A Two-Month Promise

Time flowed silently, like a gentle breeze sweeping across a field, both soothing and leaving one with an endless yearning for a distant past.

Linh stood silently beneath the vermilion eaves, her dreamy eyes fixed on the delicate cherry blossoms before her. Their pale pink hue was as fragile as her own soul.

"Cherry, I think you've paid enough."

Beside her, Phong stood gently. His deep blue eyes, once unfathomable, now held only her reflection. He loved her, loved her to the core, and couldn't understand why she hurt herself so. Didn't she know that seeing her suffer pained him infinitely more, as if his heart were shattering into a thousand pieces?

"Not enough, Phong. I still have a great debt I cannot let go of."

Linh smiled again, but dared not meet his gaze, for she feared that once she looked into those eyes, there would be no turning back.

"Then what more do you want? How long do you intend to torment yourself? One year, two years, three years, or forever?"

Phong's voice rose in anger. He couldn't bear it any longer, couldn't stand to see her like this. He hated her stubbornness, hated all those who had hurt her.

"Can you give me two more months? Just two more months, and then I'll definitely let go."

She looked up at him, her eyes filled with an affection and suffering that made it impossible for him to refuse. He could only gaze at her silently, perhaps he would give her one more chance.

"Your silence means you agree, right?"

She smiled mischievously, her slender hands clinging to his arm coaxingly, making him involuntarily chuckle and reach out to pat her head.

"Carry me, Phong. My feet are so tired."

She laughed again, gently nudging his back. Phong could only shake his head, looking at this foolish girl who hadn't changed at all over the years.

He carried her on his back. His shoulders were so warm and safe, making Linh feel utterly comfortable, unlike his shoulders. Those shoulders, though broad, felt strangely cold to Linh, seemingly close yet impossibly distant.

"Phong, later... if I die before you, please don't be sad."

She whispered softly into Phong's ear. The words had barely left her lips when his steps faltered.

Die! He had never thought of that, for he would always protect and care for her so she would never have to leave him.

"If that day comes, I'll dig up your grave. I won't let you rest in peace. I'll hire a Daoist priest to seal your soul, so you can't transcend."

His steps slowly resumed, his blue eyes gazing blankly ahead.

"Why won't you let me transcend?"

"To wait for you."

He replied softly. His words were gentle, but his heart was in turmoil. If that truly happened, could he do it? Probably not...

"Mmm."

Linh simply hummed, her eyes lowered to look at the young man before her, the one she wanted to apologize to most in this world. Sorry for his sacrifice, sorry for burying his youth in the abyss. Sorry for everything she had caused.

The two continued walking on the bustling street, neither speaking another word, until they encountered two familiar figures.

"Do you think what you're doing is worth it?"

Phong snorted coldly, his brows furrowed as he watched the two people ahead, hand in hand, laughing happily.

"No, it's not."

Linh smiled faintly in reply. Phong said nothing more, for he had already said too much. Now, he could only follow her wishes, waiting two more months.

"Can we follow them, Phong?" she asked.

"You're so foolish, why are you so stubborn?"

"Because I'm foolish, I can't let go."

The two of them silently followed the other pair, walking on and on without knowing where they were going.

Linh watched Ling and Wei's retreating figures ahead, the sunset casting a beautiful glow upon them. She couldn't remember how many times she had seen this scene. Perhaps many, but for some reason, she still wanted to follow them, to see their figures and Ling's smile.

"Phong, if there's a next life, I'll be a man. I don't want to be weak, I don't want to be the one who comes after you anymore!"

Linh whispered softly, tears streaming down her cheeks, soaking his shoulder.

Phong looked at her, unsure what to do. He cherished her, loved her, but perhaps that wasn't enough. What she wanted was someone else's love, not his. He wished he could make that other man love her, even if only for a day.

"Put me down."

She slid off his back and, without a word, turned and walked away. Her shadow stretched long against the setting sun, looking strangely lonely and pitiful.

"Linh, perhaps you were wrong."

Phong looked up at the fiery red sky, a beauty that made one feel utterly lonely, just as he felt now. He said "Linh" was wrong, but perhaps she no longer had a chance to correct her mistakes.

He hated Mai Hui Ling. Why did she come and then leave, turning his life upside down, making the one he cherished fall into a whirlpool of sin? He hated her, truly hated her, hated her to the core.

"Cherry, if there's a next life, I will never let you be hurt."

Phong vowed to himself, his steps slowly moving away on the granite pavement. He just needed to wait two more months; his Cherry would surely return, and they would stroll through lavender fields in Paris, or watch bullfights in Spain. They wouldn't come back here, wouldn't have to suffer anymore.