Jiang Chuting never expected that while walking along the road, an overwhelming drowsiness would suddenly strike him without warning. His steps slowed down, his eyes closed, and he collapsed softly to the ground.
He had a dream; the dream took him back to the night Zi Que came to see him for the last time.
Zi Que leaned against him, pleading with him with heartbreaking sorrow, asking him to end his life himself.
As he painfully wept and received the dagger with trembling hands, this man, already so weak he could barely speak, suddenly gasped and laughed. His eyes shone with hope and light, and even his complexion seemed to regain some color. "Chu Ting, I truly love you. Don't forget me, okay? If... if I have a next life, I will definitely come to find you sooner. You must wait for me, you must wait for me, please, wait for me, remember me..."
Chu Ting, I really love you.
You must wait for me, you absolutely must wait for me.
Wait for me...
After this scene repeated itself countless times, Zi Que looked at him and suddenly burst into tears of blood, saying in utter anguish, "Chu Ting, have you forgotten me? Are you no longer waiting for me? I'm in pain, I'm in so much pain."
Jiang Chuting suddenly woke up and sat up, covered in sweat.
He subconsciously reached for the wooden hairpin in his hair, but found nothing; his hair was disheveled.
He hurriedly started looking for it, but then he heard a voice beside him say, "Is this what you're looking for?"
Jiang Chuting looked at the boy in the gray cotton coat next to her and noticed the wooden hairpin that he was offering with both hands.
It was indeed the wooden hairpin that Zique had given him.
But now, it's broken in two.
Jiang Chuting stood there stunned, not reaching out to take it. Her face instantly turned ashen, as if covered with a layer of frost.
Seeing this, the boy quickly explained, "You had just fallen asleep when the hairpin suddenly broke. I was just surprised and picked it up to take a look. I didn't do it."
Jiang Chuting wasn't lying on the cold street anymore, but in a pharmacy. The boy was a helper there and lived in the shop. That night, it was a coincidence that he went out to get some water and happened to see Jiang Chuting lying by the door. So, he kindly brought him in and let him lie on his small bed.
Although his medical skills weren't great, after taking his pulse for a while, he could tell from the looks of it that the man was asleep.
Just as he was wondering how tired this person must be to fall asleep in the freezing cold, he discovered that the wooden hairpin had fallen out of his hair and broken neatly in two. He couldn't believe his eyes.
"What's wrong? You don't believe me?" Indeed, even he himself couldn't believe it. Seeing that he still didn't move or say anything, the boy was afraid of being held accountable, so he said anxiously, "I wouldn't deliberately break your things. You can keep it yourself, don't come looking for me." After saying that, he hurriedly stuffed the wooden hairpin into Jiang Chuting's hand.
Jiang Chuting's hand recoiled as if burned before he looked down and saw a clean, decisive break. He slowly clenched his fist.
After a moment, realizing he had taken over someone else's sleeping spot, Jiang Chuting nodded slightly to him and said softly, "Thank you for letting me stay. Goodbye."
Then, under the unsuspecting gaze of the young man, she got out of bed and left.
Snowflakes filled the sky, and a biting wind howled. Jiang Chuting stood on the street, raised her hand, and stared intently at the two pieces of hairpin in her hand.
A snowflake landed on his eyelashes, the coolness making him close his eyes, and a flush appeared at the corner of his eye.
He clasped the hand holding the hairpin together and pressed it against his heart.
Zique, are you blaming me? Blaming me for falling in love with someone else, and that person is your child.
Do you also think I'm shameless?
When Zique passed away, he was overwhelmed with grief, but he didn't cry much. He just often sat in his room, lost in thought. His fellow disciples were worried that he might do something foolish, so they took turns keeping an eye on him every day.
After a period of depression, one day he suddenly remembered that Zi Que had said he wanted to go to Qionghai with him to find the legendary Penglai Island.
Although Zi Que was older than him, he enjoyed reading books of strange tales and believed in ghosts and immortals on Penglai Island. He even said that there might be a matchmaker on the island, and once they found him, he would use a red thread to bind the two of them together for all eternity.
So he set off alone, with a certain firm belief, and spent nearly three months to reach a small town near Qionghai.
After making inquiries, I heard many true and false stories about Penglai Island from traveling merchants. I even saw gems that were said to come from the fairy island. However, despite lingering for a long time, I was never able to see the islanders with my own eyes, let alone find their exact location.
An old woman told him that Penglai Island was the abode of the gods, and mortals should not covet it, or they would be punished. Those who had wicked intentions and died in the shipwreck were being punished by heaven. If he had any wishes, he could just pray in the general direction, and if the gods heard him, they would bless him.
So he went to the seaside and devoutly bowed three times in the distant direction.
He hoped that the gods would hear his wish and allow Zique's soul to come and go freely like the wind, no longer subject to any constraints, so that he could be a happy person in his next life.
Although he ultimately failed to find Penglai Island, he felt that Zique had accompanied him on that journey, leaving him with no regrets.
Later, when he thought of Zique, he didn't feel much hatred, resentment, sorrow, or bitterness.
Some feel a deep sense of nostalgia.
Zi Que appeared briefly in his life, leaving a profound mark before departing. He then quietly treasured Zi Que in his heart, and seventeen years have passed since then.
It took him sixteen years to meet Zi Que, and another seventeen years to meet Lin Zhi.
Lin Zhi's appearance was like a bright splash of color in his ordinary life. When he got used to it and returned to his original life, telling himself that there would be no more of that color, he realized that life was actually so hard to endure.
He had thought he could get through the rest of his life alone, but suddenly every day became difficult.
