Chapter 2, The Yin-Yang Treasure Box

She could no longer bear treating the events that had transpired as if nothing had happened, remaining gentle with him and still smiling at him. She found it impossible to do so, yet she could not express her anger towards him in this state. She felt utterly powerless.

She slowly bent down and took out a small box from under the bed. This small box was entrusted to her by her grandmother on her deathbed, and she had sealed it for ten years. She had thought that she would never have the chance to open it in her lifetime, but it turned out that fate had long been predetermined

Wang Yuqing stopped the car and returned to Xinjing Garden. Just as she reached the entrance, the door had already been opened, revealing a handsome face with a smile. Wang Yuqing was speechless, utterly shocked. She had never imagined that Xiaoying would say such things to her.

The Yin-Yang Treasure Box, reversing the universe, inverting yin and yang, accepting the baptism of the soul. Qing'er! There will come a day when you will find it useful." The grandmother of the Onmyoji held her hand, taking her last breath

She looked at Xiaoying and slowly said: "Xiaoying, do you really not understand me? Leng Yan treats me well, yes! Really well! So well that I don't hate him at all, so well that I still think it's very normal for him to do this, and I even believe he should have done it long ago. But you know I cannot accept it."

However, it was under such circumstances that she discovered her heart was truly a mixture of emotions, and she could no longer articulate what she was feeling. She only knew that it was all too late.

She took a step forward. Her body was suddenly embraced by someone, and Xiaoying's voice trembled: "Yuqing, don't scare me! It's nothing serious, right? It's just a cold flame! How many people are pursuing you! That second son of the Xinxin Group, Li Qinglong, is gentle and wealthy; and that Xiang Sipei, who returned from studying in the UK and started his own company, is handsome and rich, and... they are all eligible bachelors! Otherwise, you can be like me; we sisters can remain single forever and let those rotten men go to hell!"

Do you not realize how enviable you are? Your calmness, your indifference, your nonchalance, your lack of desire, all make others feel far behind. Yet, you do not need to exert any effort; everything you desire comes to you effortlessly.

Seeing Leng Yan's appearance, he frantically carried her downstairs, frantically made phone calls, and frantically held her onto the ambulance. She felt as if she were watching a play, witnessing her own life.

Xiaoying nodded in response to her words, gazing at Wang Yuqing, her eyes as dark as a deep pool. In this moment, Xiaoying felt unfamiliar to Yuqing.

Leng Yan has changed! Does she still want it? Such a Leng Yan! Does she really still want it?

Ideal and reality are always distant, and the love between princes and princesses is only applicable in fairy tales. A man's love is unrelated to his body, such a miraculous thing is truly hard to imagine

Yuqing, you know, how many good men are there nowadays? They eat from one bowl while looking at the pot. At least Leng Yan is genuinely good to you; he has always wanted to marry you, while those others are just playing around. If you cannot see this clearly, how can you survive in this society? Men, especially men like Leng Yan, have regarded you as their only one all these years. If he had someone else in his heart, I believe with your woman's keen intuition, you would not have only discovered today that he is with someone else.

This is Leng Yan! The Leng Yan who has accompanied her for ten years, both familiar and unfamiliar Leng Yan

But it is all her own fault, she damned well shattered this tranquility, she could not bear that he had held another woman in his arms before holding her, she could not endure that his gentle gaze had also looked at other women in the same way.

The house still appears as new as ever, perhaps due to the frequent cleaning it receives! There are no signs of wear left by time, as if she is still the girl from yesterday, as if she has never left at all

"Go back! You can take a taxi by yourself, I need to drive to a place." Wang Yuqing tidied her hair that had been blown by the wind, looked at Xiaoying's worried expression, smiled, and patted her shoulder, continuing, "Don't worry! I'm fine! Don't you have a meeting at 3 o'clock? Let's go! Don't be late. I'll call you later."

She wanted to see more, but a stronger pull came at her, plunging her into darkness. In that moment, she thought that in her next life, she would no longer talk about love, that being single was quite good. She regretted not telling Xiaoying at that time that she was willing to be single for a lifetime, to come and go freely, as carefree as the wind, waving her hand without taking away a single cloud.

She remains unmoved and continues to wait, as if that person is no longer the one she has stood by for ten years, as if it is a matter of someone far removed from her, and everything will be irrelevant to her...

