Upon seeing the red string on Xie Tao’s wrist, Meng Lichun almost instinctively wanted to step forward and grab her wrist, but was interrupted by a spoon thrown by Wei Yun.
Xie Tao didn’t know what was wrong with Meng Lichun. Before she could say anything, she saw Meng Lichun stepping back two steps.
She seemed to be trapped in her own tangled thoughts, constantly shaking her head, murmuring to herself, “This is impossible…”
Her complexion turned very bad.
“You…”
Just as Xie Tao was about to speak, she saw Meng Lichun transform into a faint blue light and disappear.
Holding the spoon, Xie Tao stared at the place where Meng Lichun had disappeared for a long while, then looked at Wei Yun, “It seems like…”
“She recognizes the red string on my hand?”
Saying so, she couldn’t help but reach out and touch the loop of red string wrapped around her own wrist.
“Perhaps.”
Wei Yun said indifferently, obviously not caring much about it.
After finishing breakfast, Xie Tao cleaned up the dishes and saw Wei Yun sitting at her desk, flipping through the books she had placed on it.
Xie Tao watched as he pulled out a book with a fancy cover from inside.
???
Xie Tao’s eyes widened in an instant.
That seemed to be a campus romance novel that Shi Cheng had shown her before she transferred schools.
She had just run over to snatch the book from his hands, but he dodged her.
His gaze lingered on the few lines of text on the page, his brows slightly furrowed as if he found it somewhat hard to understand. He glanced at her with a half-smiling look, “I told you to read more, but what is this you’re reading?”
It was even more straightforward than the stories those girls in the boudoirs liked to read.
After saying that, he even tapped her forehead with his knuckle.
Xie Tao covered her forehead, feeling a bit embarrassed. She pursed her lips and said in a low voice, “A classmate showed it to me, I… I didn’t flip through many pages…”
But when she looked up and saw Wei Yun’s eyes, she lowered her head again and said softly, “I was wrong…”
Wei Yun threw the book on the table, and then pinched her cheek.
His expression softened, “Tao Tao, I must go back today.”
The matter with Gou Yingguang was not yet settled, and the news of his being attacked and falling into the water must have already spread throughout Ying Du. The Emperor Qi He must have already been informed.
He had to go back and deal with these matters.
Xie Tao hugged his waist, somewhat reluctant for him to go back, “What if that villain comes to kill you again?”
She looked up at him, “That’s a gun.”
“It won’t happen,”
Wei Yun stroked her hair, “The people Meng Lichun sent have already captured him alive.”
“Then, can I go with you?”
Xie Tao looked at him.
“No.”
Wei Yun shook his head, simply saying, “I will come over after dealing with the matters. Just wait for me.”
Xie Tao could only nod obediently, “Okay then…”
Because the clothes he was wearing were not suitable to appear in front of many people in another time and space, after pondering for a moment, Wei Yun still asked Xie Tao to bring him the blood-stained robe and boots she had put in the laundry basket in the bathroom.
Later, according to what Meng Lichun had said, Wei Yun focused for a moment, closed his eyes.
When he opened his eyes again, he saw a vortex-like light screen suddenly appear out of nowhere, swirling and flowing with brilliant, starry, multicolored light shadows intertwined.
But when he turned his head and looked at the girl standing by his side, he saw that her expression was as usual, still watching him with those almond-shaped eyes, as if she hadn’t noticed the light screen that had appeared out of nowhere.
Xie Tao held his hand, and in those eyes was an obvious reluctance.
With a slight movement of his mind, Wei Yun’s brows and eyes immediately softened a bit more.
When Xie Tao had her eyes covered by his hand, she only felt a warm and soft touch on her forehead.
It was fleeting.
Then, she heard his cool voice saying, “Goodbye, Tao Tao.”
The hand he had placed over hers was withdrawn, as if a glaring light and shadow flashed by, and when Xie Tao opened her eyes again, she was the only one left in the room.
As if, he had never been there.
Xie Tao stood there in a daze for a while, then belatedly touched her forehead.
She couldn’t help but curve her lips upwards, smiling foolishly.
The next day, Xie Tao got up early to work at the dessert shop.
But just as she had finished making a batch of peanut-flavored crispy heart candies, and was helping the shop owner check the quantity of cakes reserved for the day behind the counter, she suddenly heard the crisp sound of the wind chimes at the glass door.
