Chapter 101: Farewell

Lu Qingyun squatted down and looked at the little girl.

She was pale and thin, clearly malnourished. “Little sister, how much are these flowers?”

A glimmer of light flashed in the little girl’s eyes. She answered timidly,

 “One cent per flower. This whole bunch is only twenty cents. Brother! How many do you want?”

“I’ll take all of them.”

Hearing this, the little girl’s face immediately broke into a bright smile.

She looked at Lu Qingyun with gratitude, “Thank you, brother! You’re so kind, brother!”

Lu Qingyun took ten yuan out of his pocket and handed it to the little girl.

The little girl was startled when she saw the money. She quickly shook her head, “I… I don’t have change.”

“Don’t worry about it. Take this money and buy some delicious food.”

 Lu Qingyun stuffed the money into the little girl’s hand, then took the flowers from her, stood up, and handed them to Ling Yao, “Yaoyao, this is for you!”

Ling Yao took the flowers and smiled faintly at Lu Qingyun.

The smile was like a hundred flowers blooming, even more beautiful than the flowers in her hand, “These flowers are so beautiful.”

“I’m glad you like them.” This was the first time Lu Qingyun had given flowers to someone. But he planned to give Yaoyao flowers more often in the future.

“Brother! Sister! Thank you! I wish you happiness!” The little girl bowed to them and skipped away, hopping and jumping with joy.

They looked away and smiled at each other.

Lu Qingyun took Ling Yao’s hand, “Let’s go for a walk in the nearby park.”

“Okay!”

The air in the park after the rain was filled with a fresh scent. The raindrops on the grass were crystal clear, like pearls scattered by nature.

Lu Qingyun and Ling Yao walked hand in hand along the damp path. Sunlight shone through the clouds, falling on them, warm and soft.

They came to the lake. The lake water was like a mirror, reflecting the sky and the surrounding scenery.

Lu Qingyun tightened his grip on Ling Yao’s hand slightly and looked down at her, “Yaoyao.”

His voice was deep and pleasant, full of magnetism, like a feather gently brushing against Ling Yao’s heart, making her heart skip a beat.

Ling Yao looked up and met Lu Qingyun’s gaze. His eyes were gentle and captivating, with a hint of teasing. A blush appeared on her face.

Lu Qingyun gazed at Ling Yao. Her eyebrows and eyes were delicate, her face was fair, her skin was as white as snow, her nose was small and upturned.

 His gaze slowly moved down, landing on Ling Yao’s petal-like red lips.

His Adam’s apple rolled slightly, and his eyes held a hint of desire. He slowly lowered his head and leaned closer to Ling Yao, “Yaoyao, can I kiss you?”

He really wanted to taste the lips he had been dreaming of. Were they as sweet as in his dreams?

Ling Yao tensed up nervously. She felt Lu Qingyun’s warm breath on her face. Her heart pounded like thunder, and she slowly closed her eyes.

A cool sensation landed on her lips, making Ling Yao’s body tremble slightly.

Lu Qingyun reached out and pulled Ling Yao into his arms, holding her tightly. He kissed her awkwardly, slowly deepening the kiss…

The birds in the park seemed to be touched by their happiness and sang joyfully. At this moment, their world only contained each other.

After a long time, Lu Qingyun finally let go of Ling Yao. He gasped for breath, leaned against Ling Yao’s shoulder, and calmed the heat in his body.

 His Yaoyao was so sweet. He almost lost control.

Ling Yao reached out and pushed Lu Qingyun.

“Don’t move. Let me hold you for a while longer. It’ll be over soon.” Lu Qingyun’s voice was hoarse, as if he was suppressing something.

Ling Yao also felt something at this moment. Her face was so red it was almost bleeding. She gently leaned her head against Lu Qingyun’s chest.

When they calmed down, Lu Qingyun looked at Ling Yao. His gaze fell on her soft lips, which were slightly swollen. He really wanted to bully her.

“Let’s go back.” Ling Yao was uncomfortable under Lu Qingyun’s intense gaze.

“Okay.” Lu Qingyun took a deep breath, gently released Ling Yao, and walked hand-in-hand with her towards the park exit.

Thinking about the kiss just now, he couldn’t help but smile slightly.

As they walked out of the park, they encountered the little girl who had sold them flowers.

She was being bullied by a man and was crying so hard she could barely breathe, “Give me my money back. It’s for my mom’s medicine.”

The man kicked the little girl, “Get out of here, don’t bother me. Or I’ll beat you to death, you little money-grubber.”

 He threatened her while raising his fist and swinging it in the air.

Ling Yao walked to the little girl’s side and carefully helped her up, “Are you okay?”

The little girl’s eyes were filled with fear and helplessness. She trembled and pointed at the man,

 “Sister, I’m fine. It’s just that Daddy took the money I was going to use to buy medicine for Mommy.”

Ling Yao felt a pang of sympathy. She gently rubbed the little girl’s hair, “It’s okay. Brother will get it back for you.”

“Give her the money back!” Lu Qingyun spoke again, his eyes filled with a chilling power.

“The money is mine. What business is it of yours?” As the man spoke, he swung a punch at Lu Qingyun.

Lu Qingyun raised his hand and easily subdued the man.

“Ouch, let go. It hurts!”

“Hand over the money, or I’ll break your hand.” Lu Qingyun tightened his grip slightly.

The man grimaced in pain. Finally, he had to compromise and took the money out of his pocket and threw it on the ground.

The little girl quickly ran forward, picked up the money, and held it tightly in her arms, like a treasure.

As soon as the man was free, he ran away.

“Thank you, brother! Thank you, sister!” The little girl gratefully bowed to Lu Qingyun and Ling Yao, clutching the money and running towards the pharmacy.

She had to buy medicine for her mother quickly, or her father would take the money again.

Ling Yao and Lu Qingyun looked away and walked towards the car.

In a blink of an eye, it was evening. Although Lu Qingyun and Ling Yao felt a thousand pangs of reluctance, the time to say goodbye came quickly.

Lu Qingyun’s eyes were full of longing. He stared intently at Ling Yao, as if he wanted to etch her image deep into his heart, “Yaoyao, I’m leaving.”

Ling Yao nodded slightly. The corners of her eyes couldn’t help but turn a little red, “Call me when you get to the army.”

Lu Qingyun wanted to hold Ling Yao in his arms. He suppressed his desire, nodded, and turned to Ling Xuemei and Ji Yanting,

“Uncle! Auntie! I’m going now. We’ll see each other again in Beijing.”

“Be careful on the road.” Ling Xuemei said with concern.

“Don’t be so sentimental. Go ahead.” Ji Yanting waved to Lu Qingyun.

Lu Qingyun smiled, looked at Ling Yao reluctantly, turned around, and walked away.

Ling Yao silently watched his figure gradually disappear from sight. It took a long time before she looked away. See you in Beijing, Brother Lu!