Chapter 386: "Yes" "No"

"What? No!" Li Meirong shook her head and scoffed. Regaining her composure, she sat upright and pointed to the circle containing Zhu Qingyue's name and a large question mark. "Zhu Qingyue is my boyfriend. Even after I swore not to let myself fall into any more relationships, I am in one with him. I've put my trust in him, and that means I'll do whatever it takes to make sure this story changes… if it really does seem like it will come to pass." 

More so than her words, Li Meirong's tone made it seem as if Mo Cheng's question was utterly preposterous and therefore completely beyond comprehension or consideration.

As much as Zhu Qingyue may seem manipulative or evil in other people's eyes, and even with the remaining shadows of the illusion portraying his monstrosity to the fullest, in Li Meirong's heart there was no room to ever consider betraying him. Whatever sort of premonition that illusion might appear to be, it was just that: a premonition and illusion. 

She wouldn't fault him for something he had never done.

Zhu Qingyue was forceful and possessive, yes, and sometimes she could not make sense of him, but he was also attentive and kind and generous with her. She always felt like he cherished her more than anything else, and she couldn't repay such devotion with betrayal. 

Li Meirong clutched her hand to her chest. 'He is the best boyfriend I've ever had.'

Mo Cheng rubbed his forehead in frustration. He couldn't help but agree with Li Meirong on many of her points, as she was not wrong. One such matter was that the storyline had gone completely out of whack.

The plot started going haywire ever since Li Meirong became acquainted with Zhu Qingyue. Mo Cheng had assumed the story would return to its original plot if he separated the two, but perhaps what was done could not be undone. It was time to devise an alternative plan.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" he asked tiredly.

"We just have to make sure that Zhu Qingyue does not go on the same route as the villain in the story. This way everything can be solved without anyone being harmed. But first," Li Meirong added, pointing to Mo Cheng's name on her diagram, "we must find a way to treat you."

"Good luck with that," Mo Cheng scoffed, turning his back on her. "I've searched far and wide for a solution to my issue, but to no avail. I fear my soul is out of balance with the body I currently possess, as this body rejects my soul and causes me to lose consciousness. The fainting periods began occurring much more frequently as of late, and I don't believe I have much time left." He shook his head, voice dropping to a mutter. "It is not like I can easily speak about this with anyone else. You know how badly soul possession is looked upon within the confinements of a righteous sect such as this."

"Perhaps I can offer my help with that."

It was not Li Meirong who spoke. The voice was simply too deep, too masculine, to be hers. Mo Cheng stiffened, and then slowly turned around, his face blank.

Without Mo Cheng noticing, Zhu Qingyue had entered the garden, and was now crouched by Li Meirong's side.

Both Li Meirong and Mo Cheng were equally shocked by Zhu Qingyue's unexpected appearance, but it was Mo Cheng whose heart nearly leapt from his chest. His jaw went slack for a moment as he stared, before he managed to pull himself together slightly.

"What are you doing here?" he stuttered. 

What he truly wanted to ask was: how in the seven hells did he manage to get into the garden without anybody noticing?! It wasn't a place where anybody could just come and go as they pleased.

Furthermore, what sort of power did this white-haired devil possess that he could just materialize out of thin air?!

"It has been so long since I have seen my wife that of course I would wish for nothing more than to rush to her side as soon as I returned," Zhu Qingyue faintly smiled, looking all too unconcerned.

Despite responding to Mo Cheng, his gaze was entirely focused on Li Meirong. His fingers gently traced over the smooth skin of her bare wrist until he found her tiny hand. He took her hand into his own and entwined their fingers.

The instant she felt Zhu Qingyue's gentle yet firm touch, Li Meirong's cheeks dusted pink. It had only been a few days since she had last seen him, but it felt like it had been months.

She slightly resented how easily Zhu Qingyue managed to bewitch her with his presence alone. 

With him being so close and looking at her like that, she became spellbound. 

His reserved and elegant bearing felt, at times, a tad overwhelming to her; she was but a simple woman, after all.

The noble aura he exuded contrasted with the seductive allure emanating from the depths of his bewitching eyes. This deadly combination made it difficult for Li Meirong to focus, especially when she was caught unawares like this. 

All rational thought fled out the window. 

She reluctantly tried to squirm out of his grasp, feeling shy, but all he did was hold her tighter.

"You've already married?" Mo Cheng exclaimed, shocked. Both Zhu Qingyue and Li Meirong answered at the same time, the former much calmer than the latter.

"Yes."

"N-no!"

"Which one is it… yes or no?" Mo Cheng muttered. At that moment, he couldn't help but feel like he was being forced to unjustly chew on a lot of dog food!

Zhu Qingyue let out a deep chuckle.

"We are a married couple where it counts," he replied. His voice held an alluring magnetism, and his chuckle seemed to carry a hint of teasing; Li Meirong shivered involuntarily as her cheeks deepened in colour.

She thought Zhu Qingyue explained himself thus because they had indeed gone all the way. The customs of this world were ancient and reserved. Usually, when a woman gave her virginity to a man, it made her his in one way or another.

Just like she had developed the ability to keep her own feelings at bay and had learned to mask her emotions to prevent them from showing on her face to some extent, she felt that Zhu Qingyue's unconcerned exterior was his own version of emotional defense mechanism, usually employed when he didn't want to show what he was thinking. 

She had, however, known him for quite a while now, and had picked up on some of his more subtle traits; whenever he silently gazed at her, just as he was doing now, was when he was trying to puzzle out what was on her mind.

But if she herself was confused by her jumbled emotions, then surely he would never be able to comprehend her - that was her thought, at least.

Seeing him again in the flesh, even after the illusion she'd been subjected to earlier that same day, made her heart feel like it would burst out of her chest from an entirely different reason than Mo Cheng's. 

Yet, because of the pixie's words of caution, she was also a little afraid of him. 

She couldn't shake off the lingering fear that his presence now invoked.

Could someone love a person, long for that person, and yet be terrified of them at the same time?

Li Meirong found it difficult to hold Zhu Qingyue's gaze, and let her eyes drop.

"You're finally back," she murmured shyly, looking away and awkwardly squeezing her arms together. She almost curled in on herself, making her already petite frame look smaller still. It was as if she was trying to turn herself invisible.