Kyoto Night Kiss

Qu Yun felt a tightness in her chest. She turned around and bowed deeply to Master Pan, who was sitting in the chair: "I'm sorry, I deceived you."

That wasn't my wedding to him.

The old man nodded slightly, his gaze falling on her face, and asked with a hint of certainty, "But you love him."

Qu Yun paused for a moment, then realized she wasn't lying.

She answered, "Yes."

But what good is her love?

Just like seven years ago, it will only become a stumbling block.

Looking at the swirling rain outside the door, Master Pan sighed softly and advised, "If you still can't let go of him, don't stand here hesitating. While there's still time, be bold and go after him."

"When fate has completely slipped away and there is no way to hold on to it, it will be too late for regrets."

Qu Yun's heart trembled, her mind torn between hesitation and excitement.

Seeing this, the old man's daughter handed him an umbrella.

Qu Yun bit her lip, but in the end, she still reached out and took the umbrella.

She ran quickly through the downpour, her anxious gaze sweeping across the alleyway and the ridges of the fields. Ignoring the cold raindrops that had seeped into her collar, she called out again and again, "Lu Junhe, where are you?"

The shouts echoed through the village, but there was no response.

There were too many mud pits on the ground, and Qu Yun almost fell several times, with half of her knee embedded in the soil, making her look quite disheveled.

Suddenly, her gaze settled on a faded, earthen-yellow wall.

This is a simple and unadorned little temple, with the door half-closed.

Qu Yun tightened her grip on the umbrella handle and stepped into the temple.

The hall was dimly lit, with a few red candles standing quietly on either side of the altar, their flames flickering in the breeze.

Qu Yun's gaze sharpened as she looked through the swirling white smoke of incense.

Before the altar of the deity, Lu Junhe knelt on both knees, his head bowed in silence, his whole body shrouded in a cold and lonely rain.

"I've found you..." Qu Yun said softly.

She put down her umbrella and knelt down as well.

To this day, she still doesn't believe in these things.

Is that why God is punishing her?

If she had been willing to pay for prayers and rituals at the temple where she had drawn three karmic divination slips, and had been willing to observe the precepts and eat vegetarian food every day, would her fate and Lu Junhe's fate have been changed?

But it was all too late.

After an unknown period of silence, a deep gaze fell upon them.

Qu Yun slowly opened her eyes, enduring the chill on her knees, and turned her head, her tone gentle: "Are you angry because I didn't answer you just now?"

Lu Junhe remained silent.

The only sound was the crackling of the burning candlelight.

Qu Yun suppressed the hesitation in her eyes and finally admitted, "Lu Junhe, I love you."

I am hopelessly in love with you.

The man was taken aback, and his stagnant breathing eased.

He asked hoarsely, "Then why have we become like this?"

I can't quite describe the melody.

The flickering candlelight illuminated her serene face. Lu Junhe's Adam's apple bobbed, and he could no longer suppress his long-suppressed emotions. "Qu Yun, I love you too."

I haven't stopped loving you for a single day.

All the memories of the past struggles flooded his mind, and Lu Junhe's tone was filled with unspeakable bitterness: "In the first year after you left, I flew to Vancouver repeatedly. Each trip was 8500 kilometers, and the round trip was 17000 kilometers, which took more than 20 hours by plane."

"During that period, I was so tired of flying that I almost threw up, but the thought of seeing you, even just one glance, made me willing to do it."

Until, despite having a high fever and being delirious, she held a knife to her own neck and threatened him to get out.

"So it wasn't a dream after all." Qu Yun's heart clenched, her voice tinged with guilt: "I'm sorry, Lu Junhe, you must be very sad."

"Back then, I just hated myself so much. I hated my weakness, I hated my lack of excellence, I hated why I felt so out of place standing next to you, I hated that I was completely unworthy of you..."

In fact, this remains true even now.

So what if she worked her way up to become the hotel's general manager?

To the Lu family, she remains insignificant and pathetic.

The disparity brought about by social class was like the highest barrier in the world, standing firmly between her and Lu Junhe.

She couldn't get past him, and she didn't want Lu Junhe to come down to her.

These words weighed heavily on Lu Junhe's heart like a boulder; he gripped them tightly, but could not alleviate the pressure at all.

His throat tightened several times, and in the end, all he could say was, "I'm sorry."

"I was too slow to notice and kept ignoring your anxiety and fear. My mother also repeatedly made things difficult for you and targeted you in every way, making you sad."

He didn't notice in time those sleepless nights and moments of secret sorrow that Qu Yun experienced.

He was just presumptuously loving in his own way.

Thinking about it today, he realized that... Qu Yun had really suffered a lot of grievances following him.

Lu Junhe felt a sharp pain in his chest, took a deep breath, and said, "All these years you've been with me..."

"I'm very happy."

Qu Yun interrupted, a genuine smile spreading across her lips. "Lu Junhe, I'm so happy with you. My life can never be as happy as those four years I spent with you."

Even if we get back together, it's over.

So even if she said all sorts of harsh words, she couldn't fool herself; she had no regrets about being with this man.

Even if it means sacrificing all future happiness.

She was happy to do it.

How many Lu Junhes can one meet in a lifetime?

Qu Yun looked at the man in front of her, who was filled with remorse, and the corners of her lips remained curved in a smile. "Let's let go of the past, Lu Junhe. Your future is still bright."

She said, "Don't be too sad. We have a child together, and we will attend his graduation ceremony, coming-of-age ceremony, and wedding together."

He would still be willing at that time.

Unbeknownst to her, Qu Yun felt two lines of clear tears rolling down her burning cheeks.

She finally succumbed to her weakness and shed tears.

Lu Junhe reached out to wipe away Qu Yun's tears, but before his hand even touched hers, the back of his hand was already wet.

It turned out that he himself had shed tears.

No matter how much pain I felt in the past, it seems nothing compares to this moment.

Qu Yun couldn't bear to see the man in front of her cry. The moment their eyes met, all the barriers, concerns, and bitterness vanished.

Lu Junhe could no longer restrain himself and reached out to pull the person in front of him into his arms tightly. Qu Yun also subconsciously raised her hand to hug his back.

The two embraced each other, feeling each other's unspoken sobs.

The candlelight flickered back and forth on the mottled wall.

Lu Junhe gradually felt that Qu Yun seemed to have calmed down a bit.

He asked, "How about we don't want anything anymore?"

"Qu Yun, let's elope."

There was complete silence around them; there was no reply.

Lu Junhe felt the person in his arms suddenly go limp. He supported Qu Yun and saw that her eyes were closed and her body temperature was frighteningly high.