The more I think about her, the more reluctant I am to let her go.

She was also possessive and selfishly didn't want Qing'er to leave her.

Little Swallow is also going to Dali.

And then there was Ertai. After Ertai went to Mongolia, she was all alone.

From now on, she'll be all alone again.

The more I tried to suppress my emotions, the more out of control I became. I was only pretending to cry, but I actually started to cry.

Her eyes reddened, and she buried her head in the pillow, silently shedding tears.

"Nian Nian?"

Hearing the sobbing, Qing'er panicked, sat up, picked up Chen Nian, and met a pair of red, tear-filled eyes.

"Niannian, Niannian, what's wrong? I wasn't thinking about anyone just now. I was thinking about our Niannian. I was thinking about our Niannian. Don't cry. Tell me, what's wrong?"

Qing'er held him in her arms, gently stroking Chen Nian's back and soothing him softly.

"Qing...Qing'er—"

Hearing Qing'er's gentle voice, Chen Nian cried even harder.

Outside the door, Ertai, who had come to deliver food, heard the crying inside. His hand, which was about to knock, paused, his eyes filled with worry, and a pang of pain swept through his heart.

I need to prepare some throat lozenges later.

"I am here."

"Qing...Qing'er...I...I...miss you...you...you left me..."

Chen Nian spoke haltingly, admitting that she was selfish. She didn't want Qing'er to leave her, and she didn't want Qing'er to leave her again in her limited time.

Qing'er didn't urge him, waiting for Chen Nian to speak slowly, gently stroking Chen Nian's back.

"I will not leave you."

Qing'er didn't know why Shen Nian would say that, but she sensed his strong reluctance to part. She hugged him tightly and spoke gently yet firmly.

How could she leave her? Wherever she is, that is her home. She will never leave her.

With her and the Empress Dowager by her side, she will not leave them.

"You...you will...you will leave your own...afterwards...afterwards there will only be...me...I'll be all alone...I'll be all alone."

Hearing Qing'er's words, Chen Nian cried even harder.

"How could that be? I will never leave you, never."

Qing'er didn't know why Shen Nian was so stubborn in believing that he would leave her. Her voice was incredibly firm as she met Shen Nian's eyes, her expression serious beyond words.

"Qing'er, I, I can't bear to part with you, waaaaah, you, you are mine, you can't abandon me and leave."

"You have to take me with you when you leave. I know I'm a bit lazy, a bit spoiled, a bit of a glutton, and a bit of a spendthrift, but you can't abandon me. Wherever you go, I'll go with you, okay?"

Seeing the seriousness in Qing'er's eyes, Chen Nian hugged Qing'er and burst into tears.

She didn't care about her image or anything else. She knew she wasn't good at anything except for her face, but she just couldn't bear to part with Qing'er.

Someone who hasn't appeared yet: ? ? ? What do you mean "your"? That's mine.

"Okay, okay, I won't leave you, I won't abandon you, and if I do leave, I'll take you with me, okay? Don't cry, don't cry, okay?"

Chen Nian's words made Qing'er both laugh and cry, and her heartache lessened a bit. She comforted the person on her body again and again.

Ertai, who was outside the door, was heartbroken to hear Shen Nian's crying. But when he heard that she was going to leave with Qing'er, his heart ached even more, and his face darkened. What would he do if she ran away?

He's going to live a life of widowhood all by himself?! That won't do.

And what about Qing'er? How can we let her have her way? How can we let whatever she says go?

We can't just...

...