PFC Chapter 161 Giving You Freedom
Chapter 161 Giving You Freedom
She couldn't help but recall her aunt's unforgettable love affair. Had her aunt ever felt as pained and helpless as she did now? Tears blurred her vision, and everything in her sight became distorted and unreal. She felt her body growing weaker and weaker, as if she might collapse to the ground at any moment.
At this moment, Fan Junyu was staring intently at the tearful woman before him—He Mingning. Seeing her pitiful appearance, his heart involuntarily trembled slightly, softening instantly. But only for a moment, and he regained his composure, silently warning himself not to be soft-hearted. So, he gritted his teeth and hardened his heart, deciding to give her a strong dose of medicine.
He took a deep breath, as if trying to inhale all the surrounding air into his lungs to calm the turbulent emotions within him. He tried his best to control his breathing rhythm, attempting to gradually calm his rapid heartbeat. After some effort, he finally managed to make his voice sound as gentle as possible, no longer carrying the undisguised aloofness and loss as before.
Then, he sighed softly, a sigh like a lonely leaf falling in late autumn, filled with endless helplessness and melancholy. He slowly opened his lips and said, word by word, "You are unwilling to marry me. Is it truly because your heart already belongs to someone you love? If that is indeed the case, then you can tell me the truth without reservation. Once you say those words, I will not hesitate to go to the palace myself to see the Emperor and plead with him to allow us to dissolve this engagement. In this way, it will be a beautiful union for you and your beloved." He paused slightly, his gaze fixed on the woman before him with a firm yet tender look, and continued, "Rest assured, I will absolutely not pester or harass you relentlessly."
However, upon hearing these words, He Mingning's tears flowed uncontrollably from her eyes, and she cried even harder. Her shoulders trembled incessantly, and she was completely immersed in extreme sorrow and despair. In her heart, she silently thought, "It really is as the dream foretold; nothing can be changed. He still doesn't want me after all; he actually wants to break off the engagement..." But she didn't realize that Fan Junyu's words stemmed from a misunderstanding that she already had someone else in her heart, which was why he was unwilling to marry her.
Fan Junyu gazed at the girl before him, who was crying even more heartbrokenly. His heart felt as if it were being ripped apart by a thousand sharp blades, the pain unbearable. His eyes were fixed on her tear-streaked face, watching the crystal-clear tears roll down from her swollen eyes like pearls from a broken string, and his heart clenched in pain.
He slowly raised his right hand, the movement unusually heavy, as if it bore the weight of a thousand pounds. He so desperately wanted to gently wipe away her tears, to offer her warmth and comfort. But as his hand hovered halfway in the air, he suddenly recoiled as if he'd touched a high-voltage wire. For in that instant, a cruel reality flashed through his mind like lightning—her heart already belonged to someone else.
He opened his mouth slightly and murmured in a soft, melodious voice, as sweet as a nightingale's song, "Don't cry. If you truly don't want to marry me, I will not force you in the slightest. After I return home today, I will immediately go to my father to explain this matter and ask him not to rush to set a wedding date for us."
Standing to the side, He Mingning felt an indescribable surge of emotion upon hearing Fan Junyu's heartfelt words. It was as if Fan Junyu, who had once been so caring and gentle towards her, had returned to her side. In an instant, a flood of beautiful memories washed over her, gradually filling her mind.
She gazed silently at Fan Junyu's handsome yet slightly sorrowful face, his words echoing in her ears. After a long while, she managed to calm her agitated emotions before softly asking in an extremely weak voice, "So... are you really planning to break off our engagement?"
Fan Junyu gazed silently at He Mingning, whose eyes were brimming with tears. His gaze was gentle as water, seemingly capable of melting away all things in the world. He spoke slowly, his voice as soft as a spring breeze: "Then... do you want me to annul the engagement?"
Upon hearing this, He Mingning's tears flowed like a burst dam. She looked up at Fan Junyu with her red, tear-filled eyes, her lips trembling as she tried to say something, but her sobs rendered her speech incoherent. With great difficulty, she managed to stammer out a few words: "My...my thoughts...are they...important? Will...will you listen?"
Seeing He Mingning so heartbroken, Fan Junyu felt a sharp pain in his heart. He had always tried to control his feelings for He Mingning, afraid of causing her even the slightest trouble. But now, seeing her crying so miserably, the last line of defense in his heart finally crumbled completely.
At this moment, he no longer cared whether He Mingning already had someone else in her heart, nor did he consider whether doing so would damage her reputation. His only thought was to hold this woman who caused him so much heartache tightly in his arms and comfort her. So, without hesitation, he reached out his hands, his movements gentle yet firm.
He first raised his right hand, which, like the gentlest spring breeze, softly and tenderly pulled He Mingning into his warm embrace. Then, his left hand, like a supple willow branch, lightly rested on He Mingning's slender waist; while his right hand, like a gentle breeze caressing the surface of a lake, carefully patted her back, trying to offer her comfort and strength.
At the same time, Fan Junyu lowered his head, leaned close to He Mingning's ear, and whispered, "Important, extremely important. Whatever you desire, even if it's a star in the sky, I will find a way to pluck it down and give it to you."
He Mingning's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief, and he asked in a trembling voice, "Really...really?" as if he couldn't believe the answer he was hearing.
