“Ah Jiu!”
Having escorted Lan Zhe to his courtyard, Leng Jiu turned around to leave but was stopped by Lan Zhe. She looked at him and said, “Is there something wrong?”
Lan Zhe hesitated for a moment before speaking, “Ah Jiu, it’s better not to come looking for me in the future.”
Leng Jiu took a few steps back and stood in front of him. “Give me a reason.”
Lan Zhe looked at Leng Jiu, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke sincerely, “Although I don’t know what Ah Jiu’s identity is, it must not be ordinary. I won’t discuss whether it’s a matter of involvement, but our identities are not suitable for friendship.”
“I’m happy to have met you here, but we are destined to end here. In the future… Ah Jiu, let’s just pretend we never met. Also, Prince Xuan, this person’s character is odd. It’s not as unrestrained as it seems on the surface. Ah Jiu, it’s better to have less contact with him!”
Leng Jiu walked a few steps back, stopping in front of him. “Give me a reason!”
Lan Zhe looked at Leng Jiu, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke sincerely, “Although I don’t know what Ah Jiu’s identity is, it must not be ordinary. I won’t discuss whether it’s a matter of involvement, but our identities are not suitable for friendship.”
“I’m happy to have met you here, but we are destined to end here. In the future… Ah Jiu, let’s just pretend we never met. Also, Prince Xuan, this person’s character is odd. It’s not as unrestrained as it seems on the surface. Ah Jiu, it’s better to have less contact with him!”
Leng Jiu looked at his face. She knew that every word he said at this moment was sincere. However, she wouldn’t let go just because of someone’s good intentions. Looking at the setting sun that had already begun to fall, the twilight’s afterglow dyed the entire sky in a deep color.
“Lan Zhe, what do you think the sunset represents?”
Lan Zhe hadn’t expected her to suddenly ask this. He looked up at the horizon and said, “Perhaps the end or the beginning.”
Leng Jiu shook her head. “You’re wrong. It represents bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new.”
“As the sun sets today, a new sun will rise tomorrow. That is a new day. Today has passed, and everything done before today cannot be changed. However, everything after today is still in your hands. How you choose to live tomorrow is entirely up to you.”
Lan Zhe looked at Leng Jiu. Finally, a ripple appeared in his silent eyes, but he didn’t say a word.
Leng Jiu didn’t expect him to answer. She patted her sleeves, “I’m leaving! Since you don’t want me to come, I won’t. But if you ever change your mind, find me at the Uyang Palace.”
After speaking, she gave him a faint glance and left without stopping.
Lan Zhe watched her departing figure for a long time before coming back to his senses. She knew everything, seemingly indifferent and careless, but she saw more and understood more than anyone else. She could tell herself so calmly that she wasn’t angry. Should he be grateful?
Lan Zhe turned around, and a middle-aged man with a limp walked out from the dilapidated house. His face was wrinkled and waxen, but his eyes, despite their cloudy appearance, gleamed with an unmistakable sharpness. Obviously, he had witnessed the scene just now. “Your Highness! What are you hesitating about? It’s something even a woman understands. Why can’t you see it clearly?”
Lan Zhe knew what he was talking about, and thinking of various things, his face showed a hint of pain. “Uncle Ning! It’s not that I can’t see it clearly, but when I was young, he treated me like his own son and even saved my life several times. How can I take action against him?”
Uncle Ning sighed helplessly, “You can’t learn your father’s ruthlessness, but you’ve learned your mother’s indecision.”
“But that position doesn’t suit me. Even if I seize it, I won’t be able to hold onto it!”
Uncle Ning shook his head upon hearing this. What else could he say? Perhaps the timing was not right, and he shouldn’t be too impatient!
Uncle Ning left with a limp, leaving him alone in this quiet place. His fists in his sleeves kept tightening. Every time Uncle Ning left disappointed, his heart felt like it was being twisted by a knife. How could he tell him that he didn’t mean to, and how could he tell him about his own hardships? If he hadn’t known that his mother was still alive, why would he have come to this place and endured humiliation like a slave?
But thinking about his mother still being in their hands, as well as the aunts who treated him like family, what could he do other than endure? Drops of blood dripped from his sleeves. His handsome face showed nothing but pain and restraint. A young man of less than twenty had already experienced the bitterness and coldness of the world. The suppressed anger and hatred were like crimson sparks at the bottom of a copper basin, enough to ignite a burst of brilliance after the silence, but who knew what kind of splendor it would be at that moment?