Chapter 42 thought it was a plum tree in bloom, but then he caught a glimpse of dark red in the darkness.
so……
So, in the end, I didn't say anything.
Chang Li looked at me and shook his head helplessly, muttering to himself, "Why did it have to be that big idiot Li Xiao?"
It seems they've decided that I like Li Xiao, and that I'm completely obsessed with it.
"Is there something wrong with it?" I asked with interest, feeling a sense of novelty as I watched Chang Li sigh and worry for me like a little adult.
To be honest, Li Xiao is beautiful and generous. Apart from her sharp tongue and bad temper, she doesn't seem to have any particularly serious flaws.
Even after they got to know each other, the boy's somewhat awkward personality became rather endearing.
So the fact is, whether I like Li Xiao or not, I can't deny that he is a person worth liking.
Even Chang Li, after stammering for a long time, could only stubbornly manage to squeeze out, "But he's a big idiot."
The words sound familiar, as if I've heard them somewhere before.
—I remember now.
It was that dream. The boy in the dream, who looked so much like Li Xiao, seemed to have described Yu Qingzhou in the same way. He kept calling her an idiot, but his words and actions unconsciously revealed his affection... That alone was very much like Li Xiao.
"Hmm, really, does mentioning that person make you that happy?" The child's somewhat annoyed words interrupted my thoughts.
I looked at the child's round, chubby face with confusion, and for a moment I couldn't quite process it.
Chang Li stretched out his chubby finger and poked the corner of his mouth.
—I just laughed very happily.
"What are you thinking about that makes you laugh so happily?"
Two voices rang out at the same time, making it difficult for me to distinguish which was reality and which was a memory.
However, the child from my memory has finally disappeared from my sight.
Five years have passed. Chang Li must have grown into a young boy by now, a bright, cute, and seemingly mature boy.
Unfortunately, I've never seen it, so thinking about it is pointless.
"You've arrived."
I quickly put the jade pendant back into the box, closed the lid, and casually put it back into the drawer.
Only then did he turn his head to look at the person who had come.
His clothes were jet black, his eyebrows and eyes were clearly defined, and there was a strand of red hair that fell to his shoulder. When he looked over, a faint smile appeared on his lips, as cool and beautiful as a red plum blossom blooming in the snow.
—It really looks like it.
But I will never get confused again.
Shen Yun is Shen Yun, Shen Yingxue is Shen Yingxue... just as I am me, and Yu Qingzhou is Yu Qingzhou.
Even if there really is an independent dream world, with Yu Qingzhou and Shen Yingxue who like each other, it has absolutely nothing to do with me or Shen Yun.
Perhaps in the dead of night, I might have had a fleeting thought of romance, but the more we actually spent together, the more I realized that Shen Yun didn't have those feelings for me.
Now, with the one-year term coming to an end, the other party has shown no sign of wanting to renew the contract. Because of this, Aunt Xun has urged me several times, half-jokingly, to find out what Shen Yun's intentions are.
"What can I say about you? Opportunities were right in front of you, but you didn't even seize them. Be proactive! Don't you know that? I wonder what you've been learning over there."
The place Aunt Xun was referring to was the men's quarters. After she finished berating me, she wasn't satisfied and started scolding the manager there, hands on her hips.
The woman waved her crimson nail polish, tossing a pink handkerchief embroidered with gold like a dying bird.
"That old bastard Ji, how come he agreed so readily when we asked him for the people? So that's why..."
Aunt Xun rolled her eyes to the sky. She was staring at me, wanting to say something, but when she caught a glimpse of the gifts that Chen Yun had sent this month, she finally sighed and changed to a serious tone.
"You need to be more careful. It's not that Aunt Xun doesn't want to help you; there are always customers. But a handsome and talented patron like Master Shen—with your qualifications, you might not get another chance like this. And if you run into someone like Master Zou back then..."
As Aunt Xun spoke, she used her sharp fingernails to lift a strand of hair from my temple, squinting as she examined it, her dissatisfaction growing with each look. I knew she was looking at the old scar on my temple.
"How did it end up with such a scar?" she muttered to herself. "Otherwise, it would have been—"
So what?
She didn't finish her sentence, but I knew what she meant: she just wanted to sell it for a higher price. I also knew that Aunt Xun was already planning my next buyer while she was saying that.
I am a disfigured defective product. In addition to the scar on my forehead, I also have a limp in one leg. I fell down the stairs when I escaped from Master Zou's clutches.
In fact, if it were someone else, with such proper rest and recuperation, they probably wouldn't have developed a significant disability.
But I already had an old injury, so just as Mr. Chang said when he treated me back then, I must never get injured again.
So I know that my time is running out.
