Ling Chen’s Heart
Translator: Mr Voltaire
Editor: Modlawls123
“Meng Xin, I…” Meng Xin’s final sentence sent Ling Chen’s mind into complete chaos.
Yun Meng Xin closed her teary eyes as she said, “I thought that I would never be able to say those words because you had Shui Ruo and now have Dia Wu. My best sisters Qi Qi and Su Su are infatuated with you, and I could not allow myself to make you choose between us… moreover, I’ve received too much help and grace from you, and I didn’t have the courage or the right to ask for you to feel the same way about me. It’s just that if I didn’t say it… I might not have had a chance to anymore…”
“Meng Xin…” Ling Chen gently said her name, not sure what to say.
“Ling Chen…” Yun Meng Xin airily said his real name. “Did you know, from since I was little, I’ve never liked a man before. Men who were excellent in other people’s eyes were unable to move my heart at all. I thought that my heart was simply too cold… and that it would never be moved… until I met you…
“Did you know that your existence is like an irresistible disaster to any girl who comes near you… your strength, decisiveness, domineering attitude, self-confidence, and cruelty to enemies but warmth and care towards those who you’re close to… as well as the sense of peace and security when being with you… and the fact that you would die for Shui Ruo… all of these have a fatal attraction to any girl, making it impossible for those close to you to escape… back then, I was sighing about how Qi Qi and Su Su both liked you and how you had Shui Ruo, but I had also fallen in love with you…
“It’s just that despite being such a brave person, I didn’t have the courage to show the real me. When I encounter things I’m afraid of, I’m actually… not brave at all… Qi Qi… and Su Su… are much braver than me.”
“Meng Xin…” Ling Chen lightly held Yun Meng Xin’s hand, looking into her eyes. “I feel the same way towards you as you feel towards me. If I’ve always been attracting you, then you have also been attracting me… much more… it’s just that I had even less courage than you. The image in my heart of you has always been proud, noble, elegant, pure, and beautiful like an otherworldly goddess. If I was still single when I met you, I would have given my all to chase after you, but I had Shui Ruo, Dia Wu, as well as the promises I made to Su Su and Qi Qi… I thought that this sort of fickleness would be incredibly despicable and would lead to tainting your purity if I was with you…”
Yun Meng Xin’s eyes quivered, becoming more resplendent. “Is this true… is this true…”
Ling Chen vigorously nodded. “Of course it’s true. Meng Xin, you should know just how charming you are. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have worn a veil all these years. Your looks and aura cause me to feel intoxicated, and your intelligence and empathy are things I greatly respect as well. After knowing you for so long, how could I not have feelings towards you?”
Yun Meng Xin’s lips slightly moved, and she gently smiled, looking incredibly content. She looked at Ling Chen hazily as she said in a dreamy, soft voice, “So the happiness that I wanted… was so close to me the whole time… I just didn’t have the courage to take it with my own hands… if I had been just a bit more brave… just a bit… even if today still came… I wouldn’t have any regrets…”
After speaking, Yun Meng Xin’s unfocused eyes slowly closed, and her body, which had been lying in Ling Chen’s warm embrace, fell back to the bed.
“Meng Xin… Meng Xin!!”
Yun Meng Xin did not reply – she silently lay there in a deep sleep, looking like a sleeping princess from a fairy tale who was waiting for her prince to awaken her with a kiss. Though her face and lips were incredibly pale, she still looked incredibly beautiful, like a cold goddess. Her simple white dress looked incredibly elegant on her, and it was even more beautiful than those exquisite and fancy dresses. In fact, it could be said that it was she who made this dress look beautiful, not the other way around.
Without realising it, Ling Chen’s eyes had become damp, but he raised his head, forcing the watery feeling back.
Meng Xin, you said that you regretted it, and I also regret it. When I lost Ruo Ruo, I hated myself for devoting so much time to taking revenge on the Long family and not spending it with Ruo Ruo. Now, I regret that I hadn’t told you about my feelings earlier… if both of us had taken this step, we wouldn’t have so much pain and regret at the very least…
Why did he have to only realise and regret once he lost something…
“Big brother… Ling… Tian…”
A mosquito-like voice sounded in Ling Chen’s ear. He hurriedly looked behind himself and stumbled over to Su’Er as he called out, “Su Su!”
Su’Er was still sleeping, and she was in a deeper sleep than Yun Meng Xin. Just then, she had only called out to him while sleeping. While dreaming, she had not called for her father, aunty, or uncle… but him.
And yet, he could not save Su’Er, nor could he save Yun Meng Xin.
Ling Chen felt as if all of his strength had left his body, and he once again sat on the floor, looking down in despair. This whole time, he had known that he was a monster that could put everything beneath him. He had the strength to look down on everything beneath the heavens, and as such, he had always been proud and arrogant. However, at this moment, he felt completely useless… a trash who could only watch as the people around him walked towards death.
The door opened, and a pair of slow and heavy footsteps walked towards Ling Chen. With Ling Chen’s senses, a blade of grass tens of metres away could not escape his senses, and yet he did not realise that this person had walked right up to him and gently hugged him.
