Chapter 110 The Gate
After strolling around for a while, Yun Zhan took Wen Sixue to a restaurant. The restaurant was located in the center of Yuedu, and the aroma of steak mixed with the mellow fragrance of red wine filled the air.
Yun Zhan held the knife and fork and skillfully cut the steak in Wen Sixue's bowl into small pieces.
Wen Sixue rested her chin on her hands, her elbows on the tablecloth, her eyes sparkling as she stared at Yun Zhan's profile. Seeing her serious expression, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly.
After Yun Zhan put down his knife and fork, Wen Sixue slowly spoke, her voice soft and sweet: "Baby, what are your plans for the future?"
Yun Zhan forked a piece of steak from his plate, put it in his mouth, chewed and swallowed, then looked up at her: "What else can I do? Go to class and leave get out of class with you, go to the library together, and have a wedding after graduation."
She paused, then reached across the table and gently touched Wen Sixue's fingertips: "Don't worry, I have the ability to earn money. I will take good care of you from now on and never let you suffer again."
Wen Sixue gently shook her head, pulling her hand that was supporting her chin back slightly: "That's not what I was actually asking."
She looked up at Yun Zhan, her voice softening slightly: "What I really wanted to ask was your plans for Pei Yanxi and Shi Mingyue. After all, they like you a lot and did so much for you before... Now that you've woken up, their illusions should be lifted, right?"
These words instantly quieted the atmosphere in the restaurant.
Yun Zhan paused, the smile in her eyes fading, replaced by a complex expression. She remained silent for a few seconds before slowly speaking, "The illusion has been dispelled; they should be back in their lives now."
Yun Zhan looked at Wen Sixue and said frankly, "I know they are good to me and I am very grateful to them, but you are the only one in my heart, and that will never change."
The violin music in the restaurant circled the carved chandelier and landed on the table covered with a checkered tablecloth.
Yun Zhan's silver knife and fork rested on the edge of the plate, the steak still pink from being cut halfway.
Yun Zhan's fingertips unconsciously brushed against the cold glass, his voice tinged with confusion: "Can you tell me? Why are you so concerned about my attitude towards them?"
Upon hearing this, Wen Sixue's eyes softened.
She didn't answer immediately, but instead raised her hand to tuck the stray hairs that had fallen to her cheek behind her ear. Only when the ends of her hair brushed against her earlobe did she speak softly.
"I'm not jealous."
Wen Sixue paused, her fingertip lightly tracing a faint line on the tablecloth, her eyes filled with subtle empathy: "I understand that feeling all too well, when your heart is completely filled with one person, and you're willing to do so much for her, even if you don't know if there will be a response. Senior Pei, Miss Shi, and I are all like that."
At this point, she looked up at Yun Zhan, her eyes shining like starlight: "Miss Shi comes from such a good family, yet she has no airs at all, and is gentle and generous. She even stood guard outside when you were trapped in the illusion; Senior Pei is high-ranking and powerful, and is both beautiful and talented, but she has given you the green light time and time again, and is so dedicated to your affairs. They are outstanding girls, and such rare sincerity should not be taken lightly."
"So, Yun Zhan, promise me you'll be nicer to them, okay?"
Yun Zhan's knife and fork clattered against the plate. It was the first time she had heard Wen Sixue praise Shi Mingyue and Pei Yanxi so directly. Before, Wen Sixue was always the most insecure among the three.
In fact, Pei Yanxi never regarded Wen Sixue as an equal competitor.
Wen Sixue was surprised that she remembered the good qualities of the other two people so meticulously, even using the word "excellent" to describe her rival in love.
After a long while, Yun Zhan finally found his voice, his tone tinged with helplessness: "What exactly do you mean by 'good'?"
This time, Wen Sixue did not hesitate. She leaned over and took Yun Zhan's hands, which were on the table, in her own.
Her palms were still cool from holding the water glass: "When you see them, talk to them properly, okay? No need to apologize or feel indebted, just make your feelings clear."
When Wen Sixue looked up, her eyes were veiled with a thin layer of moisture, but she looked at him with exceptional seriousness: "I know how painful it is to have your sincerity betrayed, and I don't want them to leave with regrets because of you."
Yun Zhan felt the strength in his palm and looked at the sincerity in Wen Sixue's eyes.
There was not a trace of jealousy, only pure understanding.
"Okay, I promise you."
After a pause, Yun Zhan added, "Ah Xue, you are far too gentle... not just to me, but to everyone."
