Chapter Three

Two streams of clear tears had unknowingly slipped from the corners of her eyes as she gazed into the distance with a dazed expression. Should she go? She was afraid she would lose control, throw herself into the embrace that once brought her warmth.

"Ding dong—" The doorbell rang.

Wiping away her tears, she stood up and opened the door. The moment it swung open, a broad embrace enveloped her.

"Why are you here?"

"To take you out."

"Out?" The ever-work-focused Huo Yu wanted to go out?

"Yes, let's go." Without giving her a chance to refuse, he held Lan Yingyue's small hand tightly and set off. "Yingyue, give me a smile."

Her lips twitched into a forced smile. "That looks awful!" Huo Yu complained with dissatisfaction. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "Wait for me a moment." He hurried off. Watching him leave, Lan Yingyue's expression instantly grew forlorn.

Returning with ice cream, Huo Yu saw her downcast look and sighed inwardly, quickly flashing a radiant smile meant only for her.

"Violet Love." A purple ice cream appeared before her.

Lan Yingyue stared blankly, took the ice cream absentmindedly, bit into it without thinking. She couldn't tell what it tasted like; she only felt a cool emptiness in her heart.

She looked up at the sky. Blue and bright, just like his eyes, gazing steadily at her.

Yuwen Xi... Xi...

She suddenly stood up, eyes burning with reckless impulse.

"Yu, I have something to do. I have to go, sorry." She walked toward the distance, faster and faster, until she broke into a run. Faster, faster—she wanted to be at Yuwen Xi's side immediately. She didn't care anymore, about anything; even if happiness would only last a moment, she would fight for it.

The smiling face behind her gradually faded, replaced by a barely perceptible sense of loss and pain.

She still went... He still lost her...

Lonely Beach

Yuwen Xi sat on a reef, gazing quietly at the deep blue sea. His pupils were filled with nothing but blue. How he wished he could become the ocean, forever holding her in his vast embrace, never letting her leave.

His eyelids closed gently; silent tears slipped down. He had never known sorrow until that night years ago, when sadness took up residence in his heart.

She still hadn't come. Truly, she must not care about him.

It was quiet, only the sound of waves pounding against the rocks.

The blue teardrop pendant at his neck suddenly flashed with a blue glow.

A faint sound of breathing came from behind him. Yuwen Xi immediately froze, his eyes snapping open in disbelief. He didn't dare turn around, but the familiar, fluttering feeling in his heart grew stronger.

A gentle warmth enveloped his back. Arms circled his waist, and he felt a soft, tickling sensation at his neck.

He gently raised his arm, his slender fingers covering the small hand at his waist, and a surge of warmth flooded his heart.

She hadn't forgotten him after all...

Quietly, only their breaths lingered in the air, dense and intertwined, binding their fates together, destined to be inseparable for life...

As the sky gradually darkened, those passing by the beach couldn't help but notice the other side of the reef.

Like an oil painting—quiet, beautiful. The girl hugged the boy from behind, as if embracing him with her whole life. The boy locked his hands tightly over hers, as if a lock binding them together.

Their posture did not change, no one disturbed them. People watched from afar, silently, gazing at the two figures wrapped in golden sunlight.

Lan Yingyue held Yuwen Xi tightly, feeling the warmth she had yearned for so long.

Yuwen Xi gripped those small hands firmly, savoring a happiness he had never known before.

------ Aside ------

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