Then, seeing Chang Lili standing to the side who was unusually quiet and not arguing with him, he said, "Why aren't you saying anything?"
"You're rarely happy, so I'll let you be happy for a while."
Chu Moyu said, "When have I ever been happy?"
Chang Lili ignored his stubbornness and said, "When people are truly smiling, their eyes don't lie. Chu Moyu, your eyes were very beautiful just now."
Chu Moyu's heart stirred as he looked at her quiet profile.
Chang Lili said, "I don't understand you. Every time I see you, I feel so tired. One minute I have to guess if you want to know something, and the next I have to figure out what you're thinking. Chu Moyu, do you know how annoying this is!"
Chu Moyu said, "I don't know."
"Of course you don't know. All you do is laugh, as if you're afraid others won't know you're unhappy."
Chu Moyu often smiles, but Chang Lili is the first person to see through his smile and understand his true feelings.
Chu Moyu looked at Chang Lili with a puzzled expression, realizing for the first time that he might have underestimated this seemingly carefree girl.
His eyes, which used to hold a hint of playfulness, now held a rare seriousness. Chang Lili's fair profile was fully reflected in his eyes, revealing a rare ethereal beauty.
Chang Lili continued, "Whatever you want to do, I hope you can be happy."
Chu Moyu watched her retreating figure, his hand at his side twitching slightly. He followed her without making a sound, changing the subject and asking, "Why haven't I heard you mention your parents before?"
"My parents?" Chang Lili said nonchalantly, "Just like yours."
"What?"
“I’m practically an orphan too, but I was raised by my mother-in-law.”
Chu Moyu knew this, and he asked calmly, "Your parents..."
Chang Lili turned to look at him and said, "Chu Moyu, do you know that there are some questions you shouldn't ask? Aren't you afraid I'll be hurt?"
Chu Moyu immediately realized he had been too hasty and said, "I'm sorry, no offense intended."
Chang Lili was just being deliberately dramatic; she wasn't really blaming him. She waved her hand and said, "It's okay, I was just joking. My parents also died in a fire."
"What?!"
Chu Moyu's eyes widened suddenly. In the bustling street, he could only see Chang Lili's thin figure, as if he could see something through her.
That was the only hope and light they saw, for this group of people who had grown up fed on hatred and had always walked in darkness.
Chang Lili didn't notice his abnormality and said, "Back then, my family was poor and didn't have a water tank. When the fire broke out, there was no time to put it out. Luckily, my mother-in-law was living in my house at the time and carried me out."
The impressions of that fire all came from her mother-in-law's retelling. Chang Lili herself had no memory of that scene, and a few blurry fragments were not enough for her to piece together all her memories.
The raging fire and black smoke blurred her vision and filled her with terror. All around her were screams of horror. It seemed as if countless hands, transformed into shadowy figures, were reaching out menacingly, yet she could grasp nothing. She struggled to breathe, but dared not cry. Just as the flames were about to engulf her, a pair of hands lifted her away from that hellish place, and carried her further and further away, until those nightmarish shadows froze in her sight for the last moment…
Chang Lili wanted to see more clearly, but then she suddenly got a headache, which made her give up the attempt.
Chu Moyu asked incredulously, "Your mother-in-law lives in your house?"
Chang Lili looked at him strangely and said, "Yes, my mother-in-law is from out of town. She was taken in by my parents and that's how she saved my life."
Chu Moyu's heart, which had just warmed up, instantly turned cold again.
The mother-in-law said the same thing: Chang Lili was just a child she adopted unintentionally.
Could it be true? Or could they really have made a mistake?
But for some reason, the hope that wasn't so strong at first became unusually strong after today, and Chu Moyu began to reject the impossible situation in his heart.
Perhaps they made a mistake somewhere, but he began to trust Aunt Lu's judgment.
He began to doubt Chang Lili's innocence; he even wished that Chang Lili could be like him.
But Chang Lili didn't want to talk about this anymore and asked, "How far is it to the outskirts of Beijing? Let's go find two horses."
They then asked for two horses and headed to the outskirts of Beijing together.
Chu Moyu was willing to give her a ride, and Chang Lili was both grateful and somewhat embarrassed.
Meng Yuxiu said last time that he didn't want me to have any contact with Chu Moyu. If he sees me with Chu Moyu again, will he be unhappy?
Meng Yuxiu was already busy enough; she didn't want to cause him any more trouble.
However, she felt bad about refusing someone who was trying to help her.
I could only struggle with this dilemma on my own.
How did you and Meng Yuxiu meet?
Chang Lili immediately said, "Our destiny has brought us together."
Chu Moyu didn't believe it and felt unhappy, saying, "You believe Meng Yuxiu?"
“Of course!” Chang Lili glanced at him. “He is the best person I have ever met. He is upright, loyal, and brave enough to fight on the battlefield.”
"Loyalty and righteousness?" Chu Moyu sneered.
The wind was too strong, and Chang Lili didn't hear what Chu Moyu was saying, but seeing the fleeting sneer on his lips, she said with displeasure, "He killed the Northern Barbarians and pacified the border. He's a great general revered by thousands. The peace in the capital is all thanks to him. I've seen what he's like in the military camp. What are you laughing at?"
Chu Moyu said, "The great general, revered by ten thousand, also killed ten thousand people. What are you going to do with those he killed?"
Chang Lili retorted, "On the battlefield, it's either you die or I live. He's a general, carrying the hopes of the nation and its people on his shoulders. Between the weight of the matter, his choice was not wrong. You're just making excuses."
"Human life is of paramount importance." Chu Moyu persisted in this topic, "If it's for the country on the battlefield, then what about those who shouldn't die?"
"What do you mean?"
The outline of the main camp on the outskirts of the capital and the watchtowers could already be seen in the distance. Chu Moyu slowed down his horse and lowered his voice, saying, "Do you know what made Meng Yuxiu famous in one battle?"
Chang Lili looked at Chu Moyu warily, sensing that he had ill intentions and was trying to trick her into listening to something: "What?"
"He joined the army at sixteen, rose through the ranks, had no family background, and single-handedly became the great general he is today. The number of people he killed in the Northern Barbarians alone wasn't enough. There was also twelve years ago..."
"Clatter, clatter, clatter!" The sound of horses' hooves grew louder as they approached, and beneath the dust raised, the silhouettes of the riders gradually became clear, their armor gleaming with a chilling light.
Chang Lili looked over and saw Meng Yuxiu, who was wearing silver armor, and his personal guards.
It had been a long time since I had seen him in armor. Now, seeing him, he was wise and mighty, as if a divine soldier had descended from the heavens, riding on auspicious clouds, with a magnificent bearing.
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