Chapter 22 Embrace
The young man stood there, gazing at Xu Zexu with tightly pursed lips.
The rapid, intense heartbeat seemed to be overshadowed by the questioning sound, slipping away in the blink of an eye.
His response was extremely faint, barely a moment of distraction before being interrupted.
Xu Zexu, oblivious to it all, smiled and said to Ji Li, "It's been so long, I can't believe the lantern vendor is still here."
He was genuinely happy, speaking with an uncommonly joyful and carefree tone, unlike his usual calm demeanor.
This little corner seemed to hold a few of his rare colorful memories.
Just a brief encounter, and it instantly awakened the childlike innocence and joy hidden deep within his heart.
He spoke familiarly, naturally approaching the vendor to exchange pleasantries and effortlessly guessing a couple of lantern riddles.
As the person left, a space cleared next to Ji Li.
Xi Che took a few steps closer, moving in tighter.
Towering over Ji Li, from a distance, it almost seemed as if he was enveloping her in his arms.
Lowering his head, he asked her, "What did you just say?" there was a hint of reproach in his tone, "I didn't quite catch that."
Perhaps afraid of being pushed away, he angled a little more towards Ji Li as he spoke, but his height still maintained a slight distance between them.
Not satisfied yet, he wanted to move closer.
Ji Li held him back, "That's enough." She looked up at him, "Why don't you try solving a lantern riddle as well?"
Thinking she wanted him to leave, Xi Che suddenly felt a bit disheartened, "...no." Even the dog's tail behind him seemed to droop.
Ji Li glanced at him again and changed her approach, "I've set my eyes on a lantern, but I have to solve a riddle to win it." She sighed, "Time waits for no one, and who knows if it will still be here later..."
Xi Che said, "...I'll guess."
"If you're only doing it grudgingly, then forget it," she said as she turned to call for Xu Zexu, "I'll go ask my cousin."
The person beside her suddenly grabbed the corner of her cloak and spoke a bit louder, "I, I want to guess!"
Ji Li stopped in her tracks, giving him a meaningful look.
The path in front of the stall was wide, but the young man chose to walk right beside her.
With his movements, a gust of night wind arose.
She waited calmly, and soon enough, he returned with a revolving regret lantern in hand.
"So soon?" Ji Li took the lantern and carefully examined the silhouette within.
In the flickering light, a profound story came to an end.
Suddenly, Xi Che asked her, "How about we go release sky lanterns?"
The young man seemed to have noticed her feelings and cautiously extended his kindness, always finding a way to seep in.
Occasionally, at an unexpected moment, it would touch her heart deeply.
Without hesitation, she looked towards Xu Zexu, who was chatting, and asked him, "Where's my cousin? Let's wait for him together."
To her surprise, Xi Che pulled her aside, saying, "I asked your cousin earlier; he said he wanted to stay and chat with the vendor."
Seemingly casual, but with a profound tone in his voice, "It's been many years since they last met; I suppose there are many things he wants to say." He sounded somewhat envious.
Standing alone there, he wasn't rushing her, taking the flower lantern from Ji Li's hands.
After a series of actions, it was almost as if he was a guard.
In any case, it didn't seem like he was out for fun.
Upon hearing this, Ji Li withdrew her gaze and walked a couple of steps to Xi Che's side, gently tilting her head to seek his opinion, "Shall we go to the riverbank to release the lanterns now?" The creek they had passed earlier wasn't far, and they could return after releasing the lanterns.
Xi Che naturally had no objection and followed her closely.
A few steps later, he glanced back silently, lifting the corners of his lips in a private moment unseen by others.
Leaving the crowd, the sky darkened once again, with the moonlight shining on the scattered branches and leaves, and a row of lanterns hung on the eaves.
The warm candlelight cast long shadows of the people under the lanterns, reflected on the ground, exuding a sense of tranquility.
Looking around, Xi Che noticed fewer people and approached Ji Li, "Sister, are these sky lanterns really effective?" There was a hint of skepticism in his tone.
His body still retained a few traces of the cold fragrance of late autumn nights, as the sound of his voice drew closer, lingering all around him.
When Xi Che said this, Ji Li was at a loss for a moment and didn't know how to explain it. So, she simply summed it up by saying, "This is a custom, you can understand it as a kind of good wish...?"
The boy sighed and after a moment said to himself, "Well, then it's not effective."
She looked at him in confusion, not saying anything.
After a while, she said, "I said before, whatever you want to say, whatever you want to ask, just say it to me directly." She said, "Don't beat around the bush."
Xi Che said, "...I want to know what wish you will make later."
This was a bit bewildering and not quite like his usual style.
But Ji Li didn't think much about it and casually said, "Health for my parents, and may everything go well, things like that."
She bought two sky lanterns and, deep in thought, wrote down her wish.
This street near the riverside was usually not crowded.
Now, perhaps due to the festive atmosphere, there appeared a few streams of people as if flowing water.
She stood on the other side of the river, looking from afar.
The restaurant opposite, with strings of bright lanterns swaying gently in the wind, looked like a sea of stars in the late night.
Her eyes reflected the same light.
Ji Li naturally wouldn't reveal her hidden thoughts.
Write it on the lantern?
That would be too foolish and too ethereal.
It was just a festive scene, inevitably relaxing.
She stared at the candle in her hand, her gaze calm.
The letter sent to Capital this time still had no news.
It was different from before.
