bold = dreams/flashbacks
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Tossing and turning, CuiXiu ponders about what JiaLi said. Am I in love with my boss? This question lingers on until finally sleep overtakes her.
The sword pierces through her and her eyes widen with shock. It was too sudden. Deep, red blood slides down to the tip of the blade and drips. She smiles and then laughs. He stares at her and pulls out the sword and trembles. She falls down, unable to stand from the pain. His eyes no longer hold hatred towards her but instead there is horror at what he has done. Dropping his blade, he holds onto the fallen maiden.
"Cui'er!" He calls her name with great suffering. She chuckles quietly at the absurdity of everything.
"I'm tired. I'm tired of this, of everything, and what I am most tired of is being forgotten by you. If there is a next time, I will be the one who forgets." She closes her eyes and gives into the pain.
"I was wrong! I was wrong! I'm sorry! Open your eyes! Cui'er, please wake up!"
Bolting up, CuiXiu breathes heavily. For some reason, her heart is in pain. Hurting, tears form and slide down her cheeks. It is still the middle of the night, so JiaLi is sleeping soundly in her bed.
"YuZhong, I don't want to see ever you again, this life or the next." CuiXiu whispers out loud in a daze. Soon she falls back to sleep, encountering no more dreams that night.
In the morning, CuiXiu doesn't remember what happened the previous night, but she is left with a strange heartache. Paying no attention to that, she goes on with her day.
"JiaLi, my cousin is coming back." Now is the time for payback for CuiXiu.
"Okay," JiaLi doesn't bother looking up from her book.
"It's 5 Ge ("brother/older male relative")." Once those words left CuiXiu mouth, JiaLi turns to her swiftly.
"When? And how long will he being staying?"
"Oh, I don't know~"
"Hou CuiXiu! Come on, just tell me. This isn't good for my heart." For a second, CuiXiu thoughts wander to her own heart and the pain she felt, but she quickly brushes that aside.
"Okay, okay. He's coming back next week."
"That soon! And for how long?"
"My mom said that he's staying this time."
"REALLY?!"
"Calm down, JiaLi. I thought calmness was one of your defining traits," CuiXiu teases.
"How can I be calm? I've liked him for 4 years already."
"Hmm. This is more serious than I thought. Looks like you're going to have to come with me back to my house. I bet he'll be surprised." CuiXiu laughs to herself while her friend is going through a huge mental meltdown.
"JiaLi, stop hiding in my room. It's already noon. 5 Ge told me he was planning to go visit his friend. If you don't hurry, you'll miss him," CuiXiu lectures. If only her friend is as courageous in love as she is in other things.
"But I'm not ready!" JiaLi panics.
"Ready what? You look beautiful."
"My heart!" She exclaims loudly.
"That's it!" CuiXiu gets off her bed and drags JiaLi to the dining hall where the rest of the Hou family is gathered for Hou YiYu's welcome back party.
"5 Ge! Welcome back! Look at who I brought along." CuiXiu waves at her cousin excitedly.
"Xiao ("little") Cui, you finally came, it's already noon." YiYu smiles at his youngest cousin.
"It's not my fault mom decided to start it at 9 in the morning."
"Okay, it's fine." He looks behind CuiXiu. "JiaLi, long time no see. You've grown a lot."
"En." is JiaLi's only reply. CuiXiu shakes her head internally at her friend. Why are you like this?
"CuiXiu." Hearing a familiar voice, CuiXiu turns to see someone unexpected.
"Boss, what are you doing here?" He smiles at her.
"Xiao Cui, do you two know each other?" YiYu inquires from his younger cousin.
"I work at his tea shop," CuiXiu explains.
"Tea shop? Since when did you—." YiYu stops abruptly. "YuZhong." He motions YuZhong out. The two of them leave.
"What happened?" JiaLi asks. CuiXiu shrugs.
"I don't know. On the other hand, JiaLi you didn't say a single word to him!"
"I can't help it, I got nervous!" CuiXiu can only sigh.
Her friend escaped therefore CuiXiu decides to go back to her room. She stops when she heard voices talking. I shouldn't eavesdrop. Choosing to go the other way, she pauses when her own name is mentioned.
"YuZhong, you found out." YiYu directly states.
"What? That you're her cousin? That Cui'er was so close by? Yes, I found out." Slight anger could be felt from his composed voice.
"You should keep your distance."
"Why?"
"You clearly know why. Being near you will only trigger her memories. The bracelet can only hold for so long," YiYu warns.
"I know that. I know. I just want to see her. That's all. To see her." He repeats as if to convince himself.
"You were never supposed to meet. Your encounter with her that time was an accident. The bracelet malfunctioned. Leave her."
"Impossible!" YuZhong shouts. "You don't even know the entirity of our past. She is more than just your cousin."
Not wanting to hear anymore, CuiXiu leaves. She hides inside the records library since no one is here on the day of her cousin's welcome back party. What were they talking about! Accident? Does it have anything to do with what happened a few months ago? Since she is already here, CuiXiu resolves to look at the book containing what happened. Thinking back, CuiXiu remembers that the time period she was supposed to travel to was early Tang. She looks through the records from 630s AD to 650s AD. Flipping through one of the books, CuiXiu pauses. There, on the page is a painting of a woman. She looks at who painted it.
"AnPing GongZhu ("princess"), wife of Prince MuRong YuZhong of Tuyuhun," CuiXiu reads out loud the description.
"This is..." Looking at the date it was painted by the prince 10 years after his wife's death. Not knowing why her heart is suffering from immense pain, she clutches her chest, dropping the book. Her bracelet glows faintly as her tears hit the surface until, finally, it cracks.
YOU ARE READING
Forgotten Moonlight
Romance"I'm tired. I'm tired of this, of everything, and what I am most tired of is being forgotten by you. If there is a next time, I will be the one who forgets." As her eyes closed, the memories vanish along with her and the passing time. "I was wrong...
