Chapter 44
As far as Yue Mingming could remember, this was the first time Zhao Congyun called her "Mingming", but he said it with red eyes and in that tone, which was even more painful than slapping her in the face.
"Don't be like this..." Yue Mingming hurriedly pulled Zhao Congyun's sleeve: "I apologize to you!"
"You know this isn't what I want."
Zhao Congyun curled his lips, but his dim eyes couldn't deceive anyone. "It's actually my fault... I used to only argue with you, which made you start to have a joking attitude and no longer take my words seriously... Now I have brought this upon myself."
Yue Mingming felt a pang of nervousness in her heart. She felt that this time was different. It seemed that Zhao Congyun could no longer coax her.
"You...what do you want to do?" She intuitively felt that Zhao Congyun had just made an important decision, because a kind of lonely and ruthless determination suddenly appeared in his eyes.
Not to her, but to himself.
Zhao Congyun responded with a hug.
He stepped forward and put his arms around her, holding her tightly with all his might. He poured everything he wanted to say, everything he wanted to do, the life he wanted to promise her into this embrace.
Without reservation, give your all.
In his heart, only in this way could he deserve the farewell that was to come.
Yue Mingming sensed something ominous the moment Zhao Congyun lost control. However, the embrace was too passionate, completely shutting down all her doubts. She had never been lingered on like this before. Her heart pounded violently in her chest, and she felt as if her soul had left her body. She had only one thought in her mind:
I'm done!
Then an even more terrifying thought flashed through her mind. Yue Mingming realized it belatedly and was so frightened that she shuddered suddenly, and her reason instantly took control of her body.
She pushed Zhao Congyun away with difficulty. The latter's eyes were red, and he was still immersed in the hug just now. He looked at her in a daze, as if he couldn't believe that she was indifferent.
Yue Mingming took his hand and looked at him seriously: "Tell me honestly, you are planning to send me away, right?"
Zhao Congyun closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and gradually regained his composure: "That's right... Mingming, I don't dare to keep you any longer. I'm afraid it will become more and more dangerous in the future."
Yue Mingming continued to ask: "Then tell me again, what were your plans before?"
"..." Zhao Congyun pondered in silence.
Yue Mingming said: "I'm leaving anyway, so what's there to hide?"
Zhao Congyun paused and said simply, "...I originally planned to go to the king's defense after February 16th."
Yue Mingming was stunned: "Why do we have to wait until after February 16th?"
Zhao Congyun looked at her with deep eyes, and Yue Mingming suddenly realized that it was the day when her six-month stay in the game expired, and it was also the day when she was ready to return to reality!
After going through so many things, she almost forgot about it, but he remembered the date so clearly!
"You are leaving anyway... After you leave, no matter what happens to me in the future, it will not involve you." Zhao Congyun wanted to smile as if nothing had happened, but unfortunately he failed.
His stern face was hardly comforting.
Yue Mingming murmured, "Yes, there were originally three months left..." She smiled bitterly and said, "Just because I didn't listen to you, now we don't even have three months left?"
Zhao Congyun didn't know how to respond. His throat was rolling, and he stumbled, unusually, "This day will come sooner or later... I admit I'm unwilling to accept it, but... I should be content."
Ever since he learned about the six-month period, Zhao Congyun has felt uneasy all the time. Whenever he indulges himself in this relationship, that uneasiness will surface to remind him that one day he will lose her.
He also consoled himself by thinking that many people could never meet the person they loved in their entire lives, but at least he married her and had a noisy and leisurely time with her.
But there was a voice deep inside me saying, it's not enough.
So they hold on tighter and tighter, and obsession grows.
Yue Mingming fell silent. The thought that she had just suppressed with her reason resurfaced at this moment.
She felt an urge at the time... She didn't want to leave! It seemed good to just stay with him.
Anyway, she has long lost the ability to distinguish between games and reality.
She was initially shocked by the thought, but after calming down, she realized that she was not acting on impulse at all. The balance in her heart had been gradually tilting without her noticing.
"What... are you thinking about?" Zhao Congyun tested cautiously, with a hint of longing in his eyes.
Yue Mingming shook his head, suppressing the absurd thoughts in his mind: "I was just wondering, where in the world is there a safe place?"
Zhao Congyun was stunned for a moment, the light in his eyes gradually extinguished: "Don't worry, Uncle Dong and I have already discussed it. We will send you to Sichuan first. Su Dingrou will meet you there, and then we will go south by water, maybe to Yunzhou, or maybe Yuezhou..."
Facing Yue Mingming's puzzled gaze, he explained in a hoarse voice, "To prevent leaks, your itinerary... from now on they won't report it to me."
Yue Mingming felt as if her heart was pricked by a needle, but she gritted her teeth and ordered herself not to be soft-hearted.
This is a game! Yue Mingming, what are you hesitating about?!
She wanted to go back. She had to go back.
"Okay." After a long silence, Yue Mingming let out a breath: "I won't make you worry anymore. But you have to promise me to take good care of yourself. No matter how difficult the road ahead is, don't give up, and live well."
"I always forget to tell you that I like you very much."
*
Three days later, the escort team arrived in Tongcheng, but was suddenly hit by a heavy snowfall, and the journey was delayed.
At dusk, Li Si kicked open the door and barged in. He ignored Zhao Congyun's illness and began to curse him, "Mr. Zhao, where did she go? If you refuse to tell the truth, I'll mobilize the government troops from the county government and the army from the suburban camp. I don't believe we can't find her!"
