Perfect Fiancé Chapter 59 (end)

Chapter 59: Until the end of time To hope to be each other's sunshine…. Until the end of time~

On a dark blue large bed, a man and a woman's figures were intertwined together.

With a bare upper body and a lean lower half, the man's skin tone was a supple and fair unlike the woman's. Under the hazy lights, glimmering beads of sweat were faintly illuminated on his back.

Covered in his embrace, the girl's nightgown strap had already fallen, revealing half of her shoulder that was as fair as jade.

Raising his head from the collarbone of the woman below him, Lu Xi's eyes were flushed giddily in an intense scarlet hue.

"Jin'er…"

He huskily panted as he spoke.

"If you continue on like this, I really won't be able to stop."

Her phoenix eyes, that had been half closed, opened as Su Jin's gaze slowly slid down the distinctly handsome face of the man before her.

Then, her lips curled as her arms curled around Lu Xi's neck.

"You can unwrap your present now."

Her voice, that was usually tender and soft, had seductively become raspy too. It was not at all loud, yet, that still made the arms of the man above her suddenly tighten up.

Stooping down, his thin lips traced over her forehead, her eyes, her red lips and lingered for a while at her neck before he continued downwards.

As the nightgown on her body was pulled off, his lips and hands were like sparks of fire as they slid passed over every nook and corner of her body. At the same time, they lit up a hidden sweltering flame in her heart.

Even her consciousness was somewhat in a state of confusion.

"It's alright, bear with it a little more."

Dazedly, she heard him murmur in her ear.

Only, he did not wait until she understood before a penetrating ache spread throughout her whole body.

In a flash, her mind had a sense of clarity.

As her phoenix eyes opened, they gazed honestly at the man that was close at hand.

Long inclined brows that reached the temples, a straight nose bridge and thin dark red lips.

In those slightly curved pair of peach blossom eyes, with the minute flicker of his delicately long eyelashes, one could see the shadows of his semicircular eyelids. From the centre to the outward edge, the pure black pupils of his eyes gradually lightened in colour. Finally, from the corner of his eye, a tinge of red welled and after combining all of these points, an especially alluring sight was revealed.

It was seriously a pair of peach blossom eyes.

When one sees the tender and supple willow branches and gaily-coloured peach blossoms, one recalls the youthful, pretty looks of one's bride[1].

[1] 桃之夭夭，灼灼其华 (táo zhī yāo yāo, zhuó zhuó qí huá) – A phrase from a poem used as a song to both congratulate a bride and welcome the bride, it originated from the Book of Songs, Shijing. It was an early collection of Chinese poems and one of the Five Classics of Confucianism. The poem is called 'Shijing·Zhou Nan·Tender Peach'. As written in the translation above, this is the direct (yet poor) translation of the prose in the poem.

It reflects a snippet of people's lives at that time when this poem would be sung beginning at the bride's home as she travels to the groom's home. It conveys the meaning of one having such luck to have married such a bride which would lead to the birth of many sons and much fortune. In this context, the bride is referred to as Lu Xi and Su Jin is thinking that if she marries this man, she would definitely have a sweet and blissful family with him.

Unknowingly in that flash of clarity, Su Jin did not know why her thoughts suddenly went to this sentence of the poem.

The soreness swiftly left and then, she realised that she had been pulled into a bottomless sea of passion and in his embrace, she sunk into oblivion.

In the spacious bedroom, the rough pants of the man and the mellow, low moans of the woman interweaved together to create the melody of an exquisite symphony.

The unexplainable and pleasurable sensations that began from her tailbone had smoothly crept upwards to her mind and endless sparks of pleasure overflowed her body.

In a half squint, Su Jin's consciousness was a little fuzzy.

"Lu Xi." Unyielding in maintaining her very last semblance of clarity, her fingertips brushed along the man's solid back.

"Will we be together, forever and always?"

"Definitely." Lu Xi's eyes drooped down slightly as he gazed at the girl in his arms closing her eyes tiredly. Lowering his head, he brushed a kiss on her forehead and softly spoke, "until the end of time, never will we part."

Time marched forward and it was now May; what appeared before one's eyes was a beautiful spring spectacle where the grass had begun sprouting as the birds began to return to the sunny South. The afternoon sunlight was warm and cosy.

On the double-seater rocking chair in a courtyard sat a couple. A cat with milky dark-blue grey fur had quietly nested itself on the lawn beside the two people.

"Don't feel sad." Su Jin leaned her head against the shoulder of the person beside her as she gently spoke.

Long ago, her looks lost their gorgeous and vibrant beauty. Her fine black hair had turned grey and only within that pair of phoenix eyes, was there a hint of her beautiful yesteryears.

"As the year past and our old friends leave one by one, I have long known that this day would come." She laughed and her palm was placed on the arm of the man beside her, "To have stayed by your side together for all these years, I am content."

To have appeared in this world when she was twenty-two, and since then, live the rest of her life entangled in his.

To accompany only each other for eighty-six years, really, it truly complied with that phrase that they had promised each other then.

To hope to be each other's sunshine, till they are white and old, never shall they part[2].

[2] 愿得一心人，白首不相离 (yuàn de yī xīn rén, bái shǒu bù xiāng lí) – Similar to wedding vows; till death do us part, this phrase is a popular phrase that originated from the poem 'A Song of Old Age' written by a poet and a talented lady, Zhuo Wenjun, from the Han dynasty. She had written this to the Minister of War and her lover, Xiang Ru, whom she had eloped with. However, like all things that come to an end, the good times don't last, he had taken a concubine once he became an official. Therefore, his then-wife, Wenjun wrote this poem of complaint to retrieve her marriage. Although it has now been commonly and popularly used as a phrase of marital bliss, it was originally used as a curse for others instead.

