Looking at the Bodhi tree covered with blue origami cranes, and at the handsome couple standing beneath it, Qin Qianqian never expected that after climbing so hard to the halfway point of the mountain, she would witness such a tender and affectionate scene.
This is so interesting! She thought Tang Ning was up to something, acting all sneaky, but it turns out she was just having a secret rendezvous with her lover in the back mountains. Listen to Wei Jing's heartfelt confession: how his heart only has her name, how he can't see anyone else when she appears, how his love arises without knowing why, how it runs deep, and how from beginning to end, the only person he wants to marry is her...
Hahaha.
Qin Qianqian's body swayed slightly involuntarily. In the past, she thought that Wei Jing was just born without the ability to say sweet words, which made her force herself to accept it. Sweet words can't fill an empty stomach, as long as A Jing treats her well, that's enough.
But now she realized that it wasn't that he couldn't do it; he just couldn't when facing her. When he was with Tang Ning, look at all these origami cranes on the tree—how beautiful! And listen to his words—they were practically dripping with honey…
Having witnessed firsthand Wei Jing's double standards in treating her and other women, Qin Qianqian finally experienced the feelings of those women whom Wei Jing ignored. However, as Wei Jing's beloved woman, she was now even more heartbroken and distressed than those women. The pain was so intense that she felt as if her heart had become completely numb, and she felt as if she could hardly breathe.
She didn't want to, and couldn't, stay here any longer, because if she did, she would definitely break down, go crazy, and might even do something she herself would regret.
Thinking of this, Qin Qianqian raised her unfocused eyes and forced a smile with all her might. "I had heard that the Bodhi tree here was very effective, so I thought I would come up to make a wish... Now it seems that I came to the wrong place. Maybe from the beginning... I... I shouldn't have come... You, you can continue. I didn't see or hear anything. Your matters are more important... I've disturbed you. I'll go down the mountain first... I'm sorry!"
After saying that, Qin Qianqian suddenly turned her head and staggered towards the mountain.
Almost the instant she turned around, large tears immediately streamed down Qin Qianqian's face.
Yes, at this moment, Qin Qianqian only wanted to escape, escape, escape as far away as possible. She did not want to, nor was she willing to, accept Wei Jing's change of heart. It was as if she could pretend that everything she had just seen and heard did not exist if she closed her eyes and covered her ears.
Under the Bodhi tree, Wei Jing, witnessing Qin Qianqian's trembling voice as she finished speaking and then turned to leave without hesitation, immediately turned around in a panic. Oh no! Qianqian misunderstood. He had prepared these origami cranes for her, and every word on them was written by his own hand. Even those words were just Tang Ning helping him practice, since he had never done such things before…
Thinking of this, Wei Jing immediately hurried forward to chase after him.
As soon as he caught up on the path, Wei Jing subconsciously recalled Tang Ning behind him.
He turned around abruptly and saw Tang Ning under the Bodhi tree, her brows furrowed in deep concern. Seeing his anxious expression, she quickly took two steps forward and shouted loudly and urgently, "Brother Jing, what are you standing there for? Go after them! Qianqian must have misunderstood us after overhearing those words. She must be feeling terrible right now. Brother Jing, remember to explain things to her properly later. If that doesn't work, bring her here to look at these notes..."
"and you……"
Wei Jing couldn't bring himself to leave Tang Ning alone on the mountain. After all, Tang Ning wouldn't be here if it weren't for helping him. Although the roads up the mountain were blocked by soldiers, what if something unexpected happened? He would regret it then.
If it were the old Wei Jing, let alone Qin Qianqian leaving heartbroken like that, even if she was just slightly upset, he would have rushed to chase after her and comfort her without caring about anything else. But now, he is caught in a dilemma and is even worried about Tang Ning's safety.
Unfortunately, he didn't seem to realize that something was wrong with him.
As Tang Ning thought this to herself, she unconsciously glanced down the mountain at the narrow path where Qin Qianqian was no longer in sight, and her expression became even more anxious.
Without thinking, she took two steps forward and gently pushed Wei Jing's arm.
"Oh dear, you've worried me to death! Hurry up, Brother Jing, I don't know where Qianqian has gone! If anything happens to her, I'll be so worried. What could possibly happen to me? I can go down the mountain by myself in a bit, nothing will happen! Hurry up, you really don't need to worry too much about me, go on, go on!"
Tang Ning pushed Wei Jing's arm hard again.
Urged on by both her words and actions, Wei Jing took a deep look at Tang Ning, whose face showed no other unusual expression besides anxiety and worry, then suddenly turned around and headed straight down the mountain.
Watching Wei Jing's retreating figure, Tang Ning, whose face had been filled with anxiety, slowly lowered her eyes. All her previous bravado crumbled in that instant. With slightly red eyes, she watched Wei Jing disappear completely at the end of the winding path. She sniffed and half-squatted down. Just as tears began to well up in her eyes, she suddenly heard a soft snap behind her.