Fan Junyu, standing opposite, nodded slightly in affirmation, and then said softly, "Really."
Upon receiving confirmation, He Mingning grasped at Fan Junyu's clothes as if she had found a last lifeline. She frantically reached out and tightly clutched the fabric, her fingers turning white with nervousness and fear of loss. In an almost pleading tone, she cautiously said, "Then...then can...can you not...can you not call off the engagement?" Overwhelmed by excitement and panic, she stammered, her words broken and fragmented, fearing Fan Junyu might misunderstand or not understand what she was trying to say. Tears streamed down her face.
Seeing the petite and pitiful girl in front of him so anxious, Fan Junyu's heart softened. He gently patted He Mingning's shoulder and comforted her tenderly, "Don't worry, take your time, I'll wait patiently for you."
Under Fan Junyu's comforting words, He Mingning's initially turbulent emotions gradually calmed down, and her sobbing subsided. After a while, she finally regained some composure, slowly pulled away from Fan Junyu's warm embrace, raised her head, took a deep breath, and then softly said again in a voice that was slightly choked with tears but much clearer, "Then, can you please not call off the engagement?"
As He Mingning left his embrace, Fan Junyu felt a sudden emptiness in his arms, a faint sense of loss welling up inside him. However, when he heard what He Mingning said, he was greatly surprised. After a moment of silence, he finally couldn't help but ask the question that had been lingering in his mind. He gazed at He Mingning's red and swollen eyes and asked earnestly, "If we don't break off the engagement, then one day we will inevitably get married. But don't you already have someone you love? What about him? Can he just stay here and wait for you forever?"
He Mingning's beautiful eyes were filled with glistening tears, which streamed down her fair and delicate cheeks like broken beads. She sobbed, her voice choked and trembling, her face filled with deep confusion and grievance. She stared intently at Fan Junyu before her, and said coquettishly, "What person do you mean by 'like'?!"
Upon hearing this, Fan Junyu frowned slightly, a look of suspicion on his face. He then asked without hesitation, "Isn't it true that you don't want to marry me because you have someone you like?" With that, he stared intently at the pitiful, tear-streaked girl in front of him.
He Mingning's already large, watery eyes were now red and swollen from crying, like two ripe cherries, bright and juicy. She shook her head desperately, as if trying to shake off all the misunderstandings, repeatedly denying, "No, I don't like anyone else, really, really not! You have to believe me, okay..." Perhaps because she was too anxious, or perhaps because she wanted to let the other person feel her sincerity, He Mingning subconsciously reached out and tightly hugged Fan Junyu's arm, her whole body involuntarily moving closer to him.
Fan Junyu was startled by He Mingning's sudden action, and he froze for a moment. He never expected that the usually shy and reserved He Mingning would make such an intimate gesture towards him. However, after only a moment of hesitation, Fan Junyu reacted, and a gentle, doting smile appeared on his lips. Then, he opened his arms and pulled the petite girl in front of him tightly into his embrace. He gently stroked He Mingning's soft hair with one hand and patted her back lightly with the other, while softly comforting her in an incredibly gentle and magnetic voice, "Okay, silly girl, don't cry, I believe you."
Fan Junyu stared intently at the delicate girl in his arms, his brows furrowed, the doubts in his heart growing heavier like layers of fog. He simply couldn't understand why He Mingning, if she wasn't in love with any other man, would show such strong resistance to marrying him.
As his thoughts raced, Fan Junyu gently helped the girl in his arms sit up, letting her sit upright in front of him. His gaze was incredibly sincere and serious as he slowly asked, "Then, Ningning, can you honestly tell me, since you have no one in your heart and have never fallen for anyone else, why are you so resistant to marrying me and having a happy marriage?"
However, faced with Fan Junyu's questioning, He Mingning's lips trembled slightly, as if a thousand words were welling up in her heart, yet she felt as if she had a fishbone stuck in her throat. After hesitating for a long time, she finally chose to remain silent, simply lowering her head quietly, her hands nervously twisting the hem of her clothes, as if she wanted to bury all her secrets deep in her heart.
Upon seeing this scene, Fan Junyu instantly understood that there must be some hidden reasons behind this. He took a deep breath and tried his best to adjust his tone, making it sound gentle and doting, and coaxed softly, "Well, my dear Ningning, can you tell me everything that's on your mind? I sincerely want to know the whole story, so Ningning, please don't hide anything from me anymore, okay?" After saying this, Fan Junyu even deliberately put on a pitiful and aggrieved look, and his deep eyes, like unfathomable pools, were now gazing expectantly at the charming and lovely woman before him.
He Mingning gazed quietly at Fan Junyu, who looked so aggrieved, and a pang of pain welled up in her heart. After a moment's thought, she finally nodded gently in agreement and slowly began to speak, "I... actually, I'm not against marrying you, it's just that I..." However, He Mingning suddenly stopped abruptly, as if something had choked her throat, and she couldn't continue.
Upon seeing this situation, Fan Junyu was secretly delighted, knowing this was a golden opportunity that he couldn't let slip away. He reacted quickly, seizing the fleeting moment, and continued to coax her with an incredibly gentle and patient tone: "Ningning, stop beating around the bush. What is it? Were all those things you told me earlier, like how you don't like other people, just to make me happy? Or is there something else going on?"