Translator: Panda_Penn Editor: Chrissy
Bai Xiashuang was down in spirits. The moonlight was gentle and the views were picturesque. The light breeze added brilliance to the splendor. She was born to be a restless girl but tonight, for some reason, she was sitting in the garden in the backyard, drinking on her own.
Obviously, she had had a glass too much. Her eyes were blurry, and her cheeks were blushed. She gazed into the distant sky, absent-minded.
Bai Qiuxue and Madam Yan both came to see her today, persuading her to marry Lu Li. Bai Xiashuang did not know what to do so she agreed even when she was completely perplexed.
It must be a dream for many young ladies of the Central Plains to marry Lu Li as the principle wife. Lu Li was young and handsome. The force and power he owned could contend with the Demon-slaying Hall. Apart from the Demon-slaying Hall, the force Lu Li controlled was the strongest.
Lu Li was a man faithful to his friends, a man with a big heart. Bai Family was greatly indebted to Lu Li. Any girl would be over the moon to be given such an offer.
But not Bai Xiashuang. She was not happy at all. Tonight, she made an excuse and came to drink alone.
Men were afraid about getting into the wrong line of business and females marrying the wrong person.
Even when married, a man could grow to loath his wife and he could ignore her and banish her to the cold palace at any time. However, a woman must follow her husband no matter what his lot was. She could never leave him. When he ceased to be faithful, she would suffer aloneness and helplessness for the rest of her life…
“Unfaithful?”
The smile one her face was more forced as the thought crept to her mind. Her melancholy feelings accumulated. She poured herself another goblet of wine and drank it up. But it was not enough. She filled her goblet again. Tears streamed down her cheeks silently.
“Shuang-er, put your drinks. You are already drunk.”
It was a low and deep voice of a man. Her body trembled at the sound. She turned her face away from the man and said coldly, “What are you doing here?”
Gazing into the pretty girl in the pavilion, somehow, Lu Li felt his heart ache. Bai Xiashuang was a girl with a pure and simple mind. She never hid her emotions. He had never seen her in such a state where she would drink alone and cry to herself.
Sighing, Lu Li walked over at took a seat before her. Wiping off her tears, she looked away from him and continued unmoved, “Aren’t you supposed to be with the Jiang Family Patriarch? What are you doing here for?”
At that moment, Lu Li could not decide what was on Bai Xiashuang’s mind exactly. He poured himself some wine, drank it and said, “Shuang-er, you of all people should know how I have treated you over the years. I will never force you to do anything. If… you think you will never be happy in the marriage or you have other desires, let me know and I will say yes to anything!”
His words made Bai Xiashuang tremble again. She no longer had control over her tears which pour down her face. Glaring at him, she said, choking, “It is you that said so. I don’t want to accept the marriage proposal! I would rather die before marrying you!”
“Okay!”
Without giving it much thought, Lu Li looked at her with tenderness and affection. “It is fine as long as it is you want. I will not marry you if you don’t want to get married.”
“Are you serious?” Bai Xiashuang said, biting her teeth.
Nodding yes, Lu Li said, “Force marriage will not bring you happiness. If there is someone else, I can never take you away by force, now can I?”
“Lu Li!”
All of a sudden, Bai Xiashuang flew into rage. Pointing at Lu Li’s face, she barked at him, “You are heartless, as I have expected. You have no romantic feeling for me. You only want to marry me because you find me pathetic, isn’t it?”
“What?”
Lu Li was confused. A woman’s heart was a deep ocean of secrets. He answered with bewilderment, “Where is this coming from? Shuang-er, I have always treated you as my younger sister. How can I ever think you pathetic and pity you?”
“So, it is true…”
Bai Xiashuang said with ever-growing sorrowful derision. Wiping dry her tears, she went on, “You don’t like me. There is no happiness in something that is forced. If so… let us call off the wedding.”
At that moment, Lu Li had an epiphany. Looking at the loneliness written on her face, he understood why she was so upset and why she was here drinking all by herself.
The fact was!
Bai Xiashuang liked Lu Li. Girls had romantic thoughts, which was not surprising. From the Heaven Martial Kingdom to the Thousand Island Lake, to the Heaven Prison City, from the Northern Desert to the Lu Family, Lu Li killed his way over. Then, he returned to the Northern Deserted and became the master.
