Resisting the Wind and Splendor

"So you think that if you hadn't agreed to hug her, she might have lived a few more days, right?" Chu Yue's heart tightened; she hadn't expected this guy to think that way.

Has he spent these past few days in regret and remorse?

Lu Yunfei nodded, then shook his head, and finally sighed, "In the end, I have to leave."

“There’s something no one has told you, but I think you should know. It’s not fair to Xue’er if you don’t know.”

Chu Yueli had been thinking about this for a long time; whether she spoke of it or not, it would be a mistake.

But at least for Xue'er, it's an explanation.

Moreover, she felt that Lu Yunfei should grow up, and when he did, he should take on the responsibilities he should bear.

Perhaps Xue'er will no longer be his responsibility, but he still has to learn to process some feelings on his own.

Lu Yunfei felt a sudden unease for no apparent reason: "What is it?"

"Do you know how the poison was administered to Xue'er?" Chu Yueli asked.

Lu Yunfei hurriedly said, "When we were little, we went out together and encountered an assassin who poisoned her."

"No, the assassin's intended target was you."

"What?" Lu Yunfei felt a bang in his head, and suddenly his mind went blank.

"She was poisoned while trying to save you," Chu Yueli said calmly.

Lu Yunfei didn't speak, but his fingers slowly tightened, and his sharp nails finally dug into his palm, leaving several bloody marks.

Xue'er was poisoned because of him.

It was he who implicated Xue'er; it was he who caused Xue'er to lose her life at such a young age.

"But she never regretted it, and she forbade anyone to mention it, not even Consort Yu. So you have never known about it all these years."

"There are many, many things you don't know. She really likes you, so much so that she would give anything for you."

"She should have left long ago. The best imperial physicians in the palace have examined her. In fact, she should have left three years ago. But she didn't. She gritted her teeth and lived on because her mother told her that when she turned twenty, she would find a good girl for her. She also wanted to see what kind of good girl would be fortunate enough to stand by her side."

"Unfortunately, she didn't make it to the end; she really couldn't take it anymore."

"Witch..."

"Did I say something that made you feel bad, that your heart hurts?" But the pain Xue'er endured was ten times, a hundred times, more painful than his!

"She really likes you, you know? The deadly poison has long since invaded her internal organs, and she often screams and rolls around in pain at night. But she's always smiling in front of you, isn't she? It's because she wants to show you her best side, and she wants you to always remember her smile."

Lu Yunfei clutched his head, his heart aching so badly that even breathing felt difficult.

Chu Yueli continued softly, "She liked you very much when she was very, very young, Yunfei. Don't forget her, never forget her."

Lu Yunfei buried his face in his knees so she wouldn't see it.

Chu Yueli didn't say anything more, but just sat aside and quietly watched him.

After an unknown amount of time, Lu Yunfei suddenly said in a hoarse voice, "Witch, I... can't breathe."

Chu Yueli sighed, straightened her legs, and patted the robes he had just laid on the ground: "You've been curled up for a long time, of course you can't breathe. Lie down and rest for a while, you'll feel better."