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Cheng Qiuyi has great respect for her master. Most of the knowledge and principles she learned growing up came from him, yet now he stands before her, threatening to expel her from the sect simply because she has fallen in love with a woman.
Qin Jiang realized he was getting emotional and softened his tone, saying, "If you have found someone to spend your life with, I would be happy for you, but that person should not be a woman."
Cheng Qiuyi forced a smile and replied, "Master, even if it weren't Liu Shuhan, it still couldn't be a man. I can only love women in this lifetime; it's innate." After saying this, she knelt down straight and bowed three times to Qin Jiang. "If you insist on expelling me from the sect, I have nothing to say. I just won't be able to honor you anymore. Please take care."
After bowing, she stood up, opened the door, and walked out.
Qin Jiang sat motionless in his chair behind the desk. His hand gripped the armrest too tightly, causing it to snap in two. The splintered wood jabbed into Qin Jiang's palm, blood flowing freely, but he felt no pain as he took out the album he had flipped through countless times.
The album contained old photos from over a decade or two ago; some were so faded that the faces were barely recognizable. The photos were strange; most were not whole images and clearly showed signs of being cut out, with only one woman remaining in all of them. This woman had shoulder-length hair, with loose strands pulled back to reveal her smooth forehead, looking very capable. The woman in the photos was Cheng Qiuyi's Mother.
Cheng Qiuyi did not resemble her mother much; Mother Cheng had delicate and refined features while Cheng Qiuyi inherited more from Cheng Tianhong. Just looking at her pair of narrow Peach Blossom Eyes, Cheng Qiuyi looked almost identical to those two men. People often said that the Cheng Family was notoriously untrustworthy.
Qin Jiang extended a finger and gently touched the cheek of young Mother Cheng in the photo, his voice choked with emotion. "Hui'er, now Qiu Yi has finally grown up, but I have raised her to be like this. How can I face you in the afterlife?"
……
To get from the study to Cheng Qiuyi's room, one must pass through a long corridor. As she turned the corner of the corridor, Cheng Qiuyi was stopped by a bare arm. The muscular lines of that arm were smooth; just its extension conveyed a sense of strength beneath a thin layer of skin.
"I noticed you haven't been around in C City lately. Turns out our young lady Cheng has been sneaking away with her little lover to enjoy herself in City Z," Ye Jing said as she leaned against the wall with her hand withdrawn. She wore a black tank top and loose work pants, her sleek black hair falling neatly around her shoulders.
"Weren't you busy setting traps for those old folks in C City? How do you have time to come here?" Even though Cheng Qiuyi despised Ye Jing, she couldn't deny her charm; it seemed like she was born with an aura that attracted attention wherever she went, surrounded by admirers of both genders.
"I'm just worried my little junior sister might run off with her lover at any moment," Ye Jing said as she moved closer to Cheng Qiuyi. "After all, you're quite experienced when it comes to fleeing at critical moments."
Cheng Qiuyi took a step back to create distance. "My master is still in the study; I don't want to fight with you. Step aside."
Ye Jing listened to Cheng Qiuyi's words and indeed made way in the corridor, even gesturing politely. Cheng Qiuyi, unsure of Ye Jing's intentions, cautiously walked along the wall. As she passed by Ye Jing, the latter suddenly reached out with malicious intent towards Cheng Qiuyi's waist. Anticipating the attack, Cheng Qiuyi sidestepped Ye Jing's strike and retaliated with a punch aimed at Ye Jing's face. Ye Jing raised her arm to block the blow, then feigned a kick, taking advantage of Cheng Qiuyi's moment of distraction to seize her right hand and twist it behind her back, pinning her against the wall.
Ye Jing violently tore open Cheng Qiuyi's shirt and pointed at her shoulder, exclaiming, "What is this?" Her eyes were bloodshot with rage.
Cheng Qiuyi followed her gaze and saw two rows of scabbed bite marks on her shoulder, clearly the work of Liu Shuhan.
"Is this left by that woman?" Ye Jing growled through clenched teeth, her fury evident as if flames would burst from her eyes. Cheng Qiuyi was forced too close to her, able to see the veins on Ye Jing's forehead bulging as if they might explode at any moment.
"Good, very good," Ye Jing said with a twisted smile, resting her chin on Cheng Qiuyi's shoulder and menacingly adding, "Since she can mark you, how can I show weakness?"
With her head buried in Cheng Qiuyi's neck, Ye Jing took a light sniff before opening her mouth as if to bite into her neck.
"Ye Jing!" Just before Ye Jing could sink her teeth into her neck, Cheng Qiuyi suddenly spoke up, "Don't make me hate you more."
Cheng Qiuyi's body trembled slightly in Ye Jing's grip. She felt that she had already conquered the fear that Ye Jing instilled in her mind, but the body does not lie; the shadow left by Ye Jing was too deep. For the first time, Cheng Qiuyi realized that perhaps she would never be able to escape it.
Ye Jing lifted her head and scrutinized Cheng Qiuyi for a moment. The first thing that emerged in Cheng Qiuyi's eyes was stubbornness; looking deeper revealed sheer panic. With a sigh, Ye Jing released her hold on Cheng Qiuyi. The first thing Cheng Qiuyi did upon regaining her freedom was to punch Ye Jing squarely in the face.
