Knowing she was from out of town, the tea shop owner enthusiastically told her about the ancient temple at the foot of the mountain.
Su Ruanruan looked in the direction he pointed and saw only lush green mountains in the distance.
At the foot of the mountain stood an ancient temple with a long history and a constant stream of worshippers. On the high peak was a prayer hall with 1,088 steps. One had to kowtow and kneel every three steps to obtain a string of precious Buddhist beads.
Many people can't stick with it and give up halfway.
When the ancient temple was mentioned, Su Ruanruan felt a sense of familiarity, but she couldn't remember where she had heard of it.
She didn't drink the tea. Instead, she took out a portrait from her bosom and asked him if he had seen the person in the portrait, but he shook his head.
Su Ruanruan was extremely disappointed, but still placed a few copper coins on the table.
Just as she left, a little beggar called out to her from behind.
"Sister, here you go." The little beggar slapped a note into Su Ruanruan's palm and ran away.
Su Ruanruan opened it with a puzzled look, and when she saw the familiar handwriting, she couldn't help but get excited. It was Mu Bai!
She was excited and quickly looked around, but she couldn't see Mu Bai anywhere.
Why didn't Mu Bai come to see her, but instead sent someone else to deliver the message?
She asked the tea stall owner for the address on the note.
The boss kindly gave her directions.
With hope in her heart, Su Ruanruan felt that her illness had improved significantly.
As the sun set, she ran anxiously toward the bridge mentioned in the address, her heart filled with mixed emotions, and her eyes quietly reddened.
The glow of the setting sun cast a shimmering golden light on the lake.
Under the willow tree, the figure he had been longing for day and night remained motionless, gazing at the lake.
"Brother Mu Bai."
Upon hearing the sound, Mu Bai turned around, only to bump into Su Ruanruan, who had rushed into his arms.
Neither of them spoke at that moment, but their intense longing transformed into a warm embrace, and they remained inseparable for a long time.
"Brother Mu Bai, I miss you so much. Why did you write me that kind of letter..."
Mu Bai closed his eyes in pain, and after a long while, his hoarse voice came out, "Ruan Ruan, I'm sorry."
Su Ruanruan raised her head, her eyes already wet with tears.
She touched Mu Bai's thin face and the stubble on his chin. "Brother Mu Bai, you've lost weight."
She chuckled softly a few more times, "You always bully me. You didn't even go home after the autumn examinations ended, and I had to come looking for you."
"Shall we...go home?"
Mu Bai turned his face away, covering his eyes with his slender fingers so that Su Ruanruan wouldn't see the hot tears in his eyes, but his voice was choked and desolate, "Ruanruan, I'm sorry, I've let you down in this life."
Su Ruanruan stared at him blankly for a few moments, then stepped away from his embrace. "Brother Mu Bai, what are you saying? You were just joking with me, right?"
"What...what are you saying?"
"Have you forgotten? We agreed that we would prepare for the marriage after the autumn imperial examination."
"Did you not perform well? It's okay, let's study hard again in three years, okay?"
Su Ruanruan forcibly pried Mu Bai's hands open, revealing his eyes, which were filled with the misty moisture of the autumn moon.
But those eyes, which once held only her image, were now somewhat red and moist.
Su Ruanruan was in a state of turmoil. She squeezed her fingers between Mu Bai's fingers and intertwined them with his.
"Brother Mu Bai, what happened? Don't scare me."
Mu Bai turned his head to look to one side.
Su Ruanruan followed his gaze and saw a graceful woman standing under a tree not far away. Although she wore a veil, her face could not be seen.
"Ruan Ruan, I... have already married her."
Su Ruanruan's blood instantly froze, leaving her dazed and helpless.
She...she must have misheard.
"Brother Mu Bai, what did you say?"
Mu Bai bit his lip tightly, "Ruan Ruan, I'm already married to her, I'm the one who's sorry to you."
His voice was very soft and faint, but Su Ruanruan felt as if something in her heart had shattered silently.
Su Ruanruan released Mu Bai's hand and took a few steps back. Tears streamed down her face without warning, bitter and intense.
"Ruan Ruan..." Mu Bai raised his hand to wipe away her tears.
"Don't touch me!" Su Ruanruan cried out, all her defenses crumbling at that moment.
"Why, why, why did you do this to me?!"
"Why?"
Mu Bai's hand was clenched tightly in his sleeve as he watched Ruan Ruan's heart-wrenching sobs.
The pain was tearing at his wounds, and countless expressions danced and shifted in his eyes.
After a long while, he finally heard his own voice, "After the autumn imperial examination, I came to the ancient temple to offer incense. On my way down the mountain, I encountered bandits and happened to run into her. She led her servants to fight back and save me. But we were outnumbered..."
"Later, her father ransomed us, although no one knew about it."
"But in the end, she did it to save me..."
"Ruan Ruan, I can't abandon her."
Su Ruanruan never dreamed that Mu Bai's reason for leaving was to take responsibility for another woman, not because he had fallen in love with someone else, but because of... responsibility and guilt.
And what about her? Should she be abandoned?
If they consummated their marriage on the night he came of age, what choice would he make?
Would he choose her because he feels responsible for her?
Su Ruanruan smiled bitterly, realizing that everything was fate and that heaven had already made the choice for her.
There are no ifs... That night, she hated the restraint and propriety she had shown that night.
"Ruan Ruan, I'm sorry."
Everything has settled down; it's too late to say anything now.
Even if it breaks her heart, Su Ruanruan will never steal someone else's man.
She would never be a third party who breaks up someone else's relationship.
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