Chapter 107: Falling Cherry Blossoms (Part 2)

  Murmurs drifted away with the wind, and Sanluo Yun perked up his ears.

  "What did you just say?"

  "Ah, nothing." Gu Huanli exaggeratedly waved her hand and turned around, "Speaking of which, what's the deal with Qiao Yinfeng's rich second-generation girlfriend who went on a trip to Europe? I think that person looks like you."

  "It's really me. Isn't it ridiculous?" San Luo Yun replied in a low, flat voice, "During the New Year, I and Qiao Yin Fu went to Paris together. He dressed me up like a princess to attend a grand ball, but I knew in my heart that I was just a Cinderella who occasionally stumbled into the luxurious world, not some noble lady."

  Gu Huanli sighed softly. Although they had come to relax and unwind, neither of them could truly find happiness.

  "Huanting, I really want to cry. But why can't I cry? " Sanluo Yun stood up and walked into the darkness, her voice full of pain. "I obviously love him, so why am I so uneasy? I hate seeing him being intimate with Xiaoming, but I have to smile and say it's okay. I hate reporters constantly bothering me, asking if I'm that famous socialite in disguise. I want to break up with him, but every time I think about it, my heart feels like it's being cut by a knife. Huanting, I'm so tired, I don't want to continue anymore."

  Gu Huanli walked over, hugging the sobbing Sang Luoyun, but didn't know that she herself was also in tears. "Tomorrow, we'll go to Lushan, I heard the cherry blossoms there are beautiful. We can also visit Yasaka Shrine, Kiyomizu Temple... and the Kamogawa River is nice too. Then there's Yoshino Mountain in Nara, Nanba Bridge in Tokyo, Jorenji Temple in Yamanashi Prefecture, and the 20th Street in Hokkaido. Didn't we agree to chase after the blooming cherry blossoms together? Whether it's the large mountain cherry blossoms, Yoshino cherry blossoms, or the weeping cherry blossoms, double-layered cherry blossoms, or the pine-moon cherry blossoms, just for that brief moment of glory and then their neat and tidy withering."

  "My love will also be like this, fleeting beauty that will eventually disperse."

  "The beauty of cherry blossoms lies in their radiant falling, untainted and unsoiled, light and carefree..."

  "Will he remember me forever?"

  "Even if he forgets fragments of time, he will always remember you like a fleeting snowflake."

  "If only it were true..."

  Hokkaido is the coldest place in Japan, with the latest warming, and also the latest cherry blossom blooming place. The million cherry blossoms have burst forth like snow, all silver, pure and unblemished. On a warm spring day, the soft sunlight sprinkles down, and the faint light spots dance restlessly in the silver waves, weaving flowers and light into shadows, flowers within shadows, shadows within flowers, lost in reverie, already forgetting where one is?

  Under the tree, more and more people gathered, bustling with noise.

  In the silence, she heard the sad sound of petals leaving the branch. Gu Huanli sat under the cherry blossom tree, quietly watching Sang Luoyun. The wind blew by, and the cherry blossoms fell, their white skirts fluttering and dancing in the air. This scene made her inexplicably and slightly sorrowful.

  I forgot who said that the speed of cherry blossoms falling is 5 centimeters per second. At a speed of 5 centimeters per second, can it cut through a person's heart? After being hurt, even if no blood drips down, does such a wound also tear apart at a speed of 5 centimeters per second?

  "Xiao Li, you shouldn't indulge yourself in others' sorrow." Gu Tian Xi sat down beside her and handed her an ice cream.

  The color is a tempting pale pink, the taste is sweet and clear, with a hint of elegant cherry blossom fragrance. This should be Hokkaido's special sakura ice cream? As she eats, Gu Huan Lian suddenly furrows her brow slightly, "Brother, if it's said that we're destined to pass each other by, destined to leave endless emptiness in our hearts... then... isn't it better not to meet at all?"

  Looking up at the surrounding trees with blooming flowers, Gu Tianxi slowly turned his head, "Even if I want to stay, it's all in vain. My heart is like a fallen cherry blossom, drifting away without knowing where to return. I'd rather be swept away by the east wind. The cherry blossoms have scattered, and your path home is nowhere to be seen. Your decision to leave has been made, and we can only bid farewell under the empty willow tree. You are a strong-willed person, but even the cherry blossoms cannot hold you back. The falling flowers fly quickly, confusing me on my way home."

  Gu Huanli's smile on her face immediately disappeared, and her slightly open eyes were filled with tears. Her tightly clenched left hand seemed to have turned white from excessive force.

  "You don't have to worry so much." Gu Tianxi's voice was still cold as ice, but his gaze suddenly softened. He didn't use much force, nor did he coerce her in any way; it was just a protective gesture, lightly wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "From what I know, someone has been searching for her, and there are people following us from behind. I think he'll appear soon. After all, this is the last stop for cherry blossom viewing."

  Upon hearing her brother's unexpected words, Gu Huan Lian widened her eyes in surprise. However, she immediately shook her head. "Impossible, if it were Qiao Yin Hao, with his abilities, he should have found Luo Yun long ago."

  "It depends on whether I'm willing to let him find it." Gu Tianxi's hand gently lifted Gu Huanli's delicate hair and tucked it behind her ear. "Harming my dearest sister so much, how can brother just ignore it?"

