"Bai Qi, do you see that Kongming lantern? It's said that it has been burning for a thousand years without going out."
Bai Qi stood shoulder - to - shoulder with me, looking at the lantern. After a long hesitation, he finally said four words: "It's called a sky lantern. It's a lantern for people to entrust their wishes. The person who released it must have a sad and beautiful story."
I took another look at the lantern. From afar, I could see a green light in the shape of an oriole hovering around the sky lantern, looking as tragic as a moth flying into the fire.
"It's getting late. Let's go to the City That Never Sleeps quickly."
I walked in front, and Bai Qi followed behind. The two of us came to the city gate of the City That Never Sleeps.
The City That Never Sleeps was no longer what it used to be. It was now deserted, with not a single customer.
The City That Never Sleeps got its name because it was open around the clock.
"What is Jun He doing? Why isn't it open for business?"
I raised my hand and knocked hard on the door. After a long while, someone opened the door from the inside.
To my great surprise, it was A Yin. I never expected that A Yin had always stayed in the City That Never Sleeps.
"A Yin, you're still here?" I was a bit excited to see A Yin and quickly grabbed her hand.
Seeing that I was okay, A Yin almost cried. She hugged me tightly and said with a sob, "Sister, you scared me to death. I thought I'd never see you again."
I gently patted A Yin on the back. "I'm okay. I'm back, aren't I?"
"Didn't the Third Master do anything to you? I never thought he would really want your life."
"That's all in the past. I believe Gu Yuan had his own difficulties. By the way, why is the City That Never Sleeps closed? Where is Jun He?"
"The Demon Lord went out to look for you. He won't be back so soon."
"Is his injury better?" I asked, holding A Yin's hand.
"It should be no big deal." A Yin had a smile on her face and continued, "Since you're here, stay for a few more days. There are many places here that need to be repaired. The more people, the more help. The Demon Lord usually comes back before midnight, so just wait for him."
I had a curious smile on my face. It felt like she was talking as if she were the mistress of this place.
"I haven't seen you for a few days, and you seem very familiar with this place. It seems that you'll soon be the future boss's wife, the Demon Lord's wife."
After hearing what I said, A Yin's face immediately turned as red as an apple, red all the way to her neck.
"What are you talking nonsense about? I'm only doing this for you. Otherwise, I wouldn't want to stay here. Besides, the Demon Lord likes you. How could he take a fancy to me?"
A Yin was definitely a young girl in love. Every word she said was filled with a smile.
Just as I was about to tease her some more, my phone rang.
At first, I thought someone was calling me. But when I picked up the phone, I found that it had been exactly two and a half months since I fed Gu Yuan my heart's blood.
That meant that half a month from now, Gu Yuan would have to suffer the pain of the heavenly thunder again.
Holding the phone in my hand, just thinking about it made my heart ache. It was a lie to say that I wasn't afraid.
As the saying goes, once bitten by a snake, one is afraid of the rope for ten years. That kind of piercing pain was enough to be engraved in my memory.
But for Gu Yuan, I would be willing to even give him my heart.
"Lan Lan... Don't do anything stupid again. It's not worth it." Bai Qi seemed to notice the change in my thoughts and understood what I was thinking.
I smiled at Bai Qi and said, "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."
"A Yin, you take Bai Qi around the City That Never Sleeps. I want to go out for a walk alone. When Jun He comes back, remember to tell me."
"I'll go with you." A Yin was a bit worried about me going out alone.
But Bai Qi said to A Yin, "Let her be alone for a while. Some things can only be figured out by herself."
After he said that, he pulled A Yin towards the second floor of the City That Never Sleeps.
I watched them leave, then turned and walked out of the door. At this moment, the City of Darkness was filled with dim yellow light in the darkness.
The light was like it was covered with a layer of fog. It looked unclear, and it made me feel stuffy in my heart.
I originally wanted to take a walk to relax, but the more I walked, the more upset I became. Finally, I simply bought two jars of wine and carried them in my hands, thinking that I would go back and get drunk with A Yin and the others.
But somehow, I found myself walking to that small bridge again.
I put my hands on the railing. The night sky was as black as ink. I thought it would be great if there were fireworks.
I just thought about it, and suddenly, large, gorgeous fireworks exploded over the River of Forgetfulness.
The pear - like fireworks were so brilliant that they seemed to overwhelm the stars. Looking at the large fireworks, I was extremely happy.
I shouted towards the River of Forgetfulness, releasing all the emotions that had been pent up in my heart for many days.
"Gu Yuan... You're a big bad guy. You always bully me."
"Do you still remember these fireworks? We once watched them together. I don't know when we can watch them together again."
"We promised to meet at the old place. Why aren't you here when I'm here?"
"What on earth are you hiding from? I tell you, I will never, never give up on you."
As I shouted, my tears flowed uncontrollably. Then I squatted on the ground and cried loudly.
People passing by on the street looked at me like I was a monster and avoided me from a distance.
In the end, I just sat on the ground, picked up the wine jar, and gulped it down.
Wine was really a good thing. It could relieve pain and make one forget sorrow. Once you drank it, you wouldn't know anything.
It was not until I woke up the next day that I found I had returned to the City That Never Sleeps.
I originally thought that Bai Qi and A Yin had brought me back, but they both firmly denied it and said that I had walked back by myself.
Did I sleepwalk?
For the next ten days, I sat alone on the stone bridge, drinking until I passed out. Then, when I woke up the next day, I would be sent home and lie in my own bed. There wasn't even a trace of alcohol on me, as if nothing had happened. Even Bai Qi and the others didn't notice that I had been drunk.
Who on earth was this person who sent me home without leaving a name? It wasn't Jun He, not Bai Qi, not A Yin, and definitely not Long Lin.
It would be okay if it happened once or twice, but this had been going on for more than ten days. I seemed to have thought of someone in my heart.
But I wasn't sure. So today, I had to find out who this person was.
On this day, I walked to the small tavern as usual and bought two jars of wine. However, I had already told the waiter in the morning to add water to the wine.
I sat on the ground on the bridge, pretending to drink to drown my sorrows. I lifted the wine jar and took big gulps, then pretended to be drunk and leaned against the bridge pier.
I pretended to sleep on the bridge for so long that I actually fell asleep for a while, but that person still didn't show up.
I checked the time. It was already midnight. Was I really being self - indulgent?