[Rat cat] Mirror City

When Chen Mu woke up, his whole body seemed to be trampled by hundreds of horses, and they were still galloping horses.Chen Mu sat up with some difficulty, his eyes widened in panic after seeing the surrounding environment clearly.

He knew clearly that he was on the edge of a mountain cliff before he lost consciousness, but now, he was just lying in a gray space with nothing except the mirror-like ground below him.Not the cliff before.

Chen Mu suddenly raised his hand, he did it, he did it all over his body, he touched his face, he did it too.The dry touch on his hands evaporated all the moisture before he lost consciousness.

Chen Mu looked at his empty palm like a dream, "Yuqi, Shuyan!" He shouted with all his strength, but the only answer was his own echo.

"Zhan Zhao, Bai Yutang, are you there?" Chen Mu remembered that Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang were in the same direction as him when he was hit, so he immediately called them, but there was still no response.

Chen Mu quickly understood that he was the only one here.Although Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang had suffered the same shock as him, they were not here.

They should not be there, otherwise, if I called that, the two of them would definitely respond, and it was unlikely that I couldn't hear them.

Standing alone, this gray feeling became more and more strange.There was a coldness behind his back, and Chen Mu looked around.While he was in distress, he actually heard a familiar voice, Xu Yuqi's voice, and she was screaming and crying.

Chen Mu ran towards the source of the voice without hesitation.He ran a long way, but the surrounding situation did not change at all.

It's just that Chen Mu didn't care. He just focused on the front and ran towards the source of the sound.Xu Yuqi's voice became clearer and clearer, and Chen Mu's footsteps became faster and faster.

I don't know whether it's because I've stayed here for a long time or what, but Chen Mu feels that he has a little understanding of this place.After the voice became louder, Chen Mu suddenly stopped.

He didn't continue, but stretched out his hand and gently touched the front.However, a wall of air suddenly erected in front of the originally empty space.Chen Mu put his hand on it, and only exerted force lightly, but he felt the elastic force from his own hand, as if his hand was pressed against a plastic film.

But that lack of resilience isn't stopping him from going forward.So Chen Mu just frowned, increased the strength of his hand and pressed it forward, and he immediately felt the touch of something passing through his hand.

That's fine!Chen Mu was a little excited, closed his eyes and pushed forward, his whole body passed through the air wall.He opened his eyes, and the surrounding scene suddenly changed.

In front of him was the gate of Xu Mansion, but there was no one there.Originally, there would be at least two servants standing at the gate of the Xu family, but now there is no one.

The road in front of Xu's house was always lively, and there would always be Xingren walking around.But now, the road is empty.It seemed that in an instant, the whole world was empty, so empty that only myself and...

Before the strange sense of silence brought him some thought, Xu Yuqi's mournful cry came from the Xu residence.The quieter it is here, the more frightened Chen Mu is.

He immediately followed the source of the sound, and finally the sound led him to the backyard.From a distance, he saw the apricot tree.Chen Mu was stunned for a while, he knew that apricot tree, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang woke up under that apricot tree, and they told themselves that this tree was the oldest apricot tree in their yard.

The long running made Chen Mu's chest hurt. He stopped in front of the last moon gate, leaning on the wall and gasping for breath.

When he stopped, Chen Mu caught a glimpse of a familiar corner of his clothes.He was about to call out that person's name, but after seeing the scene behind the moon gate clearly, the already thin air in his chest disappeared completely.

Under the apricot tree, Xu Yuqi hugged Xu Shuyan and cried bitterly under the apricot tree.Vaguely, Chen Mu felt that Xu Yuqi seemed to be talking about something.

It took Chen Mu a long time to regain the light of sight in the darkness in front of him, and then he eased his footsteps, moving towards Xu Yuqi step by step, for fear that the sound he made would break Xu Yuqi.

However, Chen Mu's worries were obviously in vain.Xu Yuqi didn't notice Chen Mu's appearance at all. She was just immersed in her own pain and couldn't accept this fact.

