Chapter 257

". You forgot."

"Oh! No, no..." Seeing Pei Ye remembered; that was the morning at the martial arts hall, when he was helping the injured young girl get off the carriage and saw her tightly clutching the small bronze sword in her palm, which gave birth to the idea, and later told the young girl when previewing the martial arts competition venue.

"That... it hasn't arrived yet. Where did I say after the martial arts competition? At that time, I said it was after my friend arrived..."

"Hmm, alright." The young girl naturally remembered clearly; she just brought up this topic, and now that the goal was achieved, she tilted her head and said, "Seeing Pei Ye, I actually prepared a gift for you too."

Seeing Pei Ye's heart ached: ". Ah? What?"

"It's not done yet either," the young girl smiled. "You have to give it to me first, and then I'll give it to you."

"." Seeing Pei Ye breathed a sigh of relief.

The light rain hit the green leaves and stone tiles, washing the whole world very quietly.

Li Piaoqing's heart began to lift slowly; she took a deep, deep breath secretly.

"Pei, Seeing Pei Ye."

". Hmm?"

The young girl was still holding the small wooden board she had found somewhere; she had practiced many relaxed and natural rehearsals for this moment, but now that this name was spoken, her body immediately tensed up completely out of control.

In this silence where one could not hear anything, the young girl recited the lines she had prepared—she would absolutely not ask him if he had anything to do this time, "Do you think—"

The youth looked at her.

The moment he met those familiar eyes, the young girl's brain entered a kind of light and empty daze. The second half of the sentence was suddenly erased; she suddenly couldn't find what she wanted to say, or how to cleverly and windingly lead the topic to the invitation. Only that straightforward purpose remained in her brain.

"——That, shall we go rowing on the lake?"

After saying this, that empty daze completely enveloped her.

It's over, what was she saying.

She had prepared natural laughter in conversation, casually thinking of "Why is it raining again? Eh, by the way, then there will be 'Moon Lake Quiet Rain' to watch tonight!"; it was stepping and sighing leisurely "Sigh, suddenly I miss the smell in the boat cabin on the lake."; it could even be a coquettish and explicit squinting smile "Seeing Pei Ye, I want to go rowing with you today."

Then look at his dazed eyes.

Anyway, it was absolutely not a cold, dry sentence, "Shall we go rowing on the lake."

The young girl's brain was dazed; she really felt that the important moment she had prepared for several days had jumped out so hastily that it didn't feel real enough, and she really wanted to withdraw and start over.

She also didn't notice Seeing Pei Ye's somewhat stiff expression: "Ah... I still have to go back and practice sword with Yang Yan..."

"Don't practice." The young girl blurted out, and immediately her brain was dazed again. She wanted to remedy it more naturally, but her brain was blank; she just stared at the youth and repeated, "That... don't practice."

No, she should have smiled and repeated the words from the day she went to the Dan-singing gathering: "Eh, don't practice anymore, you are already the best in the world!"

Stunned by her own stupidity for a moment, her nose felt sour; she bit her lip and looked at the youth with a somewhat broken-jar-broken-fall attitude.

"."

Seeing Pei Ye felt his body stiffer than ever before.

He knew what he should say.

Just like the preparations the young girl made, he had also rehearsed many times yesterday evening for such a natural rejection.

Seeing Pei Ye had never fallen into such a moment; dealing with such things was like throwing a "Book of Documents" in front of his dazed and helpless expression. It was just that, like the young girl's keen intuition, in the youth's heart, there had always been an inexplicable cognition—their relationship should not move in this direction.

It cannot move in this direction.

Seeing Pei Ye had tossed and turned last night, trying to press down his messy thoughts, forcing himself to think about this matter for half the night, and finally reached a correct conclusion.

——Rejection must be as fast and decisive as possible.

Because the result is already there; you can't change it. It's not any relationship like adhesion, binding, or fitting—it is the wound of the young girl herself. When this emotion is produced, it has already grown together with flesh and blood. If you want to peel it off, you must bring blood and skin.

There is no way to cleverly separate it, and he cannot make the young girl accept this result without sadness; "the best of both worlds" is impossible in such things.

Therefore, hesitation will only make it grow deeper; cutting meat with a fast knife is the most correct and painful way.

When he figured out this truth, the youth suddenly covered his head with a quilt and lay motionless for a long time with his two big feet exposed in the cool night.

So now, he knew how he should treat the young girl's invitation.

"I don't have time to go, Li Piaoqing doesn't want to go either."

Just look at her eyes calmly, look at her blushing cheeks turning pale bit by bit, look at her clear eyes freezing, look at that soft movement touching the cold ice... end everything so painfully.

Just like the black cat said, "If you don't like her, just reject her directly," Seeing Pei Ye had to admit that it did reveal the truth, and he should comply.

But... that's not now.

It should be later... he told her, "Let's talk tomorrow."

How could it suddenly appear here.

