Chapter 54
Chapter 54
Meng Yingying bit her lip, deep in thought. She had only ever written those words in one notebook: "The notebook...that's my diary!" Meng Yingying stared wide-eyed. Shang Mang's gaze drifted downwards, and he pursed his lips. Once words are spoken, there's no going back.
So he insisted, "It fell on the ground, and I saw it by accident." Meng Yingying smiled helplessly, and could only shake her head and rub her forehead: "Forget it, why should I argue with you? Anyway, you don't know what a diary is. In our area, it's considered a personal secret, and it's illegal for anyone to read it."
Shang Mang said, "I want to know about you."
Meng Yingying didn't understand what he meant. She thought for a long time and then asked, "Do you know me?" After thinking for a while, she finally had a flash of inspiration and looked at him, "You mean you understand me?"
Shang Mang was taken aback. He bit his lip and said, "No, I just want to know your intentions in getting close to me."
Meng Yingying gave an unnatural and dry explanation: "I had no intention of doing anything." She forced a smile, trying to cover up her misunderstanding. "Besides, what could I possibly want from you?"
Shang Mang smiled dismissively and looked away from her face: "Protect your senior brother." He didn't even realize how intense his emotions were when he said this.
Meng Yingying stared at him with a half-smile, then said, "This is the most accurate emotion you've ever expressed since I've known you." She leaned closer to his gaze, "You're jealous."
Shang Mang's expression relaxed: "Jealous?"
Meng Yingying nodded: "Yes. This emotion is less than jealousy; it's a sign that you like someone. Shang Mang, you have emotions!" She spoke in surprise, as if she had learned something incredible. She had always thought he had no emotions; she was wrong. He could sense emotions better than anyone else. Every fear, sadness, grief, resentment—all negative emotions were magnified in his presence, and he could see them clearly. As for positive emotions, he couldn't perceive them.
What does it feel like to cry? What does it feel like to laugh? What is happiness like? He used to be very curious...
“Joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness are burdens for people.” His expression was cold. “With these emotions, people have weaknesses.” Shang Mang thought Meng Yingying would refute him, but she didn’t. She just stared at him intently, her eyes conflicted: “For some people, you’re right.” The surrounding air suddenly became uncomfortable, a feeling that would stimulate him and stir in his heart.
Meng Yingying looked up and said very seriously, "But maybe not for you." Behind him was the earth filled with the stench of blood and corpses, and in front of him was her bright and lively self. Shang Mang felt a world of difference, like a dream from which he would never wake up, and a hope that was within reach.
Meng Yingying said slowly and deliberately, "Shang Mang, let me teach you how to love."
Shang Mang stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly at Meng Yingying. A thousand thoughts raced through his mind. What did this second life mean to Meng Yingying? Pain, a desperate dream, a sudden plunge from heaven into the abyss. For her, it wasn't beautiful; it was a colossal nightmare.
Shang Mang clenched his fists, walked up to her, and hugged her tightly: "I'll only be a good person this once, Meng Yuan."
Meng Yingying was in a state of confusion, struggling desperately and hitting him with her hands, each blow heavy. Shang Mang buried his face in her neck and breathed heavily. All her negative emotions were running rampant: unease, fear, terror, and grief—all were in her mind.
Dark lines began to appear on her arm, running through her pulse.
Zhou Xiuqi looked down at the hand on his wrist and asked, "You?" Xiao Zheyu released him and said, "Zhou Xiuqi, have you ever regretted something?" The urgency on Zhou Xiuqi's face froze. Xiao Zheyu chuckled and said, "Do you know? I never regret what I do, because no matter what the consequences are, I will accept them. Even if it hurts me, I will never say a word of regret."
Zhou Xiuqi looked at her expression and said, "Yes, I have." Xiao Zheyu smiled and asked, "What kind of thing would make the decisive Daoist Zhou regret it?"
Zhou Xiuqi lowered his eyes in a panic, unable to look her in the eye: "I've only ever regretted one person."
Xiao Zheyu released his hand and didn't ask any more questions. The smile on his face disappeared. When Zhou Xiuqi looked up again, all he saw was a cold face.
Xiao Zheyu gave a perfunctory two-word reply: "What a pity."
Her gaze no longer lingered on Zhou Xiuqi, but instead fell upon Meng Yingying and the other person.
Zhou Xiuqi waved his hand and stepped forward to take the pulse.
Shang Mang released her, glanced at Zhou Xiuqi, and Zhou Xiuqi looked up to meet his gaze: "Resentment has entered your body."
Shang Mang clenched his fist and looked at him. Zhou Xiuqi understood what was going on and frowned in disapproval. Shang Mang grabbed his wrist: "Your thoughts are not important at all." After he finished speaking, he lifted Meng Yingying's chin. Xiao Zheyu felt a blur before his eyes and fainted.
As they fell one by one, Shang Mang's red eyes were undisguised. He lowered his head and kissed her, then gently bit her lips as if in despair.
The resentment entered his body, making him feel cold all over, and his heart began to ache faintly. He raised his head and wiped her mouth. Meng Yingying stared at him, her eyes wide.
Shang Mang opened his eyes to the side: "Close your eyes."
Meng Yingying raised her arm, and the inner lines on her arm gradually faded. Shang Mang got up to leave, but Meng Yingying grabbed his sleeve: "Thank you." Shang Mang snorted coldly, his lips barely concealing their whiteness. He slightly raised his chin: "I said, your life can only be in my hands."
Meng Yingying released his grip, letting him go. What did she mean to him? He had been quite good to her, at least more than friends, but he had never said he liked her, and his behavior was so strange. Meng Yingying didn't understand. She rotated her wrist; the red mole wasn't hot, calmly appearing on her pulse. She rubbed her fingertips against her skin, feeling the roughness. She then realized that calluses had formed on her fingertips.
She used to wonder where her familiarity with everything in this place came from, even though she hadn't been here long. Now, she's starting to figure things out, and these things will come to light sooner or later; it's just a matter of time.
Shang Mang found a dark corner to sit down, a place where he wouldn't be illuminated by the candlelight. He sat cross-legged and began to process the resentment.
Meng Yingying looked up, her pupils dilated in shock, and without thinking, she pounced on him.
She summoned calamity to block the approaching flute, which was filled with murderous intent. Kong Fusheng looked at her and said, "Senior Meng, he is a demon." Kong Fusheng frowned, his thin lips pressed together, and his eyes showed undisguised disgust.
Meng Yingying froze. This was a completely different person from the Kong Fusheng she had seen before. She held on tightly, pushing back forcefully. Silence fell around them. Kong Fusheng slipped past her through the gaps on either side, but Meng Yingying caught the attack with her own hand.
She took a deep breath and gently pulled the flute from his hand: "I know."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
