chapter 73

Perceiving a trace of disgust in Ai Changhuan ‘s expression, Du Yucheng couldn’t help but smile bitterly. “I was just walking around. I didn’t expect to encounter you.”

Ai Changhuan got up. “Then I’ll leave this place for you. I will go somewhere else.”

She turned to leave, but Du grabbed her. “Wait, can’t we have a good talk?”

Ai stared at the hand that was holding her arm and said nothing.

Du Yucheng had to let her go, and he made a self-mocking smile. “Sorry.”

Ai Changhuan glanced away and said, “What are you talking about?”

“You and Lu Zhanke…”

“Lu Zhanke and I will handle the matter ourselves, so you don’t need to ask anymore,” Ai said dryly.

Du Yucheng frowned, and it was obvious that Ai Changhuan didn’t want to say much about Lu Zhanke and herself.

His eyebrows drooped slightly, and he said, “Okay, I won’t ask you again.”

Ai Changhuan asked, “Is there anything else? If not, can you answer a question for me?”

“What question?”

“Are you Qin Zhan?” Ai Changhuan looked straight at Du’s eyes, not allowing him to escape in the slightest.

“I……”

“Wait a minute, don’t rush to answer,” Ai interrupted Du Yucheng. “I have to make it clear to you first that this is the last time I’m asking you this question. No matter what you said to me and showed me before, I have chosen to forget that. Now, you will give me an answer, yes or no. I’ll only believe what you say this time. No matter what you say next time, I will not believe it. Now, Du Yucheng, tell me, are you Qin Zhan? I’m only giving you ten seconds to answer. Think it through ”

“Changhuan…” Du looked embarrassed.

“Ten,” Ai had already started counting. “Nine…”

“Changhuan, don’t do this.”

“Eight, are you?” She continued to ask.

“I…” A hint of struggle flashed in Du Yucheng’s eyes.

“Seven.” Ai Changhuan closed her eyes and couldn’t bear to look at him again. “Six …”

“Changhuan…” Du Yucheng just sighed deeply. The sigh was too sad, and even Ai Changhuan couldn’t help feeling sad.

“If you don’t say anything, you won’t have a chance. Because you are silent, I will take it as denial. There are five seconds, four seconds…”

“Don’t force me…” Du Yucheng’s heart shook fiercely. “Changhuan, don’t do this…”

“There are three seconds left.” Ai Changhuan opened her eyes, and there were tears in his eyes. “You tell me. Tell me the final answer.”

“I……”

“Two, one!”

“No!”

Both “one” and “no” fell in the last second, and then the whole bamboo forest was quiet.

She and he looked at each other. Neither of them spoke, and pain flashed in their eyes, but they both pretended not to see.

Ai Changhuan was hurting from the pain of being deceived. She didn’t understand why Du Yucheng had to do this. Who knew the torment she suffered during these days.

And Du Yucheng was hurting from the pain of having many secrets in his heart that couldn’t be said. It was the pain that the person he loved was in front of him, and he had to see her go away. He didn’t know whether he would regret this decision. At least at this moment, he had chosen his answer after much struggle.

“Okay, I see.” Ai Changhuan turned her back and wiped her tears quietly. “I won’t ask you why you are doing this because your answer helps me make a very important decision. I would like to thank you.”

“…” Changhuan, he couldn’t utter this name anymore. He could only hide her in his heart, so his throat was bitter.

“Goodbye.” She turned around, gave him a deep look, and then walked past him.

“Changhuan!” He finally couldn’t help but call her name again, even though he knew it was time to let her go from now on.

Ai turned her head, looked at him, and smiled lightly. “Du Yucheng, can you do me a favor?”

Du Yucheng was stunned.

After talking with Du Yucheng, Ai returned to the hall. Yang Anxin and Pei Mu had already come down and were sitting there waiting for everyone to gather.

Yang said, “Today is the day when the Achang Minority people elect the Sun Goddess. I heard that the scene is very huge and lively. Everyone should not act alone in a moment lest we get separated from one another.”

Ai Changhuan smiled and said, “Yeah.”

Then she bowed her head in silence.

Upon seeing this, Yang hurriedly came up to her and asked quietly, “What happened to you and regiment commander Lu? You were very happy when you came. Why do you look so unhappy today? Are you still angry about last night? You can rest assured that Lu is definitely not that kind of person. With his condition, it is too much attention for him. How can he fall in love with that woman?”

Yang was embarrassed to say Ouyang Zhenzhen’s name directly.

Ai Changhuan dropped her gaze. Of course. Even Anxin firmly believed Lu Zhanke, so why hadn’t she believed him? After she reflected on it, she realized that her trust in Lu Zhanke was really pitiful.

At this time, Ouyang Zhenzhen came downstairs. Seeing that Lu was not there, she sat down at the side of the room.

