Tang Wutong leaned into Huo Yuhao’s arms as she quietly felt his passionately burning heartbeat. They shared this embrace, and two slender shadows stretched out under the moonlight.
Tang Wutong pushed Huo Yuhao away gently after a long while, and stood straight from within his arms.
Huo Yuhao lowered his head and stared into her eyes. Tang Wutong felt her heart skip a beat, as his gaze was just too passionate, hot enough to melt steel.
“Yuhao.”
“Mm.” Huo Yuhao’s hands were still around her waist, and he didn’t relax his grip at all, like she would immediately leave him if he did.
Tang Wutong said gently, “Give me some time, okay?”
Huo Yuhao was momentarily stunned. “What’s up with you, Dong’er?”
Tang Wutong shook her head gently. “I’ve already said, I’m Tang Wutong. I’m not Wang Dong’er. Really, I’m Tang Wutong.”
“Eh?” Huo Yuhao stared at her in surprise. He responded confusedly, “Dong’er, didn’t you come here to reunite with me on the Sea God’s Fated Blind Date because you’ve recovered your memory?”
Tang Wutong gently shook her head and said, “More accurately put, I have recovered the memory that belonged to Wang Dong’er.”
Huo Yuhao was even more perplexed. He stared at her in confusion and asked, “What’s happened, exactly, Dong’er?”
Tang Wutong said gently, “Just call me Tang Wutong from now on. That’s my real name. Dong’er is a fake name I used back then.”
Huo Yuhao immediately nodded. Her name was secondary to him; what was most important was Tang Wutong as a person.
Tang Wutong’s eyes seemed a little a blurry as she smiled bitterly and said, “To be frank, I had to think long and hard about meeting with you on the Sea God’s Lake today, and that’s because I know I’m not entirely ready yet. Listen to me, okay?”
“Okay.” Huo Yuhao’s eyes instantly became a little more nervous. Even though he was very excited because of his reunion with Dong’er, he could tell from Tang Wutong’s expression that things didn’t appear that simple. How could he not be nervous?
Tang Wutong held his hand and pulled him over to a flat surface beside them and sat down.
“Do you remember that day? The Dragon Emperor Douluo forced us into a corner, and you stabbed yourself nine times to save me.” Tang Wutong’s voice trembled a little as she spoke. Even though that had happened a long time ago, she could feel her heart and soul quivering when she thought back to what had happened that day.
“That day, when I watched you plunge that knife into your own body with a plain and emotionless look on your face, my entire heart tied itself into a painful knot, and I was hurting so much. Only then did I realize what suffocating heartache felt like. I will never forget that feeling.”
“I’d already developed some positive feelings towards you by then, but there was no way I could identify what that feeling was. But I knew that you didn’t stab yourself with that knife for me because you liked me, you did it because I was your companion. Perhaps, part of the reason was also because I look very, very similar to Wang Dong’er. Furthermore, what I saw in your eyes wasn’t pain – it was liberation. Yes, liberation. In that moment, I suddenly felt so terribly afraid, and that wasn’t just because of the pain that you were suffering. More of that was because of your eyes that seemed like you were liberating yourself. Only then could I clearly see how deep your love for Wang Dong’er was.”
“I was struck a little deeper with every stab, and my emotions quickly crumbled. When I watched you stab yourself for the last time, when you were definitely going to die, I felt like something somewhere deep in my heart had cracked apart. That pain was indescribable, and in that moment, I seemed to lift some kind of seal as countless things surged through my brain. I passed out.”
“When I woke up and saw you next to me and that you weren’t dead, nothing seemed bad about the situation. I was a little lost because there were too many memories in my mind. That made me panic and afraid, and my entire being was lost and confused. I didn’t like that feeling, but I seemed to like how those memories returned to me. Therefore, I carried you and took you back to the Tang Sect. I returned to Sea God’s Island after taking you back, and I told everyone I was going into closed-door cultivation so that I could sort out these messy memories.”
“I gradually began to understand that, yes, your initial judgment wasn’t wrong, and I am Wang Dong’er. Rather, I used to be Wang Dong’er, your Wang Dong’er. But Wang Dong’er’s memories aren’t the only ones in my mind. Have you not realized? Back when I was Wang Dong’er and when I was together with you, I never spoke to you about my childhood. That’s because Wang Dong’er back then didn’t remember anything that happened in her childhood. And now I, Tang Wutong, and not Wang Dong’er, am a complete version of myself. Wang Dong’er’s memories are of those years that she spent with you. Other than that, I have many memories about my childhood, some remnants of which have come through Wang Qiu’er.”