Ling Chen raised his head and saw Xuanyuan Dia Wu’s eyes, which were filled with heartache and comforting. He leaned his head against her chest and said dispiritedly, “Dia Wu, what should I do… what should I do…”
Xuanyuan Dia Wu did not know how to reply, and she only lightly sighed. After a while, she softly said, “No matter what happens, I’ll be by your side forever.”
After lightly pushing Xuanyuan Dia Wu away, Ling Chen stood up. “Dia Wu, you should go rest. It’s too dangerous here, and if you’re infected as well…”
“I know; I just wanted to come see you. I’ll leave immediately. Stay here and keep them company. Even if they’re asleep, they’ll still be very happy.” Xuanyuan Dia Wu did not insist on staying. Although her body was quite strong, that didn’t mean she was immune to the Isrock Disease like Ling Chen and the Reapers. Seeing how much sorrow and grief Ling Chen felt for Yun Meng Xin and Su’Er, she did not feel even a hint of jealousy, only heartache.
“Tian Tian and Sha Sha are both very worried about you and refuse to sleep.” After saying these words, Xuanyuan Dia Wu anxiously looked at Ling Chen for a while before softly leaving.
Not too long after, Ling Chen opened the door and walked out. The fresh air outside did not refresh his sinking heart at all. He felt as if there were a massive mountain weighing down on his heart, and it was to the point that he almost couldn’t breathe.
Ling Chen silently looked up at the starry sky and gave a long sigh. After taking a few steps forwards, he saw a small figure next to the man-made lake.
“Sha Sha… why aren’t you asleep yet?” Ling Chen walked over as he wondered why she was here all alone… wasn’t Dia Wu, Yao Ying, and the others watching over her? Why wasn’t Tian Tian with her?
Hearing Ling Chen’s voice, Shadissika turned around and looked at him without blinking. She lowered her gaze as she said in a worried tone, “Ling Chen, I can feel that you’re very sad… I thought that Ling Chen was someone who always made others feel peaceful and happy. So it turns out that Ling Chen can be sad to this degree as well.”
Ling Chen shook his head and did not say anything. He stood beside Shadissika and silently looked at the moon’s reflection on the water.
“Ling Chen.” Shadissika looked up at him. “If, if one day I was like those 2 big sisters, or if I… disappeared so that you couldn’t find me, would you feel this sad as well?”
Ling Chen’s eyes trembled and bent down to hug Shadissika. “Of course I would.”
“Why?” Shadissika’s voice sounded quite emotional. Evidently, she was quite touched by Ling Chen’s reply. “Those 2 big sisters have been with you for so long, so it’s only natural that you are so close with them. However, I was picked up by you and taken care of by you so well, but I can’t do anything for you…”
“It’s because…” Ling Chen shook his head, cutting Shadissika off. “It’s because Sha Sha is my little angel. Every time I see Sha Sha, I feel much happier, and my mind feels much better. This is something that no one else but Sha Sha can give me.”
Ling Chen’s words represented how he really felt about Sha Sha. There was something magical about her. Every time he saw or hugged her, he felt a sense of happiness and satisfaction. This sort of feeling became immersed in his soul, and although she had only been with him for 2 months, he already couldn’t imagine not having her by his side.
“Little angel…” A light flickered in Sha Sha’s eyes, but it was quickly replaced by an incomprehensible light. Following this, her gaze became dim, and her voice became softer, “Then… Then what if Sha Sha was a bad person… a very bad person, who… who’s worse than a demon…”
Ling Chen laughed and looked into Sha Sha’s eyes as he earnestly said, “How could Sha Sha associate herself with demons… alright, even if Sha Sha really were a demon, I’ll be this little demon’s guardian. No one’s allowed to harm my little demon.”
Sha Sha silently looked into his eyes with a calm and sincere look in her eyes.
“Alright, be good and go to sleep now. It’s easy to get a cold if you stay out here so late,” Ling Chen softly said as he stroked Sha Sha’s cold face.
After staring at Ling Chen for a while, she lightly replied with a ‘mm’, then walked back towards her room. Sha Sha was acting quite strangely, and normally, Ling Chen would have realised this and asked her what was wrong. However, Ling Chen’s mind was at an incredibly low point, and he didn’t have any mind to notice or ask about it.
Shadissika did not return to her own room. She appeared in the back garden, which contained a multitudes of flowers, and stood in the corner as she silently stared at the man-made lake and the soulless Ling Chen. Her gaze flickered the entire time as if she felt incredibly conflicted. After a while, a cool breeze blew past, causing the rock-like Ling Chen to sway. Seeing this, Sha Sha’s heart ached, and she almost called out his name.
If I do that, I might be discovered by them…
But…
Shadissika slowly stretched out her right hand, and she lowered a small finger…
“I don’t want to see him like this. Even if I’m discovered…”
A drop of blood dripped out from Shadissika’s finger into the small bottle she was holding. This bottle was one of the bottles that contained the Fairy Fountain water. Before the drop of blood fell in, half of it contained water from the man-made lake.