So even though she subconsciously wanted to back down and refuse because of Lin Zhi's identity at first, she ultimately lost to her own heart.
So even though he tried his best to stay away from Lin Zhi, he still retreated step by step, putting all his concerns aside and making this decision.
But before he went to find Lin Zhi, he suddenly fell into a deep sleep and had this dream.
He knew this was not a coincidence, but rather Zique telling him through his dream that he found it hard to accept and was heartbroken.
Because his former lover was going to be with his child.
But now that things have come to this, how can I possibly give it up?
The pharmacy was not far from Xiangsi Xiaozhu. Jiang Chuting walked another hundred steps or so, then suddenly stopped and stood against the corner of the wall, without immediately showing himself.
Here, he heard Lin Zhi coughing heavily; Lin Zhi was actually still waiting outside.
"Young Master, please go inside and rest. You are still recovering from your cold and injuries, so you need to take good care of yourself."
"Go inside, don't worry about me." Lin Zhi coughed twice and said, "I have a strong feeling he'll come looking for me today. I need to see him as soon as possible."
"But, it's the middle of the night now, and it's snowing heavily again. There's no one on the streets."
“But I think he will come,” Lin Zhiwei said firmly in a slightly hoarse voice. “I will wait for him here.”
Jiang Chuting slightly raised her face, gazing at the night sky shrouded in heavy snow. It felt as if she had swallowed a piece of ice, which stung and hurt in her throat.
He didn't know how much time had passed when he clenched the broken wooden hairpin in his hand and whispered to himself, "I'm sorry, Zique, I still have to take this step after all."
At the entrance of the Lovesick Cottage, Lin Zhi, wearing a cloak, squatted beside the steps, writing words on the snow with a wooden stick.
The words written on it are "Chu Ran".
After finishing writing, he stared blankly for a while, then covered his wound and hissed. He glanced up casually and saw someone standing only four or five steps away from him.
The person stood quietly in the wind and snow, slender and upright, with his hair loose and his dark, bright eyes gazing at him with a silent tenderness. His clothes and loose hair were blown about in a mess, as if a celestial being had quietly descended to the mortal world.
After seeing him, Lin Zhi quickly rubbed his eyes and looked up again, but the person had not disappeared.
He really came; it wasn't a hallucination.
Lin Zhi's eyes suddenly turned red, and she abruptly stood up and rushed over, her cloak slipping off her body and falling to the ground as she tightly embraced him.
During the nearly month-long wait, the anxiety, hopelessness, and torment finally turned into overwhelming joy and unstoppable tears, which fell in large drops onto Jiang Chuting's shoulder, melting the snow that had fallen on it.
Lin Zhi thought she had so much to say to him, but all that came out of her mouth was a choked sob: "Chu Ran, I really miss you."
Jiang Chuting was almost breathless from his embrace, feeling his intense longing and urgency. Moved, she slowly raised her hand and hugged him back, stroking his hair and whispering, "Lin Zhi, let go first." Jiang Chuting knew he was injured and was afraid that he might reopen his wounds due to excessive excitement.
Lin Zhiyi misunderstood his meaning and panicked. She hugged him even tighter, wishing she could meld him into her very bones. "I won't let go, I won't let go even if it kills me!" Her tear-stained lips kissed his hair and then his ear. She whimpered and pleaded sadly, "Chu Ran, please don't leave again, okay? My heart is breaking from waiting for you. I love you, I really love you so much, please don't go."
His voice was hoarse beyond belief. Jiang Chuting sighed and said gently, "I'm not leaving. I just want to ask you a few questions."
Lin Zhi was still somewhat skeptical, so she loosened her grip on him slightly, but her hands remained tightly around his waist.
Jiang Chuting looked at his tear-streaked face and her heart melted instantly. She reached out and wiped away his tears.
Looking into his wet, dark eyes, Jiang Chuting felt a lump in her throat, but still managed to ask with difficulty, "Lin Zhi, look carefully, is the person you love standing in front of you the one?"
Although Lin Zhi didn't know why he always asked similar questions, her nose turned red and she nodded vigorously, "Yes, of course."
"Are you... really sure you saw it clearly?" Jiang Chuting asked again.
With teary eyes, Lin Zhi gazed intently at his face and assured him, "I really see you clearly. You are you, and the one I love is the one standing in front of me right now, forever and ever."
Jiang Chuting's eyes flickered slightly. After a moment of silence, she said softly but solemnly, "Alright, you must remember what you're saying now. If one day you regret it and betray our relationship, then I will absolutely not stay for you for even a moment longer. Understand?"
Young people's feelings are pure and sincere, but also impulsive and reckless. In his ecstasy, Lin Zhi did not bother to find out if there was any other meaning in Jiang Chuting's words. He only knew that the words "our feelings" meant that Chu Ran also loved him and that Chu Ran had agreed to be with him.
"I understand, I understand!" Lin Zhi cried tears of joy, then smiled, revealing her sharp canine teeth. She cupped Jiang Chuting's face, gazed into his eyes, and said earnestly, "I won't regret it. How could I possibly regret it? I swear I will love you for the rest of my life, and I will never give you a chance to leave me. From now on, you will stay by my side obediently."
Jiang Chuting was past the age of believing in vows; all she felt now was uncertainty about the future. She forced a smile and gave him a weak one.
"Chu Ran, you're mine now. It's wonderful. I've finally waited for this day." Lin Zhi looked at him deeply, her fingers tracing his eyebrows and eyes, and finally leaned in to kiss those soft lips she had longed for for so long.
This time it wasn't sneaky, it wasn't just a fleeting attempt; the person in his arms not only didn't pull away, but also responded to him with their eyes closed.
He could finally indulge in this sweetness.
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