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墨書 Inktalez
As April drew to a close, my wedding was entering its countdown phase.
Today marked the seventh day of the countdown. With the preparations progressing, my nerves began to tighten.
According to tradition, I shouldn’t have seen Qiu before the wedding. However, since we were in a free relationship and everything had deviated from the norm, we didn’t adhere to that rule.
On the contrary, Qiu had been treating me so well lately that it made me feel guilty. He was always compliant, and no matter how busy he was, he would make sure to come by in the morning and late at night just to check in on me. If I hadn’t insisted on sending him away, he probably would have set up a bedroll in my room.
Was he really that afraid of losing me, holding on tightly as if I might slip through his fingers?
Today was the last day for Nie Qiuyuan to handle affairs in Chang'an. Tomorrow, we would head back to Wanzi Mountain together. Formally, we would put everything aside and focus solely on being newlyweds.
Aside from the emperor, no one else knew about our marriage. The Ritual Ceremony had already exposed Nie Qiuyuan to the eyes of the Mirror Gate, and both sides had become openly antagonistic. Thus, we remained in Chang'an to confuse our opponents and prevent anyone from sabotaging our wedding.
However, with the recent heavy blow to the Mirror Gate, it seemed unlikely they would interfere with something as trivial as a wedding now.
At this moment, Qiu had just reluctantly left for work. Early in the morning, he had come over to see me. Upon finding that I was already awake, he naturally took the comb from my hand and started fixing my hair.
“Finally able to wrap things up today; I can hardly wait,” he said.
“Nie Qiuyuan, why are you being so fussy? You’re not cool at all!”
“When I’m with you, why should I be cool?”
When lovers are together, there’s an endless stream of conversation. Our topics ranged widely—from corpses to chemistry, from crime to escape—everything felt romantic. He loved listening to me and was genuinely interested in my life. So you see, his language was becoming more modern; he even understood what “cool” meant now. Soon enough, he’d be fluent in internet slang.
“Come on, you’ll be late for work!”
He grinned slyly.
“If it takes too long, I might sneak out just to see you.”
"Don't be silly, just go!"
Oh my gosh, how could I have done something like this? I actually chased away my idol! Have I become a bit too spoiled? Is this a bit excessive?
Thinking about it, when he finishes work today, he will have some time to focus on being with me. Moreover, our relationship will undergo a qualitative change. Oh my gosh, I can't think about it; my heart starts racing.
As my heart races, my hand trembles. Just now, Qiu had helped me comb my hair, but he could only smooth it out; he didn't have the skill to style it. And I, who already struggled with ancient hairstyles, found all the effort I put into styling it wasted in an instant.
I was so angry that I wanted to throw the comb away, but a hand caught it instead. This time I jumped in fright because someone had appeared in my room silently like a ghost and was now standing behind me.
"Scared?" the person behind me asked softly.
His face reflected in the bronze mirror before me. Isn't that Luo Dachun?
"Brother Luo, how did you get into my room?!"
Setting aside the ghostly aspect of it, running into my room like this doesn't seem appropriate at all.
He took the comb from my hand and continued to style my hair. In less than five minutes, he had fashioned my hair into a beautiful bun and cleverly secured it with a bright pink peach blossom he held.
He can actually do this? Could it be that he truly lives up to his nickname as a "romantic talent"?
I was completely stunned by the act of having my hair styled. Such intimate grooming is something couples would typically do for each other. Yet here he was, brazenly entering my room and confidently styling my hair, leaving me at a loss for what to do.
Luo Dachun smiled gently; the figure in the mirror looked so handsome and graceful. He appeared completely normal at first glance, but he was continuously losing weight, which was even more heartbreaking than seeing his pain.
"Ying Ying, you've always been clumsy; you couldn't even style your own hair. Are you still as clumsy now?" He gazed at me in the mirror with a smile. "Ah yes, you don't remember; back then you cried and forced me to style your hair. Look, I've practiced since then. It's been so many years."
I froze; this was a memory of him with Ye Liuhui.
“Brother Luo, you…”
“Are you asking why I’m here?” He smiled lightly again. “Today, I want to be a little reckless.”
His left hand gathered my hair from beneath the bun, gently brushing it to one side of my neck. I didn’t notice when his right hand had produced his unique short knife. He lightly placed the back of the blade against my neck.
“Kidnapping!” he said with a laugh.
“Brother Luo, what are you doing…” I felt a wave of confusion.
“Ying Ying, just for today, forget about Qiu Yuan and keep me company, okay?”
There was no hint of danger about him; only a peaceful smile and an undercurrent of overwhelming sadness lurking behind it.