“I don’t know what’s going on, but for the moment, Wang Dong’er’s memories have taken charge amidst all my memories. Memories of my childhood and those remnants from Wang Qiu’er seems to have merged together with those main memories. I’m lost and I don’t know what to do, but I do know that I cannot lose you, you’re just too important to me. But I cannot lie to you, and I cannot tell you that I am purely Wang Don’ger, because I am Tang Wutong. I am Tang Wutong, who was once Wang Dong’er. Aside from my childhood memories and Wang Qiu’er’s remnants, I have the memories spent with you that belong to Tang Wutong. These memories are making me confused and frightened, and I don’t know if you’re willing to accept me like this. I haven’t been able to sort through everything yet, and I need some time. I need some time to see myself clearly.”
Huo Yuhao slipped into a bit of a daze as he listened to Tang Wutong’s description, but his eyes gradually became gentle and tender once more. There wasn’t just deep emotion in his eyes, they were also full of loving pity.
Huo Yuhao opened his arms and took her into his embrace. He gently caressed her wavy pinkish-blue hair as he said gently, “You’re thinking too much, silly girl. You became my Dong’er from that moment when my soul power fused with yours and recreated our Haodong power. I can understand everything you’re saying, and the reason why you’ve become like that is because of that strange illness that you suffered from as a child. If I had known you were Dong’er without her memory, even if you’d completely forgotten me, I would still find ways to make you like me all over again. Right now, your memories are just a little mixed up, so how can I not accept you? As long as I’m sure that you’re my Dong’er, no, I should say that you’re my Wutong, then I am content. I will love you, treasure you, and wait until you’ve completely rediscovered yourself, until you’ve completely merged your memories together. I have an entire lifetime to wait, so I’m not worried or impatient. I’m not worried at all. But this time, I will never let you leave my side again, no matter what. I will always protect you, and I will be wherever you are. Nobody can separate us anymore.”
Tang Wutong listened to his confession that came from his heart, and her eyes slowly turned red as she leaned into his arms and gently shut her eyes. “Do you know, Yuhao, I really wasn’t ready at all. I was afraid that I wouldn’t have a chance to prove to you that I’m your Dong’er, and I was also afraid that you would reject me because I’m no longer purely Dong’er. But I couldn’t not try, because I didn’t know if my future self would have a chance if I missed this chance. I’m very happy, I’m truly very, very happy. I will definitely work hard to merge all my memories together, with Dong’er’s memories guiding everything. But I’ve realized that besides my childhood memories from which you are absent, all my memories are filled with you.”
Huo Yuhao chuckled and said, “That’s good enough!”
Tang Wutong’s elegant body suddenly tensed as she turned to look at him.
“What’s wrong?” Huo Yuhao was sensitive, and immediately felt that change.
Tang Wutong frowned slightly and said, “Yuhao, I’m afraid there will be trouble in the future because we are together. I’m afraid you’ll have to gain my father’s approval first.”
Huo Yuhao laughed and said, “I think I’m considered outstanding among the younger generation. How can my father-in-law not approve of me?”
Tang Wutong shook her head gently and continued, “It’s not that simple. I’m my father’s only daughter, and my father’s love for me is definitely not beneath yours. He’s said that anybody who wants to be his son-in-law has to accept and pass his strict assessment.”
Huo Yuhao replied without hesitation. “That’s normal. A father-in-law testing his son-in-law is natural. I will accept everything, no matter how difficult the tests are. Furthermore, I believe that he won’t deliberately give me trouble if he knows how much I love you.”
“But, my father…” Tang Wutong stopped there, as the golden trident on her forehead suddenly flickered, and she swallowed the rest of her sentence. She blushed faintly, and her expression became a little strange.
Huo Yuhao didn’t notice all that, and he just hugged her. His heart was full in this moment.
Tang Wutong also leaned into his arms as she slowly closed her eyes. It wasn’t hard to imagine the conflict and struggle that she had suffered in her heart, and an unsettling feeling echoed in her heart from time to time. Yet now, finally, she had managed to find her man once more in the second Sea God’s Fated Blind Date that they had participated in together.
She lifted her hand and gently touched the golden trident on her forehead. Tang Wutong couldn’t help but pout a little, like she was trying to express cheeky displeasure to someone.