Zhao Shuning and Yan Ruyu stayed in the mountains for about half a month.
No one knew what they had done during these half - month.
They only remembered that on that day, when Zhao Shuning went down the mountain and returned to the Zhao family, the previous look of despair had disappeared from her face.
The Emperor Venerable was just following behind her.
Zhao Zheng and Lin Min'er had also come to terms with the fact that Zhao Huai was no longer around. At this moment, they were more worried that the living Zhao Shuning might be left with some psychological shadows because of this.
Kong Shishuang and the others had all left.
They knew that even if they stayed, they couldn't do much.
Zhao Shuning was not the kind of delicate person.
She couldn't stand others' comfort.
Their leaving actually gave Zhao Shuning a quiet world, which was not a bad thing.
Kong Shishuang, Ling Sese and the others knew that the next time they met, Zhao Shuning would surely greet them with a smile as before and say a simple "long time no see".
On the day Zhao Shuning returned, it was just like any other day.
She went back to her room.
The people of the Zhao family followed up, but Yan Ruyu shook his head at them. Then Zhao Shuning went into her room alone. She opened one by one the gifts sent by her relatives and friends, took them out, and placed them all in Zhao Huai's courtyard.
After finishing these things, she looked at Zhao Zheng and Lin Min'er in the courtyard and said,
"Mother, I'm hungry."
Then Lin Min'er broke into a smile through her tears and quickly said, "Mom will cook noodles for you. How about that?"
"Okay. I didn't even get a chance to eat the longevity noodles you cooked for me that day."
Everyone heaved a sigh of relief.
Things seemed to be slowly getting back on track, but everyone understood that some things could never go back and could never be forgotten.
All they could do was to bury them deep in their hearts.
Everyone started to talk and act as they did before. Yan Ruyu walked beside Zhao Shuning.
He gave a charming smile.
"You did a great job."
"Yes. I will do better in the future."
Yan Ruyu reached out his hand and stroked the loose hair on Zhao Shuning's forehead, with a look of doting on his face.
"Are you envious?"
Xie An turned around. It was Ye Xingchen.
"Actually, I'm quite envious too. I haven't seen my sister for so many years, and I've long forgotten her habits. She treats me very well and takes good care of me. I know she feels guilty for losing me back then."
Du She was completely confused.
"What's your relationship with the senior exactly?"
Ye Xingchen said he was the senior's younger brother, but as far as he knew, the senior only had Zhao Huai as her elder brother. When did she get another younger brother?
"Maybe you can listen to my story."
Ye Xingchen turned around. With a desolate look on his face, he walked away.
Du She was stunned for a moment and then followed him.
This was a place full of cherry blossoms. It was Ye Xingchen who brought Du She here.
Du She didn't know why he had followed. Maybe it was because of the desolate look on the young man's face. He felt that Ye Xingchen needed someone to comfort him.
Ye Xingchen sat under the cherry - blossom tree and took out two candied haws from behind.
Du She hadn't noticed before where Ye Xingchen had put the candied haws.
Ye Xingchen told Xie An a very long - standing story.
After finishing, he looked at Du She and asked, "Am I being a bit selfish?"
Du She didn't say a word.
Ye Xingchen continued, "Actually, I know it's not my sister's fault. She did her best to look for me. But now, I just can't get as close to her as a real brother and sister should be. I envy Zhao Huai very much, and I'm also very grateful to him. He took such good care of my sister and comforted her. But I think, if it had been me, if I had been the one staying by my sister's side when she was sad, that would have been so great."
Xie An sat down.
He took the candied haw that Ye Xingchen handed over.
He took a bite. It was very sweet.
"Xiao An."
"Yes."
"Do you... like my sister?"
Du She stopped eating the candied haw. Then he looked at the falling cherry blossoms and said, "I do like the senior."
"I knew it. I could tell at a glance."
Xie An replied, "It feels really good to say this out today."
"I will never be able to have happiness in my life. I only hope that in the next life, my sister can be happy and have someone by her side who will whole - heartedly love her."
Ye Xingchen lay down.
A gust of wind blew, and the cherry blossoms fluttered down.
Du She asked in confusion, "Why do you say so?"
"Hmm?"
"Why do you say you can never have happiness?"
Ye Xingchen smiled bitterly and said, "My bones stopped growing when I was sixteen. You see what I look like now. Twenty years later, I'll still look the same. Who would like someone who looks like a minor?"
Ye Xingchen closed his eyes. A cherry blossom slowly fell from the tree and landed on his lips.
Xie An looked at Ye Xingchen.
Suddenly, he felt that Ye Xingchen and Zhao Shuning were indeed a bit alike in some ways.
Maybe they were really siblings. Sometimes, their words, actions and expressions were so similar.
"Xiao An, I'm leaving."
"Where are you going?"
"To find the Chu siblings, or go to other places in the Nine - State Continent. As long as it's not the Eastern Ze Wilderness, it's okay."
"What about the senior?"
"With the Emperor Venerable by my sister's side, there's no need to worry. The way the Emperor Venerable looks at my sister is so doting. With him around, I can rest assured."
The young man turned his face and looked at Du She beside him.
The sunlight shone through the cherry blossoms, casting many shadows.
Ye Xingchen was really good - looking, so handsome that it was pleasing to the eye.
He was wearing a crescent - colored robe with gorgeous patterns embroidered in green silk. His long black hair was scattered on his white clothes. He only simply tied the front hair behind his head with a white ribbon.
His three - dimensional facial features, as if carved by a knife, exuded a cold aura. His thin lips were pursed beautifully, and his deep eyes were unfathomable.
There was a faint luster flowing on his skin. His nose was straight, his lips were like vermilion, and his skin was like congealed fat.
Ye Xingchen reached out his hand to block a bit of the glaring sunlight.
Looking at Ye Xingchen's profile, Xie An was in a daze for a moment.
He was so beautiful.
A man could be so gentle and beautiful.
Xie An couldn't help but reach out his right hand. Under Ye Xingchen's surprised look, he gently picked off the cherry blossom that had landed on Ye Xingchen's lips.
The action was intimate and gentle.
"Xiao An, you?"
Xie An was originally smiling. When he heard Ye Xingchen's words, he immediately came back to his senses. Looking at the cherry - blossom petal in his hand, he finally realized what he had just done.
"I, I just—"
"It's okay."
Ye Xingchen's simple two words comforted the nervous Du She.
"Thank you for being willing to listen to me today."
Ye Xingchen got up and walked out of the shadow under the cherry - blossom tree.
"I'm going back first. In the future, we probably won't have such a chance to chat like this. Xiao An, I hope we'll meet again."
After Ye Xingchen walked far away, Xie An stretched out his right hand and waved it towards the empty space.
"Ye Xingchen, see you later."