It came too unexpectedly for him; at this moment, looking at the young girl's slowly blushing cheeks, her stupid and stiff words, her tightly clenched pale fingers... this accident also became an excuse for the youth to retreat.

"I—" Seeing Pei Ye had a sentence stuck in his throat.

The young girl looked at him, her gaze trembling as if hanging; she didn't know how obvious her nervous expression was, anyway, her teeth had already tightly bitten the inside of her lower lip.

"Then... let's go take a look." Seeing Pei Ye's heart suddenly deflated in front of this expression.

That gardenia bloomed suddenly, and the exploding excitement surged up from the bottom of his heart; the young girl tried hard to suppress it, but her eyebrows, eyes, mouth, fingers, toes... those joys still overflowed from every end of her body.

This smile of the young girl really made Seeing Pei Ye's tense heartstrings suddenly relax, and for a moment he revealed a smile from the bottom of his heart, but he quickly realized that this was drinking poison to quench thirst, and his face faded again.

The young girl didn't notice at all; she had already turned around lightly, her tone unable to suppress her flying spirit: "Then let's go quickly! The rain will stop in a while!"

"."

The Immortal Terrace here was already very south, and further south was the smooth black stone street; at this moment, it was stained with rain, even more like oil and mirror. From here down, it was the south bank of the Zhuoyue Lake, with a wharf and tied boats as flat as the Bowang Garden.

The two walked on the side of the street; after leaving the scope of the Immortal Terrace, they entered the shops and houses with continuous eaves. Li Piaoqing deliberately paused, turned her head with her hands behind her back, and looked at the youth coquettishly.

Seeing Pei Ye stopped silently and took a step outward on his own initiative.

Li Piaoqing immediately bloomed with a bright smile, jumped in with her legs together.

The young girl's demeanor and pace could show that she couldn't wait; Shen Yao hadn't had time to tell her that she should be more reserved and natural to leave herself more room.

But the young girl might not be able to learn even if she heard it; that was a bright temperament cultivated with the sword since childhood, in force and sweat; even if she was entangled in love for the first time, the young girl's emotions were clearly revealed, showing everything to the youth in her eyes without any defense.

"What did you chat about just now?" the young girl turned her head and smiled.

"No... didn't chat about anything, I just asked Shi Gu Niang some... matters about Yang Yan," Seeing Pei Ye suddenly began to feel timid.

Thinking of the place they were about to arrive at, thinking of the things that were about to happen, the flame of panic ignited in his heart, scorching his lips somewhat dry. The regret for the cowardly acceptance and fleeing halfway just now began to surge up, bringing annoyance—he had never felt that he was so soft-hearted.

"I mean the gathering," Li Piaoqing tilted her head and looked at him, squinting, "Why do you always think about Shi Gu Niang in your heart."

"Ah? Oh! It's just... chatted about the case."

"Hmm," Li Piaoqing stepped on the rainwater "pitter-patter", her eyes turned and she had already thrown out the next topic, "Seeing Pei Ye, how is that new sword of yours?"

". It's alright, quite good."

The young girl said seriously as if it were true: "Seeing Pei Ye, I think it somewhat plagiarizes the Shicui Sword."

Her eyes were bright, waiting for the youth to glare and refute.

Seeing Pei Ye looked forward; the end of the black stone street could finally be seen. From that fork in the road down, it was the Zhuoyue Lake; that panic of being timid pressed another step toward his heart.

He tightened his dry throat: "Is it? No... where?"

". Both swords are very light, and yours is even called 'Shanyu', isn't Shanyu a bird?" Li Piaoqing's tone was also lower.

"Mine should be heavier."

"Not much heavier."

". Oh."

"."

Without the banter back and forth, this was such a boring conversation, such a silly topic.

Li Piaoqing began to notice the strangeness and depression of the atmosphere, but she attributed this to her own problem, somewhat angry at herself for being stupid and unable to find beautiful topics.

Clearly, they could chat very happily at will before.

"Forget it, I'll tell you." Li Piaoqing said somewhat dejectedly, "This sword was actually picked for you by me when I went to the Prefecture Government Office martial arts library; it is very suitable for using the 'Jade Jade Sword'."

"Ah?" Seeing Pei Ye felt his heart fire surge up fiercely, scorching him somewhat wanting to escape, ". Thank you."

". What are you thanking me for?" Li Piaoqing frowned, and then raised her bright eyes, "Didn't you feel it?"

"I've been learning 'Snow Collapse' recently and haven't tried it yet."

"Oh."

"."

Silence again.

Li Piaoqing's mood really dropped somewhat; the prepared laughter and witty remarks were not said at all, only feeling that she performed like a fool on this road.

But in front of the smoke willow, the black stone road finally came to an end, and the open lake surface unfolded in her field of vision.

The cool fog moistened her heart, the lake rain brushed her face, and that small boat was tied to the embankment.

So the young girl's mood immediately improved again—if she didn't perform well, she didn't perform well; this was the next link!

