015 Parted by Heaven and Earth

I

It's the tears glistening in your eyes,

Mirroring the moonlight veiled by clouds.

Last night, the spring rain fell in a gentle cascade,

Thoughts soaring like the drifting tendrils of rain.

That unknown cemetery looms afar,

Faint and hazy in the distance.

A gentle breeze wafts by,

Caressing the green grass beside your tombstone.

II

In my youth, I dreamt of owning a bookstore as I grew.

Quietly ensconced in a corner, savoring afternoon tea.

Then, you stepped in, your face like a character from a dreamy comic.

Silently, you took the seat opposite me.

I stole furtive glances at you. A few strands of your brown hair fell carelessly.

Your gentle eyes, high - bridged nose, and proud lips.

A pair of clean, slender hands capable of weaving wonderful melodies.

You cast a melancholy look my way,

And in that single glance, all my secrets were laid bare.

Ripples spread across the lake of my heart, one after another.

You played the piano for me. Your fingers danced gracefully on the black - and - white keys.

Then, I got acquainted with classic masterpieces and "Greensleeves".

I'll hold these memories close forever.

III

The cherry blossoms outside the window fade with the wind, startling the birds.

The long years roll by. The wheel of fate mercilessly crushes the hopeful years.

Only the figure in my memory remains unchanged.

If meeting you was a divine predestination, then your departure was my inescapable fate.

The sound of the piano suddenly halted at dawn, like a broken spring vine.

Your eyes were still visible beneath the enchanting white.

You smiled faintly, with an indelible sadness in your eyes.

Who will lend an ear to this heart - wrenching melancholy? And how can I bury the past?

In the silent room, sadness froze in time.

So much time has passed that I've forgotten the meaning of life.

But I stubbornly adore the combination of black and white.

Stubbornly cherish the arrival of dusk.

When the last grandeur unfolds,

I silently gaze at your tenderness, and suddenly, tears stream down my face.

IV

The lonely night is a blizzard of pain.

Your gentle eyes are filled with the coldness of solitude.

Snowflakes fall on your hair and gradually melt, like the tears of heaven.

You're sleeping quietly, and I'm calling your name.

The world goes on, but my heart has sunk.

I hide myself because I'm powerless to save you.

Your bright smile, like a flower in full bloom, slowly fades away.

My heart aches with a pale pain, bit by bit, thread by thread.

The immeasurable distance makes the yearning at my fingertips a constant gnaw.

Experiencing time is like sipping on disappointment. Maybe I should have understood earlier.

As long as I know how to choose, it's also a kind of gain.

So I stop crying.

Our lives intersected briefly and then stayed. I silently miss you.

I'll cling to the vow of my youth and won't let it shatter.

The gift from heaven is no longer whole,

But I hope you won't be lonely in heaven.

Following a winding path, I stroll leisurely. The afterglow of the setting sun slants on the cold tombstone. I listen to the desolate wind whispering its loneliness among the trees.

My fluctuating thoughts are either as silent as the grave or filled with guilt and sorrow. In this quiet cemetery, the bustling, complicated, and cold world is left behind.

"Are you lonely, lying there all alone, far away from the world?" Ming Xichen sits on the ground, her hand on the tombstone. Her fingers glide across the cold stone, tracing the eyebrows and eyes in the photo. "I dreamed of you again. You were holding a blade of grass in your mouth, squinting your eyes. In the noisy sunlight, you were still as handsome as ever." Her voice is hoarse with grief, but there's a hazy smile on her face. "In reality, I saw another you. You were holding a cigarette in your mouth, squinting your eyes. Your facial features were still handsome but with the traces of time and vicissitudes."

Ming Xichen lights a cigarette. She slightly parts her lips, and a puff of white smoke disperses. She half - closes her phoenix eyes, and her fingers still linger on the tombstone. "Actually, I wasn't drunk that night, but I pretended to be... And I kissed him. Even though I knew clearly that he wasn't you, I still couldn't control myself from getting closer to him, trying to find your scent on him. Am I so shameless?"

"Fei, I miss you so much..." She presses her face against the cold tombstone.

These eight years have flashed by in a blink. She has gradually settled into a calm life. His existence is like the fading echo of the night wind. After rippling a few times, it finally fades into eternal silence. But she still secretly hopes that one day, somewhere, she will suddenly bump into him. He will be as fresh - scented as in his youth, and they will hold hands, listening to the wind and watching the rain.

