087 I Love You, No Matter Who You Are

Though I said that, I still followed Li Yexuan through the darkness.

Baili Yue had only told me roughly where to go, not the exact spot. It was said that if she knew where I was, she would feel ill at ease.

I asked her: if she would feel ill at ease, why did she still want me to eavesdrop?

She said she wanted to ask Bai Li Changfeng plainly what he meant. Otherwise, she would never find peace in this lifetime. Whether the truth was good or bad, if it came from her own mouth, it would only be muddled and unclear; better that I hear it myself and help her make sense of it.

Thinking it over, it did make some sense, so I agreed.

I did not know whether, in the end, I would be breaking up lovers or bringing together two miserable souls. Their identities made it impossible for me to judge.

"Li Yexuan," I asked softly, "do you think it is wrong for us to insert ourselves like this? What if Baili Yue buries it in her heart and never says a word, and they both carry this secret all their lives, only to marry others and live on that way? Even if Baili Yue cannot get past it now, once she has a husband and children, perhaps she will."

"Now that we are already here, do you think it is still too late?"

"That is true." I felt a little regretful. I had been instilling modern ideas into a girl of this era, and now she was determined to ask for a clear answer.

"Li Yexuan, was I wrong..."

Before I could finish, Li Yexuan pulled me hard and dragged me behind a rockery, clamping a hand over my mouth.

"Mmph..."

Only after my dissatisfied protest did he finally loosen his hand.

My face was burning red from being covered by his palm. I felt a little awkward. Ever since that one loss of control, I had been extremely careful, trying my best to avoid any physical contact with Li Yexuan, so as not to kindle a fire and burn myself.

It was obvious that Li Yexuan was paying attention to that as well.

The air behind the rockery turned awkward for a moment, and neither of us spoke.

Then the clear notes of a zither sounded.

Following the sound, I saw Baili Yue’s fingers plucking the strings.

Li Yexuan did the same, quietly and in tacit understanding, hiding with me behind the rockery and eavesdropping.

If the people of Moonlight Kingdom knew that I had corrupted their noble Night King, and even brought him here to listen at the wall, I wondered whether they would be tempted to come at me with knives.

As she played, Baili Yue sang:

"Spring fades, the red has thinned, the green apricots are small.
Swallows pass, and green waters wind around houses.
Willow floss on the branches blows away again and again;
where in the horizon is there no fragrant grass?
Inside the wall, the swing;
outside the wall, the road.
A traveler outside the wall,
a beauty laughing within.
The laughter fades, the voice grows faint,
yet the one full of feeling is vexed by one without feeling..."

Baili Yue’s hand remained on the zither, but her gaze was fixed on the figure walking toward her out of the dark, while tears streamed down her face.

Bai Li Changfeng wore a blue robe. Like Baili Yue, he was a rare beauty, yet the two bore no resemblance one could easily name. He said nothing, only stood quietly not far from her, looking at her.

The scene under the moon was beautiful, yet desolate. Through the moonlight, I saw sorrow and grief in Bai Li Changfeng’s eyes. It seemed he had long since sensed Baili Yue’s feelings; with just one glance, I was almost certain Bai Li Changfeng had different feelings for Baili Yue as well.

If only they were ordinary man and woman. What a perfect life that would have been, lacking nothing at all.

But it seemed Heaven had made a cruel jest of them.

No song lasts forever, just as no life does.

The music ended.

Bai Li Changfeng applauded.

Baili Yue laid down the zither and rose, slowly walking toward Bai Li Changfeng.

Each of her steps was unsteady; I could feel that every one of them was treading upon the thorned tip of her own heart. Her fist was clenched tight, yet it trembled violently.

"This tune," he said, "I heard my mother sing it when I was little. I did not expect Yue'er to sing it even better than she did."

"Brother flatters me."

"You called me out so late at night just to hear Yue'er sing?"

"I said I had something very important to ask you. Do you believe me, Brother?"

"I do. Speak."

"Does Brother truly like Jinyu?"

I had thought Baili Yue would ask it outright; I had not expected her first question to be this. She was truly a woman of deep feeling.

"The child in her belly is mine. He is also your nephew."

Bai Li Changfeng’s answer gave Baili Yue hope.

"So Brother does not truly love Jinyu. That is good. Brother has not disappointed me."

"What do you mean?"

"Brother, I like you." The words finally came out of her mouth.

Bai Li Changfeng affectionately stroked Baili Yue’s hair.

"How could any younger sister not like her elder brother?"

"No, it is not that. Not that sort of liking. It is love. Brother, I love you. I want to be your woman. I want to bear your children, just as Jinyu does..."

As she spoke, Baili Yue threw herself into Bai Li Changfeng’s arms.

I inwardly cried out that this was bad. Baili Yue was too direct. How had she become so reckless the moment the matter involved Bai Li Changfeng and Jinyu? Why not take it slowly? How was this to be resolved now?

