CHAPTER 653: CHAPTER 633: THE MOON

"Ting Feng, the reason you agreed to see me was to cut ties completely and sever all that remains of the past?" Fang Chuning laughed coldly. He knew that once Xie Jue made a decision, he would not waver. "You’re so domineering. Did you even ask for my opinion? You decide everything on your own, indulging me again and again, letting me take liberties and ask more of you. You gave me hope only to shatter it. How ridiculous! Xie Tingfeng, have you ever thought about how I feel?"

"I’m sorry!" Xie Jue looked into his reddened eyes, his heart aching unbearably. "Anning, if we continue this entanglement, there’s no future for us. It’s better to let go sooner."

The hidden guards held their breath, not daring to make even the faintest sound. Their breathing became shallow. None of them had expected that their master’s meeting with Fang Chuning would be to sever their relationship. Xie Jue’s decision had been known to no one, not even preceded by any signs.

The cold wind howled through the courtyard, rattling the window frame before slamming it shut with a resounding crack, cutting off all prying eyes. The dishes on the table slowly cooled.

It was like a heart once searingly hot had been plunged into the snow of a bitter winter.

"Let go sooner... Ha... Hahaha..." Fang Chuning suddenly laughed maniacally, as if consumed by madness, tears spilling from his eyes as he laughed. "You’re right. I was the one who dared to hope. Since returning from Beiman, we should’ve simply pretended as if nothing ever happened between us. I shouldn’t have entertained delusions. I shouldn’t have put you in this position. It’s my fault. Xie Tingfeng, I wish you marital harmony in the future, a happy family, children surrounding your knees, and the full blessings of domestic bliss!"

Every word he spoke was like a sharp knife, lodging deeply into Xie Jue’s bones, the pain turning Xie Jue’s complexion as pale as snow—as if a man on the brink of collapse in the depths of winter had the last piece of clothing ripped from his body. The icy wind tunneled into his ears. He could only watch as Fang Chuning left with that smile, unable to utter a single word to make him stay. The corners of his eyes reddened slightly, the scene unbearably reminiscent of that rainy night three years ago at the Marquis Mansion, when rivers of blood ran, his family was destroyed, and though he tried in vain to salvage everything, it all ended in bitter regret.

Unresolved longing!

But what could he do? He couldn’t bear for Fang Chuning to have to choose between his family and himself. No one could abandon their family and loved ones. To have him sever ties with them because of him—how could he bear it? Xie Jue knew all too well what it felt like to lose loved ones, and he would not want Fang Chuning to one day suffer the same regrets he did.

Better a short pain than prolonged agony. This decision had been their unspoken agreement from the start. Now, they’d simply returned to the beginning—just like the days after they had returned from Beiman.

Anning, I’m sorry!

I’ve let you down!

He was never the kind of person prone to intense emotions. There was a time when he had been stingy in giving his feelings to others. Maids in the courtyard whispered about how he seemed born emotionally frigid, speculating that he might end up being an ungrateful wretch. He was obedient, silent, quietly observing the actions and expressions of those around him, easily discerning their joys, anger, sorrow, and delight. Yet he struggled to see through his own emotions.

Curiously, Fang Chuning was the exception.

In front of Fang Chuning, he would smile, lose his temper, and want to talk to him. Ever since Fang Chuning was a youth, he had been different in Xie Jue’s eyes. His own joys, anger, sorrow, and delight—fragile as moonlight—had all been given to Fang Chuning.

Fang Chuning loved to drink. He hated alcohol because it caused trouble but kept strong liquor stocked in their camp year-round because it pleased Fang Chuning. Fang Chuning loved swords. Without showing any emotion, Xie Jue sought out the finest iron to craft the sharpest blade for him.

The world said he was like the moon in the heavens, distant and unattainable. But the world didn’t know that this single moonbeam of his only wanted to rest in one person’s eyes.