Chapter Ninety-Five

Seated in the car, watching the trees on both sides recede again and again, I felt my heart gradually hollow out as well. Yet I overlooked the instant the car started moving, when, behind the violet gauze of the window, a strand of golden hair lifted in the wind, rising in a lonely curve.

Inside the car, Xiahou Yu kept stealing glances at Yingyue from the corner of his eye, observing every move she made.

At last, under his incessant scrutiny, Yingyue set aside the turmoil in her heart for the moment, lifted her eyes with a faint smile, and looked at Xiahou Yu. "What is it? Have I changed so much in just a few days that you cannot stop staring at me?"

Xiahou Yu was a little embarrassed and said awkwardly, "Heh, no. I was just thinking whether I should call Xi and ask him to go back with us." As soon as the words were out, he realized he had put his foot in his mouth. Why had he brought up Xi at a time like this? Arthur, please do not blame me. I really did not mean it.

Yingyue froze. The faint smile on her lips vanished as well. Xi?

Seeing the smile disappear from Yingyue's face, Xiahou Yu inwardly cried disaster and pinched his own thigh hard. As expected, he should never have mentioned him while Yingyue's mood was in such disarray.

"Mm, you are right. Since we met a few days ago, I have not seen him again, nor have I even told him. He must be worried. Give him a call and ask. If everything is settled for him here, let him come back with us too. The more the merrier." After a brief silence, Yingyue smiled and said this to Xiahou Yu. There was no trace of the earlier desolation, as though that moment had been only his illusion.

After saying that, however, Yingyue spoke no more. She merely gazed quietly out of the window. In the rearview mirror, the scenery drifted farther and farther away, until the castle could no longer be seen.

"Do you know why he did this?" After a stretch of silence, Yingyue finally spoke.

"How would I know what he is thinking?" Xiahou Yu replied carefully, afraid Yingyue might detect something amiss.

Yingyue pressed her lips together, her brow faintly knitting.

"Perhaps this time, he truly does not want me anymore."

Xiahou Yu did not know how to answer her in a way that would keep her from hurting so much. Only then did he feel just how useless he truly was, how utterly useless. For the question Yingyue asked, he could not provide a single satisfactory answer.

"I do not know." Xiahou Yu felt he had never been so humiliated in his life.

After frowning tightly, Yingyue smoothed her brow. "By the way, look into a man named Feng Qingquan."

"Feng Qingquan?" Xiahou Yu frowned. The name sounded familiar.

"Mm. The one who saved me after the last kidnapping." Yingyue said this lightly, then suddenly seemed to remember something. The corner of her mouth twitched, and she added, "His family specializes in Sichuan opera face-changing."

Face-changing in Sichuan opera? A flash of insight struck, and the muscles in Xiahou Yu's face twitched hard several times. So it was him. No wonder the name had seemed familiar.

"That period of time, while you were with him, was everything all right?" Xiahou Yu asked cautiously.

Yingyue's brow twitched violently, and she said through gritted teeth, "All right. More than all right." Thinking of those days in the pavilion on the lake, her expression turned a little distorted. "I must properly repay him for saving my life."

Xiahou Yu looked at her and felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet. Yingyue was terrifying. He had never seen her like this before. That expression was, well, ferocious. That fellow really was just as he had always been, with the ability to make a perfectly normal person go mad. Even Yingyue had become...

Still, imagining the miserable look that fellow was sure to have in the future filled him with a burst of delight. Hm? No, wait. Yingyue had been brought back by Arthur. Then Arthur...

"Um, Yingyue, you—" He had been about to ask whether, when Arthur came to pick her up, she had properly "thanked" Feng Qingquan, when he saw the foxlike smile on Yingyue's lips, as though she had just outfoxed a chicken, and he immediately understood. A wave of pleasure surged through him.

Speaking of Feng Qingquan, Yingyue could not help thinking of that day, beneath the azure sky, of that glittering golden building in the center of the lake, still drifting with a lingering fragrance.

A brilliant arc bloomed on her lips, but in the next instant, for some reason she had remembered, that curve vanished as suddenly as a flower of one night.

Watching her, Xiahou Yu could not help feeling a pang of melancholy.

Yingyue personally called Yuwen Xi and told him she would soon be returning home. She said nothing else. Yuwen Xi, though worried in his heart, did not press her further. He only told Yingyue in a calm voice to meet her at the airport.

After hanging up, Yuwen Xi's expression was somewhat complicated. His brow had furrowed so deeply that even he had not noticed.