Yet there was truly no other way. Anyone facing such a thing would lose their composure. If it were me, I would probably not ask at all. The difference between me and Baili Yue was that if Bai Li Changfeng already had someone else, I would no longer be able to accept him. The idea of one life, one pair of hearts was something I could not break in my own mind, nor could I cross that boundary.

But Baili Yue could accept it.

If it were me, I would already have packed a bundle and run away from home.

Still, I never dared tell her what I would do if I were Baili Yue. After all, for a woman raised in seclusion like her, fleeing alone would be extremely dangerous.

If she really ran, what would I do if the city lord and Bai Li Changfeng came asking me for her?

Bai Li Changfeng did not embrace Baili Yue. Instead, he struck her across the face.

Five bright red finger marks bloomed on Baili Yue’s cheek, and blood leaked from the corner of her mouth. The force of that slap was clearly no small thing.

Baili Yue clutched her face in disbelief, staring at Bai Li Changfeng before her.

I could not help wanting to rush out, but Li Yexuan held me back and signaled with his eyes that I must not act rashly.

Baili Yue had indeed warned me that, whatever happened between the two of them, I must not come out. Setting aside the fact that they were biological siblings, seeing Baili Yue’s deep devotion answered with a slap made me furious on her behalf.

Still, too many hands should not meddle in the private affairs of two people.

"I am your real brother."

Bai Li Changfeng’s voice, though that of a man of upright bearing and broad shoulders, was trembling.

"I love you, no matter who you are."

Bai Li Changfeng turned and left, but Baili Yue seized the sleeve of his robe.

"Brother..."

"Enough. Do not say another word. We are blood siblings. It is impossible. It goes against the natural order and is despised by the world. I will soon take Jinyu into my household, and I will wait for the child to be born. Let us forget what happened today. I am still your brother who dotes on you dearly. If you insist on doing something reckless, then I will no longer be your brother."

Baili Yue let go of Bai Li Changfeng’s hand.

He did not look back even once as he left, while Baili Yue remained standing in place.

The evening wind was strong, lifting her robes.

In the wind, she looked so small, as if a stronger gust might carry her away.

With tears streaming down her face, she stood there for who knew how long before finally turning back.

After Baili Yue had gone far away, Li Yexuan and I emerged from behind the rockery, becoming the only two figures beneath the moonlight.

"This time, she must truly be hurt. But why do I feel that Bai Li Changfeng also has feelings for Baili Yue?" Unless it concerned my own affairs, I was always blunt in front of Li Yexuan, and he was already used to it.

"Do you know why Bai Li Changfeng ended up with Jinyu?"

How was I supposed to answer that? Of course it was because they had done that sort of thing first.

"It is said that two months ago, there was a banquet at the Bai Li residence. Baili Yue performed a dance and outshone all the other ladies. After the banquet, the Wu family formally came to propose marriage on behalf of their second son, who was of suitable age for her. Bai Li Changfeng was there at the time as well. The Wu family is also a scholarly house, quite renowned in Mapleleaf City. Their second son is handsome, courteous, and exceptionally self-disciplined, with not a single concubine. The city lord was very satisfied with the match and agreed on the spot."

"What does that have to do with it?"

"That night, Bai Li Changfeng drank quite a lot, and with the maid Jinyu..."

"You mean Bai Li Changfeng truly also has feelings for Baili Yue, but because he could do nothing about it, he drowned his sorrow in drink and ended up making this foolish mistake?"

Li Yexuan nodded.

"Then what are we to do now?"

"For the sake of the entire Bai Li clan, Bai Li Changfeng will certainly not admit it. As long as Baili Yue can come to terms with it, things will return to peace."

"So you had already guessed she would suffer terribly this time?"

"After bitterness comes sweetness."

"Li Yexuan, how do you know so much?"

"Money can make the world go round."

"Ah, you..." My expression suddenly turned solemn.

"What is it?"

"Baili Yue is going to be in trouble."

With that, I bolted toward Baili Yue’s room.

Something was wrong with Baili Yue’s eyes. If she could cry her heart out, or shout in fury, then there would be no problem.

But her gaze was one of utter despair, of resentment, of having lost all will to live.

No matter how I calculated it, I had never imagined Baili Yue would be this desperate.

The more anxious I became, the more confused I grew, and in the darkness I could no longer tell which way to go to reach Baili Yue’s room.

"This way, quickly."

Li Yexuan grabbed me and ran in another direction.

"You know where I’m going?" Even as I ran, I could not help asking him. In such a huge place, if we took the wrong path and had to turn back, it might already be too late.

"Nonsense."

I swear I had never run that fast in my life, but I still could not keep up with Li Yexuan’s pace; in the end, he had to carry me part of the way with lightness skill.

At this moment, Bai Li Changfeng never imagined that his decisiveness would leave Baili Yue standing at the edge of the abyss. He also failed to foresee that one slap would destroy all the happiness of his life.

The world was never fair, and fate was always playing tricks on people.

When you loved me, I did not love you.

When I loved you, you had already fallen madly in love with me.

And the truth was something none of us had expected, not even Li Yexuan, who thought of everything so thoroughly. He had not gone so far as to investigate something buried in such distant years...