Ink Burns

Chapter 222 I am the bustling chaos

Birds love the mountain moon.

Birds love the moon over the mountains.

Xue Xiao, Shan Yue.

Love.

Shan Yue held her breath tightly, and hurriedly looked away, feeling as if a blunt, exposed, and sharp blade had pierced her chest.

Surprisingly, instead of the expected dull pain, it felt like a row of newly sprouted baby teeth gnawing at my heart, leaving behind a row of tiny, densely packed wounds that tasted both sour and astringent.

The sharp, tingling sensation nearly pierced my chest, revealing the vulnerability and joy hidden beneath my skin.

Shan Yue unconsciously pursed her lips, not pressing Xue Xiao for his meaning.

They are mature adults; there's no need for them to pretend not to know or feign naivety by digging too deep.

Xue Xiao leaned against the pillar, his pale blue robe perfectly tailored, like a waterfall cascading down from the blue-green tree, splashing cool summer water droplets.

Xue Xiao leaned his head to the side, a smile always on his lips, his eyes also full of laughter as he looked at Shan Yue.

There is a unique kind of gentleness.

Like the executioner of the night, gently plucking the strings of the zither, ding-ding-ding-ding.

He didn't need her response.

For Shan Yue, the absence of immediate rejection or resistance was already a response.

They are mature adults, and there's no need to pressure them with endless questions or concerns.

The chirping of insects, the chirping of insects under the old locust tree in the courtyard, is not like the regular buzzing of cicadas, nor the "weaving" of katydids, nor the melodious and far-reaching "chirping" of fighting crickets with their heads held high.

The shouting was very chaotic.

Like beads scattered on the ground, they spun around smoothly and roundly, and soon rolled into the dark corner of the cabinet.

The chirping of insects is too noisy.

Unable to sleep, Shan Yue opened her eyes and stared intently at the fine linen curtains, watching the fabric roll up layer upon layer, flowing freely across the bed like water.

Such a "shape" is complex and difficult to draw.

Shan Yue suddenly remembered when she was learning to paint on Shantang Street: painting is about freehand brushwork, but practicing skills requires starting with realism. "Guoqiaogu" is different from other shops. Other masters usually bring a pot of flowers or a blade of grass for their apprentices to copy, but Master Sun Wu doesn't. He often throws his apprentices a half-eaten pear, a bowl of steaming noodles, or a broken ruler and asks them to draw. Whoever draws the most realistically gets an extra piece of meat.

Master Sun said, "One must solidify the form in one's mind before one can wield the brush with great freedom."

It means that you must imprint the appearance of something in your mind before you can blur the shape and transform the object into an artistic conception.

Xue Xiao's appearance was very clear in her mind.

Extremely narrow jaw, thick, dark eyebrows, deep-set eyes with narrow slits and dark brown pupils, a straight nose with a sharp, vertical tip, thin, diamond-shaped lips that are always pursed, and a small, light brown mole smaller than a sesame seed on the tip of the nose.

Give her a pen, and she can draw him immediately without needing to compose a picture.

But when she closes her eyes and thinks of Xue Xiao again, all she feels is a cold, lonely, silent "intention" like a cold wind, carrying with it the strong scent of pine needles in the misty morning fog.

According to Master Sun's standards, Xue Xiao's painting is complete.

Shan Yue's heart was in turmoil.

And the executioner who plucked the strings lay beside her, breathing evenly.

He scattered the beads everywhere, and after making a mess, the one who started it all slept soundly.
Shan Yue was somewhat indignant and suddenly turned around, only to bump straight into a pair of deep, quiet, dark brown eyes, their noses almost touching.

He couldn't sleep either.

"You weren't asleep either." Shan Yue blinked.

"Didn't sleep."

Xue Xiao added, "My heart is pounding so hard I can't sleep."

Oh, what disturbed him wasn't the chirping of insects, but his pounding heartbeat.

Shan Yue unconsciously smiled and pursed her lips, her hand pressed against her cheek as she lay on her side.

The candlelight flickered outside the curtain.

Xue Xiao's gaze fell on Shan Yue's left shoulder, and he asked in a low voice, "Does it still hurt?"

Shan Yue nodded: "It hurts."

I want to say you should.

But reluctant to give up.

“Don’t do this again. Everyone is made of flesh and blood. Who is more precious than whom? Why should one life be exchanged for another?” Xue Xiao was also lying on his side, his broad figure perfectly covering Shan Yue: “I originally wanted to plant an acre of grass in the courtyard, called ‘Erigeron annuus’. I asked Su Mama to buy it, but I haven’t planted it yet.”

Shan Yue huddled in the reassuring shadows, her expression enigmatic: "Why not plant them?"

“It grows well this year, but it will wither next year. What will I look forward to next year on my perfectly good acre of land?” Xue Xiao’s expression was calm, but his words were full of tenderness.

Shan Yue quieted down, her eyelashes fluttering, the fan-shaped shadow under her eyes trembling slightly. After a long while, she said softly, "Then let's not plant it."