Lu Xi also chuckled and taking his arm out, placed it around the shoulders of the person beside him.

"Probably…" Su Jin lowered her eyes with a light sigh, "my only regret was not to have had a child together with you."

Unfortunately, for the two of them, with their celebrated reputation and a blissful and smooth lifetime, they had no progeny. There was no one to attend upon and please them, and much less, grandchildren to spoil.

"It was my fault." Lu Xi declared, the formerly deep, low and graceful voice had long been filled with the raspiness of age.

During the premarital health screening test[3], the doctor had mentioned that his sperm survival rate was extremely low and it would be difficult for his wife to conceive.

[3] 婚检 (hūn jiǎn) – As mentioned in the text, a premarital test is a test that offers a crucial health assessment of soon-to-be-married couples in which they are tested for genetic, infectious and transmissible diseases to prevent any risk of transmitting any disease to each other and their children. In China, couples hoping to marry must undergo a physical check before being granted a marriage certificate.

Sure enough, after all these years, they never had a child.

Drooping his eyes slightly, Lu Xi recalled the very last transaction he made that year with Xiao Qi.

"You… Still have some last bit of accumulated points left, do you want to exchange them for something?"

He was silent for a long while before he opened up, "an infertility pill[4]."

[4] 绝子丹 (jué zǐ dān) – There is no specific translation term for this, but the essence of what Lu Xi had requested for was a pellet or pill to greatly reduce or cut short the lifespan of his seed.

"Infertility pill?" Little Seven was shocked and puzzled, "I think you don't need it right?"

True, they did not need it.

In this life-like yet fantasy-like world, for two souls that had come from the real world, how could they produce offspring to continue their family?

Only…

"I want one infertility pill that I can take."

"Rather than having her sink into impossible hopes that she is unable to free herself from and finally, give up in despair, it would be better to nip this possibility in the bud."

"To have the matters blamed on my body, she would probably feel a little better."

Now that he thought of it, those memories unexpectedly felt like a lifetime ago.

Hugging the arm of the person beside him tightly, Lu Xi quietly voiced, "being like this is great too, only me and you, together."

"That's true." Su Jin laughed and brushed the pale tendrils of hair behind her ear as she turned to look at the cat by her legs. "You have to take care of Lan well."

"And take care of yourself too."

"Your dress shirts and t-shirts are in the first compartment of the chest in our room, your long pants are in the second and your coats and down-filled garments are hung in the wardrobe beside it. As for undergarments, your underwear is placed below the bedside cabinet."

"The old Shaoxing yellow wine that some of your students gave to you was stored under the last layer of the hidden drawer on your side bookshelf in the study[5]. If you want to drink, then get some for yourself but don't drink too much."

Chinese mulled rice wine, commonly known as Shaoxing yellow wine.

[5] 花雕老酒 (huā diāo lǎo jiǔ) – Mulled rice wine has an extensive history and the Shaoxing yellow wine is one of the types of rice wines produced. Mulled rice wine is purported to have the effect of improving blood circulation, dispelling colds and stimulating life vitality. It is made from millet and rice and most of these wines contain 14-20% alcohol. As for the aged mullet rice wines, this is referred to the year of its produce, similar to red, white wines and other spirits. With aged wine, its taste is even better, being more, rich in flavour and fragrant.

"The quilts that we are using now were dried in the sun just two days ago, however, when you need to switch to a thicker quilt, remember to bring it out to dry in the sun once more."

"Oh, that's right, the key for the hidden drawer for your wine is inside the right drawer of your desk."

"Also, your health is still great, so later, if you are free, then you should bring Lan out for a spin. For your health, walking around a bit more is… …"

The long-winded voice gradually softened.

The word 'good' echoed from her mouth and was said in a slight choke filled with emotion. And yet, little by little, the word drifted through the wind.

As Lu Xi embraced the person in his arms that gradually became quiet, he lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead.

Bit by bit, time stagnated.

A scent of decay had slowly begun to waft from a remote and unknown edge of the world.

The man slightly curled his lips and rather strenuously, he lifted his arm and held the person in his embrace tightly as his chin rested against the cleft of her shoulder.

In that fixed posture of their embrace, relieved, he then closed his eyes.

Until, the end of time.

――END――

Translated by Irisu

Edited by Ely

As the translator for this series, it has been the fruit of close to two years of labour. As I write my final comments for the resolution of this story, I hold back some of my tears as I have enjoyed this journey with every reader and view that has been with Su Jin and Lu Xi. As a novice translator, it's a great relief, humble gratitude and happiness to get one story under my belt. I have much to work on to improve as a translator and I am really thankful to everyone for your lovely comments and support to the team in general.

I couldn't have done this without everyone who helped in this process: my fellow translators, editors and volunteers who had helped me out during this last mass daily update. Thank you~ ❤ I think words can no longer express how much Su Jin and Lu Xi have become a part of me as their story resonates in me as I help breathe just a tiny bit of life into this story and share it to more people around me. ❤

And… That is the end of Perfect Fiance and the journey between Su Jin and Lu Xi. How was the story for you? Was it what you had expected? I do hope you leave a review about it on NovelUpdates for us to review and see so that we can continue to seek for lovely and quality stories~

This is Irisu signing off with the PF team, thank you to all our Sunflower fans for being there for us~ ❤ We hope we can continue to release new stories for ya~ (Any suggestions? :3)

Chapter end