The White Moonlight Disdained by the Male Protagonist of Redemption - Chapter 19.4

“Brother Zhuo, help!!”

Jie Zhongyi smacked the back of his head:
“Why are you screaming like that? Can’t you use less force? You broke my door!”

Ning Yuzhu was so heartbroken that he didn’t even care about the slap. He ran to Feng Jingzhuo, covered in mud, his hair messy like a stray dog. He sat on the ground beside Feng Jingzhuo, grabbed his sleeve, and started crying and rolling around:

“Brother Zhuo! Ning Yao wants to kill me! I’ve been wronged!!”

“You deserve to get hit, you little jerk!”

Ning Yuzhu hadn’t even finished crying when Ning Yao stormed in, looking furious. She was holding a broken wooden stick in her hand.

“You had the guts to mess with me, but no guts to take a beating?!”

Ning Yuzhu already looked like he had suffered a lot. He quickly hid behind Feng Jingzhuo.
“What did I even do?! Why did you hit me so hard? What gave you the right?!”

Ning Yao said,
“Because I’m your sister! I’m the mountain leader! Today I’m going to beat you until you show your true form and I’ll turn you into a bracelet!”

“Brother Zhuo, help!!”

That stick was no joke—it was real. Feng Jingzhuo had no choice but to grab it.

“Yao Yao, if you hit him like this, you’ll seriously hurt him.”

Ning Yao tried to pull the stick back, but either she didn’t use enough strength or Feng Jingzhuo held it too tightly—it didn’t move.

She gave up and threw the stick aside.

“I’m telling you—Ning Yuzhu made me mad. If you’re going to protect him, then both of you can pack your things and get out of this house!”

Feng Jingzhuo suddenly smiled.

Before, he used to be afraid of Ning Yao kicking him off the mountain. He worried about every little mistake he might make.

But now, when he really heard her say that, he wasn’t scared at all. Instead, he found it funny. If she needed a way out, she could step on him and walk down—if it made her feel better, it was worth it.

He said,
“Yao Yao, I was wrong.”

Ning Yao crossed her arms.
“Wrong about what?”

Feng Jingzhuo said,
“I shouldn’t have protected Yuzhu. He must’ve made a huge mistake and made you angry. He should be punished. Right?”

That last question wasn’t for Ning Yao—it was directed at Ning Yuzhu hiding behind him.

Ning Yuzhu’s mouth dropped open wide enough to fit an egg.

Since he wasn’t saying anything, Feng Jingzhuo bent down, picked up the stick Ning Yao threw, grabbed Ning Yuzhu, and said to her:

“How about this—to make up for my mistake, I’ll help you beat him. That way your hands won’t get tired. Let’s go.”

He pushed Ning Yuzhu forward.

Ning Yuzhu looked nervous. He glanced at Feng Jingzhuo, then at the stick in his hand, back and forth.

Feng Jingzhuo smiled:
“What are you looking around for? Let’s go.”

Then he dragged Ning Yuzhu outside.

Ning Yao rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue, clearly not interested in watching them anymore. She turned around—and her eyes landed on Jie Zhongyi’s face.

Jie Zhongyi said,
“Are you two crazy or what? Look at the mess you made of my place! You two better clean this up—you two, not Jingzhuo! And my door—it’s broken! That door was made by my master, Ran Qing fixed it with his own hands! Can you even afford to replace it?!”

Ning Yao asked,
“Grand Master, are you crying?”

Jie Zhongyi replied,
“Crying? No, I’m not.”

Ning Yao walked closer and looked at him:
“I never noticed before—you’re like a rabbit, always crying. What did you and Jingzhuo talk about behind closed doors?”

Jie Zhongyi didn’t say anything.

Ning Yao stared at him for a moment. Then a thought came to her.

“Old Jie, I want to marry Jingzhuo tomorrow night. What do you think? I checked—tomorrow’s a lucky day for opening things.”