In truth, he was a little uneasy. No, to be precise, he was very unhappy. Because this time Yingyue still had not told him what had happened after she left last time, which was why the two of them had once again lost contact. But he was Yingyue's boyfriend, and yet she did not even tell him what had happened. For any man, when his woman encounters anything at all, he ought to know. Between the two of them, there should be almost no secrets. If one side concealed certain things and refused to speak of them, it would make him feel that she did not trust him, that there was no need to tell him, that to her he was merely an outsider.

And yet Yuwen Xi said nothing. He did not let even a trace of unpleasant feeling reach Yingyue. He was considerate of her in every way. Whatever happened, he could find an excuse for her, and tell himself that Yingyue must have her reasons for doing this. Just as when he first met Arthur, he knew their relationship was anything but ordinary. But since Yingyue did not say anything, he did not ask.

Heh. Yuwen Xi felt that perhaps he was the most cowardly man in the world when it came to love. There could be no man more cowardly than he.

But what else could he do? Who had made him fall in love with her? Everything she did, he liked. Everything she did, he believed to be right. Even when she was in the wrong, he would still find excuses for her, saying there must be some unavoidable reason, that he should understand her.

Yet no matter how he tried to console himself or reason with himself, there was always a knot in his heart, and the more he thought about it, the tighter it grew. In the end, he simply emptied his mind and thought of nothing at all.

Just as Yuwen Xi was struggling inwardly, a car came driving up from afar and stopped beside him. From inside stepped down a petite figure, the very person he had been thinking of day and night.

"Yingyue—"

The deeply affectionate call, the instant he saw her, the instant he saw her gaunt face and pale complexion, all his doubts, all his inner conflict, all his unhappiness vanished like smoke. Only overwhelming tenderness remained.

"Xi." With a soft call, Yingyue looked at Yuwen Xi's tired face, his swollen red eyes, his usually smooth chin now rough with stubble, and felt a sharp ache in her heart. This man, ever since he had met her, had seemed willing to hold all his pride in his hands and place it before her, letting her trample it beneath her feet without a single complaint. And she, under his indulgence, had taken all of it for granted.

Only at this moment, only now that she stood within his warm embrace, did she suddenly realize how much she owed him, how many debts she had incurred in the world, and among them the hardest to repay of all—a debt of affection. And at this moment, all she could do was hold him tightly and let him feel at ease.

"Xi, I am sorry. I have worried you again."

"It is all right. As long as you are back, that is enough."

I will not force you. I will wait until you are willing to tell me.

Watching the two of them embrace, Xiahou Yu felt a bitter sting in his heart. He did not know whether it was for Yingyue, or for Yuwen Xi, or perhaps for Arthur. His lips moved, but in the end he said nothing.

On the plane bound for China, Yingyue did not tell Yuwen Xi what had happened over these past few days, because she discovered that after all this time, her feelings for Yuwen Xi had become somewhat hazy, somewhat unspeakable. They no longer held the tremor that they had at first sight.

Looking into those sea-blue eyes, Yingyue felt lost.

As she raised her hand, she lightly touched Yuwen Xi's eyes, stroking them again and again, feeling the warmth that passed from his skin to her palm. Her heart grew warm as well. As she brushed them, her fingers suddenly paused. In her mind, without warning, there appeared the image of another person: fair skin, rose-colored lips, a high and straight nose, and above it all a pair of mesmerizing sky-blue eyes with a faint smile in them, along with brilliant strands of hair, shining with a metallic luster.

Her hand suddenly tightened, and the palm resting over Yuwen Xi's eyes pressed forward slightly. Yuwen Xi immediately cried out in pain.

"Yingyue, what is wrong? What are you thinking about?" Yuwen Xi asked with concern, a trace of unreadable emotion flashing through the depths of his eyes.

Yingyue looked at Yuwen Xi, at the eyes that had once shaken her heart to its core, and her own heart filled with a faint bitterness. Her eyes burned slightly. She could not help closing them, forcing down the discomfort within her, and said quietly, "Xi, I think we should just be friends. A lot has happened lately. I... my heart is in a mess."

Yuwen Xi was stunned. His eyes filled with disbelief, and even a trace of terror as he looked at Yingyue.

In the end, she still said those words.

And Yingyue still had her eyes closed, her expression calm, as though what she had just said were nothing more than the simple remark that the weather was nice today.

