Chapter 19

Chapter 19

That day, I got into a bicker with Liang Zhi. Because he was being far too earnest, I suddenly asked him, “Liang Zhi, let me ask you something. If one day I found myself in a desperate situation, given our relationship, what would you do?”

“Ah Yuan, what do you mean by that?”

“I mean, if I couldn’t survive anymore, if I were at the end of my rope-would you help me? Would you take me away?”

“Away? Where would you go?”

“Anywhere would do.”

“Ah Yuan, I don’t understand what you’re getting at, but I know that day will never come for you.”

The moonlight that evening was cold and pure. The cluster of tuberose beneath the corridor in my courtyard had taken on the color of the moon, looking like elegant green jade.

Liang Zhi sat beneath the windowsill, his gaze fixed on those blooming flowers.

I couldn’t see his expression clearly; I just swung my feet, my toes lightly brushing the top of his head.

I said, “Liang Zhi, I’m saying *if*. If such a day ever comes, would you be willing to take me away, even if it meant risking your life?”

Liang Zhi, sitting beneath the window, said nothing.

I nudged his head again and whispered, “Say something.”

After a long while, just as my spirit had flagged and a wave of disappointment washed over me-just as I was about to stop pressing him-Liang Zhi suddenly stood up.

Even in his youth, Liang Zhi was already very tall.

He was sturdily built and stood straight. When he turned toward me, his eyes crinkled into a brilliant smile.

His face was full of youthful vitality, as upright and dignified as a celestial official from the *Procession of Immortals*.

He looked at me sitting on the windowsill and just kept smiling.

When my eyes suddenly met his, my heart skipped a beat. I put on a fierce front. “What are you smiling at! You heartless man! And here I was, thinking of you as a lifelong friend!”

Liang Zhi’s smile grew even wider. He actually raised his hand and made an oath to me-

“I swear, as long as Lady Ah Yuan needs me, I will be by her side. Whether it be mountains of blades or seas of fire, I am willing to brave them all for her.

“I will do anything for her of my own free will. If I break this oath, may I die with a broken neck.”

With a solemn expression, Liang Zhi spoke every word of the vow to me.

It was as if starlight was hidden in his eyes. His dark brows arched slightly, and his voice was serious and incredibly firm.

My heart, which had already skipped a beat, instantly descended into chaos.

A youth first tasting the flavor of love knows only panic and confusion, unsure of what to do.

I held up the wooden lotus hairpin Liang Zhi had given me and stammered, “Liang… Liang Zhi, this is the best birthday gift I’ve ever received. I like it very much. Really.”

Under the cover of night, I didn’t know if Liang Zhi could see my flushed cheeks clearly.

But I clearly saw the look in his eyes-first a moment of stunned silence, then his ears turned beet red. He stiffened his neck, trying to act calm as he looked away.

He looked left and right, looking everywhere except forward at me.

I glanced here and there, and finally, I simply jumped down from the windowsill and fled in a panic.