Fuzhu's Ballad

23

CHAPTER 23 Walking on the same road

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Lan Dan dreamed all night that she turned into a passionate and unrestrained dancer, twirling and spinning in a joyous dance with abandon. Her headscarf, adorned with golden pieces, sent a continuous spray of shimmering light before her eyes. She was on a high platform, surrounded by bright lights flickering in all directions, and she couldn’t see the audience around her clearly. She just kept spinning, unable to tell if the radiance came from the lights or from herself. She felt extremely happy, as if someone was dancing with her. That person was tall, and his hand was raised above her head. She held his hand and jumped and laughed like a spinning top. His face came into view—

It was Shentu Rui.

Lan Dan sat up straight from her sleep, her heart pounding. She pressed her hand on her chest and took deep breaths, momentarily unsure if it was just a dream because everything felt so real. She struggled to catch her breath, imagining that it was from dancing too vigorously..

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, calming herself down. Looking around, she confirmed that she was in a guest room at the Fengyang Inn. She collapsed back on the bed, silently recalling her dream.

The sky was already starting to brighten, casting a hazy blue light through the window and making the room feel even colder and lonelier. Lan Dan was immersed in this dim and melancholic atmosphere, caught between sleep and wakefulness.

She could no longer deny Shentu Rui’s special place in her heart. Setting aside their family backgrounds, he was, objectively speaking, the most special man in her life. Unconsciously, he had entered her heart. She argued and fought with him, but she trusted him, relied on him, and confided in him without any concealment. This was the most incomprehensible thing to her. Even though she and Shentu Rui were allies, they should have been wary of each other, but for some reason, she increasingly felt that he was good to her. This kind of goodness was unfamiliar and difficult to express in words…

Whenever she talked to him, she didn’t hide her wit, and when they walked together, she could naturally hold his hand. When she was sick, she didn’t resist his embrace, and when he was sick, she hugged him and couldn’t bear to let go. He was too close to her heart, and she refused to think about the reasons, because she knew the answer would be cruel.

In the plae light of dawn, she silently asked herself, what is the difference between Shentu Rui and the former Shentu Cheng?

In fact, she already knew the answer: there was no difference, except for their means and methods.

Shentu Cheng was too calculating and insincere, putting on a fake show for everyone around him, including her. His motives were always hidden, his emotions carefully guarded. Shentu Rui was different. He didn’t seem to be acting at all, and he was always willing to give and be good to her. Even if she were to awaken from this dream and see him for who he really was, she knew she wouldn’t hate him, and her gratitude towards him would be genuine. But regardless of the differences in their approach, their purpose and outcome were the same. Shentu Cheng had wanted her to kill the Emperor, and now Shentu Rui wanted her to kill Shentu Cheng. When they returned to the capital, despite his high standing in her heart, she knew that he would send her to the palace and hand her over to Shentu Cheng.

Shentu Rui had always been straightforward with her. From the beginning, he had declared that they were allies, and that anyone who proved to be useless would have to face their end.

Xiao Lan Dan was indeed a shallow person when it came to men. She had met the likes of Shentu Cheng before, but she was still captivated by Shentu Rui. She thought he was different. He made her feel like a desirable woman, and she couldn’t help but be captivated by him. If she didn’t remind herself constantly, she would have admitted that she liked him.