With My Profound Love, I Offer to the Years

Chapter 15

"Kongming lanterns?" Shen Nian felt it was rather strange, "Aren't those things only available during the Lantern Festival?"

The Lantern Festival was in February, it had long passed.

"Yes." Xiao Mubai simply responded, without further explanation, but instead took her to a nearby stand to buy a Kongming lantern.

Unwrapping the outer packaging, they prepared the Kongming lantern.

Shen Nian had only heard of Kongming lanterns before, never having set one off herself, so she was very curious and eagerly helped out.

After it was ready, Xiao Mubai handed her a pen.

Shen Nian was puzzled: "What?"

"Kongming lanterns are also called Sky Lanterns, commonly known as wishing lanterns and prayer lanterns. It is a very ancient handicraft. Nowadays people will set off Kongming lanterns as a blessing, writing down wishes from their hearts by hand, so that their wishes may come true and they will be happy every year."

After the explanation, Xiao Mubai looked at her and said, "Kongming lanterns fly up to the sky, closest to heaven. Write down what you want to say to Lu Lingrui, so that she can see it from heaven."

Looking at the Kongming lantern, Shen Nian shook her head: "I have nothing I want to say to her."

Her voice was very light: "I just...want to see her again."

Lifting her head, she gave Xiao Mubai a big smile.

....................................

That night, Xiao Mubai sent her to the entrance of her apartment complex.

Shen Nian grabbed onto the seat belt, turning her head to look at Xiao Mubai: "Thank you, I was very happy today."

"It's good to be happy." Xiao Mubai saw a strand of her hair had fallen across her face, and reached out a hand to help her tuck it behind her ears, but Shen Nian shrank back a little.

His movement paused, and he retracted his hand: "It's getting late, hurry back and rest, you still have work tomorrow."

"Okay, drive safely."

"Mm."

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Unbuckling her seatbelt, Shen Nian got out of the car.

Entering the complex and taking the elevator up, she then opened her door.

The room was pitch black.

After closing the door, she fumbled for the light switch on the wall.

"Click", the room instantly lit up, and Shen Nian turned to see the man sitting on the sofa, giving her a fright.

Lu Lingchuan was sitting on the sofa, expressionlessly looking at her.

Seeing the white dress she was wearing and the bouquet of sunflowers in her arms, his pupils abruptly contracted, jealousy rising in his heart.

"Hmph!" He gave a cold laugh: "Shen Nian, quite the charmer aren't you!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Shen Nian put the flower bouquet aside and lowered her head to change her shoes.

Lu Lingchuan rushed over in big strides, and fiercely slapped the bouquet of sunflowers onto the ground.

Shen Nian only felt a pain in her back.

Lu Lingchuan stretched out his hand to fiercely grab her chin, anger surfacing in his eyes.

"You're with Xiao Mubai now? Been hiding it from me for a long time? Shen Nian, I didn't think you were capable of this. You even changed your outfit. Which hotel did you two go to to fu-"

"Slap!" Shen Nian fiercely slapped him across the face. She leaned against the wall, craning her neck to stare stubbornly at the man.

She had used a lot of strength with that slap. One side of Lu Lingchuan's cheek had a clear handprint.

"Did that slap all the filth out of your brain?" She looked at him and asked.

"......"

Shen Nian closed her eyes for a bit, then opened them again with not a hint of ripple in her gaze.

"Lu Lingchuan, I have endured your hatred and retaliation because you are Lu Lingrui's brother. I carried two children for you, I can say in good conscience that I don't owe you anything anymore. All along, the only one I owed was Lu Lingrui."

At the mention of those two children, a flash of pain went through Lu Lingchuan's eyes, and his breathing grew heavier.

Shen Nian was also thinking of her two children who never had the chance to come into this world. She smiled.

"The enmity between us has nothing to do with Xiao Mubai."

"Or do you feel that I'm not even worthy of someone caring about me?"

She stared straight at him and asked, "Do I really have to die by your hands before you'll be satisfied?"

Shen Nian's words made Lu Lingchuan's heart sink. His hand pinching her chin abruptly tightened.

"You're mine!"

....................................

The bedroom was very quiet, only occasional faint sounds could be heard. Sweat mingling into the dark night. Lu Lingchuan gripped her hand tightly. Sweat slid from his forehead to the tip of his nose, finally dripping onto Shen Nian's collarbone.

Shen Nian was forced to endure. She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth, not making a single sound from start to finish.

He held her tightly in his embrace, wishing he could fuse her into his own blood and bones. His movements didn't stop as he repeatedly uttered those crazy lines.

"You're mine."

"Shen Nian, let's go to hell together in this lifetime."

Between them there would always be that insurmountable ravine that was Lu Lingrui.

She couldn't get over the fact that she had abandoned Lu Lingrui alone to flee by herself that time. And every time he saw Shen Nian, he couldn't help but picture Lu Lingrui lying in that pool of blood.

When Lingrui jumped from the building that year, she didn't die instantly. Her body was still warm. She could still smile at him.

It was in his arms that she gradually turned cold bit by bit.

He wanted to save her but was powerless.

That kind of heart-wrenching despair penetrated into his bones.

Since they couldn't disregard everything to be together in this lifetime, then they would go to hell together!

In this lifetime, she and he were destined to be inextricably linked.

........................

The next day when Shen Nian woke up, Lu Lingchuan had already left as usual.

Over the years, he would often spend the night here, but Shen Nian had never seen him when she opened her eyes. Every time she woke up, he would have already left.

Getting up, she had just moved a little when her whole body already felt sore and weak.

Supporting herself with one hand on the bed, she slowly sat up, taking one small step at a time to the bathroom, like an elderly person.

As usual she would wash up first, tidy up, then get ready to go out.

Carrying the garbage bags from several trash cans in the house to throw out downstairs.

Entering the living room, Shen Nian searched around for a trash can, finally finding one on the other side of the coffee table.

What she discovered at the same time was a cake box.

Shen Nian froze for a moment. The cake box had ribbons tied in a nice bow on the outside.

The box was transparent. Inside lay a cake, not very big with simple decorations.

Because the cake needed refrigeration, now that the weather had already turned hot, after sitting out at room temperature overnight, the cake had already melted and couldn't be eaten.

Looking at that cake, Shen Nian's mind went blank.

...........................

Lu Lingchuan didn't go to work. Instead he went back to the Lu house.

Entering the living room, he happened to run into Lu Lingchen.

"Brother." Lu Lingchen said.

"Mm." Lu Lingchuan acknowledged him, then asked, "How has Mom been recently?"

"She seems to be doing better than before."

"I see."

"Brother..." Lu Lingchen called out to him again after some thought.

"What is it?" Lu Lingchuan glanced at him.

"Don't listen to everything Mom says." Lu Lingchen said seriously.

Lu Lingchuan pulled up the corner of his lips, "Kids should just focus on studying properly."

"I'm not a kid anymore. I'm already twenty." Lu Lingchen earnestly corrected him.

"Brother, I know no matter what I say, you won't listen. But still I have to tell you because you're my brother. Some matters can't clearly distinguish right from wrong. There's only a few decades in this life, each day gone is one less day to live. Don't leave yourself with regrets."