Chapter 364 - 183: Gu Haitang’s Wish (2)
Has he already ruthlessly rejected her once, does he have to hurt her again?
Qin Mengyao gracefully lifted her head, her tear-filled eyes shimmering, once again becoming the gentle and reliable senior sister from years ago.
"Chu Xuan, junior brother, wait for me, I will come to find you later."
Countless words were stuck in Chu Xuan’s throat, and in the end, he could only say: "Be careful, take good care of yourself."
Qin Mengyao nodded vigorously, and at this final moment of farewell, she suddenly grabbed Chu Xuan’s hand, guiding it to her long, round thigh, the touch incredibly delicate and silky.
Chu Xuan was somewhat caught off guard, but Qin Mengyao blushingly said: "You must remember me, don’t forget me. In the future, after you marry your senior sister, I’ll let you touch it every day."
After saying this last sentence, she decisively turned and jumped into the river, a string of glistening tears faintly falling through the air...
Chu Xuan stood there silently watching, unable to speak for a long time.
...
Ji Mingyu naturally witnessed this scene, and at this moment she felt not only envy, jealousy, and hatred, but surprisingly also a hint of trepidation.
She understood Chu Xuan’s character well, and this goodbye from Qin Mengyao before she left was a tremendous blow to this "little virgin," especially after his feelings had been repeatedly bruised.
The senior sister had always held a significant place in Chu Xuan’s heart, and this reunion after so many years not only reminded him of the past but also deepened his feelings. The longer they are apart in the future, the more Chu Xuan will miss her.
At that time, wouldn’t her own position in Chu Xuan’s heart be extremely precarious?
Watching her master biting her nails incessantly, Xiao Xue didn’t know what to say, she could only watch silently.
Praying that those two wouldn’t mess things up next.
...
Long after, Chu Xuan finally turned around.
Qingqing and Gu Haitang had quietly approached him, but dared not disturb him. Suddenly seeing him look their way, they both became extremely nervous.
Chu Xuan spoke in a low tone: "The things you said before, do they still stand?"
The two women were taken aback, unsure of what he referred to.
However, Gu Haitang quickly reacted, she nodded firmly and said: "They stand, I only ask for a chance to explain, after we’ve talked alone and I send you back to the Cyan Lotus Daoist Palace, I will leave."
Qingqing hastily nodded in agreement, "Me too."
As Primordial Monarch Taixu said, having a heart-to-heart while alone, using love to accommodate, is the best moment to resolve misunderstandings.
Thus, Chu Xuan agreed, he waved to Gu Haitang, signaling her to follow him upstream to the riverbank, while Qingqing waited in place.
Unexpectedly, Gu Haitang nervously said: "Wait, Chu Xuan, Qingqing agreed to testify for me, can you listen to her ’testimony’ first?"
By "testify", she naturally meant back during the wedding day, where Qingqing went all out claiming Gu Haitang was a bad person to ruin the wedding, despite knowing in her heart she wasn’t that bad yet still insisted on the accusation.
As per earlier, you couldn’t be soft-hearted when fighting for a man, if Qingqing had spoken well of Gu Haitang at the wedding, they might already have kids calling him "dad" now.
However, afterward, Qingqing did feel guilty toward Haitang, thinking her actions were truly despicable.
Gu Haitang had indeed been to the point of hating Qingqing to the extreme at the wedding, wishing to perish together with her.
But recently, after this pursuit of "retrieving her husband," their relationship somewhat eased, and Qingqing had promised to help prove her innocence.
This was why they had such a tacit understanding earlier, even with Qingqing calling her "Sister Gu," Haitang also agreed, it wasn’t just because of their "unified front" agreement.
Upon hearing this, Chu Xuan calmly looked at Qingqing.
Heaven help her, Qingqing tightly clutched the corners of her clothes, feeling nervous, panicked, and frightened, worried that once the truth was revealed, Chu Xuan would utterly reject and abandon her.
But she had already promised Gu Haitang, and she knew, Haitang’s mistake was not coming clean sooner, she couldn’t make the same error.
So finally, Qingqing closed her eyes, tears streaming as she choked out: "Chu, Chu Xuan, listen to me."
"At the time, during the wedding, through [Heart Listening], I could actually discern which of Haitang’s words were true or false, but, but I cared too much about you, so I said she was entirely deceiving you..."
Chu Xuan listened to Qingqing finish her teary confession, still maintaining a calm demeanor, showing no anger. In the end, he merely nodded, his voice hoarse, "I understand."
Only then did Qingqing dare open her eyes to look at him, but seeing his expressionless face, her panic only grew, almost wishing he’d slap her, she’d feel better inside then.
Chu Xuan took hold of Gu Haitang’s hand, under her surprised, excited, and anxious gaze, silently holding her, leading her to the riverbank shrouded in the mountain mist.
Qingqing watched their figures gradually disappear, finally collapsing powerlessly to the ground, her gaze vacant, as if losing the courage to continue living.
...
Gu Haitang’s heart was racing, she only thought that once Chu Xuan knew the truth, he’d soon forgive her, and they could be together again, even the wedding could start being planned anew, for a moment, she was so happy she thought she might faint, even wondering if she was dreaming!
Of course, before Chu Xuan made a statement, there was still some anxiety.
It was tough waiting for him to stop moving, and Gu Haitang immediately threw herself into his arms, once holding him she couldn’t help crying, as if wanting to vent all the grievances over the years at this moment.
Chu Xuan silently embraced her, even gently stroking her long hair, this tender gesture making Haitang cry even more severely, she choked out:
"Chu, Chu Xuan, I, I indeed made mistakes, but not as serious as you think, at most I deceived, but there was no betrayal, no treachery, really, you have to believe me."
"I’m sorry," Chu Xuan softly said: "On the wedding day, I indeed acted emotionally, and was too harsh on you."
"Wuwu, it’s, it’s alright, as long as we two stay well together from now on, it’s enough..."
Gu Haitang hadn’t finished speaking when Chu Xuan interrupted: "I lied to you too."
"What?" Gu Haitang lifted her tear-filled eyes, somewhat perplexed.
Chu Xuan lowered his gaze to meet her eyes, "Back in the Ruo Wood Secret Realm, you asked if something happened between me and Master Pei underground?"
"I lied saying nothing happened, but actually, due to some unforeseen circumstances, something intimate did occur between us."
"So that’s why I say, we both deceived each other, you shouldn’t blame yourself too much."
Gu Haitang bit her lip, "I guessed as much, wasn’t it when Master Pei secretly appeared to see you one last time upon leaving the Purple Heaven Jade Mansion."
"I saw it back in the secret realm, after you came up from underground, Master Pei’s gaze towards you completely changed, it was the gaze towards a beloved."
"I know, I know all of it, but as long as you’re willing to be with me, I can overlook everything, I just want to fly and rest with you, that’s my greatest wish."
Her tone was sincere and earnest, her eyes gleaming with hope.
Chu Xuan was silent, after a long time he finally said: "I am not worthy."
Gu Haitang lifted her head, cupping his face with both hands, "There’s no such thing as worthy or not, only love or not."
She pleaded with an expectant tone: "Chu Xuan, can we forget all the unhappy things?"
"From now on, let’s be together forever, as a couple everyone envies."
Chu Xuan’s eyes were filled with pain and sadness, he struggled for a long time before he finally whispered: "I can’t."
Gu Haitang was stunned, "You, what did you say?"