Tang Ning quickly turned her head and realized that a string of paper cranes hanging on the Bodhi tree had been blown to the ground by the mountain wind because it was probably not tied tightly.
Seeing this, Tang Ning hurriedly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, sniffed, and got up to walk towards the fallen paper cranes. She bent down to pick up the string of paper cranes and looked up at the Bodhi tree above her head, but she couldn't find out which branch the string of paper cranes had fallen from.
Frowning slightly, Tang Ning stood there for a long time, holding the paper crane, before finally making up her mind. Looking around and seeing that no one else was there, she rolled up her sleeves, took a deep breath, and climbed up the lush Bodhi tree in front of her, intending to hang the paper crane on it by herself.
Who would have thought that she had just hung the string of paper cranes on the tree when her foot suddenly slipped.
In the instant she lost her balance, she frantically reached out to grab something, but ended up only grabbing a handful of Bodhi leaves. Just as she was about to fall to the ground, Tang Ning's face turned pale and she began to resign herself to her fate. But to her surprise, accompanied by the sound of rushing footsteps, the expected pain of falling did not come. Instead, she was caught in a pair of strong arms.
Before she even opened her eyes, a faint sandalwood scent wafted into her nostrils.
Feeling this touch, Tang Ning immediately opened her eyes in fear and unease, and the next second she met a pair of narrow phoenix eyes as dark as night.
Just then, perhaps because of Tang Ning's last desperate grab, or perhaps because the mountain wind suddenly picked up, the blue paper cranes hanging on the Bodhi tree began to flutter and fall down in strings around the two of them.
Amidst this dreamlike and wondrous scenery, Tang Ning's almond-shaped eyes widened almost instantly, but a smile inwardly bloomed on her lips.
I've been waiting for you, Helan Ruo.
Yes, the moment she reached the halfway point of the mountain, she had already been reminded by 54088 that Helan Ruo was hiding around her and Wei Jing, watching the show with great interest.
This is also the main reason why she added so much drama to her role after Wei Jing left.
Since there were still audience members, she certainly couldn't take a bow.
What attracts Helan Ruo to her now is her almost foolishly devoted nature, her single-minded devotion to her "beloved man" Wei Jing.
After all, even this person has a white moonlight in their heart that they can't have or touch, that's far away in the deep palace!
For years, Helan Ruo had been tormented by his fiancée Ji Muqing's entry into the palace, and he could not find any way to relieve his suffering. Apart from clinging to an inexplicable expectation, he stubbornly tarnished his reputation, refused to get engaged or married, and rejected all women, not even his personal maid. He could not find any way to resist. The woman in the palace was his maternal uncle, and also the emperor of the Great Lin Dynasty. How could he possibly compete with the emperor for a wife?
It is precisely because he has never even had the chance to seize it that Helan Ruo has been so depressed all these years, often drowning his sorrows in alcohol, and leaving behind the reputation of a spoiled young master, which is known to everyone in the capital.
Tang Ning, who was so devoted to Wei Jing that she was even willing to go to great lengths to help him win back his beloved, told He Lanruo that it was simply unbelievable.
Love is selfish; how could she do such a thing?
Driven by curiosity, and having overheard the plan at Taibai Tower, Helan Ruo followed her mother to the utterly uninteresting Qixia Temple. She headed straight for the back mountain and, by sheer luck, witnessed the entire scene and Tang Ning's dejected and heartbroken state after Wei Jing's departure.
So it turns out she wasn't without disappointment and sadness after all; she just pretended to be the same as before so as not to worry Wei Jing.
As Helan Ruo watched, she saw that this silly girl actually wanted to hang the paper crane that had accidentally fallen to the ground back on the Bodhi tree by herself.
Seeing her clumsy movements, Helan Ruo predicted that she was most likely to fall.
Sure enough, he fell.
If he hadn't been there, in this place, at this height, if she had really fallen, it would have been too late by the time someone else noticed.
After catching Tang Ning in his arms, He Lanruo, who had practiced martial arts since childhood, realized that this girl, who seemed to have a big appetite, was not as heavy as he had imagined. Not only was she light and fluffy in his arms, but she was also very soft.
Furthermore, since Tang Ning had either been wearing a veil or sitting with her back to him, whether at Granny Tan's plum vegetable pastry shop or at Taibai Tower, Helan Ruo had never been able to clearly see her appearance except for her voice. Only now did he realize that this legendary Miss Tang was indeed quite beautiful, especially her fair skin, which was as smooth and white as a peeled egg, enough to outshine most of the young ladies in the capital. Moreover, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes, upturned nose, and lips were perfectly matched on her face.