A lucky day for opening shops or starting work. She didn’t know if it was good for weddings too.

“I know you care about him. I don’t want to see him hurt either, especially not hurting himself,” Ning Yao let out a breath and smiled.
“So let’s do it tomorrow—end his suffering sooner.”

Jie Zhongyi opened his mouth.
“End his suffering…”

Ning Yao said,
“He cut into his chest to remove the scales. Isn’t that heartbreaking? How can I let him stay heartbroken?”

“Besides, things outside the mountain aren’t peaceful. Who knows when trouble will come. Anyway… we’ll say you picked the wedding date. If it’s you, no one will question it.”

Jie Zhongyi looked at Ning Yao. There was no sign of sadness in her eyes—none of the gloom that used to be in Ran Qing’s.

He gave her a faint smile, a little bitter, but still a smile:
“Alright, whatever our mountain leader says.”

Yes… it’s better to finish things early.

Yao Yao would get her wish. Jingzhuo wouldn’t have to be afraid anymore. He wouldn’t suffer anymore.

***

Ning Yuzhu came over in the evening. He walked slowly and nervously, like a shy bride.

When he arrived, Ning Yao was busy giving orders to Chu Xiao and Tu Manxing, helping her decorate the wedding hall. It wasn’t anything too fancy—just putting up two red candles in the main room, sticking the “double happiness” symbols all over the windows, hanging red fabric on the signboard, and tossing anything red-looking into the room.

Simple work, but the two helpers were messing around and joking the whole time, so it took forever.

Ning Yao didn’t mind. She was never strict with rules. She dragged a chair outside and sat down, lazily enjoying the sunset.

When she saw Ning Yuzhu’s figure, she lazily lifted her eyelids and said in a sarcastic tone,
“Well, look who it is. What a rare guest.”

Ning Yuzhu was used to her sarcasm by now. He kept his proud, cold look as he walked over, sat right next to her, and took up half her seat.

Ning Yao, now squeezed, said slowly,
“Are you sad that I didn’t beat the crap out of you earlier today?”

Ning Yuzhu didn’t lose his temper this time. He mumbled for a bit, then suddenly said,
“…Sorry.”

Ning Yao immediately sat up straight.
“Did someone possess you?”

Ning Yuzhu gave her a weird little smile, like he was cursing her without words.
“Come on, now. I haven’t said a single mean word to you today, and I even apologized.”

Well, that was true. If she kept holding on to it, she’d seem petty. As the mountain leader, she should have some class—no need to argue with someone acting like a drama queen.

Ning Yao asked,
“What did Jingzhuo say to you? What’s he doing now?”

Ning Yuzhu only answered the second question:
“Fixing the Grandmaster’s door, of course.”

“Oh.”

Ning Yao nodded and didn’t press.
She already had a guess in her heart. Jingzhuo must’ve told Ning Yuzhu something—otherwise, with that kid’s attitude, how could he possibly lower his head and apologize?

Ning Yao sighed.
“You really listen to Jingzhuo, huh?”

Ning Yuzhu said,
“Brother Zhuo’s solid. No flaws.”

Then he paused and added,
“You two met too late. Actually, we all met too late.”

Ning Yao turned her head and looked at him for a while. Then she raised her hand and lightly slapped the back of his head.
“Look at you, suddenly speaking like a poet. ‘Met too late,’ huh. Four-character idiom and everything. Impressive.”

Ning Yuzhu brushed her hand away.
“I’ve read way more books than you ever did.”

Ning Yao grinned and stood up, giving the whole chair to Ning Yuzhu.
“Okay, okay. You’re the educated one. I’m the dummy. But I still don’t agree with that ‘met too late’ thing.”

As she walked off, she waved lazily, sunlight pouring gold all over her figure.

“I think if we meet, then it’s not too early, not too late—just right. Otherwise, how would we end up crossing paths at all?”