Thus, she could only gently push him aside and entered the room sideways. Ignoring his astonished gaze, she walked into her own room.

Once she got into the car, she felt an unprecedented sense of ease. This world! She understood that she would never live like Xiaoying, that she could not become Xiaoying, so perhaps leaving was the best option.

Leng Yan, she gave him the affection he desired, and she had long since ceased to be indifferent. This was the version of her that he liked, the one he had always wanted to change. However, he had never realized it, while she had now come to this realization. Yet, the cost was too great, so great that she had lost the ability to bear it. Therefore, Leng Yan might never discover it, and thus it was destined that he and she could not be together for a lifetime

Ten years of warmth, ten years of companionship, ten years of love, dedicating a lifetime of affection, fully enjoying ten years of joy. She has experienced happiness and also the feeling of home; this heart has changed because of him, and has also reverted to its original state because of him

"I have never seen you cry like that! Friends outside say you are stronger than I am, but I don't see it that way! It's my man who cheated, not yours. I found out and I didn't cry, so why are you crying?" Yuqing said to Xiaoying with a light-hearted tease.

The car moved slowly forward, and a sense of desolation filled her heart. It had been many years since such a situation had occurred, as if she had returned to those days of solitude. The empty house where she could only hear her own breathing, the quiet nights spent watching the laughter and lights of other families. Such distant memories.

She stood quietly, unaware of what lay ahead, perhaps there was no path at all. In this moment, she only wished to leave

The place she had always hated now seemed to evoke a sense of familiarity. She suddenly realized she was mistaken, thinking that forgetting was the best option, not knowing that this was the only place that truly felt like home to her. No matter where she went, there was always a part of her heart that remained behind in this place.

Wang Yuqing was taken aback, stopped in her tracks, and turned to look at her. Their figures overlapped, with Xiao Ying tightly embracing her, those hands firmly gripping hers. Two watches of the same style and color were closely aligned, both indicating the time as 2 PM.

Looking at the bewildered Wang Yuqing, she continued, "You do not know these things; how could you? You are the most protected princess, and you will never be able to integrate into this society. No one can bear to let you come to harm, and neither can I"

Wang Yuqing's heart has become numb, already in so much pain that she feels nothing. She gazes at the vast sea before her, wondering if she were to jump in from here, would she instantly disappear without a trace? If that were truly the case, she would no longer have to face Leng Yan, nor confront those unknown challenges.

Before long, the treasure box opened, and the colorful rays of light gradually flowed out, surrounding her. She felt a warm sensation enveloping her body, as if she were bathing in a grand sunbathing area. Every cell in her body was filled with excitement, and she sensed a powerful force drawing her to take a step forward

She floated in the air as if she saw him burst through the door, madly embracing the lifeless body that no longer breathed, her face serene and tranquil. Is this what she looks like after death? She felt fortunate that her appearance was not too unseemly, nor did it tarnish her reputation as the Ice Beauty

Unconsciously, she drove here. It has been ten years; it seems she has not returned in a decade. Since leaving this place, she had thought she would come back, but she never imagined it would be under such circumstances. Those years she had deliberately forgotten seem to have returned once more.

She knew that once she took this step, she would truly be leaving. She gently turned her head and heard the soft, urgent voice of Leng Yan outside the door, calling for his darling.

Wang Yuqing smiled faintly, as if she could do nothing but smile at this moment

"I remember that day, Leng Yan's forehead and face were bruised. It was you who did it, wasn't it?" Wang Yuqing sighed and said in a calm voice

She seemed to see those childhood years, devoid of laughter yet tranquil and free of worries. Apart from familial love, she lacked nothing! As the warm breeze blew, she smiled faintly, knowing exactly what she should do

Xiao Ying saw Wang Yuqing in silence, and she continued: "Do you think I have had a good time in the past six months? Seeing you like this, I have swallowed back my words several times. Your ten years of relationship is a love that I have witnessed with my own eyes, a journey that I have watched you both take step by step. Yuqing, do you know? That was a dream of mine! You two are so well-matched, I thought... I thought..."

There is a certain sense of desolation in Xiaoying's words. Wang Yuqing turned her head in surprise to look at her, and she couldn't help but wonder, is this Xiaoying still the Xiaoying she knows? Perhaps she has indeed been too indifferent all along, completely unaware of the person closest to her.