"It shouldn't, it shouldn't be like this!" Xu Yuqi hugged Xu Shuyan's body tightly, "It can't be warmed up, why is it so cold...why can't it be warmed up!"

Xu Yuqi didn't know how long she had been holding Xu Shuyan in this place. After Xu Shuyan fell from the cliff, she leaned over and fell, and drove away Chen Mu and the others who wanted to come up to help.

Then, the two of them returned to the backyard of the Xu family soaked, and there was no one in the Xu family. Even without looking at Xu Yuqi, they could feel the desolation of the Xu family. Everyone in the Xu family disappeared, only her and Xu Shuyan.

Sister...Xu Yuqi remembered Xu Shuyan's gloomy eyes when he fell off the cliff, Xu Yuqi was startled, held Xu Yuqi's hand, and found that his sister's body had become cold.

Panic suddenly hit her, Xu Yuqi breathed in pain, telling herself repeatedly that it was just because both of them were soaked.Even I feel cold, my sister is weak and drenched, it is natural for her body to become cold.

Just dry off the water, just wring out the water on my sister's clothes, bask in the sun and blow the air, and my sister will definitely be warmed up.

So what Xu Yuqi did next was to wring out the water on Xu Shuyan's clothes, wring out his own sleeves, and then wipe off the water on Xu Shuyan's face, holding Xu Yuqi in the sun, blowing the wind, ah, even though he was playing last night It rained so much, but today's weather is really good, the wind is so soft, with the fragrance of flowers and plants, and the sun is so comfortable.

It seems that they have gone back to the past, they have not grown up yet, and Chen Mu is just a green young man. The three of them are so carefree, ignorant, and happy. Under her favorite apricot tree, watching the floating apricot blossoms , through the day after day.

But why...Xu Yuqi collapsed and hugged Xu Shuyan even tighter—why her sister's body is still so cold.Impossible, impossible, shouldn't be!

"She's gone..." Chen Mu stood behind Xu Yuqi, his face pale.For the first time, he watched a familiar person die in front of his own eyes.

Chen Mu couldn't take his eyes off Xu Shuyan's ashen face.My right hand grabbed my chest hard, it hurt so much here.This woman who is as quiet as water, this woman he has only seen for a month...

Guilt and regret flooded in overwhelmingly, and Chen Mu couldn't tell whether it was Chen Mu's emotions or his own.But seeing Xu Yuqi's breakdown, he could only put this heartbreaking fact in front of her bloody.

Xu Yuqi turned her head in confusion. When she saw Chen Mu, she widened her eyes in horror, hugged Xu Shuyan's body tightly, and shook her head frantically, "No, no, my sister is not dead. No, how could she die?" die!"

"Enough!" Chen Mu rebuked Xu Yuqi sadly, grabbed Xu Yuqi's hand and put it under Xu Shuyan's nose, no, they couldn't feel Xu Shuyan's breath at all.

"No, no!" Xu Yuqi held his head and screamed, "This is impossible. He shouldn't have died at this time."

Suddenly, she understood, and her whole body trembled. Was it because of this that she was able to walk out of Xu's house?

"Is it because of this?" Xu Yuqi hissed at the top of his lungs, and rushed towards the apricot tree, "Is that why you let me leave this place? Why did you let my father die and my sister die? Tell me! Give them back to me!"

Chen Mu pulled Xu Yuqi back, and tightened the hands around her waist.Xu Yuqi was so hard, as long as he let go a little bit, she would crash into the apricot tree.

"Xu Yuqi, calm down!" Chen Mu suppressed Xu Yuqi, "They have already gone, can you see the reality clearly?"

Xu Yuqi's movements stopped in fragments, and Chen Mu could feel Xu Yuqi's body stiffen under his embrace.He wanted to ask what was wrong with him, but felt a burst of damp heat on his hands.

