The Rest of My Life Is You: Leaving Without Goodbye

After Di Tian left, the mountain-and-sea-like pressure dissipated, but the heaviness hanging over the room did not lessen in the slightest.

The sunlight was bright, streaming through the window lattice onto the floor, warm and radiant, yet none of the three people in the room spoke.

Gu Yue curled up in Tang Wulin's arms. Her whole body was small and soft, yet she could not stop trembling faintly.

Her face was still pale, and her once-lively eyes had gone dim, like the remnants of a butterfly ravaged by wind and rain.

The faint pain in her divine soul from breaking the contract still tormented her every moment, but compared to the pain in her body, the struggle and anguish in her heart were what truly made her feel as though she were suffocating.

She was the Silver Dragon King.

She was the last hope of the soul beasts, who had slept since ancient times—the sole faith of countless kin on the verge of extinction.

For millions of years, the only meaning of her existence had been to wait until she became whole again, lead her people to reclaim a place to live, and revive the once-glorious era of soul beasts.

She should have been cold and ruthless. She should have completed the fusion at all costs and embarked upon the path of destiny that belonged to her.

But she had met Tang Wulin.

And in that wager where souls were the stakes, she had lost her heart but won love. In the end, for his sake, she had personally severed the fusion, defied fate, and endured all the backlash.

She had won him, yet it seemed she had betrayed the entire world.

Di Tian's words echoed in her mind again and again, sharp, heavy, and utterly merciless.

"Why did you violate the soul contract?"

"Why did you abandon your return to wholeness?"

"You cannot remain immersed in romantic love forever."

"Countless members of our kin are waiting for you."

Every word was like a heavy hammer smashing viciously into her heart.

She truly was far too selfish.

For a love that should never have existed, for the sake of preserving a stolen warmth, she had left all the people waiting for her to continue struggling in darkness and despair.

She was unworthy of being the Silver Dragon King, and even less worthy of being loved and protected so desperately by Tang Wulin.

She would only hold him back.

She would only bring him endless trouble and danger.

She would only make him stand against the entire soul beast race because of her.

"Wulin..."

Gu Yue suddenly spoke softly. Her voice was as faint as smoke that could be scattered by the wind at any moment, filled with panic and unease suppressed to the extreme. "Am I... useless?"

Tang Wulin's heart clenched fiercely. He tightened his arms around her, pulling her closer, then lowered his head and pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her hair.

"Don't talk nonsense. You're the bravest, and also the silliest, girl."

"But I'm the Silver Dragon King..." Her eyes reddened, and tears suddenly poured out without warning. "There are things I have to do, responsibilities I have to bear... I can't keep hiding behind you."

"I never told you to hide." Tang Wulin cupped her face and gently wiped away her tears with his thumb. His gaze was so earnest that it hurt to look at. "I'm telling you to rely on me. You can bear your responsibilities, and I'll stand by you."

"But I'll drag you into this..."

"I'm not afraid."

Tang Wulin interrupted her, his tone unwavering.

"From the moment I chose you at Sea God's Fate, I was prepared to face everything with you.

Your destiny—I'll defy heaven with you.

Your people—I'll help you protect them.

What you want to do, I'll support.

What you don't want to do, I'll shield you from."

"I only want you. Don't leave me."

Gu Yue looked at the undisguised affection and determination in his eyes. Her heart ached and swelled, and her tears flowed even harder.

How she wanted to believe him like this, to remain in his embrace like this, to think of nothing and care about nothing.

But she could not do it.

She was Gu Yue, and she was also the Silver Dragon King.

She could not escape, nor could she hide.

That entire day, Gu Yue was unusually quiet.

She barely spoke and barely smiled. She simply stayed quietly beside Tang Wulin, letting him hold her and let the life energy he poured into her ease her pain.

Na'er also stayed quietly at the side. From time to time, she reached out her little hand to hold Gu Yue's fingertips, comforting her in her own way.

Yet the warmer and more peaceful their companionship was, the stronger Gu Yue's guilt became.

Night fell, and darkness swallowed the entire world.

Tang Wulin held her as they lay on the bed. Afraid that she would overthink things, he did not dare sleep deeply all night. His arm remained tightly around her waist, his warm breath brushing over her hair.

Na'er curled up on the inner side of the bed, sleeping peacefully.

Only the steady breathing of the three of them remained in the room. But Gu Yue was completely unable to sleep.

Her eyes were open as she stared into the darkness beyond the window. It felt as though an invisible hand had seized her heart, squeezing so hard that she could barely breathe.

The three-day deadline was drawing closer. Di Tian would definitely come again.

What would she do then?

If she stayed by Tang Wulin's side, she would betray her people.

If she returned to the soul beasts, she would betray him.

No matter which side she chose, someone would be hurt.

And she no longer wanted anyone to suffer because of her. A mad yet incomparably resolute thought quietly took shape in her heart.

—She would leave.

She would leave on her own, without saying goodbye.

She would return to where she belonged, bear her destiny, and accept her punishment.

That way, Tang Wulin would not be implicated, Na'er could live peacefully, and the soul beast race could wait for its king.

She would bear all the pain alone.

She would suffer all the sins alone.

The moment she made up her mind, Gu Yue's tears silently slid down her face, soaking the pillowcase.

She truly could not bear to leave.

She could not bear to leave this warm embrace, this boy who would cry for her, go mad for her, and defy heaven for her. She could not bear to leave this place she had finally gained—a place called home.

But she had no other choice.

Gu Yue held her breath, her body so stiff that she did not dare make the slightest unnecessary movement. Bit by bit, she carefully slipped out of Tang Wulin's embrace.