If Mu Qing's beauty is cool and ethereal, then Tang Ning's beauty is bright and charming. One is like a night-blooming cereus that blooms in the dead of night, while the other is like a peony that blooms in the sunlight.
To date, it can be said that Tang Ning is the first person for whom He Lanruo is willing to compare her appearance with Ji Muqing, which shows that her looks are indeed remarkable.
Especially now, Tang Ning, who was being held by him, had eyes full of panic and helplessness, just like the white cat that his mother kept. Every time he insisted on hugging it against its will, its eyes would look like this.
This strange resemblance caused Helan Ruo's gaze towards Tang Ning to soften with a faint smile.
Tang Ning, who was being held in the arms of a man she had only met once before, was stunned for a moment before jumping down from his arms. She didn't even care about staggering a little, and took several steps back with rapid breathing.
"You...you...you're the man who was tricked by those two swindlers on the street that day, right? How...how did you end up here? Don't you know today is Buddha's Birthday? The area around Qixia Temple is completely closed off. Ordinary people aren't allowed up here. If you're discovered, you'll definitely..."
Perhaps because they had met before, or perhaps because she had just been unexpectedly saved by him, Tang Ning's tone gradually became worried for him as she spoke.
"He Lanruo, my surname is He Lan, and my given name is Ruo. Perhaps you have heard of my name?"
He Lanruo smiled and introduced herself to her.
"Helan...Ruo? So you're the legendary... cough, Helan Ruo? You're Princess Qingping's son? No wonder, no wonder you're here too..."
Tang Ning swallowed back the words "纨绔" (wan ku, meaning spoiled or dissolute) that were already on the tip of her tongue, and suddenly realized something.
"Hmm... I am the legendary Helan Ruo."
Even if Tang Ning didn't say it, He Lanruo knew what kind of description she would give him, and didn't care much.
His candid attitude made Tang Ning blush slightly, and she began to reflect on her own stereotypes.
Putting everything else aside, just considering the other person's rescue just now, she shouldn't have...
Just as she was thinking of this, Tang Ning suddenly noticed that there were paper cranes scattered all over the ground. Not only that, but several more had been blown into the mountain stream by the mountain wind.
Upon seeing this, Tang Ning immediately gasped and hurriedly began picking up the paper cranes from the ground.
Helan Ruo watched her busy activities and the way she treasured the paper crane in her hand.
Helan Ruo frowned slightly, then couldn't help but ask, "Since you like her, why do you help him come up with ideas to win her back, and even actively push him to pursue her?"
This question had been lingering in Helan Ruo's mind for a long time, so long that when he faced Tang Ning, he didn't even care about etiquette during their first meeting and blurted it out.
Tang Ning, who had just blew away the dust from the wings of the paper crane in her hand, suddenly turned her head in astonishment. "How did you know... you were eavesdropping on our conversation? You... how could you do this... like this..."
Unable to find the right words, Tang Ning simply pointed incredulously at He Lanruo not far ahead, as if she couldn't believe that He Lanruo, who appeared so refined and upright in her white robes, could commit such a despicable act.
Upon hearing this, Helan Ruo raised an eyebrow indifferently, "Eavesdropping? If your insistence on whispering those things in my ear every time counts as eavesdropping, then I must have been eavesdropping."
Upon hearing this, Tang Ning's face froze for a moment.
Then Helan Ruo continued, not particularly angry, "Seven days ago, on the second floor of Taibai Tower, I was drinking to relieve my boredom in my usual seat when, unexpectedly, that Prince Wei, looking quite dejected, walked to the table next to me, sat down, ordered some food and wine, and began drinking by himself. Not long after, you arrived. Our tables were so close, and since I've practiced martial arts since childhood, I have sharp ears and eyes, so naturally I overheard some of what I probably shouldn't have heard... the plan."
Upon hearing the word "plan," Tang Ning's mouth dropped open in surprise.
"And then came today. The Buddha's Birthday celebration at Qixia Temple was so boring that I avoided it early on. I found a tree on this mountain to enjoy the scenery and have a drink. Who would have thought that, just like that day, Prince Wei would arrive soon after, and then you. Today was even more exciting. That Miss Qin also unexpectedly followed us. As the first one to arrive, I couldn't just suddenly jump out and say I was disturbing you, so naturally I could only watch from beginning to end..."
After hearing Helan Ruo's half-truthful explanation, Tang Ning immediately lowered her head in annoyance. It turned out that they were the ones who disturbed Young Master Helan first... Bullshit!
She had never seen anyone beautify their eavesdropping in such a way. The ancients often said, "Do not listen to what is improper, do not look at what is improper," but this set of rules for scholars seemed to have no effect on their young master Helan at all!
Tang Ning rolled her eyes inwardly, but maintained an apologetic and uneasy expression on her face, looking awkward as if she wanted to apologize but didn't know how to say it.