Just like this boat was reserved by her in advance, those topics were also carefully divided and controlled by the young girl.

Just now, she didn't ask the youth about his past or family matters like the other day, because this road was for chatting; those deep and important parts, she was still reluctant to throw them out and wanted to save them carefully for the boat.

Thinking of the chat in a while, her footsteps quickened by half a beat, and she turned to the stone path leading to the lakeside.

Seeing Pei Ye almost couldn't move his feet.

That small boat that was just enough to hold two people appeared in his field of vision; the beautiful scenery and the young girl's light back merged together, looking like another world in his eyes.

He heard his own heartbeat like a drum; the panic had completely pressed up, and Seeing Pei Ye felt like a liar who was about to be exposed.

"Hurry up!" the young girl turned her head and smiled, "Why are you so dawdling."

This smile scorched him so much that he didn't dare to look; he looked stiffly at the small boat, and only when he found it getting closer and closer did he realize that he still hadn't stopped his footsteps.

Must stop, Seeing Pei Ye... the deeper you walk, the more you hurt her.

But if you stop, you have to face the young girl's dazed eyes and questions... how should you answer her?

The prepared wording was now all a mess; Seeing Pei Ye felt for the first time that he was like a waste; in such a chaotic heart, the lake water soaked his toes, and he had stopped by the boat.

Li Piaoqing jumped onto the small boat, held the oar, turned around and looked at him... and then suddenly hesitated, and stretched out a fair hand toward him.

The young girl tried hard to make this behavior look natural, but her unnatural dodging eyes had already betrayed her; she stood prettily at the bow of the boat, her face flushed and ears red, tilting her head slightly down; the state of this moment was enough to make the orchids on the shore lose their color.

Only the fair and slender hand stretched out toward him remained, like a clear and fragile white flower in the cold wind and cool rain... it was indeed trembling.

This flower of invitation was like a piece of dry firewood.

That panic instantly burned through Seeing Pei Ye's psychological defense line; he stood motionless and whispered a sentence: "Don't go, Piaoqing."

This sentence didn't even open his lips; Li Piaoqing clearly didn't hear it clearly and was dazed for a moment: "What?"

The lake rain became as quiet as the cool fog, and the smoke willow stood motionless.

". Don't go, Piaoqing," he repeated with his head down, not daring to look at her.

Li Piaoqing froze.

". Why, why?"

Even the sound of the waves was covered up, and it seemed as if one could hear a needle drop all around.

Because I don't want to go.

Because I shouldn't go; I know why you sent this invitation... so I can't go.

Say it, Seeing Pei Ye.

But even if Seeing Pei Ye stared straight at the ground, he felt the fragile heartbeat and breathing of the young girl in front of him because of his silence.

The youth could completely imagine the way she was looking at him.

". I suddenly remembered, Yang Yan asked me to go back and practice sword quickly... that matter of his is quite urgent," Seeing Pei Ye didn't know what he was saying, "So let's... next time... anyway, rowing or not, it doesn't matter... I think..."

His voice grew lower and lower, until it was finally inaudible.

"."

Silence.

The messy heartbeat and breathing in front of him disappeared.

Seeing Pei Ye's heart was clenched into a ball.

Liar.

Li Piaoqing looked blankly at the youth with his head hanging and uneasy in front of her; his tense body was as stiff as a dead tree.

Only after being knocked out of her world by this unexpected sentence did she see the youth's real state for the first time.

The young girl's heart seemed to have been poured with a basin of cold ice water, falling straight down.

She suddenly realized that this wasn't the first time she had seen this appearance.

This feeling of being suddenly avoided and rejected when her heart was full of softness and enthusiasm... she was actually already familiar with it.

On that rainy street of the bright moon, the shadows of the two people stuck together; she suddenly blushed and lowered her head, but still held onto this topic and coquettishly teased him, but what she faced was a back and a hasty, "Go quickly".

On the road after getting off the arena, they chatted and laughed, but after she suddenly felt aggrieved for no reason and asked in a muffled voice, "Can't you let me win?", the youth suddenly stiffened from a lively bird into a piece of wood, almost fleeing away from her.

And after sending off the Fenghuai group, and when they met at noon, and... this road just now.

This wasn't his first time... avoiding her.

Before she realized she liked him, he was already rejecting her.

This discovery made the young girl feel cold and stiff for a moment, and her brain fell into a dazed and helpless void again.

Now, the youth's clumsy excuse was in front of her, but she didn't have the courage to uncover this lie.

"It... it wouldn't be that urgent," she stammered somewhat incoherently, "We... just row for a while... half an hour is very fast..."

Seeing Pei Ye's dying head trembled: "It's quite urgent."

Silence.

". Oh," she gave a light, hoarse sound.

Seeing Pei Ye turned and left as if fleeing.

Woo woo woo little Li.

There is an assignment that needs to be rushed tomorrow, it might be updated late, a notice for now.

(End of chapter)