Chapter 136
Cheng Bai's emotions shifted from initial joy, to anxiety, and finally to dejection… He waited from sitting at the table, to waiting at the door, to waiting outside the door… The food grew cold and was reheated, then grew cold again… That person ultimately did not come.
Cheng Bai sat numbly on the garden path, staring fixedly at the entrance. His whole body felt as if someone had poured a bucket of ice water over his head from top to bottom, cold and numb.
His once fervent heart gradually lost its warmth, as if it had even stopped beating.
Suddenly, the Luminescent Flowerss along the path flickered a few times, then drifted into the air. It was as if the Milky Way on the ground had scattered into the atmosphere, the scene quite spectacular and beautiful. But the person sitting there in a daze didn't glance at it once, his eyes fixed intently on the empty entrance… his gaze dim.
Slowly, the radiance scattered in the air also gradually dimmed and dissipated…
These Luminescent Flowerss, picked from the sea and able to last only a day, had withered… It was already early morning, the light was gone… That little delicate one never came.
Cheng Bai pulled at the corner of his mouth in a self-mocking manner, moved his numb legs, and slowly stood up. He looked around the silent Jiuyuan Courtyard in the early morning; not even the sounds of insects or birds could be heard… In order to make the Luminescent Flowerss look better, Cheng Bai had not allowed any lanterns to be lit. Now that the Luminescent Flowerss had withered, the entire Jiuyuan Courtyard was plunged into pitch black, greatly resembling his current heart—locked in a sealed, damp, and cold place, not a sliver of light able to penetrate.
The servant waiting outside saw him rise and came over with a lantern, asking him: "Young Master, shall we…"
"Let's go back. Throw away all the things on the table." Cheng Bai put his hands behind his back and walked out numbly.
Outside the gate, hidden in the shadows, Pan Shulin quietly watched Cheng Bai as he walked out.
The beastman's white clothes were covered in dew. On such a cold day, he was already dressed lightly, and the dew had dampened his garments…
He walked dazedly like this, wearing half-damp clothes, his usually star-like silver eyes now dim…
Pan Shulin, who had been full of resentment just moments before, now felt his heart hurt as if sharp claws had grabbed it.
He hurried out. The attendant behind him couldn't stop him in time and could only stamp his foot and follow.
"Brother Bai." Pan Shulin ran up to Cheng Bai and reached out to grab his arm. Cheng Bai turned his head stiffly to look at him, his dry, chapped lips rubbing together, finally speaking.
"Why haven't you left yet?"
"And you, Brother Bai? Why were you so happy before, but so dejected now?" Pan Shulin asked, already knowing the answer.
Cheng Bai turned his face away in embarrassment, not replying. He withdrew his arm from Pan Shulin's grasp and changed the subject: "Go back."
Having said this, without waiting for Pan Shulin's reply, he walked forward dazedly.
Pan Shulin gritted his teeth and said: "Even now, you can't bear to speak a word against him, can you? He stood you up! He's toying with you."
"It's not that serious." Cheng Bai sighed deeply, his face full of weariness: "Perhaps something delayed him. Besides, even if he didn't come, it was to be expected."
After all, he had treated him so badly back then… Standing that little delicate one up was something he did quite often…
He originally didn't know that being stood up could make someone feel this awful. He was wrong in the past.
Cheng Bai walked forward dejectedly. No matter how much Pan Shulin called after him, he no longer responded.
"Young Master, let's go back, it's almost dawn," the attendant, seeing the situation, stepped forward to persuade.
Pan Shulin looked at Cheng Bai's retreating back, lowered his eyes in thought, then shook his head: "No. Right now, at a time like this, I need to stay by Brother Bai's side even more."
As he said this, he hurried forward a couple of steps, but suddenly seemed to remember something. He turned back, grabbed the attendant, and asked: "Is the wine we prepared still in Brother Bai's room?"
The attendant, hearing this, suddenly realized: "Oh no, it's still sitting on that table! Young Master… if someone else finds it, what should we do!"
Pan Shulin smiled upon hearing this: "Tonight, Brother Bai called all the servants to Jiuyuan. Even now, those people are still cleaning up the courtyard. How could anyone discover it? Now, if I go back with him, it's perfect. He hasn't eaten anything either…"
The attendant was greatly surprised: "Young Master, you still want to go back with Young Master Cheng…"
Before the attendant could finish, Pan Shulin had already hurried after Cheng Bai.
"Brother Bai, I'll accompany you back," Pan Shulin comforted softly. Cheng Bai shook his head dejectedly and paid him no further mind.
Walking all the way back to his own residence, Cheng Bai found it completely silent. He was momentarily puzzled, then remembered he had taken all his own servants to Jiuyuan. Even the only person originally left to guard the house had ended up following Pan Shulin to Jiuyuan as well…
Everyone in Ning'an City knew this courtyard belonged to him, Cheng Bai, and no one would dare steal anything from it. With the gate wide open, if not for all the lights in the house being off, he would have thought it was welcoming him home…
He didn't even have a ger, so who would be there to welcome him home…
"Brother Bai, I won't go back to my pavilion. How about I wait here for you to come back every day?"
The words that little delicate one had previously said, sticking close to him, flashed through Cheng Bai's mind, and he was momentarily lost in thought…
That little delicate one back then was truly both delicate and soft, and also clingy. With just a slight touch or rub, he could practically stick right to him, unable to be pulled off.
Not at all like his current aloofness…
The more he remembered how good the little delicate one used to be, the more dejected Cheng Bai felt.
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