  His heart was filled with a warm current, soft and gentle. Gu Huanli awkwardly shifted her body, finding the most comfortable position to snuggle into his arms, smiling happily. "I never knew that you also read 'The Anthology of Tang Poetry'."

  "When I went out, she sneaked into my study and even left the book she was reading at my place." Gu Tianxi tapped her forehead with his fingers, but his eyes caught a glimpse of the person rushing over. He let out a cold snort, "Look, isn't he here?"

  Gu Huanli raised her eyes and looked over, but she was stunned, "No, he's not Qiao Yinhao."

  "He is Jo Yoon-oh's agent." Gu Tianxi's eyebrows furrowed, her voice as cold as ice.

  "Luoyun, how did you end up in Japan?" Xiao Zhenyu stood before her, panting and covered in sweat, anxiously saying, "Everyone is going crazy looking for you, but you're here alone, calmly viewing the cherry blossoms?"

  San Luo Yun opened her eyes wide and stared at him, taking a long time to come back to herself. "Huh? Xiao Da Ge, how did you end up here?"

  "I was just about to ask you how you ended up here?" Xiao Zhenyu wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and said.

  San Luo Yun turned around and glanced at Gu Huan Li, smiling and saying, "I'm out with friends to have some fun and clear my mind. School's been on break lately, so I plan to stay here for a while before heading back."

  "So you were hiding overseas, no wonder Yoon-oh couldn't find you anywhere. Didn't you know that Yoon-oh was looking for you?"

  Luoyun handed him the unopened mineral water bottle and said quietly, "I know. But... I'm just an ordinary friend, even if he's found, what does he want to say to me? Actually, these days I've been thinking a lot, many things can't be as one wishes. Originally, I wanted to quietly slip away and continue protecting him in some corner of the world."

  "But can you understand Cho Yoon-oh's feelings for you?"

  Xiang Luo Yun was smiling quietly, elegantly and a bit lonely. "Thank you for his kind intentions, but our identities are different. After attending that dance party, I realized one thing - I and Qiao Yin Fen belong to two different worlds. His status is far beyond what ordinary people like us can imagine. Moreover, because of my relationship with him, it triggered protests from his fans. For this, I feel very guilty." Really happy, very happy. Even now thinking back to that day, still feeling infinite joy in her heart.

  "But..." Xiao Zhenyu looked at Sang Luoyun with an inexplicable gaze, wondering in his heart when these two people had changed like this.

  "Before, I even said that I wanted to be friends with Jo Yoon-woo, how naive was I? If it were a different time and space, we wouldn't have even had the chance to talk. He has high status and power, while I...I'm just a girl without talent, who even had trouble getting into the entertainment industry. Why would Jo Yoon-woo choose me as his friend? Or even become my dance partner? In reality, I didn't even qualify to be by his side, did I? From the start, I thought everything was too easy and simple, thinking that I could protect Jo Yoon-woo with just a fan's identity without considering the huge differences between us. And I even dared to lecture him...I'm really stupid."

  "...I don't understand, you've always liked Qiao Yinyu, haven't you?" Xiao Zhenyu had been staring at Sang Luoyun's eyes, which were mixed with worry and sadness. At this moment, he also felt the heavy sorrow and helplessness.

  "Even if he wasn't a widely loved superstar, he had an illustrious family background. We didn't belong to the same world. There were too many obstacles... I couldn't ignore these issues, and Jo Yoon-woo was even less likely to... I had already made up my mind, for Jo Yoon-woo's sake, I couldn't be by his side affecting his acting career, nor could I casually enter his world with my commoner identity and insult him. He should be with a real rich lady, not a fake one."

  Xiao Zhenyu looked at her with a worried expression, "Why do you think that? Qiao Yinfeng likes the simple you and also admires your courage in not being afraid of his power."

  "No, it wasn't like that. I was really foolish back then, didn't know the height of the sky or the thickness of the earth. No wonder Qiao Yinhuo would get angry with me. Xiao Gege, in this world, not everything can go as one wishes, especially when it comes to love, right? I liked Qiao Yinhuo, no matter where he was, no matter if we had contact or not, I will always like him. Knowing that the person I like is doing well somewhere in the world is enough for me. So, let's end this relationship here, can't go on like this anymore. Xiao Gege, thank you for coming to find me, and also, please help me thank Qiao Yinhuo, I will forever be blessing him."

  Hearing such a resolute tone, Xiao Zhenyu closed his eyes. He tried to pretend to be calm, but the words hid a wounded heart. What could he do for Sang Luoyun and Qiao Yinyin? "...No matter what, you'd better come back early and listen to what Yinyin has to say. When are you coming back?"

  San Luo Yun shook his head and said with a forced smile, "In a while, after I finish my vacation, I'll go back."

  "I hope to see you soon." Xiao Zhenyu understood that he was not the one involved, and no matter how much he consoled her, it wasn't as good as Qiao Yinhao's single sentence. Moreover, by Sang Luoyun's side, there must be friends supporting her. Otherwise, how could she have escaped without a sound?

  As he turned to leave, his gaze inadvertently fell on the cherry blossom tree. If he wasn't mistaken, that girl seemed to be Luo Yun's best friend. Although they hadn't spoken before, he had indeed seen that aloof and distant girl at Luo Yun's workplace. And the man embracing her with a cold smile was actually the CEO of Fengyun International?

  Xiao Zhenyu closed his eyes. Then, slowly opened them and looked up at the cherry blossoms above him that were like clouds and snow.

  Sigh.

  Then leave directly