*・゜゚・*:.。..。.:*・*:.。. .。.:*・゜゚・* ゚・*:.。..。.: *・゚・
The scent of rain lingers in the air, carried by the soft breeze that rustles the peach blossoms outside the window. The Luofu hums with life, yet within the stillness of Jing Yuan’s chambers, time seems to move differently.
Y/N stands by the open balcony, gazing at the city bathed in twilight. The glow of lanterns reflects in their eyes, but their thoughts are elsewhere—lost in the past, where laughter once echoed between them, where stolen glances and whispered promises filled the spaces between duty and longing.
Jing Yuan watches them from the doorway, his golden eyes unreadable. “You shouldn’t be here,” he murmurs, though there’s no real conviction in his voice.
“And yet, I am,” Y/N replies, turning to face him.
Jing Yuan exhales softly, stepping further into the room. His presence is as commanding as ever, yet there’s a quiet hesitation in his movements—an unspoken war waging behind his golden gaze.
“You always had a habit of defying expectations,” he says, a faint, nostalgic smile tugging at his lips.
Y/N tilts their head, watching him carefully. “And you always had a habit of hiding behind that smile.”
A flicker of something—regret, longing, maybe both—crosses his face before he looks away. Outside, the distant sound of thunder rumbles, as if the sky itself is mirroring the storm between them.
“I heard about your promotion,” Y/N continues, their voice steady but laced with something Jing Yuan can’t quite place. “Congratulations.”
He chuckles, though the warmth doesn’t reach his eyes. “Is that why you came? To offer well wishes?”
Y/N doesn’t answer right away. Instead, they take a slow step forward, closing the distance between them. “I came because I wanted to see if you still remembered.”
Jing Yuan’s breath stills. He knows exactly what they mean. The late-night conversations under the stars, the gentle touches when no one was looking, the way they fit so seamlessly into each other’s lives despite the chaos surrounding them.
“I never forgot,” he admits quietly.
Y/N searches his face, as if looking for proof in his expression. “Then why does it feel like you did?”
A silence settles between them—heavy, suffocating. Jing Yuan’s hands twitch at his sides, as if he wants to reach for them but knows he shouldn’t. “Because remembering doesn’t change the fact that I had to let go.”
Y/N lets out a shaky breath, their fingers curling into fists. “Did you ever love me, or was I just a passing moment in your life?”
Jing Yuan’s jaw tightens. “You were never just a moment.”
“Then why?” The word comes out barely above a whisper, raw and broken.
He finally looks at them, truly looks at them, and for the first time, the mask slips. The weight of his duty, his decisions, the sacrifice of love for responsibility—it’s all there, laid bare in the depths of his gaze.
“Because loving you was the easiest thing I’ve ever done,” he confesses, “but keeping you was never mine to have.”
The rain begins to fall, tapping softly against the balcony. Y/N swallows the lump in their throat, blinking back the sting of unshed tears. They had come here seeking closure, but instead, they found the truth—a truth that hurt just as much as not knowing.
Stepping back, they offer him a sad smile. “Then I suppose this is goodbye.”
Jing Yuan doesn’t stop them as they turn away. He simply watches as they walk out of his life.
The soft click of the door shutting behind them echoes louder than it should, sealing away everything left unspoken. Jing Yuan stands frozen in place, his hands clenched at his sides as if holding back the instinct to chase after them. But he doesn’t.
Outside, Y/N walks through the rain, their footsteps slow, deliberate. They had prepared for this moment, told themselves they wouldn’t beg him to change his mind, wouldn’t fall apart in front of him. But now, with every step that takes them further away, they realize that no amount of preparation could have braced them for this kind of ache.
They pause beneath a dimly lit lantern, staring up at the sky as droplets trickle down their face, mixing with the warmth of unshed tears. They close their eyes and exhale, letting the cool air fill their lungs. It hurts. It hurts in a way they can’t put into words.
But at least now, they know.
Jing Yuan, meanwhile, remains in his chambers, staring at the empty space where Y/N had stood just moments ago. His fingers twitch again, longing to grasp onto something—onto them. But all that remains is the silence and the ghost of their presence.
He sits by the window, watching the rain. He wonders if Y/N is doing the same somewhere out there, beneath the same sky.
And as he listens to the steady rhythm of raindrops against the glass, he realizes—
No matter how much time passes, no matter how far they go, he will always remember them.