He Sui’an’s lips were brushed by Qi Buyan’s warm breath, causing her eyelashes to tremble. Her breathing became inexplicably tight, and she couldn’t utter a single word.
The word “love” was still unfamiliar to He Sui’an. She scrutinized Qi Buyan’s face, a bit surprised that he would ask her this question tonight. Her heart was about to leap out of her chest. “You…”
Qi Buyan intertwined his fingers with hers and asked again, “Don’t you want to love me?”
He Sui’an’s fingertips twitched slightly.
She looked at his hand holding hers.
Qi Buyan’s thin braid lightly brushed against He Sui’an’s shoulder as he slowly said, “But I want you to love me, He Sui’an. I want you to love me. Will you love me?”
He Sui’an unconsciously tightened her grip on Qi Buyan’s hand. His hand was broad, and she seemed only able to hold half of it. His warmth was still very high, almost scorching, causing her mind to become hazy.
Her gaze fell on Qi Buyan and didn’t move away, as if she couldn’t move it away.
Qi Buyan’s voice continued to linger in He Sui’an’s ears, endlessly: “If you can’t fall in love with me, I can help you.”
“You must fall in love with me because I want you to always want to be with me and never want to be apart from me.” His emotions were still low, yet there was something unusual.
He Sui’an lifted her eyes slightly.
She murmured, “I…”
A finger pressed against her lips, stopping the words she was about to say. Qi Buyan smiled, “I know your answer.”
Qi Buyan undid He Sui’an’s dress and wiped the rainwater from her body with a dry cloth. It was pure, without any desire. He Sui’an didn’t stop him; she was staring at him in a daze.
The dress Qi Buyan helped her change into was still red. She was glowing white.
The room quieted down, with the sound of pouring rain outside. Qi Buyan took the silk ribbon from He Sui’an’s hair, letting down her bun. Her hair was naturally wet from the rain.
Qi Buyan stood behind He Sui’an, using a towel to gently dry her long hair.
Once her hair was dry, the rain stopped.
He Sui’an touched Qi Buyan’s clothes, which were also wet. She wanted to borrow a set of clothes for him, but Qi Buyan stopped her.
When Qi Buyan went to fetch He Sui’an’s clothes from Aunt Cui, she saw him drenched from the rain and silently handed him a new set of clothes made for Ah Xuan. It wasn’t a color Qi Buyan usually wore.
It was a red outfit.
At this moment, the red outfit was beside He Sui’an’s bundle. She hadn’t noticed it earlier and therefore didn’t see it. Upon hearing Qi Buyan’s words, He Sui’an saw it and handed it to him to wear.
Qi Buyan undid the belt at his waist in front of He Sui’an and took off his heavy, wet outer garment. She turned her eyes away. No matter how many times she had seen his body before, she still felt a bit nervous and shy.
Even if He Sui’an didn’t look, she could still hear clearly, as they were too close.
The rustling sound of fabric as Qi Buyan changed clothes, along with the tinkling of the butterfly silver chain on his wrist, the seven small bells clinking against each other, filled the room.
When she heard the sound of the belt being fastened, He Sui’an knew Qi Buyan had finished changing.
She turned her head.
Qi Buyan, in a dazzling red outfit that looked as brilliant as blood, stood there with his long black hair wet and slightly curled at the ends. The small bells on his silver adornments glinted with a touch of water, hanging down to his waist, which was sharply defined. His posture was striking.
The wide sleeves fell below his wrists, hiding the butterfly silver chain and the crisscrossed scars on his wrist. His hands, against the red fabric, looked like white snow coexisting with the extremely vivid red plum blossoms.
He Sui’an wanted to help Qi Buyan dry his wet hair, but he refused.
So, He Sui’an looked away, intending to ask Qi Buyan about his next plan. She knew that after finding her, he would never let her run away again, nor would he let her leave.
Before she could ask, she heard someone shouting outside.
“It’s snowing!”
“It’s really snowing!”
Snow in April was quite rare, and the villagers all came out to see the snow.
Qi Buyan walked to the window and opened it. Snowflakes, like silver butterflies, floated down, dancing in the sky, instantly covering the world in white.
The rain had stopped, and it had started to snow.
He Sui’an also walked to the window. Snowflakes filled her vision, and the cold wind blew in, making her shiver. In the next second, a red cloak wrapped around her.
This red fur-lined cloak was a gift from Aunt Cui yesterday.
Qi Buyan lifted his hand to tie the cloak’s ribbon for He Sui’an. She looked up at him. The wind blew across their faces, chilling them. Suddenly, He Sui’an opened her arms and hugged his waist, pressing her head against him.
She didn’t know why, but even though they were changing their fate, seeing the scene of April snow from the original story made her feel a strong sense of unease, almost suffocating.
Qi Buyan allowed He Sui’an to hug him.
He rested his chin on the top of her head, brushing against her soft hair.
As the snow fell outside the window, He Sui’an silently hugged Qi Buyan tighter. The thought of him possibly dying made her heart feel like it was being struck hard by a heavy object, causing intense pain and a suffocating heaviness.
He Sui’an composed herself and let go of him. Qi Buyan didn’t ask why she hugged him. He picked up a new silk ribbon and skillfully tied her already dry hair.