Xue Xiao nodded: "Then we won't plant them."

Then he asked Shanyue, "What should we plant?"

Then he asked Shanyue, "Why don't we plant pomegranates? Pomegranate flowers are beautiful, and the fruit is delicious."

Xue Xiao's voice was also very low.

Like two people whispering in a corner.

They spoke words that belonged only to the two of them, so that no one else could hear them.

Shan Yue's lips curled into a high smile: "Why are we talking like this?"

Xue Xiao's eyes were dark, yet they concealed a burning power.

He shook his head, his cheek pressed against the soap-scented pillow, and said, "I don't know either." But it felt good.

There were only two people in the small space inside the curtain, just as there were only two people in the world.

The bed is very large.

Shan Yue slept on the outside, and Xue Xiao on the inside. Each of them had a thin gauze quilt draped over them, facing each other.

Xue Xiao suddenly propped himself up with his arms and leaned towards Shan Yue.

The man's warm breath suddenly drew closer.

Their burning gazes seemed to draw near in an instant.

Shan Yue's chest, which had calmed down, started thumping again.

Does he want him to kiss her?

Shan Yue pressed her lips tightly together, her hands unconsciously clenched into fists, and she unconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

Xue Xiao's cheek brushed past her ear as he reached out and picked up the palm-leaf fan beside Shan Yue.

It's hot.

He lowered his eyes and saw that two faint blushes had appeared on Shan Yue's usually cold and indifferent face.

After Xue Xiao suddenly realized what was happening, he smiled broadly.

Shan Yue froze, her fist loosened, and unable to hide her anger, she turned around and lay down stiffly and rigidly: "Sleep! Sleep! It's too late, too late!"

Xue Xiao's lowered voice, like a stretched harp string, revealed a rare relaxation: "Now that I am in mourning at home, I am truly an idle person. Even if I open my eyes at night and sleep during the day, who can do anything to me?"

He made his confidence clear, implying that he intended to have a long talk with Shan Yue all night.

Shan Yue: Who exactly is the high-ranking official who just said he went through the case files for ten consecutive days?

Shan Yue turned her head away and ignored him.

"Mountain Moon—" Xue Xiao said with a smile, "Mountain Moon—"

Shout loudly.

"—Hmm?" Shan Yue replied, her eyes half-closed.

"Have you thought about what you'll do after you've finished taking revenge?" Xue Xiao asked softly.

It got quiet.

After a long silence, Shan Yue closed her eyes and whispered, "I haven't thought about it. I don't like looking forward. If I see too much, I'll be dazzled by the hustle and bustle, my mind will be distracted, and I won't be able to remember the way I came."

It became quiet again.

Shan Yue squinted, half asleep, her mind hazy.

The person beside her stirred, their hot breath pressing down on her directly, honestly, and without the slightest hesitation.

Shan Yue's lips were covered by a cold, wind-like touch.

Before Shan Yue could even open her eyes, Xue Xiao's thin, angular lips suddenly appeared in her mind—the "meaning" had transformed into the "form".

His breath fell slowly but evenly on her face.

Between their lips and teeth, they whispered intimately, gently rubbing and twisting, their lips touching, and clear water droplets gradually evaporated, condensing into a cloud of ambiguous vapor.

Shan Yue's slightly stiff figure slowly softened.

Suddenly, there was nothing on my lips.

She opened her eyes.

Inside the small curtained room, Xue Xiao, like a fully grown eagle with outstretched wings, leaned his hands over her temples, his gaze fixed on her with a burning, clear intensity, as if he were eyeing the only prey in winter.

"This matter should have been done after the revenge was completed."

Xue Xiao's voice remained low: "But I need you to know that there's nothing wrong with looking forward, and there's nothing wrong with the bustling and lively atmosphere."

Shan Yue looked back at him, her gaze open and honest, but her hands unconsciously gripped her clothes tightly, and her lips were pressed together tightly.

“Hey—” Xue Xiao spoke again.

Stop pursing your lips.

The lips have turned pale.

Shan Yue looked up: "Huh?"

Her tightly pursed lips parted slightly, revealing a unique red and moist color after turning pale.

Xue Xiao shifted his gaze, peering through the layers of indescribable curtains, and returned it to the painting on the table: "That one—is it 'Mountain Moon' that was given to me?"

Her rosy lips uttered a single word: "Yes."

One meal.

"But it's not finished yet. This is just a draft of 'Mountain Moon,' and I haven't figured out how to draw the final version." Shan Yue suppressed the indescribable emotions welling up in her heart and slowly replied to him with a serious expression.

Xue Xiao bent down, his nose filled with the woman's faint, deep fragrance, like that of a magnolia.

draft?

If the draft is already this good, won't the final version be even better?
Waiting is not important.

As long as she's willing to draw.

　I'm on a business trip these past two days.

Don't worry, I'll write a long article about it over the weekend.

(End of this chapter)