She was always feeling her way across the river, taking two steps ahead of those deeply rooted forces.
If there was still no response, she would have to seek a new opportunity.
But...
She lit the candle and sent out the sky lantern.
Watching the bright light slowly drift away, she finally lowered her head.
She was worried... that she had alerted the snake in the grass.
As time passed, and the surrounding voices quieted down, Ji Li finally pulled herself out of her thoughts.
Looking up, she saw Xi Che standing quietly on the side, silently accompanying her for a long time.
Whenever she was engrossed in something, she would lose track of time.
She felt a twinge of apology for not reminding him, "Why didn't you remind me..." as she went to pull him, "Let's go back quickly, or cousin will be worried."
In the peaceful silence, only the rustling of night insects moving along the grass and stone steps could be heard.
The stream water trickled, and the distance between the two was neither too close nor too far.
Xi Che had been staring at Ji Li's lantern intently, his good eyesight easily catching sight of her wish.
She had asked for peace.
But how could it be peace?
Could there be some information he hadn't uncovered yet, or...
Was Ji Li keeping something important from him?
The voice in her ear, word by word, seemed a bit shy, the volume slightly softened.
He gazed at the person before him.
For some reason, he couldn't help but think of the way the girl's outer robes overlapped with his, and how she imitated him when speaking.
Suddenly, there was a somewhat uncontrollable impulse.
As the night fell, the stars were right in front of him, within reach.
So, for the first time, he made a choice that followed his heart.
With extreme caution.
He forced himself to restrain his emotions a bit, and casually asked her, "Sister, what... kind of relationship do we have?"
Ji Li hadn't expected him to ask this, and remained silent for a few moments.
After scanning the surroundings, she finally responded, "What do you think our relationship is?"
Perhaps due to repeated indulgence and favoritism, he couldn't help but be a bit more daring.
He smiled lightly, without blinking, and gazed at the person a few steps away, "I believe... it seems to be beyond master and servant, beyond... just friends." There was a hint of probing in his tone.
He wanted to maintain this relationship, but he also wanted to take it further.
Being straightforward always caught people off guard.
Perhaps from the beginning, her sincerity had been discounted.
She treated him well, but also craved something in return.
She nurtured him to prevent any future harm.
Using and love, perhaps, could not coexist.
She was also a bit puzzled by her own feelings.
But she couldn't stop.
Ji Li didn't deny it, "That's right." She smirked, and instead of answering, she asked, "Do you want to maintain this kind of relationship?"
Xi Che was stunned, as if struck by a sudden thunderbolt, standing dumbfounded in place.
It was as if he was afraid that this was just a fleeting dream that would vanish in an instant. "I..." he felt his body tensing up.
His heart was burning like never before.
His usually composed face was now red like wine, seemingly touched by some indescribable emotion. "I... I'm willing." Taking a few steps forward, he pulled out an exquisitely designed light blue hairpin and handed it to Ji Li.
Blushing, he stuttered, "This is... a birthday gift." His words were somewhat unclear, "I, I initially thought it wasn't good, but, anyway... I hope you like it!" Looking up, his eyes were surprisingly bright.
During many such moments before, he had looked at her the same way.
But now, all restraint disappeared, leaving only sincerity and warmth.
Ji Li looked at the white jade orchid hairpin in her hand, closed her eyes.
Her hands involuntarily trembled slightly, almost unable to hold it.
But her face showed a gentle smile, "How did you know my birthday is approaching?"
"Having a heart makes it possible to know."
A simple sentence made her want to step back even more.
She opened her mouth.
The next moment, she was enveloped in a warm embrace—
The arm around her waist was strong.
The warmth of the young man seemed to wrap around her through their robes, engulfing her completely.
Amidst the hushed silence of the room, Ji Li could distinctly hear Xi Che's heartbeat, its rhythm pounding like a relentless drum against her ears. Its rapid pace mirrored the tumultuous emotions that swirled within her chest, a tempest of guilt and fear threatening to consume her.
Fleeting moments of delusion would wash over her, causing her to feel a strange resonance with the frantic beat of his heart, as if her own pulse had somehow synchronized with his. But these were mere illusions, fleeting mirages in the desert of her deception.
Her words, like fragile shards of glass, were nothing more than lies, carefully crafted to conceal the truth that gnawed at her conscience. They were a façade, a mask she wore to hide her inner turmoil from the man who held her heart captive.
A wave of self-loathing washed over her, and she closed her eyes, her lashes fluttering against her cheeks. The weight of her deception pressed heavily upon her, threatening to crush her under its suffocating burden.
A fleeting impulse surged through her, an overwhelming desire to shatter the illusion and expose the truth that lay buried beneath the layers of lie. She felt unworthy of Xi Che's unwavering devotion, undeserving of his unwavering love.
But just as she was on the verge of confessing her sins, his arms tightened around her, drawing her closer to his warmth. His voice, laced with suppressed joy, echoed in her ears, a soothing balm to her troubled soul.
His warm breath brushed against her ear, blurring her vision and clouding her senses. His words, filled with genuine happiness, pierced through the veil of her guilt, offering her a glimmer of hope amidst the darkness.
"Sister," he whispered, his voice trembling with emotion, "I'm so happy. Truly."
In that moment, Ji Li's heart ached with a bittersweet pang. The weight of her deception still lingered, a heavy burden upon her soul, but Xi Che's unwavering love offered a fragile lifeline, a beacon of hope in the stormy sea of her emotions.