Out of nowhere, He Sui’an said, “I don’t want you to die.”
Qi Buyan replied, “I know.”
She didn’t know what came to her mind, but her eyes reddened slightly. She grabbed his sleeve, becoming childishly stubborn, and said, “You can’t die.”
He smiled, his eyes bending with amusement.
“I won’t die.”
After tying He Sui’an’s hair, they pushed the door open and stepped outside. She caught some snowflakes in her palm, confirming that the snowfall was real and not a dream.
The snow fell on their long hair, as if it was turning white together. She brushed the snow from his hair, and Qi Buyan did the same for her.
Aunt Cui and Ah Xuan also came out to see the snow and noticed the two red figures in the snow, one tall and one short, their presence unmistakable even in the snow.
He Sui’an also saw Aunt Cui and wanted to explain today’s events to her. She said to Qi Buyan, “I have a few words to say to Aunt Cui. Wait for me here, I’ll be right back.”
He blinked, causing a small piece of snow on his eyelashes to fall. “Okay, I’ll wait here.”
He Sui’an walked towards Aunt Cui.
Qi Buyan watched her back.
They weren’t far apart, close enough to see each other. He Sui’an reached Aunt Cui and said, “I’m sorry for the trouble these past few days, and thank you for your care.”
Aunt Cui, thinking He Sui’an’s departure from Qi Buyan was just a little quarrel between the two, teased, “Are you leaving with him now?”
He Sui’an glanced back at Qi Buyan, seemingly resigned, “It seems so.”
Aunt Cui didn’t say anything more.
After thanking Aunt Cui, He Sui’an wanted to return to Qi Buyan. Out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly saw the blurry figures of her parents in the snow not far away. How could that be? Her pupils shrank, and she instinctively ran towards them.
Aunt Cui sensed something was wrong and tried to stop He Sui’an, but it was too late. She ran faster than ever before, leaving only a gust of wind behind.
If Aunt Cui were in her previous good health, she might have caught up, but her current condition wouldn’t allow it.
She took a few steps and fell to the ground.
Ah Xuan helped Aunt Cui up.
Aunt Cui didn’t understand why He Sui’an suddenly ran in that direction. She looked and saw nothing, only a vast expanse of snow.
But wait, there was a cliff in that direction. Aunt Cui’s face changed, and she urgently said, “Ah Xuan, stop her, don’t worry about me, go quickly.”
He Sui’an kept running forward.
She saw her parents and vaguely saw some modern high-rise buildings. It was snowing heavily there, too. Her parents were looking around in the snow, walking slowly and supporting each other.
This scene, like a mirage, unfolded slowly. Even though it was likely an illusion, He Sui’an still wanted to reach out and touch it.
She wanted to, very much.
After all, they were her parents, a bond she couldn’t sever. How could she remain calm?
The wind and snow whipped against He Sui’an’s cheeks, making her skin and eyes sting. She kept running, leaving a trail of footprints behind her. One of her embroidered shoes fell off, and the hem of her crimson skirt fluttered in the wind.
Snow fell behind He Sui’an as she ran faster, getting closer to the edge.
“He Sui’an.”
Two voices intertwined in her ears.
One was in front, her parents calling her name in unison; the other was behind, Qi Buyan calling her name too. She thought she detected a faint, almost imperceptible tremor in his voice.
He Sui’an instinctively stopped, standing at the edge of the cliff. Loose stones at her feet rolled and fell into the bottomless abyss below.
The cold wind howled, the world around her icy and snowy.
A red figure stood at the cliff’s edge, red silk ribbons fluttering in the wind, brushing against He Sui’an’s cheek. She looked ahead, not yet turning to see the person behind her. Qi Buyan called her name again.
Qi Buyan didn’t understand why He Sui’an had run here. It was as if an invisible force was drawing her in, but she was running towards a cliff, just a step away from falling.
He Sui’an moved slightly.
More loose stones tumbled from the cliff.
Qi Buyan’s hand, hanging by his side, clenched into a fist, drawing blood. His voice, however, remained unnaturally calm: “He Sui’an, that’s a cliff.”
She didn’t move, staring into the empty space, her mind in turmoil. She choked up and pointed ahead: “I see my parents. They’re right there. Don’t you see them?”
“No, it’s not real.”
Qi Buyan’s smile faded, and he extended his hand towards her: “Come back.” He truly didn’t see anything, only falling snow.
Blood stained the palm of the hand Qi Buyan extended towards He Sui’an, the faint scent of blood masked by the wind and snow. His sleeve slid down, revealing the butterfly silver chain and scars on his wrist.
The sound of the silver ornaments pierced through the snow, reaching He Sui’an’s ears, causing her heart to waver.
The illusion before her eyes started to fade.
But it was still there.
Aunt Cui, supported by Ah Xuan, came closer. The villagers, alarmed by He Sui’an’s rush to the cliff, also approached in small groups.
The old man who had sold coal to He Sui’an, with a head of white hair and a stooped back, called out: “Little girl, why are you running to the cliff? Come back quickly, or you’ll fall and leave no remains.”
Other villagers echoed: “Yeah, no matter what, don’t do anything rash.”
She couldn’t hear their voices.