Is it just for fun? The men who are least likely to have problems all seem to have issues. This world truly is disheartening! Can she still pretend that she sees nothing, that nothing has happened, and even remain as calm as she is today? Can she continue to watch him, while he sweet-talks her, yet remains indifferent as he thinks of other women's bodies?

Perhaps she has always subconsciously believed that there would come a day when she would find it useful. Thus, for ten years, no matter how many times she tidied up and discarded the old items, it remained safely stored there, just as it was in the beginning when she heeded her grandmother's words and placed it there.

Why is that

Watching Xiaoying take a taxi and drive away, Wang Yuqing put away her smile. It is always easier said than done! How wonderful it would be if she could truly be as indifferent as she pretends to be!

Her voice gradually diminished from its original excitement, turning into a choked sob.

Feeling a warmth in her heart from the rain, she looked at her feet, which had unconsciously moved forward, and was momentarily taken aback. What was she trying to do? Was it suicide? Could it be that her feelings for Leng Yan were not merely a matter of habit? After ten years, it was no longer passive acceptance, but rather that she had already fallen in love with him? Love to the point of being willing to give up her life?

If there is no sight, there is no blame; if there is no love, there is no hate. Without love, there is no heartbreak, and there is nothing to be nostalgic about

The person holding her right now is Leng Yan; the figure at the hotel entrance embracing another woman, smiling gently, is not him. At this moment, Wang Yuqing feels a bit of hatred towards him, resenting that since he deceived her, why didn't he continue the deception until the end

Not knowing how much time had passed, Wang Yuqing calmed her mind and realized he had been standing at the door all along. How could such a cold Yan make her hate him? This cold Yan made her feel a sweet despair

Wang Yuqing entered the password with a slight tremor, quietly awaiting the arrival of that moment

Yes! I did it. I just wanted to wake that bastard up! But it was useless! That day, I wanted to tell you in a drunken frenzy, but you know how alcohol is! The more you drink, the clearer your mind becomes, and in the end, I didn't dare to say anything.

Wang Yuqing was taken aback, looking at her in surprise

"Yuqing, do you know? I have envied you for ten years." Xiaoying did not respond, gazing at Wang Yuqing with a deep expression.

She paused for a moment, turned her head back, and looked at the colorful rays of light swirling around her, as if waiting for her decision. She gently took a step forward, unaware of where it would lead her, perhaps to heaven, perhaps to hell, yet she had no regrets.

Looking at his anxious expression and hearing his gentle words of comfort, she momentarily felt dazed and somewhat disoriented, as if he were telling her that what she had seen today was merely a figment of her imagination, that those things were not real

It is said that when a person dies, they will see things that are usually invisible to them, and she thinks this is true. ... Just like now, she watches Cold Flame and her own self, who resembles a vegetative state. It is not that she feels nothing, but rather it feels more like a dream, a sweet yet desperate dream

An anxious voice reached her ears; she thought it belonged to Leng Yan. It was only when he lost his usual calm that he sounded this way. How long had it been since she had heard it? At this moment, it felt so distant.

Looking at the little shadow that clings tightly to her, sometimes the little shadow is even more childlike than her, yet she understands things better than she does. The little shadow envies her, but she does not know that Wang Yuqing has actually been envying her all along, living freely and comfortably. Wang Yuqing is the one who is truly out of reach!

Upon returning home, just as I stood at the door, Leng Yan opened the door and welcomed me with a gentle embrace and the words, "Baby, you're back!" It felt as if I had not heard those words in many years.

Her heart trembled; it turned out that she still had the capacity to love someone else? She had always thought that she had long since lost her heart, but now it seems that time truly is a remedy that changes a person. She no longer has to be indifferent to everything; she can genuinely feel the joys and sorrows of others.

Because this is her choice, everyone will be responsible for their own choices

She locked the door, tears streaming down her face. All her persistence, all her defenses became utterly ridiculous. The emotional wall she had painstakingly built turned out to be so fragile, and she realized that she was not as strong as she had imagined. His tenderness was enough to make her intoxicated.

Let her not be so desperate, let her remain immersed in his tenderness, let her continue to depend on him, knowing nothing at all, simply enjoying his gentleness, enjoying his care, living like this for a lifetime, would that not be wonderful!

Behind me came the urgent knocking of Leng Yan, along with the calls, those gentle yet somewhat hoarse whispers! Has he finally realized something?