Wen Sixue blushed at these words and quickly lowered her head, but couldn't help but smile: "It's not that I'm gentle, it's that they deserve it. And... I don't want you to be caught in the middle and put in a difficult position."
The night rain started in the evening, pattering against the windowpane and blurring the streetlights outside.
They had just returned from the amusement park. Yun Zhan had finished drying Wen Sixue's hair, and his fingertips were still twirling the ends of her half-dry hair when there was a knocking sound at the entrance.
The rhythm was so slow it was almost stiff, like a rusty iron block tapping on wood.
Wen Sixue paused, looked up at Yun Zhan, frowned slightly, and a hint of worry flashed in her eyes: "Who could it be that's up so late?"
When she worked at the theater, enthusiastic fans would often knock on her door, and Wen Sixue was already tired of being bothered.
"The moon shines brightly outside the door." 21 was detected.
Yun Zhan squeezed her hand and said softly, "It should be Shi Mingyue. Don't be afraid, I'll go take a look."
As I approached the entrance, before I could even peer through the peephole, I could vaguely see a figure standing outside through the crack in the door. The figure was dressed in a pure black coat, the hem of which was still dripping wet. A black skirt clung to the legs, the wet fabric outlining stiff lines, like a paper doll bloated from being soaked in rain.
Yun Zhan slowly leaned closer to the cat's eye, his heart sinking suddenly.
Shi Mingyue stood outside the door, her black hair casually draped over her shoulders, water dripping from the ends and clinging to her pale cheeks. Water droplets rolled down her jawline, forming small puddles at her collar.
Her eyes were red and swollen, with a sickly redness at the corners, but she didn't shed a tear. She just stared straight at the cat's eyes, her pupils devoid of any light, only a deathly black, like two bottomless pools of ice.
She exuded an indescribable gloom, and the dampness emanating from her body seemed to seep through the door, carrying the chill unique to rainy nights, like a female ghost crawling out of a damp grave.
There was no hostility, but there was an overwhelming sense of despair. Even his standing posture was stiff, as if he would collapse to the ground at any moment.
Those three knocks seemed to have exhausted all her strength. Now she just stood there, staring at the peephole without moving, her breathing so light it was almost inaudible.
The rain continued to fall, pattering against her coat with a soft, rustling sound, which only amplified the deathly stillness around her, making her appear like a lifeless black and white painting, firmly fixed in the rain outside the door.
The doorknob made a slight "click" sound as it turned, which was particularly clear in the quiet room.
Yun Zhan's knuckles turned white as he gripped the handle, and his movements as he opened the door were slow, almost as if he were dragging his feet.
She couldn't imagine what emotions were swirling in those lifeless eyes outside the door.
The moment the door was opened a crack, Shi Mingyue's gaze, as if it had weight, landed heavily on Yun Zhan.
That gaze was initially bright, like a candle flame on the verge of extinction suddenly flaring up, full of undisguised infatuation and obsession, as if trying to etch Yun Zhan's image into its very being.
But the light lasted only a moment, and the next second it was as if it had been extinguished by rain. His gaze fell heavily, and even the dampness around him seemed to grow colder.
"So... after you came back, you chose Wen Sixue?"
When Shi Mingyue spoke, she took a deep breath, but couldn't suppress the tremor in her voice. Each word seemed to be wrapped in ice shards, stumbling and rolling out of her throat.
Her shoulders were trembling slightly, and water droplets from her black coat dripped down the hem, forming small watermarks on the entryway floor.
Yun Zhan opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She looked at Shi Mingyue's red eyes. It wasn't the red of anger, but the red of having endured too much and suppressed too many emotions. The corners of her eyes were still swollen. There was no sharpness in her eyes, only a bottomless despair, like a deep pool submerged by rain, with even a trace of reluctance shimmering in her eyes.
Shi Mingyue took a half step forward, her damp skirt brushing against the threshold, but she seemed not to notice, staring intently at Yun Zhan: "I waited for you for so long in the illusion... I thought that when you woke up, you would... you would come looking for me first."
By the end, his voice was so soft it sounded like a sigh, and his shoulders were shaking even more violently, as if he would collapse at any moment.
Looking at Shi Mingyue, who was soaking wet and filled with despair, Yun Zhan felt a tightness and pain in his heart, as if something was gripping it.
No matter how you answer this question, it will be like a knife piercing Shi Mingyue's heart.
