His fingers gently stroked the jade pendant that had been joined together, as if he were touching Ye’er’s face.

So familiar.

Tears in his eyes, the corners of his mouth gradually bloomed into a smile. “I still remember the first time I saw Ye’er. She was wearing a blue garment embroidered with beautiful jasmine flowers, with two playful little braids draped across her chest, swaying back and forth. On that clean face of hers was an incredibly refreshing smile. With just that one glance, I was certain that for the rest of my life, I, Wen Xian, would only recognize her alone. Heaven letting me be with her was fate. She said she really loved this jade pendant, so I broke it into two halves and gave one piece to her. At that time, she held that jade pendant and smiled so happily. I will never forget that moment. I vowed to treat her well for a lifetime, but in the end… I still couldn’t give her that lifetime.”

His smile gradually tightened.

Ji Yunshu asked, “What exactly happened back then that made you leave her?”

He smiled bitterly again, closing his palm tightly around the jade pendant in his hand.

At this moment, the wind rose, and the calm water surface rippled slightly.

“Since childhood, I’ve always relied on medicine to sustain my body. If I stopped taking it, I could die at any time.” He paused, then continued, “When Ye’er told me she was pregnant, I was happier than anyone. But it was precisely at that time that the doctor suddenly told me I wouldn’t live long—perhaps only a year remained. So I chose to leave. I’d rather have her hate me for a lifetime than have her remember me and think of me for a lifetime. But I never expected that two years later, my condition actually improved. I had lost the courage to go back and find her. I hesitated for a long time, struggled for a long time, and finally made up my mind to go back and find her. Even more unexpectedly, she chose to forgive me. I wanted to use the rest of my life to make it up to her, to make it up to our child.

But fate plays tricks on people. One day, she discovered our secret and learned about the disaster relief silver. No matter how I explained it to her, she refused to listen. I remember it was raining heavily that day. She just ran away in the rain like that, and I couldn’t stop her no matter what. The next day I went to find her and waited in her room. I heard her bringing a man inside, so I hid in the room. What I didn’t expect was that she actually wanted to tell that man about the disaster relief silver. So before she could speak, I knocked that person unconscious. As for what happened after that, you should already know.”

The whole affair was truly full of twists and turns!

Ji Yunshu remained silent.

Wen Xian blamed himself. “If I hadn’t left back then, she wouldn’t have died. I wronged her. I thought I could love her for a lifetime, but it turns out I owed her for a lifetime instead.”

“I believe Ye’er wouldn’t hate you.”

“Why do you say that?”

“A gentleman pays respect to life and his beloved is present.” She recited a line of poetry. “This poem was written on every lantern Ye’er gave you. Just as she said, a gentleman pays respect to life and his beloved is present—devoting everything for you, never betraying her beloved. As long as you’re still here, she will always love you. I think the reason she wanted to report to the authorities wasn’t because she didn’t love you or was disappointed in you, but precisely because of love—she didn’t want you to make mistake after mistake.”

Wen Xian’s eyes were bloodshot, his heart feeling as if thousands of ants were gnawing at his internal organs.

Nothing but pain.

Ji Yunshu continued, “Miss Ye’er’s love for you never diminished by even half. If her spirit exists in heaven and sees you like this, that’s when she would truly be heartbroken.”

After a long while—

“Thank you, sir.”

Wen Xian’s emotional knot seemed to slowly unravel with the gnawing of the ants.

Like a huge stone slowly being set down.

“Bring the child back. I hear the child is very adorable, fair and plump. His mother is no longer here—you, as his father, cannot abandon him again.”

“Yes, I will. But not right now.”

He nodded firmly.

The two exchanged smiles!

By the secluded little lake surrounded by mountains, two figures stood at the lakeside. As the sun slowly set, the two shadows reflected on the riverside were drawn longer and longer…

That evening.

Wen Xian sat in his courtyard. On his left was the flute, on his right a pot of wine.

He drank by himself, not knowing how long.

Until that pot of wine was completely empty, he still hadn’t had his fill. Just as he was about to order someone to bring more wine, before he could speak, two jars of wine were placed on the table.

He looked up—it was Zhao Huai!

He sat down heavily, ripped off the lids of both wine jars, and pushed one toward him.

Wen Xian’s hazy eyes looked at him, and he couldn’t help clenching his fists.

Seeing this, Zhao Huai said in his rough, loud voice, “If you feel you haven’t beaten me enough, you can continue.”

He wasn’t afraid anyway!

And when he said this, Wen Xian’s clenched fist loosened instead. After glaring at him hatefully a few times, he picked up the wine jar in front of him and began drinking.

As the wine went down his throat, his whole person felt much more relaxed.

He said to Zhao Huai, “The grudge of you killing Lin Feng—I will settle it sooner or later. But not now.”

“Fine, I’ll be waiting.”

The two clinked cups.

Men are like this—after fighting, they can still sit down and continue drinking together.

Before they knew it, both jars of wine were finished.

“Big brother.” Little Xiyue’s voice came from outside the courtyard.

She was carrying a lantern in her hand—the one painted with zisang flowers.

When Wen Xian saw it, he was first stunned, then squinted his slightly drunken eyes and asked, “Xiyue, this lantern?”

“I made it especially for big brother. Big brother, it’s been so long since you’ve lit lanterns in your room. Don’t you still love these kinds of lanterns? Yesterday I made one especially to give to you.”

He turned to look at his own room.

Shrugging his shoulders, he smiled bitterly. “Yes, it’s been so long, so very long since I’ve lit the lanterns. I’ve almost forgotten what’s in that room.”

Little Xiyue blinked at him.

He then propped up his swaying body, took the lantern from Xiyue’s hand, and walked step by step toward his own dark room.

He took out the candle from the lantern in his hand and, one by one, slowly lit all the lanterns hanging in the room.

The room that had been dark for several years was finally illuminated brightly by lantern after lantern.

He stood in the center of the room, turning on his feet, looking at the colorful lanterns. The zisang flowers on them were lifelike, just like Ye’er’s clean smile when he first saw her.

Now, he had truly let go.

Ye’er, if there truly is a next life, I swear that even if I only have one day left to live, I will still choose to be with you until the very last moment of death.