" The man's voice was a bit mysterious. "My father said it seems to be for the young lady of the Zheng family."
Meng Xuanli looked at Xie Mingtan, and they were both stunned.
Another person asked in surprise, "Zheng Wanruo? Wasn't she confined to her house to repent for what happened before? Why would the Duke...?"
"It's a different time now!" The man from before lowered his voice, but every word was clear. "I heard that the Duke is grateful for General Zheng's old age, and also pity Miss Zheng's infatuation."
"After all, Miss Zheng got into that trouble because of the Duke. And now the Duke's wife... well, don't you know? They actually signed the divorce agreement a long time ago, but we just didn't know about it."
"Is this really true?" Several people were shocked, completely unaware that there was someone on the other side of the screen.
"It's absolutely true. It's said that the divorce agreement had already been exchanged before the Duke was seriously injured. So, now that the Duke has recovered from his illness, it's only natural for him to ask His Majesty to marry Miss Zheng as his second wife."
"Now, Miss Zheng can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel."
"I really didn't expect that there would be such a thing..."
Meng Xuanli could no longer hear what they said next. Her ears were buzzing. He and Lu Guanque had indeed signed a divorce agreement due to estrangement and a mistake, but without the testimony of the elders of the clan, the agreement was invalid.
Besides, if Zheng Wanruo was the one who almost killed him, would he pity her infatuation? And then marry her?
This is impossible, absolutely impossible.
Meng Xuanli stood up suddenly, and her movement was so big that she knocked over the teacup in front of her. The warm tea spilled on her and soaked her skirt, but she was completely unaware.
"Xuan Li... this..."
Xie Mingtan was startled by the words behind the screen and Meng Xuanli in front of him, and hurriedly grabbed her hand.
Seeing Meng Xuanli's pale face and shocked expression, she comforted him, "Maybe this isn't true. Don't be angry."
Meng Xuanli struggled to get her hand back, her voice hoarse: "Mingtan, I'm feeling a little unwell, I'll go back first." She said no more, turned around and walked downstairs, her steps a little unsteady.
Seeing this, Xie Mingtan knew that something was wrong, so he quickly sent someone to the palace to send a message, asking Lu Guanque to explain to Meng Xuanli.
When he got on the carriage, Meng Xuanli's heart was beating wildly, as if a butterfly flew into his body and he was frantically looking for an exit to escape.
She knew very well that those rumors could never be true. Lu Guanque would not treat her like that. After all, they had finally reconciled.
The carriage stopped in front of the mansion gate. Meng Xuanli calmly got off the carriage and walked straight towards the main courtyard.
"Madam?" The guard at the door was surprised to see that she looked pale, as if she was sick.
"The Duke went to the palace, but hasn't come back yet?" Meng Xuanli said in a low voice.
“No…no.”
Meng Xuanli's heart suddenly sank. Did he really go to the palace to ask for the imperial edict?
It was June, the sweltering heat of the month, and Meng Xuanli sat on the Arhat couch, Fuyao fanning her from the side, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't dispel the heat within her.
"Fuyao, go and find out where the Duke is now. If you have any news, have him come back to see me immediately."
Fuyao agreed, but before she left Chengju, she saw Lu Guanque walking in slowly.
He waved his hand, and the room became quieter, with only the two of them left.
Meng Xuanli glanced sideways and saw that it was Lu Guanque. He hurriedly stood up and walked over to him. He was wearing a dark-colored casual suit, with an upright posture, and he looked much better than before.
She was about to speak when she glanced and saw the imperial edict in his hand.
Time flowed slowly in silence. Meng Xuanli shook her head. She was rarely impulsive, and rarely showed her emotions. But this time, as soon as she finished speaking, she snatched the imperial edict from his hand.
Her movements were so quick and urgent that Lu Guanque obviously hadn't expected them. His expression suddenly changed: "Meng Xuanli, what are you going to do?"
Even though he called her full name, which was the name she hated the most, Meng Xuanli didn't care too much.
With trembling hands, she hurriedly unfolded the imperial edict, her eyes quickly scanning the familiar words, the words of praise, and then the most crucial words -
Zheng Wanruo.
Allow him to remarry.
Meng Xuanli's emotions were like a tumbler, swaying back and forth, and finally staying where they were.
Lu Guanque snatched the imperial edict, rolled it up, and placed it on the kang table. He brushed his sleeves and sat down on the couch, his voice steady, "I had been planning to tell you in a few days, but when I heard you found out at the He family, I decided not to hide it from you anymore."
"His Majesty has already agreed, and the wedding is set for September."
September?
Meng Xuanli thought vaguely, it's June now, there are still three months left, and he has even chosen the date...
"Impossible, this is impossible." Her lips moved, but her eyes were still.
Meng Xuanli turned around and stared into his eyes, but Lu Guanque always avoided her.
She walked forward, cupped his face in her hands, and forced him to look at her. "You once told me that you would only love me in this life, that I was the only one you had eyes for. You even said I was your life...and now you're telling me you want to divorce me and marry someone else?"
"Lu Guanque, look at me. Are you lying to me? Is the emperor forcing you to do this? Tell me!"
She tried to find the deep affection of the past in his eyes, even if it was just a little helplessness and pain.
But he didn't.
His eyes were calm and expressionless, like a mirror, reflecting his own sad and groggy expression.
"I didn't lie to you, and no one forced me to do so." Lu Guanque pushed her hand away and said coldly, "The imperial decree is here, you can see it clearly."
He paused, his gaze shifting from her sad face to something far away: "As for the divorce agreement we signed earlier, it's true."
"Before I was injured, I had it completed and handed it to the elders of the clan for witness. The divorce agreement bears our signatures and ours. After you returned, you were distracted and perhaps didn't notice the details."
Was it already done? Was it handed over to the elders?
Meng Xuanli stared at him, stunned, as if getting to know him for the first time. So, by the time they'd reconciled, the paperwork symbolizing their separation had already been completed?
He had already made preparations to wait until she stayed completely before ending their relationship.
What then was the tenderness of these days? What was the nights spent whispering in each other's ears? What was she, in his heart?
Lu Guanque stood up without looking at her: "Didn't you always want to leave before? Now you can do as you wish."
Meng Xuanli stared at his unfamiliar back, his face pale. "Lu Guanque, I won't leave, and you can't leave either."
After that, she pulled out the hairpin as if she was going to die, and put it against her neck: "If you take another step, I will die in front of you."
Lu Guanque's eyes flickered and his breathing became panicked. He stopped and quickly turned around and rushed over: "Meng Xuanli, are you crazy?" His voice unconsciously rose.
Meng Xuanli exerted some force, and a faint red mark appeared on her slender white neck. "You once told me that you were most afraid of... you were most afraid of my death. I want to see... if this is the only way for you to stay?"
Meng Xuanli pulled his sleeve and sobbed, "Don't abandon me, I don't want to be abandoned again..."
Tiny drops of blood spread across her neck. Lu Guanque snatched her hairpin and threw it aside. He lifted her up by the waist and said, "It's not that I want to abandon you, but I don't want you anymore."
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Author's words: Two chapters combined into one. Requesting nutrient solution [milk tea]
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