After He Sinian listened to Madame Moonâs emotionless declaration, he remained silent for a long time.
All the pieces started to fall into place; the misgivings that had bogged him for years had finally led to an answer.
âThe person who saved me at the alley back thenâ¦.was also you.â
He clasped Chu Jiao and looked at her in the eye.
Chu Jiao blinked. Seeing that she couldnât evade his gaze, she could only timidly nod her head.
âAt that time, I didnât have enough spiritual power, soâ¦. I was the reason why you got heavily beaten up by those thugsâ¦.â
Chu Jiao placed the blame on He Sinianâs injuries from back then, all to herself, having completely forgotten that at that time, she was also just a tiny little being.
âYouâ¦..youâ¦..â
He Sinian rested his head against Chu Jiaoâs, feeling his throat close up slightly. The tremor in his heart rendered him speechless. In response, he could only kiss his little cat and thank her for doing so many things for him which he was unaware of.
âMeow~â Chu Jiao stuck her tongue out and licked the tip of the manâs nose. She didnât feel the need to specially explain the things she had done for him. Even if He Sinian wasnât the male lead, he had picked her up, taken care of her, and accompanied her through her childhood. These feelings were worth her doing these actions.
The feelings between people have always been a two-way street.
Mutual Trust. Mutual Tolerance. Mutual Concern. And, Mutual Redemption.
Ah Nian. I saved you once but how many times have you saved me?
The warm and affectionate atmosphere between man and cat had not lasted long for Madame Moon had interrupted them.
âThe feelings between humans and demons never last long.â
It felt as though the sentence she spoke were for the two people in front of her. Yet at the same time, it also felt as if she were speaking to herself.
Once again, He Sinian took Chu Jiao into his arms as he fearlessly looked straight at the woman in black. âWhat lasts long was never about the relationships between human to human nor demon to demon.â
âItâs these feelings.â
âI love Chu Jiao, regardless of whether or not sheâs a human or a demon.â
âIn my eyes, Chu Jiao will always be Chu Jiao. I love her no matter what she looks like, along with her little temper and her little clawsâ¦..Everything about her makes my heart beat wildly.
âWhen I was younger, I firmly believed that she was the redemption the world had given me because she was able to pull me out of the dark abyss.â
âShe is the one and only person who belongs to me.â
âIâve already lost her once. So this time, Iâm going to hold onto her tightly to make sure nobody can keep us apart again.â
âThatâ¦.would also include you.â
The original traces of contempt on Madame Moonâs face had already vanished and were replaced with a complex and disbelieving look. She asked, âIf she hadnât come to find youâ¦.or say, even if you both got together nowâ¦.ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âDonât you also want to get married and have kids? When all is said and doneâ¦thereâs no way for demons and humans to have offsprings togetherâ¦â
He Sinian chuckled, shaking his head, âAs long as I have Jiao Jiao, itâs already enough.â
âSons or whatever, I donât mind not having any.â
âHa! Humans. You always say one thing but your actions say another.â Madame Moon bitterly recalled the time when somebody had told her the same thing. Look at what had resulted from it?
She continued to press harder.
âEven if sheâs a demon? Even if she will live decades longer than you would?â
âHave you ever thought about what it would be like when you slowly grow old yet she remains young?â
âWould your feelings continue to be the same as before?â
In the eyes of the cat demon clan, the lifespan of a human was indeed extremely brief. It was so insignificant that it could pass in a blink of an eye. So short, yet after nearly a century had passed, it was still impossible for the Madame Moon herself to forget the feelings she once had.
He Sinian had yet to respond when Chu Jiao seized the opportunity to speak out first.
âAh Nian will still look cute even when heâs old!â
âAndâ¦And I can also grow old together with him!â
Donât you worry about getting older because youâll still look cute even when youâre old.
He Sinian smiled, rubbing Chu Jiaoâs little head affectionately. Then, he gathered his thoughts and continued to answer Madame Moonâs questions.
âThe older we age, the more forgetful we become, but one thing will endure, and that is our yearning for each other.â
âIn the last few years of his life, my grandfather couldnât recognize anyone. Yet, his mouth continuously called out for the name of the only person whom he couldnât forget, my grandmotherâs.â
âGenuine feelings wouldnât dissipate over time; it would only be more deeply carved in our heart and more deeply etched in our memories.â
âWhen my mother gave birth to me, grandfather gave me the name âHe Sinian.â Sinian stands for yearning my grandmother(1), Nian Yue.
æ¯å¹´(Sinian) is the original characters for He Sinianâs name. æå¹´(Sinian): Short for æå¿µå¹´æ (Sinian Nian Yue), which means to yearn for Nian Yue.
âCome to think of itâ¦..itâs a coincidence that my grandmother also shared a âMoonâ (æ) character in her name.â
Madame Moonâs body stiffened.
She became disturbed. âYourâ¦..last name is He? He Sinian?â
Chu Jiao often harped the name âAh Nianâ in her ears but she didnât know his complete name. Even if she knew, she didnât care for it at that time.
âNo wonderâ¦..no wonder you look so similarâ¦..â
Madame Moon suddenly started laughing in mockery. âYou said your grandma was called âNian Yueâ? Hehe, what a coincidence. Iâm also called âNian Yue.ââ
He Sinian finally knew the reason why he felt that Madame Moon seemed so familiar.
He stood up and retrieved something from the bedroom.
âThis is a remnant that my grandfather had left.â He Sinian spread out his hand, revealing a bronze-colored pocket watch. âInsideâ¦.is a picture of my grandmother.â
Pressing the button on the side, the cover opened up to reveal two faded pictures. Although it was in black and white and looked extremely blurry, one could still see the manâs photograph who shared an extremely similar silhouette to He Sinian, while the girl âs appearance looked to be the same as the girl in front of him if the unique hairstyle of that era were to be covered.
Nian Yue glanced at the photo and scrunched her brows. âIâve never given birth to a child, and I donât have a nephew as old as you.â
âMy grandfather didnât have a son. My father was given to my grandfather by his younger brother to adopt.â He Sinian closed the pocket watch. âSo if we were to speak in terms of bloodline, I should be referring to my grandfather as âGreat Uncle.'â
At this, Nian Yueâs calm facade had finally crumbled. âH-He didnât have any sons!?â
âDi-didnât he have a childhood sweetheart as a fiancee!?â
Nian Yue could never forget the day she escaped the clan while fighting her sorrows. And when she had finally found that person, she saw him holding a child and standing next to a beautiful girl, painting an intimate and cheerful picture.
The affection he promised her, and the future he promised her, had collapsed at that very moment.
Nian Yue fled in defeat, putting up walls around her heart from that moment forward.
âAt that time, my grandfather had gone to war and hadnât returned for many years. His fiancee already had another in her heart.â He Sinian saw Nian Yue quietly losing control and gradually came to an assumption in his heart. âWhen he came back, he annulled the engagement.â
âHe told them that he already had someone else he liked, but he had carelessly lost her. He didnât know where grandmother went but he had always been waiting for her.â
âJust like thatâ¦he waited and waitedâ¦.he waited until his head of hair turned white, and his memories deteriorated, but sadly, he couldnât wait any longer.â
He Sinian placed the pocket watch into the teary-eyed Nian Yueâs hand.
âHe never married in his lifetime, but he had always told us to call the person in the picture âgrandmotherâ.â
âHe had always been waiting for you.â