Beauties loved heroes!
Few and far between in the world could be called beauties and they were pursued by many men. Had seen a large number of men, those beauties had become fastidious. The more beautiful a girl was, the stronger her desire would be to marry a hero of the age, which would turn her the subject of many women’s jealousy.
There was no doubt that…
To many people, Lu Li was a hero, a legend. What was more, according to the fortune told by the Old Man of Heaven Prison, the twins were destined to marry an emperor of the Northern Desert.
Therefore, Bai Xiashuang had had feelings for Lu Li. But because of Bai Qiuxue, Bai Xiashuang had never revealed her true heart. How could she steal the man her sister loved when her sister was frozen in ice?
Furthermore, there was how Lu Li treated her. He had always regarded her was a little girl that liked to mess around and as his sister-in-law. He had never shown her any romantic feelings. When he looked at her, different from the other men, there was no strong desires or lust.
She was convinced that Lu Li did not like her. The fact that Bai Qiuxue and Madam Yan came to talk her into marrying him filled her with both joy and sorrow. Needless to say, to become Lu Li’s wife was her long-held wish that she had cherished for years. But if Lu Li did not love her when she was married to him, she would for sure feel neglected and frustrated.
Plus, Lu Li was marrying Jiang Qiling at the same time. Bai Xiashuang felt she was nothing more than a maid as a piece of the dowry. For that reason, she was depressed and grieved. For that reason, she had been staying and drinking by herself.
The fact that Lu Li said “I have always treated you as my younger sister” saddened her greatly, so much so that she almost had the idea of committing suicide if that could save Bai Qiuxue and Lu Li from future troubles.
When his thoughts were straightened, Lu Li put on a stern face. He looked at Bai Xiashuang with all seriousness and asked himself whether he liked her or not.
Looking at the weeping beauty sitting in front of him, he remembered their first encounter. They were at the God-down Island back then. Bai Xiashuang walked over, with many people clustering around her. They even had a little quarrel.
Without a question, back then, Bai Xiashuang was the most stunning girl he had ever met aside from Lu Ling. The moment he laid eyes on her, his heart throbbed. But then Bai Xiashuang caused some troubles for him, which made him angry and disgusted to some extent.
Later, Bai Xiashuang apologized to him sincerely, explaining that she was only messing around, not to create disturbance and that she had never attempted to eliminate anyone close to Lu Li. It was then when Lu Li forgave her and began to like her for her straightforward characters.
If Bai Qiuxue was not in the picture, maybe Lu Li would fall in love with this stunning and yet simple and kind girl. However, Bai Qiuxue was too brilliant, and her light had dimmed Bai Xiashuang’s glow.
On second thought, Bai Xiashuang was pure in thought. She was forthright in character and lively. Those were the things that made her special. Surely, to live a life of such simplicity was a pleasant thing.
The tender moonlight shed on Bai Xiashuang’s breathtaking face, adding a layer of radiance to her. Her beauty was made more prominent at the moment. The tear stains on her face touched the softest spot in Lu Li’s heart.
All of a sudden, Lu Li realized that he liked Bai Xiashuang. But because of Bai Qiuxue, he didn’t dare to express his feeling toward her. He was afraid to face those two fair-like girls, fearing that he would put the two blessed girls in harm’s way, fearing that Bai Xiashuang would experience the same inhuman sufferings Bai Qiuxue did…
The looks in Lu Li’s eyes became more determined. He said with absolute certainty, “Shuang-er, I know what I am about to say isn’t exactly honorable, but I want to tell you this—I like you. I want to marry you and I want to protect you and take care of you for the rest of our lives. It is not because you are Bai Qiuxue’s sister but… because you are Bai Xiashuang!”
In that moment, Lu Li could see it clearly. He must cherish the treasures. Why would he worry too much when he could make Bai Xiashuang happy? Why would he make himself and Bai Xiashuang miserable for their entire lives?
He knew he would regret it and hate himself till his death if he gave up on her.
“What?”
Bai Xiashuang shivered. Tears coursed down her cheeks again…
…
