I didn't sleep all night, and finally felt sleepy as dawn approached. When I woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.
Su Ruanruan had just finished getting herself ready and was about to go to the city gate to wait for Mu Bai when there was a series of urgent knocks on the door.
Su Ruanruan was overjoyed. Could it be that Mu Bai had returned?
She rushed over and opened the courtyard gate, "Mu..."
When she saw who was outside the door, Su Ruanruan swallowed back the words she hadn't finished saying.
Looking around, he asked, "Young Master Fang, did you return today? Where is Mu Bai? Did he come back with you?"
Su Ruanruan smiled faintly, waiting for Fang Ru's answer.
Fang Ru avoided her gaze, hesitated several times before finally taking out a letter from his pocket.
"See for yourself."
Su Ruanruan took the letter with a puzzled look, glanced at Fang Ru, then took out the paper and looked down at it.
The letter contained only a few short sentences: I will never think of you again, and you should not think of me either. Give your heart, which you once gave me, to another! Ruan Ruan, I have wronged you; I am sorry.
She recognized all the characters, but when they were put together, she couldn't understand them.
Mu Bai wants to break up with her?!
But...why?
They agreed that they would discuss the marriage when he returned.
Su Ruanruan's hand trembled slightly as she held the paper. She examined it carefully for a while longer, confirming that it was indeed Mu Bai's handwriting.
"Why...why?" Su Ruanruan looked up at Fang Ru.
"What exactly happened? Why would Mu Bai write something like this for me?"
Fang Ru pursed his lips into a straight line and spoke after a long while, "I'm sorry, after leaving the examination hall, Mu Bai checked out of the inn, saying that he had important things to do and asked me to wait for him in Lingzhou City for two days."
Two days later, I didn't see him return, but a servant came instead. He said that his young lady was about to marry Mu Bai...
"Let me give you this letter. It says he will never return to Qingshan County."
The color drained from Su Ruanruan's face, and her mind went completely blank.
Her ears were ringing, and she could only see Fang Ru's mouth moving, but she couldn't hear what he was saying.
Su Ruanruan didn't even know when he left.
All emotions surged within me, the pain reaching its peak yet with nowhere to vent.
She closed the courtyard gate and slumped to the ground.
Bai Ruan was playing in the yard. When she saw Su Ruanruan come in, she ran over quickly, wagging her little tail, but found that Su Ruanruan had no intention of playing with her.
It stared blankly at her, its little tail stopping. Perhaps sensing Su Ruanruan's sadness, it jumped onto Su Ruanruan's lap and lay obediently on her body.
After a long while, Su Ruanruan wiped away her tears and went to wait at the city gate again.
She didn't believe Mu Bai didn't want her anymore; she preferred that it was just a prank by Mu Bai.
Even as the city gates closed once more, Su Ruanruan did not see the figure she longed for.
The evening breeze was blowing, and her heart was bleeding.
She returned home like a walking corpse, sat listlessly in the yard, tears sliding down her lips, so salty and sour.
A few stars still hung in the sky. Su Ruanruan opened the door blankly and walked step by step toward the city gate, where she sat down on a stone.
His empty eyes stared blankly at the tightly closed city gate, his whole being devoid of life, like a flower that withered before it could bloom.
Huo Yan, who was half-lying on a big tree at the city gate, caressing a dagger because he couldn't sleep, also saw her.
Looking down from the tree, by the dim light of the lantern in her hand, Huo Yan finally saw that she was different.
She shivered slightly in the cold wind, as if she were about to perish at any moment.
Before he could even react, he saw Su Ruanruan had already fallen to the ground.
He quickly put the dagger away and jumped down from the tree.
Touching Su Ruanruan's forehead, it was very hot. Her body felt like a giant furnace.
Huo Yan picked up Su Ruanruan and ran towards the nearest clinic, with Bai Ruan following behind him, barking.
An hour later, Su Ruanruan woke up and looked around the room blankly.
"Brother Mu Bai..." Remembering something, she quickly got up, slipped on her shoes, and ran towards the door.
Her head was spinning and throbbing, like it was about to explode. She swayed and almost fell to the ground, but quickly grabbed the wall next to her for support.
"Su Ruanruan, are you alright?" When Huo Yan came in, he saw Su Ruanruan almost fall down. He wanted to help her up, but he was too late.
He lowered his hand, which had been frozen in mid-air. "You have chills and fever. Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"
Su Ruanruan looked in the direction of the sound, and Huo Yan seemed to be surrounded by countless phantom images, making her head throb with pain.
A thought flashed through her mind, and Su Ruanruan reached out and groped around for a while before finally grabbing Huo Yan's sleeve.
"Officer Huo, could you take me to Lingzhou City?"
"I know your horse is a fine steed, faster than a carriage. Please, take me there!"
"I can give you silver! I'll pay you silver!"
Huo Yan frowned. "Su Ruanruan, you're sick. Let's talk about it when you're better."
"No, I must go today, or it will be too late." Su Ruanruan gripped Huo Yan's sleeve tightly. "Please, Officer Huo, promise me, I will repay you in the future."
"Why are you so determined to leave today? What happened? What about Mu Bai..."
Su Ruanruan opened her mouth, tears already welling up in her eyes.
"Mu Bai doesn't want me anymore! He doesn't want me anymore!"
"He's about to marry someone else! If I don't stop him, it will be too late!"
"Is he that important?" Huo Yan hadn't expected that the scholar would abandon Su Ruanruan. Could there be some reason behind it?
Su Ruanruan closed her eyes in pain, "Without him, I have no light anymore."
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
