Chapter 210
Chapter 210
Lu Yuanshi stared at Xiao Huai without looking away for a long time.
Xiao Huai met his gaze.
“I’m getting into character early.”
Getting into character.
That was right. They would perform tomorrow.
Lu Yuanshi asked, “Do you need me to do anything with you?”
Xiao Huai shook his head. “This is already enough.”
Companionship was the best response.
Xiao Huai lifted his eyes to the sky and extended a hand as if he wanted to touch the stars along the horizon.
He was thinking about the story of Huo Lanxu and Yang Nanqing.
Their love was one the conventions of the world could not define, one the public could not accept.
“Even if I piece together what really happened, I can’t change the ending.” Xiao Huai’s voice was very soft.
In the Butterfly Lovers, the lovers became a pair of butterflies. The end of their love story was tragically beautiful and left an indelible mark in people’s hearts forever.
That was the ending of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai.
Would Huo Lanxu and Yang Nanqing meet the same end?
Xiao Huai did not realize that his brows had drawn together slightly as he spoke.
Following Xiao Huai’s gaze, Lu Yuanshi looked up at the stars as well.
“Do you want their ending to be different?” His tone was calm.
Xiao Huai did not look at Lu Yuanshi.
He merely wished this place had never drawn the evil god’s attention from the beginning.
But even if he wished it, what good would that do?
He had never encountered a benevolent god, and he knew gods would not readily help mortals.
Humans had their rules, and so did the gods.
If the evil god had not prepared in advance, how terrifying would the consequences of interfering with the cause and effect of an entire world have been?
Xiao Huai stopped indulging in wild thoughts. He straightened and put some distance between himself and Lu Yuanshi again.
He turned to look at Lu Yuanshi. He said nothing, yet seemed to have said everything.
* * *
The next day.
The Yang Residence had been bustling since morning. Everyone had set out early for their assigned locations to make preparations.
When Xiao Huai woke that morning, Zhong Jiangyuan came over with Shen Yun and said to him, “We’ll go down first and leave the marks. Good luck to you too.”
Xiao Huai nodded. “Be careful.”
“Don’t worry. We’ve done it once already, so the second time will be easier.” Zhong Jiangyuan smiled.
With that, they finished their preparations and jumped into a well. This time, the blonde woman would not cut their rope. They could return whenever they wanted.
Rope was not especially expensive in the System Shop anyway.
Chen Chong and Jiang Wenmei needed to return to East City. They had already left before Xiao Huai woke.
Chen Chong had, however, hung a large bouquet of foxtail grass outside Xiao Huai’s door.
The postcard attached to it read, “May everything go smoothly on our journey!”
Jiang Wenmei had added a postscript beneath it: “Sorry. That stupid dog chose the wrong flowers.”
Xiao Huai laughed softly and turned to Lu Yuanshi, who had already finished preparing behind him.
His spotless white shirt matched his presence, untouched by the dust of the mortal world.
It was time to bid this world farewell.
For now, a group of people was still waiting for them.
Jinlemen Club
Huo Dieyi sat absentmindedly by the entrance.
For six years, she had tried almost every day to cross the dense fog.
Not once had she succeeded.
The scene of finding Huo Lanxu’s body in the dense fog remained vivid in her mind.
Her knuckles trembled faintly.
Crossing the dense fog had become both an obsession and a source of fear for her.
Suddenly, a voice came from outside.
“Miss Dieyi.”
Her head snapped up, lost and helpless. Without her mask, nothing but darkness lay before her.
She told herself she had grown used to the dark. Yet whenever someone called her name and she could not see them, her heart still clenched painfully.
But she recognized the voice and forced herself to smile. “Xiao Huai, you’re here?”
She stood, only for her foot to catch against a chair leg. Just as she was about to fall, a hand steadied her.
At the same time, she suddenly felt a cool mist spray across her face.
As the mist moistened her eyes, the world that had been pitch-black gradually became clear.
She froze and blinked. Within a few short minutes, she seemed able to see her surroundings and the brilliantly colored world around her.
Her completely white eyes gradually returned to normal.
At that moment, she saw Xiao Huai.
It was the first time she had ever seen him.
Their first meeting should have filled her with excitement and joy.
She said nothing, but tears had already begun streaming down her cheeks without her noticing.
After a long while, her lips parted. “Am I… dreaming?”
She sniffed, then immediately pinched her cheek hard. Only when it was nearly red did Xiao Huai speak.
“Teacher, you still need that face for today’s performance.”
It was not a dream.
She could feel pain.
She could see.
She saw Xiao Huai and Lu Yuanshi…
So they were even better matched than she had imagined.
Over the years, many players like Xiao Huai had come through. Xiao Huai alone had spoken with her and helped her.
He was the sole exception, a presence unlike any other.
The opera performers taking part in this performance also regained their sight. They were stunned, and like Huo Dieyi, they somehow could not stop themselves from crying.
At last, Xiao Huai reminded them, “Seniors, your eyes are going to swell until you can’t open them. What will we do about the dress rehearsal later?”
The performers wiped away their tears as they laughed. “Don’t worry. We’re all seasoned veterans.”
“We’ve been through countless performances. You think a little crying will stop us?”
They went onto the stage and looked at Xiao Huai and Lu Yuanshi.
Xiao Huai took Lu Yuanshi’s hand. “One final dress rehearsal. Then… let us enter our roles completely.”
Lu Yuanshi’s gaze lingered on the hand Xiao Huai had clasped tightly around his. Only after a long while did he nod and answer:
“Mm.”
Rehearsal time always passed quickly. When the performance ended, everyone embraced Xiao Huai, unable to contain their excitement.
“Thank you. Truly.”
They repeated those words again and again.
Xiao Huai did not actually like being too close to others, nor was he adept at embracing people. At this moment, however, he did not refuse them. He allowed himself to feel their joy at seeing the light again.
Then a large hand settled beside his neck. The performer closest to Xiao Huai realized something and immediately withdrew, leaving Lu Yuanshi to take his place.
The corners of Lu Yuanshi’s mouth lifted slightly, and his other hand came to rest on Xiao Huai’s waist.
His lips lowered beside Xiao Huai’s ear, and his voice was deep and magnetic.
He spoke at an unhurried pace.
“Hello, my lover.”
Lover.
Xiao Huai froze briefly. Then his left hand suddenly settled against Lu Yuanshi’s lower back, and he held him tightly.
Hello, my lover in the play.
…
The opera performers left the Jinlemen Club and looked out at the dense fog, hesitation lingering in their hearts.
“Can we really cross the fog and reach the Yang Residence?” they asked, perplexed.
Huo Dieyi remained silent. She did not know either.
All she knew was that Xiao Huai had made her a promise.
Could that promise truly be fulfilled?
Could an obsession that had lasted years finally be brought to an end by one person’s arrival?
Xiao Huai looked at them, and several items appeared in his hand.
“It’s time to go.”