Yuwen Xi was so shocked that he could not speak. He could only stare blankly at Yingyue, his eyes full of the pain of being abandoned. A few days ago, when they had met, he had vaguely sensed something from her face. But since Yingyue had not said anything, he had acted as though nothing was wrong. Yet now, Yingyue no longer even bothered to deceive him. He wanted to say something, but Yingyue would not open her eyes to look at him. Yuwen Xi felt as though his heart had been run over by a car, the pain dull and crushing. In the depths of his eyes, however, there flashed a trace of understanding, even he had not noticed.

So this was what being abandoned felt like.

When Xiahou Yu heard Yingyue's words, everything became clear to him. It must be that what had happened these past few days had made Yingyue gradually understand something. Thinking of it, a wave of relief rose in his heart. Yingyue had grown up. She was no longer that ignorant little girl who understood nothing. She knew what she was doing. But when he saw the calm expression on her face, he still felt a little heartache.

However, Xi...

Just as Xiahou Yu was worrying over Yuwen Xi, he was suddenly interrupted by a single word.

"All right."

Turning toward the sound, Xiahou Yu could not help but widen his eyes.

Yingyue's small body gave a slight tremor.

Yingyue's eyes were full of disbelief. She could not help asking, "Do you know what I just said?" Her gaze remained fixed on Yuwen Xi's face, afraid of missing even the slightest change in his expression.

Yuwen Xi smiled faintly. "Of course. My hearing is excellent."

As he spoke, there was not the slightest trace of displeasure on his face. He was perfectly natural, as though they were merely discussing whether the weather was good or bad.

Yingyue was somewhat stunned. What did hearing have to do with this? Was that really the issue right now? But looking at Yuwen Xi's expression, so normal that it could not have been more normal, Yingyue felt a little bitter in her heart.

"Why do you not even ask me why?" Yingyue asked, her voice trembling slightly, her gaze drifting away.

At her words, Yuwen Xi placed both hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. In an unusually serious tone, he said, "Yingyue, from the very beginning I told you that I trust you completely. As for your personal matters, I have always held to this one principle—you speak, and I listen. You do not speak, and I do not ask." His tone was solemn as never before. "I said I would not force you." Whatever it is, so long as you are unwilling, I will do as you wish.

"Am I really so worthy of your trust?" Such unconditional trust?

"Yes. I will trust you." I will trust you without condition.

Tears shimmered in Yingyue's eyes. Her lips trembled, and the tip of her small nose had turned bright red from holding back her tears. She could not speak. After a long while, with a faint nasal tone, Yingyue asked softly, "How... am I worthy?"

How was she worthy of his trust, worthy of his devotion, worthy of the tenderness with which he treated her?

Yuwen Xi looked straight at Yingyue, not allowing her the slightest chance to flee. His gaze seemed to see through her thoughts, silently saying that she was worthy. For you, whatever I do is worth it. All of it is only because of love.

Because I love you.

Yingyue threw herself into Yuwen Xi's embrace and clung to him tightly. After a long while, a low voice escaped from her lips. "Please give me time."

Let me understand where my heart should be placed.

While Yingyue struggled with her own confusion and distress, things were no less quiet on Arthur's side.

In the study, Arthur sat behind the desk, a cigarette untouched between his long, pale fingers. It burned silently, wisps of blue smoke drifting through the air and filling the whole room with haze.

Arthur looked at the burning cigarette and did not move. Beneath the smoke, his eyes flickered, and his expression could not be seen clearly.

A knock sounded at the door, and the butler's voice came from outside.

Arthur set the cigarette aside. "Come in."

"Your Highness, a secret report has arrived from Rome." Receiving permission, the butler entered and respectfully handed Arthur a rolled piece of paper tied with a ribbon.

Arthur took it without a change in expression, untied the delicate knot, and unfurled the paper with his long fingers. After reading the contents, the corner of his mouth curved into a cold, sinister smile. He picked up the cigarette on the desk, which was nearly burned to the end, and used it to light the paper in his hand, watching it turn to ashes. Then he looked up at the butler. "Make preparations. We are leaving for Rome."

"Yes, Your Highness." The butler bowed and withdrew, quietly closing the door behind him after leaving the study.

Arthur turned and walked to the window, opening it.

A thread of fresh wind rushed in. The white gauze curtains fluttered, golden hair lifted in the air, and the hem of his clothes stirred elegantly, dispersing the room's dense haze.

Arthur gazed into the distance. At his lips hung that signature, devilish smile. "This time, I will make sure you never rise again."

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