Chapter Four

"Yingyue, let's go on a date," Yu Wenxi said excitedly over the phone.

"Mm," Lan Yingyue replied, her lips curving gently, happiness blooming at the corners of her mouth.

"I'll come pick you up." He hung up and hurriedly stood.

"Yingyue, what’s got you so delighted?" Xiahou Yu approached, watching her joyful expression with a strange bitterness swelling in his chest.

Lan Yingyue embraced Xiahou Yu with delight. "We’re going on a date!"

Are they together now?

A fleeting loneliness crossed Xiahou Yu’s eyes before he offered a gentle smile. "Then congratulations." He hugged her lightly, looked at her with earnestness, and said resolutely, "You must be happy."

Lan Yingyue’s eyes grew moist and she nodded emphatically.

"Xi, where are we going?" With their hands tightly intertwined, Lan Yingyue tilted her head and asked.

"Somewhere you’re sure to love!" Yu Wenxi answered mysteriously, giving her small hand a reassuring squeeze.

A sudden ache welled in Lan Yingyue’s heart; that place must hold sorrow. At least, it did in the years she wasn’t by his side.

A pure white building stood before them.

They stood in front of the villa. Yu Wenxi gazed at it deeply and declared, "I built this for you—Blue Moon Pavilion." He paused. "It’s as pure and sacred as you are. Besides you and me, no third person will ever step inside." He made his promise with utmost seriousness.

Pure… sacred…

A hint of pain flickered in Lan Yingyue's eyes, but she quickly feigned playfulness. "What about the craftsmen? There was more than one of them, wasn’t there?" She tilted her head mischievously.

Yu Wenxi looked at her with tender indulgence, leaning close to her ear. "You know they don’t count." He took her hand and led her inside.

The entire house was pristine white, spotless, like a fairyland.

Suddenly, a thought struck her. She looked at him in disbelief and hesitantly asked, "Such a big house—do you clean it all yourself?"

"As I said, besides you and me, no third person will ever set foot here," Yu Wenxi replied solemnly.

Her eyes burned and stung. Why did she feel so lost? She longed to be with him, yet feared hurting him more. And yet, leaving him was almost unbearable.

"Silly, why are you crying?" He kissed away her tears. "I only want to see you happy." Grasping her hand, he said, "Come, I have another surprise for you."

A painting of the sunrise at sea appeared.

He gently pressed his right hand against the rising sun in the painting. The scroll rolled up, revealing a long corridor with a descending staircase. The walls were lined with sea-blue sconces, like the depths of the ocean.

"Yingyue, close your eyes."

Lan Yingyue slowly closed her eyes. Yu Wenxi lifted her in his arms and carried her down.

When they stopped, he set her down. The space around her seemed bright, suffused with a faint blue glow. She opened her eyes and stared in disbelief.

It was a room bathed in blue, as if submerged beneath the sea. Tear-shaped blue crystals—the very blue teardrops she had lost years ago—were embedded all around.

Each blue teardrop reflected a dazzling, watery light, as if all Yu Wenxi’s sorrow from her absence had gathered here. It seemed to tell her that if she ever left again, these blue teardrops—like his heart—would shatter, one by one.

Her gaze found Yu Wenxi’s smiling face. Her fingers traced the features she missed so deeply, lingering down to his neck. Her fingers trembled with pain, but he gently clasped them. In his palm, there was her, and the blue teardrop. From that moment on, their destinies had been entwined, threads winding ever closer.

Choking back tears, Lan Yingyue said, "If—I mean, if—I were to leave you again," her smile bleak, struggling to steady the pain in her heart, "then, what would you do?" She stared intently at the blue teardrop.

——Endnote——

I hope everyone will share their thoughts. All the characters are beautiful; if you love beautiful characters, you must read this!