#385 - Is it or isn’t it?

"Want to take a walk together?" Xu Ming asked Zhu Cici.

Zhu Cici's expression froze for a moment, not expecting Xu Ming to extend an invitation to her.

After a moment of hesitation, Zhu Cici nodded: "Then, then let's take a walk together."

"Please."

Xu Ming extended his hand.

Zhu Cici stepped down the stairs in front of the door and followed beside Xu Ming.

Bright moonlight sprinkled over the Dragon Palace, and looking up, one could indeed see a full moon in the sky.

The two walked on the road around the Dragon Palace, without any destination, just wandering around aimlessly.

But in Zhu Cici's heart, her heartbeat couldn't help but quicken, and she couldn't help but steal glances at Xu Ming from time to time.

"Why is it that the deep sea is the same as day and night, with the sun during the day and the moon at night?" Xu Ming asked curiously, casually finding a topic to avoid the awkward atmosphere between them.

"Could it be that the sun and moon in the underwater Dragon Palace are created by themselves?"

"That's not the case.

The sun and moon we see now are actually all illusions, merely reflecting those in the sky," Zhu Cici explained.

"Moreover, not all deep seas are the same, but only in the underwater cities will there be this clear distinction between day and night.

Legend has it that the Dragon Queen, ten thousand years ago, wanted her beloved to live in the seabed as if living on land, so she created such a magic array.

In the beginning, the cost of this magic array was very expensive, using countless natural treasures.

But this magic array is indeed very useful, and it greatly improved the sea tribe's work and rest schedule, so that the sea tribe would not be at a loss after going to land.

Therefore, after thousands of years of improvement, the cost of this magic array has been reduced, and it has been widely used.

Basically, in the seabed, whether it is the East Sea, the West Sea, or the South Sea, any underwater city will use such a magic array."

"I see, I'm enlightened," Xu Ming nodded.

"Speaking of which, that Dragon Queen is really generous... considering everything for her beloved."

Zhu Cici looked at Xu Ming's profile and slowly said: "That's how it is when you love someone, you won't calculate the cost."

Hearing Zhu Cici's words, Xu Ming turned his head to look at Zhu Cici, but Zhu Cici immediately looked away.

Xu Ming looked at Zhu Cici's delicate profile, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say.

Xu Ming felt that Zhu Cici's words just now didn't seem to be just about the Dragon Queen.

Xu Ming continued to walk forward, and Zhu Cici walked side by side with Xu Ming.

The two didn't speak, and silence returned once again.

Zhu Cici looked at Xu Ming beside her, and only then did she realize that the little boy from before was already so tall.

When Zhu Cici first met Xu Ming before, she was amazed that the little boy had grown so big, but it was even more real when the two stood together.

"I heard a story before," Xu Ming slowly said.

Zhu Cici raised her head to look at Xu Ming: "What story?"

Xu Ming continued: "The story goes like this: Once upon a time, there was a little girl who lived a very hard life.

Once, her mother took her to the street, and the little girl took a fancy to a hairpin.

But this hairpin was quite expensive, and the little girl's mother didn't buy it for her.

Then the little girl kept thinking about it, always wanting this hairpin.

After the little girl grew up and had some money, the grown-up little girl happily went to buy the exact same hairpin as before.

But in the end, after the little girl got the hairpin from her childhood, she found that the hairpin she had been thinking about was just like that.

After that, the hairpin was always placed in the drawer by the girl, and she hadn't taken it out for a long, long time."

Listening to Xu Ming finishing the story, Zhu Cici lowered her head.

Zhu Cici didn't know whether this story was something Xu Ming had heard or made up, but none of that mattered.

Zhu Cici was a very smart girl, not to mention that Xu Ming's words were so simple, Zhu Cici naturally knew what Xu Ming meant.

"I don't think so," Zhu Cici said, clenching her small hand.

"Hmm?" Xu Ming looked at Zhu Cici.

In the girl's eyes, there was persistence.

Zhu Cici: "The reason why the little girl didn't wear the hairpin may not be because she didn't cherish it, but maybe just because it was too precious, so she wanted to store it well.

Perhaps, unbeknownst to others, the grown-up little girl would take out the hairpin to look at it carefully.

And after that, no matter how many precious jewelry the girl owns, this hairpin will always be the most important in the girl's heart."

Xu Ming: "."

"Miss Cici..." Xu Ming sighed, "Even so, people and objects are different.

An object stays the same no matter how long it is placed, but people change."

"Then, Young Master Xu, have you changed?" Zhu Cici stopped.

Xu Ming also slowly turned around, looking directly into Zhu Cici's eyes.

"I should have changed," Xu Ming thought for a moment and said, "I am very happy that Miss Cici still remembers me.

It is my honor that Miss Cici can remember me, but perhaps Miss Cici's affection for me is only because of the little boy from before, because of the beautiful childhood, and not because of me now."

Xu Ming didn't plan to beat around the bush anymore.

Many things should be made clear, and continuing to beat around the bush would only make things more and more troublesome: "When Miss Cici sees me again, she is only projecting the me from before onto the me now.

In fact, the more Miss Cici gets in contact with me, the worse her impression of me will be, and the more disappointed she will be.

Perhaps one day, Miss Cici will think—so he has become such a person now, completely different from before."

Zhu Cici looked into Xu Ming's eyes, her tone with a hint of resentment: "So, this is the reason why Young Master Xu is keeping his distance from me?"

Xu Ming thought for a moment: "I guess so."

Zhu Cici tightly pursed her lips, clenching her small fists.

After three breaths, Zhu Cici took a step forward, walked in front of Xu Ming, and raised her head:

"Is it or is it not?

Is it that Young Master Xu doesn't want to hurt the beauty of my childhood, so he is keeping his distance from me?

Or is it that Young Master Xu already has someone else in his heart, and there is no room for Cici's position anymore."