The boy held her tightly, as if even in his dreams he feared she would disappear. Every inch she pulled away felt as though a piece of her heart were being torn off alive.

Tears rolled down silently. She bit her lip tightly, refusing to make even the faintest sound.

Finally, she succeeded.

Her bare feet touched the cold floor, and a bone-piercing chill shot from the soles of her feet to the top of her head. It made her shudder, but it also cleared her mind.

Barefoot, she took light steps backward, her gaze fixed stubbornly on the familiar figure on the bed. She could not bear to look away even for a moment.

Goodbye, Wulin.

I'm sorry. I love you.

If there is another life, I only want to be an ordinary girl. I don't want to bear a destiny spanning millions of years, nor do I want to be the ruler of soul beasts. I only want to be your Gu Yue.

She took one last long look at him, turned around, and raised her hand, intending to push open the door that separated warmth from destiny.

Just as her fingertips were about to touch the wooden door—

A scorching, powerful hand, carrying an irresistible force, suddenly seized her wrist.

Gu Yue stiffened from head to toe as though struck by lightning. She froze in place, and even her breathing stopped in that instant.

Behind her came the boy's low, hoarse voice, filled with heartache and panic suppressed to the extreme.

It was not a question. It was a statement, a certainty that he had already seen through everything.

"Where are you going?"

Gu Yue faced away from him, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably. Tears instantly blurred her vision.

He was awake.

He had been awake all along.

From the first moment she tried to break free from his embrace, he had been awake.

"I..." The moment she spoke, her voice completely broke, choked with sobs beyond recognition. "I can't keep dragging you down... Di Tian is right. I'm the Silver Dragon King. I have to go back..."

"I can't put you in danger because of me. I can't make Na'er uneasy, and I especially can't let my people..."

"Shut up."

Tang Wulin cut her off sharply.

He rose from the bed and strode behind her. Before she could react, he fiercely pulled her into his arms from behind, his arms locking tightly around her slender waist. He held her with such force that it seemed he wanted to knead her into his flesh and blood, never to be separated again.

"I won't allow you to say the words 'dragging me down.' Not even once."

"You are mine. Inside and out, from your divine soul to your life, you are mine."

"Your destiny, your responsibilities, your people, the pain of millions of years that you bear—I will bear all of it with you."

"You want to leave without a word and carry all the sins and pain by yourself?

Gu Yue, what do you take me, Tang Wulin, for?

A useless man who can only love you in peace, but cannot protect you through storms?"

He buried his face deeply in the hollow of her neck. Scorching tears fell onto her skin, burning her so fiercely that her entire body trembled.

The boy who had always been incomparably strong before everyone else, the Golden Dragon King's inheritor who stood tall against heaven and earth, was now crying before her like a helpless child.

"You defied fate for me. You endured the agonizing pain of your divine soul tearing apart for me. You gave up the wholeness you had waited millions of years for, for me...

And now you want to leave me without saying a word?

I'm telling you, that's impossible."

"If you dare take one step away, I'll chase you to the ends of the earth.

If you dare abandon me, I'll face the hostility of the entire world with you."

"So what if you're the Silver Dragon King?

Before that, you are my Gu Yue.

You are the only person Tang Wulin wants to marry in this life, the only person I want to protect, the only person I will never let go of."

"So don't even think about running.

I won't let you go.

Not in this life, not in the next, not for lifetime after lifetime."

Gu Yue could not hold on any longer.

All her strength, all her pretense, all her restraint and struggle completely collapsed in that moment.

She suddenly turned around, wrapped her arms tightly around Tang Wulin's waist, buried her face deeply in his chest, and burst into tears.

Her sobs were stifled and broken, heart-wrenching, yet also filled with the relief and grievance of surviving a calamity.

"I'm scared... I'm so scared..."

"I'm scared I'll hurt you. I'm scared I'm not worthy of you. I'm scared that in the end, none of us will have a good ending..."

"I'm scared I can't give you a future. I'm scared I'll only bring you disaster..."

"That won't happen."

Tang Wulin lowered his head and kissed the tears from her face again and again. He kissed the corners of her eyes, her nose, and her trembling lips, with a tenderness that was almost reverent.

"As long as I'm here, that day will never come."

"I won't let anything happen to you. I won't let you be alone. I won't let us be separated."

"We'll bear it together. Whether it's three days, three years, or a lifetime."

Just then, soft footsteps sounded beside the bed.

Na'er had woken up.

The little girl rubbed her sleepy eyes. Her eye sockets were red, clearly because their crying had awakened her.

She was neither afraid nor confused. She simply walked over quietly, stretched out her little arms, and hugged both of their legs.

Na'er lifted her little face. Her voice was soft, yet exceptionally firm. "Sister Gu Yue, Brother, don't separate." "We're family." "No matter what difficulties we face, we have to face them together and never separate."

Moonlight streamed through the window, gently falling over the three figures embracing one another.

The despair and urge to flee that had nearly swallowed them moments ago transformed completely into warmth and resolve as they held tightly to one another.

No matter how great the pressure from the outside world was, no matter how heavy the shackles of destiny were, so what?

The three of them were together. There would be no night they could not cross, no storm they could not withstand.

Gu Yue leaned against Tang Wulin's scorching embrace, listening to his steady, powerful heartbeat and feeling Na'er's small, warm hug. Her shattered, trembling heart finally began to settle little by little.

She no longer needed to run.

She no longer needed to bear everything alone.

She no longer needed to make herself choose between love and destiny until she was shattered to pieces.

Because behind her, there was him. There was them.

Let the torment end here. From this day onward, they would weather every storm together and remain sweetly together for life.