rose ashes

Xi Jinzhou held his breath and stared at the door. Ye Gu seemed to suspect that he was hallucinating and pulled Xi Jinzhou.
"Did you hear any sound? Did I hear it wrongly?"

Xi Jinzhou smiled wryly, ruthlessly moved away the hand that was holding his clothes, and walked to the darkroom door on the other side.
"No, you heard me right. You're going to call me grandpa soon. I'll give you some time to get used to this fact."

After saying that, he entered the darkroom without any reluctance.

Luo Yang stood at the door for a long time before he heard a muffled response from inside.
"come in."

The small space within the field of vision has been expanded with other objects.

The familiar screen and entrance, as well as the usual gray and white tones, are very different from this retro Chinese-style decoration. It is the decoration color scheme that Ye Gu insisted on keeping.

Ye Gu, lying on the bed, was in a panic, trying to pull down the shirt on his back, but because of the wound, he had difficulty moving.
Xi Jinzhou was so mean that he didn't even help him pull his clothes together before leaving.

The moment Luo Yang came in, he saw a round head lying on the bed, with fluffy and messy black hair that was sparkling under several rays of light.

"You came."
Ye Gu pretended to be calm and tried to turn over and sit up.

His vision blurred instantly. Luo Yang turned his back and rubbed his neck with his hand twice. The bones of his tall neck were distinct. After a long time, he turned around and put his usual gentle curve on his face.

"Just lie down. Grandpa hit you again."
Luo Yang has always known that Ye Xuhua is strict. She had often seen Ye Gu being punished by Ye Xuhua before. She had laughed at him at that time, but this was the first time she saw Ye Xuhua hitting him so hard. Ye Gu's back was already covered with wounds, with large patches of bright red, and marks from the stick. One could imagine the scene of being beaten.

The medicine on his back was not applied completely when Luo Yang noticed the open small medicine box beside the bed. He focused for a moment, then retracted his gaze and knelt down beside Ye Gu's bed.

Her height was considered excellent among women, so even though she was kneeling, she still had a certain height. As the distance got closer, the wound on Ye Gu's back became more clear and eye-catching.

It felt like something was stuck in his throat and Luo Yang didn't know what to say.

Ye Gu wanted to turn around and didn't notice Luo Yang beside the bed. But before he could succeed, he felt a slight touch on his back.
The back of Ye Gu's neck suddenly shrank slightly.
"you……"

Luo Yang was holding something to treat the wound, and his tone was like the gurgling of a stream, slow and gentle.
"Since you're injured, take care of it, otherwise it will take you a long time to heal. You still have a lot to do, so get well soon."

It has been a long time since I heard her talk to him face to face in such a calm and peaceful manner. Ye Gu actually felt a little emotional. Now even the opportunity to talk like this has become so rare.

Ye Gu turned his head and looked at the wall, "Why are you here?"
I didn't want her to know.

Ye Gu's back is refined and powerful, with a slightly concave waist in the middle and broad and reliable shoulder blades.

Luo Yang's fingers paused slightly, his nails clenched slightly, and his expression remained normal.
"Your assistant called me and said that your phone was unreachable and you had a meeting in the evening, so he came to me."

Ye Gu fell silent and sighed, "My phone was taken away. I'm sorry to trouble you——"

"If you're afraid of causing trouble to others, why do you stand up for me?"
"This is not worth it, Ye Gu."
In fact, Luo Yang had guessed some of the reasons when she came. Although she didn't remember Ye Gu's family motto very clearly, Ye Gu had been beaten when they were young because he helped her bully Luo Ke. Luo Yang was very smart, so she guessed about 80/90% of the reason.

There was a short, cold laugh beside the bed, without any warmth. Ye Gu sneered, "You made such a clear distinction. It seems that you want to figure out whether or not to proceed with this marriage."

Luo Yang's pupils shrank slightly, and then she pursed her lips slightly, pretending not to hear what he said, and there was no intention of stopping the movement of her hands.

"You should know that's not what I meant. I just said that warnings were unnecessary. Why do you have to make Grandpa angry?"
If it weren't for this incident, she wouldn't be lying in bed with injuries all over her body.

Luo Yang's original intention was never to let anyone get hurt or punished for her.

She's not worth it.

Ye Gu understood what he heard. He laughed angrily: "Not necessary? Not needed? Then who was the one who was locked out by Luo Ke on a rainy day and couldn't go home? Is that why you don't need it?"

Luo Yang paused, narrowed his eyes, and was stunned for a moment, "How... did you know?"

Ye Gu was angry just now and spoke without thinking. Now he regrets what stupid things he said.

Ye Gu stiffened his neck and didn't turn his head.
Hearing Luo Yang's soft laugh, she actually explained for him: "Yes, Xi Jinzhou will definitely tell you, it's nothing."

He suddenly wanted to punch himself for what he had done just now. He had not meant to mock her, but it was really annoying to see her look down on him like that. He didn't understand what had happened that made her become so tolerant and soft, becoming the person she looked down upon the most during her school days.

Where has the Luo Yang who patted his chest and promised that he would never go with the flow gone?