Zhao Congyun was leaning on the couch, reading documents. He already looked depressed, and upon hearing Li Si's words, his brows furrowed even more. "Your Excellency the Censor is going to embarrass yourself, and I shouldn't have stopped you. But you are an imperial envoy under the grace of the Emperor, and you are bringing shame upon the royal family. I advise you to be more careful."
Li Sidao said, "In my heart, nothing is more important than Mingming! What does the emperor's grace matter? What does the royal family's reputation matter? I'm not like you, who only thinks about wealth and power!"
This sentence really hit Zhao Congyun, and he threw the document in his hand in anger: "How dare you!"
Li Si was hit on the head and immediately got angry. He rolled up his sleeves and was about to rush over. At this moment, the door suddenly opened. Anian was holding a bowl of medicine, staring blankly with wide eyes at the two men who were about to fight each other.
"I...I'm here to deliver medicine to you, young master."
In front of the five-year-old child, Li Si managed to regain his sanity, straightened his clothes like a gentleman, and said, "I will definitely find her back," then walked away with his neck stiffened.
Ah Nian closed the door again and served the medicine. Seeing that Zhao Congyun's expression had softened a bit, he asked, "Is the Censor here about 'her' matter?"
Zhao Congyun remained silent.
In truth, Ah Nian had always been somewhat afraid of Zhao Congyun. Zhao Congyun always acted distant and distant in his presence, a stark contrast to Uncle Dong's affability and Yue Mingming's eccentricity. Children are incredibly sensitive, and Ah Nian was a particularly sensitive child. Therefore, his principle when interacting with Zhao Congyun was to stay as far away from him as possible.
But this time Yue Mingming left suddenly, and he was really anxious. He didn't want to say anything more, but he couldn't help but ask.
Seeing that Zhao Congyun didn't answer, Ah Nian continued, "Where on earth did 'she' go...will she come back?"
Zhao Congyun looked at him silently. He couldn't be as sarcastic with Ah Nian as he was with Li Si, so he calmed down and said patiently, "She has some personal matters to attend to. She will be away for a while. Maybe she will come back after she finishes her business."
Ah Nian lowered his eyes, his voice trembling slightly: "But she promised me that she would take me to find my aunt."
After a pause, he seemed to understand something and finally asked, "She and Auntie can't come back, right?"
The anger that Zhao Congyun had finally managed to calm down suddenly choked him again. He sighed almost inaudibly, "Ah Nian, I don't want to lie to you... Some paths in life are meant to be walked alone. Do you understand?"
If Yue Mingming saw this scene, he would definitely scold Zhao Congyun for being stupid. Isn't it crazy to talk about life philosophy with a five-year-old child?
But Yue Mingming is no longer here.
Anian vaguely knew that even though Zhao Congyun protected him all the way and Uncle Dong took good care of him, no one would treat him like a child anymore, tease him, laugh at him, and stuff him with handfuls of candy.
If no one treats you as a child, you have to grow up.
So Anian raised his head, held back his tears, and nodded vigorously.
Zhao Congyun reached out and patted Anian's cheek. His palm was slightly cool, with a hint of the residual warmth of the medicine. It didn't offer much comfort, but for the helpless child, it was a rare gesture of goodwill.
"Young Master, please rest early." Anian was used to seeing expressions and saw that Zhao Congyun was a little tired, so he tactfully retreated.
After he left, Uncle Dong came out from the darkness silently and sighed softly: "It's really not easy for such a young child!"
Zhao Congyun said, "I was this young back then too, and now I've grown up well, haven't I?"
Uncle Dong curled his lips, obviously not agreeing with what Zhao Congyun said about "growing up well".
Zhao Congyun was preoccupied with other matters and didn't bother arguing with him. He simply asked, "Did they get the person there safely?"
Uncle Dong said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. Lady Yue has already settled in the villa. People from Shuzhong will be arriving soon."
Zhao Congyun hummed softly.
Uncle Dong asked, "I heard that the Censor hasn't given up yet and is looking for people everywhere... Should we go and persuade him? After all, he's sincere..."
Zhao Congyun suddenly became like a cat whose tail was stepped on, his anger flaring up without a care in the world: "Who isn't sincere? What's the point of having a heart if you don't have a brain! Let him be crazy, no one is allowed to interfere with him!"
Dong Shu said in embarrassment, "I was afraid that if he made such a big fuss, he would attract the attention of Lord Fan's men."
Zhao Congyun said coldly: "Then don't give them a chance!"
Uncle Dong was startled: "Your Highness means..."
Zhao Congyun gestured for him to pick up the documents on the ground. "This is the list of suspicious people I compiled based on the one she provided. Contact all the secret guards and take action tomorrow!"
Uncle Dong hesitated a bit. "Isn't it too soon? I'm worried we're not prepared enough...We still don't know Wei Zhi's background."
Zhao Congyun sneered, "In the two days since you were away, another team of secret guards has disappeared, and the team is also ready to make a move. My tea and carriage have been tampered with... It seems that the other party can't wait any longer. If we don't act now, we will lose the initiative."
"It's life or death, let's take a gamble!"
Uncle Dong frowned slightly, wanting to say something but stopping himself.
After Yue Mingming left, Zhao Congyun no longer had any scruples, but was it really okay for him to act so radically?
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