Once the contract expires and Shen Yun doesn't offer to renew it, given my current situation, Aunt Xun will definitely sell me off as soon as possible, hoping to make as much money as possible by associating me with Master Shen's name.
In order to avoid being labeled as a big shop bullying its customers, Aunt Xun mostly found me customers who were either sadistic or had other special fetishes, just like the dead Master Zou.
If what happened back then were to repeat itself, even if I were lucky enough to survive, I would probably suffer a fate worse than death.
Now, I have only three paths before me.
One option is to resign myself to fate, do nothing, and let God decide my future. That might just be a dead end.
Secondly, we should follow Aunt Xun's advice and try to get Shen Yun to renew the contract. If that fails, the result will be the same. But even if we succeed this time, what about next time? And the time after that? Ultimately, it's not a long-term solution.
As for the third point, which is also what I most hope to achieve, it is to redeem myself. Once I succeed, it means that I can completely say goodbye to my current life and start a new one.
"If one day you were to be redeemed from your servitude, is there anywhere you would like to go?"
This is a question Li Xiao once asked me. At that time, his eyes were light-colored, and his profile, shrouded in moonlight, glowed faintly.
The time was the Lantern Festival of the year Lan Gongzi left. I thought I would spend it alone, but I leaned against the window and looked at the bustling crowd on the street.
Men and women, young and old... the parade floats, the vendors hawking their wares, but the most eye-catching are the lanterns of all sizes, colors, styles and shapes.
This is the first time I've ever seen such a grand occasion.
In the past, when things were better, the village would hold processions for the gods, but these were only for groups of about ten people, and it wouldn't take them long to walk from one end of the village to the other.
Unlike here, a single float alone is surrounded by no fewer than seven or eight people. Looking out, from one end of the street to the other, and then to the winding alleys in the distance, the entire route is shimmering with light and color, winding like a giant dragon covered in colorful scales.
As I watched the parade stretching endlessly from afar, listening to the gongs and drums and the clamor of voices, I vaguely saw the float at the head of the procession shaped like a giant dragon's head. The dragon's dark pupils seemed to turn slightly in my direction through their pale orange sockets illuminated by the lights.
It startled me out of the blue; I thought the thing had actually come to life.
After calming down and thinking about it, I realized it was probably just some kind of mechanism. Just like a lion dance troupe makes cute gestures like flirting with the dancer, it's really simple to create a mechanism that can rotate the eyes on such a large float and such a lifelike dragon head.
But at that moment, I was really taken aback, and even felt that the dragon head was looking in this direction—as if it had discovered me hiding behind the window and watching all of this.
I instinctively took a half step back, but unexpectedly bumped into someone in the previously empty corridor, and in my panic, I stepped on the person's feet twice.
"I'm sorry, I didn't—"
"What do you mean, 'not what'?"
Hearing that familiar voice, I suddenly stopped talking and looked up at him in disbelief. The boy also lowered his green eyes and looked at me with a half-smile.
"After all this time, you're still as loud and boisterous as ever. I thought that copying a couple more calligraphy works would have helped you improve a bit."
“Young Master Li…” I stared at him blankly and murmured in a daze.
Just then, a series of loud explosions of fireworks erupted not far away, echoing throughout the city. It felt as if the explosions were resounding deep within my heart.
Once the fireworks subsided, the commotion downstairs returned to my ears.
"What? Are you surprised to see me? Your eyes are practically popping out of their sockets."
Li Xiao said sarcastically, reaching out to poke my cheek. I didn't flinch, letting his finger land on my face. The feeling was still as cold as a dead person's.
So... it really wasn't a dream, Li Xiao really came. Bringing with him a chilling aura and a... fluffy lantern?
"Is this a lantern?" I asked, pointing to the slightly strangely shaped lantern in Li Xiao's hand.
“Yes.” Li Xiao said matter-of-factly, seemingly not finding anything strange about a lantern with eight hairy legs.
He glanced at it himself, a rather satisfied expression on his face, and then very generously shoved the thing into my hand.
"Here, this is a gift for you. Don't say I didn't think of you. It took me several days to make this, so hold it carefully and don't drop it."
Looking at the strangely shaped lantern in my hand and listening to the boy's words, I was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.
"...So, this was actually made by you, Young Master Li?" I asked, following Li Xiao's words and looking into his jade-colored eyes that reflected the flickering lights outside the window.
"Of course—"
Li Xiao answered without hesitation, then paused as if he suddenly thought of something, before awkwardly adding, "It was just something I did on the spur of the moment, it didn't actually take much effort, so you... you shouldn't be too smug."
I think that no matter how long we've known each other, I'll always be amazed by Li Xiao's strange and thoughtful nature.