Neither of them spoke until all the wounds were treated. But when she was about to apply the medicine to her waist, Ye Gu suddenly turned over and stopped her.
"I can handle this by myself. Sorry for the trouble. It's so late. Let's go after having dinner here. I'll let Aunt Liu take you downstairs."

Luo Yang had a puzzled look in his eyes, but before he could ask anything, Ye Gu pushed him to the door without any explanation.

After finishing it in one go, Ye Gu breathed a sigh of relief and stood at the door in silence for a long time.

"Why? Are you afraid that she will see what's on your waist and guess what?" Xi Jinzhou leaned against the wall behind him leisurely with his hands folded.
I don't know when he came out of the darkroom. Ye Gu glanced at him, said nothing, but buttoned up his shirt and walked back to the room in his slippers.

"When you got the tattoo, you suffered a lot. The beating you received from the old man must have been no less severe than this time."
Xi Jinzhou found it funny. He was so tough before that he refused to wash off the tattoos on his body even if he was beaten to death. Later, he was the one who rescued the man and he escaped the disaster.

Ye Gu looked in the mirror, and saw the shadowy waist with the faintly visible rose tattoo.

/ / /
At that time, he was still twenty years old and had only been an adult for two years. It was also the second year after Luo Yang left.

That year he went to England without telling anyone. He didn't know why he went to England. He knew the chance of meeting her was slim. In such a big foreign country, he went everywhere alone, fearless.

It was Christmas time, and he met a student who was preparing for Christmas in a pub in England. The student looked about the same age as him, but had a different skin color.

Everyone was chatting happily. Ye Gu sat by the door, watching their joy without any emotion in his heart.

He was not a sociable person. On the contrary, as long as he wanted, he could immediately integrate into that strange small group and at least survive the loneliness of the night.

But he did nothing. He just ordered a glass of mulled wine, sat by the window, and watched the couples walking on the street outside. Occasionally, there was a family of three, with the children jumping happily and holding lollipops in their hands, which had been his childhood obsession.

"Lea, why did you come just now?" With a loud exclamation, the British girl jumped off the high chair, "You are so beautiful today!"

The boys around were also attracted to her. The Chinese girl in front of them had completely changed from her previous image of being devoted to study to being like a rose that was independent from the world. They were afraid of hurting her delicate petals if they touched her.

Ye Gu just sneered. In terms of beauty, even though that guy left without saying a word, there were still few people who were prettier than her.

"Thank you, Ada, but I'm not used to this dress yet. I should probably change back."

Ye Gu's eardrums suddenly began to hallucinate. He couldn't believe it, and with a conflicting feeling in his mind, he turned his head away.
No, it won't be hers, no.

Just a second ago, Ye Gu was still trying to deceive himself, thinking that it couldn't be such a coincidence that he met her.

But the scenes before him all indicated that he had met Luo Yang.

The velvet skirt decorated with pure white plush edges made the girl look like an exquisite little rabbit, and her shoulders and neck as white as milk were perfectly displayed. She smiled and sat down next to her classmate. Her every frown and smile was full of life.

The person in front of him was Luo Yang, whom he hadn't seen for two whole years. She had grown into a graceful young lady. She was no longer the naive girl restrained by the school uniform, nor was she the female nerd who wore glasses and focused only on studying.

She has a nice English name, Lea, and she has many friends and, apparently, many admirers.

Ye Gu just looked at her from a distance, looking at Luo Yang whom he had missed for two years. She was shining here, and he was like a clown who was not presentable, greedy and jealous. He was even jealous of the wine glass in her hand.

That day, Ye Gu stayed in the tavern for as long as Luo Yang and her friends played. He knew her joy every time she won, and also witnessed her frustration every time she lost.
Such a vivid expression, so smart, he was so close, with just a name, he might be able to talk to her, but until the end, he didn't.

He dare not.

As Luo Yang left, I saw her stop at the door of a bridal shop, looking at a wedding dress embroidered with roses and sighing with her friends: "I really hope I can have a rose that never fades."

The admiration is evident in the words.

Later, he returned to his country, and from that year on, he had a small rose on his waist, just a little red.

Xi Jinzhou looked at him staring at the mirror, sighed, and put his hand on his shoulder.
"Don't think too much. Since you want to do it, just go ahead."

Xi Jinzhou knew almost everything about him and, being a few years older than Ye Gu, he always treated him as his younger brother and always wanted him to get what he wanted.

Ye Gu regained his composure, put on his clothes, put on a loose dark coat, and prepared to go downstairs.

Xi Jinzhou held him back and frowned, "What are you doing? Your grandma told you to just eat up there, someone will bring you food soon. You're injured like this and you still want to walk around."

Ye Gu sneered, his eyes full of disdain, "What's the big deal? It's just a meal."

Xi Jinzhou was silent for a few seconds, then pushed the door open. The night breeze slipped in through the gap without any reservation, slightly lifting the corners of his clothes.

"You want to have dinner with her, right?"

Ye Gu was too lazy to pay attention to him and was about to close the door, but when the doorknob turned, he lowered his head as if resigned to his fate, and said in a self-deprecating tone: "So what."

(End of this chapter)