Early in the morning, a soft knock rattled the door. Zhao Renshu's eyes fluttered open. He found himself alone on the bed, realizing Ping'an had fallen asleep at the table, her head resting on her arms amidst her sewing. He walked to her, a tender smile touching his lips, gently scooped her up, and laid her carefully on the bed. His gaze fell upon two sets of neatly folded clothes on the table: one, a vibrant white and blue; the other, a deep black and dark navy blue. He then walked to the door and opened it. It was Xiao Mei; a large basket clutched in her hands.
"Little sister, do you know it's so early?" Zhao Renshu asked, a playful note in his voice.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Xiao Mei chirped, bowing slightly. "My master wants to give this to Ping'an jiejie."
Ping'an, stirring at the sound of Xiao Mei's voice, slowly woke and sat up on the bed, rubbing her eyes.
"Xiao Mei," Ping'an said, her voice still a little groggy, "the blue and white robe on the table is for your young master. Tell him that we are going home tomorrow. I want him to send us off, and please ask him to wear this robe."
"I will definitely let him know!" Xiao Mei promised, her eyes bright.
Xiao Mei walked to the table, placed her basket down, and carefully picked up the white and blue clothes.
The next day, outside the city gate, a small gathering of friends waited for Ping'an and Zhao Renshu. Their small horse carriage stopped before the group.
Zhao Renshu and Ping'an descended from the carriage. Ping'an looked at Guo Baiyu, a gentle smile gracing her lips. She realized that all four young masters of Peace Town, the two Wu sisters, Guo Yingyu, and even Fang Yaoting were there to see them off. She walked directly towards Guo Baiyu.
"You look very handsome in that robe," Ping'an smiled, her eyes admiring the white and blue garment.
Guo Baiyu, a soft sadness in his eyes, handed her a rolled-up painting. "This is what you wanted," he murmured.
Ping'an unfurled the painting, revealing a breathtaking scene of the festival lovers by the creek in Border Town, rendered with exquisite detail.
"Thank you for the good memories," Ping'an whispered, her voice thick with emotion.
"See you soon," Guo Baiyu replied, his voice laced with unspoken yearning.
"See you in a month," Zhao Renshu interjected, a small smile on his face as he looked at Guo Baiyu.
Ping'an looked back at Guo Baiyu, a sudden, decisive glint in her eyes. "Baiyu... Do you want to kiss me one last time before we part?"
Everyone gasped, a collective intake of breath. Wu Meixiang's face twisted into a furious, dirty expression, glaring at Ping'an.
Guo Baiyu, his eyes wide with surprise, instantly put his arms around Ping'an's waist. He pulled her into a fierce embrace and kissed her lips deeply, thoroughly, losing himself in the moment.
Zhao Renshu smiled softly and shook his head, a mixture of understanding and resignation on his face.
Guo Longtong, a wide, happy grin spreading across his face, started flapping his fan rapidly up and down.
Lee Dachin and Fang Yaoting, exchanging knowing glances, silently admitted defeat.
The two Wu sisters were consumed by visible anger, their faces contorted.
Guo Yingyu, however, was simply shocked, utterly bewildered by his elder brother's audacious actions.
"I love you," Guo Baiyu whispered fiercely into Ping'an's ear, his voice raw with emotion.
"I love you too," Ping'an whispered back, tears pricking her eyes.
Guo Yingyu, his face flushed with indignation, strode straight to Guo Baiyu and abruptly pulled him away from Ping'an.
"You have a fiancée who is standing right there!" Guo Yingyu cried angrily, pointing a furious finger at Wu Meixiang. "Even if you are my elder brother, don't do anything stupid that will make the family lose face!" He then turned his furious gaze to Ping'an. "Miss Ping'an, you know he has a fiancée, and he will marry her in two months. Why are you doing this?!"
"I know," Ping'an replied, her voice calm, devoid of defensiveness. She looked directly at Guo Yingyu. "You don't have to remind me."
"Yingyu, this is not your place to speak," Guo Baiyu said, his voice firm, stepping slightly in front of Ping'an.
Ping'an gently took Guo Baiyu's hands in hers, her expression serene. She smiled at him, a heartbreaking tenderness in her eyes. "Baiyu, thank you. I really hope that once you marry Lady Wu, you will love and accept her. I can tell you that she really loves you."
Guo Baiyu's expression darkened, a sudden coldness in his eyes. "Why do you say that?" he asked, his voice low, filled with a dawning dread.
Ping'an's smile became tinged with sadness. "I know that you and Renshu made a three-year agreement. We don't have to wait three years before I can choose one of you."
