In a different way, he held my hand for the last time.
In a daze, I heard his voice again...
"Do you have a name?"
"I'll call you Shaluo from now on."
The urgent ringing of the phone awakened the sleeping person.
I opened my eyes, surprised to find that my tears had once again dampened the pillow.
Over the past hundreds of years, I had lost count of how many times I had cried in my dreams and wet the pillow.
I thought I could face those memories, which are incomprehensible to ordinary people, with maturity. But these tears, proof of my failure to live up to expectations, kept overturning my "thoughts" time and time again.
I sat up, wiping my tears while picking up the phone.
"Hello?"
"I might be late coming over!" The loud voice on the other end of the line was very annoyed, "Some jerk is bothering me again, insisting that I ran a red light! Just wait for me, I'll come to pick you up as soon as possible!"
After hanging up the phone, I couldn't help but be speechless.
This is the umpteenth time he's fallen into the hands of the police, and I can't even count it on my ten fingers.
This guy's temper hasn't changed even now.
Yes, for hundreds of years, he has been by my side, watching the world with me, witnessing how it's progressed from ancient times to the modern era step by step.
It's somewhat ridiculous to say that, after knowing him for so long, I only found out his name was Ao Chi more than a hundred years ago, and that the East China Sea Dragon King, whom he always calls "old chap," is his biological grandfather.
The two of us, people who could never learn to hide their love, hate, joy, and anger, have come to understand each other more and more over the years of getting along.
His nature is not bad, but he is too condescending and only does things for his own happiness. That's why he caused so much trouble in his youth, ending up being sent to the Ice Prison by his grandfather to think about his mistakes. The incident at Duan Lake was just a whim for him; he saw it as a natural big bathtub, never thinking that his antics would lead to the destruction of the small city of Daizhou and the loss of lives.
Thinking about this, I shook my head with a wry smile.
I once asked him why he abducted me from Dongting Lake in the first place. He said no one had ever dared to curse at him, especially calling him an ugly monster—I was the first. He couldn't swallow that insult without teaching me a lesson. Then I asked him why he was willing to stay by my side day after day for hundreds of years. He said no one had ever dared to slap him, and I was the first. He wanted me to pay the price for that slap for the rest of my life.
God knows how much of this reckless guy's words are worth believing.
To be honest, I still can't define the relationship between him and me. Friends? Lovers? Companions? It seems like all of them, yet none of them. We're clearly a couple who depend on each other, so why is there still an intangible barrier between us?
After secretly pondering for a long time, I finally grasped a clue. I found the crux in the tears I shed silently every time—
The shadow of another person has never left my heart.
I once doubted if being with Ao Chi was just a longing for the sweetness of being cared for and protected, the happiness that Zimiao had given me, which I sought to regain through Ao Chi?
What a ridiculous thought.
Every time I think like this, I feel a little sorry for that guy.
I once resisted so hard being treated as someone's substitute, but now how can I be so selfish as to let an innocent person go through the same fate again?
If I have a little more time, will the situation change?
I stretched lazily as I got out of bed.
Passing by the wall, my gaze intentionally or unintentionally fell on the flower basket placed on the cabinet—an ancient but exquisite piece.
There wasn't a single flower in the basket; instead, there was a large pile of small boxes of various colors and styles, numbering no less than forty.
Inside the boxes were rings.
I don't know how many years it has been since that guy, imitating human behavior, started to give me a ring every February 14th. He said, while the dragon race has a status comparable to that of gods, they don't care about the bullshit rules that immortals have to abide by. He is determined to marry me, a tree demon, and even the old fogey Emperor of Heaven can't stop him.
I can't say I'm not touched.
But still, I've never worn any of them.
He doesn't mind; he keeps giving them every year, saying he'll keep giving until I voluntarily wear one.
I stopped in front of the flower basket, picked up a delicate round box with a velvet cover, scrutinized it for a while, smiled, and put it back untouched.
Walking to the wardrobe, I opened the door and let my fingers wander over the dazzling line-up of clothes, each with its own unique style but mostly of one color: green.
Today is Ao Chi's birthday. He said he was born on the first day of August, a Leo, destined to be a perfect match with a Sagittarius born in winter.
Zodiac signs? Hehe, that's something only children believe in.
I chuckled. Now, what I need to do is choose a suitable outfit for the birthday dinner.
After pondering for a while, I reached for two pieces. In my left hand, a green chiffon gown, and in my right hand, a purple backless evening dress.
The color of the gown in my left hand is very much like the green that fell from the sky all those years ago, gently enveloping my body.
While the color of the dress in my right hand couldn't help but remind me of a pair of slender eyes, those irresistibly domineering purple eyes.
I've never been able to shake off my habit of wearing green clothes, but tonight, maybe I could change that?
Trying something different shouldn't be a bad thing.
Holding the purple evening dress in my arms, I closed the wardrobe door.
Next to the pillow, the MP3 player has been on all night, still singing:
Her last photo in the world
Startled me, her face looked so much like mine.
Then I found
It was the long loving curve of your ring finger.
How many decades can a relationship last?
Thank you for every happy day you've given me
Standing by your side
living in her shadow
…
Your longing for her
Turns into a lingering love for me
I pity us
Say goodbye and
Never see each other again
Parting makes you nostalgic
But death takes away your longing
Say goodbye and
Never see each other again
Life is a pastime
Those who live happily need not apologize
Translator:
The lyrics are from the song 大城大事 by Miriam Yeung. Click here for youtube link. I couldn't find one with English subs, sorry.
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