My fingernails dug deep into my palms, but I felt no pain. I only felt an emptiness in my chest, as if someone had ripped out my most precious thing.
Chen Hede frowned and leaned closer. "What? What did you say?"
He reached out to support the swaying Xu Zhuohua, but froze the moment he saw her eyes. Those once bright and lively eyes were now as dull as dusty glass beads, without a trace of light.
She seemed to have lost her soul, leaving only a pale shell.
Xu Zhuohua slowly shook her head, a bitter smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
Her voice was eerily calm, “I was too naive…” Her words trailed off, the last few syllables choked in her throat, turning into a sigh.
Chen Hede dared to swear that he had only ever seen such emotions in the eyes of criminals sentenced to death, like a withered tree or an abyss, lifeless and undisturbed.
They were still alive, but despair had already devoured them into an empty shell.
"Xu Zhuohua, what did you say?" He grabbed her wrist almost tremblingly, the skin his palm touched was shockingly cold.
Xu Zhuohua's nails dug deeply into the back of his hand. "Chen Hede, it's really dark now. This is the darkest moment. Why did I have to come here? The darkest hour is before dawn."
A scalding tear fell onto the back of Chen Hede's hand, bursting into tiny water droplets.
Xu Zhuohua suddenly trembled violently, as if all her strength had dissipated with that single tear.
Chen Hede felt a sudden, sharp pain in his heart, and his reason crumbled at that moment.
He pulled her into his arms, completely disregarding etiquette and propriety, his palm pressed against her thin back, clearly feeling her every trembling breath.
"It's okay, it will all pass." He heard his hoarse voice trembling as he gently patted her back like he was comforting a child.
Xu Zhuohua's tears soaked through his shirt, the warm dampness making his eyes sting.
He tightened his arms around her, pressing her even closer to his chest, as if that would shield them from all the storms—even though he knew the storm had already engulfed them all.
"It's alright, Xu Zhuohua. Things will always pass. The more chaotic the times, the more heroes emerge. Although I hate to admit it, Cheng Muyun is a hero."
Unfortunately, heroes rarely have a good ending. Some people are remembered for their good deeds, but Cheng Muyun can only be infamous for eternity.
The shadow of the window frame was cast obliquely on the blue brick ground, like a crack that severed hope.
Xu Zhuohua gripped Chen Hede's clothes tightly, her knuckles turning bluish-white from the force, and a suppressed sob escaped her throat.
She buried her face in his clothes, trying to hide her breakdown, but tears streamed down her face, leaving dark stains on the crisp fabric.
She already missed Cheng Muyun a lot after being away from him for so long, and now she was told that she couldn't go back to Xinhai City.
She has truly lost all her spirit.
This damned era is giving them absolutely no chance to survive.
Xu Zhuohua gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, but the silk handkerchief was still damp, much like her still turbulent heartbeat. As she stepped back, the hem of her skirt swept across the blue bricks, and in that pale blue ripple, there was a hint of embarrassment and relief.
"I'm sorry, I lost my composure due to pressure."
Chen Hede's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily, and a faint jasmine scent lingered on his chest—it was from when he had embraced her earlier.
His well-defined fingers trembled slightly. "Don't worry about it." His voice was a few decibels lower than usual, like bamboo leaves touched by autumn frost, clear and crisp with a barely perceptible hoarseness.
In an era where a woman's reputation is of paramount importance, that overstepping embrace may have been the most passionate tenderness he could offer.
When Chen Hede is polite and courteous, he truly lives up to his name, possessing both the physique of a pine tree and the spirit of a crane, embodying both virtue and talent.
Xu Zhuohua thought that he might be someone she could entrust her life to.
"Chen Hede, I have a favor to ask of you." Her voice still had a nasal tone from crying, but it inexplicably carried a sense of certainty.
The wind lifted the stray hairs at her temples, revealing pale blue veins on the side of her neck, which meandered like a stream beneath her pale skin.
Chen Hede tilted his head and asked, "What is it?"
Xu Zhuohua pursed her lips. "It's a long story. Let's find a place to sit down and talk over some tea."
Chen Hede readily agreed. It was rare for Xu Zhuohua to ask him for a favor, and he was secretly overjoyed, though he didn't show it on his face.
The April breeze, carrying the fragrance of new lotus leaves, swept across the eaves of the pavilion. Chen Hede's wrist, holding the teapot, hovered in mid-air as he watched the Biluochun tea in the celadon cup ripple—the emerald green reflected the swaying lotus leaves in the pond, as if the entire spring had been crushed into the tea.
Suddenly, a splash of water erupted on the pond's surface, and a silver-scaled koi swung its tail and darted into the lotus leaves, causing the newly sprouted, curled leaves to tremble gently.
This vibrant and lively spirit fell into Xu Zhuohua's eyes, but it was as blurry as if covered by frosted glass.
Her fingertips, gripping the teacup, turned white, and the steam from the tea clung to her eyelashes, vaguely resembling unshed tears.
Xu Zhuohua stared at the tea leaves floating in the cup, watching them sometimes clump together and sometimes scatter like stars.
When the second cup of tea had gone cold, Xu Zhuohua finally raised her head.
Suddenly, I noticed that several bright red koi carp were hiding among the uneven gaps in the lotus leaves, swimming in the dark water like burning flames.
Xu Zhuohua sighed deeply, "I want to say, if Cheng Muyun is betrayed by many people, abandoned by everyone, and on the verge of death, could you save him?"
Chen Hede paused slightly, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes. "Betrayed by everyone? What does that mean?"
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