“Welcome…”
As Xie Tao said this and looked up, her voice suddenly choked up upon seeing the cold and stunning woman in a red long dress.
“Xie Tao.”
Meng Lichun approached the counter, her gorgeous face no longer carried any frivolity, instead, it was more serious and earnest than ever before.
She seemed eagerly seeking an answer, looking at Xie Tao with a hint of pleading in her gaze, “Can we talk, please?”
Outside the glass window, the sunlight gradually became stronger, the leaves of the plants placed outside shimmered with a jade-like luster under the sun.
Pedestrians passed by on the sidewalk, occasionally someone couldn’t help but cast their gaze towards the dessert shop’s glass window, at the woman in the red long dress, with black hair and red lips, her beauty cold and stunning.
Meng Lichun stirred the coffee in front of her with a spoon, her gaze always resting on the red string on Xie Tao’s wrist.
“I’m very sorry for what I did to you before.”
Even though she was eager to ask about her red string, she still began by apologizing when she spoke.
Xie Tao held the glass of orange juice in front of her, and upon hearing Meng Lichun’s words, she pursed her lips, “…It’s all in the past.”
Speaking of fear, Xie Tao, when facing Meng Lichun, couldn’t help but recall that day’s events.
She was still afraid.
But Meng Lichun did indeed save Wei Yun the night before.
“Don’t worry, I stand by my words. I will not execute the eradication plan against Wei Yun anymore, nor… will I hurt you again,” Meng Lichun said seriously, looking up at the fair face of the young girl sitting opposite her.
“But, there’s one thing I hope you can tell me.”
Meng Lichun said, her gaze once again falling on the red string on her wrist. As she spoke, she couldn’t help but sound a bit cautious, “How did you get the red string on your wrist?”
Xie Tao touched the red string on her wrist subconsciously, facing Meng Lichun’s eager gaze, she said, “It was given to me by an uncle.”
“What’s his name?” Meng Lichun’s gaze was fixed on her.
Before Xie Tao could speak, she hastily asked, “Is his name Wen Xi?”
Wen Xi?
Xie Tao reacted for a moment, then said, “I don’t know his name, but there is indeed a Xi character in his name…”
At that moment, she suddenly remembered the expression Old Xi had when he mentioned Meng Lichun.
She always felt like Uncle Xi seemed to know Meng Lichun well, that they must know each other.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have told her that Meng Lichun wouldn’t truly hurt her.
So, she asked softly, “Do you know Uncle Xi?”
At that moment, Meng Lichun seemed to suddenly lose all her strength, leaning back against the backrest of the booth.
Xie Tao saw her eyes redden, and then tears began to fall one by one.
But she remained quiet, with her eyelids drooped, not saying a word.
Xie Tao felt somewhat at a loss and hurriedly handed her a tissue, “Don’t cry, please…”
Meng Lichun stared at the tissue Xie Tao handed over, tears still falling from her eyes, but she suddenly laughed.
However, that laughter seemed to carry endless bitterness.
It was a longing that had lasted for hundreds of years, unable to await the deep despair of that person from the past.
“He’s still alive…”
She covered her face, her laughter soft, but tears still fell between her fingers.
“He’s actually still alive…”
The person she had believed dead in her heart, the centuries of love and resentment, all hidden beneath her mad facade.
Her heart harbored a desolate tomb, overgrown with weeds for many years.
Even after so many years, she was still unable to face his death calmly.
Thus, she was trapped in this prolonged agony, never freed.
But what was happening now?
A person who was supposed to have died hundreds of years ago, someone she had buried deep in her heart for so long, was actually still alive?
But since he’s still alive,
Why didn’t he come to look for her?
Why?
Meng Lichun was almost unable to control her emotions.
In the end, Xie Tao saw her crying and then suddenly looked up, gritting her teeth and choking out a curse, “I remembered you for hundreds of years, thinking you were dead, but you’re actually still alive?”
“…?” Xie Tao didn’t understand why she suddenly started cursing.
“What a piece of trash man!”
“You didn’t come looking for me, you think I care about you?!”
“I don’t care, who would fall in love with whom…”
Xie Tao watched her, wide-eyed, as she cried and cursed, muttering a bunch of words.
