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墨書 Inktalez
“Shaoqing,” she called him for the first time in many years, her voice as soft as a gentle breeze. “Tomorrow you can leave. Don’t look back, don’t come back.”
“No!” Leng Shaoqing suddenly fixed his gaze on her, gripping her shoulders tightly. “You want me to go? How can I leave when you’re here? I will take you with me!”
“You…” Bai Youlian sighed softly, her eyes filled with helplessness. “Alright, you won’t leave.”
“Once we’re outside, we’ll leave together!” There was a hint of determination in Leng Shaoqing’s eyes, as if he was promising her a future.
“Okay.” Bai Youlian nodded gently, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Don’t leave me again!” Leng Shaoqing held her tightly in his arms, as if trying to merge her into his very being.
“Okay.” In that moment, all the suppressed emotions burst forth, piercing through her body.
She reached out cautiously, cradling his face in her hands, leaning in close to him and pressing her lips against his. It was the first time since their reunion that she embraced him so freely, without thoughts of home or grievances, as if they were back on the small boat by the lake. Her kiss was cool and lingering as she murmured softly, “If only I could be as pure as a white lotus again…”
As dawn broke, the first rays of sunlight streamed through the cracks in the cell and fell onto the ground. Bai Youlian took one last look at his sleeping face; a tear slipped from the corner of her eye and disappeared into her hairpin, never to be found again. “Shaoqing, I’m sorry for you, Shaoqing, I…”
I love you.
…
The war raged on; the New Alliance advanced relentlessly like a surging tide, forcing the Japanese to retreat step by step.
When Leng Shaoqing woke up again, he found himself lying in a dilapidated thatched hut. Excited voices filled his ears: “He’s awake! He’s awake!”
Leng Shaoqing squinted against the light and sat up abruptly. “Is that you?”
Before him stood Xu Sheng, the tailor from Xu Ji.
“Don’t move around too much; you’ve been unconscious for nearly a month. You should be fine now.”
Xu Sheng smiled and said, “Let me introduce again, the liaison officer number 106 of the New Alliance, Xu Wenbing!”
“You are… one of the New Alliance?” Leng Shaoqing’s mind was still hazy, not fully awake. Hearing this, he was so surprised that he couldn't speak.
In the next moment, he suddenly thought of something and grabbed Xu Wenbing's arm tightly. “A Lian, where is A Lian?”
A flicker of sorrow passed through Xu Wenbing's eyes. He lowered his head, unable to meet Leng Shaoqing's gaze.
Leng Shaoqing suddenly tightened his grip as if he could crush Xu Wenbing's arm. “I’m asking you, where is A Lian?”
“Comrade Bai Youlian… she… sacrificed.”
Xu Wenbing’s voice was low and hoarse, as if a lump of cotton was stuck in his throat.
“What?” Leng Shaoqing seemed unaccustomed to Xu Wenbing using words like “comrade” and “sacrificed.” He repeated in a daze, “What did you say?”
“Bai Youlian was… harmed by the Japanese! She was our good comrade and never revealed a single piece of information about the organization until her death.” Xu Wenbing's voice choked slightly, his eyes reddening.
“That’s quite a joke!” Leng Shaoqing's cold gaze fixed on Xu Wenbing. Seeing his silence, the calmness he had been trying to maintain began to crumble. “Impossible, impossible…”
No, it can't be like this! How could she be part of the New Alliance? That night, she came to see him, promising to leave with him. Her kiss was so long, as if she had poured all her strength into it. All her strength?
Leng Shaoqing suddenly laughed, a bitter and self-mocking sound. “Bai Youlian, you tricked me again. Why? You still deceived me.”
Once, he hated her; now he hated himself for not noticing her endurance and her pain at all.
The man in the room seemed lost until Xu Wenbing pushed the door open again. Only then did he see Leng Shaoqing lift his head, his eyes filled with an endless void. “Where… is she?”
At Xiao Yu Lake Shore, Leng Shaoqing stood alone in the rain.
The summer lotus flowers bloomed perfectly, just like that bright afternoon many years ago.
“She said that if she were to sacrifice herself, she would want her ashes scattered here, because the lake water would flow to the place she cherished the most. And this is what she wore before she died.”
Even now, Xu Wenbing was reluctant to recall that day.
When he found her, she was bound naked to a chair, her body covered in horrific wounds, yet in her hand, she tightly clutched a bracelet.
His gaze fell on the pure white lotus seed beads. Leng Shaoqing stood in the shadows, his eyelashes trembling slightly.
That was the bracelet he had given her that day. Later, in anger, he had pulled it apart, scattering the beads everywhere. He never expected that she would pick them up one by one.
If only I could still be that pure white lotus… He recalled her words as he slowly stepped onto the small boat by the lake.
Xu Wenbing stared blankly at the man drifting further away, wanting to stop him but realizing it was too late.
His figure vanished into the moonlight, lost among the shimmering waters of the lake.
Xiao Yu Lake flowed gently, its waters leading to Xiang E Lake, where they had first met.
Leng Shaoqing gently caressed each lotus seed bead, remembering that day when he sat under a tree reading. The girl had paddled over in a small boat and called out, “Hey! Where are you going? Let me take you for a ride—”
On that day, the willows were lush and the peach blossoms were in full bloom.
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