With Yang Anxin’s enthusiastic personality, she would be concerned about anyone who was injured. But that injured person was Ouyang, and she didn’t want to care about Ouyang, so she only pretended not to see her.

After a while, Lu Zhanke and Du Yucheng also returned.

Lu came to Ai Changhuan, and Du came to Ouyang Zhenzhen.

Pei Mu said, “Since everyone is here, let’s go.”

Then, he first went out with Yang Anxin.

Lu and Ai followed them closely. Ouyang wanted to catch up, but she was caught by Du Yucheng.

“What are you in a hurry for? There will be plenty of opportunities later.”

Ouyang looked at Du. “What do you mean?”

“It doesn’t mean anything.” Du Yucheng hurried to catch up.

Ouyang looked thoughtful.

When they had come there the day before, Yang just ate and didn’t buy anything. This time, she kept picking presents because she wanted to buy some souvenirs.

Ai also stood in front of a jewelry stall. Her eyes were drawn by two doll mobile chains. The mobile chains were a pair, a man and a woman. Half a heart was painted on each doll’s chest, which together made a complete heart.

And there were words carved on the backs of the two dolls.

Behind the male doll was engraved, “I have a wife.”

Behind the female doll was engraved, “I have a husband.”

Then arrows were drawn below, pointing at each other.

Ai Changhuan picked them up and looked at them carefully. She couldn’t help but smile at it. She seemed to like them, but after a few moments, she put them down because she no longer needed them.

After she turned and left, Lu Zhanke also picked up the two dolls and quietly bought them.

The place where the Sun Goddess would be elected was in a tower. No tickets were required to enter and watch the performance, but someone had to pay if he wanted a seat with a good view.

They ordered a table on the second floor because they were with a child.

Yang Anxin saw many people carrying a strange thing on the road, and she couldn’t help but ask, “What are they carrying?”

“It is a musical instrument called Hulu Xiao. In the Achang Minority, Hulu Xiao is also called a love instrument. It is used by men to express their love to women. There is also an activity called La Sa in this place.” Lu Zhanke, who had been there a few times, knew this well and explained it to Yang Anxin.

“La Sa? What is that?”

“La Sa means changing craftsmanship. If a young man falls in love with a girl during a duet, he asks the other person to accept the cigarette case by handing over the cigarette. If the woman intends to accept it, she would take a shawl with grasshopper flowers and a packet of cigarettes, matches, etc., wrap them in paper, tie them with a colored thread to form a live knot, and give it to the young man as a gift of affection. If she doesn’t like the man, she would form a fast knot, indicating that she is no longer willing to have connections with him.”

“That’s really interesting.” Yang Anxin was intrigued. “No wonder this election of Sun Goddess has a lot of girls in addition to the young guys. It turns out that they have come to see if there are handsome guys.”

Ouyang looked at Lu as if she had something to say.

After a while, Lu added, “Of course, you can’t give it to married people, or you’ll be considered insulting.”

Ouyang’s eyes darkened immediately.

Lu Zhanke turned his gaze to Ai Changhuan, who had been silent the entire time. He said half-jokingly and half-seriously, “In fact, sometimes couples send each other to see if their relationship is still as well as before.”

The last two rules were made up by Lu Zhanke. One was to refuse Ouyang; the other was to test Ai Changhuan.

Upon seeing this, Yang immediately understood and said with a smile, “Did you send cigarettes to Changhuan?”

Lu Zhanke smiled, “I had intended to send some, but I don’t smoke, so I’ll have to buy some later.”

Du Yucheng went to see Ai Changhuan’s expression, as if he wanted to see if she would accept the cigarettes of Lu.

Ai Changhuan said, “It’s too boring to watch like this. It’s better to go out and buy something to eat while we watch.”

“Okay.” Lu Zhanke got up. “It’s better for you and me to go. It is inconvenient for Brother Pei because they have their child.”

“Alright.” Ai nodded and walked out with Lu.

The place which sold snacks was a bit far away. They were walking side by side without speaking. The atmosphere was unprecedentedly cold.

After a while, Lu Zhanke said, “Didn’t you say that you had to think it over? Have you thought it through yet?”

“Not yet,” Ai Changhuan replied. “If I have an answer, I will let you know.”

She lied. She already had an answer, but she did not tell him.

Lu smiled and held Ai Changhuan ‘s hand. “We seem to have never walked like this.”

Ai was about to draw back her hand, but she paused after she heard this sentence, and then she let him hold her.

Lu’s palm was very hot. They started sweating after holding each other for a while, but they didn’t let go.

“When you were away this morning, I repaired the phone.” Lu Zhanke started to find a topic of conversation. The phone wasn’t broken, but the back cover and the battery were thrown out. After it was recharged and re-installed, the phone was working again.