Tang Wutong leaned into Huo Yuhaoâs arms as she quietly felt his passionately burning heartbeat. They shared this embrace, and two slender shadows stretched out under the moonlight.
Tang Wutong pushed Huo Yuhao away gently after a long while, and stood straight from within his arms.
Huo Yuhao lowered his head and stared into her eyes. Tang Wutong felt her heart skip a beat, as his gaze was just too passionate, hot enough to melt steel.
âYuhao.â
âMm.â Huo Yuhaoâs hands were still around her waist, and he didnât relax his grip at all, like she would immediately leave him if he did.
Tang Wutong said gently, âGive me some time, okay?â
Huo Yuhao was momentarily stunned. âWhatâs up with you, Dongâer?â
Tang Wutong shook her head gently. âIâve already said, Iâm Tang Wutong. Iâm not Wang Dongâer. Really, Iâm Tang Wutong.â
âEh?â Huo Yuhao stared at her in surprise. He responded confusedly, âDongâer, didnât you come here to reunite with me on the Sea Godâs Fated Blind Date because youâve recovered your memory?â
Tang Wutong gently shook her head and said, âMore accurately put, I have recovered the memory that belonged to Wang Dongâer.â
Huo Yuhao was even more perplexed. He stared at her in confusion and asked, âWhatâs happened, exactly, Dongâer?â
Tang Wutong said gently, âJust call me Tang Wutong from now on. Thatâs my real name. Dongâer is a fake name I used back then.â
Huo Yuhao immediately nodded. Her name was secondary to him; what was most important was Tang Wutong as a person.
Tang Wutongâs eyes seemed a little a blurry as she smiled bitterly and said, âTo be frank, I had to think long and hard about meeting with you on the Sea Godâs Lake today, and thatâs because I know Iâm not entirely ready yet. Listen to me, okay?â
âOkay.â Huo Yuhaoâs eyes instantly became a little more nervous. Even though he was very excited because of his reunion with Dongâer, he could tell from Tang Wutongâs expression that things didnât appear that simple. How could he not be nervous?
Tang Wutong held his hand and pulled him over to a flat surface beside them and sat down.
âDo you remember that day? The Dragon Emperor Douluo forced us into a corner, and you stabbed yourself nine times to save me.â Tang Wutongâs voice trembled a little as she spoke. Even though that had happened a long time ago, she could feel her heart and soul quivering when she thought back to what had happened that day.
âThat day, when I watched you plunge that knife into your own body with a plain and emotionless look on your face, my entire heart tied itself into a painful knot, and I was hurting so much. Only then did I realize what suffocating heartache felt like. I will never forget that feeling.â
âIâd already developed some positive feelings towards you by then, but there was no way I could identify what that feeling was. But I knew that you didnât stab yourself with that knife for me because you liked me, you did it because I was your companion. Perhaps, part of the reason was also because I look very, very similar to Wang Dongâer. Furthermore, what I saw in your eyes wasnât pain â it was liberation. Yes, liberation. In that moment, I suddenly felt so terribly afraid, and that wasnât just because of the pain that you were suffering. More of that was because of your eyes that seemed like you were liberating yourself. Only then could I clearly see how deep your love for Wang Dongâer was.â
âI was struck a little deeper with every stab, and my emotions quickly crumbled. When I watched you stab yourself for the last time, when you were definitely going to die, I felt like something somewhere deep in my heart had cracked apart. That pain was indescribable, and in that moment, I seemed to lift some kind of seal as countless things surged through my brain. I passed out.â
âWhen I woke up and saw you next to me and that you werenât dead, nothing seemed bad about the situation. I was a little lost because there were too many memories in my mind. That made me panic and afraid, and my entire being was lost and confused. I didnât like that feeling, but I seemed to like how those memories returned to me. Therefore, I carried you and took you back to the Tang Sect. I returned to Sea Godâs Island after taking you back, and I told everyone I was going into closed-door cultivation so that I could sort out these messy memories.â
âI gradually began to understand that, yes, your initial judgment wasnât wrong, and I am Wang Dongâer. Rather, I used to be Wang Dongâer, your Wang Dongâer. But Wang Dongâerâs memories arenât the only ones in my mind. Have you not realized? Back when I was Wang Dongâer and when I was together with you, I never spoke to you about my childhood. Thatâs because Wang Dongâer back then didnât remember anything that happened in her childhood. And now I, Tang Wutong, and not Wang Dongâer, am a complete version of myself. Wang Dongâerâs memories are of those years that she spent with you. Other than that, I have many memories about my childhood, some remnants of which have come through Wang Qiuâer.â
âI donât know whatâs going on, but for the moment, Wang Dongâerâs memories have taken charge amidst all my memories. Memories of my childhood and those remnants from Wang Qiuâer seems to have merged together with those main memories. Iâm lost and I donât know what to do, but I do know that I cannot lose you, youâre just too important to me. But I cannot lie to you, and I cannot tell you that I am purely Wang Donâger, because I am Tang Wutong. I am Tang Wutong, who was once Wang Dongâer. Aside from my childhood memories and Wang Qiuâerâs remnants, I have the memories spent with you that belong to Tang Wutong. These memories are making me confused and frightened, and I donât know if youâre willing to accept me like this. I havenât been able to sort through everything yet, and I need some time. I need some time to see myself clearly.â
Huo Yuhao slipped into a bit of a daze as he listened to Tang Wutongâs description, but his eyes gradually became gentle and tender once more. There wasnât just deep emotion in his eyes, they were also full of loving pity.
