Kyoto Night Kiss

What if... what if the person who drowned was her mother?

Qu Yun didn't dare to think too deeply. A feeling of suffocation surged up her throat, and her legs suddenly went weak, about to fall to the ground.

Lu Junhe reacted quickly and caught her steadily.

Seeing her absent-minded appearance, he whispered to comfort her, "Don't overthink it."

"It can't be your mother. She was perfectly fine this morning, right?"

Qu Yun nodded, though her teeth were chattering.

What if?

What if her mother's dementia relapses...

Lu Junhe knew that Qu Yun had to go to the river to see it, so he could only half-support her and walk over step by step.

The closer you get, the clearer the view on the water becomes.

Lu Junhe subconsciously took half a step forward, blocking Qu Yun's way, and first looked towards the center of the surrounding crowd.

The body had been retrieved; it was obese and had the skeletal outline of an adult male.

With a slight weight lifted from his heart, Lu Junhe turned halfway to the side so Qu Yun could see him. He lowered his voice to reassure her, "Look carefully, that person isn't your mother."

Qu Yun finally loosened her grip on the man's sleeve a little.

She was really scared.

Her nerves, which had been stretched to the limit, suddenly relaxed, and Qu Yun felt completely exhausted, leaning on Lu Junhe's shoulder.

Although it was unclear who had drowned, they were all from the same village and must have met before. Qu Yun calmed down a bit and a look of regret appeared on her face.

Funeral home staff carried a stretcher up from the riverbank, the body covered from head to toe with a thick white sheet.

The surrounding villagers all instinctively shrank back, while Lu Junhe held Qu Yun firmly to his side, his hand gripping her trembling shoulder.

As the stretcher approached the two of them, a sudden gust of cold wind blew by, instantly lifting half of the white cloth covering the corpse's face.

In just a brief moment, Qu Yun clearly saw that face that was completely unmasked.

It looked as if it had died unwillingly, its eyes wide open. Its eyelids were swollen and turned outward from being soaked in the river water, and its turbid eye sockets were filled with dark brown river silt.

—It's Wang Bing!

Qu Yun's body trembled, and a dense chill ran down her back.

The staff reached out and pulled the white sheet back, covering the stretcher completely again before carrying it onto the vehicle.

Qu Yun remained frozen in place, her gaze slowly shifting to the man supporting her beside her.

Wang Bing's unseeing face kept replaying in her mind.

She couldn't help but think—could it be Lu Junhe?

Also, he was taken away by the police at the wedding, and Yan Suling said that he killed someone for her. Are all of these true?

Qu Yun's fingertips tightened unconsciously, and her lips turned deathly pale.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Lu Junhe asked suddenly, looking down.

His fingertips gently caressed her wrist.

Upon hearing this, Qu Yun quickly concealed the confusion in her eyes, shook her head, and said, "It's nothing."

What is she thinking? How could it possibly be Lu Junhe!

They went home together last night, so he didn't have time to commit the crime.

He wouldn't be the kind of person to sacrifice his life for someone else.

Perhaps there really is a saying that evil people will be punished by heaven.

Qu Yun's face showed a hint of guilt for her suspicion of Lu Junhe.

After this incident, neither of them was in the mood to continue their walk and decided to go home to rest.

The cold wind slightly dispelled the oppressive atmosphere by the river. As I walked, I ran into my neighbor, Grandma Wu, who was carrying a bamboo basket. The old lady waved and smiled from afar.

As she approached, Grandma Wu's kind gaze fell on Qu Yun. "Yunyun's back! Is this...her boyfriend?"

Lu Junhe paused slightly, his eyelashes casting a dark shadow.

The next second, Qu Yun raised her hand, which was tightly clasped with his, and waved it in mid-air. A playful smile curved her eyes, and she answered with a hint of pride, "Yes, Grandma."

"Don't you think he's exceptionally handsome?"

Grandma Wu was amused by her straightforward and adorable appearance, nodding repeatedly and saying with doting tone, "Handsome, handsome, handsome, a perfect match, you two look so good together."

As she spoke, she bent down and stuffed the basket in her hand into Lu Junhe's hands: "These are strawberries I just picked. They're very sweet. Take them back and have a taste. Consider it a little gift from Grandma."

Qu Yun glanced at the bright red and plump strawberries, and her mood improved completely. She sweetly thanked Grandma Wu.

Lu Junhe glanced down at him, his face feigning indifference, but the corners of his lips involuntarily curved upwards.

The two carried a basket of strawberries into the house, where Qu's mother was sitting quietly in a recliner by the door, basking in the sun.

Qu Yun glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and tensed up, as if she had been caught in the act by the head teacher while having an early romance. She hurriedly pulled her hand away from Lu Junhe's.

Lu Junhe lowered his eyes, his palms feeling empty, and he felt a little uncomfortable.

Seeing Qu Yun's flustered expression, he moved closer behind her and asked through gritted teeth, "Am I a mistress?"

Is he so ashamed to be seen by others?

Qu Yun didn't want to answer, so she grabbed the basket of strawberries and ran to the kitchen in the backyard to wash them.

Only Lu Junhe remained standing at the doorway.

Mrs. Qu slowly opened her eyes. Hearing the man in front of her respectfully call her "Auntie," she smiled and said, "I saw you two holding hands from afar. As soon as I appeared, she ran away like a frightened little rabbit."

Lu Junhe said gently, "It was my oversight; I didn't expect her to be so shy."

"It's not your fault." Mrs. Qu sighed softly, the wind ruffling the blanket covering her. "My health is sometimes good and sometimes bad, so I'll have to rely on you for Yunyun from now on."

"Xiao Lu, you two used to be together, so you should know my daughter's personality. She just seems strong on the surface. There will always be arguments and disagreements when two people are together. I don't expect you to give in to her."

"I just hope you won't let her swallow all her sadness alone."

"And don't belittle her sadness."

Qu Yun immersed the entire pot of strawberries in clean water, and then carefully plucked off the green leaves from each strawberry one by one.

Suddenly, a warm and firm chest covered her back. Lu Junhe wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into his embrace.

"What are you doing?" Qu Yun looked around nervously, afraid that her mother or Aunt Qiu Hong might suddenly appear.

The man's chin rested against her neck, his hot breath brushing against her skin. His voice was tender and slightly hoarse: "Qu Yun, never lie to me again, okay?"

Qu Yun nodded back, her lips brushing against the man's nose. She placed her slightly damp hand on his arm. "Why do you say that?"

"I just want you to love me forever." Lu Junhe chuckled softly, pressing his entire weight onto her.

He was willing to give anything for it.