Chapter 88: Tongtong, Mom Comes to See You

After saying that, Liu Junyan drank the tea in the cup in one gulp, stood up and left.

As he moved, the girl also sprang to her feet, shouting at his back: "Āyàn, the fish I grilled burnt again."

Grilled fish……was how Liu Junyan and Ālí first met, and it bears witness to their feelings.

It is like a secret sign unique to them.

The girl's behavior now is just like that painting Liu Junyan drew for me that day.

It is a plea for peace, an attempt to please, and also a bond.

But Liu Junyan's steps did not pause in the slightest.

As he kept approaching the door, my heart began to thump wildly.

Just as Liu Junyan reached out to open the door, from behind came the girl's voice, choked with tears, once again: "The willows of Cangwu snap, the Ling waters surge, yet they cannot match the Yellow Springs; without meeting, there is no seeing."

Liu Junyan's steps suddenly halted, the girl's sobbing voice came through, and in that instant my head felt as if it were about to explode with pain.

The willows of Cangwu snap, the Ling waters surge, yet they cannot match the Yellow Springs…

Countless images flashed through my mind—blazing mountains, waves rolling wildly, the girl's desperate howl beneath her mask, and those amber vertical pupils filled with endless pain.

My heart ached as if a chunk had been gouged out, and tears streamed down uncontrollably.

I staggered two steps, unable to stand, and after a few moments I crashed to the ground with a thud, losing consciousness.

I had a very long dream; its scenes alternated between dimness and being engulfed in flames, the sky awash in red.

Countless voices spoke near my ears, yet I could grasp nothing of what they said.

I was like a purposeless ghost drifting in midair, reviewing my life…

Until a voice harshly broke through: "Xiao Jiu, Xiao Jiu, wake up!"

I slowly opened my eyes, but all I saw was a sea of red.

The next moment, a pair of large hands covered my eyes, lifted my upper body, and I leaned against that familiar broad chest.

A faint scent of sandalwood wrapped around, yet I instantly sat upright and quickly shifted two inches the opposite way.

The hand covering my eyes was removed, light flooded in, and the pain made me groan.

I hurriedly closed them, opened again, closed again… after several times, upon opening my eyes I could see clearly.

I was back, lying on the bed in my own room.

Liu Junyan sat on the bedside, looking at me with worried eyes: "Xiao Jiu, don't be afraid—it's just excess fire attacking the heart, injuring the mind; rest two days and you'll recover."

He reached out again to hug me, but I swiftly dodged.

"Xiao Jiu…"

His tone was hurt, and I buried my face in my knees, not responding.

We remained in that stalemate for a while; the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Finally, Liu Junyan let out a soft sigh and left.

Not long after, Li Qingying came in carrying a bowl of fragrant porridge.

She sat down and said: "Xiao Jiu, are you hungry? You've been unconscious for a day and a night; have some porridge to soothe your stomach."

I exclaimed: "It's already been a day and a night?"

"Yes." Li Qingying said, "When Seventh Lord carried you back yesterday, you were burning hot, your eyes blood-red; Seventh Lord poured a lot of true qi into you, and only then did you gradually stabilize—it was terrifying."

"This is indeed Seventh Lord's fault—he shouldn't have kept his appointment with Hu Yulin! Xiao Jiu, considering he guarded you day and night, please forgive him this once, okay?"

I shook my head: "Qingying sister, I'm not angry with him."

I just… just feel a little afraid.

Afraid that if I speak, Liu Junyan will tell me the girl brought by the Fox Lord is the true Ālí, while I am merely an impostor.

The last sentence the girl said obviously dealt a heavy blow to Liu Junyan.

I only blame myself for being useless—I fainted then and didn't know what happened afterward.

"I've been saying it all along—you two have always been so close, how could you be so easily driven apart by Hu Yulin!" Li Qingying said indignantly, "That damned fox always brings trouble whenever he shows up; in my view, he can't stand seeing you two get along, so he fabricated an impostor to drive a wedge between you and Seventh Lord—Xiao Jiu, you must absolutely not fall for it."

Li Qingying is not usually talkative, but today for Liu Junyan she went all out.

But she had a point: if the Fox Lord is certain that girl is Ālí, why does he also insist that Liu Junyan recognize her?

After all, the Fox Lord has waited for Ālí for so many years; his feelings for her are surely no less than Liu Junyan's.

After finally finding Ālí, there hasn't even been time to hide her.

Could it really be to drive a wedge between me and Liu Junyan?

What benefit would that bring him?

It surely isn't for my sake.

I feel that if I keep thinking like this, I'll go crazy.

I drank the porridge, took a shower, then leaned against the headboard scrolling my phone, watching others eat on livestreams to blank my mind.

Perhaps I slept too much during the day; at night I turned off the light, lay in bed, and tossed and turned unable to sleep.

Around ten o'clock, footsteps suddenly sounded from behind.

It was light, not like Li Qingying's.

Not long after, the pawnshop's main door opened and that person went out.

My mood sank again for no reason; after waiting a while, I got up, went out, and looked toward the west corridor.

Sure enough, the hexagonal palace lamp was gone.

So the one who just went out was Liu Junyan.

In the middle of the night, what is he sneaking out to do?

He's been stuck in the pawnshop for so long; only just now could he use the hexagonal palace lamp to go out—there can't be many people he needs to contact, right?

Could it be that he's going to meet…her?

Thinking of this, I silently retreated back to my room, pulled the blanket over, closed my eyes, and waited for sleepiness to come.

But I just couldn't fall asleep; it was past 1 a. m. when Liu Junyan returned, and only then did I drift off to sleep.

The next morning I got up a little late.

Just as I stepped out of my room, I saw someone sitting in the living room of the wing house.

Someone I thought I would never have any contact with in this lifetime.

The woman sat primly on the single sofa in the living room, looking here and there.

On the coffee table lay fruit and a bag, presumably brought by her.

Hearing the movement, she turned her head to look at me.

The moment our eyes met, she was slightly stunned, then called out, "Tongtong."

That utterance of "Tongtong" made my eyes and nose sore, my throat choked.

At that moment, I even wanted to flee.

"Tongtong, Mom came to see you."

She eagerly pointed to the fruit on the coffee table, then took out a set of pink princess dress from the bag and held it up against me.

But the princess dress was too small, and also not suitable for my age.

She somewhat embarrassedly put the princess dress back, then said with a grin, "Our Tongtong has grown up, growing so fast and becoming so beautiful."

I suppressed the sourness in my heart and said, "Miss, I'm not Tongtong; I'm Xiao Jiu. This pawnshop is mine to run. May I ask what you'd like to pawn?"