Chu Yunhan felt as if all his strength had been drained away. His lips trembled, and he dared not utter the heavy words of love again.

They... ultimately missed each other.

Chu Yunhan had never hated himself so much before. Why did he only say this today? If only he could have told Gu Qingqiu his feelings sooner.

And now... Gu Qingqiu may never hear her say "I love you" to her until her death, which will be a lifelong regret for both of them.

No one expected that Gu Qingqiu's five senses would be lost so quickly.

Gu Qingqiu now spends her days either sleeping or spacing out. Her mental state wasn't very good to begin with, and she hadn't learned lip reading. Even if she had, her eyesight wouldn't be good enough to read lips clearly.

Ziyun often gestured wildly in front of her, but she couldn't understand it 90% of the time. She could only feel that Ziyun's limbs were moving very hard, like she was doing calisthenics.

Since Chu Yunhan learned that Gu Qingqiu was deaf, he has never spoken to her again. He has become taciturn and looks even more cruel and sinister. Servants avoid him when they see him.

Gu Qingqiu wanted to say something to Chu Yunhan, but gave up after trying to speak a few words to Ziyun.

Judging from Ziyun's expression, her tone and voice must be very strange right now. It's better not to let Chu Yunhan see her in such an embarrassing situation.

However, this period of turmoil did not last long, and Gu Qingqiu fell into a coma again.

The entire palace was in chaos, and Ziyun spent every day in tears.

Every time Gu Qingqiu woke up, she would see a figure sitting by her bedside; Chu Yunhan was always sitting by her bedside watching her.

Even though Gu Qingqiu's eyesight has become very poor, she can still see that Chu Yunhan has lost a lot of weight and has grown a lot of gray hair. Gu Qingqiu feels sorry for him and sometimes, even when she is awake, she does not want to open her eyes. She does not want to see Chu Yunhan in this state; she finds it too painful.

During this time, Gu Qingqiu often doubted whether her existence was real, because she could no longer sense her own body. She even suspected that she was a wandering soul that had been dead for a long time, possessing many people and experiencing their lives, and that the system was just a delusion she had during her mental breakdown, and that such a system did not actually exist in the world.

Or perhaps in dreams or during brief moments of lucidity, many people come to mind.

For example, what was Yan Shengxiao's mindset when he became a vegetable for several months? However, he could still perceive the outside world and hear others talking, unlike Gu Qingqiu now, who is like being in a vacuum.

Does Jiang Chenxin talk to herself when she's alone in the cave? Does she feel bad if no one listens to her or if she doesn't get a response?

Xiao Yiming has played a hearing-impaired patient before, and he even diligently learned sign language for the role. He also taught Gu Qingqiu some simple sign language, but unfortunately, it's not needed here.

Qi Huaijin possesses magical abilities to communicate with the Yin and Yang realms and can also interact with ghosts. During his interactions with vengeful spirits, he can use magic to read their grievances and experiences, and perhaps even gain the ability to communicate with them.

I've heard that a person's life before death flashes before their eyes in a blur. Gu Qingqiu feels that's pretty much what's happening now. Is she going to die...?

Suddenly, Gu Qingqiu heard sounds she hadn't heard in a long time—the chirping of birds outside the window—and smelled the strong aroma of medicinal soup and incense in the room. Her senses slowly returned, and she was even able to control herself to clench and unclench her fists.

This must be a true last gasp before death.

Gu Qingqiu remained in the same position, not daring to let Chu Yunhan discover her abnormality. Giving hope only to disappoint others is the most painful thing.

Chu Yunhan was far more silent than Gu Qingqiu had imagined. Gu Qingqiu heard several servants talking to him, and she also heard Ziyun talking to him, but he did not respond at all.

If Gu Qingqiu hadn't already become very familiar with Chu Yunhan's footsteps and breathing, she might have even thought that Chu Yunhan wasn't in the room.

"Your Highness, the Little New Year is approaching. Are there any special arrangements?" the steward's voice came.

Gu Qingqiu immediately perked up her ears to listen.

Chu Yunhan didn't seem to answer.

The steward seemed used to it and continued speaking to himself, "Well... if Your Highness has no other arrangements, then it will be the same as in previous years? This old servant will arrange to prepare some New Year's goods, send someone to perform the Kitchen God Festival, and also arrange for the cleaning of the Prince's residence."

Chu Yunhan seemed to tacitly approve of the butler's actions.

The steward continued, "Furthermore, as the year draws to a close, there are many social obligations that must be observed among the imperial relatives. If Your Highness does not wish to make visits or receive guests, you should at least arrange for someone to deliver some gifts."

"If Your Highness has no objections... this old servant will take a look at the treasure pavilion and see if there are any suitable items for gifting or returning gifts?"

"This old servant takes his leave... Your Highness, please take care of your health..."

The door creaked shut softly, and the only sound inside was Chu Yunhan's breathing.

Gu Qingqiu was somewhat surprised; she had fallen ill and gone into a coma, and it was already past the Lunar New Year.

As the saying goes, once the Little New Year is over, the New Year is just around the corner... so the Spring Festival is almost here.

According to the imperial physician, Gu Qingqiu probably wouldn't live past the Spring Festival. No wonder the Prince's mansion didn't seem to have any of the usual festive cheer; instead, it was eerily quiet, and Chu Yunhan was becoming increasingly taciturn.

At night, Chu Yunhan took off his coat and got into bed. He first tentatively touched Gu Qingqiu, and then slowly clasped his hands together with Gu Qingqiu's fingers, gently caressing them.

After a while, Chu Yunhan pulled Gu Qingqiu into his arms and gently coaxed her like a child.

Gu Qingqiu struggled to suppress the urge to hug Chu Yunhan back, and only slowly opened her eyes when Chu Yunhan's breathing became even and long.

After adjusting to the darkness for a long time, Gu Qingqiu could barely make out Chu Yunhan's appearance in the moonlight.

Gu Qingqiu's vision has returned to normal, but at this moment, Gu Qingqiu would rather she couldn't see.

Chu Yunhan was much thinner than Gu Qingqiu had seen him last time. He had dark circles under his eyes, his lips were dry, chapped, and bloodless, and he still had a furrowed brow while sleeping, so it seemed he wasn't having a sweet dream.

Gu Qingqiu felt a pang of heartache. Chu Yunhan hadn't suddenly become so thin; he must have gone through a long period of pain and struggle.

Perhaps soon Gu Qingqiu will leave this world, but Chu Yunhan may live with this pain and sorrow for the rest of his life.

Unable to control her emotions, Gu Qingqiu leaned closer and gently kissed Chu Yunhan's lips.