There is no such thing as being complacent.
But I still thanked Li Xiao. It was rare that the young master still cared about loquats and was able to prepare such a unique gift.
In any case, I am truly delighted to receive such a surprise during my first Lantern Festival here.
However, out of curiosity, I still tactfully inquired about the lamp's design.
"...By the way, was crab the inspiration for Young Master Li's creation of this lamp?"
I searched my brain, which lacks any ability to make connections, and finally found a creature that could be matched with the lantern in front of me with its eight long, white, hairy legs.
And the more I looked at it, the more I realized it made sense.
Although it's not a perfect resemblance, it at least captures the key features.
However, as soon as I finished speaking, I knew I had asked the wrong question, because Li Xiao's expression suddenly became very subtle. He pursed his lips and stared at me without saying a word for a long time, his pale face and earlobes gradually turning a light red.
I was completely baffled by the stare and had no idea what was wrong with the boy.
Just as he was about to ask, the other person interrupted, "Who told you this is a crab?!"
The tone... sounded somewhat embarrassed and angry.
I was completely bewildered by such an angry remark, but then I saw Li Xiao suddenly turn around and stride away without giving me a chance to ask why. I didn't care about anything else and instinctively took a step and followed him.
However, Li Xiao is tall and has long legs, so he can walk very fast. I am short and used to walking with my head down, afraid of bumping into guests. How could I catch up with him so quickly?
I watched as the distance between me and the boy grew ever wider.
Through the crowd of people singing, dancing, drinking, and making merry, I saw that pale figure disappear in an instant, like a raindrop disappearing into a river, and a sense of inexplicable panic arose in my heart.
It was as if that one glance was a final farewell.
Without thinking twice, he rushed out of the gate.
In fact, without the assignment of the manager or the accompaniment of a guest, people in the building are not allowed to go out without permission; otherwise, they will break the rules and be punished accordingly.
Looking back, that must have been the first time I went out after I was bought into the building.
However, whether it was due to the gatekeeper's carelessness or not, he let me out without even asking.
As soon as I stepped out the door, I was immediately enveloped by the hustle and bustle of the outside world, a liveliness completely different from the decadent revelry and merriment inside the building.
It was filled with the joy and laughter of everyday life.
I could see it from afar upstairs, but it was nothing compared to the vividness and excitement I felt now. The mingled smells that hit me almost knocked me over.
So many people jostled and bumped into each other as they passed by.
And I was still carrying the strange lamp that Li Xiao had given me.
I almost instinctively raised my arm to protect the lamp, but the crowd was too overwhelming, and I quickly felt dizzy and suffocated.
I struggled to move forward through the crowd for a while, trying to reach the place where Li Xiao had last appeared.
But they were quickly pushed and squeezed by the crowd and swept away in a completely different direction.
In the chaos, I felt someone step on my foot, or perhaps I stepped on someone else's foot. I felt my legs go weak, and I uncontrollably fell in a certain direction.
—If I really collapse like this, I'll probably die.
At that moment, such a thought flashed through my mind.
If it were to come true, it would truly be an absurd way to die. I thought to myself, but it was too late to do anything to remedy the situation. All I could do was hold the lamp in my arms even tighter.
But I didn't fall down. Suddenly, a hand reached out from the chaos grabbed my shoulder and lifted me up.
"careful."
A voice rang out close to my ear, not loud, but exceptionally clear.
Then, before I could react, that person put their arm around my shoulder and nimbly led me out.
Without the jostling and pushing of the crowd, the air suddenly became fresh and crisp.
In a daze, I seemed to smell the cool fragrance of plum blossoms, and thought that plum trees were blooming somewhere, but then I caught a glimpse of dark red in the darkness.
It was a plum blossom-shaped tassel adorning the end of a jet-black longsword.
It belongs to that person...
My heart skipped a beat, but I kept my head down, standing there frozen as if I couldn't recover from the shock.
"Th-thank you." I stammered, my head bowed, my voice dry and hoarse, sounding terrible.
The man, however, seemed completely unconcerned.
“Be more careful next time,” he said calmly. “When you fall, it’s more useful to use your free hand to steady yourself than to protect what you’re holding. Or perhaps…”
The man paused, then asked with a hint of doubt, "That piece of paper is actually more important than your life?"
I didn't actually do that intentionally; it was just an instinctive reaction in a crisis. But when I heard the other person say that, I couldn't help but bury my head even lower.
I didn't know how to answer, and stammered out, almost unconsciously, "This is... a gift from someone else."
There was a moment of silence on the other end, then a soft laugh, so soft that it was hard to tell if it was genuine or fake.
"So it seems that 'other person' must be someone very important to you?"
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