Chapter Six

Azure Café

A slender figure by the window drew the gaze of everyone inside the coffee house. Clad in a pale lavender dress, with black silk hair cascading straight down to her waist, she exuded an air of classical elegance as she sat quietly, gazing out the window.

The bell above the door jingled—a sturdy figure stepped inside. He was a composed man, his eyes as dark as the night sky, scanning every corner until they rested upon the violet silhouette by the window. He strode over swiftly.

“Yingyue, I’m sorry I’m late.”

“It’s all right. Sit down.”

Xiahou Yu watched her intently, noticing the barely concealed terror in her expression. His heart ached as he asked, “What’s wrong?”

Yingyue abruptly looked up, gazing at him helplessly.

“He’s back… He… has returned…”

“He? He came looking for you?” Xiahou Yu asked anxiously.

She nodded gravely.

Xiahou Yu gripped her hand tightly, the warmth of his palm soothing the turmoil in her heart. “Don’t worry, I’ll always be by your side.”

Yingyue’s eyes shimmered as she looked at him—this man, the one she was both grateful for and ashamed before. From that day years ago, he had devoted himself to her, willingly, unwaveringly. His love was deep and rich, like a fine Irish whiskey—smooth, lingering, nourishing to the soul.

As for Yuwen Xi, it was hard to believe—her heart had been lost to him in a single instant. Even after they parted, she still remembered; she had simply let that first flutter of emotion mature into love.

Terminal 1

Yuwen Xi stood in the main hall, dazzling and magnetic. All eyes were drawn to his handsome, athletic presence, yet instinctively wary of the kingly aura he exuded.

The Little Witch was coming back. When she returned, she would surely learn about him and Yingyue, and then everyone would know. Why did she have to return now? Although he trusted Yingyue, he still felt afraid. Their time together, though joyous, was as fragile as a flower in a mirror, a moon reflected in water. In her eyes, he often glimpsed a trace of sorrow, a hint of uncertainty—yes, uncertainty, one even she herself was unaware of. And that uncertainty left him uneasy, even fearful, as if she might one day leave him.

Leave him?

Startled by his own thoughts, he shook his head violently. No, she wouldn’t. She had promised she would never leave again. She had promised—she had promised…

But the more he tried to reassure himself, the deeper the fear grew, agony tightening around his throat until he could hardly breathe, his face turning pale in an instant.

Suddenly, a pair of small hands covered his eyes, a mischievous voice whispering, “Guess who?”

As he pulled her hands down, he said, “Stop it, Mu Yuyin.”

Mu Yuyin pouted. “Hmph, after all these years, why so serious?” With that, she walked off on her own. Yuwen Xi shook his head helplessly and followed her out of the terminal.

“Xi, do you have a moment?”

“Yingyue, what is it?” Rubbing his temple, throbbing from the Little Witch’s antics, he was still delighted to hear from her, for Yingyue never reached out to him first.

“I—” Silence lingered on the other end of the line.

A pang seized his heart. “Yingyue, are you still there?”

“I miss you.” It was a wistful, sighing murmur.

“I’m coming to you right now.” He hurriedly hung up and rushed to the hotel, a stronger unease rising in his heart.

Lan Yingyue stared blankly out the window at the endless stream of cars, mirroring the chaos within her heart.

Truly… truly… must I leave? Leave?

The doorbell shattered her reverie. She hurried to open the door, and in the next instant, unable to restrain herself any longer, she fell into that welcoming embrace.

“Xi, I missed you so much, so much…”

An inexplicable anxiety shrouded his heart. The girl in his arms felt so unreal, like a bubble in the sea—one touch, and she would vanish without a trace.

“I missed you too.” He tightened his embrace, his voice gentle, confessing a love that could never be unraveled. An athletic man sat quietly, holding a petite girl in his arms, remaining there from bright morning until the sky was awash with evening glow. They simply sat, quietly, as if only in such stillness could they feel each other’s presence—not fiery and passionate, but warm and fragrant.

“We’ll always be together, won’t we?” she asked softly.

“Yes…” he replied.

Silence bloomed in the ink-black night, quiet as a flower that opens only to the darkness. Outside the window, there were no stars.