They had been separated for many years, with no communication between them.

Ling Shu had seen the book "Romeo and Juliet" on the bedroom bookshelf, and when he touched the trunk of the tree at his alma mater, he may have thought of Yue Dingtang, but it was only a bright spot in his memory.

Perhaps it had been polished and renewed over time, and perhaps the characters had been idealized due to the passage of time, but it was only a memory and could no longer affect the people in reality.

However, one day, Yue Dingtang suddenly walked out of his memory and into his life.

The first reunion was far from pleasant, with a strong sense of hostility between them. They were at odds with each other, and Ling Shu lost a game.

He could see the narrow-mindedness hidden beneath Yue Dingtang's serious appearance, so he played along and tested each other's limits, constantly pushing the boundaries of tolerance.

After the reunion, Yue Dingtang seemed to have more than one face. He wanted to uncover the secrets of Ling Shu, who also felt that Yue Dingtang was hiding his true self beneath his refined and scholarly university professor persona.

But when did this testing turn into something else?

Ling Shu couldn't remember.

Perhaps it was in the northeast, where he lay on the cold, straw-covered floor of an old Taoist temple and saw Yue Dingtang enter the door with a worried expression, his face full of the words "Ling Shu,".

Perhaps it was his decision to give up his own chance at life, preferring to hold onto each other in death. In the quiet and deserted tunnel, their bodies conveyed warmth and unspoken love to one another.

From their reunion after a long separation to their shared fate, the missing piece was slowly filled.

Ling Shu could no longer recall Du Yunning's smile, but he remembered the figure behind the tree.

"You'll be okay, you'll be okay..." he murmured, holding the body in his arms, trying to give some of his own life to the other.

"Just hold on a little longer, I'll take you out soon. Don't die, don't leave me alone!"

Yue Dingtang seemed to sigh, lightly and weakly.

"I won't die."

"Don't talk!" Ling Shu felt a surge of hot tears in his eyes, unable to stop them.

His willpower was useless at this moment, and even his past experiences of fighting his way out of tough situations couldn't help him now.

Ling Shu felt completely powerless.

"I shouldn't have gotten involved in this. If I had known, I wouldn't have taken on the Feng family's request or come here. It was all my reckless decision-making that ended up putting you in danger. Old Yue, you promised me that we still have decades ahead of us. You can't just leave me like this. If you die, where am I going to find another sucker to take advantage of? How am I going to continue to mooch of your family?"

"So, you only came with me to mooch off of the Yue family's food..."

Yue Dingtang's voice grew weaker and more ethereal.

Ling Shu lifted his head, afraid that his tears would fall onto his face.

The cries of battle outside grew louder and closer, but here, the two black-clad men had already been subdued. Ling Shu paid no attention, his mind solely focused on the person in his arms.

Yue Dingtang's words did not make him laugh, but instead filled him with bitterness.

Even the days when he begged for a meal at the Yue household now seemed like a peaceful and unattainable time.

"It's not that," he said, feeling like he could control his tears now.

He lowered his head and pressed his face against the other's nose.

Yue Dingtang's nose was a little cold, and he gently rubbed it, slowly building up warmth.

"I just have a hard time expressing myself. You know, as someone as charming and lucky as me, how could I possibly be tied down to just one person?"

"Yes, yes, it's all thanks to my ancestors' good deeds and the smoke rising from their graves that I have the honor of having you come to my house for a meal." Yue Dingtang played along with what Ling Shu said.

Ling Shu chuckled. "Although this tree of yours is a bit strange and not the peach blossom tree I wanted, we've already encountered it. What can we do? If you die, I can openly go find a new forest."

"If I die, you can go if you want. I can't stop you, and I also hope that you can live the rest of your life as carefree and happy as you are now. Don't let me bring you down."

"Stop talking nonsense. You're not going to die, Old Yue. Promise me you'll hold on, and I'll take you out of here!" Ling Shu's arm was pulled.

"I mean, if I die. But I haven't died yet." Yue Dingtang's voice was a bit helpless. "I just broke my leg. Do you have to curse me to death?"

Ling Shu slowly turned his head.

After his eyes adjusted, he could gradually see.

Yue Dingtang's expression looked very innocent no matter how you looked at it.

"Why didn't you speak just now?"

"You didn't give me a chance to speak."

"Is it because you feel accomplished seeing me in tears?"

"Well, maybe just a little bit." Yue Dingtang smiled, facing Ling Shu's murderous gaze. "But the most important thing is that I can hear your innermost thoughts. Even if I were to die right now, it wouldn't matter. Ling Shu, you won't have a chance to find any peach blossom forest in your lifetime. You're destined to be tied to this tree only."

Outside, life and death hung in the balance, but inside, there was a moment of peace.

Yang Chunhe and Leader Ying looked at the two of them with puzzled and amazed eyes, unable to look away.

But Ling Shu was completely indifferent, his gaze still fixed on Yue Dingtang.

"What about the blood on your body?"

"It's all from other people."

"And you don't have any wounds?"

"Some of them are just external injuries, nothing serious," said Captain Yue.

"Captain Yue, was it fun just now?"

"Well, it was okay. I wouldn't say it was fun. I was in so much pain that I couldn't even speak. And you kept talking, so I didn't want to interrupt you. That's why I'm taking this opportunity to explain it to you now."

Yue Dingtang felt that if he didn't say a few more words, he would die not from a fracture, but from domestic violence.

"Now let's find our way out first. I'll apologize to you properly later, okay?"

Although his tone was sincere enough, Ling Shu couldn't help but feel that there was a hint of amusement in it.

Upon closer inspection, Yue Dingtang's face was completely innocent.

Ha, men.

Inwardly, Ling Shu sneered as he snatched the gun from Yue Dingtang's hand and stood up, striding towards the door with a burning rage that was ready to break the other leg of Yue Dingtang.

He was determined to unleash all his fury on some unlucky soul who had yet to cross his path.