Xu Yuqi's tears fell one by one and landed on the back of his hand. "It's not like this, it shouldn't be like this. That night, I should be the one who should die. I'm the one who accompanied Daddy to my aunt's house, not my sister and you..."

"You... What the hell are you talking about..." What exactly is Xu Yuqi talking about, what exactly is she trying to tell herself.In a daze, Chen Mu recalled the reason why Xu Yuqi was locked up, "What's going on?"

"You mean that the people in the carriage that night were Xu Yuqi, not Xu Shuyan and the others?" Gongsun Ce turned up the volume in disbelief, and looked down at the page Zhan Zhao pointed to.

The above content is completely different from what Zhan Zhao and the others experienced.It was true that their aunt was going to celebrate her birthday, but Xu's father planned to go alone that day, but Xu Yuqi insisted on pestering Xu's father to go.

As a result, the departure time changed from morning to near evening... "This is the time for Xu Shuyan and the others to depart." Bai Yutang murmured, the weather at that time was really depressing, and he was still I don't understand why they choose to travel at this time.

Continuing to read, Zhan Zhao saw a familiar scene again.It rained after they set off that night, and the carriage that Xu Yuqi and Xu's father were riding in accidentally fell off the cliff on the mountain.

Not Xu Shuyan, Chen Mu and Xu's father, but Xu Yuqi and Xu's father.Flipping backwards, what the three of them saw was that the entire Xu family was shrouded in shadow and heading towards destruction step by step.

After hearing that Xu Yuqi and Xu's father fell off the cliff, Xu Shuyan was greatly stimulated. Chen Mu endured his grief and went down the mountain to look for them, and finally found Xu Yuqi and Xu's father who were dying.

But in the end, Father Xu still died.Xu Yuqi, who survived, didn't know how to face her sister and Chen Mu who were in great grief. The only thing she thought of was that if she hadn't been pestering her father at that time, he would have been a step ahead of Trumen, and would have found a place to stay before it rained... rather than like this.

The appearance of Xu's father was a huge blow to the Xu family, everyone.Xu Shuyan fell ill after hearing the news of his father's death, and Xu Yuqi was also hit hard by it.

Chen Mu was in pain, but he could only grit his teeth and resist the responsibility of the Xu family.Xu's father died, and he had to bear all the responsibilities of the Xu family alone.Arranging Xu's father's funeral and handling all the affairs of Xu's family, all the burdens fell on his shoulders at once.

During that time, Chen Mu fell into chaos alone, but fate did not stop playing tricks on them.For example, after Chen Mu managed to settle down in the Xu Mansion, bad news came from the cloth village that the wrong fabric was dyed;

For example, Xu Shuyan finally recovered a little bit, but when he was relaxing with Xu Yuqi, he met a customer who came to ask for an explanation;

For example, if the other party proposes to marry Xu Yuqi, there is no need to pursue the conditions. Xu Yuqi broke in without thinking, and told Chen Mu that he was willing, but Chen Mu flatly refused.

Many years later, Xu Yuqi still remembers what Chen Mu said to her that night while holding her shoulder in a fit of rage, "Xu Yuqi, listen to me, if the Xu family has any difficulties, I will bear it. Not the father-in-law, but I will never let you suffer this kind of humiliation. Put away your guilt, you are far more valuable than these, and you can do more things, instead of ruining yourself like you are now. "

Then, Xu Yuqi received a hug, the first hug after a long time.It was two equally sad people embracing each other comfortingly in the cold night.

Neither of them noticed that outside the door, Xu Shuyan watched their every move.And she just left silently.

That night Xu Yuqi didn't say much, and went back to the room alone, and stayed behind closed doors for several days.Chen Mu just buried himself in these troublesome matters.

When everyone in the cloth village was in a mess, Xu Yuqi tidied up his makeup and went to the cloth village with exhaustion.Everyone looked at him in surprise, but only Chen Mu glanced at her indifferently, then smiled and said, "You're here."

