readsfreenovel Chapter 265
Chapter 265
The courtyard is deep and secluded, bathed in the soft glow of the moon.
The two looked at each other, and the affection in their eyes was unmistakable.
"Clear order!"
Shen Chu suddenly hugged her, and hot tears fell onto Liu Qingxu's neck, burning her heart.
Her hands hesitated, wanting to hug him back, but in the end she let go and spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Sorry……"
Shen Chu shook her head, her voice choked with sobs, "You haven't wronged me. As long as you're alive, that's all I want."
"I just want you to live..."
Liu Qingxu tried his best to suppress himself, his eyes filled with tender longing.
Shen Chu's eyes were red and swollen, and she held Liu Qingxu tightly, refusing to let go.
"I thought... I thought I would never see you again in this lifetime..."
Liu Qingxu clenched her hands tightly and rubbed her cheeks against his hair with longing.
"How are you?"
"I'm fine, everything's alright, how about you?"
Shen Chu let go of her, took her hand and looked her up and down, tears streaming down her face, feeling extremely distressed.
"You've lost so much weight, you've suffered so much..."
Liu Qingxu tremblingly reached out her hand, wanting to wipe away his tears, but thinking of her current status, she lowered her hand. There was already an insurmountable chasm between them; she was no longer worthy of him.
She shook her head.
Then he let go of Shen Chu's hand.
Shen Chu froze, her voice trembling as she said, "Qingxu..."
Liu Qingxu closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened them again to look at him. "Achu, we have already dissolved our engagement. You shouldn't be here."
"I don't want to! You can't abandon me..."
He tried to grab Liu Qingxu's hand, but she avoided it.
"Qingxu...you can't do this, you said you would marry me..."
"You said you would marry me in a grand and glorious way, and make me your only husband. You can't go back on your word!"
Liu Qingxu looked away, refusing to look at him.
"How can I marry you now?"
"I don't want anything, I just want to marry you! They all think you're dead, but I believe you said you would marry me, so you will definitely come back alive to marry me. If you don't come for a day, I will wait for you for a day; if you don't come for ten days, I will wait for you for ten days. Even if I have to wait until I die, I will still wait for you!"
Shen Chu had tears in her eyes, but her expression was firm.
A dense, throbbing pain slowly spread from her heart to every part of her body. Liu Qingxu dared not look at him, afraid that she would be unable to resist her soft heart.
"Even if you have to live a life of displacement with me? Even if you have to go hungry every day?"
They were betrothed when they were young, so they grew up together as childhood sweethearts. Shen Chu was pampered and had never suffered any hardship, so how could she bear to let him live such a life?
Shen Chu raised her hand to wipe away her tears. "Yes!"
Even if I have to wander around and go hungry, as long as I'm by your side!
"Liu Qingxu, you can't go back on your word."
He stepped forward, his moist eyes fixed on Liu Qingxu, as if forcing her to make a choice.
"Take me with you, okay? I'll try my best not to be a burden to you."
"What about Uncle? Can you bear to leave him alone to guard the Shen family?"
Shen Chu's mother passed away many years ago, leaving Shen Chu's father to guard the vast family business alone, which was coveted by countless people. He not only had to guard against the wolves and tigers outside, but also had to raise Shen Chu.
In the past, because of the marriage agreement between the two families, the Liu family would always help out. But now that the Liu family has fallen from power, Shen Chu's father is in an even more difficult situation.
Shen Chu fell silent, her expression somber.
“Achu, you will have better choices. Your life has just begun. You will be happy.”
Her life had long since rotted away.
Shen Chu shook her head, choking back tears, "No one will be better than you..."
"He will probably never be happy without you."
Nalan Jingwen emerged from the darkness, glanced at the two of them, and said, "Liu Qingxu, you spoke too soon."
"Besides, how can you possibly control his life?"
"How can you be sure that he will be happy in the future?"
"What if he encounters a wife who treats him badly in the future? At best, she'll beat and scold him; at worst, she'll abuse him. What will you do then?"
"impossible!"
Liu Qingxu immediately retorted, but when he met Nalan Jingwen's deep eyes, he couldn't utter a single word.
"See, you're not even sure."
"For him now, only you, Liu Qingxu, can make him happy, don't you think, Young Master Shen?"
Shen Chu stared blankly at Nalan Jingwen, and upon hearing her question, nodded emphatically, her gaze resolute.
"We made a vow when we were young that we would never abandon each other, no matter what."
“At that time, I decided that no matter what you, Liu Qingxu, become in the future, whether you are a wealthy young man from a large family or a beggar on the street, you will always be my wife, Liu Qingxu.”
Liu Qingxu's pupils trembled, as if in shock.
Nalan Jingwen patted her shoulder, "Have you forgotten what I told you?"
"If you want to bring him along, I can agree."
Liu Qingxu suddenly looked up at her.
Nalan Jingwen said unhurriedly:
"But you must complete the task I have given you."
"If you do a good job, I can reluctantly be your best man."
The only prince of Fengtian personally officiated at her wedding—what an honor!
"So, do you agree?"
From the moment Nalan Jingwen appeared, Shen Chu began to scrutinize her, wondering who she was and why she was with Liu Qingxu.
Judging from Liu Qingxu's reaction, her overall demeanor, and the understated yet clearly high-quality clothing she wore, she must be a person of noble status.
Why would Liu Qingxu know such a person?
While he was thinking, Liu Qingxu knelt down in front of Nalan Jingwen and kowtowed heavily, which startled Shen Chu.
"Thank you for your kind request, Miss Xie!"
Liu Qingxu pulled Shen Chu aside and introduced her, saying, "Ah Chu, this is my benefactor. If it weren't for her, I would have died long ago!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Chu immediately knelt down with Liu Qingxu and kowtowed deeply to Nalan Jingwen.
"Miss Xie saved Qingxu!"
Nalan Jingwen stepped aside, refusing their bow. After all, it was an equal exchange, and neither of them owed the other anything.
"Get up."
She looked at Shen Chu, "Young Master Shen, can you now tell me why you are here?"
A man inexplicably appeared in an abandoned house at this time, which seemed very strange.
After he finished speaking, Liu Qingxu looked at him with a look of doubt in his eyes.
Shen Chu nodded, raised her hand and pointed to a small mound of earth behind Nalan Jingwen, her eyes filled with sorrow.
"I've come to pay my respects to my aunt and the others."
Liu Qingxu followed his gaze and saw a small mound of earth standing there all alone, with some food in front of it. She stared blankly at it.
There's only one person who could make Shen Chu shout like that...
“When you got into trouble, I begged everyone I knew to help you, but no one was willing. I couldn’t save your mother, and I’m so sorry…”
"I begged my father for a long time before he finally agreed to let me secretly go and collect my aunt's body, but I was too late. When I arrived, all that was left were some torn clothes..."
"But I couldn't attract too much attention, so I could only bring the clothes back and erect a cenotaph, without even a tombstone..."
His voice trembled, and he couldn't help but shed tears.