Chapter 20: Let's stop lying to ourselves one more time.
"I don't want you to do anything for me."
"If it has to be, could I stay here a little longer?"
Her amber eyes were filled with pleading and expectation. Dreams always end, and when her demonic power was exhausted, this real dream she had painstakingly constructed would shatter like a mirage.
She didn't want to trap him in a dreamlike void, but she just hoped that the time they could spend together could last a little longer.
Sometimes people don't want to live too clearly; they'd rather deceive themselves. Liu Yuhen is like that now.
Staying here might be a trap, but it's just a matter of life and death.
Yes, Liu Yuhen is reckless and doesn't value his life.
His throat bobbed as he said with difficulty, "Okay."
Upon hearing his affirmative reply, Jiaojiao excitedly rushed forward and hugged him, fluttering into his arms like a butterfly.
Liu Yuhen looked down and saw her crescent-shaped eyes sparkling with joy. A touch of tenderness suddenly welled up in his heart, and the rough marks on his face softened, finally revealing a hint of life.
Jiaojiao was so happy; finally, someone was there to keep her company.
And it's the person right in front of you.
She couldn't help but nuzzle against his chest, her eyes suddenly brightening as she looked up. "Are you hungry? Let's go pick some fruit."
Every word she spoke was spoken with an upward inflection, carrying a warm, infectious quality that beckoned someone accustomed to rainy weather to a sunny place.
Liu Yuhen was being led by the sleeve by her, following closely behind her.
He didn't know why he didn't use his light-body skills.
After meeting her, he seemed to be doing things that were unlike Liu Yuhen.
If you walk south along this stream, there are several wild fruit trees, scattered here and there, of all kinds.
The largest one is a wild apple tree, covered with small green-brown fruits with mottled appearance and thick, rough skin.
Liu Yuhen used his internal energy, and the cold iron ball smashed into the tree trunk, causing the apples on the branches to fall like rain.
"hiss!"
Hearing the noise, Liu Yuhen turned around and saw her covering her forehead, which had been hit and turned red, frantically dodging the rain of apples.
A hint of a smile finally appeared in his single, dark eye. He put his arm around her waist and took a few steps back before retreating out of Apple's attack range.
Jiaojiao buried her face in his chest and mumbled, "You didn't do this on purpose, did you?"
After she finished speaking, she cautiously raised her eyes to observe him. His eyes were wet, and his forehead was red. He looked quite pitiful.
“I didn’t,” Liu Yuhen said.
Jiaojiao chuckled softly in his arms. Of course, she knew Liu Yuhen wouldn't do this on purpose. After laughing, she looked up and reported, "Then you pick the fruit here, and I'll pick the ones over there."
Liu Yuhen stopped watching her receding figure, then cautiously picked some red berries before turning back to continue cracking apples without revealing his expression.
This was really not a technical job. He picked seven or eight bayberries and gathered some edible wild fruits from the side before Jiaojiao came running back, holding a handful of bayberries wrapped in leaves.
"Try the fruit I picked, it's as red as a flower."
Liu Yuhen was stunned for a moment, looking at the pale red plum on his cheek. He opened his mouth slightly, about to speak, when Jiaojiao had already stuffed the beautiful plum into his mouth without saying a word.
The teeth gently tapped the fruit, and the sour juice exploded in the mouth. The sour taste was like needles piercing the taste buds, and the throat involuntarily tightened for a moment.
But no matter how sour he was, he remained expressionless.
But his living dead persona was shattered in the next second; the word "don't" was choked in his throat before he could even utter it.
Jiaojiao took a big bite of the plum, and the next second, an intense sour taste surged up like a tidal wave. She frowned, and her lips trembled slightly from the sourness. She quickly spat it into her palm.
Tears welled in her eyes from the sour taste, but she still reached out her hand, stammering anxiously, "Quick! Spit it out! It's so sour..."
Liu Yuhen stared blankly at the slender, fair palm by her lips, a whirlpool forming in her heart, engulfing all her chaotic and noisy thoughts, only to be brought back by her repeated calls.
He swayed slightly, his Adam's apple bobbing, and pressed the terribly sour plum back against his tongue to suppress the trembling in his heart. He whispered, "No need."
"Not sour."
With his teeth embedded in the fruit pulp, he endured the pain of the sour taste, chewed it little by little, and swallowed it, eating it clean.
I put the pit in my mouth and felt the sharp, cutting pain on my tongue before I finally exhaled and calmed down.
Jiaojiao stared at him in shock, hesitated for a long time, and slowly asked, "Is this thing really not poisonous?"
One bite and the sourness burned her tongue; she's still shaken by it.
Is it really okay for Liu Yuhen to eat like this?
He paused for a moment, then said softly, "It's just not ripe yet."
For some reason, she lowered her eyes and added, "It's quite delicious."
Humans actually like to eat such strange food. Is it possible that the tongues of demons and humans are so different?
Jiaojiao suddenly felt a little insecure and dared not say that the plums were sour. Instead, she stuffed the whole bag of distinct, tender red bayberries, which did not ooze any juice, into his heart. "Then these are all for you."