Afterwards, Chen Mu and Xu Yuqi put all their energy on the business of Buzhuang, and the two of them have been going in and out together.When the business of Buzhuang finally settled, the two belatedly remembered that they hadn't seen Xu Shuyan for a long time.

Although the family situation has stabilized, Xu Shuyan's illness has not improved at all.In the beginning, she could walk around the Xu Mansion for a while with Xu Yuqi's company, but now, she can only stay in bed day after day, and the only thing that allows her to see the scenery outside is the window.

"The oil is exhausted and the lamp is dry."This was the answer they gave after they had invited all the doctors. Xu Shuyan's ending would only be death, and he would walk towards death step by step, and it wouldn't take long.

They tried their best to conceal it and secretly searched for famous doctors, but Xu Shuyan seemed to know his end, so he just let them stay with him calmly.

At that time, they lived every day as Xu Shuyan's last.Looking at the imprint on the pamphlet, Zhan Zhao and the others could tell that Xu Yuqi was crying when he wrote this.

Afterwards, Xu Shuyan passed away like this. Half a year after Xu's father died, Xu Shuyan did not escape the fate of death. He only told Chen Mu to take good care of Xu Yuqi and closed his eyes like this.

When Xu Shuyan died, Xu Yuqi's soul might have been stripped away, and he told himself repeatedly that it didn't hurt, he was already numb anyway.But the tears that were trying to be sealed in the bottom of my heart burst when I saw the brocade box brought by Xu Shuyan's personal maid on her birthday.

In Xu Shuyan's last time, when she was alone in the room, she actually helped her make a dress as a birthday present for her younger sister.

That night, Xu Yuqi hugged the dress and cried all night, but no one was seen.

After Xu Shuyan's death, the Xu family's situation has stabilized. Under the care of Xu Yuqi and Chen Mu, the Xu family's situation is no different from before.But the atmosphere between Xu Yuqi and Chen Mu became more rigid than before.

Both of them knew what Xu Shuyan's words meant.But can this still be done?The only place where Xu Yuqi and Chen Mu could show familiarity was at Buzhuang.At other times, both of them abide by their boundaries and do not exceed the rules.

However, rumors still emerged that there were only two people left in the huge Xu family. The age-appropriate but unmarried sister-in-law and the widowed brother-in-law, the appearance of the two going in and out at the same time fell into the eyes of others, innocent but stubborn The rumors appeared like this, and then spread like crazy weeds, and finally reached the ears of the two of them.

In the end, it became more and more crazy, almost to the point of viciousness, but the people outside the topic never cared, persisted in their after-dinner chat, and separated the two of them sentence by sentence.In the end, there were such voices even in the Xu Mansion.

Chen Mu was angry, but there was nothing he could do.Facing Xu Yuqi, what can he do?As the chatter outside said, marrying Xu Yuqi... huh... how is that possible.

What separates them is not only the identity of brother-in-law and aunt, but the love is still there, but the hearts can no longer be together.Whoever takes a step, this hard-fought balanced world will collapse.

So, that day Xu Yuqi personally cooked the food that all three of them liked, even though there were only two of them sitting.Xu Yuqi filled the wine for the two of them, and both of them drank silently.

After Xu Yuqi said "Let it go", Chen Mu just nodded and didn't say anything to persuade him to stay, because he knew that he couldn't stay, couldn't stay.

After that day, it was rumored that the second lady of the Xu family was leading a practice in the small courtyard of the Xu family. There was a wall erected between Xu's residence and Xu Yuqi's small courtyard, and there was only one door, but no one would pass through this door.

The only thing Xu Yuqi took away was the dress that Xu Shuyan made for her.That day, it was Chen Mu who watched Xu Yuqi walk into the door, and it was Xu Yuqi who turned around and closed the door himself.

In the following decades, Chen Mu never married again, and the Xu family never heard of the second lady.No one knows that in the middle of the night, the two will stand outside the door, looking at the apricot tree in the backyard, the apricot tree that carries so many good memories of their youth, and then bury the only remaining feelings in their hearts .