Shi Mingyue's trembling breath mingled with the sound of rain outside the door, making it hard to breathe.
Just as Yun Zhan was about to find the right words, he heard soft footsteps behind him.
"Yun Zhan...Miss Shi..."
Wen Sixue changed into a beige cotton nightgown with small lace trim at the neckline. Her hair was loosely tied back, revealing her smooth neck. It was clear that she had already removed her makeup and was ready to rest.
She was still clutching a dry towel in her hand, probably thinking of wiping Shi Mingyue. When she walked to Yun Zhan's side, she walked very lightly, not daring to interrupt the confrontation in front of her.
But this subtle movement still made Shi Mingyue's gaze turn sharply in that direction.
When Shi Mingyue saw Wen Sixue's pajamas, her pupils suddenly contracted, as if she had been stabbed by something.
"You...you and Yun Zhan..."
Shi Mingyue's body, which had been leaning slightly forward, froze instantly, and even the trembling in her shoulders stopped.
Those aren't clothes I'd wear when visiting someone's home; they're pajamas I only wear at home when I'm most relaxed.
The fingertips that had been gripping the hem of her clothes were now digging into her palms so hard that her nails were almost embedded in her flesh.
The longer she stood in the rain before she arrived, the more self-deceiving hope she harbored in her heart.
She told herself that Yun Zhan might only be staying with Wen Sixue temporarily, or that he might not have had time to contact her yet. As long as she came and explained things clearly, she could take Yun Zhan back.
But now, Wen Sixue's pajamas felt like a slap in the face, shattering all her fantasies.
The stark truth was clear: Yun Zhan wasn't just staying temporarily; they were living together, like real partners, sharing the same space and the same nights.
Shi Mingyue's face instantly turned even paler, even more bloodless than her soaked black coat.
She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. The composure she had been able to maintain just moments before completely collapsed.
The despair in her eyes surged like a tide, almost engulfing her entirely, and even the faintest trace of reluctance faded into darkness.
The rain was still drizzling, hitting her coat with a dull thud.
Shi Mingyue swayed and was about to fall when the bodyguard standing two steps behind her immediately stepped forward and reached out to support her arm.
But Shi Mingyue seemed to have been burned, and suddenly waved her hand, her voice still trembling.
"Need not."
"I can walk by myself."
Shi Mingyue raised her hand to press her heavy forehead, and took several deep breaths of the cold, rain-laden air before she could barely steady herself.
When her gaze returned to Yun Zhan, the despair in her eyes faded somewhat, but a layer of weary stubbornness remained: "Yun Zhan, let's find a place to talk."
She paused, glanced at the bodyguards behind her, and added, "They were sent by my family to protect me. They won't do anything to you, so you don't need to be afraid."
Before Yun Zhan could speak, Wen Sixue beside her gently tugged at her sleeve and took half a step forward.
She looked at Shi Mingyue's pale face and soaked coat, and said softly, "The rain hasn't stopped outside yet, come in and talk. The study in the house is very soundproof, so we won't be disturbed."
As she spoke, Wen Sixue stepped aside to make way for the entrance, and handed over the dry towel she was holding: "Wipe yourself off first, so you don't catch a cold."
Shi Mingyue neither took the towel nor answered, but simply looked at Wen Sixue in silence.
Her heart had long since turned cold. Even the last spark of stubbornness had been extinguished by this sudden "consideration," leaving only ashes. The gentler Wen Sixue was, the more she seemed like an unwanted intruder.
Shi Mingyue didn't say anything more, but simply took stiff steps and walked past Wen Sixue.
An expensive luxury coat brushed against Wen Sixue's arm, carrying the dampness of rain and a hint of cold.
Wen Sixue lowered her eyes, watching Shi Mingyue's soaked skirt sweep across the floor, and whispered, "I'm sorry..."
Her voice was so soft it sounded like a sigh. Even she herself didn't know whether her apology was meant to win Yun Zhan's heart or to make Shi Mingyue suffer such humiliation.
Yun Zhan watched Shi Mingyue's staggering figure, then glanced at Wen Sixue's reddened eyes, gently patted her shoulder, and whispered, "I'll go talk to her, I'll be back soon."
After saying that, he followed Shi Mingyue toward the study.
Wen Sixue nodded and casually sat down on the sofa. She was still clutching the dry towel she hadn't given away. Listening to the sound of rain and the fading footsteps, she felt a mix of emotions.
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