But who would have thought that Helan Ruo would become persistent again at this time.
"So, can you tell me why? I can see that you like that Prince Wei, Miss Tang. Shouldn't you hold onto someone tightly if you like them? Besides, he is your rightful fiancé. Why do you keep pushing him into other people's arms, and why do you keep trying to make Qin Qianqian happy for him?"
He Lanruo was genuinely puzzled by this.
Because if it were him, if Mu Qing fell in love with another man, he would be considered magnanimous if he didn't tear that man apart, let alone help Mu Qing be with the man she loves, which was something he couldn't even imagine.
Upon hearing his question, Tang Ning's face clearly showed a hint of embarrassment and annoyance. "You...you...I...I like it and I'm willing, what's it to you? What does it have to do with you!"
After saying that, Tang Ning, who was holding the paper crane, immediately turned her head away angrily.
Looking at the distant, verdant mountains and misty scenery, Tang Ning's breathing gradually calmed down, and her eyes slowly, slowly became melancholy. Then, perhaps because she had been holding back her feelings for a while, she suddenly impulsively spoke in a low voice to He Lanruo, whom she had only met twice.
"But what else can I do? Even if I like Prince Wei, so what? His heart can't hold anyone else but Qianqian. You don't know what kind of look he gave me when he found out that I had replaced Qianqian and become his fiancée?"
"It's like...like looking at a roadside bug, even though I like him so much..."
"You've probably heard that I was only recognized and brought back to the General's Mansion later. Actually, I met Brother Jing once back in Jiangnan. If it weren't for him, I probably wouldn't be who I am today. I fell in love with him then. Heaven knows how happy I was when I found out that Qianqian gave me her fiancé... But alas, he doesn't have me in his heart. No matter how hard I try, he doesn't have me. Forced love is never sweet. Rather than making all three of us suffer, I'd rather take a step back. This way, although I'll be a little sad, Brother Jing and Qianqian will be happy. If Brother Jing is happy, I'm happy. I like seeing him happy."
As she said this, Tang Ning's eyes were still filled with sorrow and loneliness, but the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned.
How humble is this kind of love? So humble that she is willing to actively fulfill the wishes of the man she loves, just to make him happy.
However, she didn't seem as happy as she thought, otherwise her eyes wouldn't have immediately welled up with tears after Wei Jing left.
Just like when Mu Qing begged her with tears streaming down her face, the emperor took a liking to her. For the sake of the Ji family, she had no choice but to enter the palace and become Situ Yin's concubine. She begged him not to hold a grudge against her and not to forget her, because she would never forget him.
Heaven knows that he had actually let Mu Qing enter the palace and become Situ Yin's Consort Chen step by step, while he was forever trapped in the night she entered the palace, no matter how hard he tried, he could never get out of it.
Does this Miss Tang think she is making selfless sacrifices, and that her love is truly great?
wrong!
From now on, she will only live in the deepest and most painful regret, just like him, regretting that when the person she loved was right beside her, she didn't try to reach out to him.
Thinking of this, and looking at Tang Ning, who was shrouded in a faint sadness and sorrow, a strange impulse suddenly rushed into He Lanruo's mind.
He wanted to help her!
Helping her to be truly happy also urges her to win Wei Jing's heart completely!
After all, the foundation laid by the other side is quite solid, isn't it?
"Is that so? But it seems that Prince Wei, who went to chase after Qin Qianqian, won't be coming back. I've been to Qixia Temple down the mountain more than once; it's quite boring. You don't seem to be in a very high mood either. Would you like to go somewhere fun with me? I guarantee you can get rid of all your worries and troubles! Shall we go?"
He Lanruo suddenly spoke up, trying to entice him.
She turned her head and looked at the man beside her with surprise, a man rumored to be a playboy. She had already said no, but when she finally spoke, she inexplicably said "yes".
Perhaps it was the words that reassured her of her worries and troubles, or perhaps it was because this gentle and magnanimous girl had a rebellious streak deep down.
She said "okay," but as soon as the word left her mouth, she immediately felt regret and it showed on her face.
Unfortunately, Helan Ruo didn't give her a chance to back out. She provoked her with words and took Tang Ning down the mountain.
The treetops and the ground were left covered with blue origami cranes, completely ignored. When the wind blew, they spun and fell to the ground.
He Lanruo's current favorability rating: 33.
What's this?
Was she the one who took the bait? Or was he the one who took the bait?
Tang Ning thought to herself with a smirk.
Author's Note: 54088: Ah, these origami cranes I folded were so hard to fold, *sobs* [biting handkerchief]
Tang Ning: Which is more important, the mission or the origami cranes? [Side glance]
54088: Tangbao is the most important! [With a serious expression]
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