Time is really a sharp sword, slicing through the air. In an instant, it pierces the skin and blood spills...

The forever - handsome young man has changed in the untouchable river of time. The man with a cigarette in his mouth and a sharp look in his eyes appears in front of her in a strange way.

At that innocent age, both of them were wrong. But they never anticipated such a result, one that can never be forgiven.

"Fei, do you know how much I despise myself?" She ignores the tears on her face and is lost in her own world like a madwoman.

Over the years, she has gradually become attached to the elegant, lotus - like fragrance of Chu Rui and his tender warmth. His meticulous care and all - encompassing spoiling and love.

A Kang once cast a deep reflection on one bank of the river of her life, making the river interesting. Then he left the bank, but her river will not dry up. Now he has returned, standing in front of her with a sharp and imposing manner. When facing him, she will think of her own past frivolity and vulnerability. She has bid farewell to her recklessness and shallowness and gradually become more peaceful and tenacious, living an honest life. This transformation naturally outlines the pain in her life. But she believes this transformation is right. Her past greed and dissatisfaction seem so insignificant in the face of life.

She hugs the tombstone and presses her face against it, as if pressing it against the chest of the one she misses, sobbing softly.

She failed to hold onto her feelings, which led to Fei's departure. Her escape led to a new relationship. Her first love was left in the frozen black land thousands of miles away. She somewhat hates herself for causing so many emotional entanglements. Her heart is in a mess. She longs for someone to give her guidance, listen to her confessions, and redeem her.

"Life is full of people passing by. Who remembers whose shadow? Maybe the other side of heaven is the perfect shore, while everything in the mortal world is just a fleeting and prosperous dream. Why should we be so persistent?" Shen Yunyi stands beside the tombstone, his eyes calm and composed.

Could he see things so clearly?

The girl immersed in her own sorrow suddenly hears such Zen - like words. Suddenly, a picture appears in her mind: "Suddenly, the world changes. The wind blows and the clouds churn. A man in golden boots and armor, stepping on a colorful cloud, with a golden halo on his head and holding a lotus in his hand, is looking around..."

Who is this person?

She looks up. There is no colorful cloud or golden halo. Instead, she sees the extremely handsome Shen Yunyi standing beside her. There is a kind of other - worldly loneliness around him. That faint sadness and cold aura lingers around her nose.

Fei has come back...

For a moment, she is in a daze.

She knows it is an illusion, but his appearance still makes her flustered for a moment. The scene in the private room that night immediately reappears in her mind. She had boldly sat on his lap, touched his face, and kissed his lips and eyes. How embarrassing! It has been such a short time, and now she sees him again. How can she face him? Pretend not to know him? Impossible. Throw herself at him enthusiastically? Even if it were Fei, she couldn't do that. With Chu Rui in her life, how could she treat him like this? She had drunk a bit too much that night, which was why she had been so bold and out of line.

Ming Xichen is struggling with these thoughts when finally she blurts out, "Were you following me?" As soon as the words come out, she wants to slap herself.

Coincidence, fate, whatever. She puts aside her chaotic thoughts and quietly wipes the tears from the corners of her eyes. In an instant, her face regains its calm, and she looks at Shen Yunyi with a complicated look in her eyes.

Seeing her being so awkward, Shen Yunyi smiles. Suddenly, in front of Ming Xichen's eyes, it is as if thousands of pear trees are in full bloom... It makes her dizzy.

"Let's go down and find a place to sit. The sun is about to set. It's windy here. Be careful not to catch a cold." Shen Yunyi stretches out his hand, trying to pull Ming Xichen up.

His palm has calluses, and his fingers are long. She looks at Shen Yunyi's hand, hesitates for a moment, then places her hand in his and stands up with his help.

At the foot of the mountain, when Leng Yan sees Ming Xichen coming down, she quickly opens the car door, but Ming Xichen doesn't come over. She stands in front of Shen Yunyi's car with him and says to Leng Yan, "You can go back first. You don't need to follow me."

Leng Yan still has a poker face, but the hands hanging on both sides of her trouser legs involuntarily tighten. "It's this man again." She watches as Shen Yunyi's car drives away before getting into the car. The car heads in the direction of Fengwu Jiutian.