A pang of sorrow struck my heart. Why must life be filled with so much sadness and helplessness?
“Where are we going, Brother Luo?”
“Just come with me.” Luo Dachun’s face suddenly wore a mischievous expression. “You and I won’t tell anyone, we’ll quietly leave here and happily go play. Let’s see how anxious that guy will get.”
Well, if I disappeared, Qiu would definitely be worried sick; he’d probably be frantic. That guy is like a startled bird right now.
But I didn’t have time to think about that; my mind was already racing. My intuition told me that something was off with Luo Dachun today. I couldn’t leave him alone; I should talk to him properly.
“Brother Luo, you’ve successfully kidnapped me. Let me grab a few things first,” I said politely to the “kidnapper.”
The “kidnapper” laughed heartily and turned to pour me a bowl of warm water, patiently sitting down to wait.
I gathered the essentials for leaving and hesitated for a moment before quietly retrieving the diary buried by Ye Liuhui and slipping it into my pocket.
I have been pondering this matter repeatedly, yet I still have no answer. I do not know what the right course of action is; I think I need a guiding hand from fate.
I obediently followed Luo Dachun out the door, but before he closed my room door, he turned back and did something rather unscrupulous.
He took out a transparent Silk Thread and tied it to the door latch. I watched as he wound it around the door frame and nearby furniture several times. After closing the door, he slowly pulled the Silk Thread out, and with a "click," the latch was secured from the inside.
My bedroom instantly transformed into a deserted chamber.
This trick was quite malicious. If someone knocked on the door and found it locked from the inside with no one there, wouldn’t that seem like a haunting?
For a moment, I felt worried about Nie Qiuyuan. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t need my concern; he would keenly analyze what method had been used against him. But now, in his current state, his greatest fear would be my sudden disappearance back to my original world. Luo Dachun was unaware of this, but the scene he inadvertently set up had a strong "vanishing" vibe.
Thinking about it made me anxious for my idol.
"Hehe, let’s go, Ying Ying," Luo Dachun said with a proud smile.
Reluctantly, I was swept along as he led me over the wall and seamlessly blended into the crowd.
Our first stop was a secluded Garden on the west side of the city. This Garden, built by someone unknown, was surrounded by few inhabitants and resembled a modern suburban park where occasional visitors came to enjoy the scenery and fish.
Inside the garden was a Stone Pool where fish swam freely and joyfully. Luo Dachun silently led me into a Vermilion-Topped Pavilion, where we sat at the railing, staring blankly at the fish in the water.
After an unknown amount of time had passed, he suddenly reached into his pocket and pulled out two packets of Fish Food, handing one to me. In places where people were present, fish would naturally gather; when we sprinkled the Fish Food into the pond, even more fish swarmed around. This lively scene was familiar to me; my father often took me to parks to feed fish. A smile involuntarily appeared on my face.
Seeing me smile seemed to please Luo Dachun. I couldn’t help but wonder if he had brought Fish Food with him before leaving.
We fed the fish for about half an hour before Luo Dachun brushed off his clothes, stood up, and took me to our next destination.
This time we continued westward, exiting the city to find a dilapidated Guandi Temple.
The temple had long been abandoned, and the surrounding area was quite desolate. Pushing open the temple door, a dark, musty smell filled the air, mingled with the scent of damp earth. Cobwebs had already covered the intricately carved beams, and Guandi seemed to still be there, though he had long since been dulled by layers of dust.
Luo Dachun let out a soft sigh and said, "How did it end up like this? There used to be offerings here. Time really flies."
"Brother Luo, what exactly is this place?" I mustered the courage to ask.
Luo Dachun smiled gently and replied, "Ying Ying, back then you stood here with your hands on your hips, loudly proclaiming that Lord Guan was the mightiest deity. With him around, you wouldn't fear any villains. Then, when thunder struck outside, you cried in fright..."
Me? I was here? That line sounded like something only a child would say.
Suddenly, it dawned on me; he was referring to Ye Liuhui, and it must have been a Ye Liuhui of a similar age.
This was a shared memory between him and Ye Liuhui! It was the kind of memory she cherished delicately, afraid it might shatter if held too tightly or dissolve if spoken aloud—a rare and certain happiness in her recollections.
Yes, she had once written about it. When she was young and first met Sikong Ming, they, along with Melan, had paraded outside for forty-two days.
She hadn’t recorded what happened during those forty-two days, but for her, everything didn’t need to be documented because she would never forget it until her dying day.
So it must have been a beautifully cherished memory.
Perhaps at this moment, Luo Dachun was retracing those footsteps from that time, trying once more to reminisce and touch upon those fleetingly beautiful memories like Liuying.
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