As Xianlian was about to excuse himself, I stubbornly held onto his hand. "How about you tell me about you for a change?"
Xianlian paused, his usual smirk gracing his lips. He pulled out his sapphire-colored fan, snapping it open dramatically before pointing it at me. "Are you even my friend? You forget everything, and now you're playing innocent? Do you know how much chaos you caused before your so-called 'accident'?" He threw a mock punch in the air, and I blinked at him with wide eyes.
"But that's exactly why I need to know! How else can I piece things together?" I insisted, clasping my hands together in mock pleading.
Xianlian sighed heavily and closed his fan with a snap. Tossing his hair back, he leaned closer, settling beside me again. "Alright, alright. Sit still and listen closely, Yu Hengtian. Let me remind you just how much of a scoundrel you were."
I nodded eagerly, and Xianlian's voice took on a dramatic, storytelling tone.
"One particular night in the Meilan Sect, you had this wild craving for pine wine. But, alas! The last drop of your precious stash was gone. Naturally, you decided that we, your humble partner-in-crime and eternal victim, had to sneak out to the night market to fix this dire situation. It didn't matter that we weren't supposed to leave our quarters. You had your heart set on it, and so, off we went."
I frowned, trying to recall, but Xianlian pressed on.
"We arrived at the bustling market, full of lights, laughter, and all manner of treasures. Your eyes sparkled like you'd found heaven itself—until, of course, you realized we'd both forgotten our money pouches."
I gasped, finally remembering faint fragments. "Wait... What did we do?"
Xianlian grinned wickedly. "What do you think, Yu Hengtian? We stole the wine, of course."
My jaw dropped. "No way!"
"Oh, yes way," Xianlian continued, now laughing heartily. "And just as we were about to make our grand escape, Yan Yue and his men caught us red-handed! You, being the oh-so-noble friend you are, did the one thing you excel at in moments of crisis."
I tilted my head in confusion. "What's that?"
"You ran!" Xianlian said, pointing his fan at me accusingly. "Without a second thought, you bolted, leaving me to face Yan Yue's wrath!"
I winced, biting back a guilty laugh. "That sounds... pretty bad."
Xianlian's fan snapped shut as he fell into a thoughtful pause, his gaze drifting into the distance. His usual playfulness faded, replaced by an uncharacteristic solemnity. He sighed and leaned back against the chair, his expression tinged with both regret and fondness.
"You know," he began softly, "thinking back to that time... it really was a mess."
I tilted my head curiously. "What happened?"
Xianlian chuckled dryly. "Well, you remember how I said I wanted revenge on Yan Yue? It started out as a game—setting him up, tricking him into trouble. But somewhere along the way, it stopped being about revenge for me. I started noticing little things about him—how composed he was, how deeply he cared about his duties, even if he was a stick in the mud. And instead of hating him, I..."
He trailed off, shaking his head as if frustrated with himself. "But my ego, as always, couldn't admit that. So we pulled that prank—the one where everyone thought Yan Yue had taken extra taxes from the vendors in Meilan. It worked too well. The Moonlight Sect's Xinfu—his father, no less—dealt him a harsh punishment: fifty lashes for dishonoring the sect's reputation."
Xianlian paused, his fingers brushing lightly against his fan as he stared at the floor. "We celebrated at first, you know? Revenge felt sweet for all of five seconds. But when I heard about the punishment, something twisted in my chest. It wasn't victory I felt—it was guilt. And maybe... something more."
He glanced at me, his eyes filled with a vulnerability I hadn't seen before. "I tried to stop it. Ran straight to the Moonlight Sect to confess everything.
I blinked, stunned. "And... what happened?"
His lips twisted into a wry smile. "Yan Yue's Xinfu didn't budge. He refused to cancel the punishment, saying, 'If my disciple was foolish enough to fall for your schemes, then he deserves to bear the consequences.' It was infuriating, but I couldn't argue with it. Yan Yue himself didn't fight back; he simply stood there, accepting his fate with that maddeningly calm expression of his."
Xianlian's voice softened further, tinged with regret. "I couldn't bear to see him like that. So, I did the only thing I could—I took the whips for him."
I stared, wide-eyed. "You what?"
He waved his fan dismissively, though his smile was tinged with pain. "Oh, it was dramatic, trust me. I threw myself in front of him, refused to move no matter how much he begged me to stop. The whips... they weren't kind, and Yan Yue? He just stood there, watching me, his eyes wide and filled with something I still can't describe."
Xianlian closed his eyes for a moment, as if reliving the scene. "After it was over, I could barely stand. Yan Yue caught me before I collapsed, and for the first time, I saw him lose that stoic mask. He begged me to stop being reckless, called me foolish, stubborn... but he held onto me like I was something precious."
Xianlian's gaze softened as he leaned back, the smile on his face almost melancholic. "It wasn't always easy, you know. After that day when I took the punishment for Yan Yue, when I was lying there barely able to move, he stayed with me. He took care of me—something I didn't expect from the person I had once tried to destroy. And in those quiet moments, when no one was watching, I saw another side of him, something I hadn't noticed before."
He chuckled softly, almost to himself. "It was strange... because nobody—neither our Xinfu nor his—interfered. They just let us be, thinking we were just two good friends. But little by little, the distance between us closed, and the feelings... they grew, deeper than I ever thought possible."
He looked at me, his expression thoughtful. "What you see, and what I saw, is completely different. I thought I hated him, but when he said 'I like you first,' everything changed. We fought, sure, I fought with my Xinfu's will pushing me, but deep down... I knew. I had to let go of the past."
I blinked, confusion flooding my mind. "But... you chose Yan Yue?"
Xianlian's smile widened slightly, though there was a hint of sadness. "Yes, but not in the way you think. You were the one who revealed everything first—the way you liked Wei Gege, how your heart belonged to him. I watched you, and I saw how your feelings were laid bare. For me, the only person left was Yan Yue."
My eyes widened in shock. "So... you two... ended up together because of me?"
Xianlian nodded slowly. "In a way, yes. Our paths were intertwined because of you. Your love for Wei Gege set everything in motion. And while it didn't happen the way I had planned, in the end, Yan Yue and I... we did get married."
His voice softened. "Sometimes, the unexpected paths lead to the deepest connections."
Xianlian stood up, a playful smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Why are you so shocked? Your story is far more interesting and romantic than mine could ever be." His voice held a teasing edge, yet there was something sincere in his tone. He turned toward the door, preparing to leave. "I have to get ready for the feast tonight, so don't dwell too long on my boring past. You have a lot to look forward to tonight."
Parting wide, each taking their own path,
The words in the heart, unsaid for so long, love like fireworks, lighting the night.
The past turns to smoke, the years unforgettable,
Misunderstandings cleared, hearts now aligned,