The Protagonist is Always Intimidating Me - Chapter 43

Mo Yu held the lantern in silence, his expression impassive as he wrote down his wish before stepping back and setting it adrift on the river.

The three stood by the riverside, watching countless lanterns float down the winding stream. Each flicker of light drifted along with the flow, finally moving into the distance. The Soul River, a vast river several kilometers wide, appeared like a golden ribbon, carrying these flower-like, beautiful wishes further and further away.

Not far away, Mo Jiuge stood amidst the bustling crowd, his tea-brown eyes reflecting the three figures. Only after they left did he lower his gaze, looking down at the two lanterns in his hands.

“It seems the little captain already has someone…” Mo Jiuge’s refined profile softened in the glow as he managed a bitter smile, inscribing his own wish onto a lantern.

—“I hope that everyone guarding the border can return alive.”

After finishing, he looked at the other lantern, hesitating repeatedly, until finally, he sighed.

“…This might be too greedy…”

With a serious expression, Mo Jiuge carefully picked up the brush and, stroke by stroke, inscribed a few words on the other lantern. The two lotus-shaped lanterns, marked with ink, drifted downstream with the river’s flow.

—”I hope that the person I like can live in peace for a lifetime.”

The lanterns, gently brushing against the soft ripples, drifted slowly over the surface of the water. Carried by the river, they bore heartfelt wishes to an unknown destination.

The hem of his white robe billowed in the wind as Mo Jiuge, after regaining his composure, turned and left. Amid the flowing crowd, his tall, slender figure soon faded away, vanishing from sight.

“Why is it so noisy outside…” Lan Wei, with an injured leg, propped his head up with one hand. His deep blue eyes, like the sea, looked indifferently at the countless lanterns flowing along the riverbank outside.

“…Ah…” The innkeeper, standing at the counter calculating bills, paused for a second, then slapped his forehead. “I’m getting old, forgetting such an important day.”

“…Hm?”

Lan Wei watched in surprise as the innkeeper hurried to the back courtyard. In Lan Wei’s memory, ever since he arrived, this middle-aged innkeeper had always stayed quietly at the counter. Why was his behavior suddenly so out of character?

“Today is Qixi Festival…”

…Qixi Festival…

Lan Wei lowered his gaze, hiding the complex emotions in his eyes.

Before long, the innkeeper came out holding a jar of fine wine. Lan Wei glanced at it from the corner of his eye, and his eyelids twitched—it seemed vaguely familiar. Wasn’t that the wine he secretly drank last night…? To cover up, Bai Meng grabbed a jar of vinegar to substitute it. The innkeeper, unaware, was still rambling on.

“I promised to bring a jar of wine for my wife every year, and I can’t forget it this time either.”

“…Your wife?” Lan Wei raised an eyebrow with a teasing look in his eyes. “Innkeeper, you’re married? When will you bring her around to meet us?”

“That’s probably not possible,” the innkeeper only smiled. “My wife passed away eight years ago.”

Lan Wei fell silent.

“It’s alright…” Seeing Lan Wei, once brimming with curiosity, suddenly fall silent, the perceptive innkeeper noticed the shift and shook his head gently. His voice softened, “It’s been so long, I’ve come to terms with it. You don’t need to dwell on it.”

“……”

Is it really possible to let go after such a long time…?

Lan Wei held his head, feeling a faint ache in his chest.

The innkeeper had already taken the wine outside, returning much later with empty hands.

“I already set that jar of wine in the river. This Qixi Festival, she won’t be saddened by our separation across life and death. In a few decades, when I’ve seen this life through, I’ll go accompany her.

After all, this life was a gift from her. I can’t be reckless with it.”

Listening to the innkeeper’s words, Lan Wei only felt an even deeper hollowness inside. He wanted to say something, but his throat was painfully dry and bitter, leaving only the faint taste of blood that corroded him, rendering him speechless, unable to shout, only sitting there with his fingers turning pale.

Qixi Festival…

He truly despised this day.

Lan Wei sat there, lost in thought.

The innkeeper looked at him in astonishment, his face filled with hesitation.

Lan Wei, however, had not noticed that by this time, his face was already streaked with tears.