Chapter Thirteen

The room, awash in blue, was steeped in sorrow. Yuwen Xi sat quietly amidst the “Blue Tears,” her eyes dim and full of turmoil. It had been many days now, and the more she gazed at the room filled with “teardrops,” the drier her eyes became. Her fingers drifted unconsciously to her neck, a sharp pain slicing through her heart.

Why? Why hasn’t she come to find me? Does she not care, or is she so certain I’ll be the first to seek her out?

A gentle breeze stirred her hair, startling Yuwen Xi. By the door, a figure draped in violet stood silently.

Yingyue had been standing there for a long time, it seemed. Seeing Yuwen Xi’s haggardness pressed a heavy weight on her chest, making it hard to breathe. She had hurt him, and the wound ran so deep.

“Xi…” Her voice was hoarse, nearly breaking. Yet her feet felt rooted to the ground, unable to move.

He gazed at her, transfixed.

She, too, stared at him in a daze.

It felt as if a century passed in silence; only their eyes entwined, the connection growing ever tighter.

At last, Yuwen Xi walked to Yingyue and opened his arms, pulling her tightly into his embrace. “Xi,” her muffled voice seeped from within his arms. He pressed her face harder against his chest, burying it in his clothes, desperate to stifle her words. Only this way could he be sure she was truly in his arms and not a figment of his longing imagination.

“I missed you,” he said, his voice hoarse with heartache. Yingyue struggled out of his arms, tilting her small face up, her violet eyes shimmering with tears. Before she could speak, Yuwen Xi seized those cherry lips in a fervent kiss, as if he could draw her very soul into his body.

Yingyue froze, and for a moment, the metallic-haired face of another flashed before her eyes. It seemed he had kissed her like this, too. But Yuwen Xi’s desperate, sorrowful kiss swept away all else—she only wanted to erase the sorrow between his brows.

Within the crystalline blue light, their figures overlapped, as if never to part again.

“Xi,” she managed to say, her voice strained, “no matter what happens in the future, I hope you’ll always be the Yuwen Xi I first met—calm, unruffled, never defeated by anything.” She looked steadily into his eyes. “Especially,” she paused, “especially when it comes to love.” Love for me.

A pang shot through Yuwen Xi’s heart. Instinctively, he tightened his arms around Yingyue’s waist, his gaze locked on her for a long moment before he replied with resolute certainty, “All right.” If only such a day would never come.

Yingyue smiled, finally at peace, nestling her small face against his broad shoulder and closing her eyes.

Perhaps, she thought, she truly was the most selfish person in love.

“Baby!” Mu Yuyin exclaimed, rushing forward to throw her arms around Yuwen Xi in a huge embrace. “You finally showed up!” Then she looked him up and down for a long time.

Yuwen Xi couldn’t help but laugh. “Silly girl, stop looking. I haven’t lost any weight—I’m standing here perfectly whole in front of you.” He patted Mu Yuyin’s mischievous little head.

Mu Yuyin stuck out her tongue and let out a long sigh. “You really had me worried, you know? Ever since we were little, you’ve always been so unflappable, but when—” She broke off abruptly, sneaking a glance at Yuwen Xi. “But I believe in you, because to me, you’ll always be the strongest person in the world.”

Yuwen Xi looked into her steadfast eyes, feeling a sudden warmth prickle behind his eyelids. With equal seriousness, he replied, “Yes, I’ll always be the indomitable People’s Hero Monument.”

“Pfft—” Mu Yuyin couldn’t help but laugh at Yuwen Xi’s humor. “No matter how you’re feeling, you always manage to make me, your supposed comforter, laugh.”

Feigning maturity, Yuwen Xi patted Mu Yuyin’s fluffy hair and said solemnly, “Because you’re always so ‘innocent’!” He deliberately emphasized the word.

“You’re asking for trouble!” she retorted.

The two of them, one after the other, chased each other beneath the radiant morning sun. Their laughter, bright as silver bells, drifted through the air, mingling with the scent of grass and dew.

——— Author’s Note ———

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