Drinking Together

After paying their respects to Yun Xueyan's mother, Feng Xilou brought Yun Xueyan to a tavern, booking a private parlor where the two sat facing each other, exchanging smiles.

A charcoal brazier stood in the room, its fire burning brightly with tiny sparks flickering among the dark coals.

Feng Xilou placed a flagon of wine on the brazier to warm it, poured it into two cups, and handed one to Yun Xueyan. "This is fruit wine; it won't get you drunk. This tavern's fruit wine is the most famous in the capital. I've always wanted to bring you here to taste it, but never had the chance."

Smiling, she took the cup from Feng Xilou's hand and brought it to her lips for a light sip. The wine was warm, and a delicate fruity fragrance slid down her throat, mellow and delicious.

"It is indeed quite good." Stretching out her body to lean against the soft cushion behind her, Yun Xueyan looked even more alluring behind her veil, her posture languid.

For a fleeting moment, Feng Xilou stared in a daze. She was no longer as fragile yet stubborn as she used to be; she had now grown so serene yet captivating that a single lazy posture was enough to quicken his heartbeat.

"Yan'er..." His voice, softened by the wine, was tender as his phoenix-like eyes curved into crescents. "You are truly beautiful."

Her hand holding the wine cup paused, spilling a few drops onto her light pink jacket, where they slowly bloomed into damp spots. Yun Xueyan chuckled softly. "Xilou, are you complimenting me? If so, I accept it."

"Yan'er, I speak from the heart." He downed the wine in his hand in one gulp, the fragrance penetrating his core. His brows furrowed slightly, a reaction that did not escape Yun Xueyan's notice.

"Xilou, is there something you want to say?" she asked softly.

"Yes." Setting down his wine cup, Feng Xilou smoothed the creases on his robe. He hesitated for a moment, as if deliberating for a long time before speaking. "Do you still think of Nan Yu?"

Think of him? Yun Xueyan fell silent. How could she not think of him? She might not keep him enshrined in her heart, but she had no way to banish him from her thoughts. As long as she knew Duan Nanyu, she would think of him. For as long as she lived a single day, she would!

A question like Feng Xilou's was utterly meaningless, so she chose silence, pouring herself cup after cup of wine until her gaze gradually grew hazy.

Did fruit wine not intoxicate? Why did she feel somewhat drunk?

"Then do you still... love him?" Feng Xilou pressed on, seeking confirmation. "Actually, after you fell off the cliff that day, Nanyu..." Before he could finish, Yun Xueyan interrupted him without the slightest hesitation. A sudden terror gripped her—the fear that Feng Xilou would tear open her scars and once again recount the agonizing truth she wished never to remember!

"The past is past, let us not speak of it. Xilou, have you forgotten that I am now Jueyan? The Yun Xueyan you once knew no longer exists." Yun Xueyan smiled faintly, never stopping the flow of wine to her lips. "Since it is a wound, speaking of it again will only hurt more."

She must have been drunk; her head throbbed with a dull ache, and Feng Xilou's figure appeared somewhat blurred before her. Smiling, she shook her head, her gaze shifting from hazy back to detached indifference. "Xilou, you lied. This wine does intoxicate; it truly can make one drunk."

"You are simply forcing yourself to be drunk." With a gentle smile and graceful manners, he took the wine cup from Yun Xueyan's hand. "I will take you back so you can rest properly. If you do not wish to remember, then we will not speak of it. As long as you are truly happy, that is enough. At least I will stay by your side. Whether you were the former Yun Xueyan or are the present Jueyan, you are my Yan'er, and no one can replace you."

He lowered his head with a helpless sigh. The person in his arms had not heard a single word; nestled against him, she had already found a comfortable position and drifted off to sleep. Feng Xilou smiled. In truth... that wine could indeed intoxicate if one drank too much, but he knew Yun Xueyan was intoxicated by sorrow, not by the wine itself.