Chen Hede's heart sank suddenly, his brows furrowed instantly, and his thin lips pressed tightly together.
He had witnessed too many partings and deaths, but he had never felt so panicked as he did at this moment—he didn't want to see her lose her beloved forever, and he was even more afraid that she would really take her own life and become a wisp of smoke that no one would remember.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Xu Zhuohua.” He suddenly smiled, but his laughter was tinged with a heavy sob, as if his throat had been rubbed raw by sand. “I will help him. I will do everything in my power, no matter what the outcome. Don’t worry.”
The words had barely left his lips when tears welled up unexpectedly, burning his eyes. Before he could even raise his hand to wipe them away, he abruptly turned around and staggered out.
Tears flew out with the movement of turning around, like beads from a broken string, hitting the blue brick ground and leaving a small dark stain, as if someone had accidentally torn a small hole in the white paper covered by moonlight.
"I have to go now, it's getting late." His voice was muffled, with a heavy nasal tone.
The iron gate creaked open with a long, clear sound that was particularly distinct in the quiet night.
Chen Hede's figure quickly disappeared behind the door, leaving only the half-closed door, still swaying gently in the night wind, like an unfinished sigh.
Xu Zhuohua stood there, still having things to say, when Chen Hede left. Gazing at the bright moonlight in the sky, she sighed.
It would be a lie to say that Xu Zhuohua had no intention of winning Chen Hede over, but she didn't want to see Chen Hede fall into the abyss, so she didn't want to force him to do so.
The words were stuck in my throat, but I couldn't say them.
Cheng Muyun's ability to have an ally like Chen Hede is a stroke of good fortune, but Xu Zhuohua will not use emotions to manipulate him.
She feared that Chen Hede's life trajectory would become tragic because of her interference.
Chen Hede's attempt to protect his organization members was exposed, and he was eventually shot dead in the street. This was a terrible end for him.
She didn't want to cause Chen Hede any more trouble.
"Zhuohua".
A soft call suddenly came from behind, slightly hoarse in the night breeze.
Xu Zhuohua's heart skipped a beat, and she turned around abruptly—moonlight streamed through the courtyard, weaving dappled shadows on the blue brick ground, and Cheng Muyun stood in that shadow.
The jawline, usually sharp as a knife, was softened considerably by the moonlight.
Only those eyes, still as deep as if they held a sea within them, now churned with tiny, scattered lights, slowly spreading out, revealing an unconcealable sense of guilt.
"I'm sorry," he said, his voice so soft it was as if he were afraid of disturbing something. "I made you feel insecure."
He probably heard the whole whisper in the corridor just now.
The dangers ahead, Chen Hede's choices, and the unwavering resolve she couldn't hide between the lines... all of these things pierced his heart like needles.
If it weren't for his outburst of madness a few days ago, if it weren't for him making things even more chaotic, she wouldn't have had to face all of this alone, or even have to beg others for help.
Xu Zhuohua looked at the guilt in his eyes, her heart softened, and she quickly walked to his side.
She raised her head slightly, the moonlight falling into her clear eyes like two handfuls of broken silver: "What are you saying? Cheng Muyun, I won't allow you to say that."
She reached out and gently pressed her hand against his chest, feeling his steady heartbeat through her fingertips.
“I’ve never felt insecure.” Her voice was firm yet gentle, with a touch of girlish stubbornness. “When you’re by my side, I feel fearless and completely safe.”
Cheng Muyun's Adam's apple bobbed, and he raised his hand to stroke her hair, his fingertips caressing her soft strands.
The touch felt so real that it put him at ease, yet also made him feel even more indebted.
“Once this is over,” he said softly, his voice filled with an almost desperate longing, “let’s hide away. Let’s find a place in the countryside with mountains and rivers, or maybe we’ll take a boat abroad, just the two of us, and live a good life, okay?”
As Xu Zhuohua listened, a bitter feeling welled up in her heart.
She lowered her eyelashes, then quickly looked up at him: "Cheng Muyun, if you really want to live in seclusion, isn't now the perfect time to leave? Why take the risk?"
She paused, her voice gaining a touch of clarity: "Isn't it because we share the same feelings?"
Cheng Muyun was suddenly startled, as if something had hit his heart hard.
He looked into Xu Zhuohua's eyes, those eyes that always held gentleness, but now they shone with an astonishing light, like tiny flames burning, so firm that they made his heart tremble, like a storm sweeping through, stirring up a thousand waves.
“I don’t want to hide,” Xu Zhuohua continued, each word clear. “You don’t want to either, right? That’s why we have to take the risk. We both have things we must accomplish, things we’ve chosen. If we can’t succeed, even if we escape to the ends of the earth and watch each other day and night, there will always be an empty space in our hearts, and we’ll never truly feel at ease.”
The night wind rustled through the air. Looking into the light in her eyes, Cheng Muyun suddenly understood.
Yes, they weren't trying to escape at all.
They were all waiting, waiting for the light that would cleave through the chaos, waiting for the spark that would illuminate the way forward, waiting for a dawn that would allow everyone to lift their heads and breathe in peace.
That was their faith, hidden deep in their hearts, never spoken aloud, yet already etched into their very bones.
Cheng Muyun asked, "When was that?"
October 1, 1949.
Looking up at the dim blue sky above, Cheng Muyun sighed, "Twenty more years, by then we'll all be old."
Xu Zhuohua said, "As long as I can live to see the bright red flag fluttering on the land of China, that's enough. Why worry about so much?"
Cheng Muyun said, "It was the darkest inside before, isn't this the most difficult time yet?"
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