Chapter 7 - Chapter 7 Stars in the Dark

Dark.Boundless, pure, as if there is a weight of darkness.When the last ray of light was completely swallowed up by the heavy oak plank wall, this was the only thing left in Su Wan's world.At first, she just sat quietly, allowing this viscous darkness to envelop, penetrate, and drown her. Her body still retains the pain of being beaten by the ruler, and her soul is still imprinted with the humiliation of being judged by Bo Jinshen, but these have become blurred and unreal in the face of this absolute darkness.She seemed to have become a ghost floating in the void out of the body.She didn't know the passage of time.In this crucified cage, day and night lose their meaning of alternation. During the day, it may only be a few hours when the lights are on; And the night is eternal.Her only timer was the door that opened and locked on time three times a day.The door opened, bringing food and everything that "moonshine" needed.The door closed, throwing her back into this dead purgatory.The first twenty-four hours she spent in numbness.In the second twenty-four hours, fear began to grow like vines, quietly growing from the deepest part of her heart.She began to fear this darkness.It is no longer static, it seems to be alive. It was breathing, wriggling, caressing her skin with countless pairs of invisible hands, burrowing into her ears, and peeking into her most secret thoughts.She began to have auditory hallucinations.She always felt that she could hear the sound of the wind blowing through the grass behind the wooden wall.I could hear the sound of the free sparrow chirping wildly.These voices were all laughing at her. Laugh at this pathetic prisoner buried alive in the grave.On the third day, she began to fear the silence.She began to use her fingers, over and over again, stroking every item in the room.The cold corner of the table, the soft cashmere carpet, the silky quilt, and the ... nailed all her hopes to the plank wall.She needs touch.It is necessary to use this most primitive way to confirm that it still exists and has not been completely dissolved by this darkness.She even began to talk to herself.With a very low, almost inaudible breath sound, recite those damn [codes of conduct]."Smile when happy, the curvature of the corners of the mouth is 1.2 cm...""When you turn around and look back, your eyes need to be three points of surprise, two points of curiosity, and five points of innocence..."These sentences, which once made her feel extremely humiliated and disgusting, have now become the only straw for her to confirm that she still has the ability to think and speak.She was like a person who was about to drown, holding on to this quenched straw and not daring to let go.She was afraid that once she let go, she would go completely crazy.Just before her reason was about to be completely eroded by darkness, a turning point came, in a way she had never imagined.On that day, the door was opened as usual.What was sent was seasonal clothes.The young maid still lowered her head, silently putting stacks of brand new white dresses into the cloakroom, and then casually placed a few hard cardboard boxes for clothes in the corner.It was just a few ordinary boxes with the logo of a luxury brand.After all this, the maid pushed the cart and left in a hurry."Click."The door locked again.The room returns to darkness.Su Wan didn't immediately sort out the new clothes as usual.Her attention was completely attracted by those cardboard boxes.She slowly groped and crawled to the corner.She reached out and touched one of the largest cardboard boxes.The hard texture, the sharp edges, through her fingertips, came a long-lost clear and steady touch.It is different from all the soft, luxurious, and things that belong to "Lu Qingyue" in this room.This paper box is so ordinary, so ... Authentic.She used her fingernails to gently scratch the surface of the carton, making a "rustling" and faint sound.In this dead room, this sound was like a natural sound.A thought, like a seed buried under the frozen soil and long dead, was miraculously awakened by this "rustling" sound at this moment.——Draw.She remembered the brushes she had confiscated.I remembered my dream.I thought of the real Su Wan who could create the whole world as he wanted on the drawing paper.However, she did not have a pen.She had nothing.As soon as this thought arose, it was poured with ice water by the ruthless reality.Despair came like a tide again.She leaned against the wall and curled up in the darkness, her heart throbbing.Suddenly, her fingertips touched a small, delicate box on the bedside table.It's a match.According to the provisions of the [Code of Conduct and Daily Life], "Moonlight" needs to light a special "White Moonlight" scented candle with a sleep-aiding effect before falling asleep every night.So, every day, the maid would send a brand new, long-pole wooden match.And she, Su Wan, hadn't lit that candle for a long time.She would rather keep her eyes open in the dark than fall asleep in the smell that belongs to Lu Qingyue.A crazy, bold plan, in her mind, took shape in an instant.Her heart began to beat violently uncontrollably.She groped and picked up the box of matches, the largest, flattest cardboard box, held them, and hid in the deepest corner of the room.That corner is the absolute blind spot of surveillance.She took a deep breath, trembling her hands, and pulled out a match from the box."Oh-"A soft sound.A small cluster of orange, warm flames suddenly lit up in absolute darkness.This sudden light stabbed Su Wan's eyes with severe pain, and she subconsciously closed her eyes.It took a few seconds for her to slowly open.The little flame beat quietly and excitedly on her trembling fingertips.It illuminated her pale, tear-stained face.illuminated her empty, desperate eyes.It also illuminates the flat paper box in her arms, waiting to be brought to life.The air was filled with a faint, pungent smell of sulfur.This taste overshadows the pervasive gardenia fragrance.This taste belongs to her.Su Wan didn't light the damn candle.She watched the flames, quietly, watching it burn the thin wooden pole, little by little, into charred carbon.Just before the flames were about to burn her fingers, she blew violently."Huh-"The flame was extinguished.The world returns to darkness.But this time, there was no fear in Su Wan's heart.Only an unprecedented, trembling calm remained.She held the burnt match tightly in her hand as if she were holding a rare treasure.Then, she opened the cardboard box.tLay it flat on an icy floor.With the charcoal head that was charred and had residual heat, she painted the first stroke on this secret canvas that belonged to her, unpying on it."Sand... Sand... Sand ..."The sound of the charcoal head rubbing against the cardboard was the most beautiful symphony she had ever heard.She didn't hesitate in the slightest.She doesn't even need light.Because what she wants to paint has already been traced thousands of times by her soul.What she painted was a window.A window that was completely smashed by brute force.With all her might, she drew sharp shards of glass that burst in all directions.Draw a splintered and warped wooden window frame.Every stroke is full of anger, hatred and unwillingness.She paints more than just a window.It was her cage.It was her shackles.It was her imprisoned, crying soul.Then, in the dark void that was smashed open, symbolizing freedom, she used up the last bit of black of the charcoal head, and lit a star extremely hard and solemnly.A small, but incomparably bright, shining ... Pentagram.That was not Lu Qingyue's gentle moon like water.That is Su Wan's star.With edges, edges, and a decisive will to pierce the sky even in boundless darkness.After the last stroke, the match completely turned into powder.Su Wan's fingertips were dyed black.She collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath.Tears, uncontrollably, gushed out.But this time the tears are no longer shed for humiliation and despair.This is venting.This is rebirth.She held the painting tightly, tightly, in her arms.It seems that what she is holding is the whole world that she has lost and regained.This dark, cold, crucified cage is still a cage.But from this moment on, it was different.Because in the deepest part of this cage, she has carved out a small, unknown ... for herself where she can breathe freely. Starry sky.