His previously empty chest suddenly swelled up, filled with the tangy, intense flavor of bayberries that burst into his clothes.
One bite, and you'll never forget that unforgettable sourness.
He stood there quietly, his gaze unconsciously following her figure, the strands of hair that fluttered when she looked around, the folds of her clothes that rippled when she turned around.
Then she held up a few more beautiful, orange-yellow round fruits and asked him with curiosity and anticipation, "Are these ripe?"
A smile appeared on Liu Yuhen's hideous face as he said calmly, "Strychnos nux-vomica, highly poisonous."
In a panic, Jiaojiao threw away the few beads in her hand and even kicked them a couple of times to make them go further away.
Everything is so scary.
She dared not pick wild fruits indiscriminately anymore. Still feeling apprehensive, she clung to Liu Yuhen's arm and said weakly, "I won't pick them anymore. I'll stay with you."
You should know that dying in the dream world is a real death.
Dying in a dream you created yourself is just too shameful.
Liu Yuhen's arm, which was being held by her, stiffened slightly, and he met her gaze a beat late.
There was a pure, unadulterated dependence in her clear, bright eyes.
Liu Yuhen's single eye, however, was deep and difficult to detect.
They only exchanged glances for a moment before he looked away.
Let's go.
...
The sun had completely set, and the sky was dark. The two sat on the hillside, watching the boundless sea of flowers veiled in a layer of black gauze, swaying gently in the wind, a breathtakingly beautiful sight.
Jiaojiao picked up the ugly apple that had once hit her, took a big bite, and found it to be unexpectedly sweet and sour. Her eyes lit up, and she turned the apple over and held it to Liu Yuhen's lips. "So sweet!"
He paused, gazing for a long time at her eyes, which seemed to be sprinkled with tiny silver flakes. Finally, his heart couldn't control him, forcing him to lower his head and gently take a bite.
Sweet.
He nodded slightly.
Jiaojiao picked and chose, then picked up a new fruit and held it to his lips with concern, saying, "Then eat it quickly."
Liu Yuhen sensed the meaning behind the action almost instantly, turned aside, suppressed the grief that was rising in his heart day after day, and said coldly and stiffly, "I'm not hungry."
He didn't want to be treated like a disabled person.
Jiaojiao noticed his sudden outburst of emotion, slowly withdrew her hand, and felt helpless, wanting to say something, but her intuition told her that she couldn't apologize.
The once warm and relaxed atmosphere vanished, and the two fell silent. The night seeped into everything, including their hearts.
The pitch-black sky gradually disappeared, leaving not a single sliver of white.
Jiaojiao hugged her knees, burying her face in the sea of flowers, and asked slowly and tentatively, "How did you get injured...? Can you tell me?"
A bitter and sorrowful look appeared in Liu Yuhen's eyes. He sighed and said with difficulty, "Since ancient times, love has only brought regret. The past is like smoke and cannot be mentioned."
He didn't want to bring up the past again, especially in front of her.
Liu Yuhen closed his eyes, trying to suppress the overwhelming sorrow in his heart, his body trembling slightly as he tried his best to hold back.
Jiaojiao looked at his back, which resembled a trapped beast, hesitated for a moment, then wrapped her soft, lotus-like arms around his, enveloping him in a sweet and gentle floral and fruity fragrance.
Her hand tentatively rested on his back, gently tracing the spine.
"From now on, I'll be there for you, and you can share half of your pain with me."
“I’ve never felt that you’re any different from anyone else; you’re just hurt.”
...
She whispered many words in his ear, but even though his ears were not damaged, he couldn't hear anything as if there was a membrane between them. He could only feel the indescribable warmth of her hand as it ran down his back.
A piece of ice in the freezing cold was suddenly doused with a bucket of scalding water, and the melting ice, along with traces of blood, flowed out from his shattered heart.
My heart felt like it was soaking in warm water, and suddenly it felt very sore and weak.
"Why."
His hoarse voice suddenly rang out.
She didn't have to do that.
Everyone knew perfectly well that Liu Yuhen was just a pathetic wretch who would eagerly approach someone just by saying a few words of feigned affection.
He was the only one lying to himself.
But at this moment, he suddenly felt an intense longing, more so than ever before in his life, for an answer.
A truthful answer that you can convince yourself of.
He so desperately wanted everything before him to be real, not fake, yet he also contradictorily desired a flawless lie. For this reason, even if she told him to die immediately, he would not hesitate.
Jiaojiao nestled against his shoulder and hugged him tightly, whispering in his ear, "Because you saved me and were kind to me, I will always stay with you."
"I'm always alone in the deep mountains. Sister Xuexin said that the feeling I can't explain is called loneliness."
"But now that I've met you, I'm so happy."
I want to make you happy too.
Liu Yuhen lowered his eyes.
He couldn't have saved her; anyone who did save her would never forget her face.
How could someone who spends all their time in the deep mountains not be able to distinguish flowers, fruits, plants and trees?
Even though her words were full of mistakes, he couldn't help but raise his hand and hug her tightly, falling into this beautiful dream and unwilling to wake up.
He sighed inwardly and said to himself.
Liu Yuhen, let me deceive myself one more time.
A note from the author:
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