12dz Chapter 268 Rest Time
Chapter 268 Rest Time
The scorching sun shone on the azure sea, casting a shimmering shadow. Yun Qian lounging on a Maldivian beach chair, dressed in a light white swimsuit, sunglasses casually draped over her nose. She closed her eyes, the sun filtering through the gaps in her parasol onto her face, a warmth that seeped into her skin without burning.
The gentle lapping of waves filled her ears, and the occasional breeze carried the sweet scent of coconut. Yun Qian's lips curled slightly, holding a glass of iced juice in her hand. Before she had taken a few sips, her fingertips could already feel the coolness of the glass.
She lay quietly, fragments of the past worlds emerging in her mind - the battlefield filled with smoke, the swordplay in the palace, the pair of eyes with a hint of stubbornness and tenderness in the middle of the night... She had been cautious in every world, tasted the ups and downs, felt the ecstasy of victory, and also felt the pain of loss.
"I'm really... too busy." Yun Qian sighed inwardly. A self-deprecating smile appeared on her lips, as if she remembered the time when she had tried her best in a certain world but still almost lost her life. "As expected, it's necessary to relax occasionally."
She turned over, resting her arm on her forehead, letting the sun kiss her skin. At this moment, she was no longer the meticulous queen who galloped through the battlefield, nor was she the victor in the intertwined power struggles, but just an ordinary person relaxing on vacation.
Yet, those memories never completely faded. Her thoughts drifted back to Lin Zhao's growth, to Qi Jueyu's gaze, and even to the people she had loved and hated in those times. Those past scenes, some clear, some blurry, all left a deep impression on her heart.
A gust of sea breeze blew, carrying fine sand across her calves. Yun Qian raised her hand, gently shielding her forehead, and gazed through her sunglasses at the distant line where the sea and sky met. At this moment, she had no responsibilities and no need to worry about anyone.
"The Maldives is such a perfect place to unwind," she murmured softly. No matter how many memories and waves there were, they were all smoothed out again and again by the calm waves here.
However, after lying there for a while, she suddenly opened her eyes and raised the corners of her mouth slightly with a meaningful arc: "Enough of relaxing. You may have to engage in a new 'battle' someday."
"It's human nature to seek profit and avoid harm, and it's human nature to enjoy tenderness." Yun Qian curled her lips in self-mockery. She narrowed her eyes, looking at the system, which was frantically spinning around because it couldn't jump onto the table. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly, obscuring the glimmer in her eyes. She knew clearly that she was simply tired from playing and wanted to take a break.
Just like a person will always feel a little tired of the things he loves most: playing games for too long will become boring, reading books for too long will become tiring, even she, a master who can turn the tide, scheme, and mix love and hate in various small worlds, will always stop at some point.
"But...what if I stop?" She narrowed her eyes carelessly, gazing at the distant spot where the sea and sky met. Under the azure sky, seabirds skimmed leisurely across the water, the entire world serene and detached. But Yun Qian knew that this tranquility would ultimately be fleeting for her.
She sighed softly, her fingertips sliding over the armrest of the recliner. The touch was cold and hard, a stark contrast to the passionate years in those little worlds. Her life was like a never-ending journey, and each little world was a scenery along the way. Yun Qian knew that when these days of idleness lasted long enough, she would eventually miss those turbulent times.
The struggles for power, the battles for fate, even the entanglements of love and hate—no matter how exhausted she felt, she couldn't bear to truly leave. "After all, that's what makes me feel alive." A smile curled up her lips, as if she was talking to herself, but also as if she was declaring to someone.
Yun Qian stretched out, letting the sun bathe her, her skin warming slightly. She savored the momentary warmth, but deep down, she already knew the answer: she was merely pausing briefly to catch her breath. Once she'd rested, she'd rise again and plunge into the thrilling adventure once more.
"Why... I always feel that there are some hard-to-ignore qualities in that person? It's like they will accompany us throughout our lives..." She murmured softly, raising her hands to cover her eyes, as if blocking out the images that kept flooding into her mind - every little detail in the small world, those people, those things, those waves that could never be completely dispelled by the sun.
Having memories is bliss. Those people and events from the past are scattered like pearls in the lake of her heart, each one gleaming with its own unique light. But memory is also a shackle, unable to truly let go or truly forget. Yun Qian closed her eyes, her fingers unconsciously fiddling with the straw of the coconut milk cup beside her, as if fiddling with a tangled thread of thoughts.
Sometimes, she would ask herself in a trance: "Are those fetters a bondage or a sweet punishment?" Every farewell, every separation, seems to be a tiny death, and these fragmented feelings can be pieced together into an incomparably vivid vitality in memories.
She thought of that person—the figure that always appeared around her in those worlds.
"System, tell me, will the Son of Fortune ever be in dire straits? I was just wondering, if I were to encounter him when he's down and out, wouldn't it be easier to capture him?"
But whether he was an emperor, a general, a poor and helpless man, or a sinister and scheming strategist, he always managed to intrude into her life in an unignorable manner, occupying her gaze and even affecting her emotions. His persistence, tenderness, or deep-seated pain were all burned into her memory like a raging fire.
"Hehe, maybe we'll meet in the next world."
The system thought for a moment, but when it was about to answer, it found that Yun Qian's attention had shifted to other things.
"What about this world?" Yun Qian murmured softly, her voice barely audible, carried away by the sea breeze. "Will he... show up too?"
At that moment, her eyes were as soft as a lake melting in spring, yet concealed within them a subtle pain. If he were to appear, what would he look like? Would he still carry with him those layers of memories, or would he become a complete stranger? Or perhaps, would there be no 'him' at all?
This thought, like a gentle spring rain, spawned more branches and vines. She wasn't sure what she was looking forward to, whether she longed for a reunion or dreaded it. After all, the beauty of memory was its irreplaceable nature; and once reality and memory overlapped, it would only seem too heavy.