Later, Meng Lichun’s makeup was all smudged from crying. She drank a cup of coffee as if it were alcohol, then straightened her back, lifted her head high, faced with a face full of tears, and walked away.
Xie Tao was confused from start to finish.
But, the relationship between uncle Xi and this woman… seems a bit complicated??
Xie Tao always felt like she had discovered something incredible.
When Xie Tao returned home in the evening and pushed open the door, she found the lights on inside. She thought there was a thief, but when she looked up, she saw Wei Yun sitting on the sofa.
He seemed to have deliberately changed into the outfit she gave him last New Year’s Eve.
White shirt paired with dark trousers, long hair scattered, wearing the deep blue slippers she bought for him hastily in the supermarket that morning, holding the TV remote in his hand.
Wei Yun looked up and saw Xie Tao standing in the doorway, staring at him foolishly.
“Why are you standing there like a fool?” Wei Yun beckoned to her, “Come here.”
Xie Tao seemed to have just come to her senses, hurriedly changed her shoes, with a surprised smile on her face, ran over and threw herself into Wei Yun’s arms.
Wei Yun reached out to help her take off her backpack straps, put it aside, then pinched the chin of the girl who was rubbing against him buried in his arms, forcing her to look up, and said, “Alright, sit down obediently.”
But Xie Tao looked at his face, which was so close, blinked, and suddenly tilted her head up.
Wei Yun’s grip on her chin only allowed her to kiss his jaw.
But that was enough to make Wei Yun’s ears burn red.
However, as he lowered his eyes to look at her fair face, the words he intended to say somehow got stuck in his throat. His seemingly indifferent peach blossom eyes acquired a burning depth.
He sighed softly all of a sudden.
Bowing his head, he kissed her lips.
It was a brief touch.
He couldn’t deny that facing her like this, it was hard not to be moved.
Thus, led by his emotions, even the usually reserved Wei Yun couldn’t help but be slightly swayed by her gaze at this moment, her expression, even her dazzling smile.
Xie Tao covered her lips, then leaned into his embrace, unable to resist curving her lips into a smile.
“I have a question for you,” Wei Yun said, clearing his throat and straightening his expression.
Xie Tao lifted her head from his embrace, looking at him with her moist, apricot-shaped eyes, “What is it?”
Wei Yun picked up the black remote control from the coffee table, frowning, “How do you turn this on?”
Xie Tao paused for a moment, then asked, “You want to watch TV?”
Wei Yun nodded, “Hmm.”
Xie Tao pointed to the red button on the remote and said, “Just press this.”
Wei Yun shook his head, “I’ve pressed it, but nothing happens.”
Hmm??
How could that be?
Xie Tao pressed it immediately.
Indeed, the TV showed no response.
Xie Tao suddenly slapped her forehead, “I forgot to turn on the power!”
After she ran to the TV cabinet and pressed the button on the power strip, she pressed the red button on the remote again, and the TV finally turned on.
But as she stood up to turn around, she noticed a large wooden box placed next to the desk on the other side.
“Eh?”
Xie Tao casually placed the remote on the coffee table and walked over to the desk, squatting down to take a look at the wooden box, then she tilted her head towards Wei Yun, “What’s this?”
“Open it and you’ll see.”
Wei Yun was now holding the remote from the coffee table, fiddling and studying it.
Xie Tao had no choice but to open it.
She was startled upon opening it.
Xie Tao had never seen so many gold ingots, even large silver ingots, mixed in with many pearls, gems, jade, and agate…
???
Oh my god!!
Xie Tao suddenly stood up, feeling almost blinded by the dazzling wealth before her.
“This, this, this…”
Xie Tao, pointing at the chest full of gold and silver treasures, stuttered, unable to speak.
Wei Yun glanced at her, then his gaze returned to the TV screen.
“Your room is too small; it must be replaced.”
“You also have too few clothes; you need to acquire more.”
Seemingly dissatisfied with the small TV on the TV stand, he added, “This must also be replaced.”
He furrowed his brows, as if pondering for a moment, and then said, “There’s too much to replace. I only brought these for now; I’ll order Wei Bo to fetch more from the mansion’s treasury tomorrow.”
“….”
Xie Tao stood there, dumbfounded.