After taking the hit from Cheng Qiuyi, Ye Jing surprisingly did not retaliate. She slid down against the wall to sit on the floor, covering half of her swollen face while stifling a laugh.
"Qiu Yi, it was me who met you first; why is it Liu Shuhan who gets you?"
Ye Jing was clear about this question in her heart.
"Qiu Yi, you're finally back! How was it? Teacher Qin didn't make things difficult for you, did he?" Liu Shuhan had been anxiously waiting for over an hour without seeing Cheng Qiuyi and was pacing around like an ant on a hot pan. Several times she wanted to go out and look for Cheng Qiuyi but hesitated at the thought that this place was Qin Jiang's home; Qin Jiang was Cheng Qiuyi's master, and angering him would be disastrous.
Seeing Cheng Qiuyi again made Liu Shuhan exclaim in surprise, "What happened to your clothes?"
Cheng Qiuyi's collar was torn during the struggle with Ye Jing, but fortunately, she was wearing a tank top underneath, so it wasn't too problematic.
Cheng Qiuyi didn't respond and pulled Liu Shuhan's wrist, dragging her along. "Come with me."
Cheng Qiuyi's emotions were clearly unstable; Liu Shuhan could feel the anxiety radiating from her. Liu Shuhan wanted to ask Cheng Qiuyi where they were going, but seeing Cheng Qiuyi like this, she remained silent and followed her out of Qin Jiang's old house.
"Miss Qiu Yi, the master asked me to take you home," Qin Jiang's car was parked at the entrance of the old house, and the driver stood by the car. When he saw Cheng Qiuyi come out, he respectfully bowed to her.
"Get lost." Cheng Qiuyi raised her foot and kicked the driver in the stomach.
She was wearing short boots today, and when her foot landed, the driver clutched his stomach in pain, his face turning pale as he could only watch Cheng Qiuyi drag Liu Shuhan away.
Liu Shuhan had rushed out in a hurry and was still wearing slippers. Cheng Qiuyi kept pulling Liu Shuhan along, walking briskly ahead. Her strides were long, and Liu Shuhan had to jog to keep up, causing blisters on both of her feet.
The two of them walked in this manner for an unknown amount of time until Liu Shuhan's legs finally gave out and she collapsed on the ground. Only then did Cheng Qiuyi seem to snap back to reality.
"Shu Han, what's wrong?" Cheng Qiuyi quickly helped Liu Shuhan sit on a stone by the roadside.
The hard and rough concrete road had left Liu Shuhan with abrasions on both legs from her fall, especially on her knees, which were bloodied and raw. The old house was in a remote area with very few streetlights on this desolate road. Cheng Qiuyi could barely see Liu Shuhan's injuries in the moonlight and broke into a cold sweat from worry. She had been so focused on leaving that she had left her phone and wallet at Qin's house. With Liu Shuhan injured and no nearby place to clean her wounds, what were they going to do?
Liu Shuhan had large abrasions on her knees, and any movement sent sharp pain through her. Not wanting Cheng Qiuyi to feel guilty, she forced a smile despite the pain. "Well, this is just like when I fell during the sports meet years ago."
Cheng Qiuyi couldn't bear to look at Liu Shuhan's smile; she lowered her head and murmured, "Shu Han, I'm sorry."
"I... I lost control of my emotions today."
Liu Shuhan felt that this day had been longer than any other; they had been reminiscing about their youth hand in hand during the day, yet now they were fleeing in this desolate place where neither heaven nor earth seemed to respond to them.
That Qin Jiang, Liu Shuhan used to think of him as just a teacher who wasn't very close to his students, but it turns out he is a hidden expert. And then there's Ye Jing; her presence is so strong that it's clear she's not someone to be trifled with, and she seems to have a past with Cheng Qiuyi... Today, none of the people I met are normal.
"Qiu Yi." Liu Shuhan held Cheng Qiuyi's hand. "I'm really worried about you acting like this."
"I know I'm useless; I'm just a small Courier. I don't understand your big matters, but when you don't tell me anything, I worry. I worry about what you're doing, I worry about your grudges with those people, and I worry about whether what you're doing is dangerous..."
"Qiu Yi, please, don't exclude me from your plans. I can't help with your matters, but at least let me know what's going on." Liu Shuhan said this almost pleadingly to Cheng Qiuyi.
After a while, Cheng Qiuyi held Liu Shuhan's hand back and softly said, "Shu Han, let me carry you back, just like before."
Liu Shuhan felt utterly exhausted and weakly released Cheng Qiuyi's hand.
What is this? Cheng Qiuyi keeps saying she wants to grow old together with her, yet she doesn't even have the right to know what she does.
But Cheng Qiuyi continued, "I'll slowly tell you about these things on the way."
Cheng Qiuyi's palm was cold with sweat, her voice trembling but her gaze firm. "Whatever you want to know, I will tell you everything tonight."
Seeing Cheng Qiuyi like this made Liu Shuhan regret it. She realized that these matters might be a bloody scar for Cheng Qiuyi—one that hadn't healed for years and was now being painfully reopened by herself.
"No... it's fine... Qiu Yi, I don't want to hear it..." Liu Shuhan was just a small Courier; she was timid and afraid she couldn't bear it.
"But Shu Han, I want to tell you. I want to tell you how tragic Cheng Qiuyi is beneath the glamorous surface you see."
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