Chapter 58 - Bai Huiling's Love

The trio looked at the fireworks outside the window in awe.

At first Fan Xiu looked at the fireworks but then his attention turned to the girl sitting across him. At this moment, he did not realize that Liu Weimin was looking at him secretly.

And the blockhead of the day, which was Jiang Ying Yue was too preoccupied with looking at the view outside and recalling back her memories from her previous life that she failed to see the tenderness in Fan Xiu's eyes when looking at her and Liu Weimin's secret glances to Fan Xiu.

At this moment, Jiang Ying Yue suddenly recalled a memory from her previous life with both her grandfather and Su Zihao.

In her whole 23 years of life, she had only celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival with her grandfather 3 times. They had dinner and released lanterns together. It was a happy memory. She missed her grandfather dearly. Other than those, she celebrated celebrated the festival alone.

And there was once, she celebrated it with Su Zihao. They went out and released lanterns together. They both wrote 'together forever' as their wish on their lanterns.

At that time, she really thought that they would be together through everything till the end. They would get engaged, have a beautiful wedding near the sea and have many children together. She was ready to be his wife and take care of him for the rest of her life.

When their hands intertwined while looking at their lanterns floating up in the sky, she felt complete. She wasn't alone anymore. She had someone to spend the rest of her life with.

But recalling the scene that night, her heart squeezed in pain again.

Fan Xiu who had been watching her since just now saw her mood changing. He could feel grief and sorrow emanating from her.

He wondered, 'What have possibly happened to her for her to be this sad?'

Not only him, even Liu Weimin felt the her sorrow. This girl who was polite to everyone actually had this side.

He knew it. Since the first time he met her, he could tell that this girl was polite and approachable to almost everybody but there was a line that she drew between herself and everyone around her.

It was a line that that was hard to cross but Liu Weimin knew that one day, he would cross that line. He would show that he'll be there for her through everything.

Both Fan Xiu and Liu Weimin could confirm one thing: Jiang Ying Yue was a broken girl who hid her real feelings deep inside her heart. And they were determined to bring real happiness out of her.

Actually, they both had been wondering on the reason why she wore a veil, but they never asked. Ugly or beautiful, or for whatever the reason was, they did not care. They wanted to be her friends for her and her only.

The last boom sounded and Jiang Ying Yue broke out out of her stupor.

The men immediately pretended that they didn't see nor feel anything.

Jiang Ying Yue looked at them and smiled. She had no idea what just went through their heads when they were looking at her just now.

"Hey gentlemen. Should we head out now? We can walk around first before going to the lake."

Fan Xiu answered first. "I agree. We should walk around first. People will start releasing their lanterns now and it'll be packed. Plus, I haven't bought my lantern yet."

Jiang Ying Yue looked at him. "Really? Then we will buy your lantern together. Me and Weimin have already bought our lanterns."

Liu Weimin nodded in agreement.

Liu Weimin then paid for the whole meal. It costed 240 taels as the men drank an expensive wine.

They then exited the restaurant. A girl had been watching them silently on the second floor of the restaurant.

Seeing them exiting the restaurant, she hurriedly payed and dismissed her maid. At first, the maid didn't agree but the when the girl threatened to fire her, only then did she reluctantly agree.

The trio first went to buy a lantern for Fan Xiu.

At the lantern shop, Fan Xiu asked Jiang Ying Yue for her suggestion. "Ying Yue, which one do you think suits me?"

Jiang Ying Yue looked around. There were lanterns of various sizes and shapes. Finally, she settled down on a medium sized, rectangular shaped plain lantern.

Fan Xiu raised his eyebrow at her choice.

Jiang Ying Yue explained. "I feel like a plain lantern suits you best. It's like you. You are empty, don't show your emotions to people much and I know nothing about you except for your name and whose grandchild you are. Maybe a little bit of what you like but other than that, I know nothing. So you are just like this lantern. Unreadable."

Fan Xiu accepted her explanation and asked her a question that startled both Jiang Ying Yue and Liu Weimin.

"Then I will express my feelings to you more. Do you want to know me better Ying Yue?" He asked with an underlying meaning to it. It was weather Jiang Ying Yue would like to get closer to him more than friends or not.