Huo Yuhao opened his arms and took her into his embrace. He gently caressed her wavy pinkish-blue hair as he said gently, âYouâre thinking too much, silly girl. You became my Dongâer from that moment when my soul power fused with yours and recreated our Haodong power. I can understand everything youâre saying, and the reason why youâve become like that is because of that strange illness that you suffered from as a child. If I had known you were Dongâer without her memory, even if youâd completely forgotten me, I would still find ways to make you like me all over again. Right now, your memories are just a little mixed up, so how can I not accept you? As long as Iâm sure that youâre my Dongâer, no, I should say that youâre my Wutong, then I am content. I will love you, treasure you, and wait until youâve completely rediscovered yourself, until youâve completely merged your memories together. I have an entire lifetime to wait, so Iâm not worried or impatient. Iâm not worried at all. But this time, I will never let you leave my side again, no matter what. I will always protect you, and I will be wherever you are. Nobody can separate us anymore.â
Tang Wutong listened to his confession that came from his heart, and her eyes slowly turned red as she leaned into his arms and gently shut her eyes. âDo you know, Yuhao, I really wasnât ready at all. I was afraid that I wouldnât have a chance to prove to you that Iâm your Dongâer, and I was also afraid that you would reject me because Iâm no longer purely Dongâer. But I couldnât not try, because I didnât know if my future self would have a chance if I missed this chance. Iâm very happy, Iâm truly very, very happy. I will definitely work hard to merge all my memories together, with Dongâerâs memories guiding everything. But Iâve realized that besides my childhood memories from which you are absent, all my memories are filled with you.â
Huo Yuhao chuckled and said, âThatâs good enough!â
Tang Wutongâs elegant body suddenly tensed as she turned to look at him.
âWhatâs wrong?â Huo Yuhao was sensitive, and immediately felt that change.
Tang Wutong frowned slightly and said, âYuhao, Iâm afraid there will be trouble in the future because we are together. Iâm afraid youâll have to gain my fatherâs approval first.â
Huo Yuhao laughed and said, âI think Iâm considered outstanding among the younger generation. How can my father-in-law not approve of me?â
Tang Wutong shook her head gently and continued, âItâs not that simple. Iâm my fatherâs only daughter, and my fatherâs love for me is definitely not beneath yours. Heâs said that anybody who wants to be his son-in-law has to accept and pass his strict assessment.â
Huo Yuhao replied without hesitation. âThatâs normal. A father-in-law testing his son-in-law is natural. I will accept everything, no matter how difficult the tests are. Furthermore, I believe that he wonât deliberately give me trouble if he knows how much I love you.â
âBut, my fatherâ¦â Tang Wutong stopped there, as the golden trident on her forehead suddenly flickered, and she swallowed the rest of her sentence. She blushed faintly, and her expression became a little strange.
Huo Yuhao didnât notice all that, and he just hugged her. His heart was full in this moment.
Tang Wutong also leaned into his arms as she slowly closed her eyes. It wasnât hard to imagine the conflict and struggle that she had suffered in her heart, and an unsettling feeling echoed in her heart from time to time. Yet now, finally, she had managed to find her man once more in the second Sea Godâs Fated Blind Date that they had participated in together.
She lifted her hand and gently touched the golden trident on her forehead. Tang Wutong couldnât help but pout a little, like she was trying to express cheeky displeasure to someone.