"Ping'an, I told you the plan last night!" Zhao Renshu interjected, his voice sharp with alarm, remembering their private conversation.
"Baiyu, you don't need to follow Renshu's silly plan," Ping'an said, ignoring Zhao Renshu, her gaze fixed on Guo Baiyu. She smiled, a profound sorrow in her eyes. "Today, I want to tell you that I am not choosing you."
Guo Baiyu felt as if a thousand knives had plunged into his heart simultaneously. In his life, he had experienced many failures, but this blow hurt him more, deeply and irrevocably, than anything before. His mind went blank, a terrifying emptiness consuming him. All he felt was a profound void. He wondered, desperately, what he had done wrong.
"Do you choose him?" Guo Baiyu asked, his voice barely a whisper, broken with sadness, his gaze fixed on her.
"Goodbye, Baiyu," Ping'an whispered, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. She tiptoed, pressed a fleeting kiss to his lips, then turned, her movements decisive, and walked directly to Zhao Renshu. "Let's go home."
"Baiyu, I will talk to her!" Zhao Renshu called out, already stepping forward, a flicker of concern for his friend in his eyes.
"No," Guo Baiyu said, his voice hollow, defeated. "She chooses you."
"She is just angry," Zhao Renshu insisted, trying to rationalize.
"I now understand why she made this robe," Guo Baiyu murmured, his gaze falling on the white and blue outfit he wore, a symbol of a hope now shattered.
"She is not herself. I'll see you in a few weeks," Zhao Renshu said, his voice still attempting reassurance. He waved quickly, then ran to catch up with Ping'an.
Long after Zhao Renshu and Ping'an left, Guo Baiyu still stood rooted to the same spot, a statue of despair. He couldn't believe it – the person he loved the most, the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, had just told him she chose someone else.
"Baiyu, she left already, let's go home," Guo Longtong said softly, coming to his side and gently taking Guo Baiyu's hand. "Sometimes things don't go as we want, but life continues. Honestly, Renshu is a better choice for Ping'an. They are not like you."
Guo Baiyu knew Guo Longtong spoke a bitter truth. She chose Zhao Renshu because they were not like him. They bore no crushing responsibilities, no weighty expectations like his own. Why should he bear these responsibilities, these burdens of family and legacy? What he truly wanted in his life was to be with those who cared about him, who asked for nothing in return. He had finally found them, that elusive happiness, but eventually lost it because of his surname—because he was a Guo.
Tears welled in Guo Baiyu's eyes, blurring the world. "You know," he murmured, his voice thick with unshed grief, "Ping'an once asked me if Renshu agreed, would I live peacefully in Peach Blossom Valley with them." He looked at Guo Longtong, his eyes filled with a heartbreaking realization. "I couldn't give her the answer at that time. I guess she answered that question for me."
Sitting quietly in the carriage, Ping'an was consumed by a desolate silence. The reason why Ping'an felt compelled to end things with Guo Baiyu, at least for now, was simple yet agonizing: he had once told her that to achieve success, he had endured immense pain. If he chose to walk with her, if he chose their unconventional love, then everything he had worked so hard for, his entire future, would be instantly destroyed. And she could not be the cause of that destruction.
Hu Qingge's words had also left a deep, unsettling impression on her: Without her, Zhao Renshu would choose Hu Qingge. Why should Zhao Renshu suffer, she thought, when she kissed another man, when her heart was so divided? It wasn't fair to either of them. She knew that when the scheduled due date for her choice came, she wouldn't be able to pick just one of them. The thought tore at her.
She knew, with a crushing certainty, that she had no right to tie them to her, to hold them back from paths society deemed honorable. She knew, deep down, that these two proud men would never truly accept society's humiliation for sharing the same woman, for defying every norm. Most importantly, a colder, darker truth had always lingered within her: she had taken her first breath into this world as an infant with no one to truly love her. And she now felt, with a chilling premonition, that she would also take her last breath, leaving this cruel, cruel world, as a person with no one to truly love her, utterly alone.
Suddenly, a profound weariness settled over her, a desperate craving for oblivion. She wanted to die. She should have died long ago, she thought, bitterly. Why had everyone around her died, or abandoned her to fend for herself since birth? She was tired of trying to change her destiny, tired of lying to herself that tomorrow would be better than yesterday or even today. She was too exhausted to fend for herself anymore. Her physical strength was still there, a lingering ember, but her will, her very desire to live, had vanished, extinguished by an overwhelming despair.
The only reason she had continued to live was because of them, because of Baiyu and Renshu. But now, in her mind, they were no longer her Baiyu and her Renshu. What, then, was the reason for her to continue living? The terrifying realization hit her: she had no reason to continue living at all.