Jiang Ying Yue got his meaning but she just smiled. "Sure, we are friends. Of course I would like to know you better." She pretended not getting his meaning at all.

Fan Xiu knew the girl avoided his question so he brushed it off. He would try harder.

Oddly, the chatterbox Liu Weimin had been quite quiet today. Jiang Ying Yue wondered why.

Could it be....

Maybe not. She dismissed it.

Jiang Ying Yue paid the lantern for Fan Xiu saying it was her treat and he happily accepted it.

It would be the first thing that Jiang Ying Yue had ever bought for him.

They walked around for a bit before Jiang Ying Yue excused herself to buy tanghulu. The boys wanted to buy moon cakes so she asked them to not follow her and they'll meet at the lake instead.

They agreed and asked her to becareful before going away.

"Good evening young miss. How many tanghulus would you like to have?" The seller greeted Jiang Ying Yue.

"May I have 6 sticks please? Please put it in 3 separate bags." Jiang Ying Yue ordered.

"You go young miss. Have a nice night." He wished.

Jiang Ying Yue smiled and gave him one tael. She told him to keep the change. The seller was thankful. He thanked her repeatedly.

The total was only 30 copper as it was 5 copper for each stick.

Jiang Ying Yue had just taken a few steps when a girl stopped her. "You. Follow me." The girl ordered.

It was the same girl that stopped them in front the restaurant that day!

She recalled Liu Weimin calling her as Huiling.

Jiang Ying Yue honestly could not be bothered but she wanted to know what this girl up to. Maybe she could stop this girl from bothering her once and for all?

Thus, she followed after Huiling.

Huiling brought Jiang Ying Yue to a less crowded place near the forest.

She then stopped and looked at Jiang Ying Yue.

"Hi. We have met before. Let me introduce myself. My name is Bai Huiling."

She introduced herself in a cold tone; or should Jiang Ying Yue say a fake cold tone. She was clearly nervous and yet this girl was trying to hide it. Jiang Ying Yue did not know whether to laugh or cry.

"I am Jiang Ying Yue. May I know what business do you have with me?"

"I know that you are not Brother Weimin's fiance. I just want to know, do you have any feelings for him? I heard that you are Elder Yan Hua's disciple. There are a lot of other guys for you out there better than Brother Weimin. If you have feelings for him, can you please give him up? I have been liking him for 3 years now." Bai Huiling confessed.

Jiang Ying Yue chuckled. "So what if I do? So what if I don't? Likewise, there are a lot of other guys out there for you too."

Bai Huiling's eyes reddened. "No. I am just asking you because if you have just started liking him, it's not too late to stop. I have liked him for 3 years now. I don't want anyone else."

Jiang Ying Yue pitied her. Although this girl was a bit direct in her approach, she was actually quite nice. She did not scheme nor try to hurt her. She was just a girl in love.

But she needed to knock some sense to this girl. "Miss Bai, it doesn't matter who like him first and how long. What matters is who he likes. Do you want to see him unhappy just because of your selfishness? No right? If you like him, you should support him. Not ruin his relationship. You don't want to see him unhappy do you?"

Bai Huiling's eyes started tearing up. No one had ever told her these things before. She had no friends and her father was too busy as a merchant. Her mother had passed away when she was very young so she grew up alone.

Her straightforward personality made her lose all of her friends.

"I-I didn't think that far. I don't want him to be sad at all." Her heart was in pain but she knew what Jiang Ying Yue said made sense.

"I am not asking you to completely give up. But don't pester him everytime you see him and don't scold any girl that he is close with. If you meet him, say hi. Maybe invite him for a meal. If he agrees, then it is good. But if not, don't force him. Love yourself more than anything else in this world. Do you understand?" Jiang Ying Yue advised.

She could see that this girl was a naive one so she advised her as so.

"And I don't have any feelings for him. Don't worry." Jiang Ying Yue continued.

Bai Huiling looked like she was heartbroken. She hurriedly said "I understand. I'll think about it. Sorry for taking your time. Bye." Then she ran away.

Maybe, she wanted some time alone to cry and think.